Ricks Bronco: 1and 1/2

janderson4010 said:

Rookieshooter please report to previously mentioned rock pile and do your best to flop it on its side.

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Nothing I'd rather do. I promise you, I'll leave some paint off that exo on some rocks. But..........
Once this is not my only DD it just can't happen. My plan Was to have another truck for towing and street use, ARB installed with lower gears, D70 with custom axles with Dbl tri links under truck with taller tires this summer and then I'll test it to the max. But like I mentioned before since my Insurnace money which I thought was this year infact now I found out it's next July :thumbdwn:
Now the ARB has been paid for but still on back order.
Now if I was like I was in my younger days where I bought a brand new Land Cruiser and rolled it a few weeks later, I would have done what you said ha ha.

So to go out and purposly bang it up just to post to the web...Yet. is not going to happen, some trails yes. But it's so nice that I'll have it ready to go once the money tree drops the $$. One reason I'm doing all these small things like exo, OBA and such, for the much anticipated body slamming trail runs. untill then I jus have to wait.
At this point in time don't need to spend any thing extra like snaped axles or worse and then not have anything to drive. Then borrow wifes car, that would cause all kinds of family problems.
I'm full bore right now trying to get it ready to drive up again to Carlisle this year and if I can after that, tow it to some off road parks and at least do some challanging trails.
But I'd rather be doing some of those Lava rock trails you guys do.

yeah yeah gotta daily drive it and all that. lol I do understand that, notice my build didn't even start until I had another vehicle to drive.

janderson4010 said:

yeah yeah gotta daily drive it and all that. lol I do understand that, notice my build didn't even start until I had another vehicle to drive.

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It's not like I've never had a tow vehicle, it's just that they don't seem to hold up as well as Samson LOL.

Then coupled with the promise of buying my 18 year old daughter a car if she graduates with a 3.0 or higher and gets a job which she did this year, the wife and I will buy her a car. Which we did Ouch! but it was the best kind of Ouch ha ha.



Ok,since I've got nothing but time on my hands until the real stuff starts much later I got an idea

Anderson since you are the smash up kind, along with your wheeling buddies, how does this sound or anyone else that has been there done that.
Once I do start putting this truck on some tuff trails there is no exo along the doors whether tube doors or the lightweight sheet metal doors that I have. So that means no protection in the area of the door jambs and me ha ha. The tube doors set inside the body and I do not want to bang up those skinned sheet metal doors.
I'm thinking of making a quick release exo that could attach to the A pillar and B pillar Exo that I have now.
Thinking that i could do it in a way that they may be even used with the sheet metal doors on if need be. If not then just use when sheet metal doors are off.
What ya think? And of the same apocalyptic design style

After a good nights sleep and a few cups of coffee, I came up with a totally new concept on a cab door area exo. Scratch first idea including the existing tube doors I've ran for years which do nothing in protecting this part of the truck.
Now enter removable combination Tube door/Exo!

1 Weld in a new B pillar close to rear door jamb. This will give the door jamb much needed protection.

2 Make heavy duty removable hinge system on the A pillar that I have now under side mirror.

3 Now here enter one removable Exo that matches existing exo and acts like a tube door also. Design the Exo side so it is built to take side collisions as in slamming rock or flop over. Now it might also be made so on colder days when doing trails with the sheet metal doors on that it would still fit on out side of door...Now that would be cool. But if not just don't run the sheet metal doors.

Im my opinion this would just add another layer of protection having a full width exo. Or more commonly known ha ha... FWE

Here is the before pic of the area I want to have an exo stuck outside the cab opening about flush with the front and rear one.






Enough of those silly yellow lines. Time for some steel.
This should be the position of the new B pillar which is moved forward of the old one and will protect the door jamb area. Would not be nice to bang all those angled shapes up that make up the door jamb.
This will be the area that the new cab area exo will attach to with some kind of latch gizmo.



Here is the existing A pillar with the new B pillar.




More silly lines.
Now here is what I'm thinking. Can leave on in front of door or remove door so exo acts like a tubed door also.
The way the exo is designed i can still remove fenders and doors for the buggy look which I like to do trails in.
Going to try to place the cab area exo positioned in front of the A & B pillar for lateral strength in case/when it takes a hard lick.

Getting a little ahead of myself, as usual.
I do not have the exo cab part fabricated yet, but something comes to mind that if I do have the doors on as in photo I need a way to unlatch the exo with out crawling through window or reaching far behind the window especially in an emergency. Also really don't want the latch to be exposed to getting slammed out of operation.
So thinking of a behind or on top of exo door sliding latch. Like the ones some utility trailers have for letting the rear gate down.

I guess the best thing is to back away from this computer, stop looking at all the pics and vids on the Hump day thread and get my a## in the garage instead of trying to post cute whimsical posts there and get some work done. Sometimes I need to give myself a little motivational lecturing to.

Frames built less the V bracing. Just have it temporally sitting there for now before deciding on exact location. Where it is now may just do it.
Could have built it so it would flush fit between A&B and looked purdy...But would have done nothing for side protection. Unless I brushed up against wifes rose bushes ha ha .

Now to scrounge around garage for some hinge and latch hardware.

Well after scrounging around I found enough stuff to make the front hinge. Plus just pull lynch pins and off it comes. For now there's two 3/8" bolts passing through the weld on brackets. Obviously i was able to make it to work over the sheet metal doors. So now I'll have my full width exo on the side. Not mentioning the cab area is surronded by steel. Top. bottom, sides and middle of door opening.
Those doors just have way too much work in them for no protection. Plus it's still have to pass inspection. Smashed in doors will not pass.
Well it looks like a rear locking mechanism is in order unless I feel like turning that handle all the time ha ha. This exo is just not for rocks, the trails I do during the months of hunting season I'll rub up against more tree trunks then rocks. And this is still more of a Trail/Street rig then anything.
I like the jon used the 4" wide slider on his B2, may have to copy that. But I'll just leave the height of where I have it now.



Now here's the best part that I like. Take the doors off and still have cab area exo and tube door. Could even leave the red tube doors on also if need be?
But like I said they really gave no protection like this outside the body exo does.
May start on the locking handle later?



Made a Rookie mistake ha ha. Did not secure the end of the exo where it attaches to the front hinges. Forgot to tack weld a brace across end. The back end has the vertical piece where this does not.
They pulled together about a 1/2" When I welded in the V.
Nothing a 20 ton bottle jack won't cure

Found out real quick while driving around town with out the inner tube door on that i miss not having a place to lay my arm. So as you can see it's no biggie to have it installed also.
Thought at first when just driving around town that I would just leave the inner tube door and not the exo. But the idea of extra side collision sounds a little comforting. And don't forget, this is made to have the sheet metal doors on also.



My daughter snapped this pic after driving around in the cool April evening, gotta love it.
This is when I did it with no inner tube door. The outer exo is out further then what the pic shows.



This shows just how far out the exo is. The red inner tube door hooks up to those two door hinges on the door jamb.

Can't wait to do the exo door latch. I've come up with a better idea I Think on how to secure it.
Still have to paint it also. But the real fun thing...I've got to do it all over again on other side.
And only $40 in steel for both sides.

This ain't going to happen Captain. Must of had a moment of weakness.
Going with Full Race Hurst shifter, that's right "Old School Technology". It's what got me through this build and that's the way it will stay. Just have to figure out how, and that's just a minor thing.
Just one more cup of Joe, so I can iron out all the details, so off to Dunkin.

Fabrication of First ever, Hurst exo latching system, sounds cool anyway



The part with the grinding marks is the rotating latch that will slid behind the B pillar to hold close.
It is welded to a 1/5" threaded rod.



The beveled edge on the rotating blade is the trick to get this to really hold.
The inclined plane thing they taught years ago about a simple machine still works to this day lol.
Also the reason I used threaded rod was so I could use a 1/2" threaded coupler for a bearing. Makes for a nice fit plus with the right hand threads keeps the handle turning in the closed position even if pre-load is lost.



Sitting in driver seat looking to the B pillar. Now you can get an idea of the operation including Hurst stick shift ha ha.
I hate rattles and this truck is about rattle proof as it can be. My first original idea would have been prone to drive me nuts with the rattling.
Plus there was just a total lack coolness on my part.
Now this also goes with all the other shifter gizmos that's in the cab.



Now all one has to do is reach down and grab the portion that is bent down and raise up to unlock.
The way I drilled the handle which has two 1/2" nuts and washer I'll always be able to adjust it.
May put a bend in it so the tip of the handle rests inside the exo.
May use thinner nuts also which would put the whole assembly flush with outer edge of exo.

Now to see how this works click on Moment of Cool.
Also note when viewing the back how it draws down with a vengeance.

And with gas over $4 I'm very contempt to start working on the other side.
Also going to mix it up a little on other side. Instead of the flat iconic look of the this Hurst, I'll be using their Mystery shifter on pass side. I had to pick between the two that I have and the one that i had in my Double Nickle Chevy Gasser went on my side. Now it's not as wild as throwing a mean shift back in the days when this was hooked up to a Muncie Rock Crusher 4 speed with Doug Nash gear during those Gasser Wars. But just the thought of grabbing that same piece of steel, which I slammed over 40 years ago...Well you just had to been there. I've used a lot of different material and parts from different vehicles for this build, but that handle is number one.

Now to finish the pass side. I have the new B pillar installed and hinge plates welded on A pillar. Exo frame is done, just have to make the locking handle.
This time I put a brace at the hinge end to hold from moving while all the welding is going on

Full Metal Jacket



Before I went to the passanger side, I thought I'd finish the handle.
Put a dog leg in it so the end would be inside exo door.
Welded the head of a 3/8" bolt and screwed on a knob, compliments of "Hot Rod" Gene who donated a knob off one of his "parts lawn mowers".



And here is the Hurst Mystery shifter that will operate the opening and closing procedure on pass side. ha ha.
The flat part will be cut off and used for the latch.



Trim both ends to length.



Walla! Passanger side done other then knob.
I'm plain Exo'ed out. Need to take a break.

BTW, just in case your wondering what's with the aerosol can of electrical parts cleaner? Seemed every wasp in the county wanted to fly in the cab and start building nests Ouch!

everywhere I look on this truck now I see machine gun mounts.

janderson4010 said:

everywhere I look on this truck now I see machine gun mounts.

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I think Samson would look good in "The Walking Dead". Flexing on piles of Zombies as crossbow bolts and bullets reign havoc.



Well back to my local Rock Garden to test out to see how it handles this rock that I always avoided before, especially if the full sheet metal door was on.
Now not only can I place the exo on rock with out harm, I can even goose the engine and use the rock to spin around on.
Had I tried this with the doors on the top part of the rock would have sliced it open. but no more.
Also thought that the exo cab door would be stronger laying up against the pillars instead of flush mounted inside where the hinges could have broke.

Also received another email from 4wheel parts that the D70 ARB is still on back order. Like the way they keep intouch without me asking all the time.



Just added this pic and now realized why I bent the Hurst handle inside the exo ha ha. No explanation needed.

Pre Registered $10 I saved will go into gas money.
Can't believe it's getting close again. Don't laugh, I checked the highest modifications that they had lol.
It's a blast talking to so many 4x4 guys and meeting with the guys from this forum.





What Bronco?

















And this guy is good for a few roll overs each year. 2x Va state champion.



Some of the Early Broncos that belong to this group are just plain phenomenal in their workmanship.
Plus they have a cool tent that I'll sneak under to get out of the relentless heat/rain ha ha.

I really need to do some major changes to this exhaust layout as the build will get more radical. Fine for easy forested trails but not for rocks. I've just been lucky with the little rocks that I've been doing. Not too much damage now but with the future changes it won't last long hanging down that low.

Need to push it up almost tight to the floor with some insulation on top.
That means the two inlet pipes which are to the right needs to go over the top of the cross member where as you can see they now go under.



This is looking from the other side of truck at the same xmember.
My plan is to take some close radius 180 degree U-bends and start back where they connect to the header and jump them up close to the floor board.
I would cut out the section I need out of the 180 U-bends to get the right turns. Just like building a set of custom headers. This way I can really get some tight turns.

While I'm in a tweaking frame of mind, need to fix 2 problems.
One is this problem of the front drive shaft wanting to almost come out when flexed.

The other is the shorter turning radius with the longer 103" wheelbase. The stock wheelbase IMO was way to short and I really liked the 103". But made for a longer steering radius with the steering hardware that I have.

Good thing is both can be cured with one fix and that's shortening the front 4 links.




Here I'm loosening all the jamb nuts top and bottom.
Top link has them backed off and then the bottom one is about to be loosened.


Next wife and I are taking the car to "Big Boys"/"The Cove" off road facility in Winchester Va where they have some huge 4x4 events that they only have a few time a year.
I've never been there.
They have one in a couple of weeks and then The Mid Atlantic Early Broncos have one in June that I was invited last year to tag along. This event is for the club only and does not have all the tied up trails like the public one does.
So were going down to check it out. They also have lakes and cabins to rent other times of the year also but no 4x4 events.
I understand that the trails are rated 1 thru 10. This is the same place that has the Va state rock crawling championships held.
Here's a couple of links
http://www.bigdogsoffroad.com/index.html
http://virginiacampgrounds.org/search.php?details&id=26&submit




To make life a lot easier when doing this I welded extensions on two of the tools long ago so I can get some good leverage when removing and tightening down.



Here is the bottom link which I will shorten 5/8" at both ends for a total of 1.250" shorter in well base. Then adjust top link appropriately.



And here it is a frog hair from 1.250" shorter. Reason it was not an actual 1.250 was due to the angle of the links lol.
The square was at the original wheel base and you can see the diference.
But what a difference in turning radius and I'm not talking a little I mean a lot.

What I thought would be a PITA riding around with the vinyl windows snapped up with the removable side exo on, and trying to get out, is in fact a PITA riding around with the vinyl windows snapped up with the removable side exo on.
A pain trying to unsnap the window to reach through and pull up on the exo handle. But I knew this in advance and just wanted to make sure as I went Spring Turkey hunting this fine cold, windy day ha ha. Next time those door exos stay in the garage when the windows need to be up.
No problem at all with the windows down to un-latch the exo. It's just un-snapping them when I can't open the door all the way.



Been checking into these ORI Struts, no springs or bump stops. Love to have these when and if it goes strictly Trails/rocks and no street.
I'm just not sure about running them on Street/Trail and losing the nitrogen charge with no spring for a back up to hold the truck up. But the they would be awesome for all trails and some crawling.
Ok, enough dreaming for now.

ORI's are about the coolest thing ever made. that is all.