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Toucan Sam posted:It's the only Grand Wagoneer axle in my state and i'm pretty sure selectrac is vacuum disconnect. Since i'm using a detroit locker, gears from Randy's ring and pinion, and Ford spindles can't i work around the vacuum disconnect? If not i'm getting my Bronco axle done or ordering one from currie so when i break my current front suspension one of these weekends i can put it in. Basically back to where i was starting, maybe there is a reason all the really built Explorers use this package. Are you sure the Ford spindles will mount on the Waggy outer knuckles? I know the Waggy knuckles use the same spindle bolt pattern at Chevy stuff, but I vaguely recall Ford spindles using a different bolt circle or maybe a different diameter for the hole in the knuckle that the axle shaft passes through. Regardless, it sounds like you can just use the Waggy/Chevy spindle and throw your Ford hub and rotor on it. http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/SolidAxleSwap.html  I'd have a real hard time keeping a straight face if I had to talk to a hummer owner that flew giant twin American flags on the trail. Didn't Bigfoot run that gimmick into the ground back in the 80's?
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Jan 31, 2008 08:49
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BlackMK4 posted:So basically you're talking poo poo because you think my sliders are pussy poo poo? Ok. I'm sorry 2" .120 wall HREW isn't good enough for moderate offroading. You better go tell people running in WEROCK that their cages are appearance stuff. Obviously Forum Veteran = Off-Road God, don't you know that? If 2x.120 isn't good enough, maybe I should be worried about the 1.5x.120 sliders we built for my brother's truck? They must qualify under Toucan Sam's "pretty boy poo poo" definition. Oh wait, I forgot, it holds up just fine under normal usage.   A few years down the road they might get torn up enough to need replacing, but going any stouter on a wear item like rock sliders is probably just wasted weight.
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Feb 10, 2008 19:11
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Jabs posted:Been doing some reading on that very subject, and have learned (and let me know if I'm on the right track) We'd all appreciate it if you avoided tearing up the trails with spinning tires though. You have low-range and lockers, so you might as well use them. If you think you *might* need low range or locked diffs to get through an obstacle, just go ahead and switch them on. Why bother getting stuck? In that Rubicon you've got one hell of a capable crawler, so enjoy it. As for skid plates, if the factory and gas tank skids aren't up to snuff, upgrade those first. You could swap in beefier differential covers, perhaps when you do your first diff fluid change, since that will require removing the covers anyways. But really, the factory equipment should serve you very well for a long time, provided you drive within the limits of the equipment.
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Apr 25, 2008 04:15
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Ferremit posted:Lux is still going! So far im on my 2nd rear diff, 2nd gearbox and STILL have an oil transfer problem between gearbox to transfer case
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Mar 21, 2009 06:24
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jonathan posted:For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkhFOkdOHcg&NR=1 As a die-hard locker proponent, I found that fairly impressive. It even slid sideways due to gravity like a locked rear end when both rear tires lost traction. That's my favorite part about lockers in the dirt, rocks, and snow, you just slide sideways with the camber of the trail until the tires decide to hook up again. It makes life interesting.
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Feb 13, 2010 15:53
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Bobby_Wokkerfella posted:I'm looking at grabbing a cheap midsized 4x4 to go camping/offroading in the near future, being in Australia i've been considering stuff like the Toyota Surf/4runner, Nissan Terrano/Pathfinder and maybe even a Cherokee (though i'd prefer diesel) all from 1980-early ninties. The US-market Troopers were passable vehicles, but they have/had almost no aftermarket support, at least compared to the other makes. The 4cyl gas engines had a reputation for blowing headgaskets and immediately warping the head, but it didn't happen to every one. The rear ends were stout. The front independent suspension was okay, probably about as durable as the Nissan/Toyota IFS of the same generation. The 5-spd transmissions were Aisin units, the same as Toyota/Nissan 5-spds. We were able to run 33x9.50 tires with a mild torsion bar crank and 2" lift shackles on the rear end with no tire rubbing on our '88 Trooper. They do have excellent interior head room.
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May 31, 2010 17:47
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Ozmiander posted:?Even if the bead reseats, it'll still be flat. The whole point is to only reseat the bead. Once the bead is seated, you use your air source to inflate the tire properly. Reseating with ether is typically done with the valve stem cores pulled, precisely so that the excess pressure from the explosion can vent once the bead is seated. If you don't have an air source, reseating the bead alone doesn't do you much good.
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Nov 18, 2010 05:44
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If you're the type of person that yearns for the approval of others by advertising your choice of mild all-terrain tire brand with white lettering, then for sure you should go letters out. You should also be buying $70 t-shirts with the designer's name written in large type on the front. Most people don't care what your tire brand of choice is, and if they really care, they can walk up and read the black lettering. Why have a weird looking half-assed whitewall effect?
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Apr 20, 2011 13:36
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kimbo305 posted:
That stripe package is not factory. It might be dealer-applied, but it looks like it might be a straight-up aftermarket job. The little brow over the windshield is also aftermarket, probably direct from the JC Whitney catalog. The spare tire carrier is the final crossmember on the frame. It would probably be nice to have a semi-rigid x-member back there. However, what you really need to check is the main frame rails just ahead of the rear wheels where the frame dips down under the cab. The inward-facing sides of the frame tend to get very thin, particularly on the passenger side next to the gas tank (which makes it hard to see). You might find some very scary rust there if the rear x-member and bed look like that. Bad rust in the main rails makes the truck a no-go, but that rear x-member could be cut out and replaced with a simple piece of tube by someone with a welder and a modicum of skill.
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Aug 13, 2011 15:11
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Timbo posted:Has anyone ever had any trouble with AVM hubs, i am about to put new hubs on my fj40. I would spot for warn but it's a tad bit pricey. Any goons have experience with both? In the minitruck world the advice is to always use the stock Aisin hubs, since they're retained better and therefore stronger than the aftermarket Warn hubs. Is that not the case with Cruiser hubs?
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Oct 4, 2011 03:26
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Lets just say the lady friend says that she will no longer ride in it because "I think I am going to knock myself out". It feels like the axles are now not only welded, but duct taped and bailing twined to the frame. Like you can feel pebbles rough. I am going to try a set of tires next, that's my last thought. If not, its just a rough riding old truck. But drat it felt good to tow a loaded 20' cargo trailer like it didn't even exist. The neighbor has a 96 F350 with a diesel and his is not nearly as bad. Are you driving around with an empty bed? Try throwing 1000lbs of something in the back and see if things smooth out a bit. You could also try dropping the pressure in the tires a bit. Neither solution is going to help the already poor gas mileage.
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Nov 6, 2011 03:11
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Hashal posted:I'm looking to pick up a new vehicle with off-road capabilities and hoping you guys can throw me some recommendations to look at. Your idea of a more recent 4runner with the factory locker is a good one. Find a V6, rear locker model, and you're done. Auto or manual, though autos will be more plentiful. It will cover your intended usage scenario quite well. The rear locker instantly makes it one of the most capable out-of-the-box 4wds on the market in that price range, more so than a stock cherokee, plus you don't have the whole "might poo poo out a rear axle every time you touch the gas pedal" issue and other associated reliability issues. Sure, you can put a little bit of money into a cherokee to make it as capable as a locked 4runner, but if you just want to buy something and have it work on the first day for all your desert and mountain needs, go with the 4runner. You'll pay more up front for that convenience however. And if you decide to go nuts with modifications someday down the line, the 4runner is a fairly easy platform to build, given the real body on frame construction and ability to fit larger tires much more easily. Read up on how much work you have to do to a cherokee to fit 31" tires or 33's vs. a 4runner. It's laughable. That being said, the some of the newer long wheelbase Wranglers are a whole different story, so if you could put up with a removable hardtop instead of a permanent roof, they're a better package than either the 4runner or cherokee. The Land Cruiser is going to fall into the same category as the bronco, where the gas mileage might be a deal breaker. It will also be more expensive up front, and for parts down the line. Samurai/Sidekick roll over issues are overblown, but the highway ride might drive you nuts if you're not prepared to deal with it. The short wheelbase just doesn't play nicely with expansion joints on freeways. But that short wheelbase and small size lets them scoot a lot of places on tight trails that larger vehicles have to work harder to get through. You might have to get creative with your luggage packing though.
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Sep 18, 2012 17:26
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Motronic posted:Not to mention the fact that unless your climb is straight you're screwed. There is a tight corner on a steep incline in one of the spots I hunt. The guy with the Detroit locker can't make it up in the rain. He's fine, right until he hits that turn and it unlocks. There's no doubt that an autolocker introduces some weird handling quirks that take a little getting used to, but it's much less of an issue out west where you're not necessarily wheeling in muddy or icy situations very often. On dry roads and trails an autolocker (Aussie, Detroit, Lock-right etc) rarely does anything surprising. An auto tranny and bigger, softer tires make it even less of an issue. My mother used to borrow my 4runner to go to the mall once in a while and never noticed the lock-right in the rear end.
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Sep 19, 2012 03:08
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Motronic posted:We don't disagree at all on that point. I'm talking about using a normal level of acceleration in a corner in wet, snowy or icy conditions. In no universe is it a normal driving dynamic to "reverse understeer" out of a corner. I consider that kind of thing (along with wandering pig syndrome in trucks that were lifted too far without correcting the caster angle) pretty horrible and unsafe road manners. I don't follow, what do you mean by "reverse understeer"? Because my truck just wants to throw the rear end out if you stand on the go pedal through a corner, i.e. oversteer. Applying power locks the diff, and it behaves like a spool. Normally I would just coast through tight corners if that much slippage is going to be an issue. Trying to get on and off the gas repeatedly through a slippery corner would cause weird behavior, but who drives like that? Smooth application of power to exit a corner doesn't cause me any problems. A week or two of driving with the locker was enough time to get used to its small quirks. Now, I may have had an easier time than normal since the 4runner has a slightly longer wheel base than your typical jeep, and the 35" tires soak up a lot of driveline weirdness.
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Sep 19, 2012 03:53
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 My brother and I dragged the trucks out onto the trail over the turkey day weekend. No photos of my shitbox since I was the one taking pictures. The video below is from a gopro strapped to one of the rock bars on the truck. 35" tires, lockers, and crawler gears make fairly short work the trail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=equBFX47n7Y
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Nov 30, 2012 07:16
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ACEofsnett posted:Love the truck. 93? 94? I have a '91 that, as I've gotten more serious about wheeling, has reached the end of its useful life with IFS. If I recall correctly, the gray truck is a 93, 22RE 5spd. It's a standard leaf-spring swap though, no coils. The axle is an 85 from my old 4runner, which now has a wider Dana 44 under it. This truck has a bog-standard solid axle swap, with the IFS steering box shoved forward through the front clip a bit and the front axle sitting about 2 or 3 inches further forward than a "stock" solid axle would have sat on that frame/body. It makes for great tire fitment, they don't rub anywhere on the body.
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Nov 30, 2012 16:47
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Timmy Cruise posted:Yes, it is 1987, so it has the IFS with Torsion bars. I'm not convinced that it has a Rancho lift kit on it, at least not on the front end. The front suspension looks like the stock upper arms (Rancho used their own upper arms), and it looks like the stock lower brackets (a Rancho lift included diff-lowering brackets that also dropped the lower arm mounting points). So it doesn't have the "bracket" lift kit that was common on 80s/90's IFS toyotas that was usually only a 3" (Rancho) or 4" (most other companies) kit. It *might* have the torsion bars on the IFS cranked up, and they might have replaced the stock torsion bars with Rancho bars, but a torsion bar crank on that generation was only good for 1-2" of lift at most, certainly not 6". The rear end was spring-over-axle from the factory. But if this is on a 4runner, then I think those rear springs must be aftermarket lift springs, because the 4runner rear leafs would be collapsed nearly flat by this age. The shackles are still the factory shackles on those springs. 3" lift springs were available from some companies like Rancho. Many other companies used lift blocks in the rear, but I believe Rancho offered real lift springs. It may also have a body lift kit on it, but it's hard to tell from the photos. Based on the shots of the upper A-arm area, I'm going to say it does have a body lift. That could be anywhere from 1" to 3", with 3" body lifts being much more common back in the day. So if the guy is exaggerating a bit on the suspension lift, and there is a 3" body lift, then he could be bullshitting his way up to 6" of total lift. If the truck has manual front hubs, then the front CV's haven't been spinning at those steep angles most of the time, which is good. The cranked torsion bars will put the cv's at a steeper-than-optimal running angle which can eat up boots, but that's really only an issue when the truck has drive plates instead of manual hubs. Later trucks got "shift-on-the-fly" 4wd with drive plates. The lift in the rear might have induced a driveline vibration, but the 4runners and trucks were generally pretty good about not vibrating with a mild lift. Not like a short wheelbase Jeep would, for example. Take it for a drive, get it up above 50mph, and listen/feel for driveline vibration. If it's there, it will be very obvious, not a subtle thing. You could lower the front torsion bar crank yourself (barring horrible rust on the bolts). They're back on the frame near the transfer case crossmember on the inner side of the frame.
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Dec 31, 2012 01:05
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Timmy Cruise posted:
Looking at the new pic, I still suspect there's a body lift in there, despite the horrible picture quality (time for a new phone?). I see some daylight between the inner fender and top of the frame by the front tire. Normally that would be covered by rubber flaps that hang down and overlap the frame slightly. In this case, those flaps might just be missing due to old age, or it might have a 3" body lift, in which case the rubber flaps no longer hang down to cover the frame, and you can see daylight. In the rear fender well, the bottom of the body floor should be within an inch or so of the top of the frame, not really enough room to get your hand between the two. If it's 3" body-lifted, you can stick your hand in on top of the frame easily. I agree that this truck probably does just have an add-a-leaf added into the stock rear springs. The rest of that pack looks stock, but that 4th arched leaf isn't original. By the way, someone forgot to put the bumpstops back on top of the spring when they added the leaf, probably because the stock u-bolts were just barely too short. Bumpstops are a nice thing to have if you ever carry any weight (camping gear) and drive rough roads. skinner posted:I did notice a rattling noise and vibration under the driver's seat when I was driving around last weekend with the hubs locked in. With the hubs unlocked the vibration never happens, but locked it will periodically act up whether it's in four wheel drive or not. A friend suggested it may be the CV joint. Any other ideas? Agreed, check the CV joint at the transfer case end of the front driveshaft, though it's on the passenger side, not under the drivers seat, assuming it's a proper left-hand drive vehicle. It will be spinning when the front hubs are locked, even if you haven't shifted the transfer case lever out of 2wd. The exhaust system runs down the driver's side of the truck, and it could be vibrating against a heat shield, but that doesn't jive with the fact that it only happens with locked hubs.
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Dec 31, 2012 23:17
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Ferremit posted:If your struggling to get a spare for it- consider one of these kinds of kits I'll second this. Those plug kits don't look like they'd do much, but I've had spectacular luck with them, even the cheap auto parts store versions. I've done a couple of tread puncture plugs that lasted for the life of the tire, and I punctured a BF Goodrich Mud Terrain sidewall up near the rim while out on Sledgehammer in SoCal, and plugged it with two plugs. Despite all the hemming and hawing from safety nuts, those plugs held in the sidewall for a year or two without leaking a bit, including several more aired-down trail rides and thousands of highway miles. The plug kit takes up almost zero space, so they're worth carrying even if you have a good spare. You never know when you'll puncture two tires at the same time on some nasty bit of trail.
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Aug 31, 2013 03:58
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Aquila posted:
I'd skip the 2nd spare tire unless you're going a long long way from civilization. Your BFG tires are quite a bit tougher than whatever street tires your mother's Honda had. Carry the existing spare, a plug kit (as discussed above), and a small air compressor. That will get you out of most bad situations in the the California desert or mountains. Also keep in mind that if you're on some real remote tracks, you should be traveling with a 2nd vehicle anyways. That 2nd vehicle can go get you a 2nd tire if you really manage to destroy two tires badly enough that they can't be plugged. Carrying another 80-100lbs worth of tire and rim around is a humongous pain, especially when you have to toss one on the roof in order to take it along. I personally think winches have limited utility in the SoCal deserts unless you're doing trails extreme enough to need to haul you up a water fall or recover a rolled vehicle. They're nice for muddy trails where there are convenient trees around to tie off to, but that's rarely the situation in the desert. A 2nd vehicle and a snatch strap will get you out of most mild offroad stuck situations. Not that I'm opposed to winches, but concentrate on buying all that other stuff you listed first before you drop the coin on a winch.
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Sep 2, 2013 03:01
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Jonny 290 posted:E: Oh, remembered, was going to ask today: Can anybody point me to a guide or give me some tips for buying new springs? I've always had a fair bit of sag in the front, and at rest the front leafs are just about horizontal, maybe even with a little bit of back curve at the axle. How to pick size and lift? The rears appear to be good, i've always had more issues with the front. I am redoing the tie rods at the same time so I will just set up the drag link properly at the same time. Not to dissuade you from buying new springs, but it's worth noting that the flat front springs on those models are normal. They didn't have any appreciable arch in them from the factory, and in that case a little bit of reverse arch after years of use is expected and not alarming. Finding stock height replacements might be a trick, so I'd recommend finding the shortest lift springs available in order to minimize all of the other expenses you'd have to deal with when you start getting above +3".
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Oct 14, 2013 16:25
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Motronic posted:Finding a hilux in the states is rare as hen's teeth. Maybe in the bad states (i.e. rust country). There are plenty of pre-taco Toyotas running around on the west coast and desert southwest. Finding a solid front axle example is a bit harder though.
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Dec 22, 2013 20:27
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Motronic posted:Yeah.....good point. It's pretty rare to see anything pre-75 (that was the switchover, I think) that wasn't a garage queen out this way. 1985 was the last year of the solid front axle in the US, but the core hilux frame, drivetrain, and body that was used around the world continued on through 1995 in the US with the torsion bar IFS. 1995.5 was the start of the US-built Tacoma.
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Dec 22, 2013 20:34
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Motronic posted:I'm probably confusing the NAMING switchover in the US. That's it. The Hilux name was dropped in 1975 in the US, although the Hilux name occasionally made it on to some of the trucks in the US post-1975, but not in any real formal way. The truck was just sold as the Toyota Truck, much like the old toaster vans were just the Toyota Van in the US. I think you'd occasionally see dealer-added decal sets on the trucks that included the Hilux branding, but those weren't a national thing. But it was still the same truck as the world-market Hilux up through the 1986 switch to IFS. The minitrucks didn't regain formal model name in the states until the Tacoma was introduced in 1995, unless you want to count the "mid-size" T-100 that came out in the early 90s. The 4runners, introduced in 1984, did at least get a real model name.
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Dec 22, 2013 20:51
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VelociBacon posted:So someone in another thread mentioned that people in Jeeps (and similar I would assume) sometimes use their starter when in-gear to get out of some kind of offroad situation. Is this true at all and if so what is the advantage vs just being in your lowest gear? The point is that you use the starter when you're already in your lowest gear, and have stalled. It's often easier to use the starter to crawl the truck forward while also getting it restarted than it is to restart clutch-in and feather the clutch/brake to get moving again. Using the starter means you can sit there stalled with the brakes on and 1st gear engaged, minimizing the chance of rolling back, and when it's time to go, you only have to ease off the brake as the starter pulls the truck forward. In low range the starter has enough power to pull you up a lot of very steep inclines, but it should only be used to get you moving the first few feet so you don't overheat the starter.
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Dec 24, 2013 19:21
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ThePinion posted:
My brother's Sportsmobile 4x4 weighs in over 9200lbs when loaded for a trip. They are absolute pigs, and even in the desert, with a rear ARB locker and front limited-slip, they get bogged down in loose sand. If you don't have a system already, you need to budget in an air compressor so that you feel comfortable airing down the tires whenever you're in the soft stuff. You've got to be able to put more tire tread down on the ground to keep it from digging to the center of the earth. Maybe throw in some tools as well. That would be a good idea.
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Dec 24, 2013 19:27
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Vovo posted:I'm pretty sure the only time you do this (if at all), is when your air intake is submerged and since you don't want water in the engine, you don't start it but kind of bump it along. I've never seen it done though, only read about it on the internet. In this situation the engine would still try to suck water into the intake while the starter is turning over the engine. I suppose you could pull all the spark plugs and shoot the inhaled water out as the starter pulled you along, but that would be a last-ditch maneuver when you've exhausted every other option. Much better to leave the engine off and get winched out.
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Dec 24, 2013 19:31
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There are fancier aftermarket starters for some of the obvious candidates like small block chevys and Jeep motors, but part of the point of using the starter is that you should only need to use it for a few seconds at a time, even offroad. Once the truck has crawled forward a few feet the engine should be running, you're already fully in gear, and you should be able to just start feathering the gas to keep the truck moving at or near the same speed that the starter was pulling it along at. You kind of already need to be geared low enough to make the starter trick work in whatever situation you're stuck in, so once the engine is fired up there's not much point in leaving the starter engaged. Even though pulling a car along on a flat smooth road requires less strain on the starter, but you're still sending a few hundred amps through a little electric motor that's only designed to be run a few seconds at a time.
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Dec 24, 2013 19:57
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jonathan posted:gently caress the haters. That van is RAD. Were there "haters" showing up somewhere in this thread? I'm confused. Keep fighting the power I guess.
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Dec 24, 2013 23:53
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jonathan posted:The downside is that line hanging out which would be a pain on some types or terrain like the Forrest where they get snagged. But for desert runs, moab, snow wheeling etc it would be pretty simple to use and set up. Have you been to the desert, or moab, or snow wheeling in a forest? These are all places where an airline hanging outside the sidewall is just asking to get torn off. Especially the desert/moab, where you've got a great chance of grinding it off against a canyon wall or caught up in a bush when you miss a turn at high speed. How would that ever be considered a reasonable idea? Maybe it would work on a glacier crawler where there's nothing to hit.
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Jan 20, 2014 05:23
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apatite posted:I put those swampers on my plow truck yesterday because the 15" wheels and poo poo street tires didn't leave enough room between the wheel and rear brake drum for improvised tire chains. 16" wheels gives plenty of room, plus the tires just are way better to start with. The oriented-strand board camo probably works great against the shack behind it. In case you're unaware, if that 4runner is fuel injected, the fuel pump is a fairly generic piece that was used in lots of fuel-injected Japanese stuff from that era. The bracket and piping is usually unique, but the pump body itself is fairly standard. The pump out of a Isuzu Trooper was a straight swap for mine when it died.
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Jan 27, 2014 17:16
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mattfl posted:Why, why would you do this? And ya, running 35's you're going to have a lot of rubbing with any flex if it's lower than stock height! Because running big tires on minimal lift has been the trend among people that know what they're doing for at least 15 years at this point. Where have you been?
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Apr 18, 2014 14:11
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ExecuDork posted:Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my Ranger (and presumably newer ones - I like the mention of a "new" Ranger - they were discontinued a few years ago) doesn't have a front differential. The transfer case engages or disengages both front axles depending on the "2Hi-4Hi-4Lo" switch in the cab, and the hubs are locked or not locked depending on how wet my knees are. Your Ranger does have a front differential, but it most likely doesn't have a center differential in the transfer case. If it wasn't advertised as "full time 4wd", which requires a center diff to allow front-rear speed differences in 4wd/AWD on hard tarmac, then it just has a simple transfer case that locks front and rear driveshaft outputs together. Every 4wd has a front differential, with a few (Jeep Rubicon?, older Land Cruisers, real G-wagens etc) offering some way to lock that diff up for true 4wd.
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Jul 20, 2015 16:11
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