Project Baby Runner/Mini Crawler: R.J.'s Navajo Build

this thread is going to be just a thread posting any mods or work being done on the Navajo. I'll also make a registry which would kinda like a summery of whats in the vehicle and i already have a thread started about the work im doing to the front beams/axle. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=206455

well here's whats up with it right now, its in mexico at McNeiloff-road to have a roll cage put in it

here's just some randome shots of the shop.

Chad McNeils shop

Perry and Jason's shop

this is a shot from the front gate around the buildings. on the right it is Chad McNeil's shop (McNeil Off-road) and towards the left is the building where Perry McNeil (McNeil Racing/Perrys fab n fiber) and Jason McNeil (Fiberwerx) shops are.

some sort of buggy

some trucks

a cool bumper

a sport trac

pictures suck, but here's some explorers

king pin, equal length.

a ranger

i forget how massive desert cars are till i see them. all the shocks, springs, tubing, reinforcing etc. is huge.

 

[carlover]

Im thinking when you put it at ride hieght the shackle is gonna kick back and get really close to the frame. And then at full bump they will hit for sure. Have you cycled them to full bump yet?? Thats what ive seen it do on other setups with the ranger deavers. Hopefully this isnt the case, but you might need new shackles.

 

[mounty71]

In which case i'll take your warriors too

 

[cybergasm]

Bumping for updates

i am sure some work got done this weekend:

 

[Dannyboy]

looking good RJ, just remember too with the shocks being tilted back at an angle like that, they will get more than a 1:1 ratio s far is travel is concerned, but also won't be as effective for dampening. With that said I had a Rancho 12" travel 5000 shock, It bucked around pretty bad with those shocks. Even if you keep the same length, run the stiffest 4 shocks you can (ideally like a 2.5")

What I would do since you love to tear your truck apart is to
1) remove all leaves but the top one
2) cycle suspension fully up measure eyelet to eyelet on shock mounting points
3) find the longest shock that you can for that distance

it doesn't really matter to check downtravel, but you could if you wanted to get creative. I think that shock mount setup will make for a killer ride if you get some stiffys under there. Even Joe said my truck was a buckaroo like a kangaroo when it was set up, but in my opinion, Rancho 5000s aren't giving that setup a fair chance to perform.

 

[R.J.]

no work got done over the weekend, i was in lake Havasu :bdrunk:

right now im not gonna cycle the suspension. im gonna slap some 12" procomp shocks on and call it good for now. someday i'll take the leaf pack apart and cycle and find things out, i don't have the time right now, and i think im gonna do all that and put some air bumps on and maybe tub the wheels wells a bit. but none of thats happenening for a while. and im already looking at different ways to build my own shock mount to get more travel and be straighter up and down.


lets hope that the deavers work with the warrior shackels. i mean if not, its three pieces of metal, four holes and some welding

lets see if i can modify my radisu arms in an hour?

ready.....GO

 

[cybergasm]

Jeopardy Music playing in the background

 

[R.J.]

got busy doing other stuff and took alot of time mocking things up to see if i really wanted to move the axle forward.

i would post a pic but this computer is amazingly slow an di don't have time

 

[R.J.]

 

[R.J.]

 

[Dannyboy]

who's shackles are you running? Mine look the exact same, the funny thing about it, one day I was taking out my trash and I found them sitting in my alley in a box. They looked new, never used and were about 3/4" longer than the stock ones. I ran them after my old one's were all rusted out.

Shocks are looking good, you got 4 to run?

 

[R.J.]

shackles are from ebay. a guy makes and sells them. they're the same as warrior but like $10 cheaper and have a liftime guarantee. i think they're 2" longer than stock.

nope, don't have four of them to run, its just a tease

anyone have some fox 2.0x12" they wanna give me?

 

[Dannyboy]

you want 2 of my old ones? And you said that wasn't limiting my uptravel


BUT what length were the ones that were on the front?

 

[410Fortune]

Hey Danny couldnt those be rebuilt? LOL

 

[R.J.]

the fronts were 12" thats the old front shocks in the pic

 

[Dannyboy]

put one of your fronts and one of your rears on each side for now, unless you've only got like 8" travel on the rears. It will work and you'll get to see how you like it.

 

[R.J.]

teh shocks i have are 2 12" fox's, 2 11" fox's, 2 dented 12" James Duff, and some broken stock size procomps.

 

[R.J.]

yeah yeah i know i already posted these pics in my "front end work" thread, but now these are to show off the rear springs.

 

[410Fortune]

damn sexy

 

[R.J.]

jamie, you goin on the moab trip?

 

[410Fortune]

I m friggin trying!!! I will be there if we can afford to go, even if we just drive the FJ or drive the FJ and my explorer because I cannot get the BII done in time... I will be there money permitting (like every year)

We were hoping to get a locker for Julee's FJ cruiser, but $1200 (ARB) is more then we can afford right now.

I am pushing to get my BII fixed (front diff, t case, steering, shift linkage) before the end of May but well we shall see.....

Even if the FJ is not locked and I have to drive my 96 5.0L 4x4 Explorer on 33's we will make it as long as we can pay for gas/hotel!! LOL

So maybe, looks like we will be doing some more "minor" trails this year, we dont want to beat up Julee's FJ too bad, and her son James will be coming with us for his first major wheeling trip, he will likely drive 1/2 the time