Well, August 2008 i bought this cruiser out of a barn and since then my beer intake has increased quite a bit. This is the first truck that i have personally built from beginning to end and has been quite the project. It did not run, had no fenders, no seats, and no doors in the rear. Other than having a 350 engine it was completely stock. So far the most memorable moment of this project has been draining the oil from the engine. As soon as i pulled the drain plug water came streaming out of it:eek: followed by oil :D and then it just blew out this white goo for a few seconds:eek: I am glad I had been drinking at the time, because it may have been way more depressing if I had not.


Enough with the intro here are the plans-

Tires
- 40" Goodyear MTR's

Front SOA w/ spring reversal using stock springs & ballistic Joints. 14" SwayAway Res. Shocks.

- I could use some input on this because where i french the frame for the shackle mount I plan on putting in ballistic johnny joints. I am concerned about road handling because this truck will be on the road every now and then. I may add a sway bar with quick disconnect to help minimize body roll. I know that people have done this for rear suspension but unsure about the front.

Rear 4link using Ballistic Joints w/ 14" Sway Away coilovers

- I will be extending the wheel base and using the stock rear housing. I would like to go fully triangulated links but not sure if I can pull it of with the drive line and third member being off set. If anyone that has linked the rear of their cruiser and has some suggestions or a web link to a similar well built set-up that would help a lot.

Steering
- custom using modified 4x4labs steering arms & Hiems
- Hydro Assist


Axles
- Keeping the Cruiser Axles but will be beefed up
- Currently undecided on which locker i would like to run....thinkin ARB's

Anyways, I am working on getting pics posted. I will post more before and after pics tomorrow.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c222/creedlemyerjones/cruiser3.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c222/creedlemyerjones/cruiser1.jpg

Well, August 2009 ?? :flipoff2:

Ha! That's great.. August 2008

If you are the bald dude holding the kid in that pic.....add about 5 years to your plan...

Sounds like a great build and a fairly solid platform.

john

Looking forward to seeing some pics!

Bring the build!

If you are the bald dude holding the kid in that pic.....add about 5 years to your plan...

Sounds like a great build and a fairly solid platform.

john
LOL, I am not the bald guy but we have been working on his fj40 for about 4 years and it's still not done...getting close though.
I am a 27 year old unmarried welder/fabricator so I hope to be done before this coming winter.

I've got more build pics to post I just need to get on my desk top to post them.

I have the next 3 days off from work so I plan on working on the front end and hopefully will finish getting the leaf springs mounted. I promise to post tons of pics including past progress on this build.

Any body have any tips on 4linking the rear? The reason i ask is because i know there will be stuff in the way of the desired location for the links. So, any tips would be great.

In order to take full advantage of the flex of those coilovers, I'd hack the rear of the frame off behind the seats. Don't let the frame dictate your links limits of travel. You shouldn't have problems w/ the offset diffs as far as triangulation goes. I've linked out 2 LC's in the rear & yeah, the lowers aren't as angled inward as the uppers, but it works. Since you have stock width axles, try & keep your COG as low as possible.

well here are a few updated pics.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c222/creedlemyerjones/oldpics122.jpg

Did a little work on the axle housing and when i was finished...I think i may have gotton a little ahead of myself. A beer promptly took care of that feeling.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c222/creedlemyerjones/oldpics107.jpg

I had some 3/16 steel plate bent for rear quarter panels which i will cut and mount a bit later on in the build.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c222/creedlemyerjones/oldpics119.jpg

Here is some progress with the front. I started building a front bumper and got the front perches mounted.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c222/creedlemyerjones/oldpics124.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c222/creedlemyerjones/oldpics126.jpg
I am heading outside today to install the ballistic joints in the frame and check caster and pinion angle on the the axle housing.

Frenching the frame with johnny joints is quite the challenge and figuring out the right shackle angle gave me a headache.

The axle is not set correctly so the castor and pinion angle will look incorrect. The Ford shock towers are being removed also.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c222/creedlemyerjones/002.jpg