Project "Autonomous" F-350

mtm_motors

Observer
Loving your camper build, I want to do the same thing with a Uhaul box. Drawn some ideas out for making an extended cap in the nose out of fiberglass with aluminum spars to support it
 

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
Loving your camper build, I want to do the same thing with a Uhaul box. Drawn some ideas out for making an extended cap in the nose out of fiberglass with aluminum spars to support it

Thanks, An aero aid in front of the box is definitely worth it when it comes to fuel mileage. I have seen a big difference between the pop-up and just a shell on the back. The front overhang acts like a parachute.

A good thread here on another uhaul build: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-Strategic-Surf-Assault-Vehicle-project-build
 

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
Crap! On my last trip the brake line on the front left flipped and rubbed against the tire. The Falken Wildpeak is fine but the Skyjacker brake line rubbed through the plastic coating and the braided steel underneath is frayed. I guess I need to put something on there to hold the brake line out of the way. On my prerunner I attached springs to hold the lines away from the tires; the front suspension travels 19" so it moves a lot. The fun I was having on a powerline road during my trip was costly. I was going 65 on an undulating powerline road almost catching air at the peaks and compressing in the valleys. I was giving the Atlas Springs some work. It must have pulled the brake line down far enough that it flipped towards the tire instead of away from it.

The prerunner with return spring attached just below the Sway-a-way remote reservoir..



Autonomous brake line:

 
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Sounds janky but I've heard of people using bungee cords to put some tension on the brake lines towards the center of the vehicle. Definitely would work in a pinch, and might even work for long after that.
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
how is it the brake lines have so much free play in the first place? Is it necessitated by the range of motion of the suspension? Can the system be re-worked to more closely conform to the rigid members and only have slack or flexible lines at the articulation joints? Or custom lines of a more appropriate length be fabricated? Just doesn't seem right that a line would be so lax that it could be rubbed like that or need a spring / bungee to be kept out of the way.


How's the rest of the fab coming? Any more neat design solutions? Like to see some more pics if you have some.

I'm just finishing my scratch-build custom radios console (and I don't even have the radio equipment yet, heh) and am gearing up to sew my shade awning ideas. Getting my large garage work table cleared off to work with large fabric. Ready for some shade awnings?
 
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klr2mato

Observer
Wondering a couple things here. 1 are bead locks legal on the highway? I was under the impression that they were not. 2 how much lift did you have to use to accomodate the 37 inch tires?
 

underdrive

jackwagon
Beadlocks are just as legal as any other DOT-certified wheel. Which many beadlocks (including the 8-bolt and IIRC the 12-bolt HMMWV wheels) are not, but some (Hutchinson) are. Not sure of the newer 24-bolt HMMWV wheels...

Thing with brake lines, I'd go above and beyond to avoid having overly-long flexible lines especially near the wheels. Radius-arm and linked trucks are easy, you only need a short piece from the caliper to the nearest link and another one from the link to the frame. The leaf-sprung trucks can get tricky, the only solution that I have seen and like is the '70s factory setup with rigid tubing running along the axle with short hoses connecting it to the calipers and a single long hose up to frame in the middle of the axle away from any possible harm by the wheels or whatever they may grab and chuck around.
 

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
I have heard the beadlock debate for years. Some say they are illegal others say there are no laws that specifically outlaw them. Most of the restrictions are for split rims on trucks. They are held together by air pressure, not bolts. Apples and oranges.

When you add 5" of lift and more wheel travel, the brake lines need to be longer. You can always re plumb the lines to run down the leaf spring but with complexity comes issues. I ordered another brake line kit from Skyjacker so I will have a spare line just in case. I will be putting springs on the lines like I did on my prerunner.

I have been super swamped with work lately so not much time to work on the truck. I am hoping to get some stuff done next week.
 
On a side note, I've never heard anyone get nabbed for having beadlocks on their rig, despite their rig being torn to shreds on all sorts of other lifted-truck specific laws (bumper height, frame height, headlight height, mud flaps, flares, etc).
 

pricey

Observer
On a side note, I've never heard anyone get nabbed for having beadlocks on their rig, despite their rig being torn to shreds on all sorts of other lifted-truck specific laws (bumper height, frame height, headlight height, mud flaps, flares, etc).

We're not so lucky in Oz. Bead locks have been illegal for years here. Tyres can't be outside your wheel arches and total lift of vehicle including increased tyre size and suspension lift can't be over 75 mm unless you get it engineered. Track of your vehicle cannot be increased by more than 25 mm and tyres cannot be more than 10% larger than factory (again without engineer approval). You guys have it easy :)

Great rig by the way pappawheely. Like what you're doing.
 

underdrive

jackwagon
We're not so lucky in Oz. Bead locks have been illegal for years here. Tyres can't be outside your wheel arches and total lift of vehicle including increased tyre size and suspension lift can't be over 75 mm unless you get it engineered. Track of your vehicle cannot be increased by more than 25 mm and tyres cannot be more than 10% larger than factory (again without engineer approval). You guys have it easy :)
Yeah, and didn't they also want to outlaw the roo-bars? Cause of dealing too much damage to pedestrians and other vehicles... Well if someone pulls out in front of me I sure as heck would hate to take heavy damage to my vehicle on account of their stupidity, if the accident isn't my fault why should I care what happens to their vehicle (or, for that matter, them)? Like how they have it set up in some European countries, no massive brush guard allowed unless it's also a winch bumper (if that's not a motivation to get a nice winch then idk what is :D) - and how is being hit by a SUV with a brush guard any different from being hit by say a big truck? Cause the bumpers on the big trucks sure as heck ain't pedestrian-friendly, especially if it's a dump truck or other construction vehicle... Sometimes people need to just stop sticking their noses in other people's business and start using common sense instead.
 

pricey

Observer
Yeah, and didn't they also want to outlaw the roo-bars? Cause of dealing too much damage to pedestrians and other vehicles... Well if someone pulls out in front of me I sure as heck would hate to take heavy damage to my vehicle on account of their stupidity, if the accident isn't my fault why should I care what happens to their vehicle (or, for that matter, them)? Like how they have it set up in some European countries, no massive brush guard allowed unless it's also a winch bumper (if that's not a motivation to get a nice winch then idk what is :D) - and how is being hit by a SUV with a brush guard any different from being hit by say a big truck? Cause the bumpers on the big trucks sure as heck ain't pedestrian-friendly, especially if it's a dump truck or other construction vehicle... Sometimes people need to just stop sticking their noses in other people's business and start using common sense instead.

They're not outlawing all bullbars, just those with a downwards facing front that force anything hit (like a pedestrian) down and under the car Eg
bullbar.jpg


And sorry for the hijack. More off road race shots please pappawheely :)
 

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