LJ70 Build Thread!

[Ben]

Thanks guys.

Clive that is a huge help, many thanks.

From your measurement I can conclude that the 80 series rear shocks I've been using are standard height ones.

Thanks Chris.

The 80 series rear shocks I've been using measure 595mm extended and 395mm compressed, measuring center of bottom eye to the top of the first rubber bush on the top pin mount. So I think their standard height judging by Clive's measurement.

Yes I've checked lock to lock. I need to cut the corner off the new panhard rod bracket as it looks like it could just touch the diff pumpkin possibly and I had to turn around one of the clamps on the end of the drag link as it was close to the steering guard.

I am slightly concerned that the tyres may touch the front bull bar and that the steering bar could touch the steering guard on full lock when fully articulated but its difficult to work this out with it sat in the garage, but I'm pretty sure it will be fine.

Good point about the shock shrouds and spring seats, I will have to wait and see when I hit the tracks and test it.

 

[Ben]

I welded the other spring seat on this morning.



Ground the paint back on the axle ready to weld on the new spring seat.





Bolted it on.





I used some thick washers to space between the axle tube and the spring seat on the one bolt.





Welded it on.







Painted it.



Half way through painting I decided I probably should have drilled a hole in the bottom of the spring seat to allow water to escape.



Drilled a hole and carried on painting.





Other side next.













I decided to do the other rear arch next.

Marked where I wanted to cut.





And started trying to bend the drum to the shape of the arch.





I decided to do it slightly different to the other side and to add some cuts to hopefully relieve the stresses in the metal and keep the nice rolled edge.



I tested on an off cut by putting a series of cuts along the rolled edge to see if I could bend it further.









So I added a series of cuts to my new arch, the idea being that I could then weld up the cuts afterwards.



It didnt work too well.













The middle of the arch was kicking up like it did on the other side.









I'm quite disappointed with how badly the arches have gone/are going.

I'm very tempted to scrap the idea of using cut up drums for arches. I'm thinking I might just use 2mm steel bent to the shape of the arch, bolted and welded in place and then get a neat rubber trim to fit along its length.

Wouldnt be as strong as the drums but would be easier and neater.

If it wasnt for the fact its something the police over here pick up on then I wouldnt bother with any flares/arches and would just leave the tyres sticking out like I did for the years before I brought LJ to OZ. But I need to cover the protruding tyres and I hate the rubber flares I previously had fitted.

Panhard rod bracket next.



I needed to drill a hole for the M12 bolt that I had brought to go through 2 existing 12mm holes in the chassis.



Drilled the holes.



I made a cardboard template for the top shock mount/adapter.









I want to weld a gusset or 2 on the panhard rod bracket and make the shock mounts then send them all for electro plating.

Tomorrow I will get my new shocks ordered. I will probably go for Old Man Emu to match the front and rear springs.

I'm a bit pissed off that the arches have gone so badly for me, I really wanted to get them finished this weekend so I could weld them on this Thursday after work.

It will delay the project some what now as I was hoping to get them done so I could crack on with the respray. Oh well at least the front suspension has gone well and is looking like it will work great!

 

[Craigmorley]

Ok the arches might get distorted once bolted but u should try when when u take it to work and mig weld it by spot welding and bashing it into shape as u go along

 

[hairyguy4]

Why not go for something a bit more substantial and make some Jeep style tubular arches? Using some good heavy tube and skin them with plate, would be a lot stronger if bashing into trees etc

[IMG=[IMG]http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/images/D/TFR1001-400.jpg[/IMG]

 

[Gav Peter]

I've seen that done on a difflock project recently... Worth a quick look dude ;-)

 

[Craigmorley]

The arches will distort if you do them from the inside first, you've got to get the outer shape done and welded to the body work then I stop a lot of distortion with mine I cut lines on the arch that is in the inner side then tapped it to the top of the existing wheel arch then just spot welded along starting from the middle.theyll hold their shape better welded to the body first. It's hard to do but I does work trust me

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys.

Craig I'm sure your right, after all your drum arches look awesome!

My trouble is I dont yet have my own MIG and the occasional evenings where I can use the workshop at work are now very limited due to me having to work extra hours for all the time I've been having off for TAFE 3 times a week.

As for the tubular Jeep arches.............................

I love them!

I'm now thinking thats the direction I should go in.

Will need some thick wall tube though. We've got some 25mm tube which has a thick wall but not sure if thats too big?

Gav do you have a link please dude?

 

[Chas]

Will need some thick wall tube though. We've got some 25mm tube which has a thick wall but not sure if thats too big?

Not too big for a butch chap like you Ben.

 

[Gav Peter]

Et walla

HERE

Not quite as I remembered them but just glad I found the thread after a brief hunt!!! He starts hacking it up about 4 posts down

 

[stumog]

just a thought on the front shocks. bit late i know...

If you had pin to pin front shocks whould that have not given you more articulation the having a through bolt type?

stu

 

[Ben]

Not too big for a butch chap like you Ben.

Not butch anymore Chas!

Lost 10kg's over the last 11 months through going to the gym 3 times a week and eating healthily. I'm now lean and fit!

Et walla

HERE

Not quite as I remembered them but just glad I found the thread after a brief hunt!!! He starts hacking it up about 4 posts down

Thanks mate, much appreciated.

I was skeptical when I first saw the pics but once its resprayed it looks seriously cool! I like it.

I think were on to some thing here!

just a thought on the front shocks. bit late i know...

If you had pin to pin front shocks would that have not given you more articulation the having a through bolt type?

stu

Not sure Stu.

But I wanted to get away from the bottom pin mounts on shocks! Both the pin mounts on my front and rear shocks have eaten through bushes and destroyed the mounting holes in the axle twice now!

 

[stumog]

i see where your coming from with that but i am pretty sure they dont flex as much. intersting to see why you have worn the pin mounts out in such a short space of time?

 

[Chas]

Not butch anymore Chas!

Lost 10kg's over the last 11 months through going to the gym 3 times a week and eating healthily. I'm now lean and fit!

That was 'Butch' meant in the nicest possible way.

 

[Gav Peter]

Thanks mate, much appreciated.

I was skeptical when I first saw the pics but once its resprayed it looks seriously cool! I like it.

I think were on to some thing here!

No worries fella - I think that it could seriously suit the 70 but would consider running the arch at a steeper angle to run into the wing higher up the body... Mind you, might clash with the schnorkel then...

Get the cardboard out & show us what you can do buddy

 

[clivehorridge]

Strange, I can't see any reason why the bolt through mount would restrict articulation, whereas the pin type will, due to the compression of the rubber washers (and eventual bending of the pin) as evident from Ben's pics.

Maybe I'm missing summat!

 

[Ben]

i see where your coming from with that but i am pretty sure they dont flex as much. intersting to see why you have worn the pin mounts out in such a short space of time?

I'm not sure the first time the pin wore the hole out over maybe a year. Then I welded some really thick washers over the holes and with in a relatively short space of time it had done it again.

The back is the same so I want to convert that from pin mount as well.

I'm forming a plan for the tube arches as we speak!

 

[Ben]

For those of you who havent looked through the Difflock thread that Gav posted the link to...........................

Heres the arches:

(hopefully the guy wont mind me borrowing some pics )











I think they look awesome!

I'm thinking mine would probably be more rounded though as I would like to try and match the shape of the arch.

 

[hairyguy4]

Defiantly will suit your truck B) agree that the more rounded shape will suit it better, can't wait to see what you come up with

 

[Ben]

Thanks mate.

Few pics......................

I had to fix an old trailer my boss acquired. The drawer bar was badly bent and had been bodged, so I cut it off and made a new one.











As weve just re-designed our Vitara winch bumpers my boss wanted me to try and use up the bits of the old ones weve got as they were starting to rust.







One of my first jobs with the company was to weld up one of these bumpers. What became apparent today was how much better my MIG welding has got in the last year.























I had to go to Safari HQ today to pick up a load of snorkels.



So a bit like how many sweets in the jar type competitions...............................

How many snorkels in the 60?





The answer.................... not enough!

Needed to pick up 26 and as it was raining we didn't want to take the trailer. The 60 would only take 21 so I had to make 2 trips!

Also had to pick up a load of stuff from ARB HQ.





Genuine Toyota bull bars built by ARB.



OK LJ...........................................

I cut and bent some steel, all from 90mm x 10mm bar.



Tacked it together.





Brought them home and tried them on LJ.





Took them back to work. The first job was to trim 15mm off each side.



Then welded them. (Welds arnt perfect as I really should have ground the mill scale off first, but I was rushing to get them made in my lunch break. )





Needed to grind a corner off the panhard rod mount as I was concerned it could possibly hit the axle.





Brought them all home.



More test fitting.









Drilled a pilot hole through for the shock mount.



And the holes to bolt it onto the chassis through the original shock mount holes.



Test fitting.









Panhard rod mount.



Need to make some angles spacers to allow the bolt head and nut to pull up tight against the angled sides.





OK finally the tube arches...................................

This is the tube I'm thinking of using.





I wanted to try bending a piece to see what it bent like and if it would kink or distort.









It bent beautifully!









I'm confident I will be able to bend the tube to perfectly follow the shape of the panel.







Not sure whether to bolt the tube to the bull bar and rock sliders or just to keep it attched to the body only?

If I keep it only attached to the body then I think I should brace it back inside the wheel arches as I want it to be really strong.

I compared a sheet of 2mm steel that I'm thinking of using to fill in between the body and the tube to the drums and the 2mm is thicker. So the 2mm sheet +tube should make it nice and strong.

 

[clivehorridge]

Surely Ben, you can't mix the mounts between body and chassis, one or the other but not mixed, as they are separate entities. The body is mounted to the chassis on rubber mounts, with movement between, no? I'll stand corrected no prob!

I'm also a bit concerned the the front shock mount adapters will try to rotate about the fixing bolt. I see the adapter running down the back of the original turret to restrain any upward movement, but a downward pull from the shocker will try to rotate it. Can't you fix the back of it to the original turret, with an extra bolt?