Adam, you had to get a picture of my wreck when the roller fairlead's all apart and the wheels are unpainted.

I finally caved in, and signed up. I've been lurking here a while, figure it's the only hope for a freak like me...

J-L

So you know Adam! Do you have a foil outfit too?:D

Flame outfit?

Naah. The 50 miles of weld bead I left on the 109's chassis have given me permanent immunity to flame wars. That, and the permanent flashes I see. But that damn welding helmet was just too goofy looking, it messed up my hair.

You know you're way past gone when you buy welding rods by the ton...

J-L

Originally posted by HandBuilt
Adam, you had to get a picture of my wreck when the roller fairlead's all apart and the wheels are unpainted.
J-L

Hello mate
I take it your truck's the SOA 109 that Adam posted a pic of a week or so ago. If it is then welcome on board, its good to see another leaf srung nutter on here.

How about some details of the spring over? Im considering SOA for the next project (there I go talking future plans, must have caught it from Adam) so any details would be of interest.

Are you running standard length springs or have you done the longer front springs mod?

Does it flex well? On the road my moded 109 has a fair bit of body roll especialy if im pushing it on our twisty UK roads how does a 109 that tall get on.

Do you have any details of the build up that you would like to show off?

Questions questions eh!

I shouldnt worry about the unpainted wheels etc. at least your trucks all one colour mines still all the coulours of all the trucks that whent into building it. Kind of patchwork.

gon 2 far...

I'm running a custom chassis so I can't speak for your average 109, but mine has stock length springs all around (standard british spring 88" springs) and much longer shocks. It is sprung over on rangie axles, custom shock mounts, spring mounts. The steering is scout II but the steering arm on the swivel ball is a custom billet piece that attaches to the top swivel pin. This solves all the geometry issues, no bumpsteer.

I should mention that most of the vehicle is custom, hence the name, handbuilt.

300 cube six
T-18
SII T case
Rangie axles
SPOA
Custom chassis
Modded bulkhead
One off steering
GM diesel hydroboost brake booster
Scout II P/S with high volume diesel pump
Galvanizing throughout
TIG 6061-T6 roofrack (gotta keep the gas cans somewhere)
TIG alum doortops

It is a little tippy on roads, and a lot higher than what it looks like in the picture (loaded with junk), but it drives nice. I usually cruise at about 70 mph and it is very stable. It flexes very nicely, but I still have some work to do. Haven't rolled it yet, but have been really cautious in side hills. It will do 38 degrees sidehill (on the levogage) and it was still pretty stable, gas cans on the roof.


J-L

Originally posted by HandBuilt
Flame outfit?

Naah. The 50 miles of weld bead I left on the 109's chassis have given me permanent immunity to flame wars. That, and the permanent flashes I see. But that damn welding helmet was just too goofy looking, it messed up my hair.

You know you're way past gone when you buy welding rods by the ton...

J-L

I guess there is a few things you need to know about Adam!

Adam in his foil suit:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=696339

hey JL, good seeing you here. i always knew you could add a bit to this place, and youve finally shown up!

and OS, dont you dare post that picture, save everyone the nightmares again! :D :flipoff2:

Originally posted by 9V
hey JL, good seeing you here. i always knew you could add a bit to this place, and youve finally shown up!

and OS, dont you dare post that picture, save everyone the nightmares again! :D :flipoff2:

It's going to haunt you forever! What high school do you go to? Do you have the yearbook editors e-mail addy handy? :evil:

Originally posted by Old Scout


It's going to haunt you forever! What high school do you go to? Do you have the yearbook editors e-mail addy handy? :evil:

:eek: :eek: :eek:

i go to a school, and no i would not know the email address of the yearbook editor :flipoff2:

oh and i dont know whats scarier, the fact that you would be willing to send that to my school, or that you actually have the pic saved on your hard drive!!!

even i deleted it weeks ago!

Originally posted by 9V


:eek: :eek: :eek:

i go to a school, and no i would not know the email address of the yearbook editor :flipoff2:

oh and i dont know whats scarier, the fact that you would be willing to send that to my school, or that you actually have the pic saved on your hard drive!!!

even i deleted it weeks ago!

No I didn't save it. Its on the POR server 8-10 times!
So How did I do? (http://users.rcn.com/algon/)

impresive, OS. very much so. but that is not my school. you see, i am lucky enough to go to a private high school that is not even located in my town. so unfortunately you may have a bit tougher of a time finding it.

however, there would be plenty of people at Algonquin who know me... :eek:

I love the net!

http://www.stmarksschool.org/

nope, wrong again. that school is about a 5 minute walk from my house (in the aerial view of the campus you can see it) but i told you that my school was in a DIFFERENT town...

i know people at st marks too.

:flipoff2: Too many to pick from (http://www.southborough.org/PrivateHS.htm) :mad:

its on that list :D

I'm sure the girls @ Dana Hall will get a kick out of it! :evil:

So I open the pirate board up and look at that there's a 10 reply discussion going on on this thread lets have a look then


no no its just old scout and 9V having a snipe at each other :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

:D

J-L

Why a custom chassis then? over here in the UK 109 chassis are cheap and plentiful (109s arn't that popular on our tight lanes) I guess thats not the same over there in the US.

If you are using standard springs SOA then how much benifit in terms of flex do you see when compared to a standard LR set up?

I must admit that even at the hight my 109 sits at the roof is the last place I would choose to have any weight stored. Its flexy springs already scare unprepared passengers enough on fast bends without the added influence of weight all the way up there.

Go on post some more photos mate. Some action shots would be nice. It would be good to see a leafer demonstrating a bit of flex.

lol i dont even know where dana hall is :D

my school colors are red and white.

Originally posted by 9V
its on that list :D

Adam

Your past indiscretions are always bound to catch up with you mate and as you know from the Jeep forum there wont be any hiding when they do.

I think old scouts nearly got youpinned down now :rolleyes:

thats ok gon, i KNOW he wont really do it :D

and if he does, ill just say i was drunk and it was a dare :laughing:

So it's Rivers or Worcester Academy:question:

I'll guess Worcester

yearbook@worcesteracademy.org


Dear Sir or Madam
I have some yearbook material.................................:evil:

WRONG i guess you didnt check out all the sites...

Action pics?

Man, I wish I could post...

have a look at my website...

http://members.rogers.com/jhmorin/travels2.html
http://members.rogers.com/jhmorin/landrover.html

There is a pic of it flexing there (in travels), that was before I messed with the spring rates, so it's quite a bit better now.

Custom chassis? Simple. I would have had to take the stock series chassis and completely tweak it out to get it to accept the engine, tranny to fit, and I wanted more ground clearance. It was just easier and cheaper to make my own and incorporate all the modifications into it. Plus, I find it's a lot stiffer and much more solid than the stock rover chassis. The winch bumper is actually a stressed member of the chassis. Can't be removed, ever.

The spring over allows you to drop a wheel a lot farther than you usually could. It's really nuts, sometimes I can't believe it. The front still doesn't flex like the rear, so I might be monkeying with the front soon enough, but I'm having a ton of fun with it as-is...

I only load the roof up around town and on mild off-roading. For heavy stuff, I put everything down low.

J-L

Originally posted by 9V
lol i dont even know where dana hall is :D



You don't know were the local all girl catholic school is??? :rolleyes:

i havent even heard of it. i know of another one that is a lot closer to the HS i go to, and they are actually kind of brother and sister schools so its all good :D

Originally posted by HandBuilt
Action pics?

Man, I wish I could post...

have a look at my website...

http://members.rogers.com/jhmorin/travels2.html
http://members.rogers.com/jhmorin/landrover.html

There is a pic of it flexing there (in travels), that was before I messed with the spring rates, so it's quite a bit better now.

The spring over allows you to drop a wheel a lot farther than you usually could. It's really nuts, sometimes I can't believe it. The front still doesn't flex like the rear, so I might be monkeying with the front soon enough, but I'm having a ton of fun with it as-is...
J-L

Picks look like it flexes real well J-L

Not to sure because there have been some band width issues on here recently but as I understand it you can post pics on here so long as they are from another website like the one you already have. You just cant attach files without the magic red star.

One question arises from the pics. Why did you lay the front shock back at such an angle? I have 13" travel shocks on the front of my 109 and found space to mount them straight up and down under the front wings (just) mind you the tops of them are just bellow the top of the wings.

What are your thoughts on getting the front end to flex better? The standard short springs on the front dont contribute an equal amount of flex compared to the longer rears which always leaves you with an unbalanced suspension front to rear.

In the photos your truck looks so well proportioned that its making me think more and more about the SOA option for the next project. Only trouble is that the Rover ive got lying arround the place is an 88 and not a 109 :)

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Aug/20028263249072703133161.jpg

Originally posted by 9V
thats ok gon, i KNOW he wont really do it :D

and if he does, ill just say i was drunk and it was a dare :laughing:

THis is the Pirates board Adam and I bet he will do it :flipoff2:

Originally posted by gon2far


THis is the Pirates board Adam and I bet he will do it :flipoff2:

I wonder how many people are hoping he does?

Old Scout,

Just send it to all of them! :flipoff2:

Originally posted by gon2far


Picks look like it flexes real well J-L

One question arises from the pics. Why did you lay the front shock back at such an angle? I have 13" travel shocks on the front of my 109 and found space to mount them straight up and down under the front wings (just) mind you the tops of them are just bellow the top of the wings.



I set the shock travel in a backwards angle because that's the most effective way of doing it I think. As the spring gets compressed, it moves back a bit, I wanted the shock to be perpendicular to axle movement. It works great. The angle is only about 10-15 degrees if I remember correctly.

Those pics are old, the ones in the L-R section I mean. Everything's been rebuilt since then...

As far as improving flex, I would say a SPOA will help a lot. It allows you to use both directions of flex (up and down) a lot better and will improve the way that your vehicle flexes without a doubt.

I am however thinking about putting longer leafs in the front eventually, with an articulated shackle. The problem is my chassis is newly galvanized and I'm not too happy to have to change the spring mount location in the front. I might just get some slightly longer springs made up, so the articulated shackle would give me the extra 3" of length I need. Of course the frnt axle would move back 1.5", making it a 107.5 ;-)



I'm a little worried about driveline strength at this point, especially in the rear. I have to improve that before I spend more money and time anywhere else. it's just gotten to be too scary, I can't even hit the throttle off-road without being worried of snapping a diff. The engine has a nasty tendency to surge at low speeds, and it can be quite violent. Very hard on rangie diffs.

I'm not really interested in running anything over a 34-35" tire right now so I am really thinking of a stock salisbury 110 rear end and eventually a softlocker. I'm already pretty happy with the way it handles off-road.

J-L

I get your idea with the shocks and it does sound like a reasonable way to go with them. Do you have any photos of the mounts that you used?

Do you find that the springs sag much after being reverse arched by the SOA all the time or do they stand up to it without problems? I recently lowered the bumpstops at the front of my 109 because I was worried about how the springs would react to this kind of use/abuse.

I can see that it would be upsetting to start welding to your galvanized chassis but if you want longer springs on the front it will be unavoidable. I have an 88 that runs Revolvers all round while its overall articulation is impressive the Revolvers at the front dont tend to open up to anything like their full extent. I have always put this down to Land Rovers short front springs but have not had looking at the problem to confirm that yet. They do however add a fair amount of extra travel at the front just not as much as I had hoped for.

A Salisbury does sound like the best soloution for the rear end for now. I have a salisbury fitted to the 109 and the only drawback with it is the enormous pumkin hanging down to catch on every thing it passes. Time for some bigger tyres perhaps.

I look forwards to hearing what you come up with for the front end and seeing any more photos you post (or get Adam to post for you):D

By the way what did you do to mess with the spring rates?

Originally posted by 9V
its on that list :D

Amazingly I went to one of the schools on that list!

( t wasn't Dana Hall, although we had dances with them )

This was damn near 25 years ago!

tom, what school did you go to, and did you grow up in the area?