Project Hippie Killer - Ever Evolving because I have ADHD

[kdub0013]

I've seen both done. If it was me, I would just use the bedsides as skins around the tube forr the rear, less weight and you still have some sort of a "bed" but I guess it is more work to cut em up

as long as the passenger area is boxed in then I am fine. The bed sides at this point are for looks only. I through a bunch of gear and action packers on top the gas tank and rear behind the back seat to see what room I will have and it should be good. At the same time though I am getting less room for storage by not using the bed sides tied into the frame.

[kdub0013]

spoon feed me please.....

I need to change out the the yoke to a toy flange on my 60 front here soon, never done this being my first set of tons.

From what I have read there is no crush sleeve in the gm 60's so in theory I should just be able to throw the new toy flange on and torque that nut down to 250-260 ft/lbs and be good right? Probably wouldn't hurt to throw a new seal in too or if its not leaking then leave it?

[kdub0013]

Got a good jump on it today but my buddy was hungover so didn't move as quickly as we would have liked. Got a bunch tacked in and cut everything else.

[nisota]

Lookin' Great 

[kdub0013]

Thanks!

Made a receiver hitch today since I have to tow a trailer on the con next month. Gonna work more this evening when we get home from a BBQ.

[kdub0013]

Well I cut the old wheel center out and cleaned up the wheel. Let me say what a pain in the ass this task was. My question now is can I beat it in with a hammer or should I have it pressed in? If I hammer it in I would need to grind quite a bit down to make it fit but I think that's the route I'm gonna go. What sag those who have worked on wheels? I was gonna ask Andy at Twf also.

[TheChewMaster]

I think I would just hammer it in there. But I am definitely no 'Tire' guy

That looks like a fun cut to make, what did ya end up using?

[NITE KRAWLERS]

Hammer it in man but put a 2x4 across it or use a 4x4 as your hammer!! It'll go

[superyota]

Dang buddy!  you've really been at it lately!  tube works looking great.  Maybe you can come help me when I get ready to redue mine  .

Fordyce took its toll on my rig this last weekend.  I don't know if it was me driving like crap, or my new suspension set up and not being use to it, maybe a combo of both, but my cage is tweeked now and touching the driverside of the cab. 

I like the big X bracing in the cage.  Think i need to do something similar.

Only a few weeks left til con! 

[x250f23x]

 IDK about a hammer.. maybe the biggest square piece of wood that fits inside the rim and a hi-lift or jack. You know what I mean? Press it in.

[kdub0013]

I think I would just hammer it in there. But I am definitely no 'Tire' guy

That looks like a fun cut to make, what did ya end up using?

angle grinder and plasma. Just time consuming and labor intensive.

[kdub0013]

Hammer it in man but put a 2x4 across it or use a 4x4 as your hammer!! It'll go

will do!

[kdub0013]

Dang buddy!  you've really been at it lately!  tube works looking great.  Maybe you can come help me when I get ready to redue mine  .

Fordyce took its toll on my rig this last weekend.  I don't know if it was me driving like crap, or my new suspension set up and not being use to it, maybe a combo of both, but my cage is tweeked now and touching the driverside of the cab. 

I like the big X bracing in the cage.  Think i need to do something similar.

Only a few weeks left til con!

thanks! Bring it over to my house and we can hammer out the cage and strengthen it. Getting close!

[kdub0013]

IDK about a hammer.. maybe the biggest square piece of wood that fits inside the rim and a hi-lift or jack. You know what I mean? Press it in.

i hear ya that might be something to try.

[kdub0013]

Cage is tacked in for the most part. Need to run a vertical down from the center to the harness bar behind the front seats.

Also need to cut the vertical tubez from the shoulder bar at the c pillar down to the frame and the angles as well.

[superyota]

Wow! Very impressive.

[kdub0013]

Thanks dude! I like the way it's turning out. Need to do my flop test soon!

[kdub0013]

Alright the guys at goldenstate convinced me, I will change the harness bar and throw bends at each end so it is done correctly. Glad I didn't burn everything in yet. It makes sense if the an impact happens at that point of the b pillar its just going to snap those 1/4" plates or bend them. It will take a little rework but it won't be much. I will have it fixed tomorrow.

[kdub0013]

Cut the harness bar out so I can throw a couple bends in it on the ends, the way I should have the first time.

[kdub0013]

Ok reworked the harness bar and put ends at the end. I also moved the uppers bars so they line up at the c pillar with the bars that angle back to the bed rail area. Much more stable and I will add a 1.5" Dom bar to catch the c pillar going over head if that makes sense.

I also started on the mount for the fuel tank. Yes I know the grade 8's are not necessary but I have a pile of 7/16's laying around so it what I'm using

[kdub0013]

Had an hour to kill today while the baby was napping and before our guests show up so I welded in the new wheel center and got the receiver hitch welded on for the trail trailer I'm pulling on the rubicon.

Oh and I cut off those heinous tubez that I threw under the gas tank because they looked.... Well thrown in there.

[kdub0013]

Got the gas tank mounted just need to throw nuts on the bolts. Started playing around with ideas for making a mini bed between the tube. The area above the fuel tank needs to be high enough and removable in case I need to pull the tank. The area behind the rear passenger area will be lower but I need to fit shocks in there as well. Ether ill resort to straight up and down or angled back maybe like the pic below. My action packers fit perfectly in the bottom also.









A shot looking down where I would need to stuff that shock through. If all else fails I will just throw the / in there and try to get them as straight up and down as possible.

[superyota]

looks good!  alomst ready?

[kdub0013]

looks good!  alomst ready?

yeah I am getting there. It may be the bare minimum and not complete but it will be ready for the rubicon. I really wanted to break my gears in but I guess just running them on jack stands will have to do.

[kdub0013]

Question.

I need to break in the new gears in the rear. I have it on Jack stands and plan on running it till its warm letting it cool and maybe doing this a couple times. I can't just drive it down the street being a green sticker and have no time to trailer it out somewhere and put 500 miles on it.

Can I just run it on the jackstands off and on and do I run with the tires on or off? I was thinking tires off and then I will change the gear oil before the rubicon in 2 weeks.

[superyota]

i'm pretty sure you need a bit of drag/pressure on the gearset for it to break in correctly.  I might be wrong though. 

Then again,  I doubt everyone that races, whether it be rockcrawlers or topfuel breaks in the gears.

[x250f23x]

 I wouldn't bother trying to break them in. One general rule is to heat the gears and cool them a few times, then drive easy for 500 miles, then change the oil. You might heat and cool the gears a few times, but I don't think thats going to help one bit once you get on the trail and start subjecting the ring and pinion to stresses. As long as they don't have any funny sounds.. you're good to go
Breaking in gears is for getting long life out of them/ surface harding of the two contacting faces while self polishing the sliding faces so they don't prematurely wear out. Do you plan on driving the rig 100k miles ? You could buy special oil that has number one diamond in it, but I still don't think that would help that much. Its expensive and you would have to flush the pumpkins before you went out wheel'n. I asked my father if he had to break in the gears for his top alcohol funny car once.. he just looked at me like I was stupid But we're not going to talk about my daddy issues here HAHA
Thats my    now can we go wheel'n yet?

[kdub0013]

Yeah general consensus is run it so that's what I'll do.

Got the front shocks in minus axle shock tabs. It's just tacked in and need sto be reinforced and burned in. I tried doing hoops again but this made more sense and will also add the frame tie in point for the strut bar/engine cage whatever that will go over the motor. My goal tomorrow is finish these, finish the rear shocks/bed, and burn the cage in. It's time to start wrapping up as my rubicon trip is right around the corner.

[kdub0013]

Made good progress today. I took my old front shock hoops and modified them to work as mounts in the rear. My shocks will kick back at an angle and leave me enough room to finish the bed.  There will be a tube added from the center above the shock mount up to the cage for support.

Stayed up way past my bed time and finished burning in the rest if the cage. I have a few things left to do on it and a couple boogers to fix but nothing crazy. More to follow tomorrow.

[kdub0013]

Shock tabs are mounted and ready for shocks. Also made the rear bed area with a removable gas tank section.