Top Truck Challange, 2012

Top Truck Challenge, 2012

Some of you may already know, or have figured out, that I won the Four Wheeler Top Truck Challange back in 1994.

This upcoming June, 2012, Four Wheeler magazine will be doing a reunion shootout of all prior winners. The inception was in 1993, so this will be the 20th event.

I'm going.

Now back in yesteryear, I had a CJ5 with 33s on it. So much has changed! I know Brandon had a chance to go last year as an alternate, and I'm sure he can attest to the crazyness that's TTC has morphed into.

Anyhow, I've sold the CJ, and built myself a YJ. Then I fell in love, and built my sweetie a TJ. And I've decided to mod the TJ into a TTC competitor.

Heres a couple pics, of the CJ, YJ and TJ.

The TJ has already been stretched to 101 wheelbase, which allowed me to open up the rear fenderwells to accomodate larger tires. So I'm inclined to use this rig for TTC.

Basic specs on the TJ are as follows: 1997 TJ tub. 1987 GM 350V8, biggest cam I could run that will still provide adequate vaccume for fuel injection to operate correctly. GM TBI fuel injection. Turbo400 transmission. Winters shifter. Atlas 4 speed transfer case, 10.3 / 1 ration (3.8 primary case, 2.72 crawler box). 1350 Yokes, front and rear driveshafts, both from Tom Woods. Dana 60 front axle. Detroit locker. 35 spline, chromoly shafts. Currently with Spicer joints. Dana 60 rear axle, Detroit locker w/ 40spline side gears. The front is a highpinion drivers drop, the rear is a low pinion centered. Both have disc brakes. Matching 40 spline chromoly shafts. Both axles 4.56 ratio and feature Dynatrack diff covers. GenRight aluminum comp fuel tank & matching skid plate, rear axle stretch approx 7 inches. Front axle moved forwad a tad. Custom long arm suspension, originally designed and built by Pat at ThoseGuys Rods & Custom. Full cage originally designed and built by Pat also. Suspension modification later by Dean at BentMetalCustoms. Seats are MasterCraft Safety suspension seats (with seat heaters). Custom dash by yours truly. All wiring by yours truly, with help from buddy Tom, Jeeptech1, (awesome mechanic!). Steering pump is from PSC. Also, Mauler at Trailready Wheels took an extra set of chrome wheels and changed them into beadlocks. Lots of other cool features, but that's the basics. So far, the only free item on this rig is the seats. Everything else I paid for cash, although some of the items were really damn cheap, like the diff covers.

My intentions are to start a thread that I can update periodically, as time and energy permit.

Anyhow.. I've got a ton of work to do, and a relatively good time frame to get everything done. TTC will be the first week of June, 2012. That gives me about 9 months of prep time.

The biggest obstacles in front are going to be tires. It seems the norm for TTC is now 44s, 49s or 54s.

I don't want that big. I really want to be able to remodel after TTC and go back to a streetable, but well built rig. That means I want to go back to running the 37s and keeping fender flairs is a must.

So I cannot do a comp cut rear, and don't want to run full hydraulic steering. These will both be a substantial disadvantage, compared to others in this event. But I want to own this jeep for many more years of wheeling, not just this one week of hell.

My immediate plans are multi-fold. Firstly, I'll have a lot of little items to cover. Secondly, I'll need to beg, borrow, steal, buy or have given to me some expensive parts. Thirdly, I'll need to re-engineer some pretty big components to handle the larger items which were never on the original build specifications. And lastly, I've got to coordinate everything.

Some of the little items include removing the spare tire carrier, grinding out the windshield hinge pins to make the removal of windshield easier, redoing the vents for diffs, tranny, tcase, etc. Swapping the spare hood (already had one) on so that I can cut a snorkel hole in it. Build a snorkel. Remounting the fire extinquisher. Removing the fender flairs. Enlarging the rear fender openings. Etc.

Some of the expensive items? First, new tires. Trial fit some 39" tall (measured height) tires, and that's easy. Might be able to go as large as 42". Still not sure exactly where I'll end up. Would really like the BFG Krawler in sticky compound. But if I can't get Jackson to accept me as a 'racer' then I cannot run 'em. So my backup is either 40 Goodyears or Maxxis. Secondly, wheels. I've already got some nice 17 inch beadlocks. Might have to swap between Jeeps. But the wheels are definately going to have the wrong offset. Currently, they'll be tucked too far in. Need them further out, to allow steering. So I'm either going to have to run wheel spacers, or new wheels. Prefer new wheels, as the alxe already have been converted from 1/2 wheel studs to 9/16 wheel studs. But, I'll do whatever is neccessary. Thirdly is hydraulic assist steering to help turn those tires.
Also need to change u-joints. Hope to get some 300M from Bobby.

The re-engineering items will primarily be consistant of suspension and cage work. The drivetrain is pretty stout. I think I'll be OK. But the bracketry on the suspension components were designe for much smaller (37) tires. And by going to 40s or 42s, the stresses involved will multiply, and I'm not sure where my weakness will be. Also the cage wasn't designed for helmets, so I'll need to redo some of the upper crossbars to allow more headroom. At the same time, I'll mount the seats to the cage and a few other modifications such as a front grill hoop.

I fully expect to roll the jeep, probably more than once. For those of you who watch TTC, there's some good vids on youtube. Search for 'top truck challange 2011"

Tony

more typing later

I'm really looking forward to this.

May I reccomend that you grow out the mustache for the competition?

Moo-stach, so 1994.

Anyway. I'd like the moderators to allow me the freedom to use this one thread as a build thread, morphed into a wheeling thread, into a TTC thread as time evolves.

And for what it's worth, when I originally went, I really thought I could win. And I did. Now, I'm not nearly so sure. With today's full tube built, rockwell axle, 54 inch tire rigs, I'll be happy, REALLY happy if I can make top 5.

All I can assure everyone: I'll give 'er hell. Drive it like I stole it. And I'll be prepped before I go. There is some nice assurance for me, knowing that last week I was cruising 60 down the freeway, with 1 finger on the wheel. The mechanics may break, but I know all the bugs in the driveability have already been worked out (except for the up-size in tires)

Give 'er Hell Tony!!! :awesomework:

Demo wheel it!!!:awesomework:

Talk to Carl Jantz about a Jana76 rear kit. The rear Dana 60 ring and pinion seems like the weak link if you step up to bigger tires and do stuff like the tow test and mini-Rubicon.

Very cool Tony--you have my support :awesomework:

TTC is the original offroad superevent.

getterdun!

Thats awsome good luck man.

Tuesdays are my day off, so a lot of my efforts will occur on Tuesdays. Today, I trimmed the rear fenders as much as I could, and swapped the windshield hinges to a spare set I had. You'll notice, I cut off the heads of the hinge pins, pounded out the pins, and replaced them with a 7/16ths bolt. This should facilitate removing the windshield easily when I don't want it. I've still got the green hinges for a later re-installation. Since I've also got a spare hood (it's going to get cut up for the snorkel), I'm likely going to paint the hinges and hood at a later time. Tires currently are 37s, for reference. Going to go up to 39s, 40s or 42s. Still not sure. But you can get an idea of the amount of space available, without a 'true' comp cut rear. The 1/4 inch stainless bolts, that go around the cut area are the bolts which secure the fender flair in the earlier post. I'm still able to reinstall those flairs after TTC, when I go back down to 37s.

Has Dawn seen this thread yet :eeek::haha:

pokey said:

Has Dawn seen this thread yet :eeek::haha:

Click to expand...

Shhhhh!

So last thing I did today, was to trim the shift gates on the transmission shifter. I didn't bother with pics. It's pretty common. I've got a "Winters" shifter, which is the same as a "Art Carr" shifter. I removed the gate between R and 3 so you can speed shift between forward and reverse. Also put a angle cut between 2 and 1 so you can slam it backwards all the way from 3 to 1 without difficulties.

Next tuesday, task includes either working on the snorkel, or swapping out components. Needed upgrade components include swapping the starter to a hi-torque, the power steering pump to a high volume, and the U-joints in the front diff, to 300M material.

I've contacted Bobby Long, and think he's got a great solution to my U-joint concern. If you're reading this Bob, can you reply to me PM. Thanks.

Tony out till next week.

Good luck, but you're right about rockwells and 49+ tires with big blocks winning. TTC has morphed into a monster truck show. Go have fun but I like your plan of being able to convert back to a "normal" wheeler.

Good luck Tony!!

I'm wondering how the Top Truck event will evolve. Douglas McColloch has been the editor of Four Wheeler for a long time. He was very recently replaced by John Cappa, the now former editor of Jp Magazine.

Hi All:

Very cool Tony! :awesomework: I remember reading of your victory at the TTC in FourWheeler.

Looking at your pics, the TJ has a semi-floating rear axle. Is it a SF Dana 60?

Good luck with the event! :beer:

Alan

TreeClimber said:

Tuesdays are my day off, so a lot of my efforts will occur on Tuesdays. Today, I trimmed the rear fenders as much as I could, and swapped the windshield hinges to a spare set I had. You'll notice, I cut off the heads of the hinge pins, pounded out the pins, and replaced them with a 7/16ths bolt. This should facilitate removing the windshield easily when I don't want it. I've still got the green hinges for a later re-installation. Since I've also got a spare hood (it's going to get cut up for the snorkel), I'm likely going to paint the hinges and hood at a later time. Tires currently are 37s, for reference. Going to go up to 39s, 40s or 42s. Still not sure. But you can get an idea of the amount of space available, without a 'true' comp cut rear. The 1/4 inch stainless bolts, that go around the cut area are the bolts which secure the fender flair in the earlier post. I'm still able to reinstall those flairs after TTC, when I go back down to 37s.

Click to expand...

Alan said:

Hi All:

Very cool Tony! :awesomework: I remember reading of your victory at the TTC in FourWheeler.

Looking at your pics, the TJ has a semi-floating rear axle. Is it a SF Dana 60?

Good luck with the event! :beer:

Alan

Click to expand...

Yes, the TJ has a semi-floating Dana 60. The shafts are 1.7" 40 spline, chromoly shafts. Matching Detroit Locker.

And if you remember my victory, then you've been around for a loooong time.

Thanks for the luck. I'll need it.:awesomework:

:redneck: Tony

Hi All:

Oh, I'm glad to see that you are up to the challenge! :awesomework:

40 spline axle shafts! I take it these are custom units!?! :redneck:

What rig is the SF Dana 60 housing from?

Regards,

Alan

TreeClimber said:

Yes, the TJ has a semi-floating Dana 60. The shafts are 1.7" 40 spline, chromoly shafts. Matching Detroit Locker.

And if you remember my victory, then you've been around for a loooong time.

Thanks for the luck. I'll need it.:awesomework:

:redneck: Tony

Click to expand...

Just remember...The winners are almost always the ones that don't break....If you can finish everything you can win it. All you need to do is waterproof it and keep your head above water...or bring a snorkel for yourself too! lol.. Good luck and don't go so big that it breaks...Simple won it for you the 1st time right?

Alan said:

Hi All:
Oh, I'm glad to see that you are up to the challenge! :awesomework:
40 spline axle shafts! I take it these are custom units!?! :redneck:
What rig is the SF Dana 60 housing from?
Regards,
Alan

Click to expand...

Dean at Bent Metal welded new ends on a low pinion housing, and Scott from Detroit got me new side gears for the locker.

jeepermc said:

Just remember...The winners are almost always the ones that don't break....If you can finish everything you can win it. All you need to do is waterproof it and keep your head above water...or bring a snorkel for yourself too! lol.. Good luck and don't go so big that it breaks...Simple won it for you the 1st time right?

Click to expand...

Simple won last time. Kevin with the 6x6 had the best rig. He was also the better driver. But I never broke. And I had lots of seat time in my rig, and that familiarity allowed me to drive to the vehicles limit (capability). We were the only two drivers whom completed the Rubicon, although I did it in only a couple minutes. Everyone else timed out. My intentions are to keep it reliable. That's why I've already started with the mods. I'm also changing out those items that are suspect when I do go larger.