theesotericone's Trails and BS Thread

[Plastics guy]

There will be a gap between the skids and the crawl box mount. I'll the exact number the gap will be Monday but I'm thinking about 1.5" or so. Having the bolts that long with nothing between them could be a problem. This is where [MENTION=146407]Plastics guy[/MENTION] comes in.

Once I have that gap measurement I plan on asking him to make very hard piece of rubber to fill that gap. That would use the skids as the "crossmember". It would keep anything from moving and should keep the noise and vibrations down as well.

So, who sees any issues that may arise from preceding with this plan?

Yessir, Completely understand what you need.

I can make a rigid plastic spacer with say a 3/16" of firm rubber on either end. that will prevent any chance of squeaking and really help keep that skid in place when you park it on the rocks.

Let me know the gap on Monday once you see what you have.

 

[rkntoy]

Paging [MENTION=118730]AssBurns[/MENTION] [MENTION=135317]rkntoy[/MENTION] and anyone else who might have some input.

I've been trying to decide what exactly to do with the crawlbox mount. In all that thinking I actually forgot to order the damn mount itself. A quick purchase from Marlin and it will be here Monday. Here's the mount.

On the bottom of the mount are 4 M8 x 1.25 mounting holes to bolt it a crossmember. My plan is to use those. Here's how.

So this is my Savage T-case skid. The plan has always been to keep these no matter what I had to do. With the extra 8.5" added to the driveline from the crawlbox I'll have to lower the skid 1/2". That still allows me 1/8" clearance off the bottom of the stock t-case. Here's what it looks like mocked up.

Two 1/4" washers welded together will be what I'll use for the spacers. It's less then I thought I'd loose so I'm pretty stoked.

Here's the plan for the crawl mount. If you look at this photo you'll see the mounting holes on the crawlbox. Once it's mounted I plan to drill through my skid to be able to use M8 pan heads.

There will be a gap between the skids and the crawl box mount. I'll the exact number the gap will be Monday but I'm thinking about 1.5" or so. Having the bolts that long with nothing between them could be a problem. This is where [MENTION=146407]Plastics guy[/MENTION] comes in.

Once I have that gap measurement I plan on asking him to make very hard piece of rubber to fill that gap. That would use the skids as the "crossmember". It would keep anything from moving and should keep the noise and vibrations down as well.

So, who sees any issues that may arise from preceding with this plan?

What are you using for mount on your t-case?

If I understand correctly, the t-case will be the primary mount for the drivetrain and the reduction box mount will be to reinforce mounting of the skid plate. Should be fine.

 

[AssBurns]

Two 1/4" washers welded together will be what I'll use for the spacers.


Once it's mounted I plan to drill through my skid to be able to use M8 pan heads.


So, who sees any issues that may arise from preceding with this plan?

I think the general idea is great, but! I think there is some room for improvement.

Instead of welding two 1/4" washers together, why not get a 1/2 plate, or plastic or UHMW. That would be a much cleaner, and stronger option since it will completely fill the gap, rather than just the areas where the washers contact.

Instead of using panhead bolts, maybe use countersunk bolts. Or drill a hole with a hole saw, maybe 1" diameter, and weld a plate on the top side, so that the bolts are recessed 3/16". This isn't exactly what I'm thinking but you can get the idea of having it recessed by using another plate. That's what I plan on doing.

 

[theesotericone]

I'd suggest a solid/metal spacer of some sort.

-Charlie

See the post below. It'll be solid with just a thin layer of rubber to dampen vibrations.

Yessir, Completely understand what you need.

I can make a rigid plastic spacer with say a 3/16" of firm rubber on either end. that will prevent any chance of squeaking and really help keep that skid in place when you park it on the rocks.

Let me know the gap on Monday once you see what you have.

That was exactly the answer I hoped to get. It sounds exactly like what I was thinking in my head.

What are you using for mount on your t-case?

If I understand correctly, the t-case will be the primary mount for the drivetrain and the reduction box mount will be to reinforce mounting of the skid plate. Should be fine.

There's no mount going on the t-case. The mount points will be the factory trans mount and the crawlbox mount. Do you have a mount on the stock t-case on your duals?

I think the general idea is great, but! I think there is some room for improvement.

Instead of welding two 1/4" washers together, why not get a 1/2 plate, or plastic or UHMW. That would be a much cleaner, and stronger option since it will completely fill the gap, rather than just the areas where the washers contact.

Instead of using panhead bolts, maybe use countersunk bolts. Or drill a hole with a hole saw, maybe 1" diameter, and weld a plate on the top side, so that the bolts are recessed 3/16". This isn't exactly what I'm thinking but you can get the idea of having it recessed by using another plate. That's what I plan on doing.

I've looked at counter sunk as well. I might go that route but the local store only has panheads. If I had a welder and could recess the bolts I would. I'd really like this idea but the non welder thing is a PIA.

Stock mount with a small second mount welded to it for the crawlbox. It was one of my first ideas but I nixed it because I only JB Weld. lol

Thanks for the feedback guys. Keep it coming.

 

[theesotericone]

So for a day or two now I've been thinking of where to put my rear window and ECT switches since I did the 99+ console swap. Last night I had a dream. That dream had absolutely nothing to do with my rig but it was a damn good dream. Anyway, I just got done moving them. I picked this location because I liked it. It also doesn't require extending any wires and it took less then 15 minutes.

Here they are in there new home.

 

[AssBurns]

Just add to your credit card bill and buy yourself a welder. You’ll thank me later, or at least until the credit card statement comes in [emoji23]

 

[rkntoy]

There's no mount going on the t-case. The mount points will be the factory trans mount and the crawlbox mount. Do you have a mount on the stock t-case on your duals?

You are doing the same thing as me.

 

[theesotericone]

Just add to your credit card bill and buy yourself a welder. You’ll thank me later, or at least until the credit card statement comes in [emoji23]

Or I could just drive down to you're house. Should be a quick and easy project. lol

I'll probably find someone local to do it but it's always hard in my town to find someone willing to do one-offs. It's even harder to find someone that can do them well.

You are doing the same thing as me.

This is a quote from Wyatt at RST from a thread on TacoWorld. He's talking about what mounts to use with a dual case set-up.

Turned out very nice. And you did all the right things. You supported the crawler box and protected both the crawler and the t case with out bolting anything to the t case. So now, not only will you have a protected drive train, but you wont have to worry about any leaks occuring because of stress coming from pressure put on the t case from mounts and such. Very nice

So he suggests not using a mount on the rear case. Which makes sense since there is no mount on the factory case. By mounting it you create stress that causes leaks and breaks the mount. I do really like the welded solution upthread for the crawlbox mount though. It looks pretty easy to duplicate, if you have a welder. lol

 

[Road Bull]

So for a day or two now I've been thinking of where to put my rear window and ECT switches since I did the 99+ console swap. Last night I had a dream. That dream had absolutely nothing to do with my rig but it was a damn good dream. Anyway, I just got done moving them. I picked this location because I liked it. It also doesn't require extending any wires and it took less then 15 minutes.

Here they are in there new home.

Sweet... your rig cockpit is starting to look like the Millennium Falcon.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

Damn! Whose sexy Marlin dual setup is that?! [emoji7][emoji631]

 

[theesotericone]

Sweet... your rig cockpit is starting to look like the Millennium Falcon.

It's getting there. lol

Damn! Whose sexy Marlin dual setup is that?! [emoji7][emoji631]

Trust me man, if Marlin could have even given me an estimated date for them to get the MC08 back in stock I would have bought American. They couldn't and I didn't.

That is a truck from someone on Tacoworld. Here's the thread:


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/official-crawlbox-bs-thread.422186/page-26

 

[AssBurns]

Or I could just drive down to you're house. Should be a quick and easy project. lol



I'll probably find someone local to do it but it's always hard in my town to find someone willing to do one-offs. It's even harder to find someone that can do them well.

Cruise on down! I’m always down to lend a hand. We can spend the day welding shit and drinking beers then camp and drink more beers afterwards.

 

[rkntoy]

It's getting there. lol

Trust me man, if Marlin could have even given me an estimated date for them to get the MC08 back in stock I would have bought American. They couldn't and I didn't.

Interesting that things are still the same at Marlin as when I was purchasing parts in 2016. Had no idea when adapters would be in stock and when they were back in stock I would have had to buy an adapter and a reduction box together. And they were out of a bunch of other parts - also with no estimated dates for delivery.

They may make good parts, but they really need to learn how to run a business.

 

[phattyduck]

Cruise on down! I’m always down to lend a hand. We can spend the day welding shit and drinking beers then camp and drink more beers afterwards.

I'd suggest this option! You can run the single trans mount, temporarily as long as you don't put too much torque down in low-low...

-Charlie

 

[theesotericone]

IT DRIVES Really Slow​

It's official. I'm dual cased. Since I'm also already dual locked I humbly request my spot on the list [MENTION=53470]Rockdawg84[/MENTION] I'll transfer some photo's over once I get done with the crossmember mount work.


I'm sure a lot of guys can relate to the stress that builds up from projects. From the the new lift all the way though SAS'ing your rig. The little ones to the huge ones. There's a lot of thought and execution, as well as money, that go into the project. All that thought inevitably leads to the moment of truth. The moment your done, have triple checked everything and actually get in the drivers seat.

For me, that moment was about an hour ago. I knew I did everything correctly. At least as far as you can with the little tidbits of info spread across 20 threads involving dual cases. The last thing I needed to do was hook up the driveshafts and, well, drive.

Tom Woods was nice enough to get these to me today.

This is what I've been waiting for. The front clears and the rear does as well. No trimming of any part of the rig needed.

After getting the shafts hooked up I did one final check. Everything was buttoned up tight. I started up the rig and backed it out of the driveway. Holy shit, it moves. A huge wave of relief. I threw it in 4x and the light came on. That works too. Then I tested both low ranges in 4x as well as 2 lo and 2 lo/lo. It all worked and I didn't here any stress or weird sounds. Sweet.

I took it for a quick 25 MPH trip around the block. Nothing weird in the cases or the driveline. Since I've always been the trial by fire type I then hit the highway. Before the dual cases my rig had almost no vibration at 75 MPH. After the dual cases my rig has no vibration at 75 MPH. After 15 miles and getting the trans nice and warm I headed back into the garage to top off the trans with fluid.

Then it was back out on the highway for a quick spin. All totaled I put 21 highway miles on the case in my test run. It didn't drive any differently then it did before the dual case install.

When I got back I showed the wife what lo/lo does. She kinda looked like she cared. What she really cared about was that her DD was almost back in her hands. I still have to get the crawlbox mount fabbed and install the skids. I'll hold off a week before putting on the skids to check fluid levels and keep an eye out for leaks. Once the rigs totally buttoned up I'll get a vid of it going really slow.

Thanks for all the support and well wishes through this install and a lot of my others. You guys are a damn fine group of folks.

 

[Scramble]

Congrats Bro! I know what you mean about that good feeling. Are you gonna be like me & drive with the radio off for a few days listening to every sound the truck makes? I'm still paranoid that I forgot to tighten something or did something wrong. LOL

 

[theesotericone]

Congrats Bro! I know what you mean about that good feeling. Are you gonna be like me & drive with the radio off for a few days listening to every sound the truck makes? I'm still paranoid that I forgot to tighten something or did something wrong. LOL

Thanks man. I'll still have tunes playing but I'll also have an ear out for anything coming from the truck. As it is it's running well and I hope it stays that way. lol

I'm still looking for a welder to do the crossmember mount. I'll pick up some 3/16th steel and make the mount pieces. I really need that do be done so I can go out and play.

 

[rkntoy]

Thanks man. I'll still have tunes playing but I'll also have an ear out for anything coming from the truck. As it is it's running well and I hope it stays that way. lol

I'm still looking for a welder to do the crossmember mount. I'll pick up some 3/16th steel and make the mount pieces. I really need that do be done so I can go out and play.

Head on up to Bend and I will weld it up. Then we can go test it out.

 

[theesotericone]

Head on up to Bend and I will weld it up. Then we can go test it out.

If it comes to that I will. It's still a lot closer to just drive it down to [MENTION=118730]AssBurns[/MENTION] though. lol


I found my first leak today. You know that plug and o-ring where the VSS would be for other rigs on the the back t-case housing? The one that the FSM says that o-ring is a non-reusable part? When I pulled it I inspected that O-ring and it looked just fine. So, I reused it. Bad call I guess. There's the slightest seep coming from it.

I'll leave it be for now and change it out in 5000 miles when I drain the t-case. None of the other parts of the case are leaking though so that's good. I need to pay more attention to o-rings in the future. lol

 

[Unner]

That's awesome that you got it all buttoned up. I like when you start something, it's done fast. It might seem like it took forever to you, but you went from open/open to dual locked and dual cased in record time haha