The wifes runner

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And here is what I came up with for the mount on the frame side. The rear gussets were a tight one to try and weld up.

And of course--it just screamed for a D-ring,lol...

 

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I got the bumped all modified. I added a riser in the middle so there is 6 bolts on the vertical face and lower mounts with 4 bolts on the bottom of the cross-member.

 

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I got the bumper all bolted up and was a little worried it might have some wobble to it. Its actually feels pretty stout and should hopefully hold up to the little amount of abuse it might see. But I was happy to get that part done.

 

[Poohbair]

:awesomework:

 

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Next I roughed the knuckles, tie rod and drag link into place to find the steering box placement.

 

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And of course I kept notching the core support till I got the box as forward as I wanted. Like always I only like to remove as little as possible. I makes for a snug fit but looks better IMO...

 

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So whats the hardest part about drilling thru a frame? The odd position and needed constant pressure. Sure you get a fancy mag drill but for as little as I would use it--not really needed. So This is my trick and as long as you hold onto the drill your good to go with pretty fast cutting. On my last hole it grabbed and snapped the bit--whoops,lol...

 

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So the outside holes I drill to 1/2" and the inside to 3/4". This lets the sleeves butt up to the inside of the frame and has always worked well for me.

 

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Got the steering box burned into place the box mounted..

 

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Next was to modify the steering shaft. I simply melt the plastic out of the collapsible shaft and pull it apart and clean it up and also toss he rag joint. Some guys like to weld them back up, I lube it with grease and let it slide.

 

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So since this thing will probably see more road use than anything hard regarding trail use I also made mounts for a steering stabilizer and made sure it all fit.

 

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So I got the shock towers setup and everything burned into place and pulled everything off the runner. I threw he third in the front and got the housing painted, all the small parts and the frame.

 

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I also forgot that I built the brake lines/mounts prior to paint. Since I was not running backing plates I wanted the short section secured because I have seen them fracture before. So I make mounts off the steering arms near the location of the mount off the backing plate. I also made a tab on the frame and the drivers side line was a simple slight re-bend and I made a new one for the driver side. I also removed the second line at the tee and plug welded the port closed.

 

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So time for some assembly fun. Started by getting the new FJ60 rotors onto the hubs and new races put into the hubs....

 

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Boy you have no idea how long it has been since I have had one of these apart. So I am going to run stock birfs in it for now since with the ype of use it will be seeing, the tire size and the auto--they should fair well. Tore both down and cleaned and packed with grease.

 

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Got the springs and housing under the rig and bolted down.

 

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So after I got the arms/knuckle setup (preload/torqued) this is a little trick I have found that works well for getting the scraper seals on. I will say I like the TG ones better than stock being as they are thicker. Get one both started and then clamp it down--works like a champ.

 

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So this is one thing I always do... File the mating surface of the steering box. Removes all the rust and and raised edges..

 

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Got the steering box installed, the steering shaft lubed up and installed and all of the lines. Love the fact that everything fits like OEM..

 

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So I got the wheel hubs on, shocks, bump stops and steering and then aligned it with my method. Looking like a front axle again....