StevenP’s 37s + IFS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ build

Thanks @Coma 13 , yeah, long time no update! Unfortunately not much progress to report. I had to wait a couple weeks for my welders ground lead, only to find that I can’t pull enough power out of my pedestal at the trailer park to run it. Waiting on a paycheck to pick up a generator so I can get to welding. As soon as I’m up and running the welder it should start coming together fairly quickly.

First on the list is finishing my shifters for the dual cases so I can fill that up and be done with it, then I’ll get to cutting and tubbing so I can drive the rig. I may be moving back up to the Sierra’s here within the next few weeks and I really don’t want to tow it up!

After the dust settles on all that I’ll get to bumpers, skids and sliders, prep for the supercharger, and a bunch of other, smaller, tasks.

 

That sucks about your welder. Thanks for the update and good luck with your move.

 

@StevenP do you have any more pics of the alpine installed? How close is it to the shifter? I love the look it just looks like its touching in the photo.

 

@Trevorfox34 I can see if I have some more pictures, the shifter and everything is out at the moment or I’d go snap some new ones. I love the unit, but it is a tight fit! I really want to angle it up for better viewing, but in park it touches, so I have it set at 90 degrees, it doesn’t touch, has probably half an inch or more of clearance. The ultimate solution would be to pull the dash piece and move the temperature controls to the bottom and the stereo to the top, there is a member here on TW who has done that and is offering to build more for others, I may end up doing that. For now its
fine.

I just looked for pictures, I really don’t have many of it, but here you can kind of get an idea, in one its titled up, MUCH better viewing angle, but it contacts the shifter in park, in the other its flat and there is space (can’t really see the space, but its there, no contact). If you just switched the stereo and the temp controls there’d be no issues.

 

Made a little progress this morning. I sold my e locker axle and was able to put the non-locked 8.4 underneath. Last weekend I picked up a generator so I can run my welder and get started on some of the last projects that need to be done so I can drive FINALLY drive this rig!

First thing I got to do is finish up my triple sticks, then I will cut and tub for the 37s and patch that up, then I can actually get this thing on the road. After that I can worry about building the bumpers and getting the sliders and armor on. It’s getting close, just need to start welding, as soon as I get to a point where I feel like I can make a strong weld without setting everything on fire I’ll get into it

 

Welding the sheet metal up after the tub is by far the hardest part. Get some .023 and take it slow. I couldn't really weld as the heat would cause it to blow through so I ended up doing small 1/4" tacks then moving to another area and repeating that. I also stuffed a very wet large towel on the cab side to prevent burning my rig down. Once I finished I ground it all close enough to smooth then used steel stick around all the welds. It was a fun project. Now that it's over. lol

 

There’s a smelly seam sealer that likes to catch fire in the corner of the floor pan and the outer wall of the cab. I did the same thing with wet towels and carpet removed from the foot wells. Only place I couldn’t get a bead was the onboard floor / firewall and up on top of the wheel well on the inner fender.

 

Yeah, I plan on going the soaking wet towel route and a million little tacks as well. I only have .030 flux (might even be .035 come to think of it, one way or another not ideal for the sheet metal), so I’m just going to go around and around tacking it until its all together.

 

I used .030 - I made that panel on the side just so I’d have something more substantial to weld to. But adding seam sealer you’ll be good of course.

 

Get .030 wire for the welder. I used .035 and wanted to burn the truck down in frustration, I switched to .030 for the tub and it worked so much better. Also do not be an idiot like me and try to beat the fender well to fit 37s, then realize they dont fit and have to tub. Just cut it all out the first time. Cut out as much as you can. I now hit the cab mount which is a win in my book.

 

For sheet metal you should be using .023. For any thickness under 1/8” really

 

Yea I know, I was too lazy to go get a bottle and solid wire for this one project.

 

Unless you can weld beads with it, no reason. You'll have a tack and seam sealer combo either way unless you can with .23.

 

Little off the truck practice, run heat slightly less than recommended then it becomes easier to not blow through. But the tack and seam sealer also works, probably faster for most.

 

A really good welder can run a true weld on sheet metal with .023 and shielding gas. I'm not a really good welder. Actually, my front tub was the first thing I ever welded and I used .035 flux core. It sucked. Then, for the rears, I drove down to a buddies house and watched him use .023 shielded. Made my work with the flux core look even worse. Which I didn't think was possible. lol

 

I like shielded welding is much easier for most my applications. For the $180 for a 80CF tanks I was down from the start. Only time I’ve used flux core was for a fence repair

 

I would love to do it with the right stuff, .023 and gas, but I just don’t have that option at the moment. I’ll make it work with the flux I have, and who knows.. maybe down the road 40s will call my name and I’ll redo it all with .023

Just glad to see that it has been done before

 

Eh, not likely even with .23 you’re laying down beads on stock sheet metal. You’re going to have to tack and seal regardless. I got beads on the filler panels I put in once I was on a corner of the oem panels, but no way on the flat parts of it. If you’re OCD to where you’re going beyond where you need to be to get a functional sealed and reinforced tub job, you could tuck the filler material in behind the stock metal as a backer but that’s about it and the time it’ll take to form it increases by hours imo.

 

Plenty of people have done it with flux, keep the heat low and play with the wire speed with the .030 and it will work out. If you tub it agressively the first time there will be no need to have to do it again even with 40s

 

Yeah, I plan on going as far as my door hinge and body mount will allow, 40s would be a SAS thing anyways and at that point I’d just place the axle forward enough to not have to worry. I am picking up a 2008 v8 4runner this week, so who knows.. if the IFS doesn’t work out as well as I hope on the taco it may be time to start looking for tons.. or I may want to put tons under the v8..