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

No still zip tied I live in the country I
Not worried Ill get one soon.... I did sheer off one of my carriage bolts on the BAMF lca skid an I replaced that lol I need to fix my ac

 

You too? I wonder what grade hardware he's using.

 

grade? = weak as shit lol.....im gonna get grade 8 stainless so this dnt happen again

 

That's what I'm using. All 6 still intact.

 

I'm getting ready to install my LCA skids today, what did that stronger hardware cost you? Is grade 8 the strongest you can easily get?

 

That bed cage is so sick! Any chance of building me one?

 

Sorry, not trying to thread jack, but I have been looking for grade 8 carriage bolts for my BAMF LCA skids but have no luck. And I didn't see grade 8 stainless anywhere. There is 18-8 stainless but that stuff is weaker than the grade 5 Jerry sends out with the skids. Where did you get your grade 8 carriages? Or did you switch to hex head bolts? I was gonna do that but didn't want the head of the bolt to catch on stuff.

 

buid you one, sure get it to you for less than the cost of the rack....

After talking to the guy who built mine about the options, we decided stainless hex heads were the best option. i was initially worried about marring up the head to the point that i couldn't get the hex key in there. after 2 wheeling trips on them so far, they are still operable, but if i ever do chew them up too far, i can just grind off the head and use the new bolt

all hardware (all stainless bolts washers and lock nuts) came from fastenall.

 

Hmmm... I am due for a road trip... Haha. Just for an idea can you pm me an estimate for the build?

 

hey colin. where did you get the 4x8 trailer frame? thinking about picking my self up something like it and welder. kinda want me a trailer, that i can work on and not add as much to truck. i would build something that i would like for and long time. hell never know may get an fj in 5 or 10 years. looking at a trailer as a long term thing 10++ years.


my idea is, i can make/build a trailer that will hold stuff(what ever i need it to for trails) and i can camp in it. also never know(hope not) but could get hit and truck be totaled and my trailer be fine at home. in my mind less work on new vehicle, can be towed by any truck/suv.

 

PMd, sorry it took so long.

Mine started life as a harbor freight trailer. if you plan on doing anything more than moving some furniture with it though, you will need to make some strength upgrades. on mine, i built an enture new tongue, which is now welded on instead of bolted, I reinforced the frame itself, and i built a 3 ton axle for it with 6-lug toyota hubs. the leaf springs need to be replaced with something heavier duty as well, with the cage i built on it, but i'm waiting to do those since i'll just put my current truck leafs on it when i get a new leaf pack.

like jeeps, in stock form, they suck pretty bad, but you can go absolutely nuts with them and purpose build them to do just about anything.

people always ask why i didn't just start from scratch and build one with a home built trailer title/VIN. my answer is that there are virtually no money savings (if any). while getting a home built titale and VIN is easy, walking into the DMV and handing them a piece of paper is easier. and finally, all of the squaring up of the axle and eerything was already done for me. all i had to do was beef it up.

 

rebuilt my UCAs last weekend. replaced the bushings with the new style ones that SPC recently released, and swapped out for new balljoints that have SPCs new boot design. i had completely torn all 4 existing bushings, which i gues was expected with mid travel on an OEM style rubber bushing. had also blown both balljoints out. reason behind that is the old style boot let all kinds of dirt into the balljoint, which wore out one a part of the retainer in the ball joint. i believe i was told by one of the SPC engineers that it was a nylon component, but don't quote me on that. anyhow, what that resulted in was virticle play in the joint, and a terrible amount of noise from them.

need to upload pictures still, but here's a video of the torn and blown bushings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gGF6VS1EHE&list=UUXe4AY77gNKXW9QrIeVfuyQ&index=1&feature=plcp

 

and a big thanks to chris (pap) for pointing me in the right direction for getting the replacement parts

 

Grade 5 is plenty sufficient. There is an issues besides the bolts. You need to pack out the area between the front of the LCA and the back of the LCA skid with steel in order to stop bolts from shearing. There should be NO room there. His skids were designed with about a 1/2" gap and I have no clue why. This causes 100% of the stress to go to the bolts should you impact anything. No matter what bolts you put there they will shear if you don't do this.

For example my TC LCA skids are grade crap and I have bashed plenty of stuff with them over 2 years with zero issues. They fit tight against the LCA.

Nice. Never seen a OE UCA fixed.

 

Colin, did that get rid of your clunk type noise you were trying to explain to me a while back?

 

sorry, i should have been more clear. it's a light racing arm, they just use an OE style rubber bushing with the sleeve molded into it.

 

i actually went away on it's own, but after finding the play in the UCA balljoint, i'd bet it was that. makes sense too, since it was up and down play, that would explain why i could feel and hear it, but it never messed with my steering or alignment.

 

I kinda figured as much, especially after finding Mikes loose that day at my shop, it was clunking just backing out of the bay. Glad you fixed it.

 

huh? mike has uniballs....

 

His UCA was loose, the main bolt (goes through the bushings), not the ball joint.