MJP2's Build

Awesome! I could generally use a hand wrenching on stuff, or at least someone else to bounce ideas off of while I'm pissed because of all the broken stuff and cooling off with some beer. Martie can only take so much of my ranting.

This past weekend I ran into a missing UCA spacer, incorrect wheels purchased for spares, and a blown caliper seal. I've got some shopping to do this week.

 

Quadratec is shipping me the right wheels, which should arrive tomorrow. Dumbass me forgot to specify lug-centric when I ordered.

Camburg is 2-daying me the new UCA heim joint spacers.

Looks like I might be back together in time for an alignment this weekend after all!

 

I still need to fix the rear leaf pack and button up a few other items before I can wheel it again. Gonna try to get this heap back in one piece in time!

 

There's your problem right there. Mike, you don't have a Jeep, it's a TACOMA.

 

David Tarantino's shop does a killer job. I'll always go back for realignments after I straighten out everything I bend when I wheel.

They support Kurt Shramovich so I'm more than happy to support them.

 

The front end is being repaired and beefed up. I bent a spindle and an upper control arm mounting bolt last time I was out.





Since that's the second UCA bolt I've bent, the mount for the UCAs is now double-sheer using Total Chaos' coil bucket gussets. They also gusset the coil buckets, obviously, which is a good thing since my passenger side coil bucket is already tweaked.

I also had the Camburg LT UCAs modified with heim joints to give me more flexibility when aligning the front end.


It's a shame to see the condition of the shocks on my truck after a single winter here in NJ. The roads are insanely oversalted and everything prematurely rots.


Those shocks don't even have two thousand miles on them. The bypass shocks are just as bad.

I'm envious of the guys in the desert who don't even have to paint their roll cages. Keeping ahead of rust is a constant battle around here.

 

Do you have any plans to combat the rust?

 

For the steel it's wash, sand, spray paint, repeat.

I'm going to clean the shocks as best I can, lather up the threads with some anti-seize, and put a coat of wax on the aluminum.

Not much else can be done, although the summer will provide a little relief since stuff will just be wet instead of covered in salt.

 

I think a better solution would be to move..................to AZ or something..........

 

Power at the place I'm renting is flaky at best. My little Hobart Handler 140 only works on certain outlets and 220 is out of the question. It's wired up with fuses...not even circuit breakers.

Could be worse. At least it's going back together!

And I bask in your hatred.

Still have a bunch of crap to take care of around here and need to spend some time out there to get a feel for the place. It's not crossed off my list.

Good or bad?