Mini-Build 11 ~ Steve L

[Damian Grihalva]

Just a quick update. Talked to Champion and have 5 of these on the way ~ except for the outer ring will be in gold. Five BFG Krawlers 37x13x17 are also waiting on these puppies :bling:

 

[Damian Grihalva]

You know what I hate? I hate it when I get back from the shop and realize I've left the camera sitting on the front bumper. I swear, I'm not doing it on purpose ~ the wifey called and told me to hurry up so she could take one of the babies to a doctor appointment ~ and as any married man knows, when mommy calls ~ man goes .

Well, even without pictures (I can add those later) The rear suspension is pretty much set up. The truss is getting shortened an inch, and we're going to shorten the wheel base an inch(ish) but other than that, the sleeves are welded in, and all we've got to do is massage a few things and then get the front axle under it. Also talked to Tom about the axle ~ should be able to pick up the front end tomorrow.

 

[heman]

Takes nice to hear someone is working harder then me. i'm glad things are starting to work out at home you guys are in our prayers.
were are the pic's on the coils? what are you doing? something big and bad? can't wait to see. have you heard anything on the seats yet?

how do you post pics on this thing i don't see anywhere to import them?? i think he is making a mini off road park, i over heard him talking to the lowboy driver on bringing the big backhoe in to dig some holes and move the boulders. he found the web site for the park in indiana i think its called badlands, so that get him going.

 

[Damian Grihalva]

Takes nice to hear someone is working harder then me.

I don't know about that. You have crews, I have me. But I get things done as quickly as I can and with Marks help, things are shaping up.

i'm glad things are starting to work out at home you guys are in our prayers.

Thanks

were are the pic's on the coils? what are you doing? something big and bad? can't wait to see.

The gentleman who makes much of my bracketry specially made some new brackets for the coil-overs up front. That going to be the surprise. Very clean sounding system ~ and knowing his work ~ they should be awesome. I'm quite excited. You set is one of 5 of the proto-type run, and will undoubtedly be the first to be installed. Dont' worry, if it doesn't look super trick, I'll use my round shock hoops instead.

So far the plan is to pick up the front axle from Tom and wrap up the rear, then we'll be putting the front together early next week. I've got the hydro-assist kit in today ~ and we'll be pulling your box and rebuilding it (w/ ports) next week as well. As stated before, rims shipped today and tires only need to be picked up (local).

have you heard anything on the seats yet?

Earlier this week I was told I should be getting a hand full of color samples to see which one fits your scout most, once we can match the color, they'll be making the seats.

how do you post pics on this thing i don't see anywhere to import them??

I'm not sure if you can without being a supporting member. But when you hit the reply button, you'll see a 'manage attachments' button under the box you write your reply in. If you don't see it, send them over and I'll post them.

i think he is making a mini off road park .... backhoe in to dig some holes and move the boulders. he found the web site for the park in indiana i think its called badlands, so that get him going.

So what, you going to open a wheeling park in Ill?

 

[Damian Grihalva]

Well I guess its about time for a few updates. More is coming, and I only have a few minutes, but here we go all the same.

Parts that have been here include the 16" Sway-A-Way coil-overs. Always nice to crack open a box and see these. We only get one set of springs from the get-go, and then modify after the rig is running for fine tuning. Once these kits are complete, we'll have the rates dailed in. The small boxes are the dual rate kits.

Next is a picture of the Truss. It's the standard truss made for our old 4-link ~ this hasn't changed. However we will be gussetting the trusses to the axle tube now to spread the load across the tube (axle and truss tube that is).

The middle picture is the one of the frame sleeves waiting for the frame to be cleaned off so it can be welded up.

Next the 1.75" DOM is loaded into the lathe and the ends are cleaned up.

Then we load a custom modified 1.25" fine thread tap into the machine.

 

[heman]

Did you remember your camera today??? is this the lucky day??????

 

[Damian Grihalva]

Continuing on with the tap loaded in the lathe.

Cutting 1.25" fine threads is no small task, and it can generate a bit of heat. This is of the cutting/machinging lube burning off.

The rod is then loaded backwards for the other end. This is a bit of a close up of the finished ends w/ threads. Note, I use RH thread on each side. Some say I should use RH/LH threads, but there is a chance of the jam nuts coming loose and the links adjusting without your permision while driving. This way the set up is a tiny bit harder, but once done, it'll never go out of line.

Last picture is the core 9" axle we're using on this build.

 

[heman]

Keep going don't stop now, your on a roll, keep it coming

 

[Damian Grihalva]

Now that the links are made, we put the ends and jam nuts in them. Man I can't help but notice how big those forged ends are

With the links done, it was time to start looking at the frame and installing the frame sleeves. That meant that we needed to clean all the crap off it. Sand paper got clogged too quickly, and a wire wheel didn't 'cut the mustard' either. But these 36 grit flapper wheels sure did the trick

With the frame cleaned, the frame sleeves were installed and sticth welded into place.

I left the top/bottom holes open for cleaning. This will allow Steve to blow it out with a pressure washer without fear of dirt/grim/salt getting stuck in there.

This last shot is a picture of the joints inside the mounts. As you can see, the joints are big and the mounts are big enough to protect the joints on the bottom ~ That way if you slide over anything, the mount grinds into the rock, not the joint.

 

[Damian Grihalva]

The trickiest part of making these kits was figuring out what to do with the stock crossmemeber. On the Evo project I realized how hard it would be to make an entirely new crossmember and realized quickly that I certainly didn't want to have end-users go through the hassle of making a new one. So with the kits we will be using the stock transmission crossmember. The frame sleeves will need to be notched around the stock crossmember and you will be able to weld it in place without much difficulty. This way installation of the kit stays simple and quick.

Once the sleeves were in, the links went in.

These last two pictures for today show the rear axle installed. As you can see, the truss is a bit high. This is due to the fact that these kits will work with any axle you choose to run (except for a 2.5 ton Rockwell). For a smaller axle (like this 9inch) we will be taking 1.5" out of the truss. That will make the truss clear the center section by 1".

Please note, the truss is not welded on yet. We will be installing the 3rd member and setting pinion angle before any final welding of the axle is done. Once the pinion angle is set, the truss will be trimmed down and the rear suspension will be complete.

 

[Damian Grihalva]

Keep going don't stop now, your on a roll, keep it coming

There ya go Steve, not as much as I wanted to show ya, but something to look at all the same. More coming soon.

 

[Scott Sinner]

Looks good Damian.


I think you're going to be very busy in the link business...

 

[heman]

hey there, it's been a week since i looked the this and holly cow no new updates. how are things going? did the tires and wheels show up? lets see some pic's

 

[Damian Grihalva]

I picked up the front axle on Tuesday. Nice day of driving in the hot CO sun Wheels came in on Wednesday, fabric samples on Thursday and I should be picking up the tires today. As for pictures, my camera batteries died and the recharger quit ~ So I'm picking those up today and will post pictures of the progress soon.

 

[heman]

YOu need to get a card reader, they work awsome $20.00 at best buy. no need for batterys, no need for camera. send pic's as soon as possible, love to see them.

 

[scouting II's]

i think thats a hammer.

I think your right about that though the end of the handle looks like an ash.

 

[heman]

hello!!! anyone out there? it's been 13 days since last update. i could of went to china to get a new camera. WERE ARE THE UPDATES

 

[Damian Grihalva]

Almost all the parts for the front suspension have shown up, there are only 4 peices missing. USPS lost them ~ luckily they were insured. However, since you want some updates, I'll make sure to snap off a few pictures and post them tomorrow.

 

[heman]

what has come in? are the tires and wheels in? are they alot bigger then the old ones? maybe we need to put 45's on it did you get the seat samples in? what are you missing?

 

[Damian Grihalva]

Holy cow, I wonder what happened to my last reply. Lets try this again.

The wheels and tires are in. The front suspension is for the most part here. There were a couple custom proto-type tabs lost in the mail and that's the parts we're waiting on. I also ordered some 1 1/4" bolts that are going to be here on Wednesday ~ Just talked to the nut and bolt guy earlier today.

Wednesday-Friday are pretty much dedicated to finishing up the front suspension. If everything comes in alright, we should have it done by Friday. Pictures on camera at shop

The color samples did come in and one of them was a great match to the scout. I've called Corbeau about the seats and they should be calling back. Speaking of which, we need to talk off-list about the rear seat.

Hang tight, this is still one of the proto-type builds so we are running into the little delays we were somewhat expecting.