Liveoffroad's '84 build

BucknutBob said:
Great action shots of your rig on the red rock! Looks like you're getting really good articulation from your set-up. That is such a cool place--those trails really let you know if what you've done works.
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thanks! i'm very happy with the performance of the suspension. since the moab trip i've added some spring clamps to the front to fix the wheel hop issue discussed above and it seemed to help a lot, though i haven't tested it fully yet.
 
KidVermicious said:
I'm pretty sure theres a Tacoma-width RockAssault in my future. You can order it with any pinion angle you need, already set up for leaves, it's got tubes and knuckle balls just as tough as any 80-series axle, and it comes with Dirty30s.

Beefy shafts for the 80 aren't very cheap, I don't think...
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yea i looked at that option, what scared me was that their complete axle costs 4,400$$ which is way out of my price range, i guess i need to do some more research to see what it would realisticly cost to build one myself. i still think i could do an fj80 axle way cheaper though
 
You don't need a complete axle though. You've already got knuckles and arms and brakes and stuff. You just need the housing (and the shafts, if you're changing width).

I've never seen any point in buying new high-steer stuff from Trail-Gear when the classifieds are littered with it.
 
good point, i agree on the high steer stuff, seems like i see a minitruck axle with highsteer on it constantly on CL. HOWEVER, if i do a custom width Rock assault, i'll need a custom High Steer kit.
 
I finished exhaust right before the moab trip, so here's some pictures. its already starting to rust after only being on there a month and a half. i think next time i get exhaust work done, i'm going stainless!

built this out of used scrap 2" exhaust pieces i rounded up. I learned its VERY hard to weld old exhaust tube.

I originally set it up to run a summit racing chambered muffler (equivalent to the thrush) but it still sounded raspy so i added a Magnaflow glasspack in front of it. ended up costing way more than i intended but at least i'm happy with it.
All you ricer people are gonna hate me, but i went from 2.5" exhaust to 2", which is close to stock. I really noticed a change in the power-band. it used to start around 3k rpm's, now it starts pulling around 2k which is way more practical for a truck. after doing a fair amount of research, I'm now a believer in maintaining close to stock exhaust size. High flow header/cat/muffler are great ways to free up your exhaust, but going with overly big diamater pipe only works against you.
my .002 anyway. here's pics


I routed it around my rear shock using half of a "Y" pipe from a 1uz lexus that my friend was throwing away.






Here's the spring clamps i fabbed up. added one to the front and a second one to the rear of the front spring packs. this should eliminate the wheel hop i was getting


 
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ajohnson85 said:
Very nice rig! I like your quick-release torque rod setup. I sent a link of that to my friend :cheers:
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thanks man! hope it helps your buddy out

Driftinfc said:
That pic of u guys under the Burban is perfect, shows the brotherhood of offroad guys at their finest
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haha for sure, its all part of wheelin.... crap breaks and everyone jumps in to help. that one in particular was a pretty amusing fix, we pulled the trans mount and used a 2x4, some nails for a centering pin, and a ratchet strap. he finished the trail that way haha. i've been bugging him for pictures of it
 
liveoffroad said:
I finished exhaust right before the moab trip, so here's some pictures. its already starting to rust after only being on there a month and a half. i think next time i get exhaust work done, i'm going stainless!

built this out of used scrap 2" exhaust pieces i rounded up. I learned its VERY hard to weld old exhaust tube.

I originally set it up to run a summit racing chambered muffler (equivalent to the thrush) but it still sounded raspy so i added a Magnaflow glasspack in front of it. ended up costing way more than i intended but at least i'm happy with it.
All you ricer people are gonna hate me, but i went from 2.5" exhaust to 2", which is close to stock. I really noticed a change in the power-band. it used to start around 3k rpm's, now it starts pulling around 2k which is way more practical for a truck. after doing a fair amount of research, I'm now a believer in maintaining close to stock exhaust size. High flow header/cat/muffler are great ways to free up your exhaust, but going with overly big diamater pipe only works against you.
my .002 anyway.
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Man, we have got to get some dyno pulls going on these trucks. I'd love to know exactly what kind of difference you made in your curve. I've got 2 inches through the header to the cat and was going to add 2.25 inches from the cat back, but now you've got me rethinking that. But you've got the 7M too, which is a totally different motor...

Coming to Moab in October?
 
liveoffroad said:
All you ricer people are gonna hate me, but i went from 2.5" exhaust to 2", which is close to stock. I really noticed a change in the power-band. it used to start around 3k rpm's, now it starts pulling around 2k which is way more practical for a truck. after doing a fair amount of research, I'm now a believer in maintaining close to stock exhaust size. High flow header/cat/muffler are great ways to free up your exhaust, but going with overly big diamater pipe only works against you.
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Not at all surprised about those results. I learned this many years ago working with V8's--going with smaller diameter, longer tube headers will work wonders on the low and midrange power. Too large a diameter in the exhaust reduces the backpressure too much and the only gains will be on top end (if at all)--of little use to a four-wheeler.
 
BucknutBob said:
Not at all surprised about those results. I learned this many years ago working with V8's--going with smaller diameter, longer tube headers will work wonders on the low and midrange power. Too large a diameter in the exhaust reduces the backpressure too much and the only gains will be on top end (if at all)--of little use to a four-wheeler.
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'Splain me why. Is it because too large an exhaust lets gases escape before they're done pushing the piston? Couldn't that be compensated for with cam timing?
 
How am I just now seeing this build? Sweet runner man!!! We need to go do some wheeling together. I live down in fountain so we are semi close. You should come to Moab with us in October.
 
KidVermicious said:
'Splain me why. Is it because too large an exhaust lets gases escape before they're done pushing the piston? Couldn't that be compensated for with cam timing?
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While I don't profess to know all the science involved, this is the general idea: a larger diameter exhaust slows the VELOCITY of the exhaust flow, and therefore negatively affecting the scavenging of the cylinders. You're NOT trying to increase backpressure, but rather find the balance that keeps velocity high without introducing more backpressure. As the power of the engine increases, there is a greater VOLUME of spent gases to get rid of, so you can increase the diameter without slowing the velocity of the flow. So basically, the closer you are to stock tune, with a relatively small volume of flow, you need to keep the diameters small to maintain the velocity of the flow. As power increases, you can increase the diameter in small increments, because the higher volume of gases will keep the velocity high. Go TOO small, and you create backpressure (bad); go too big, and you decrease velocity (also bad). It's all in the balance.
 
SV_Dude said:
How am I just now seeing this build? Sweet runner man!!! We need to go do some wheeling together. I live down in fountain so we are semi close. You should come to Moab with us in October.
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thanks man! i'm always down to go wheeling, just let me know when you want to go. i'd like to get up to HC in july. When are yall goin to moab? a fall trip to the desert does sound nice....

as to the exhaust discussion, Bob hit the nail on the head:
diameter of the exhaust tube affects the VELOCITY of the gas. keeping the gasses moving is crucial to extract heat from the engine, and also can create a small vaccum in the cylinder when the exhaust valve is open, which will "pull" the gasses out of the cylinder. the key is to find a balance between velocity and restriction, as bob said. as for my setup, the high flow muffler and mandrel bends eliminate restriction, while the stock diameter tube maintains velocity
 
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did some campin with my bro up by gunnison over the long weekend:





























And once again, spent all day saturday fixing the suburban haha

 
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Next years Classics meet will definitely be here in Colorado!!! Love it!

That thing would look great in a Moab line up in October.
 
Holy crap, is that driveshaft made of tin foil or does he have WAY too many ponies under the hood?

Nice photos, thanks for sharing. Come to Moab in October or I'll kick you in the shin.
 
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