Inv4drZm's Build Thread

[Inv4drZm]

Been working on my brother's FJ this weekend helping install Dirt King heimed long travel, Marlin LCA gussets, spindle gussets, new bearings, RCV axles, and the cam tab delete kit.

He's pulling 12.5" of travel with his 37's, limited by the RCV axle shaft angle on full droop.
Like I mentioned I'm pulling 10" of travel with the shorter +2" Kit.

 

[Inv4drZm]

Success I think. On the way home I about broke my new subwoofer with a sliding aluminum panel. Everything slotted together fairly easily with minimal hammering, but I think I can enlarge a few clearances to make it easier. This drawer setup gets me 20% more cubic area than the single drawer I currently have, which I will be getting rid of.

However, broke my new drawer slider, I think. This piece and a bunch of ball bearings fell out when sliding back in my drawer.
Other than that, the next challenge is to get it to ride quietly with gear inside. I think rubber adhesive-backed liner in the drawers, or something similar, will do the trick.

 

[Inv4drZm]

LOL a little nicer than my old setup?

 

[Inv4drZm]

Another weekend of working on the trucks. I did some trimming on my fenders with an angle grinder and flap wheel.











Really close to the slider, it actually rubs when I turn further. I'll grind down the slider and reweld the cap if I have to.



The (mostly) finished product. The 37s will fit and turn well after I space the bumpstops down probably 3/4" in the front and 1/2" in the rear. Didn't even trim my body mount any further than what I did for my 35's, and didn't even cut into the firewall. Really not much more work than it was to fit 35's. LT kit with heims makes it easy.





Dirt King LT, 14" rear shocks, 37s, hydro bumps front/rear. Sweet setup.
I'll be doing a finished alignment on it tomorrow, and he'll be installing a legit rear sway bar.

 

[Inv4drZm]

However, broke my new drawer slider, I think. This piece and a bunch of ball bearings fell out when sliding back in my drawer.

McMaster is sending me a new set of drawer slides to replace the broken piece, so that's nice. Love the drawers so far, can fit a bunch in them.

Had to order longer metric socket cap screw bolts for my 3/4" bumpstop spacers so once those are in we can go wheeling with my new tires and start to iron things out.

Only 30 more days until we leave for Moab/Rubicon...

Still need to build a cargo platform, relocate my air compressor and tank, figure out a cover for my subwoofer, mount my refrigerator, and a bunch of other smaller things. This year I'm not in too bad of shape. I hope.

 

[Broke_Runner]

So in the end which kit ends up being better the +3.5 or +2? living in Utah it’s a lot of rocks and some desert so tighter kit may be better but as you said you can squeeze a little more with wheel offset

 

[Inv4drZm]

So in the end which kit ends up being better the +3.5 or +2? living in Utah it’s a lot of rocks and some desert so tighter kit may be better but as you said you can squeeze a little more with wheel offset

Comparing the Total Chaos standard kits, I would steer clear from what I have (+2) unless you where solely wheeling in the desert, and if you were, the +3.5 standard kit is probably better in every way. With the standard kit you loose at least 2" of ground clearance at the end of the arm compared to their race series with their integrated lower uniball. Not to mention weight savings, picking up the Dirt King LCA its light as a feather compared to mine.

So now comparing +2 to +3.5 I would lean towards the +3.5. There are tight trails in Kansas too, but I doubt there will be something I can do with a +2 that I can't with a +3.5, and the +3.5 gives an inch or two more downtravel. The only reason I see going with the +2 is if you also went with the right wheels you could tuck it into the stock fender just barely, or ease of install, my kit I installed easily by myself in my driveway wheras my brother's +3.5 had enough downtravel with the shock installed you had to compress it to connect the UCA to the spindle, etc. Just a little trickier.

If I were shopping for another kit, I would be looking at Dirt King or +3.5 Total Chaos Race/Expedition kits. Or JD Fabrication +2.25" when they get produced. I might eventually swap to the JD kit.

 

[SumoRerun]

Would a cover like this help from messing up your sub again? Amazon.com: Universal 12 Inch (12") Subwoofer Speaker Metal Grill Waffle Cover Guard Pack of 2 (Pair): Electronics

 

[Inv4drZm]

Would a cover like this help from messing up your sub again? Amazon.com: Universal 12 Inch (12") Subwoofer Speaker Metal Grill Waffle Cover Guard Pack of 2 (Pair): Electronics

Yes I just bought the JL one. I've seen where people cut the plastic panel and add a grill to it which I will attempt. If it doesn't work for some reason I can make an entire new panel out of aluminum and rivnut it on. Another option I think is to find an OEM subwoofer panel but that can get pricey.

 

[JuniorPigeon]

Pretty off-topic, but what CB antenna mount are you using? And 3' length? I'm having trouble figuring out where to put mine.

 

[Inv4drZm]

Pretty off-topic, but what CB antenna mount are you using? And 3' length? I'm having trouble figuring out where to put mine.

Its a Diamond K400 mount w/ 2ft Firestik.

It's worked well and I would recommend it though I don't use it much. I'll be looking into mounting it on my bumper with a longer antenna and a quick disconnect, or at least routing the CB cable through the hatch better. Its kinda hard to route from that location and has been dangling from the door jamb for years now. Minimum effort, you can see it in the cargo drawer pics above.

 

[Broke_Runner]

Comparing the Total Chaos standard kits, I would steer clear from what I have (+2) unless you where solely wheeling in the desert, and if you were, the +3.5 standard kit is probably better in every way. With the standard kit you loose at least 2" of ground clearance at the end of the arm compared to their race series with their integrated lower uniball. Not to mention weight savings, picking up the Dirt King LCA its light as a feather compared to mine.

So now comparing +2 to +3.5 I would lean towards the +3.5. There are tight trails in Kansas too, but I doubt there will be something I can do with a +2 that I can't with a +3.5, and the +3.5 gives an inch or two more downtravel. The only reason I see going with the +2 is if you also went with the right wheels you could tuck it into the stock fender just barely, or ease of install, my kit I installed easily by myself in my driveway wheras my brother's +3.5 had enough downtravel with the shock installed you had to compress it to connect the UCA to the spindle, etc. Just a little trickier.

If I were shopping for another kit, I would be looking at Dirt King or +3.5 Total Chaos Race/Expedition kits. Or JD Fabrication +2.25" when they get produced. I might eventually swap to the JD kit.

Good info to know I will be keeping this in mind because your truck is like a goal for my 4th gen lol funny how your old ucas are on it. I also am wanting to see the marlin kit but have been seeing the realization I probably will have to go with a normal long travel kit just for ease of getting one.

 

[JuniorPigeon]

Its a Diamond K400 mount w/ 2ft Firestik.

It's worked well and I would recommend it though I don't use it much. I'll be looking into mounting it on my bumper with a longer antenna and a quick disconnect, or at least routing the CB cable through the hatch better. Its kinda hard to route from that location and has been dangling from the door jamb for years now. Minimum effort, you can see it in the cargo drawer pics above.

I've heard a lot of good things about the Diamond mounts but I'm considering going the same route. Bumper mount w/ a 5' Firestik. Strictly for routing the cable, would be completely sealed without running through any jambs.

At that point though I'm sure the hatch will hit it when opening, so a QD may be the way to go. Probably overthinking it in all reality haha.

 

[Inv4drZm]

Its 100 degrees outside but the mods must continue.

The gameplan:



Partway through:

 

[4RunnerAquasport]

Between the suspension work, the metal fab/welding/exhaust work, and the woodworking, you should just open up a custom mod shop my friend.
I wish I lived in your area just so I could come over to help out and learn some stuff lol. I'm 57 yrs old, but I've always said I can learn from a 4 year old or an 80 year old. Always look forward to your posts. Keep em coming.

 

[Inv4drZm]

Between the suspension work, the metal fab/welding/exhaust work, and the woodworking, you should just open up a custom mod shop my friend.
I wish I lived in your area just so I could come over to help out and learn some stuff lol. I'm 57 yrs old, but I've always said I can learn from a 4 year old or an 80 year old. Always look forward to your posts. Keep em coming.

I spend too much time working on my own truck to work on other people's but the thought had crossed my mind. There was a house down the street for sale, we could be culdesac buddies. :tongue1:

 

[4RunnerAquasport]

I spend too much time working on my own truck to work on other people's but the thought had crossed my mind. There was a house down the street for sale, we could be culdesac buddies. :tongue1:

Lol hopefully I'll be back to work soon and I'll consider it, getting tired of flat swampy Florida. Wheeling this time of year is just one puddle to the next. IH8MUD. I've been looking at alternative income and wishing I had a big enough space to use for the Yota folks who want mods done.

 

[Inv4drZm]

The bedliner dried overnight, time for install.

Spare tire actually touches the plastic hatch panel when the hatch closes, but the plastic can flex in quite a bit still. I about cried when I saw that.



Second problem, drawers are TOO LONG! Because this new platform is taller than my old one and the hatch curves inward. I thought I accounted for this but apparently I suck. Temporary solution for now is to recline the rear seats forward 1" until I can make another set of drawers and sell these ones to someone with a shorter platform, or sell them locally maybe. Been wanting to make a batch of these drawers, maybe 10 if I can get some interest, and start selling and shipping them. The genius of the design is that every panel is flat, and requires no skill or time to build or hardware to assemble. No labor involved and easy to ship.



I'm really hoping that my compressor, air tank, and manifold fit in this area mounted on a sheet of, you guessed it, 1/8" aluminum. I can add a bend to the sheet and wrap it around the backside of the platform for rigidity.



All the overlanding girls will be all over me:



Kinda ran out of bedliner to do everything, but the center panel is my sleeping platform, and also can function as a short table when it's slid out a couple inches. Been seriously debating getting a storage tote and strapping it down on the right side, and storing it under the 4Runner when camping/sleeping.








Finishing touch. Someone in our group had these patches made. Skunks are slang for FJ's due to their white roofs. I must be one of those albino skunks.

 

[montijo505]

Got a ballpark on what the drawers would run?

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[Inv4drZm]

Got a ballpark on what the drawers would run?

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

$600 shipped maybe? I need to design them shorter and test them on our trip coming up.