Sitting in the corner, clutching knees to chest, and rocking back and forth, repeating, "what have I done", what have I done…"
Actually, It is essentially done and I love the result. Though, there have been lots of twists and turns with this massive project. Huge props to those among us who have completed this project much faster [MENTION=56044]downpour11[/MENTION], [MENTION=47896]ADH8796[/MENTION], [MENTION=51127]Dous[/MENTION], and others.
I am 3 months in and way behind anticipated schedule. As well as way past-due on updates. Sorry. I typically post up with, 'Look what I did' posts, rather than 'Look what I'm doing'. I spent a lot of time reading, researching, and sourcing before the project, and I didn't want anything to alter the course once the ball was in motion. Everything has taken much longer than expected. First cut was on December 11th. It will be on the trail this weekend for 3 days for the first real shakeout run.
Some Specs:
Rock Assault fabricated housing, 30 spline chromos, 3 Linked with Ballistic Joints, PSC Hydro-assist steering, 14" ORI struts.
There are about 20 more pages of bits that go into the above list, but that is the skeleton.
I know, "just show the pics!". And there are a bunch. I will start the updates and will keep the updates coming over the next few days.
The old IFS put up a fight. 15yrs and 300K miles had seized the LCA bolts. Torched them off after giving up on the systematic disassembly.

Note: The strut towers are partially attached to motor mounts. Careful cutting and some patch welding was necessary to sure it up.
Finally, down to bare frame rails. Coated with paint to avoid surface rust over the holiday break. Ummm, that would be Christmas! Forever ago, I know.
Frame plates burned in:

New front crossmember:
Initial axle mock up:
Feelin' Droopy
Then these nuggets showed up. It took 12 weeks from the date of order. Ridiculous.
Doesn't seem like much, but if you haven't done this before, it is a ridiculous amount of work, not to mention the brainstorming and over-thinking of every step. I will keep the updates coming (lots of pics), including flex shots, and this weekends trail pics.
Thanks for checkin' in and thanks [MENTION=69032]mcaz5[/MENTION] for the prompt.