My 88 pickup is back in buisness

[Yota4life]

i am about to do my hydro asssist and wanted to copy you tie rod mount design.  i was just wondering if you have had any problems with the
u-bolts sliding on the tie rod?.  i mean does the ram have more power than u bolts can hold? thanks

dallas

Im sure the ram would loosen it up and push it over, before that could even happen i got it where i wanted it and tightened the u-bolts real good then put a tack weld on each side of the plate on the tie-rod so it wont be able to slide anywhere. And when and if i ever need to adjust it i just grind the 2 little tacks off and move it.

[toy4x4ota]

ya thats exactly what i was thinking about doing to the tie rod as well.  i just finished mounting the ram so maybe i will go back and when i figure out exactly where it needs to be i will throw on those two little tacks as you were saying.    by the way i think you truck is pretty F'n cool man, cant wait to see the finished exo.

[Hyena]

if he ever finishes it!

[Yota4life]

if he ever finishes it!

It going to take a miracle....... I have exactly about 25 days to finish it. Im really cutting it short here. I should really get down to business and stop screwin around! Its HAMMER TIME!

[twistedtoy92]

damn nice build!!!! keep up the good work!!!!

[Yota4life]

Ok so i basiclly have a week and a half till i leave for the hammers! I got some work done on the cage but not much do to the crap rain today. More to come tomarrow. Heres where im at with the exo. I have tomarrow and then 5 days off before the trip so its going to get finished

[6.72:1]

USDA Bad-A approved!

[rocktoy83]

The exo is looking sweet 

[Yota4life]

Thanks, im trying to make it come out the best i can. The part that seems hardest for me is the notching, iv been using the angle grinder with a cut off wheel and then finishing up with a hard disk. I found a program on the internet with print out templates that seems to work pretty good but a lot of the notches im having to eye ball. I want to get the cage all tacked and then pull it off and fully weld it and paint it but im afraid that it will tweak and not fit back on right after i fully weld it. It would probley be fine if i weld most of it that i can get to and then remove it and get the bottom sides. Post up any ideas for the cage because im just doing it as i go.

[yotaboy79]

i normaly try to do every thing on the truck if you end up taking it off to weld it make shure to altrinate sides and try not to weld in the same area to long just do one weld on one corner then go to the oppisit corner and work your way around and i would recomend cutting your bed a little and running an x brace in the main hoop that conects to the frame rails at the bottom when i did my exo and still had the bed on i didnt bother to do that and each time i flopped it the cage would tweek to one side a little untell i rolled it over on the other side to eaven it out
im not shure what method your using to notch with the cut off wheel but if youd like i can take some pictures of how i do the angle notches its realy simple if you cut it in the right spot you only need to make one cut with most angle notches
btw nice build keep up the good work
kyle

[KYOTA]

good job

[Ramrod]

kevin just built an exo on his first gen and we welded some temp crossbars all over it then pulled it off and finish welded it and then it went back on perfect

[Hyena]

this has got to be the slowest cage build ever!

[Yota4life]

Thanks guys.

Yotaboy if you can, post some pictures of how you notch angles. It might be the same method im doing but i might learn something. Im going to brace the middle of the main hoop over the back window and half an x across like   \ | /  that sorta.

I was thinking if i have the rear hoop braced, top braced, cowl brace with tube running in the center to the top of the windshield and then add in temp braces across the front of the hood and from the fender tubes to the main hoop across the doors and pull it off i should be ok to fully weld it. Sound good? I really would like to get it all welded up and painted, but then again i dont want to screw myself over doing it....steel always shrinks when you weld it.


Brad i know!!! It takes time to work my MAGIC! When its done it will come out sick just wait 

[yotaboy79]

ill be in the shop today and ill take a few pictures for you, and make shure your brace for the main hoop ties into the frame mine had a half x on the top and it still shifted and the main hoop was out of DOM
you should be good to weld it like that just dont weld to much in the same area try to keep the heat as dispersed as possible
good luck and ill post up those pictures later

[little_blue]

Check out these poser shots!

[rednk1980]

Looks badass! I wish i would have finished mine. 

[toyotaexo]

coming out really good!

[Yota4life]

I havent posted in forever, i just always find myself to busy or lazy. But Heres finished pictures of the cage. Iv been beating on it and its holding up good. Layed it on its side 3 times now. One time was really hard! These pictures were before the hammers trip. The carnage was my rear carrier that broke in half! and a broke windshield and some dents.




Heres the most recent after i added a stinger. 

[Duffil]

lookin sick bro!

[lilbuddy]

So im going to have to say that actually came out pretty nice.

[inmyownsummerami]

Here's one of the cage being used at MoonRocks.


There was a god-damned tree coming into the cab trying to get me

And here's some I took at The Hammers
On the lakebed.

On WreckingBall.

[86bobbedtoy]

is it an automatic??

[inmyownsummerami]

is it an automatic??

Nope 5speed

[86bobbedtoy]

I guess its his skid plate crossmember, one of the last pics looks like a trans pan.

[Yota4life]

Thanks Duffil, Chris and Dane. I didnt think anyone got pics of the tree flop. Yes!! That was fun but i almost took dane out with the tree. Everyone was yelling at me "DRIVE OUT OF IT!" im like "Theres a freakin' TREE IN MY TRUCK!" 

[Hyena]

your gonna pass me up in rolls pretty soon.

[highridin4x4]

Just read the hole build truck looks Sweet that is one of the best cages I have seen yet. I cant wait to start modding my stock 88 now thanks to your truck.

Scott

[DTB]

very nice 

[ToYocRawleR]

Sick cage bro!  Did you use a tube notcher?