Cynicalriders "J0hnny5 is ALIVE!" 01 build thread.

Went for a quick spur of the moment rip to test some shit a while back with @Chux and @HuneyBear69.

Things I learned... the front shocks are great. But there are limitations:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oxlZiE0AvE

Of course I would be naive to say mid travel can handle this.

But I can romp a bit too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH_8sa-v1ug

As far as rubbing goes, when I was driving REAL aggressive and going full lock, aired down, I saw I am STILL rubbing the coilovers. But I am seeing basically tire marks, and the sticker is still in tact so it can't be that hard. I think I can eliminate the rubbing all together with a 1/2" shorter hose, but that's not something I want to/feel I need to change right now.

I also feel that my leafs and their lack of support means I am on my bumps all the time, especially when being aggressive. But I also know I can travel much more comfortably, drive more aggressively, and things I used to cringe and brace for impact on, I can power through. Overall I am very happy, but I am always looking to improve.

I also tried a line I never ran before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbHYm3D-5eE

 

A for effort.

 

ha yeah I was really trying to pivot around the concrete slab, but it just kept laying me on my side more. Was a fun obstacle to try though, and that stuff changes all the time so I can see myself trying it again eventually

 

It was a good day.

 

Glad to see my welds have held up keeping your bumper glued on. Looks like a fun day

 

And sliders (twice), and those first cam tab reinforcements, and probably more shit we are forgetting I’m still saving my Christmas tree for a bpf visit when shit calms down or just a small get together after you self quarantine from NY lol

 

yep, I'm giving myself a few weeks. Luckily I was in a spot where there weren't too many confirmed cases but it still worries me. I'm ready for a night of shenanigans once all this shit is over, plus my firepit is hungry

 

nice idea. I also hate having to remove the wheel spacers. I was gonna ask what you do about the cotter pin but I found it.

 

Your bearings are at more risk though since they aren't sealed. Def seen debris get behind my dust caps still. Also finagling the cotter pin in the tighter space is a bitch. Going to still run it for a while and see if it's a good idea or not lol

 

what we need is a removable center cap for the wheel spacers.

 

Been a while since I updated. Progressed far enough on the carrier that it's going into paint on Thursday.

First I worked on the CV extension and tried my hand at notching some tube with a hole saw kit I bought forever ago.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Not bad for free handing it lol.

After that I cut the tubes to size, made an additional tray, and welded the tubes to it.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Then I welded the small tray to the big one and added some more vertical pieces for support.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

And now I have a tray that holds a CV too.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Next up was bring the truck in the garage for fitment, as well as final welding the tray.

I cut the donor shocks I got from @Chux up and welded them to the frame.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

And welded the shock mounts to the carrier.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

After that it was time to build the other crossmember. I now have 3 cross members spanning the frame to replace the spare tire carrier crossmember. Might be overkill, but oh well.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

I also routed out the bumper mount significantly, and welded in stoppers, so I can finally have my tailgate stop hitting the bumper when I drop off a ledge.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

The way I will raise and lower it is the same way @Reh5108 did but I welded a bunch of 1/2" extensions together and used some u joints to make it go smoothly over the bumper and crossmember.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

I also welded in guides to keep the whole drive shaft setup in place where I need it. (also makes the spinning wayyy smoother)

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

The last thing I added for the carrier itself was a spring loaded pin that can lock the carrier in the up position in case the steel braided cable ever snaps.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

The last thing I wanted to fix was the fact that I originally made my shock crossmember too high so when I bolt the bed down, it bows the bed significantly and one of the bed crossmembers that should sit on the frame was floating in the air. So I made a hella ghetto half body lift. Basically it's spaced highest in the rear at 3/8", then goes to 1/4" at the next mount and eventually no spacer at the front mounts. Form what I can tell it doesn't appear to fuck the body lines up too badly.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

I left the ones on the bed just tacked in in case I ever wanted to change it. So now I just need to paint, put the protection on the CV, and potentially get some epdm foam for the crossmember the jerry cans tighten up against just to reduce noise/movement.

 

Now you've got to replace even more shock bushings down the road. Albeit not for a long long long time

 

Damn dude. Staying busy

 

lol don’t I always? Still working full time but saving 2 hours a day with no commute has definitely been helpful with progress.

 

Well finally finished both of these projects. This is how the new water carrier/CO2 mount sits in the bed now:

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Much more compact and streamlined than before:



And of course the gas jerry's are now under the bed along with the spare CV. A concern a bunch of the guys I have been sharing this build with is potential damage to the CV in the carrier. So I lined the place the cv rests in with edging trim. I then covered splines in grease, the wrapped it with plastic bags, and duct taped it all shut. I also covered the part of the cv the seal rides on with grease, wrapped it with a towel, and hose clamped the grease soaked towel to that.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

And then of course clamped it into the carrier.

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

And the final product in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDJdlKbfuBo

Now that the beds back on, I'll continue my progress with redoing the bed organization.

 

well that is a very slick CV storage option

 

I still have one in the spare parts box too... might get rid of that one on “overland” style trips to save weight but add it for the hard bash fest weekends at the off-road parks

 

Overland is a fancy word for camping trip

 

Fuck I can’t believe I said that dumb word. My off-road camping trips I ain’t out there with a skottle and rotopax

 

Not yet