ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Build Diaries, How-To, DIY => Topic started by: Drone637 on January 30, 2012, 08:52:10 AM
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*Adding stuff back in that was lost*
Drive-train:
Engine: 1.6L 8v - 85hp, 89lb
Transmission - GM TH180/3L30 - 2.40, 1.47, 1:1
Transfer Case - Stock - 1.8:1, 1:1
Transfer Care - Modified - 4.24, 1:1
Stock Axle and Tires:
Front Diff - Aluminum - 4.30:1
Rear Diff - Steel - 4.30:1
Tire - 205/75/15 - 27x8x15
Notes:
AC, Power Steering
Timing belt, front main seal and Water Pump replaced
Planned Axle and Tires:
Front Diff - Steel + ARB - 5.12:1
Rear Diff - Steel + Mini-Spool - 5.12:1 - Swapped to 12 Bolt Rear End
Tire - 33x12.5x15 Pro-Comp Xterrain
Stage 1:
Remove Front Bumper Cover
Remove Rear Bumper Cover
Strut Tower Brace
Steering Idler Arm Brace
Lower A-Arm Mount Brace
A-Arm Modification/Wheelbase Extension and Widening
Factory Front and Transfer Case Skid Plates
Stub-Shaft Replacement, Drivers Side CV Conversion
Front Fender Trimming and Mounting
Front Fender-Well Trimming
Adjust Steering Bumpstops
Install Updated Differentials
Rear 4-Door Springs and 3/4” Spacer Installation extended bumpstops
Ford Explorer Front Spring and 1” Strut Spacer Install extended bumpstops
Skid Plates
Needed for Stage 1:
Strut Tower Braces
Idler Arm Brace
Lower A-Arm Mount Brace
Longer Ball Joint bolts for A-Arm Extension
Modified A-Arm
26 Spline Stub Shaft
26 Spline Front Jack Shaft
Drivers Side CV Shaft
4-door Rear Springs
3/4” Spring Spacer
1” Strut Spacer
Ford Explorer Front Springs
Skid Plates
Stage 2:
CB Radio
Power Points
Fire Extinguisher
Rocker Panel Replacement
Needed for Stage 2:
CB Radio
Power Points
Fire Extinguisher + Mount
2x4 Steel for Rocker Panel Replacement
Stage 3:
Driving Lights
Front Bumper + Winch
Rear Bumper
2” Exhaust
Roll Cage
Removable Doors
Needed for Stage 3:
Aftermarket Lights and Wiring
1.5x0.120 DOM Tubing for Bumpers
2” Exhaust and Muffler
1.5x0.120 DOM for Roll Cage Design
Hitch pins for quick door removal
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Day 1:
Pulled the front A-Arms off, CV’s, and the hubs apart. Had to cut one bolt out that needs replacement. Pulled front bumper cover.
Next step is to modify the front a-arms with 1 1/2” forward and 3/4” wider to use same-side CV shafts.
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Cool build ideas, I am interested to see how you go about bracing the strut towers.
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Cool build ideas, I am interested to see how you go about bracing the strut towers.
We will be bracing them the same way we did with Project Trouble. They have held up without an issue in the Zukiworld Challenge races, so it should be good enough for a normal vehicle. One thing to keep in mind, if you use strut spacers then depending on the length you on may have to put on longer bump stops so your not landing on your strut towers. In those cases all of the weight of your rig will be placed on the towers instead of just the weight of the valving.
http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/build-diaries-how-to-diy/project-trouble/msg227825/#msg227825 (http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/build-diaries-how-to-diy/project-trouble/msg227825/#msg227825)
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Day 2:
Built the strut tower brace, idler arm brace and lower a arm brace. Modified drivers side a-arm and found we slide it 1.5” back instead of 1.5” forward. Put the stock a-arm on the passenger side and did some more measurements. Tomorrow we will fix the drivers side a-arm and try to get the passenger side done before leaving early for the day for the Superbowl and Seattle boat show.
33” tires have been mounted, fit fine in the rear but will need some help in the front.
Going to trade winches with Dad. He has more room for the Superwinch and I have more room for a separate solenoid pack.
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Day 3:
Fixed the from a-arm enough for a test. The 33’s just rub the top of the fender, a 1” lift and bup stop drop will give enough room to clear the top of the fenders without trimming. With the 33” tires from Dad’s rig, with less offset, the tire hits the behind the headlights and the inner fenderwell in the back. With the larger backspacing from my SJ’s wheels there is rubbing on the front and rear of the fender.
We are going to do some fender trimming to help clear the tires. The back of the fender will have 2” of trimming to bring it even with the back of the fender well, the front of the fender will be stretched up to the corner and underneath the headlights will be trimmed up to the fender line. Front grill will be trimmed up to match.
For the rear, Stage 2 will include modifying the rear link and sliding the axle back an inch to better center the tires in the rear wheel well.
Stage One Additions:
1” Front Bump Stop Drop
Front Fender Trimming - 2” rear, extended front
Stage Two Additions:
Extend rear wheelbase 1”
Modify Third Link
Removable doors moved from Stage 2 to Stage 3
Additional Items Needed:
Longer Ball Joint bolts for A-Arm extension
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Sounds great , needs more pictures :laugh:
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Another detailed build thread, I like it.
So who gets to drive this one first and do donuts? Take videos this time. >:D
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No donuts! Well, maybe some. And it will be me. :D
Pictures are on a camera up north. I will try to get them online this weekend.
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Some pictures prior to Day 4 and 5 of the build:
Modifying the A-Arm:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N14PLQQPt4c/Tzaks0UNvTI/AAAAAAAAEPI/gdAPKsAtEeo/w500-h375-k/DSCF0656.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yhE6b7oe6WY/TzalRMp5opI/AAAAAAAAEQ4/YZ9RY45gYCQ/w500-h375-k/DSCF0678.JPG)
And the current clearance on the front fender:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5zyFKDy3GUE/TzalVCTKY9I/AAAAAAAAERA/fMGm6H9zAmU/w500-h375-n-k/DSCF0674.JPG)
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Some before and after shots of the rear and tire size:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7rDXCvJkWqI/TzalGXur0rI/AAAAAAAAEQI/6k6ZgZXi-5o/w500-h376-k/DSCF0668.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EGPYATbLpeg/TzalD_cBqAI/AAAAAAAAEQA/vJ0cyn9yE4w/w500-h376-k/DSCF0667.JPG)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-a9DFtM8wpDk/TzakzfIKp1I/AAAAAAAAEPY/hqQ4j12Mgz0/w500-h376-k/DSCF0659.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mRm6cdS5-Po/TzalMdo8XvI/AAAAAAAAEQo/ayQRvy7Epng/w500-h376-k/DSCF0673.JPG)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gVV0otV1_eo/TzalHzfQ4dI/AAAAAAAAEQQ/VeKuZEZYQ9g/w500-h375-k/DSCF0669.JPG)
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And the new bracing with a touch of paint tossed on that we had left over from BRD HNTR's roll cage:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XvKPggQllL0/Tzak6HWZeKI/AAAAAAAAEPo/vmjpb0C2Aqk/w500-h376-k/DSCF0662.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MjGlei62k7o/Tzak_H7SRQI/AAAAAAAAEPw/QLciUEtlBXw/w500-h375-k/DSCF0663.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-d2Rh3DzcbK8/TzalBMMNkPI/AAAAAAAAEP4/4pq_gHUOKGg/w500-h376-k/DSCF0666.JPG)
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Day 4:
Did some more work on the front end. Trimmed up the front of the fender well to allow the tires to turn when at full bump stop. Some rear hammering was needed as well. As always the second side looks much better then the first because you know exactly what you are doing. The 2nd A-arm was finished as well and will be put on today.
Need to look into the steering as something is causing it to bind up and stop before it hits the steering stops, need to find out what that is and adjust the steering stops accordingly. I may end up reducing the steering a touch in order to avoid rubbing on the front of the fender when at full stop.
For Day 5 I hope to get the rear diff swapped out with the SJ and the front diff pulled and prepared to have the IFS support tab welded on. Bolt up both a-arms and verify that the fender well clearances will work so we can weld everything back up and plan for the fender alterations.
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Day 5:
Not as much done as I would have liked. Both A-arms are now in place and it was found that at full turn we can hit the frame. So the steering stops were adjusted to make sure that there would be enough clearance to avoid rubbing. We think the binding found on Day 4 was either the frame issue or a jack that was in the wrong place.
When performing the gear swap for the rear end it was found that the Tracker had ABS, but the SJ's rear diff did not. So a carrier swap is taking place to avoid ABS warning lights, even if it takes a bit longer it was decided that we would do things the right way.
Next weekend the front diff will be pulled out of the SJ and prepared for installation. In order to finish Stage 1 we still need drivers side DV and front axle shaft. Then it should be down to fender trimming and testing things out.
*Updated the list to move the rocker panels to Stage 3*
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Wow your fast :o, must be nice having a dad that's into zuks and helps you do stuff to them too.
That will be a fun rig when it's all done, very capable too!
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My fault for buying him one. His has a bit larger motor then mine though. :D
We'll see how she turns out, it will be a different style of wheeling then my SJ was. That is for certain.
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Just curious Drone..Why are you going to run ABS in the White Rabbit???
....Boxcar...
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Just curious Drone..Why are you going to run ABS in the White Rabbit???
....Boxcar...
It already had it installed and I didn't feel like disconnecting the idiot light for the brakes. :D
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Thanks for the giggles, I had a ruff day and now I feel much better....God bless...Boxcar...
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My turn. Figured I could use a little of tax return to buy some goodies. Going to start on the limited slip front. After thinking about it maybe I should keep the IFS instead of SOS then I could steal parts from you. But how to get the gearing low enough? Project looks good I hope to make it over there next weekend Maddie wants to help out.
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There is plenty for her to help with. The ARB is wired and the compressor mounted. But we ran into a problem with some bearing races that refused to come off. One required some heat to come off, the other required another 3 hours of work and a dremel. But the diff is ready for install next week. Should have it rolling for when you come out.
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Day 7:
Wiring completed and ARB compressor installed.
ARB switches where installed to the left of the steering wheel, the switch locations easily cut out with a box cutter. However, I carefully trimmed the boxes to be perfectly square and match the moldings only to find out the switches are just a touch smaller then the moldings in the dash. So they wiggle just a touch, that will be resolved with double sided tape. I also had to trim the top of the ARB switch just a touch to stop it from rubbing on the top edge of the dash. If doing it over again I would make the box a bit smaller and make it as low as possible in the dash.
The Mini-ARB Compressor is mounted in front of the air filter in the front end. With the fender off I actually mounted it sideways to avoid drilling into the fender well, mounting it off the side instead. I had to dent the corner of the strut mount cover for clearance but everything fits. Waiting to run the ARB hose until the diff is mounted.
Rear carpet/rubber bit removed from the back as it had some oil on it and water soaked into the carpet, was likely where the slight musty smell was coming from.
Day 8:
Spent almost the entire day working on the front differential. In order to use the steel front diff Dad welded a tab for the IFS bushing mount. But to do that we needed to pull the pinion out to avoid cooking the bearing. The bearing race was damaged during removal and had to be replaced, but we had a spare rebuild kit that was accidentally purchased so we decided to just replace the bearings. Sadly the bearings did not agree and want to be removed from the ARB carrier.
Not sure how the guy installed them, but on one side we were able to remove the race by cutting off the bearing, then using a ARC welder to lay a stripe across the race then taking it off with a punch. The second side this failed to work, and the race could not be moved or removed through any normal means. We ended up taking a dremel to a large chunk of the race and cutting it as far back as possible. Once this was done we were finally able to get the race to spin and slowly chisel it off. This took from lunch until supper. Once the races were finally removed we cleaned the sides of the carrier up, the new bearings went on without an issue and we assembled and torqued down the diff until everything was in spec.
Long day with little done, but it is done. A 26 spline front axle shaft has been ordered along with a drivers side CV. If all goes well we should have a rolling vehicle next weekend minus fenders. And hopefully the rear transmission seal on my DD will come in so we can get it put back together and out of the garage.
As she sits right now:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jniFbDQi_C0/T0xii6NVdPI/AAAAAAAAET0/GUNV1YFA3ik/s512/IMGP2226.JPG)
Fender clearance:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Bnm83vP54AM/T0xikD_gbqI/AAAAAAAAEUQ/FjxlNc2aa7Y/s512/IMGP2230.JPG)
Fender Trimming to clear the tires:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rLEthsnii4M/T0xij5rPzpI/AAAAAAAAEUI/ldOTkZJC8yQ/s512/IMGP2229.JPG)
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Its looking good ! Can you put up some more pictures of the ARB compressor install ?
The 33's look real chubby without a lift.
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Its looking good ! Can you put up some more pictures of the ARB compressor install ?
The 33's look real chubby without a lift.
Thanks, it will be interesting to see how she looks when finished. Provided we get to that point. :D
You can see the dent I put into the strut mount cover for clearance:
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Rj8gmmG28FM/T1qyJcYPJ5I/AAAAAAAAEU0/Ax-5KXItfcU/s512/IMGP2236.JPG)
The mounting from the back side:
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HMYWFpHcE3c/T1qyK53BhVI/AAAAAAAAEU8/HTLxywyv2U0/s512/IMGP2237.JPG)
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Nice update, and thanks for posting the compressor pictures. Its good to know that if you really want to, you can make the Samurai ARB fit in the front of a sidekick.
You went from 4.30's to 5.12's ? This is what I did and I calculated that a 31" tire would be the perfect match. The gear swap is a 16.XX% reduction while changing the tire size to a 31 over stock is also 16% increase. The 33's would be close at about 18% but when you factor in the additional weight you are defiantly going to notice them on there.
I've been staring at tire weights for a few weeks trying to make a decision and it seems the best off road worthy 33 would be the BFG KM2 which weigh in at 49 lbs (a comparable MR/R weight in at 60 lbs / tire). Aluminum rims would really help but I can't risk/ trust having them on the trail.
Cant wait to see this thing in action, can you post video ?
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I have been running 30X9.5X16's on Weld 15x7" aluminum rims for years. While they have suffered a little rock rash, the biggest issue I have had with them is getting wood into the bead. Now that I am running 12.5 width tires, I do not expect to have as much wood getting lodged in the bead.
I suspect we will have to swap tires to see the effect of aluminum wheels vs steel ones.
And these 33X12.5X15's seem twice as heavy as the 30X9.5's.
I don't know how much power he had before, but the 1.6 8v with a 3 speed auto was probably a little anemic to start with.
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ZookPower:
For the ratios, I used a transmission calculator. Below is the stock gearing with stock tires:
http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/?id=105 (http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/?id=105)
And this is with the 5.12 gears and 33" tires:
http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/?id=106 (http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/?id=106)
Your right, 31" tires are perfect. But the 33's look pretty cool, I should have some pictures next week if we get the fenders done. If a set of 5.32 gears come up I will pick them up but won't be installing them for a while. I really don't feel like rebuilding another set of diffs until I save up for a rear ARB.
Everyone I know who is running the KM2's have been really happy with them.
BRD HNTR:
Well, the tires that were on it were bald, but they didn't have any issues spinning on wet pavement. :D But yea, not the greatest power house. It would probably be easier to just throw both the tires on a scale and check the weight factor rather then swap all four between vehicles.
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I'm sure you're in the same boat but if I only had to do things once I could have built three of these sidetracks by now.
Oh well just more familiar with it now for the eventual trail repairs right ?
Can you take a measurement of ground clearance at the frame rails front and rear ? I'm curious how it will compare to mine (going to measure tonight) but I'm on 31's w/ a lift.
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BRD HNTR measured between 12-13" to frame, front to back. Might be off a bit because of the ground it is on.
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So any planned modifications after the Moab shakedown ?
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A few things:
Needs longer rear shocks. On bumpy/rocky roads the rear shocks keep topping out and wreck the ride. I also need to lower the bump stops, the rear tires rub a bit. No tire cutting though, as rounding the inside of the fender-well kept it from snagging the rear tires. I really want to get a set or two of the new Daystar adjustable bumpstops and make them work. They are sexy and a lot cheaper then the Terraflex ones.
Had to hammer in the back of the front fender well a bit more, there as a few spots that snagged tires on tight turns. I also had to trim the plastic on the front inside of the rear fender-well. That was resolved when I tore off all the rocker paneling, then just hammered the lips flat.
She really needs a 4:1 t-case for rocks. When you hit a ledge where you had to climb up all 4 tires at once from a dead stop it just didn't quite have enough power and the engine would stall out. The solution was to keep the tires turning or hit it at just a bit of an angle so you could get one tire up. Should be fine for normal trails though. I did skip the Escalator as I wasn't sure I had enough power for the climb. Hell's Gate went smooth, but you can hear the engine almost stalling out on the last climb, if you watch the video you can see the tires almost come to a stop.
It is a bit underpowered, when fighting a strong headwind I had to drop down to 2nd and maxed out around 50. A tune-up and 2" exhaust will be in the future. We'll see how that changes things. When not fighting the wind a 60mph cruising speed when the tires are aired up was easy enough to keep up. 5.32 gears would be nice but not a requirement.
Rocker panels lost all their plastic coming down Amasa Back/Cliffhanger. Kept it clean until the end, when dropping down one of the last obstacles I scrunched up both rockers, so they need to be cut out.
Mileage on the trail was a lot lower then I am used to. 14mpg was the average including the drive to the trail, just a touch better then BRD HNTR with his V6. My SJ could wheel close to 24 hours on a single tank. Lower gearing in the t-case and a tune-up might help pick it back up but it will probably never be where it was due to the automatic.
Driving with the auto was a bit different. I had to drop it down to L when going down hills as it wanted to up-shift. Even then I had to ride the brakes a lot, but it wasn't to bad. It was a bit more relaxing drive without having to shift between gears all the time. Turns you into a speed wheeler. :D
Power Steering is nice, takes a bit to get used to. You don't feel the trail like you do with manual steering. No issues with turning though, it was plenty strong for the 33x12.5" tires.
The tires worked great, hooked up without any issues running at 12lb and took a lot of the shock out of the smaller bumps. Plenty of traction but has some road noise above 50.
Things that need to be done:
Front main seal. It started blowing oil out the front end on the last day. Stayed clean until then.
Rear wheel bearing. Drivers side started making noise on Day 3. Replacing both wouldn't be a bad idea, I'll check it out when I pull the axles.
A lot of comments on the look of the rig and I had 3 people stop to talk to me on the drive home when they saw it on the trailer.
Hell's Gate - Moab EJS 2012 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVaX_Psstuw#ws)
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do u have arbs front and rear or just one or the other
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do u have arbs front and rear or just one or the other
I'm just running the ARB up front, eventually I would like to run one front and rear. It helps with the turning radius and puts a lot less strain on the axle when driving around town. For a rig that will see a lot of pavement I would not recommend a spool with larger tires, it just puts to much of a strain on the equipment.
BRD HNTR has ARB's in both axles. It's a nice setup and allows for an extra glowing blue button on the dash.
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Further Updates:
Finally had time to put together a rack for the back to hold fuel and such. Down at Harbor Freight they have hitch racks for 39.95 that are three pieces, the two sides and the center that has the hitch mount. So you just kind of toss that part out and you have a nice rack that will fit on the back of the Tracker. Some quick mounts welded to the bottom and some bolts to go through the rear deck and it's done:
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I-3fBUmeIUI/UDU1xs6Wj0I/AAAAAAAAEjc/_aK_BhRBqUI/s512/IMG_20120819_191254.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ufeGLkQjtXE/UDVxVuhOA5I/AAAAAAAAEj8/T_uV9Fe_IxI/s512/IMG_20120819_191333.jpg)
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I like your rear deck! I plan on ordering a rallytops front section and make my own rear similar to yours, but in Composites.
How much room is there to slide the drivers seat rearwards?
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I like your rear deck! I plan on ordering a rallytops front section and make my own rear similar to yours, but in Composites.
How much room is there to slide the drivers seat rearwards?
It doesn't limit it at all. The only issue is the rear window currently in it is a little small, that will be expanded on at some point in the future. But there is plenty of room up in the cab. I put the spare tire under the deck and have room for tools and an air compressor.
For mounting I added a piece angle iron that is mounted to the body underneath the deck to add strength. That is what the rear three mounts bolt through, the front I just used large flat washers. Then some old bushings from front sway bars as spacers so I can make it taller if needed at some point in the future.
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i didnt have time to read the whole thread but i was just curious what you did to the rear to fit 33s? ( coils, shocks, links,) and did you you drop the front diff? if so how i dont see how that works does it just roll the diff forward? if its no big deal could you post a picture if you dropped it
thanks
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Great job Drone, and a good read too. Good looking truck!
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so you didnt have to extend the rear. did you just cut the fenders for the back to. i want to do this to my 4 door and you cant cut the back fenders because of the rear door. oh did you have to cut the top of the fender at all in the front thanks.
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so you didnt have to extend the rear. did you just cut the fenders for the back to. i want to do this to my 4 door and you cant cut the back fenders because of the rear door. oh did you have to cut the top of the fender at all in the front thanks.
No trimming on the rear, just pulled off the plastic and pounded the lip in. But on a 4-door I would go with the back half of kreator's kit where it slides the axle back an inch to center the rear tires. I would have just bought his setup for the rear but I have already build bump stop spacers and didn't want to re-do them.
For the front we didn't have to do anything to the top, but we did bend in the fenders on the front and rear of the wheel well.
http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/build-diaries-how-to-diy/how-to-enlarge-tracker-wheel-openings/ (http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/build-diaries-how-to-diy/how-to-enlarge-tracker-wheel-openings/)
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For mounting I added a piece angle iron that is mounted to the body underneath the deck to add strength. That is what the rear three mounts bolt through, the front I just used large flat washers. Then some old bushings from front sway bars as spacers so I can make it taller if needed at some point in the future.
Can you get some inside pics of the mounts? I'd like to compare to how I did mine.
Thanks.
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Can you get some inside pics of the mounts? I'd like to compare to how I did mine.
Thanks.
I will see what I can do this weekend.
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Was that this weekend or next weekend? ;)
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I forgot this last weekend, so this weekend. :)
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Picture of the additional mounting setup for the half-cab on the back to make sure I have the strength for holding up the rack:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qjnjxy4aRF0/UJmllo75mPI/AAAAAAAAEq8/l9myG0N4FIc/s512/2012-11-06_13-41-23_615.jpg)
And a description of how I made sure the angle would stay up and not be able to slide down into the cab:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Gi4eEvyglyU/UJhbFV-GGLI/AAAAAAAAEqE/4ZHNB40-Z9I/s749/topmount.png)
If you where building your own top you could build mount that would bolt sideways through the body but I needed something I could install without taking the existing top apart.
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Is that a two by four? I guess I didn't look that close when I was out. Thanks for the help on the trailer I hope to get it going.
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2X2
I just looked at it this morning.