Topic: Rexy Re-Do: SUPER SLEEPER 1ST GEN!

[Gnarly4X]

I've done that before but the clips not fitting in the slot might kill the deal.  I may be able to put a washer in there to take up space but I'd rather find a way to make it clean.

Send them back and get the right part... minimal "kludge" allowed! 

Gnarls. 

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

After a lot of screwing around with a jack I got the suspension flexed out.  I am so used to trying to cram a 12"-13" stroke shock under trucks the last 20 years.  This low, moderate suspension is really messing with my head.  With the angle and height of the shocks from using the 2WD u-bolt plates on top of the springs this thing only really needs about 6" of stroke.  The shocks only have to be about 18" at full extension.  Finding just the right 6" of stroke will be critical as there isn't much wiggle room using this configuration.

Amazingly enough I am only loosing about 1" of down travel with the OME springs and atock shackles vs. the re-worked stock springs and extended shackles with an 11" stroke shock.  I didn't need the 11" of stroke but I needed the length with the lower stock 4WD shock mounts.

Cut and cleaned up some fresh u-bolts and welded my bump stops to the top if the 2WD u-bolt plates.  I am leaving the little bump stop extensions from before on because they seem to still play.  These will also help insure that I don't blow my shocks out or break mounts when I haul the 1,600+ lb load of water to the house every week  .

Later on I may ditch the bump stops for some of these guys:  https://www.supersprings.com/shop/ssr-202-47/

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

I found an old backing plate to try the pirate FAQ suggested brake lines out.  What I found is they fit in the hole without filing flats.  They are smaller and round, which is bad because they would want to spin out when you try to crack open your hard lines.  That's what the flat sides are for they hold the soft line end still for you.

The other problem is that the slot for the clips is way huge.  The fitting is also maybe 1/8" wider so the spring clips won't fit at all.  This is the same problem you get with a lot of the aftermarket extended lines. I could search for different clips but there is just too much wrong with this setup for me to use on here.

I will either take them back or save them for somebody who doesn't mind cheesing it together like we used to do.

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

I still have the problem of guitar string front brake lines at full droop.  The thing is, the brake lines only really need to be just over an inch longer to be healthy.  The stock ones are like 18".  Any combination or longer line I can come up with ends up a bit longer than ideal.  I had to take a step back.  After a bit of staring and saying "duuuuuh", I came up with an ideal solution. 

This is the kind of thing I was avoiding to stay "bolt on" and simple, but this solution also allows me to keep using the stock front brake lines, so it fits with the basic theme overall.

Sometimes the right thing is a very small change that hardly seems worth it.  The bracket for the brake line rides on the top of the frame at an angle back, quite a bit in board.  If I peel these off and simply re-position them it will buy me a couple inches of room, just enougn to keep it healthy.  With the engine out of the way it was a piece of cake to gring the welds off. 

It started snowing wet, crummy snow so I decided to shelter in place and lay the hood back on while I peeled them off and cleaned the frame area I will be working on with a flappy wheel on the grinder.

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

Here's the shock:  https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NS_76904

This little fella happens to be the front application for a 1960-1984 Landcruiser.  Amazingly this shorty on the 2WD u-bolt plates will net about an inch more down travel than the specified OME nitrocharger that you would use with these springs and the 4WD shock mounts.

Napa PN 76904

Monroe PN 34904

Rancho:  RS55119

KYB GR-2 twin tube:  344426,  Gas-Adjust monotube:  KG5401




I chose the re-branded Napa Gas Grande because they are cheap, available locally and easy over the counter lifetime warrantee.  I like the mudane yellow appearance and the steel dust covers have proven to be vastly superior to rubber boots or a bare shaft in extreme winter conditions and alkalie dirt road spray. These shorties are so short they don't even have to have the plastic tie back to fit them in the box!

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

I am just about ready to drop my engine in.  I have always wanted to do the "Marmount" engine mount mod but have never got around to it.  With the frozen pace of this build I thought I might as well do it.

It's been done many times but I will explain it here to for any newbs who happen to be browsing.  This mod basically consists of grinding off the stud on the engine mounts and drilling a half inch hole through them.  Then you pass through a 1/2" bolt to replace the stud.  This way your engine mount can compress pretty much like stock, but it can't ever get torn apart no matter what because the bolt acts like a limit strap.  Pretty good safety for high torque, high traction etc.  I had a motor mount break in a flop over once and rip a heater hose.  Would have been no big deal if I had done this mod.

The shop was a little messy this morning with 8" of snow and about 0 degrees F.

Start by taking apart your motor mounts to expose the plate with the stud that's bonded to the rubber isolator...

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

The cut off the stud and clean up he surface with a flappy wheel.  You want to be able to see the remnant of the old stud to use as a refference so grind accordingly...

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

You will be drilling a half inch hole through rubber so a drill press is ideal.  I have a shopsmith as a drill press.  It is all greasable and everything so with grease at 0 degrees F it didn't really want to turn this morning.     After popping the breaker on the generator I decided to dig out the hand drill and take the mess to work with me.

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

Looks like a desk job!

[redneckcustoms13]

I have no doubt that this works. Why not do the chain though?

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

I have no doubt that this works. Why not do the chain though?

Nothing wrong with the chain, but everything was all loose and I just wanted to try it I guess.  I like how it does the same thing but you can't see it.  Kind of goes along with my build theme.  Plus I got to drill holes in my desk .


Finished these up this morning.  The bolts are 1/2" x 3".  The hole through the rubber is smaller than 1/2" because the rubber will compress when you drill your holes.  This makes the bolts go in TIGHT!  You could thread them in or beat them in.  I have a nice shop press so I used that.  Nice thing is you can tighten the nuts without the bolts spinning when you install them.

Anyway that's that, Marmounts...

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

Can anyone tell my why they quit making rain gutters on vehicles?  I can open the door on this thing and no snow falls on my seat.  When I open my kids 3rd gen pickup I get a shovel full.

[redneckcustoms13]

Because the paint fails, they rust out, fill your floor with water and rust out your floor.
Atleast that's why all do the 1st gens around here are rotted like that.

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

Because the paint fails, they rust out, fill your floor with water and rust out your floor.
Atleast that's why all do the 1st gens around here are rotted like that.

That's about the best explanation I ever heard.  Most people get hung up on the wind noise. I still like em though.  I think I'll check my gutter paint this year, after I weld up the holes in my floor boards that is  .

[redneckcustoms13]

That's my theory on it atleast. I love them. Even on the c10 chevrolet people shave them, to me I like it.

[Slabzilla]

I dig rain gutters, keeps my seat dryer. Did you do the nylon washers on the outside of the bolts for vibes? 

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

I dig rain gutters, keeps my seat dryer. Did you do the nylon washers on the outside of the bolts for vibes? 

No I couldn't find any in out little town here.  I thought I would pick some up in my travels and at least put them under the top side before I drop the engine in.  Should accomplish the desired result.  Worse comes to worse I can press the bolts back out and put them under that side too.

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

Went out this morning to my Toyota shaped snow fort.  It was about 6 degrees but there was a warm draft.  In a little while the temp shot up to nearly 40!

I decided to set up the welder get the front brake line dilema figured out.  I only needed an inch or two more length over stock so I didn't want to run huge, long wonky 24" stainless lines.  Besides that would spoil my whole sleeper look.

I hooked up the hard and soft lines so I could get a realistic position and drooped out the front end.  The hard lines have lots of room left in the coil so you can tweak them quite a bit without messing them up.  All it took was getting the hard line bracket up about 2" forward and out towards the edge of the frame.  This gave me enough slack to use the stock 18" brake hoses with slack to spare.  No more guitar string brake lines!   



   

[Gnarly4X]

Geezz H.... is there any way you can rig up a canopy or tin roof on some 4x4s
to keep the weather off your project!!!!?? 

I have to hand it to you… you have more hair on important places on your body than most guys I know. 

I will NEVER again complain about my hot garage in the summer time! 

Gnarls. 

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

No but I plan to double down this year and build a shop.  I will need this pickup to build said shop .

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

By the middle of February winter starts to get a little old around here...

[Gnarly4X]

By the middle of February winter starts to get a little old around here...

It's a dang good thing you have LOTS of HAIR!!

Gnarls.

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

It's still too snowy and blowy to unwrap the engine so I think I will work on my bed this week.  My longbed is too mangled to even put a tailgate on but I have a pretty nice shortbed laying here.  Maybe I'll see what I can make out of some combination of the two.

Still on the fence about bobbing but something has to be done with this bed.  I could put the short bed overhang on the longbed for a slight, stealth bob and I would have like a 6'6" bed.  Or I could do the typical shortbed length on the longbed and have a 6' bed that would really look bobbed.

I could probably even just lop the tailgate portion off the shortbed, sew it onto the longbed and keep it long.  Driver's rocker panel has been totally destroyed by a mule so I would have to chop it if I keep it long which makes the bedsides floppy. 

I can't argue that the overhang is a bit excessive but it's never really got me stuck and I haul so much stuff.  We figured out a short bed will haul 3-4 days less firewood than a long bed.

Aargh.  Going out and doing stuff is so much better than sitting here and pondering it.   

[300k]

Aargh.  Going out and doing stuff is so much better than sitting here and pondering it.   

I feel you. we have the nice 70 degree weather but 25mph winds right now

[helipilot77]

The way you use your truck leads me to encourage you to keep it as long as you can. The extra capacity I think would  be missed if you chopped it. 

[Slabzilla]

Super short Blows. If you haul, you'l miss the capacity.   

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

It shot up to 40 degrees and the wind picked up.  Snow is blowing everywhere.  I got the old long bed off.  First I had to unload it.  It's amazing to see the different layers of sediment in a neglected work truck fro an archeological point of view.  You can date the different layers.  There was electric fence parts, barbed wire, cow poop, hay, wood chips, sheet rock, fasteners of all kinds and on the very bottom a Pitt Bull Tires banner from an event long, long ago.

It took longer to chizel the frozen mess out of the bed than it took tto get the bed off.

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

I had the short bed form a 2WD parts truck laying a little ways down the driveway.  Naturally it was being used for parts storage with a hood and a couple tail gates covering a bunch of loose parts.  It took me about 45 minutes to get that sorted and unloaded and then I fed the boys some breakfast and we carried the short bed over and tried it on for size.

The short bed overhang is around 24", about 8" less than the 32" of sheet metal behind he wheels on the long box.  Nice thing is we get a very slight bob but it looks factory because it is.  The long bed frame rails just fit inside the back pan of the short bed. The middle two mounts line up perfect.  One hole will need to be added for the rear most mounts on the frame rail and of course the gap filled in and front mounts added.  I think I can just lop about 9" off the front of the long bed and graft it on and it will be just perfect with the mounts all ready on it.

[H8PVMNT [OP]]

After explaining to the boys about grafting the front of one bed onto the other we all realized there would be a little boxed in section until we cut the front of the short bed out.  The Jake says "you could put stuff in there"...    We will be thinking pretty serious on that statement.   

[redneckcustoms13]

Molded in toolbox.