So I've been working on this little guy quite a bit lately, and an update is long overdue. To start with, the chrome lights up top, are now black:
Oh yea, and there's one more up there now too, so I'll have 2 100W spots, and 4 55W spots up there, plus the 2 55W on the front. I had 5 up there when they were on my '96 and did a great job when wheeling at night (and I wasn't following anyone) so I'm sure this set-up is gonna be awesome.
As mentioned before, he got a little lift courtesy of replaced radius arm bushings in the front, and pro-comp 13120 add a leafs in the rear:
I have been so sick of crawling under my 96 everytime I hit a trail and unbolting the sway bar end links, I decided no friggin way I was doing that on this one. Rear sway will most likely get deleted, although it has crossed my mind the a set of moog end links on the '96 didn't even last a year without the rear sway, so I'm wondering if the front isn't doing almost twice the work and wearing out faster? I may make the rear on this one quick disco too, we'll see. Anyway, nothing fancy, removed lower link bolt, drilled a hole, put it back in with a washer and a cotter pin, presto!! quick disco's!!
Not the best pic of it but you can see then new silver washer and part of the cotter pin in the lower link mount:
Been wanting to get out and see what this little thing can do, but one thing holding me back......especially for this time of year in Colorado, is a lack of tow points. Hitting trails this time of year, you're all but guaranteed to need a yank out of a bank at least once. There isn't squat on the front of these things and I just don't trust the rear bumper all that much. So grabbed a set of hooks off a S-10 Blazer during my last trip through the junk yard. Being as they were removed from a Chevy, I'm floored that they weren't used up beyond their usefulness.......................................anyway, started by removing the front bumper to see what we had to work with:
The front of these frames are made to crumple on impact.
Pretty sure the moon has a smoother surface. So after much contemplation and checking my inventory of available matierials, I welded a 1.5" plate along the inside of each frame rail, used a bolt to bolt up the back end of the hook and help hold it in place, Then triple passed everything with my little 110v Lincoln welder. Not too pleased that I will have to cut them back out whenever a winch becomes a feasible purchase, but this was about my only choice for now. Also picked up some new cheapy 55W halogens to supplement the headlights. I re-used one of the front bumper brackets to mount the lights. All temporary of course..............
With lights homesteading out front now, wired up a relay and switch in the new switch location (Where the 4x4 switch was) courtesy of the 4x4 switch vacating the premises due to being replaced by a manual shift t-case. The left switch is for the fronts, the other 2 are for the upper lights which I have not managed to get wired yet, but the switches are pre-wired for them anyway. I also mounted up some extra power points with an extra bonus USB port under the ashtray. Since it's full time hot due to using power for the original cig lighter, I added a switch to it also:
The empty space where the ashtray should be is going to be the new home of the CB radio. I have a plan to use the inner part of the ashtray as a mount for the CB.
What I was lacking the most now in order to hit the trails is a rear tow point. I picked up a rear bumper/hitch off a 2002 Explorer a while back and pulled it out to see what we could do. It only took a 3/16th shim on each side to take up a little room, had to drill one hole on each side, and elongate one other to bolt it right up. Made a custom license plate mount and added a light to it to stay legal, then a hook slide tube to attach whatever recovery is needed to be utilized (hopefully not for me) oh yea, I also mounted it upside down to keep it up nice and high and not destroy my departure angle:
I also decided that I wasn't feeling to "confident" in the replaced radius arm bushing turned coil spacer. I had some washers that were way to big to use a coil spacers, but a perfect sized hole saw allowed me to use both the old bushing, and the oversized washers together!! Could'nt have worked out better, and now I have no doubts about the spacers:
Then I decided to give him a once over (since we're hitting the trail tomorrow actually) just to see if there was anything major that needed fixed before the outing. Glad I checked..........the left side radius arm mount that I JUST replaced was split. You get what you pay for, and what I got was a repeat of the job. So I jumped online to see who had some moogs in stock locally. Only one place, Advance Auto, but wait a sec.........THEY ALSO HAVE RADIUS ARM BRACKETS IN STOCK????? If you recall the right side bracket had been worn through by the radius arm and the bushing there wasn't going to last long. No sense in putting in Moogs if they're gonna get ate up. So replaced radius arm bushings and the right side bracket, LOVE IT. Last thing on my list for the day was to dismount the crappy stock size spare tire, and mount up a 31" BFG A/T that came with a set of 4 Goodyear Wranglers I picked up from a fellow local club member for $40. mounted up the new tire and went to winch it back up under the back................who knows what's coming next??
doesn't fit. so in the cargo area it went for now till I decide on something else for it. (open to suggestions, though really dont care to put in on the roof). That's about it for now, next will be to get the big lights up top wired up and live so I can dare a*****es to flash their brights at me at night.
Now it's off to shower and get to bed so we can give this thing a shakedown tomorrow, will try and post up about that tomorrow night!!
but we'll see. I also picked up motor mounts and a trans mount, they're both not looking or feeling too good. 
