Run to the Hills! - Jason's Completely Stalled Colorado GTFO Build

Monte mentioned to plate the frame where the clevis mount welds to the frame. Don't plate the frame first. You'll want to weld the frame plate and clevis mount together first before welding it to the frame. So cut a flat piece (3/16" plate) place it on there frame where you want it and mark how it lines up. Put the clevis mount on the plate how you want it and mark it. Now you can set the fame plate down flat and weld the clevis mount to it and beef up the weld without fighting gravity. Plus it makes welding the mount so much easier then trying to weld it in an awkward position. Then weld that frame plate to the frame.

Or challenge yourself and tac it all in place and burn away. Totally up to ya.

 

JD Ended up plating the whole LCA mount. it worked as a cam tab gusset and LCA gusset. Pretty cool idea.

 

Hm not a bad idea. Great idea really. I didn't find it hard to do it to the 2nd gen I did it on. Welds turned out great actually.

 

Yeah for sure. I'm considerering the fact that he's still fairly new to welding so anything to make it easier for him is why I suggested it.

 

Solid advice Ray! That's how I did mine and it couldn't have been easier.

That ship has sailed. Not removing my cam tab gussets at this point. Alignment has been holding perfectly, but now the entire mounts are starting to crack. That's on the list to address. Need to add some sort of gusset from the inside edge back into the frame.

 

I'll get ya some photos of his work to help you out with some ideas if anything. Shit takes and beating and gets old. Cracks happen. Don't be to disappointed.

 

I just used a big crescent wrench and pulled. Its better but not perfect. Some heat and a hammer would probably work too. Not sure if that would change the metal properties too much or not. Small hydraulic ram might work, hopefully it bends the side you want though. Some heat would help again.

 

CV binding is bad, you don't want to bind up the ball joints (upper or lower) either

 

Damn! You guys are the coolest! I really appreciate you chiming in with your experience and opinions.

When you say the front crossmember, where do those typically need gussets? Do you have any pictures of what people have done there and at the engine perches? Everything I've encountered so far seems to be geared toward SAS'd rigs... Anyway, I'd much rather take the time now while everything is still relatively unmolested and 'square'. As for the diff, I'm definitely game to pull it if it's worth doing to beef things up.

Those are great tips for the welding. I tried leaving the voltage the same and pulling back on the WFS for vertical and overhead and it was night and day difference. With vertical especially, I was loading up the joint with filler or having to move way faster than I was comfortable with until I tried that. So much better.

I appreciate your help, Brian. That was what I was concerned about. I'm not going to weld the spindles without preheating, and I'm sure the preheat will not play nice with the seals. I haven’t ever replaced the bearings on these trucks, but it looks like there’s no way to really remove either seal without basically pressing out the hub and bearing anyway. Is that right?

I found a spot weld bit at HF, thanks for the heads up and suggestion! Maybe this is the excuse I need to finally get a right angle grinder. They are really useful.

That’s interesting about the wheel bearings. Did you preheat your spindles?

With regards to your experience with the coil bucket gussets, would it be smart to tack them in with just a little bit of slop side to side so that I don’t have to wail on the UCA and bushings to get them in? I think that’s what you’re suggesting, but I just want to make sure.

And thanks for the input on the droop limiter. I’m still going to check out all of the different things that can cause issues at full droop like the ball joints as @Wulf mentioned, but that helps knowing that it’s typically the coilover that you want to protect.

Thanks for reminding me about the tabs possibly limiting the adjustability of the cams. I saw that while I was researching them, so I’ll definitely make sure they’re opened up if they need to be and that they’re aligned perfectly before I tack them.

As for the LCAs, I’m really hoping it isn’t a suck fest. Obviously, I don’t go as hard as you and Brett (yet), so I’m hoping that my mounts are still in relatively good shape! Fingers crossed...

Thanks for the tip, Ray. I think that makes perfect sense.

I may hit you up for some pointers as I work my way through all of this, so thanks in advance, bud!

 

@jubei FWIW when @Sub-Zero and I did my spare set of spindles, we preheated in his grill with the old seals. Then welded them, and put them back in the grill and turned the grill off to let them cool slowly. I know it's a highly debated topic preheating vs not preheating and all that, but if you do plan on preheating I'd recommend doing it this way and then putting in all new seals and bearings.

I think I have it here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-01-build-thread.290011/page-30#post-14866150

 

Nice Truck....good work.
After reading your early posts it reminded me of my first time up (almost) Mosquito Pass. We were in a cloud and about the same place you turned back I came upon a stuck Grand Cherokee. After I pulled her free I had to back down with no visiblity! Yikes!

 

Shouldn't be debated. Its a small piece of mid steel being bonded to a cast big piece of steel. You need to preheat it

 

I bet you a Pumpkin spiced beer that @Squeaky Penguin will have a camp fire rant that will disagree.

 

Probably.

But that guy doesn't know how to weld, otherwise his truck would stop splitting apart




Just like I don't know how to torque bolts...

 

Thanks!

Mosquito isn’t a particularly crazy trail, but it sure spooked me when I attempted it the first time in my stock truck. Backing down that couple hundred yards back to the mine was sketchy as hell, so I can’t imagine doing that in a cloud bank!

 

Thanks, Mike!

I’m going to do pretty much exactly what you guys did using the grill to preheat and then cool down. I’m not a metallurgist, but I did take a Strengths of Materials class so I know all about residual stresses and why they’re not good. Plus, I just think it would make the welding a bit easier as well.

Yep. That’s a huge thermal mass mismatch. My plan is to ramp the spindles slowly up to whatever the grill will max out to and then do what @Reh5108 mentioned and stitch a 1-2” section and then move to another part of the spindle.

What do you think about using FCAW for the spindle gussets to get a little better penetration and fusion? I can deal with the spatter.

By the way, I’d still love to hear more about the front crossmember and engine perch bracing. For whatever reason, my google searching hasn’t been very fruitful.

So true.

 

Wouldn't bother with Flux core. Especially if you're at 220v with the MIG. Just run the gas. If you're at 110v, I can see the merit to it.

Check out JD's build thread. @Cr250jumper for the kind of gusseting the front end. How it it should be done for anyone thats planning on beating on their rig.

 

Thanks again, Monte.

I figured I’d ask, but since I do have 220V, I’ll run gas. The only thing that kinda sucks is that all of this will be done in the driveway. I may just have to make up some wind screens or a tarp or something so I don’t lose my shield gas.

And thanks for the pointer to JD’s build. I don’t really intend to huck it or anything, but if it’s not a huge PITA to add some insurance, I’m all about that.

 

Nobody "intends" too....until it happens. haha

You'll end up pushing it here and there. Id just do it while its straight.

I thought you had a garage??

 

I moved in with my fiancée, so I lost the sweet two car garage that I had at my rental. We’re getting her place polished up so that we can rent it out and get into a little bigger place eventually. Her one car garage is awesome, but we’ve got it set up as a shop and a home gym since I wouldn’t be able to pull a vehicle in and be able to work on it anyway.

Not a huge deal, just something I have to work around. That’s what my carhartt bibs and base layers are for. The only thing that will shut me down here and there will be snow, but I can deal with the cold.