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

i didn't cut, just hammered the crap out of it. waiting to see what happens with the first rain, but it should still be watertight.

 

i know you can stuff a 35, i just haven't gotten there quite yet. if all goes well, i'll be able to by the end of the weekend.

i thing i remember you saying you had trouble with bending cv axles. what that the only issue with your AP kit? you like it otherwise?

 

Loved it but go with the TC 2"+ kit vs the AP.

 

right now i'm between the TC +2 and the MCM and TC +3.5s

current positives and negatives between the two have them dead even. If i only crawled, it'd be a much easier choice.

 

What's got you torn between the two? I'm guessing being too wide for the 3.5 kit.

 

yeah, it's mostly a width vs travel thing

plus, i can probaly get away in a legal sense, driving around with a +2 kit and stock fenders, but with a +3.5, i'd need to get glass, and i know i'd destroy glass on the trails without some sort of partial exocage around them, which i don't want to do.

 

NYDB 2.0

 

Remember that with a 3.5 kit the tie-rod is that much longer. Longer columns buckle much easier.

I mainly crawl and my buddy nomods on here does the same. We all know the tie-rod issue, but he would snap them way more than I, and often on obstacles I just went over/through.

 

i'm very cautious with mine, and even now, alway have at least one extra set on hand. i've never been one to force the steering wheel to turn, or hold it straight when there is a lot of force trying to spin it. I also try to avoid situations where the fronts of both tires have a lot of inwad pressure.

i think with any LT, Double sheer heims and DOM tie rods are a must. sure, then the rack is the weak point in the steering, but it's about not being dumb at that point.

 

Doesn't really have to do with cautious or not being dumb. Its about not a pussy maybe.

Sometime the rocks are just shaped /\ and it naturally puts force on the tie-rods. Backing off an obstacle is not an option in my book. DO or don't bother coming out in the first place. If it breaks fix it and make it stronger. In the case of tie-rods...carry multiple spares

Ultra4 was just at the Badlands, our local stomping ground. Lets just say most of those buggies got denied on the ledges me and nomods do in our trucks. Giving up just isn't in us.

I would advise never running DOM tie-rods on these trucks unless you like replacing racks.





I would rather change a bunch of $20 tie-rods, plus its an easier job

 

yeah, i saw the video of that. long wheelbase FTW. i've been outclimbing locked rovers on 37s+ for a while now.

i'll have to think some more about the tierod thing. were you mostly snapping them under tension, or buckling them in compression?

 

Buckling in compression. Nick actually sleeved them with some tube to strengthen them but they still pop almost just as easy. Now he just plans on changing them.

Me...I will stick to my 1.5" dia.-0.25" wall tierod now

And yeah...these trucks are hill-climbing BEASTS.

 

We could use some aftermarket pumps and racks... like model specific instead of the expensive custom ones. My pump whines pretty bad on occasion. A front locker and steering pump do not get along with each other even on my skinny tires... pump seems to be working fine though and I think my rack and tie rods are still good. Should probably pick up a couple tie rids though for the future. Probably won't need them until I go to bigger tires.

As for an LT kit I was leaning towards Solo's 4.5+ kit... haha from what I have seen of it though, you pretty much have to have it installed by them for it to work right. Maybe by the time I can get it they will have those bugs worked out of it though.

 

funny, i was just about to ask you about sleeving them. I've had to emergency sleeve some solid axle tie rods with the ol' hi-lift jack handle method, but never done it to an IFS setup. it'd be nice to increase the strenth a little, without exceding the rack strength to the point of the pictures you posted. with how cheap the 2 feet of pipe it takes is, and a couple minutes of welding, you might as well give it a shot i gues.

dat tie rod ....... i already called it in your build though. you're gonna blow out your face on the steering wheel when you slam a rock and nothing gives but your grip on the wheel

if you're willing and able to do the fab work, you could adapt in a rack and pump from a larger vehicle.

if the crawling i did was all in moab, i'd rock a 4.5'' over kit, but you wouldn't even fit on the access roads to the trails on the east coast lol

 

as usual I only understand 2/3 of the conversation...

 

that's ok homer... cuz if you understand 2/3 of it then that is still more than twice what i understand...

at this point i feel so ignorant i am just hoping i dont hurt myself trying to type this reply.

 

I tell everyone he's the equivalent of the NYDB in Houston.

I'm there with you buddy, unless they go in to electrical talk, even then it's kind of hard with small DC voltage systems.

 

This is definitely the most entertaining thread on TW. Some much knowledge and lack there of all in one place. I love it! Thanks for giving me a laugh today guys, I needed it.

 

I just make pretty things...

 

Me too.