Diving in Head First!

[yabanja]

I completed my New LifePO4 install and after field testing I am totally impressed. For simplicity sake I went with all Renogy.

I ended up buying:
100 AH smart battery-without heating element
50 Amp DC-DC charger
BT-2 bluetooth module
HUB for network connection between the three items.
Blue Sea fuse box/distribution panel

The new battery was exactly the same size and weight(27 pounds) as the old charge controller from 1978!



I Built a wooden box for the battery in the old location of the charge box under the dinette.



I then built a lid to to mount the other components. I drilled large holes under the charger for ventilation. The next step will be to put a thermostatically controlled fan in the side wall of the box. I have yet to notice much heat from the charger after running 45 amps through it from the alternator. I am happy with the install.



I left the old coach battery and isolator installed which has the roof motor and air compressor hooked up to it- both of which draw more amperage than I am comfortable pulling through the new system. So there are now three separate battery systems in the truck. Redundant redundancy! I installed an anderson plug on the outside of the truck to plug in my 100 amp deployable solar panel. At this time there is no solar on the roof. With our minimal electrical needs-engel fridge, led lights, and propane furnace fan this system is way more than we need. I can run indefinitely on the solar panels if there is sunshine. in a pinch charging from the alternator is really quick and so much better than with the old simple isolator system. We tend to drive every day or two so generally there is no need for the solar. I am definitely sold on DC-DC chargers.

 

[yabanja]

I am heading out for a month in Southern Utah and hence Fido is getting a bit of work done so time for an update.

We purchased a starlink last year so Sakshi could work remotely. We are very pleased with it. In order to facilitate it's use I bought a second Renogy 100 amp hour battery and an Inverter. Unfortunately while Fido was in storage for the last year one of the Renogy batteries failed so now I am back to a single 100 amp hour.

When I purchased the truck it had only 50k miles of easy use. Since day one the transmission has ground on the upshift from 3rd gear to 4th. I became quite adept at rev matching to prevent this and figured it was just a fact of life. Last year I changed all fluids and made the switch to Redline MT(manual transmission fluid). It was the only gear oil I could find that met the factory specification for GL III. The grinding was gone and the transmission shifts like new. I can't recommend it highly enough.

If you have read this thread in it's entirety, you know that I have spent a lot of time researching and building my own leaf springs. After 40k miles of hard off road use and the addition of significant ammounts of weight up front it was time yet again for another set of front leaves. My local source in Salt Lake is no longer making custom leaves so I went with Alcan Spring in Grand Junction Colorado after the recommendation of a friend. Lou the owner was great. He built springs to the weight of my truck and was willing to make some changes to my specification. We did it all over the phone and I went and picked them up last week on a side trip from Moab. When I picked them up Lou told me he is one of the last manufacturers in the country to actually forge custom springs rather than just assembling pre made leaves purchased from abroad which can be of dubious quality. AAA in Salt Lake, Oregon Spring, and Deaver have all gone down the dark path. Yesterday I installed them and am very happy with the outcome. A few details on my specifications-

Two inch lift from stock
Military wrap on the second spring to prevent failure if the first spring breaks
Spring spacers to prevent friction between the leaves
Bronze bushings rather than rubber.

I have been plagued with leaf spring bushing failure. Generally they only last 20k miles, and the polyeurethane ones failed after 1000 miles. Likely due to the frequent rock crawling and articulation I put the truck through. when they fail, it causes the whole leaf to shift backwards from the front connection point and the shackle angle goes out of whack causing all kinds of problems. The bronze bushings have less friction, and will likely last the lifetime of the vehicle. The initial impression is great. I feel no difference in road noise. I will be putting the suspension to the test with a month of travel beginning tomorrow including the White Rim Trail in Moab.

See you on the trail!!

 

[yabanja]

After 350 miles of low range work in Southern Utah over the last month I can highly recommend the Alcan springs with the Bronze bushings. Only thing I would have done differently is add a few degrees of castor for better freeway straight line stability. Very happy.

Allan

 

[DzlToy]

Great suspension makes a massive difference in any vehicle, but certainly in a cab-over truck. I never understood why OEM suspension was so bad. Someone spec'd that spring and damper combo. Just do it right.

 

[soaringpotato]

This was a great thread to read, greatly appreciate all the time and effort you made for updating us Allan! We have identical trucks so I've taken studious notes of your findings. Perhaps I'll have a build thread too as well. I'm still working on getting my Fuso road worthy. Was an east coast truck so bit of rust here and there.

Cheers!

Alfredo

 

[soaringpotato]

@yabanja What were the front and rear weight numbers you used to spec out those Alcan springs? Your build is very similar to what I hope to accomplish. Cheers! Alfredo

 

[DzlToy]

Order springs last. This is commonly estimated incorrectly or ordered too early, resulting in an improperly spec'd product.

Three different video clips:

 

[yabanja]

@yabanja What were the front and rear weight numbers you used to spec out those Alcan springs? Your build is very similar to what I hope to accomplish. Cheers! Alfredo

I am going to have to agree with the above comment. Order your springs last after everything else is finished and you have been weighed fully loaded. Getting weighed is simple. many petrol stations have scales as do landfills and interstate truck stations. I have used all three.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[soaringpotato]

Completely agree that it's best to get them last once the weight is finalized.

I'm in the unique situation where the current suspension of the truck is gone, like front suspension sagging inverted gone. I've spent the last year fixing up an old FG639 (including front frame swap, I really should do a build thread on it) and still a year out from any resemblance to a finished product.

I'm hoping not have to purchase leaf springs twice, first to get on the road safely and 2nd once build is complete. Any hey, if I we have to add/remove a leaf or two, great excuse to visit Colorado!

 

[DzlToy]

Visit a wrecking yard, breakers, junk yard, pull a part or whatever you have and get some "incorrect" springs to get you safely on the road, driving around the parking lot or onto a trailer. They can be sold on, kept as spares or recycled once final (correct) springs are installed.

By incorrect, I did not mean unsafe, simply ones that may be too stiff or too soft, as the final weight of the truck is not yet known.

 

[soaringpotato]

I'm going to lean for "correct" springs to get us safely on the road, thank you. Appreciate your input

 

[soaringpotato]

Visit a wrecking yard, breakers, junk yard, pull a part or whatever you have and get some "incorrect" springs to get you safely on the road, driving around the parking lot or onto a trailer. They can be sold on, kept as spares or recycled once final (correct) springs are installed.

By incorrect, I did not mean unsafe, simply ones that may be too stiff or too soft, as the final weight of the truck is not yet known.

Ok that makes sense, sorry I missed that.