85 Beastie Build - 2nd gen runner time!

[golana]

as promised


got the hanger pieces cut out and used a bushing sleeve to get the right width




made a front guard for it too!


mocking it up on the sq. tube




tacked the inner hanger bits...


close-up


fully welded


welded the bash guard all up




cleaned up as much as i care to


got the leafs unbolted




there really wasnt a whole lot holding this thing on there... only welded in 3 spots...


clamped up my new spring hanger, spent about 30 minutes making sure it was all square and perfectly lined up and everything, then tacked it all around, before fully welding it


i welded the sides all up, but didnt do anything in the middle, do you guys think it really needs it? like, there it a bunch more force on it, as i lowered the pivot and pressure points on the frame, but i did compensate for that with the rear tab...


rear tab and area all welded up


stabbed the leaf springs back in


poser shot before i lowered her off the jack stands (just behind the shackles)


later in the evening when i parked her for the night... i have a LOT more fender space now! i love it! i cant wait to throw my 33's back on and get my driveshaft!


gotta stab my bumper back on tomorrow, and start hookin up the fuel cell

after fuel cell, im going to run my exhaust to the rear, and then save up for the v6 to 4cyl adapter so i cab stab the twins back into her! gotta modify my twin t-case crossmember too

[Peterbuilt84]

Looks good I welded the middle of the hanger front and back. Not sure if it was necessary, but it's better to have the peace of mind sometimes.

Post up the fuel cell also. I've never really been a fan of the stock toyota gas tanks myself.

[golana]

Looks good I welded the middle of the hanger front and back. Not sure if it was necessary, but it's better to have the peace of mind sometimes.

Post up the fuel cell also. I've never really been a fan of the stock toyota gas tanks myself.

fuel cell

















i built it originally for my 92 s10, but scrapped it... so i cut off the s10 fuel pump bracket thing and welded the toyota pump and sender to it

[Peterbuilt84]

Do you have to pass an inspection or do any kind of smog (probably not only ca). Looks like a solid idea, but don't know if it would pass for emissions.

[golana]

Do you have to pass an inspection or do any kind of smog (probably not only ca). Looks like a solid idea, but don't know if it would pass for emissions.

no emissions up here where i live lucky me! i hate having to deal with smog and emissions... i will move away if we start to enforce smog and all that crap... my 3.4L has no cats, no o2's and no fuel vapor pressure system haha!

[golana]

well, i got the front all buttoned up and my 33's back on, and man... she is freaking WAY beefier looking! she rides smoother all around, flexes way better too! but i think i need some steering stabilizers... when i had my 33's on last, i had the hydraulic assist ram, and i had NO bump steer... now i have a little bit... but its not that big a deal... i need to get a low profile ram or something, my last one was pretty big, and liked to punch my oil pan when i flexed...

i also want to start working on a custom oil pan for the truck... im thinking like, really low profile at the front, and then a big sump at the back... i need to clear the diff, and the 3.slow oil pan's sump is right in the middle of the pan, right above the diff haha!

[golana]

primered it, swapped tires while waiting for the primer to dry, then painted her flat black blends in real nice!


got some serious lean going on... when i redo the front leaf springs (again) im going to remove the 2nd leaf, and add a full length leaf to support the main leaf! that will prevent it from drooping again... ALSO while im into the leaf packs, im going to be welding a spacer to the driver side spring perch... i cant remember how much its out though... was it 3/8"?


bumper back on. this thing is so freaking heavy that i had to use our tractor to remove it, and install it again... MAYBE ill consider building another tube bumper... cause i really REALLY like the aggressive look of the above picture haha! the bumper kinda hides the aggressiveness...


it also hides the new hanger though, which is good... cause the less attention i draw to it, the better...


this bumper is super beef too, i have ran into things and not dented it... i also pulled an old car, buried in the sand out with it haha! well... half of it anyways... the car ripped in half when i was tuggin it haha!

[golana]

got the rear driveshaft in finally, and she holds up! im so excited, though it is going to take a few runs for me to be settled about it... it was really unnerving getting up to, and past speed... i would have it in 3rd, just screaming, praying that the driveshaft would hold up! it was honestly scary haha! but she held up fine! so now i just gotta go a few days of driving it before i can trust it again fully haha!

anyways, onto pics! got the fuel cell installed!


cut out 2"x2"x3/16" thick washers for the fuel cell. no way will these pull through the box!




now i have parts for the ford fuel tank im going to build up perfect working fuel pump and sending unit! though, for the 2wd truck, i need a chevy fuel sending unit, as im using the chevy gauges haha!


here's the fuel cell all installed (but not tidied. i popped a few holes in the box, and zip tied the fuel lines and wire harness down so it doesnt move


i removed the front box panel thing, and cut a chunk out of it. to keep the sharp edges away from the lines, i used a chunk of nylon air line. i just cut a slit all the way down it, then notched it and stabbed it onto it. made it longer too, so i could pinch the bottoms to keep it in place


i used driveshaft bolts haha! i figured 'hey, if they're good enough for a driveshaft, they're good enough for a fuel cell'




took some pis today i really like how the truck sits now!


love it!


vid of me purging the fuel cell before welding on it hahahaha!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbZt_9URtnw

[golana]

well, i got my fuel cell installed, and had that issue with it, so i started taking apart my toyota tank to see how they solved this problem... well, they are very smart about it! so i copied their design! and it worked like a charm!


i made a 4"x7"x2.5" box for the fuel pump to sit in. i installed a tube from the back side that wraps around and exits at the front. so now, when i turn corners, the fuel cant escape! but when the truck evens out, whatever fuel was used in the box will be equalized with the rest of the tank! i love it!


fuel pump mocked in

so onto this flex pics i have... then ill show the carnage haha!


i cant believe the flex out of the rears that i got! wow!


the front end is stuck down a bank, but all the tires are touching haha


better shot of the front area kinda... i didnt get any pics of the front... its pretty bad...







SO ANYWAYS!!! onto the carnage... let me just warn everyone, that its pretty graphic, and i am very glad it happened on the trail, and not on the highway or anything, though i did have to limp it about 1km out of the bush... frig did that suck!

well, i was doing a hill climb, and dug some big ruts with the tires. i wasnt able to make it, so i started backing down. i got going a bit too fast, and my front end slammed down into the ruts that my back tires dug... i heard a very loud BANG! apparently, it was so loud that everyone who was there and was driving, stopped because they thought the bang came from their rig...


i snapped my front leaf springs IN HALF! i will never again run single leaf springs! military wrap from now on!


this was total hell getting the truck out of the bush! we had to use those weird screw jacks between the leaf springs and the frame so we could get some of the weight off the steering linkages... not that i could steer anyways, cause every time i tried to turn the wheel, the whole axle would move!


right where i took those flexy pics is where the front end shifted, and the leaf spring stabbed into the rad... so i couldnt even drive the truck after this...

we called one of our buddies with a trailer and truck, and he drove about 1/2km to where we were to pick up the truck. we just couldnt get the truck going anymore. we couldnt drag it cause the leaf springs were jammed into the steering arm and everything... it was a whole lot of suck. but before the carnage, i was having a TON of fun! the most fun ive had in a long time! i needed to go out wheeling!

so here is a list of the stuff i need:
radiator - probably going to go with a 3.4L rad this time, unless it wont fit... the 3.0 was working just fine
2 front shocks  -bilstein 14" (the plan was to just buy 14" shocks, and throw the 12's out back, but they got wrecked tonight, so thats not happening now)
leaf springs - going rears up front! military wrap FTW!
u-bolts - 40$ made at a local shop. they know me pretty good now haha!

i have no idea what else (if anything) got broken, but im going to start tearing into it tomorrow. i am so glad i didnt take out any brake lines! would have sucked for getting out of the bush and loading it onto the trailer!

i have some videos of the trip and everything. ill post em as i edit and get them up

[LarryWannamaker]

Good job on the build... I've bookmarked it for a few of the things you've done to remind me to do on my 85....

[golana]

Good job on the build... I've bookmarked it for a few of the things you've done to remind me to do on my 85....

cool, what kind of things?

[LarryWannamaker]

IFS hubs, larger calipers and rear discs...

You can see what I've got so far here... http://www.sontt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1100&start=0

[golana]

IFS hubs, larger calipers and rear discs...

You can see what I've got so far here... http://www.sontt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1100&start=0

cool, i like your build so far. smart idea with that hanger tool... that would guarentee everything stayed straight...

[golana]

ok, so im thinking hydraulic assist again, but i want to see if i can do it differently... i dont want to have the ram attached to the axle, cause its just in the way, and messy looking... what if i mount the ram on the frame, and have it on the drag link instead? i found a pic to kinda show what i mean



i could have it on the same side as the pic, or the same side as the steering box... with the steering box though, i'd have to make the ram attach at the same height as the drag link attaches to the pitman arm, to keep the ram and drag link as close to the same angle as possible.


any comments/opinions on this setup?

[LarryWannamaker]

cool, i like your build so far. smart idea with that hanger tool... that would guarentee everything stayed straight...

Thanks, but I cannot take credit for it. It was a friends build where I got the idea from...

[punchyyoter85]

ok, so im thinking hydraulic assist again, but i want to see if i can do it differently... i dont want to have the ram attached to the axle, cause its just in the way, and messy looking... what if i mount the ram on the frame, and have it on the drag link instead? i found a pic to kinda show what i mean



i could have it on the same side as the pic, or the same side as the steering box... with the steering box though, i'd have to make the ram attach at the same height as the drag link attaches to the pitman arm, to keep the ram and drag link as close to the same angle as possible.


any comments/opinions on this setup?

isnt that what most people do?

[golana]

isnt that what most people do?

Most people put a bracket on top of their diff housing and run the steering off the tie rod... this is the only picture I could find of the drag link ram assist... every other picture I found was off the diff and tie rod...

[golana]

Thanks, but I cannot take credit for it. It was a friends build where I got the idea from...

That's freaking smart! I should have done that instead of just measuring the hole to hole distance haha!

[golana]

been a while since an update...

i started working on the disc ebrake setup! i got the rotor adapter plate machined and installed! i figured out that i have to build a caliper type thing now... the stupid thing is aluminum...

PICS!!!










ALSO! i got my RUF done, and now im just waiting on $$ to come in so i can buy a shock and a radiator!


i basically ended up using the entire 3" lift rear spring pack. i removed the 2nd leaf in favor of a full military wrap leaf though...


super beef C channel ubolt plates with tabs welded to the top to keep from bending, like the last plates did!


i rotated the box to straight up and down, and she's in the perfect position for RUF!


cut out a chunk of 1/4" steel and used my press to form it until i had it matching the shape of the diff cover. took about 3 hours haha! saved some money too haha!


shaved all the brackets and misc. antlers off the diff! might go with a truss now, we'll see


had to trim the front bash guards to make room for the military wrap spring. no big deal though... running without military wrap is no longer an option for me.


shackle angle is totally acceptable! at full squat, the shackle doesnt contact the body mount, so its good to go!


shocks are a little caddywompus, but im not chopping the shock hoops off to move them forward 2.75". when the axle flexes, it should move inline with the shock anyways, right? cause the axle is no longer in the middle of the spring...

that's all folks!

[4RunnerChevy]

ok, so im thinking hydraulic assist again, but i want to see if i can do it differently... i dont want to have the ram attached to the axle, cause its just in the way, and messy looking... what if i mount the ram on the frame, and have it on the drag link instead? i found a pic to kinda show what i mean



i could have it on the same side as the pic, or the same side as the steering box... with the steering box though, i'd have to make the ram attach at the same height as the drag link attaches to the pitman arm, to keep the ram and drag link as close to the same angle as possible.


any comments/opinions on this setup?

I think to get the most out of anything hydraulic, its gonna be parallel to the work. I think thats why you see them parallel to the tie rod.  Not to say that doesn't or could not work.

[golana]

im up super early cause im anxiously awaiting the man in yellow and red (DHL)! every sound i hear outside, i think its him haha! i ordered a new shock, and a little something as a treat ive wanted it for a very VERY long time, so i finally bit the bullet and got one.

anyways, onto pictars:


doubler guts


sliding pin that prevents you from shifting 2wd/4wd and hi/lo at the same time. i removed it when i put the box back together. now i can run double low 2wd haha!


assembled!


once upon a time, i overtightened this corner and snapped the ear off the transfer case! im not 100% sure what to do... i dont have aluminum welding capabilities, so i was thinking maybe drill 2 small holes through the chunk and a little bit into the casing, then fill the holes with JB weld. also running some JB weld along where it broke...


then i tapped a spare P/S box for hydro assist again. i had nothing to do and plan on eventually running assisted again, so i made a tutorial video on how to tap your box.


then i got a check in the mail, and got a new (to me) rad in awesome shape! i brake cleaned it, then painted it to ward off the corrosion. it was JUST starting to in one of the corners...


i just love this picture she looks so beastly!


angle of approach has drastically improved as well!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXEdODARVQs

Toyota P/S box tapping tutorial based on freds40's guidelines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RjBleDihU4

[golana]

PICS!!!!


had a rather unfortunate confrontation with a stump sticking out of the bank on one of the trails we usually do... ripped the valve stem half off! luckily, it didnt puncture the sidewall or anything! FRIG that would have sucked! im thinking about building a spare tire carrier that will replace the tailgate ive seen them before, and they look super bad@$$ haha!


my new toy mounted to the cab! my bro lent me his 16gb SD card, and i filled 2/3 of it up with footage today!























vids soon!

Also, my To Do List:
Spare tire tailgate
Flatbelly Crossmember
Panhard bar for the front
2x3" rect. tube for rear crossmember
Shorten frame to shackle hangers
Install adjustable prop valve for rear brakes
Run exhaust to rear of truck
Build disc Trans-brake
Buy and install Inchworm 21spline v6 to gear t-case adapter
Install twins
Build rock sliders
4.88 gearing
Proper lockers
Sound system
Celica seats
Repair holes in floor from driveshaft
Fix rust on cab
Build a flatdeck
Install 2nd battery in engine bay (isolate)
Program ECU to remove CEL for no cats/o2/FVP
Install air tank
Install engine driven compressor (stock toyota pump with inline oiler and proper air hose)
INSTALL SOME CUP HOLDERS!!!

[golana]

wow... been a while since my last update... i gotta remember to update this forum too...

so i started building a spare tire tailgate...

materials ive found to use (so far)

piece of 1 1/4" tube, 32" of angle iron, and my old tube bumper haha!


cut up some of the 1 1/4" tube into 2" pieces. notched half of them


and voila! hinge basics!


welded them up


introduced a piece of 1" round stock to the inventory (fits perfect inside the 1 1/4" tube, so im using it as the 'pins') put 2 of the hinge pieces on it and tacked it to the angle iron. i put the 1" round stock through it to keep the hinges straight with eachother


fully welded it to the angle iron, and introduced some 3"x3/16" angle iron. i cut it into strips for the bumper tube steel to be welded to for the rest of the hinge!

thats all i got so far! im so freaking excited for next weekend! i think i might just bob the bed! gotta pick up a piece of 2x3" still though, but that wont be hard!

[golana]

got the hinges all welded in place!


the stock tailgate closes with the hinges in place too, so if i ever want to remove the tire carrier and put the stock gate back on, i can!


other side


got the bottom bar built, and the hoop (used the stinger off my old tube bumper haha!) welded on


next day, about 3 hours later, got the support bars welded on, and everything fully welded!


centered view


swings open really well!

[golana]

THEN! i started working on my flatbelly crossmember (not that im going flatbelly, just like the way the crossmember style looks)


9"x30" piece of 1/4" steel marked out


cut to proper length, and cut the center out


cut the sides down


cut the other sides down, then went to town fitting it to the spare 4cyl t-case part i have used the torch to get the notches made, then cleaned them up with a file


then i needed to come up with a way to mount this to the frame... so i found some tube that i could snugly fit a spring bushing into, and cut lengths out of it! threw them on the lathe to get a nice flat edge


cut the ends off the bushings, and tossed em in! these will work AWESOME!


so i started making the mounts for where these will go, then i gusseted them


used a 2"x1/4" piece of angle iron for the bracket, and used the corners that i cut off the original flat plate as the gussets


i had to machine sleeves as well. i found that the short power steering box/idler arm bolts work perfect!


all bolted up! im going to wait until i have the adapter and the twins are ready to go in before i do anything else... when i go to mount this, ill weld tube to the bushing thing, and then to a flat plate that i will weld to the inside of the frame


primered, but this was premature, as i forgot to make the disc e-brake mounts and stuff haha!


looks good though...


bolted to the twins!


i cant freaking wait to get them back in! rock crawling sucks without lo-lo haha


threw the flange/rotor back on to start mocking up the ebrake assy


2 7/8" between the crossmember and the rotor

[golana]

now brings me to the recent update! i picked up a 1994 4runner for the sole purpose of cutting apart haha! im going to be doing pretty much the exact same thing 86bobbedtoy did with his runner, except that i want a bed. i also want to try to keep the stock rear window of the pickup cab back...

needs a new gate, but i dont care, cause im not even going to have one on this truck! it has:

-3.0L with a blown head gasket
-automatic
-full-time hubs (non manual locking)
-4.88, 4pinion gearing!!! (alls i gotta do is find 1 more 4.88 4pinion 3rd and im SET! had one set aside at work, but they frigged me over big time, so now i gotta source another one...)
-mint (minus small cigarette burn in the passenger seat) interior with the awesome 4runner seats! lumbar support and side wings!
-small impact on passenger side (was t-boned by a camaro apparently, and almost flipped the runner! was like a wedge haha!). minor dent on passenger front door, rocker panel is a bit dented too
-frame isnt the best, but its not rotted, typical for this area
-sun roof
-a/c
-fully loaded (power locks/windows/mirrors)

AND NOW FOR THE GRAND UNVEILING!!!





introducing....

Beastie's new body!




apparently, that is from a camaro... the dude said that the cop guessed the driver to be doing around 60km/h, but honestly, i have no idea if this is the case...




ill bet you 100$ if this had a rear wing, the tailgate would be fine...




composite headlights, so i can gets me some awesome bulbs!


realized the hood was open for all the previous shots, so i closed it haha


301747km's. the guy has owned it since 80,000km's










sitting under a tree for a few years... stupid leaves left their rotting corpse debris all over the roof


apparently this engine just chooches coolant! like, 2 minutes and she's bone dry again...




frig yea! G144 = 4pinion 4.88 gears!


came with a 2nd set of shoes too!


31's, but they are weathered and cracking...

[golana]

also! my inchworm adapter showed up today! a day early! FRIG YEA! only thing is... it comes with 3 different types of bolts... 1 is a no brainer, the other type is just a standard bolt (x4) and then there is a special allen head bolt that could go anywhere... no idea where it goes...

anyways! PICTARS!!!


after getting hit with duty (HAHAHAHA!!!), this thing ended up costing me $500! so you know what?! i could have bought MC's AND a 23 spline input gear for the same price! live and learn...


pretty cool logo


i forgot to add a sticker to the order, so i just emailed them and asked if they would throw one in. guess they threw 2 in


doesnt look like that tread their stuff all that well... this little nick was causing the adapter to not fit onto the bearing... used a file to take it down, fits perfect now! the thing was RIDICULOUSLY well packaged though haha!


yay!


now i need to run my exhaust to the back, and get my driveshaft shortened... or build a custom one again haha! (out of a 2piece! super short 1st piece, stock/unmodified 2nd piece)


also, i have no idea how to get these freeze plugs in...


bottom right is the bolt i have no idea where it goes...

anyone?

[golana]

just learned from my dad (toyota service technician) that my new 4runner is eligible for the head gasket campain! if it hasnt already had it done, Toyota will do it for free! how is THAT for customer service and treating customers with the same loyalty they get! friggin awesome!

so anyways, i filled up the rad, and drained the oil... there was friggin 8L of oil and water in the engine! i filled up 2 ice cream buckets FULL! then i pulled all the spark plugs, and as soon as i got #2 out, the water from the rad started pouring out of the cylinder... i really hope this engine qualifies for the campain... otherwise, its off to pick n pull for a new one... engine just full of water = OHSNAP!


frig... goopy chunky oil after all the water got out of it... though, every time we checked, the dipstick came out clean... looked like typical used oil...


she's rusty underneath... this is about the worst of it though...


i wouldnt want to have to change anything underneath now... that would suck!


here's the driver-side firewall body mount... not too bad, but not great... i just hope they come out easy...


#2 cylinder... this thing leaked out all the water i put into it... sonofa...


got my floor all wet haha





so the new plans are: swap bodies with this thing. keep the chassis and use it as the winter beater haha! i wont be driving beastie in the winter, unless its for snow wheelin.

also, i got my buddy's buggy running tonight! spent a couple hours hangin out and poking at the wire harness, and got her fired up! its a total custom chassis, and he's using a 4.3L CPI out of a AWD astro van. should be a pretty sweet little buggy! his next one (which he's gunna have me wire) is going to be a sand rail with a police interceptor engine!

[mayberry]

[golana]

updates!


rusty gate... this is probably the worst one ive ever seen... i had to take the access panel off, and pull the hinge cables while i kicked the crap out of either side of the gate from the inside haha!


just nothing left of the bottom haha


this is pretty much where its at... i cant get the philips bolts out, so im probably going to have to grind them off... only thing is, i still havent quite decided HOW im going to attack this runner yet... im thinking about just chopping from infront of the back window, and then under it to the back... i could plate the top and make a box out of it. it would be a unibody thing then... i just have been thinking about DOT lots lately... i do not want to get pulled over and have this thing get an inspection...


this is so bad... so bad.


got the intake ripped off the motor, thats about it... man i hate working on this engine... i dont know why... it just sucks...


this is going to look so badass with a solid axle under it!


FINALLY got a call from inchworm... this is the correct way to set up the bolts and everything. i got the freeze plugs installed, and the gasket in. she's all ready to go!


i finally got around to rebuilding the winch brake. i STILL need to find a motor sprocket with the key, instead of the splines... or i need to buy a new motor 250 for a new motor...