FJC Long Travel Build: 3Link Rear w/ Coilovers, Camburg, and more

Ramjet

Explorer
just for anyone who is intrested the crawlbox he used is called the Blackbox-i and is made by North West Fab here on Vancouver island. they have a great line and teh Blackbox is not just for the atlas, they make it for a full line of transfer cases and even have another blackbox that will bolt on to any round bolt patter transfer case.

http://www.northwestfab.com/blackbox-i.html

they also make double kits.

So what you're saying, is that he will be able to crawl up a building if he so chooses too? Wow. I've heard about them, but have never actually seen one. It looks massively built.
 

01tundra

Explorer
The issue was that when people would flat tow their rigs the front reduction unit wouldn't get proper lubrication and it would trash the bearings, so they added an oil pump to the 4-speeds so they can now be safely flat towed.

I bought my 4-speed in 2009 when they first came out and it now has about 35k hard miles on it, no problems at all with it.
 

FJLED

Adventurer
That was one of the issues they addressed, but not the only problem. A few of their redesigned prototypes had issues and they weren't due to flat towing. I'm sure those bugs are worked out now, but I wasn't comfortable spending that much on one without seeing how the units which only started coming out last month performed (plus I'd probably have been 500 people back on the build list haha). One of the prototype units which was tossed in an FJC that I rode in and was quite loud. Maybe they corrected it in the production units.

I'm definitely excited to see that they are finally mass producing them again. Look forward to hearing how the newer units work out.
 
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FJLED

Adventurer
New cross member for the Atlas coming together. It'll have a bushing tied to the rear of the Atlas.

BrianFJ097.jpg



Axles should have been fully assembled today at the latest. New rear links will be here tomorrow and the bypass shocks should ship by weeks end. That'd mean all my parts would finally be here!!!​
 

FJLED

Adventurer
Well the North West Fab shifter kit, as they sell it, had zero chance of working on the FJ application. Bracketry off the Atlas simply gets in the way of the adaptor plate and transmission. Bracket off the blackbox rode too low as well and wouldn't fit either.

So the guys at the gulf coast crawl shop took two parts and turned them into one that would work.

BrianFJ105.jpg
 

marshal

Burrito Enthusiast
i know there is atleast one person on this forum that gets excited to see a TON of buttons on a dash that you get to press and learn, with that said - think of how excited id be to have 4 shifters! :D

this looks great, coming from a highly modified Jeep background this has been fun to read through and im very happy that you went with a RockJock as well as the Atlas. as said before, ive seen many problems with StaK's. they're just not made nearly as well as an Atlas. i am interested to see how your semi-divorced transfercase setup is going to hold up in high torque situations. not saying that i doubt its strength or anything, i just have rarely seen this setup.

cant wait to see more progress!
 

Skrewball

Observer
All looks like great work!!!!

keep an eye on the rear upper link mount at the frame. after doing a similar 3 link on the rear of a 4th gen 4 runner, the frame does not hold up to abuse very well. i see that the bracket is plenty beefy, but the frame is not plated.

i am in no way saying anyone did anything wrong, or that i am right, just some helpful info that we learned the hard way.

again, sweet build!!
 

FJLED

Adventurer
Good eye. Usually I'm better about not posting mock up picks, but I now realize I tossed both upper link mount photos on there when they were only tack'd in place. Axle mount has gussets in some of the photos, but I never tossed up the final photos of the frame side once we got the geometry set.

Perhaps you were recommending something along these lines? :beer:

P1010775.JPG


Nice eye nonetheless. Hopefully it will hold up a bit better than the 4 runner frame did. Probably only be in place for a year or two. Phase II's already under consideration (triangulated 4 link, F9 or dutchman front, front moved forward a few inches, rear moved back an inch or two, roll cage, fuel cell, possibly a custom front IFS...still trying to fully understand the geometry and steering...hopefully have an excel calculator developed in the end after a bit more reading). Let me know if there's anything else that catches your eye or think there's anything we might have overlooked. Definitely appreciate it.

Just some notes on the other items you might key in on. Cam tabs will be boxed when we get the alignment in order, the rear coilover towers are built into the frame right at one of the crossmembers on the frame (don't think there should be too much of an issue there), and the jounce shocks on the rear will end up having a strike pad on the axle.​
 

FJLED

Adventurer
Well after 4 months of waiting some sexiness showed up at the shop today. Not 100% correct to order as the reservior was supposed to be a piggyback, but not a big deal.

P1010869.JPG


P1010868.JPG
 

FJLED

Adventurer
4130 HT Links with 1.25" heims to replace the links and bushings metal tech sends with their kit

BrianFJ128.jpg


BrianFJ127.jpg



Dave's working on custom shock hoops - which will be completed once we get the geometry on the axles right. We'll be using the bypasses as bumps, so we'll need to axles back to see how much travel were getting before finishing that up. Unfortunately after 4 months of waiting the bypasses which SAW sent were remote reservoirs and we orderded piggybacks. Don't know/think that there will be enough space there to mount a remote reservoir bypass...especially at lock. Likely that these will be returned and perhaps fox will be a bit quicker.

BrianFJ124.jpg
 
Conciseness of thread here, in conjunction with flowing pics, displays the level of build I've yet to truly see. More impressed, and more intrigued (much to your dismay, I'm sure) seeing from this perspective.
 

rob2thec

New member
Cool build!

Are you going to address the steering with all of this added travel? The stock rack, and tie rods are going to be the first thing to fail. Just a thought seeing that you put this much into it.

Also do you plan on caging the rig?
 

Wilbur

Adventurer
Why did it take so long to get the coilovers?

I'm curious to see how this performs over sometime! Sure has made me rethink somethings lol.
 

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