Well it went out for the first time this weekend to Clayton, Oklahoma. I thought that was gonna be a terrible place to take it for a shakedown run but I got called out by a buddy. I left Friday morning with no exhaust, brakes/clutch not bled, and a LEAKING steering box due to a bad tap and a new box and new tap. Anyway got the exhaust done on the way. Got to Clayton and tapped the new box on the back of the trailer, got another buddy to help bleed the clutch and brakes and found I had a LR wheel cylinder out so I pinched the left line in about 3 spots to get some pedal. Anyway I was FREAKING AMAZED!!!! It went everywhere I pointed it with hardly any trouble. I crept around the first day.....nothing broke! The next day I get a little more brave and start flogging on it. I really wanted to drive it pretty hard to see where I stood with it and it never balked!! I do have to replace a front left knuckle due to the caliper bolt bosses stripping out (I had one stripped out to start with and then when I tightened the other it eventually stripped). The steeing needs some adjustment. I have mine set up like Brian Ellingers with the stock arms, low tierod. I cannot get within 1" of the steering stops in any direction???? Also the steering box is still leaking. I tapped it with a 1/4"-18 NPT tap, brand new in the front on the "D" of Toyoda. Tap looked awesome. I used some kinda yellow pipe dope that a buddy had. It leaks just like the other box....? Any pointers?

Anyway, overall really pleased with this thing! Especially for a shakedown run!

Congrats!!! Pics??!

Need to get rollin' on mine!!!

I do but a friend of mine has the SD card. Will get them up.

I had a bad spot on a tapped box that wouldn't seal. I ended up tig welding the fitting on, no problems.

As for the steering, the stock arms are a lot longer than aftermarket high steer arms, and require a longer pitman arm to use all the the steering.


Now get some pics up!:D

sounds like you guys got stuff back together and out on the trail again and had some more fun!

I think it also requires a longer ram . The stock arms are longer which meanes the more distance it have to travel. If your using a 6" ram like you would use on a high steer theres your problem.

sounds like you guys got stuff back together and out on the trail again and had some more fun!

Yeah we got back out there..........big thanks to you and to everyone else that pitched in. He ended up breaking it again......I think there is something else going on. Flipped it hard on the roof about 330am that morning on Waterfall trying to go up a different way. Mine did fine I never broke anything.

I never thought about the ram or pitman arm being too short. But that does make sense cause Im not over steering in ANY way. It comes up short everywhere. Well all I need is some arms and a little longer DL and I will be set up with high steer. Thanks

I had a bad spot on a tapped box that wouldn't seal. I ended up tig welding the fitting on, no problems.

Im gonna try one more thing with the teflon tape and then put Loctite liquid teflon on that. If that dont get it done off to the tigger it goes.

Yeah we got back out there..........big thanks to you and to everyone else that pitched in. He ended up breaking it again......I think there is something else going on. Flipped it hard on the roof about 330am that morning on Waterfall trying to go up a different way. Mine did fine I never broke anything.

39" red label krawlers maybe? not much else can explain are rear shaft breaking.

If you figure out the magical steering solution on toys let us know I can't get hardly any steering out of mine with 35's and keep them out of the springs

For steering question:

Longer ram, we run an 8".

Longer pitman would help get even more.

He's running 37" red labels. I just wouldnt have thought it would have broke where it did the second time.

Thanks for the insight Brian. I will probably just go high steer since that is where I wanna end up anyway.

did he end up running the shaft that Slim MADE??? did it work?

I'm still trying to figure out what front shaft would be that diameter and fit a toyota diff

No we didnt run it, it needed to be a cunt hair smaller diameter to get the flange to slip down on it. I have no idea what shaft it was. It was 30 spline and a long side inner.

Here are some pics here at the house.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w106/Moonman1978/RigBuild023.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w106/Moonman1978/RigBuild020.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w106/Moonman1978/RigBuild021.jpg

Thats about how mine looked the first time out. Was it a bouncy ride without the shocks?

Really wasnt too bad to be honest with you. It would get to bouncing when you started flogging it on a hill climb or something like that.

Good job! Looks like all your hard work paid off.

Am I missing something or are there no seat belts in your rig?

Yeah I know, I know. There are no belts in there. I have brand new Corbeau's laying in the shop floor to install, just ran out of time. I know that is stupid but Im a grown man so flame if you must.

One question on the Corbeau's. The dang attachment points are gonna end up like 3' behind the seat......what is the deal with that? Is there anyway to shorten that up? I dont want the attachment point to be on the rear seat bar. LOL!

Looking good. You plan to powder coat the chassis or spray paint?




Please don't wheel without seatbelts. Not even around the yard. :shaking:



Belts: Cut out that bar that you currently have behind the seats. Get one bent at near a 90 deg on the ends and place it on the b-pillar higher than the horizontal main frame bar. Then make a gusset down to the horizontal main bar. This isn't a good picture but it's the only one I was able to find on short notice.

It was just a reminder:p No flaming needed.

Looking good. You plan to powder coat the chassis or spray paint?



Belts: Cut out that bar that you currently have behind the seats. Get one bent at near a 90 deg on the ends and place it on the b-pillar higher than the horizontal main frame bar. Then make a gusset down to the horizontal main bar. This isn't a good picture but it's the only one I was able to find on short notice.

I would like powder coat but dont want to completely strip it down so black truck frame and silver rustoleum hammer finish on the tube work it is......right out of the rattle can.

As far as what you are describing on mounting the bars it still does not help the fact that the damn seatbelts are WAY too long. For real I would have to put the attachment point on the rear seat bar for them to even get close to being tight on the driver seat. What do I need to do here?

Sorry for the thread hijack, but this belt discussion is the perfect place to hijack!!!!

Question:
How the heck did everyone else mount their lap and submarine belts to the chassis/floor? I got a set of MasterCraft harnesses with quick clips, (mount to similar forged-eye bolts as bolt-in harnesses)....but do you just weld a tab to the side of the tube and bolt the eye throught the tab? Drill completely through the tube and bolt through??? :confused:


Tex1978, on to your question: what style of shoulder harness attachments do you have? Mine have clips, but I'm going to ditch the clips and simply wrap the harness around the bar with the 3-bar sliders that came with the shoulder harness straps.

Like John, I have a bar behind the back seats, but it welds in at the nodes where the b-pillars hit the perimeter bar, and bends up from there--you can sort of make it out in this pic:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=393595&stc=1&d=1222641110

Mt4runner that is what I would do. Just run a bolt through and weld both sides, then washer, then belt eye, then washer and nut.



My harnesses have ends on them, kinda like a tab with a hole through it, approx. 9/16" hole.

Sorry for the thread hijack, but this belt discussion is the perfect place to hijack!!!!

Question:
How the heck did everyone else mount their lap and submarine belts to the chassis/floor? I got a set of MasterCraft harnesses with quick clips, (mount to similar forged-eye bolts as bolt-in harnesses)....but do you just weld a tab to the side of the tube and bolt the eye throught the tab? Drill completely through the tube and bolt through??? :confused:


Tex1978, on to your question: what style of shoulder harness attachments do you have? Mine have clips, but I'm going to ditch the clips and simply wrap the harness around the bar with the 3-bar sliders that came with the shoulder harness straps.

Like John, I have a bar behind the back seats, but it welds in at the nodes where the b-pillars hit the perimeter bar, and bends up from there--you can sort of make it out in this pic:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=393595&stc=1&d=1222641110
I used the slick little tabs that Harper used on his rig. You can see them in these pics

http://www.wesleycombs.com/Portals/0/Blog/Ftoy/Feb%2028%202008/Ftoy_510_080228_031.JPG

http://www.wesleycombs.com/Portals/0/Blog/Ftoy/Feb%2028%202008/Ftoy_510_080228_014.JPG

That is the same way I did mine

So what do you guys think I should do with my 3' long extra tails on my harnesses?

Got a pic of them? Any reason you can't connect them closer to the seats?

Cut off the excess and singe them with a lighter so they don't fray!

No I dont have a pic handy and Im leaving today for a week out of town to work. Will post up when I get back.
Anyway you cant cut off the end cause that is where the belt tab is. If I do that I would have to double stitch or whatever sew the tab back on.

OH!

If there's a sewn-on tab, then cut it off. Call your harness supplier and buy a three-bar tab (like you'd use if you had an adjustable tab); tell them you want to do a "wrap-around" mount for your shoulder harness.

*
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Harnesses/

Here's what you own, if I understand correctly (although you're talking your shoulder strap, this is a lap belt):
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Harnesses/images/IMG_1308_300.jpg

Here's what you need:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Harnesses/images/IMG_1442_300.jpg

Or...you can bolt them in with the tabs you own, but you will still need a pair of 3-bar slides for each seat:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Harnesses/images/IMG_1939_300.jpg

Or...here's a dumb question. If you have the bolt-in, non-adjustable tab on the chassis side of your shoulder harness: Where is the adjustment for the shoulder belt? Is it on the chassis side (above the buckle) or below the buckle on the latch side? If it's on the chassis side ("pull up"), can you pull the excess through there and trim it off?

*the BillaVista tech articles this year on harnesses alone make this year's red star worth my $20!!

Don't cut that tab off the belt and intend to reuse unless you send them back to the manufacturer to sew up. Can you use a loop style connection where you thread the belt thru a metal friction lock, around the bar and back thru the lock? You don't actualluy have to attach them to the bar right behind the seats. You do need them to at least go over that bar at no more than a 45deg angle down from the shoulder of the seat then they can go back and attach to the rear seat bar if needed. I made some small hoops on the bar to keep the belts in place and so that there was no chance of them sliding around the side of the seat and off the shoulder during a roll. I agree that if you can get the bar all the way to the node and still have your seat where you want it that would be best but I couldn't get that tight a radius in my bend.


EDIT: Oops looks like mt4runner was typing at the same time as me. What he said.:D

Yes I have the tabs like in the top pic. So I DONT want to cut the excess off and feed them through tabs or I do? Or do I just feed the tab and everything through. I will get ahold of the vendor and see what he says.

You DO NOT want to cut the tabs off and re-sew them yourself.
You DO want to use some 3-bar slides (what mtbrjon referred to as a metal friction lock)
You DO want to call the manufacturer to confirm this is OK--may as well use the 3-bar slides they supply.

I doubt you can feed the tab through the 3-bar slide, and you don't want the tab flying around on the end of the belt if it's not used to attach the belt.

Ive got a PM sent out to the vendor, awaiting a reply.

I heard back from the vendor and he said to just run them over the bar behind the seat and down to the floor to take up the slack......??

I know harnesses are not meant to be ran like that but in our situation (low speed) maybe it will work. What do you guys think??

running them over the bar is in essence the same as attaching them to that bar

just make sure that they don't rub thru and I'd think they'd interfere with the back seat foot room if you have one

Well that is kinda what I was thinking. I guess that will be better than none at all fo sho.

I heard back from the vendor and he said to just run them over the bar behind the seat and down to the floor to take up the slack......??

I know harnesses are not meant to be ran like that but in our situation (low speed) maybe it will work. What do you guys think??

Wouldn't worry me, safety-wise. I agree with 91blaze that some back seat foot room interference is the downside.

Well at the time Im not running a back seat.......I dont think it would be comfy anyway even if I had not belts running back there at all. I will just run them over the bar and down to the bar that the seats are bolted to. My only problem I see now is them slipping off the edge of the seats since my seats dont have the holes for the shoulder harnesses.

Weld small loops on the top of your crossbar, and they'll keep the belts from slipping!

Good idea! Thanks

hows that rear pinion angle work for you?

So far no problems. I set it up that high to relieve some stress off the ujoints at the tcase. They are the Ujoints that were in the shafts when I pulled them out of the truck. I put them in there....didnt grease them cause I didnt have time and went to Clayton and flogged the shit out of it.

So far no problems. I set it up that high to relieve some stress off the ujoints at the tcase. They are the Ujoints that were in the shafts when I pulled them out of the truck. I put them in there....didnt grease them cause I didnt have time and went to Clayton and flogged the shit out of it.


Sweet. I was thinking of setting mine up that way for more clearance under the shaft and less bind at the t-case. I was just wondering if there were any problems with vibrations or breakage.

No problems yet. I do have some vibration but I dont think it is coming from the Ujoints. The anti wrap leaf on the TG springs is what rattles. I still aint put not shocks on it yet and I think once I do the rattle will go away. No breakage but I only got one floggin on it so far. Going back to Clayton on New Years Eve for another round. Will see how she does.