Blender, My LX450/FZJ80 + FJ45esk + GM + Land Rover crazy concoction

[Metcalf]

The Ford sounds very much like my truck: 400m, t18 granny transmission, np205, Dana 44 front and 9" rear. I have the stock 3.50 gears, which actually work pretty well for east coast fire road/highway travel.

I was recently reviewing your "do-it-all dodge" thread in the hopes of replicating your fender mod on the old ford. I would love to be able to fit 37's with no lift and no rubbing. It currently rubs on 33's!

I built Travis a 'bendy-stick' so he could fold an edge back under on the cut fender. That works pretty well if you want a really large opening. On the ford, I don't think sectioning the fender front to back would be enough to clear the tire, the ford front suspension moves around enough you need to raise the front fender edge also.

The easy option for a dent side ford is probably just to get Autofab front glass fenders.

https://autofab.com/c-335630-fiberglass-body-parts-1965-1979-ford-truck-fiberglass-body-parts.html

On the dent-side ford, eventually the front cab body mount gets in the way. You can shim the front axle forward a wee bit at the radius arm to help with that.

Gearing. Yup, stock gearing is ok. Without an overdrive I think 4.56 or 4.88 would be better if you want to drive it on the highway, but to make them work well in more technical stuff they really do need additional low range gearing. A crawler box would be nice so you don't lose the middle range, but deeper gearing in the t-case would be fine too.

 

[Metcalf]

Some tech.....lets see what this thing weighs.....



Honestly, this was a little hard to swallow. I was expecting a smaller number, BUT this included me and all the gear I had in the vehicle for the 2400 mile trip to the Rubicon and Off Road Expo.

I decided to tear down the vehicle to see what I had going on....





This is what I was able to strip out of the truck to weigh, including myself. All combined that is nearly 500lbs. That bring the total down to 4400lbs and that includes a full tank of 25 gallons of fuel.

I'm not unhappy for a 112" wheelbase rig with a V8, modern 6spd auto, LT230 transfer case, 40" tires, Warn 8274 winch, 3/16" thick steel bumpers and rockers, a 1/4" thick 6061 belly pan, 1/4" thick aluminum gas tank skid, a full top, glass windows, thick rubber floor mats, etc.

The scale doesn't lie.

 

[Metcalf]

Playing around with a few things...



I swapped the 'old' ProComp MT2's and Trail-Gear Creeper Bead-locks back on to do some comparative testing. I needed another viewpoint to give better feedback on the Milestar Patagonia MTs. Overall, so far so good. With no balancing they will run 70mph down the highway. This combo is about 24lbs per corner heavier which adds up. I can't really feel any difference in power. I do appreciate the extra insurance off-road that comes with a bead-lock, not only for bead retention, but also how durable the outer edge of the wheel is. I will admit, I like the stance and look of this combo more. It looks fatter and wider for sure with the broader tread face and less backspacing on the wheels.

These tires do feel a little more 'squirmy' at speed than the Pat's. I think it is because of the taller tread blocks spaced further apart. They don't seem to make anymore noise 0-50mph. Once I get past that speed, the wind noise and exhaust starts to take over. I still want ear plugs, or some kind of hearing protection, past 60mph for longer duration trips.





This was my other mini-project. I really wanted a simple clean solution to hold my phone in the vehicle when I use it for media or navigation. I was able to re-purpose this little aluminum phone holder for the bike world that I found on Amazon.

A little bracket I made can be removed in about 10 seconds. It is just a small piece of aluminum that I drilled and tapped for the mounting hardware that the holder needed.

The icing on the cake was the short little cord I found with the proper 90 ends on both sides to eliminate a lot of the cable cluttler on the dash when using the phone this way.

The next part of the project is going to be building some micro speaker pods for the stereo system. I think I will have those 3d printed....

 

[cj-10]

Keep the updates coming. I can't get enough of this rig.

 

[Buddha.]

I'm surprised I just found this build, it took me a week to read. I remember reading your Dodge build with envy too.

 

[Buddha.]

BTW, I remember some time back there was some question as to whether or not that generation of shift lever lights up. It does not, I have the same one in my 2011 hd.

 

[Metcalf]

Just a small update. I have been driving the wee out of this thing as my daily driver this winter.
I am just about at 5000miles now.....time to change back to the Milestar Patagonia MT 'Black Label' tires again!

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

So what's the deal on your tool bags? I too carry my off-road tools in a bag, and finding just the right one...well, I've never found just the right one.

 

[Metcalf]

So what's the deal on your tool bags? I too carry my off-road tools in a bag, and finding just the right one...well, I've never found just the right one.

I have the same problem, so I decided to design my own.

The basics-
It is a tool/gear bag approx 16" L and 7"Dia constructed of industrial grade marine waterproof dry bag material with a heavy duty top handles, end handles, compression straps, and large tooth commercial grade zipper. All the seams are welded ,not stitched, so that it is waterproof ( other than a tiny vent where the zipper parks in its 'garage' )

I'll have more information soon.
The first batch of bags is pending from the MFG.
I'm trying to keep the price half way decent.

 

[Metcalf]

Interested in learning more about the bag(s).

I'll have more soon. The 1st batch is in manufacturing.

 

[furbucket]

Sweet tool bag pic on Instagram! It looks (almost) as nice as the vehicles you post on here!!
Interested in:
A) what price might be?
B) if you might make other colors? (Think yellow w/ black webbing)
C) can you show some pics of it next to some tools or something to better show the size?


via Tapatalk on an evil pocket calculator with a flashy screen

 

[Metcalf]

Sweet tool bag pic on Instagram! It looks (almost) as nice as the vehicles you post on here!!
Interested in:
A) what price might be?
B) if you might make other colors? (Think yellow w/ black webbing)
C) can you show some pics of it next to some tools or something to better show the size?


via Tapatalk on an evil pocket calculator with a flashy screen

Thanks for the mention. Here is the teaser pic from IG and FB.



I will be doing other colors as demand allows. I have to get them manufactured in large batches to get the cost down to a reasonable level.
The price is hovering in the 40-50 range currently including shipping on a single item. Shipping cost is a major factor. Final price TBD
With more volume or multiple units I will be able to bring price down.

I will have more pictures up soon.

 

[Metcalf]

How about a 10,000 mile review next week?

What would you like to hear about?

 

[Rezarf <><]

Yeah man, I am interested in hearing your thoughts.

I find the "I should have done this instead of that" kind of stuff the most interesting.

I LOVE the build man, you've inspired me to chip away at my projects for a bit each night after the kids go down. I am making sweet progress as a result.

I would also love to hear what tools you use most and which ones you'd benefit from upgrading (or money well spent) and which ones you could have done without or a lesser tool (saved some money here or there).

Your builds are rad due to what you get done with what you have...

Keep on being awesome.

 

[givemethewillys]

Any updates on this project?