the Rescue Runner build thread

[the great him]

mm for sure, do they still make the uni ball covers for the camburgs? i think i remember seeing the icons with a uni ball upper cover to help for the daily drivers, but then again icons are stupid expensive..

anyway nice info!
did you ever read or see that post i mentioned about users with the LRs talking about ball joint play in the older design? but a new revised ball joint came out to fix it?

thinking about it now, something about the bushings or something?

i think what you are referring to was the bushings crapping out after a very short time, and yes i have seen that. they have sense revised that design and started using poly bushing -i have some concerns there too but those are more easily addressed IMO than a uniball issues.

my misgivings with poly stem from my steering rack bushings, the bushing that clamps around the rack on the passenger side has ripped out completely and split into on the back side. its pushing out on either side of the "C" cap and thus letting the rack slop around in there. im not to happy about that so im gonna go back to the stock rubber toyota bushing. it lasted 200+K mi so it should be good for at least another 100k. and thats a lot better than the 20k the poly bushing lasted for me. -i replaced all the front end stuff(except the UCAs/UBJ last summer/fall about 13months ago. not too happy with the life i got. thus the switch

 

[A.Wilson013]

So about the name change....?

Congrats on the LR UCA's. I really like mine.

Found a great way to press the UBJ out while doing Joe's UCA's on Sunday.


Obviously smack the spindle to get the UBJ separated from the spindle.

After that use your UBJ press from Autozone. The only part you'll use is the press itself and the tube piece... Nothing else.

On top use your axle nut socket to straddle the old UBJ (Take the boot off). Mine fit PERFECTLY around the base of the UBJ and didn't allow the UBJ to pivot enough to matter.

On the bottom use a thin piece of steel and the correct sized tube adapter thing on top of it. I used the removable "top clamp clevis" on my hi-lift. Worked really well.

Tighten it down and it will pop right out. An extra set of hands is helpful.

 

[the great him]

The name change was needed(personally) at over 30, married and having two kids of my own, I'm no kid anymore. That was a nickname given to me back when I was a lot younger. I was always the youngest in my friends group, and then when I started working I was typically the youngest... One day while working in my first automotive shop as an assistant tech, the lead tech referred to me as "the kid" and the name stuck... Then when I got into my current platoon I was the youngest once again (this time at 26) and the same name popped up again. Now I am one of the older guys in the platoon and we now have 21yo kids lol. The great him is from a move -the wild, its a Disney movie and rather funny anyhow one of the characters is given the nick name "the great him"... Anyhow its my favorite part of the movie so I went with it over the kid

 

[4eigner]

I always thought of the kid as sort of a bad @ss name (akin to Billy The Kid.) There should be no shame in it.

 

[the great him]

I always thought of the kid as sort of a bad @ss name (akin to Billy The Kid.) There should be no shame in it.

No shame, just time for a change I didn't feel it was fitting to me anymore. And I kinda got the feeling it gave some people the wrong impression about me - to those who didn't know me... I know I know fuq them, let them think what they want. But I know a lot of people wouldn't take me seriously solely based on the name. -thinking oh he's just some highschool kid who thinks he knows everything... I just over think and overanalyze everything. I couldn't think of a better name and the wife sarcastically refers to me as the great him when I put my foot down on things... Lol

 

[A.Wilson013]

You're over 30 now? Never would have guessed.

Because of how my section worked, we always kicked the real young dudes down to HHC and took the older guys for our group. Because of this I was the youngest in my Platoon until I hit E6 at 23. THAT is when we got a few new privates that were in their early twenties to fill some BS roles.

Alright, continue with the build. Get those UCAs on.

 

[the great him]

You're over 30 now? Never would have guessed.

Because of how my section worked, we always kicked the real young dudes down to HHC and took the older guys for our group. Because of this I was the youngest in my Platoon until I hit E6 at 23. THAT is when we got a few new privates that were in their early twenties to fill some BS roles.

Alright, continue with the build. Get those UCAs on.

So sorta the same with the reconnaissance platoon... 2-4 man teams operating alone for extended periods of time with little to no direct supervision, and reporting directly back to battalion level and higher often. We could tell LTs and COs to shove it and F off if it meant what we felt as a compromise to our specific mission. So yeah younger guys were always a "wild card" and what we would call a liability lol. I was able to prove myself to my LT back in a line platoon when he was our PL, then when he got promoted out to the recon PL he asked me to come out and go through indoc (selection) for recon... I accepted the invite and got picked up. Was one of the youngest guys, but because I had a deployment under me and proved I was great at my job and could pick up theirs fast I got it... We have sense had younger guys come in, but average age is like 27/28 I think. We have some 40+ guys who know their shit, but at that age they start breaking down. I love(d) it, but now I'm actually in the process of going 13b(change of pace, and promotion list is like 1/16 the length. I should make 6 in less than 3years). I'll miss recon, maybe one day I'll come back as their PSG if they have an opening. But I wont miss grunt life lol

Yeah the UCAs should be here any time. I'm at home today just finishing up some projects

 

[the great him]

my LR UCA showed up today... hopefully next weekend those will go on. i cant wait to get a good alignment done on this thing and feel how smooth it rides/drives.

 

[Jaketino]

The name change was needed(personally) at over 30, married and having two kids of my own, I'm no kid anymore. That was a nickname given to me back when I was a lot younger. I was always the youngest in my friends group, and then when I started working I was typically the youngest... One day while working in my first automotive shop as an assistant tech, the lead tech referred to me as "the kid" and the name stuck... Then when I got into my current platoon I was the youngest once again (this time at 26) and the same name popped up again. Now I am one of the older guys in the platoon and we now have 21yo kids lol. The great him is from a move -the wild, its a Disney movie and rather funny anyhow one of the characters is given the nick name "the great him"... Anyhow its my favorite part of the movie so I went with it over the kid

Old man.

So when are we gonna see some more pics of the roll bar?

 

[the great him]

Last night I installed a set of Light Racing UCAs and did an eyeball/ tape/plumb level alignment on the runner. The drive was immediately improved on the way home... My truck did not wander when braking -I always associated this with the groves in the road from studded tires. Turns out it was one of the upper control arm bushing being toast. Surprisingly the upper ball joints while boots were all torn and ripped, they had very little play. No side to side and only minimal up/down play. I'm now happy. To the alignment shop tomorrow

 

[busmup808]

Atleast you got your moneys worth. I was looking to get the same ones.

 

[the great him]

so i switched thermostats today. was running the TRD 160* thermo for the summer and hot temps. but now that temps here have dropped (today the high was 35*), i need to keep the motor warm. i struggled to stay out of the low 160s, which meant that my defroster was struggling to keep the windshield clear, and me from freezing. while im all for lower engine temps, thats a little low. i went back to the stock 192* thermo. it seams to be doing fine. temps stayed steady and with the colder air i think ill be fine.

im gonna keep my TRD thermo for the summer months and just swap them out as needed. the amount of work it takes to swap them is minuscule, so im not bothered or worried.

 

[bike]

no love for the uniball design... its over rated and quie frankly a waste IMO, ints only good for racing or dry climates. an open uniball like that would die fast here in the PNW, dirt, road spray, mosture, mud ect getting in that ball and just eating it alive. not to mention they are not easily service if at all. for less than $65 i can have a new upper ball joint for the LR arms and again they are adjustable where the uniballs are not. travel is a mute issue as i run sway bars and the strut will limit my travel long before the ball joint would in either of them. people only like the AllPro or TC or Camburgs for the name, and the look. i makes them feel like a true race truck, but the fact remains that they offer nothing over the LR arms and in fact are not as versatile. so no, im not gonna spend $500+ when i can spend less than $400 and have a better product.

if i had a race truck, and had sponsors backing me and paying for maintenance and covering cost of parts ect bla bla bla then i might look at them, but i dont race my truck, no one here races their truck, its needless and just a status thing

I'm with you on uniballs. I know you've gone with LR arms and all this is moot, but maybe someone else can use the info. I've been getting no more than 8 months or so out of a set of uniballs. "Double teflon, stainless balls, etc..." isn't working. I've looked for a proper boot but nothing, I've done my best to keep them clean but my truck, like many others is a DD. Found a local guy who builds serious rigs (has ran TTC, ran qualifying for KOH) who seems to have a solution. I have a set of his uniballs sitting in my truck, just haven't had a chance to install them yet. I know that means I don't have actual experience but what I've seen from his rod ends is pretty damn impressive. Rod ends that were daily'd for 2 years with no grease were taken apart (with a 2' pipe wrench and a snipe), inspected, and re-installed and simply tightened up. The coating on them was still in tact and the ends had zero play when he was done.

Here's the uniballs.

-rebuild-able
-grease-able
-No open top
-more deflection than standard FK uniballs (more droop if you can use it)

EMF Rebuildable Greaseable Chromoly Uniball
More info with an install

...Wow, kind of a thread jack. Sorry about that, I'm just excited to hopefully have a fix for my uniballs. Mine are dead again, it's currently -20 outside with a couple inches of snow... so the salt has started already for me.

Love your build, one of my favourites. Ever get that light bar mounted?

 

[the great him]

I'm with you on uniballs. I know you've gone with LR arms and all this is moot, but maybe someone else can use the info. I've been getting no more than 8 months or so out of a set of uniballs. "Double teflon, stainless balls, etc..." isn't working. I've looked for a proper boot but nothing, I've done my best to keep them clean but my truck, like many others is a DD. Found a local guy who builds serious rigs (has ran TTC, ran qualifying for KOH) who seems to have a solution. I have a set of his uniballs sitting in my truck, just haven't had a chance to install them yet. I know that means I don't have actual experience but what I've seen from his rod ends is pretty damn impressive. Rod ends that were daily'd for 2 years with no grease were taken apart (with a 2' pipe wrench and a snipe), inspected, and re-installed and simply tightened up. The coating on them was still in tact and the ends had zero play when he was done.

Here's the uniballs.

-rebuild-able
-grease-able
-No open top
-more deflection than standard FK uniballs (more droop if you can use it)

EMF Rebuildable Greaseable Chromoly Uniball
More info with an install

...Wow, kind of a thread jack. Sorry about that, I'm just excited to hopefully have a fix for my uniballs. Mine are dead again, it's currently -20 outside with a couple inches of snow... so the salt has started already for me.

Love your build, one of my favourites. Ever get that light bar mounted?

no worries. i hope that works out for you! keep us updated, i am, as im sure others are, curious as to how they hold up to daily driver usage for you.

thanks for the kind words. its been a labor of love, with some good and bad choices... several things i look back on and wish i had done differently. but over all im happy.

no i havent. that is the next thing on the list. hopefully here before thanksgiving it will be on there. its all wired and ready to be mounted, just need to have some brackets fabed up for it.

 

[Tsfc]

This is in my top three absolute favourite trucks on here. Hats off to you. I love that rig!

 

[the great him]

next tuesday night ill be dropping off my runner at a local Fab shop so they can have it all day wednesday to fab up and make some custom light bar mounts for me for my 50" LED bar. they will use my truck as the template for them and should be marketing them shortly after and making them available to other customers. when all the details are finalized ill let you all know. i think they will be the only ones out there making brackets/mounts for a 50" bar (this will be for a curved bar btw).

 

[Dropzone]

Are you dropping it off at Joe's?
Swing by when you get that light bar mounted.

 

[AirOlson]

Hey you should post some pictures of your truck with the MTR's!!

 

[the great him]

well this morning i watched as someone else drove off in my beloved 4runner, it was bittersweet but it is for the best in the bigger picture...


anyone have a 2005 Lexus GX470 with the dark interior for sale? i am in the market for one. i want the 2005 because it is the year they came with the highest output for the 4.7l. i dont care about the sport model, ill take one but dont have to have it. as soon as the air suspension goes out its gonna get a slight lift so thats all a mute issue.

 

[Jaketino]

Ummm... WAT?