Squeaky Penguin's (Trip Reports) Build Thread

I thought at 1:1 lever ratio gives you the best control. I would think it would be easier to tune too, as angled shock setups change angles depended on axle position, therefore changing dampening characteristics.

Yes, frame boxing plates.

Will finish up the other side, new rear crossmember, and get the other crossmember for rear shocks mounts up as high as possible as soon as I get another tank of gas.

 

I know that on 4 links w/trail arms you shoot for a 2:1. Because the shock shaft speed is slower, you can tune the shock better overall. 1:1 can be super fast, short course 4 links are this way though.

Yea angle makes things different, but not impossible.

 

I may have overlooked this a few posts back, but did you purchase a boxing kit or are you building it on your own?

 

It's a Trail Gear kit. Not a bad price, and it would have taken me all day to cut those plates with an angler grinder.

I did some looking and didn't see anyone else who made a kit.

 

Did not know that...

I like the overkill aspect of plating AND boxing.

When are we gonna do this, @alee891?

 

Good to know. Yeah, the price for the kit isn't bad at all - it's the rest of the work I'd have to do following (i.e. flip kit, new shocks, etc.). I've got the outer plates I need to weld on ASAP. I'm anticipating those will hold up for my needs for a while, but I'd like to box the frame at some point down the road.

 

That makes sense, being I've already done/doing those things, it didn't occur to me. But if you were starting from scratch, it would be a big project. It's also nice to be able to park my truck in the garage and take my time doing this knowing I really don't need to drive my truck for a couple months. I would hate to try to knock all that out in a weekend. TG instructions shows it being done with the bed still on, which I would think would be a real PITA.

As for the frame reinforcement plates, mine have been holding up well for a couple years now. Just adding the boxing kit while I'm already in the middle of the rear suspension project. FWIW, the boxing plates lined up quite nice even with all my extra weight, wheeling, jumping, etc. I don't have a reason to believe my frame was bent at all.

 

Thanks for the info, that's reassuring to know everything is still straight. It's also good to know the frame plates did their job. I know you've got a bit more weight in the back than I do when fully loaded, so I'm hoping they will suffice (as previously stated). I'd imagine having the bed installed while doing the project would be a pain in the ass if only for the fact that you have to remove (ehem... sawzall) the factory cross member. I may just look into boxing and relocating all at the same time when I finally get to it in order to avoid cutting out the additional tube needed for the new shock mounts. I hope to get a daily beater sometime soon so this may end up being a fall/winter 2017 project!

 

Are you gonna box the section between the cab and the bed that the plates don't reach?
I feel this is the area of greatest flex, with my canopy hitting the back of the cab...
And do you plan to box clear to the end of the frame past the shackle mount?

 

Do it right or do it twice. Cutting off my old crossmember was the worst part of the job. Also, the factory rear tire crossmember would just slide out if I didn't have that crossmember.

No, I'm going to leave well enough alone. My topper has never hit the cab.

Boxing the section in between where my plates end and the factory boxing ends would require hacking up and figuring out what to do with the factory gas tank crossmember. I also think that crossmember in and of itself helps support that small section of frame. As for the last few inches, don't see why it would be necessary, and it would also prevent me from getting to the rear bumper bolts.

 

Good stuff in here right now.

 

Seems odd that area is not boxed imo, regardless of the crossmember. That's the area where the frames seem to break due to rust.
If I get a chance this summer to box mine in, I'll see what it takes to piece in some plate.

 

the whole boxing and frame plates thing comes from the rear frame bending due to weight(duh) but the most common spot it bends is right at the top of the arch as it turns to run paralell again.

Not sure boxing a frame is going to help in terms of rust prevention..in some ways..boxing is worse for rust as the water has no where to go.

 

I wasn't saying it would prevent rust.
I was saying that's where they seem to break when they do rust.
It's also where a lot of the flex is coming from.
The section between the bed mounts can't be flexing that bad as the bed is somewhat structural as well.

Plus if that arch section were actually bending/bent, I don't think the ready cut plates would have fit as well as he stated they did.

 

But we don't live in a crappy area like the entire eastern half of the US where we have to worry about frame rust.

Speaking of which though, I did have a very small area, about 1x2", beneath the factory spare tire crossmember where about a 1/64" thick piece of the frame delaminated due to rust. Wire wheeled, primed and painted before I cleaned up the areas where I would be welding.

IMAG0193 by brettbjorgum, on Flickr

Need to figure out a good way to drench everything in paint behind the plates before I finish up.

I've seen them bend right at the bump stop pad too.

If the area between the bed can't be flexing that bad due to the bed, I would venture to say the area between the factory crossmember exhibits the same effects.

How do you know for sure that little area is where the flex is coming from?

 

Every 1/2 ton pickup ever made flexes right there.
There is a reason 4Runners and Bronco's, Scout's, Blazers, etc are so popular, they have a one piece body on frame that won't allow the frame to flex in that manner. You will always get twist, which is actually desirable to a certain degree.

Pickups have always been known to "bend" in the middle. Some worse than others obviously, not talking about one tons or heavy duty's, but more like the F150's and C10s. And Toyota's.

Your canopy may not be hitting your cab, but I bet you have more space between them than I do too. I had to move it back more than once, the seal for the lid barely hits the tailgate as it is. We have entirely different canopy's too. I'm not saying my flex is any worse, mine just happens to hit.

 

Got the other side down and rear crossmember in:

IMAG0197 by brettbjorgum, on Flickr

Now just the 4-5 week wait for new shocks.

 

In the future for stuff like this, you can do what you did and then where you clean back up again, hit with a weld through primer. That's what I did when we welded my diff's guard on. The weld's aren't as perfect but still penetrate great.

 

@Squeaky Penguin

inside frame coating http://www.eastwood.com/internal-frame-coating-w-spray-nozzle-qt.html

Did you go with ADS?

 

Thanks, I'll pick up a can.

No, Kings for the back. ADS were ~2.5" longer for $150 more per shock. Got the welded rod ends, was told over cylinder top caps were no longer an option. 27 3/8" extended length, which will allow me to keep them vertical with the lower mount only being slightly lower than the axle I believe.