Colinb17's kinda sorta build thread - now with 4-link and long travel

Quite wild how just a short time ago in our lives this site was everything we did most days of the week.

 

It was nearly a full time job being on here

 

Let the Mighty Mods begin!

 

Lol yeah I still have the 4runner and added more to the fleet. You should swing by tx sometime.

 

Absolutely will be back at some point. Loved every moment of my time in Houston. Just had a baby though, so all of the immediate travel plans are to see family, mostly up and down the east coast.

 

More parts coming in.

Today was the grade 8 hardware for the upper and lower coilover mounts (1/2" bolts), and all of the hardware for the big rod ends I'll be using to build the links.

Rod ends are 1.25", and misaligned down to the 3/4" bolt. Both of those are a bit big for this application, but I've bent suspension pivot point bolts before, and getting them out without screwing something else up is one of the least enjoyable things I've ever done to a vehicle. Id quite literally rather bend part of the frame and have to repair that.

The aluminum spacers are from TMR Customs, and are used to keep brackets aligned and properly spaced while welding. They're machined just a hair wide to account for movement as the welds cool.

 

Fuel cell kit arrived today from motobilt. Cell itself is from RCI, but motobilt cuts the additional hole in the center to run the stock pickup/sender, as well as they build a killer mount that captures the tank on all three axis, vs just using some straps that rely on friction to secure it horizontally.

Big thanks to @Dayman Karate for guineapigging this setup accompanied by a writeup thread, as well as answering some additional questions regarding the overall system design.

 

Cage steel showed up today. Always fun getting a tractor trailer down a neighborhood road.

10 sticks (200 feet) of tubing. Won't need that much for the rear cage, but as it works it's way forward, ultimately going into the front suspension, engine cage, and bumper, I'll likely need more than this.

Remaining parts left to come in are a bunch of laser cut bits from TMR, and the rod ends and 2"x0.250" tubing for the links. Oddly enough, the heavy wall 2" tubing for the links was less expensive through ballistic fab than a standard bulk steel supplier.

You can see the unfortunate effects of the salty coastal air on raw steel. Even in a closed garage with a dehumidifier running.

 

At least is matches your shackles.

 

Steel it!

 

. Hayo!!!!

Got a gallon of POR-15 to use up first.

 

UPS getting on a first name basis with me. Picked up a nitrogen tank last week from my welding supplier. Valve system came today. This is essentially an identical setup to what you'd get from power tank with a CO2 setup. The only difference is the zero loss huck that threads directly on to the Schrader valve on your shocks. If you mountain bike and have a high end suspension setup, you're familiar with the zero loss chuck on the end of your handheld shock pump.

I've used some parts from this company before. Good stuff overall and a fraction of the cost of power tank gear.





Spec sheet for the valve


The reason for the long hose is that in addition to filling/tubing the coilovers, I will be adding some lower travel air shocks at the very end of the build, so I'll likely keep the nitrogen bottle permanently mounted next to my CO2 bottle. These shocks will either be removed or stowed the majority of the time, and connected only for towing. I will be towing our boat a few miles to the ramp most weekends, and even with a rear sway bar, there will be more than a desirable amount of body roll for towing. The air shocks are there, not for weight support, but to stiffen up the body roll with a little bit of added support at the ends of the axles. Two photos below are of a kibbetech truck and an SS Built truck that utilize the same concept. Shocks are shown in the stowed position on the truck missing the spare tires, and in use on the red truck.

 

I love my preece setup! Had it for a few years and ZERO issues ever.

 

Still on weekly...

technically a part-time job.

 

1:congrats on hotshot being big-time! You all done playing with trains?

2: when did you become a moderator, and how drunk was Bob when it happened?!?!

You've put more hours into your part time job than most people put into their full time. You balance it all like a pro though. Love seeing all of your family time on FB. Something for all of us to strive for.

 

Last time I was consistently active on here was 2016. Missed a lot!