Another 83 Build (New Pics)

[MidgetMike]

Finally got a digital camera so I don't have to develop film  All right so here's how it goes after a new tranny and a bunch of other    into my 84 xtra cab I blew the motor . I gave up on that when I got a hold of an 83 SR5 long bed    with some good parts a clean body, and a rebuilt motor. I figure I could start with a fresh truck and fix what I wasn't happy with on the old, like wheel base, chevy's, and cab lay out and score parts and cash. Here's the plan from the out side in.

Paint   Cab and bed Flat Brown and Diamond plate and everything else Flat Black
Body   Marry cab and bed, bob 5" form front of bed and 10" from back for 15" cut my short bed camper to fit for eventual walk through maybe    definitely in cab cag that ties into frame under bed. Paint color's are easy to touch up 
Tires and Wheels 35" BFG Mudds hopefuly some 35x15x15 swamper tsl's and my don't know what kind but made of 5/16 steel with wicked offset wheels, Flat Black
Front and steering Suspension Stock toy rear and stock waggy front mix up front for around 5" of lift with 2 " drop box plus 2" body lift axle 4" forward of stock and High cross over steering Marlin arms.( already got IFS box mounted as far forward and as low as possible with out dramatic clearancing.) Ford shock towers Rancho RS 5000, 5012's.
Rear supension   48" long rear 3" lift spring main leaf don't remember brand but for toy and mix and match with waggy's and toy's and   until truck is level, long side forward with chevy  springs as buggies but I'm going to mix and match the buggis for drop I want a bit of spring rate so they don't unload on decents, I want as little of the springs sticking out past the rear of tire as possible  amybe 4 link is easier  and Deoschtech shocks in rear with same travel as ranchos I might add another set of shocks all the way around for fire roading   
Gearing and lockers   5.29's, front detriot rear spool
tranny and t-case   Marlin G54 to a ultimate either forward shift 4.7 crawl box(already have forward shift Marlin 4.7 case) to turbo T-case, or forward shift 4.7 crawl box to V6 T-case or the normal ultimate 2.28 to 4.7
Engine  stock rebuilt carb, K&N, LC headers to 2.5" exhaust and Magna flow muffler already have  and works great and real quiet plus 2" drive train lift and flush belly Transfercase mount. And hopefully dual tanks
Interior Brown, Tan, and black, no stock gauges
Mics on board air, dual batteries, winch, bumbers and nerfs got it all just got to hook it up!

My goal is to have all done buy July 4th  so I can get 3 trips in during summer and 2 competitions, give me your thoughts and ideas i want help making sure this truck turns out right so help me out with your experience and Ideas        

[Gtown]

Do it to it.

[MidgetMike]

Finally got a pick of the new truck and it's first mod an IFS box heres a pick of the gusset plate.

[MidgetMike]

IFS box plate as low and as far forward as possible 

[MidgetMike]

And I just ordered my t-case adapter and hysteer arms  know I need a knucle and wheel bearing kit give a call to my toy buddy for a hook up 

[MidgetMike]

All right finally some thing went smoothly I put my rebuilt carb on today holy*%& what a difference, it quit choking on hills and starts about 45 % faster and better and i could actualy adjust the idle speed I can't wait to get it on a hill   

[MidgetMike]

Recieved my hysteerarms, knuckle service kit, rotors, and FJ-80 mastercylinder today,    gonna rebuild my axle and do the vented rotor swap tomorrow and install my 5.29 and detroit pumpkin  and steering stablizer   Probably be a long day, I hope everything goes smooth.   

[MidgetMike]

Rebuilt my axle and put on my Hysteer yesterday,    I can't believe what a difference it made  will try and post picks in a few days, gonna build my dual ultimate crawler on monday. Then I finally get to start on my suspesion and body    This truck is sweet. I bummed though wanted to up grade to     ifs calipers but spacing on wheels was wrong so I will wait and get the sky spacer kit and a rear ifs axle and do it all at once I like how the sky spacer is held on by the wheel bearing bolts.    I scored an FJ-80 master for 70 bucks brand new from my buddy at napa. I need ideas for springs besides chevies give me some idea's  . Come on Whitey

[MidgetMike]

   Tomorrow My buddy and I are building my Ultimate crawler, I got to convert my 4.7 t-case to top shift and convert my top shift tcase to forward shift then put them together. I hope the driveline shop can get my rear d line done by tuesday night. 
Got my  steering damper on today and painted everything, the steering arms got clear coated so nobody can mistake them for Allpros 

[MidgetMike]

Almost done with the Dual ultimate, converted the 4.7 case to top shift and have the crawl box torn down so all I have to do is reassemble  it I can't wait this  will kick ass.        , now all I gotta do is lift it       will have pics up weds.

[MidgetMike]

All done with the dual cases went good considering I did it all by myself,   had my drive line done by E& J in Auburn, the old guy there ernie is cool and builds a lot of toy drive lines. Long slips and all.  The drive line looks realy good and doesn't vibate at all not even over    75 mph and the 223 low range rocks I can't wait to actually use it. 

[MidgetMike]

My truck kicks ass   workin on picks girl friend took camera 

[mudguts]

Hey MidgetMike, sounds like it's coming along real good. Did you go with the Ford towers? If so, what year and model truck? And can you post a pic of what it looks like? 

[MidgetMike]

Yeah I went with ford towers I think they are off of solid axle F150s hears a pick they are about 6" taller than stock toy ones

[BlackTop]

how much did you pay for the towers?
 

[MidgetMike]

I think they are like 20bucks a pair, not as much as anything else for sure.

[mudguts]

 Thanks man

[MidgetMike]

I think they are like 20bucks a pair, not as much as anything else for sure.

Woops I think they were 15 or 20 each not as much as hoop ones but I noticed a little flex in mine I think I'm gonna run a gusset on them this time around.

[WHITE_TRASH]

I got mine for a buddy from the local ford steelership for $18 and change they came in the next day.  Oh yea they fit a F-250, 150's had coil springs in the front and the shock brackets were built into the spring mounts.

[Uncle Jesse]

http://www.wildyoats.com/ford_shock_mounts.htm

Ford Shock Mounts (part # E5TZ18183A)

[MidgetMike]

Well it's on saturday     I'm doing the suspension toy rears mixed with waggie fronts and chevy rears since I couldn't get rid of mine for some ranger or waggie rears instead    oh well. 2" drop box and 2" lift shackles, and I imagine some 2" blocks to.

[MidgetMike]

Heres a pic of the IFS steering box finished and mounted, and the two cases used to in my dual ultimate, the forword shift case is Marlin crawler case# 71 and the adapter is #2256. I had to convert the 4.7 case to top sihft and the top shift to forward, it went pretty well, not near as difficult as I thought.

[MidgetMike]

Here is the finished and installed cases and my shift rod clearancing, and my rebuilt and Marlin hysteered 84 front axle with an FJ-60 tierod and an FJ-60 rod end and a 5/8" hime on the pitman arm side for the drag link. The short side of the axle housing was worked, I didn't relize how bad popping birfs had torn it up    no worries though cause the axle went together great and works ten times better

[MidgetMike]

More pics, spare parts from twin stick conversion which I am installing next week. case and adapter and driveline from E&J in Auburn, retubed 1 new u joint and a new slip yoke for 160 bucks and zero vibratons at 80 mph 

[ZaCk'S 83]

what all do you have to buy to get an ifs box to work?

[Hyena]

You need an IFS box, IFS box mount, high steer or cross over, and pitman arm.

[MidgetMike]

My buddy Dillion  starting   Smith Extreme Offroad provided the tools, experience and shop ie welder plasma cutter etc. and the welding, we got into the truck at 8am on Saturday and finished at right around 5pm, the job went well I am realy stoked on how it turned out. It makes it alot easier when you have help and a mig welder wish i would of had all that with my 84 extra cab
The suspesion is done will post pics this week   9 hours and every thing is done front and rear. so I got 2" of body lift and 5" of suspesion lift. 3" from drop box and hangers 3" from shackles and 2" from toy rears with the main waggy leaf and next leaf down for my front leafs. The rear got about 3" from chevies and a 2 1/2" blocks. rides realy good and drives straight as hell. I got ford shock towers with rancho 50 12's up front and equal travel deostechs in the rear. all the shocks have 5" of up travel on the shock tube and all the shocks bottom out just as they begin to reverse arc. I will mount my bottom out bumpers later this week so i don't kill my shocks. I didn't get to move the rear axle forward but no big deal. The front axle is 4" forward and my drag link and tie rod are parallel.
I planned everything so that there was enough room for 38's next fall and it all worked out. Know for the front drive line and receiver mounts front and rear. 

[MidgetMike]

And I will be helping him with his truggy project after his wheeling trip next weekend, 5 link rear suspesion and tube rear end watch for pics

[MidgetMike]

Got my t case cross member from my buddy at Smiths, it's similer to front ranges. and I got my front driveline done. Tomorrow I am welding my rear pumkin and installing it along with the front driveline and cross member. more pics Weds or thurs day  

[MidgetMike]

 I officially have fowheel drive         Well I welded my third today, it was the first time I did that much easier than I thought. I also built my front drive line and welded the mounting ears to my crossmember. hopfully I will have it in next week cause now I gota move my exhaust around the cross member but no worries will get to go to the snow this weekend gonna take my girl up torwards Loon lake probably won't make it to far past Stupy though I bet  Oh yeah fully diggin the dual ultimate can't wait to test it out