[thezentree]

Originally Posted by Spunk

Disclaimer: The following text below is for information only, and it is provided for educational purposes. Consider at your own risk.

It was very basic. I considered the typical axial static load limit of the uniball, using that force as a bending moment about the four mounting bolts of the balljoint to the spindle. For the 1" FK 17-4 rod ends, their axial load limit are around 19-20kip.

Only the four flange faces that touch the steering knuckle were considered fixed surfaces. Everything else in this analysis, including the through holes of the four flange bolts were spaghetti. The axial force was applied to face of the uniball, Dimensions B to O on FK drawings.

In this one instance, the Radial stress published for the uniballs (~55kip) are near-AOK, since that is practically a shear on the effective area of the welds (AWS D1.1 Table 2.3). I planned to use ER70S-2 filler material with GTAW, so I based the design's min yield point at 50KSI for the C.S. to 4130 weld without PWHT (known from past data with a few PQR's). At that point, it was kinda straight forward to determine minimum weld dimensions that still provide the warm and fuzzies. Top weld is a partial penetration groove (~60-80 degree inlcuded bevel, approx .19" deep [variance in angle due to my grinding skills]), whereas the bottom weld is a fillet (approx .19" size).

I take it you do this sort of thing for a living? I use basic FEA at work for preliminary design but have about zero formal training on it. The welding calculations are Greek to me, but something I've been curious about.

[NWFL4Runner]

Looks awesome man! Does the cup strike the LCA at full droop?

[Spunk]

Originally Posted by thezentree

I take it you do this sort of thing for a living? I use basic FEA at work for preliminary design but have about zero formal training on it. The welding calculations are Greek to me, but something I've been curious about.

Yes. I am a welding engineer in O&G. If you are into a little light reading, I suggest skimming through this book. It does a fantastic job at translating all the Greek.

[Spunk]

Originally Posted by NWFL4Runner

Looks awesome man! Does the cup strike the LCA at full droop?

Nope, it clears!

[Alpha.]

haha awesome paint decals

[Spunk]

That was jump 8 of the testing. The LBJ's are fantastic. Some more photos may show up as well.

Here are extra photos of the balljoint install. Enjoy!

[NWFL4Runner]

Nice! Couple of quick questions:

1 - Any concern with not having a castle nut/cotter?
2 - Any issues getting a grip on the top of the bolt? Looks like you had to cut it down some?
3 - Any problem with the mounting surface near the 4 bolts from the welds?

For some reason my LBJ start puking after about 5k with my long travel so this is looking goooooood!

[Spunk]

Originally Posted by NWFL4Runner

Nice! Couple of quick questions:

1 - Any concern with not having a castle nut/cotter?
2 - Any issues getting a grip on the top of the bolt? Looks like you had to cut it down some?
3 - Any problem with the mounting surface near the 4 bolts from the welds?

For some reason my LBJ start puking after about 5k with my long travel so this is looking goooooood!

1- Nope. Other long travel setups with uniballs do not have a castle nut/cotter on the bottom side. That is the case on my FJ.
2- Nope. That bolt is from the bonkers bolt grade above grade 8, and it was still able to take 125 ft lbs of torque on the head.
3- Nope. I used cut washers on the bottom side to mate the bolts flat to the balljoint.

[NWFL4Runner]

Well damn, if you ever get the urge to sell a set, I'll buy!

[Spunk]

Originally Posted by NWFL4Runner

Well damn, if you ever get the urge to sell a set, I'll buy!

Fantastic!

Here are higher resolution photos from the jump street, plus one photo-merge. They were taken with a dslr with gentler jumps, whereas the youtube video was done with an Iphone on the last test jump.

For those who wonder why the front tires look larger than the rear, it's because they are physically closer to the camera with the wider wheel track in the front. The tire size is 295/75R16's.

[FilthyRunner]

This build is out of this world

[Spunk]

Boingo boingo, fellow mutants!

LoneStar Toyota Jamboree! !!Stampede race!!

This first fun race was a blast! The 4Runner earned a solid 2nd place, with the final time 0.2 seconds behind the winner.

Carnage:
1. One CV boot slid out of socket. That was ziptied back to normal (no tearing)
2. One Cam bolt adjusted during the moguls. Cam bolt was moved back to correct alignment. Still driving today with zero issues.
3. One Reservoir's mounts broke, but they were only zipties anyway (hadn't figured out a good spot to weld the reservoir mounts yet). Ziptied back on with no problems.

Takeaways from the race:
-Have fun! Pre-race gitters are reasonable and normal.
-Fear keeps you smart. Having no fear is just as dangerous as too much.
-Plan a course ahead. Plan two lines incase one is unreachable.
-Send it responsibly! Drive like you own it, but know that the work day's commute is coming.
-Spunk's rear tires rub on the Shrockworks bumper. The tires are a wee bit large for that section, so an angle grinder is in the near future.

P.S. The companies that came out to Jambo were the real deal, boots on the ground practical folk. If you're on the fence about any of the groups that repped there, I encourage you use their stuff. They definitely put their best feet forward on this one.

P.P.S. Nikki from Total Chaos signed the 4Runner! Heck yeah!

[rideexileex]

You’ll find the FJ axle to be a perfect match width wise. I have a 4th gen axle sitting under my rig and have the opposite problem - I need the front LT now.

For fab, nothing lines up with stock geomoetry other than the upper link towers. Everything else needs to be addressed.

[Spunk]

Originally Posted by rideexileex

You’ll find the FJ axle to be a perfect match width wise. I have a 4th gen axle sitting under my rig and have the opposite problem - I need the front LT now.

For fab, nothing lines up with stock geomoetry other than the upper link towers. Everything else needs to be addressed.

Thanks for the heads up, I look forward to figuring it out. That may become time for a good three link setup.

Lonestar Toyota Jamboree published these photos on facebook. Photos of multiple rigs in the stampede can be found here.

[Spunk]

Update!

After the good feedback from Jambo, I am proceeding with the design of a roll cage. The intention is to have it certified to Score in order to race the Baja 1000. It's in its infancy right now, many diagonals need to be added, but PVC piping does a great job of simulating the bend radii required in addition to the tubing dimensions. The shapes will go right into a solidworks model for FE analysis and manufacturing.

That, and it's time to shop for race seats, so I'm trying to sit in as many brands and models as I can before going to be fitted for one.