pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Thanks guys, I will employ an old trick that works well; wait until it's dark and look with a flashlight. You'd be surprised how much better you can see with no light pollution streaming in.
Project "Autonomous" F-350
- Thread starter pappawheely
- Start date
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
If any of you are towing with a uhaul and are wondering if the bumper is held on well, don't you worry. Master Blaster, impact gun, plasma cutter, 42 bolts, (no really), and 4 hours later, the bumper is off.
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
I thought I took out enough bolts to get the rear panel off but, no. 10 more bolts, 4 rivets and a trim with the plasma cutter got it off. The bolts were so rusty I had to drive the socket and wrench on and then take them over to the vise to get them back off.
Good thing I got it done because the inspectors just showed up.
Good thing I got it done because the inspectors just showed up.
patoz
Expedition Leader
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Well, they do have that liability thing to deal with...ROFSheriffHL:
Tensile strength on just one 3/4 inch bolt is what, 40,000 lbs? What did they think people would tow, the space shuttle? :yikes:
I will either re-use the back panel or fabricate something else. I had planned a rear winch but my Warn Zeon 8 was stolen from the shop. I am doing everything I can to keep the ramp. It is nicer than anything I could buy or build! Next up is to disconnect the fuel filler hose, cut the box mounts and slide the box back 32 inches.
I am boxing in the section under the overhang. I want to use part of that section as a separate toilet room on one side of the frame and utility space on the other. I am building a new nose cone section for aerodynamics. I may be able to create a passthrough there by climbing straight up from the cab. An opening going straight up, sheltered by the nose cone, would be the best at sealing/keeping water out. I will need to extend the box subframe for the front section and extend the truck frame in the rear. It will increase my rear overhang but with 5" of lift I'm not real concerned and the weight will still be primarily between the axle centerlines. That rear bumper and rear plate are probably close to 150 lbs. or more.
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Tomorrow I will start welding the frame extensions together. The rear section of the truck frame is perfect for what I want to do back there.
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
I wanted to pull the box off the subframe but it's attached with torx bolts that thread into the subframe. They are completely frozen. Tried master blaster, heat, and my butterfly impact gun with the air pressure turned way down. Broke or twisted 3 impact drivers. Even if I got the heads drilled or cut off, the threaded shaft would still be stuck in the steel frame. There are 56 bolts total.
Decided it was easier to just remove the subframe from the truck frame; leaving the box attached to the subframe. Instead of working from above with complete access, I will have to work from under the box. Rust, rust, rust.
I eventually got the bumper mounting brackets off. I'm going to modify these and re-use them to brace the frame extensions.
I have some cool ideas about making a small trailer that would bolt up under the back of the truck. It would be used to carry my spare tires when not being used.
Decided it was easier to just remove the subframe from the truck frame; leaving the box attached to the subframe. Instead of working from above with complete access, I will have to work from under the box. Rust, rust, rust.
I eventually got the bumper mounting brackets off. I'm going to modify these and re-use them to brace the frame extensions.
I have some cool ideas about making a small trailer that would bolt up under the back of the truck. It would be used to carry my spare tires when not being used.
Love following your progress! Thanks for coining to document the build. I'm curious as to how you feel about the Falken's now that you have a bunch of miles on them? How are they wearing? Would you buy them again? Also with the Centrematics do you balance the tires/wheels at all before putting them on? Or just ignore trying to balance them and let the centrematics handle it? I am thinking that with the balancers and beadlocks you can just buy the tires anywhere at the lowest price bc you don't need a shop to mount and balance them....but maybe I am wrong? Just curious. Thanks!
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
The Falkens have been flawless; even in the snow when I was in Flagstaff. My friend has the new all terrain tread pattern Falkens, they look more aggressive but he just got back from easter jeep safari and said they are very quiet on the pavement. When I initially talked to the engineers at Centramatic they told me with a 17 inch rim and a 37 inch tire I would probably be at the extreme limits of that balancer; it was designed for a 35 max. They worked very well but I have seen some unusual tire wear that I attribute to mud and dirt build-up inside the beadlock ring. I think my initial thinking is still valid, being able to maintain balance after a tire repair in the field, but I would start off with some mag wheel weights balancing the rim too if I was to do it over again. The beadlocks pose another dilemma. Nobody wants to balance them for liability reasons. Right or wrong, lawyers rule the world now. If you are going to run beadlocks on the street, you will have to balance them yourself or find someone who will do it. With that said, There is no way I would run without the centramatics. They do a great job keeping the big tires balanced, they are just a little to small in diameter for a 37. I might look for one of those old school bubble balancers and try to do it myself. Another contributing factor is the crappy shocks I have on the truck. I just don't have the budget right now to get some good position sensitive shocks like I need. People always tell me, "you can run those shocks upside down" which I reply "except the fluid will leak past the seals" lol.
Thanks for the review. I appreciate it. Others I have read are similarly pro on the Falkens. Makes sense that the wheel may just be too big for the centrematics to do what you need.
The Harbor Freight bubble balancer has decent reviews if you set it up correctly. Seems like it would be a good place to start then maybe not put so much "pressure" on the centrematics to correct for out of balance. Thanks again!
The Harbor Freight bubble balancer has decent reviews if you set it up correctly. Seems like it would be a good place to start then maybe not put so much "pressure" on the centrematics to correct for out of balance. Thanks again!
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
They use Centramatics on much larger semi trucks all the time. The difference is the sidewall height. The balancer diameter has to be closer to the outside tire diameter. Once I learned that nobody wanted to balance my beadlocks, I don't know what I would have done without the centramatics.