** '03 PreRunner --> 4x4 SAS! **

[Revivalist]

Thanks for the input guys . . .

The airbumps are Foxes . . . Next week repair begins on the frame. I think this time it needs to be made with an extra gusset coming off of the bottom of the frame to the can as well. . . .

If time permits, the exo will begin as well, at least the rear section. The front section I think I would rather have made removable (especially the windshield V, the engine cross bar, etc.) . . .

We're gonna be on the Dusy from Aug. 11-16. I'm going with the guys from 4x4him.org. If you guys are going to be there towards the end of the month then we might miss you. I know that trail doesn't open very long so be sure it will still be open.

[Revivalist]

Well, I think the problem with the frame bending has been taken care of. We welded up a 3/16" plate to reinforce the frame. The plate actually wraps under the frame as well. . .





The air bumps were reattached with a ¼" thick gusset supporting the can off of the reinforcement plate. I don't think I'll be seeing anymore problems with this setup. . . .

[46&2]

Sweet. Are you going to MCR this year?

[Revivalist]

Not sure when is it?

[Revivalist]

I just installed an onboard air system with two Viair 480c compressors and two 9 gallon tanks. First we cut and shortened the brackets on the tanks so we could get the tanks tucked up nice and high under the bed. Here's a pic comparing a tank before being modified and one that was cut. . . .





Here they are installed . . .









I also mounted the compressors under the bed as well near the bumper. . . .





I used some reinforcement plates above the bed to help support the weight of the tanks and the compressors . . . .





Here's the pressure and gauge and switch mounted right in front of the shifter . . .





Here are the results of some tests using the new system. . . .

First I aired down to 7 PSI which is usually the lowest I need to go on the trail. Then I hit the switch on the compressors to start airing up the tanks. I found that it took about 13.5 minutes to get the tanks from 0 PSI to 150 PSI. So when I'm wheelin I'll probably just hit the switch when I know I'm 10-20 minutes from the end of the trail .  . .

While waiting for the tanks to fill up, I connected my spare tire to the driving tires use something called the 4air (from 4crawler.com) which is basically just a bunch of hoses with Schrader Valves connect to a T. Here's a pic of it in use . . . .





This lets me take the air from the spare tire (which was at 45 PSI) and dump some of it into the driving tires so I can air them up faster. Doing that brought the pressure from 7PSI to 11 PSI on all four tires. Not a bad boost . . . .

After that, I connected the 4air to the air tanks and this took all four tires from 11 PSI to 25 PSI in about 3 minutes. I was impressed considering these are 40" tires! . . . The compressors came on again and took about 12 minutes to restore the tanks to 150 PSI. Dumping that into the tires again took all four tires to 37 PSI. All done and ready to hit the road. . .

So the nice thing about this system is that I'll only have to stop to air up twice. Once I reach the end of the trail I can take all my tires from 7 PSI to 25 PSI. That's enough to start driving on the road if I want, Then after about 12 minutes I can get out again and take tires all the way back up to 35PSI. I would say I'm very happy with the setup.

[TheCookieMonster]

thats a pretty cool setup...have never seen that before. you make me jelious with all those sweet goodies you got on that thing. keep it up 

[46&2]

Sweet. Are you going to MCR this year?

September 12-14th at the Rubicon:

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=45939.0;highlight=mcr7

I like that air system, way cool. I need to hook something like that up to my truck. Nice work.

[Revivalist]

. . It all depends I would like to go . It all depends on how my work schedule looks and if the wifey is ok with it . . .

Right now I'm getting ready for a week-long trip on the Dusy-Ershim starting on Monday. 

[gotrocks]

Looks great man.  I like your hose setup.  I plan on making one when I get my york mounted one of these days. 

I have a question however.  Why do you run at 35 PSI.  That seems really high for the IROKS.  The sidewalls are stiff enough that i don't see why you would need anything over 22 maybe.  My fullsize truck that has 37's only has 35 PSI when I'm not towing.  Anything more and it'd be stiff as a rock.

[Revivalist]

Would I still get the same gas mileage and tire wear running at 22PSI?

[DTB]

are those viairs sealed units? Seems they would get really dusty, dirty, wet, etc..mounted there..

Are they oil less units? Does mounting position make a difference? (upright, upside down, etc.)

[gotrocks]

Would I still get the same gas mileage and tire wear running at 22PSI?

I personally don't see a vast different in my milage. I think that having your tires up at 35 will wear out he centers much faster.  Just try driving around with the tires between 20-25 and check the tirewear and mileage.  I honestly think that you will see a big improvement on ride quality and your mileage won't be affected.  Your tire wear should also be better.  I bet the 39 IROKs have a max pressure of 35.  That would be if your loading it down with a bunch of stuff in your bed and towing that you'd want 35. 

Like I said though just try it and tell me how it rides and how the tires wear.

[DTB]

I personally don't see a vast different in my milage. I think that having your tires up at 35 will wear out he centers much faster.  Just try driving around with the tires between 20-25 and check the tirewear and mileage.  I honestly think that you will see a big improvement on ride quality and your mileage won't be affected.  Your tire wear should also be better.  I bet the 39 IROKs have a max pressure of 35.  That would be if your loading it down with a bunch of stuff in your bed and towing that you'd want 35. 

Like I said though just try it and tell me how it rides and how the tires wear.

you can always do the "chalk test" to see how they are gonna wear and how they sit

[Revivalist]

are those viairs sealed units? Seems they would get really dusty, dirty, wet, etc..mounted there..

Are they oil less units? Does mounting position make a difference? (upright, upside down, etc.)

Yes, according to the Viair website, the compressors are "sealed" which means they can be exposed to elements (dust, water, mud, etc.) without harm. The only thing is that they can't be fully submersed in water.

The Viair website states that they can be mounted in any direction because they don't use oil, however, they don't recommend mounting them upside down simply because heat has a tendency to rise. . . .

I'm going try the chalk test and see how the tires are wearing. Thanks for the advice.

[DTB]

You dont ever go in water? seems like it might be better to mount them higher up but what the heck do I know.....

[Revivalist]

That's really the highest I can mount them without putting them in the bed and using up precious bed space. . .

As for water crossing, I probably just couldn't go past full submersion of my tires since the compressors are located at a height equal to about the height of the tires. When the tires are aired down I lose about 3" of height so that means I can still probably cross something as deep as 3 feet.

But even without the compressors, I still couldn't go deeper than tire height into water with the tube doors or else water will start pouring into the cab. Also, even with the stock doors on, I still would be concerned about the air intake which is routed inside the fender. It's not as low as the floorboard of the cab, but with the wake caused by crossing deep water that could still possibly result in a hydro-lock

So basically I would say my rig is limited to about 3 foot water crossings no matter what. I guess if I'm ever going to be on a trail with deep water crossings I better bring my yard stick with me for measuring in advance!

[gotrocks]

3' water crossing are still very deep.  I don' think I've ever been in water that deep with a rig.

[46&2]

3' water crossing are still very deep.  I don' think I've ever been in water that deep with a rig.

I have once, not something I plan on doing again. 

[Jaysen]

what spring are you using on your rig???

[gotrocks]

I have once, not something I plan on doing again. 

If it was a river I'd start to worry about it pushing my truck around because of the current.  That could get bad really fast.

[DTB]

If it was a river I'd start to worry about it pushing my truck around because of the current.  That could get bad really fast.

Been there done that! lol

[46&2]

If it was a river I'd start to worry about it pushing my truck around because of the current.  That could get bad really fast.

It was and it did

Luckily I slammed it in reverse and managed to hammer out of it with the help of some redlining RPMs...

[Revivalist]

Alright, I finally figured out the speaker and mirror issues with the tube doors. . . .

I went with the custom kick panel enclosures for the speakers. It turned out to be a very clean solution without having to modify the doors and possibly obstruct the view through the doors. . . .

Driver's Side . . .




Passenger Side . . .




For mirrors, I went with the Lange Mirror II which is meant for a CJ or TJ jeep. With bracket welded on each door, the mirrors bolted right up. They're perfect because they can be rotated into the vehicle for tight spots and they can be easily removed. I replaced the set screws with some thumb screws so they can be taken out quickly if needed. I also like that the mirror is big for a nice field of view and they come in black. . . .


Driver's Side . . .








Passenger Side . . .

[854RUN]

Hey Revivalist its been a some time, any thing new with the truck? are you still running the 5" spring front and rear? I plan on selling my t100 and striping down my runner and building a D-cab Taco. Your truck is my inspiration.

[Revivalist]

Hey there . . . Wow, I didn't expect to see this thread come back up all of a sudden . . .

Yes, I'm still running the 5" springs front and rear. But in the rear I added a few leafs to carry the extra load of the spare tire on the back and the gear in the bed. In the front I removed a few leafs to get the truck lower and I'm running airbumps to bear the load of the heavy bumper/winch/V6.

Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to do much more to the truck lately. The last thing I did that isn't shown on this thread is get the rear tube doors on. Here's the truck on the Dusy Ershim last August with all four tube doors . . .





But Rocky from Marlin Crawler is planning to help me start an exo-cage for the rear of the truck. I'd like to do something for rest of the truck as well but I would want it to be removable. Here's the thoughts I had so far . . .

[854RUN]

Like the tube doors. it will look sweet with the bed caged up. how dose it handle on the road, your tranny doing ok with the 40's?

[Revivalist]

The handling is great thanks to the airbumps and the anti-sway bar. I've taken some turns pretty fast and I  personally think it even handles better than my wife's Mercedes! 

The tranny seems to be doing just fine. I installed an inline temperature guage to monitor the temp while wheelin'. . . . I rarely see it go much above the temps it reachs while just driving down the freeway. I think the dual ultimate takes care of putting out the torque needed for rock crawling, so the tranny doesn't have to work too hard. I think without the dual ultimate I probably would have already burned up the tranny. . . .

[THK Matt]

I miss this truck anyone have werd on it? he hasnt been on since his last post.

[toygasm]

i still think this is one of the sweetest rigs ever!

[46&2]

i still think this is one of the sweetest rigs ever!

I agree 110%.