2005 Bulletproof Taco: 1 Ton SAC

Just wait till after august and i'll join ya

 

September - I'll have the turtle mod done by then hopefully

 

We will see...going to be doing a lot of work to the truck coming up. New front bumper, tubing out the front; ditching the core support (or most of it)potentially as well. Getting the engine compartment portion ready for the future exo. New inner wheel wells. You know...the usual stuff.

 

I cat wait to come see this beast in the next few months.

 

reference

http://www.hereticfab.com/4130-1.5-.250w-DIY-Heat-Treated-Tie-Rod.html

 

Not a bad price, IMO.

 

So obviously this is a better tube bender, but everything else you bent was on the harbor freight pipe bender right? are you planning on keeping the HF bender too or do you think you won't really need it now? Do you have the 12 ton or 16 ton? I have a couple little projects that need tube bending so I don't want to invest a lot in a tool that won't get used much. What tips do you have for using the pipe bender? Did you modify it at all? I'm thinking 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" tube, not sure on thickness. Just a simple bed rack for my rtt and some grille/headlight protection on my front bumper.

Thanks Mark!

 

Nice...I have the hydraulic model 32! Pretty cool bender

How's the truck looking

 

Everything else was using the HF bender, 12T version. I stiffened up the frame a bit but that's about it. Search youtube. Theres a mod which makes a clamp over the die to hold the tube in it, this will help the bends turnout much better.

Trucks looking about the same. Haven't done a thing with it lately except pull out a bunch of trees for my parents.

I did come across this picture from wheeling last year, I don't know if I ever posted it. This was the where I broke my drivers side rear leaf spring.

 

Hey I remember that day. I'm so glad you found someone nice enough to give you a spare leaf spring!! That would of been a shitty day if it weren't for that extremely nice person!

 

Nah... some extra bailing wire and duct tape, and he'd have been good to go.

 

Observe.

 

No wonder it broke, that shackle angle is terrible

 

Thanks!

 

Well after several more wheeling trips (2 over 1000 miles ) there were a couple issues that popped up.

When I relocated the battery years ago to the bed, I used a cheap ass clamping terminal for the 2/0 ground cable I used.



Last time I was out the truck died and I had to get a tug out of a pretty precarious spot, and it ended up being a bad ground. So when I got home I soldered a lug on to the cable and used the stud terminal on the battery. This will all change eventually when I do a new battery setup, but for now it works.



I have also been driving around with no license plate lights so I ordered some of these from SuperBrightLEDS:



Mounted up:





I also never got around to installing rear bumpstops and thus blew out a rear shock again last trip. Got some used Fox's to replace the 7100's and had them rebuilt and revalved by DSM. Installed them last night and added bumpstops as well.

 

Someone shot up your tag...

 

Ordered new springs for the front last week too. I went with a 14"-200# over a 16"-250#. I should be putting those on tomorrow, should be perfect this time around.

Original:
225#/300# = 128#/in combined rate
-wasn't able to get my ride height where I wanted and maintain preload

Attempt #2
125#/300# = 88.23#/in combined rate
-ride height perfect, but the upper spring is almost bound at just ride height and the transition once I hit the slider stop is rough (lower rate to high)

Attempt #3
200#/250# = 111#/in combined rate
-???
I am hoping for a touch firmer ride on the roads at the lower ride height, and the upper spring should maintain more free length at ride height, and should be a noticeable but gentler transition when I hit the slider stop.