New Navajo Truggy build

[Elgatoprerunner]

VSS relocation help. HOW MANY TEETH FOR TRASFERCASE MOUNTED VSS

I think I found the best way for me to relocate the vehicle speed sensor to the output flange on my transfercase. What a couple guys have done is machine notches in the driveshaft output flange and mount the VSS to a bracket there. The question is how many teeth or notches should a Explorer have on this "tone" ring? The one in the first picture has 24 teeth and the other one looks like it has 20 teeth. What is the right number of teeth. I am going to be close to stock gearing after the 5:13's and 37's.

Any help?

 

[Elgatoprerunner]

I think I figured it out.

Someone please tell me if my math is right. Devide number of teeth on tone ring by gear ratio. In my case its 108 devided by 3.73. Gives me 29 notched in the output flange of my transfercase.

 

[Elgatoprerunner]

Radius arm mounts

Still waiting on the C-bushings. Started on the radius arm mounts. The radius arms will be 48" long, 2" heavy wall DOM with 2 1/2" Johnny Joints from Currie.


Cut out some templates and started burning

Clamped all of these and drilled it as one block. I decided to give myself a little adjustably and drilled more holes .75" apart.

Bolting these spacers really helped hold things together

I am going to weld these directly to my frame. Bolts take too long.

This is going to be a fun weld.

I might eventually box in the entire frame. I'll see how she does on the rocks first

 

[Foxracin]

Looks good. So why do you want to keep the rear vss? Its just for the rear abs.

 

[Elgatoprerunner]

Looks good. So why do you want to keep the rear vss? Its just for the rear abs.

From what I've read the auto trans won't shift correctly without it. For $75 I got a local machine shop to machine me 29 teeth on my transfercase output shaft.

 

[Foxracin]

I always thought everything else like the computers and all that junk used the vss in the transfercase at the speedo cable. Could be wrong though mines a 5 speed.

 

[Cevigney]

seeing work like this makes me SAD I don't have a garage, just a muddy driveway and no power tools.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

seeing work like this mades me SAD as I have no SKILLZ compared to this!!

 

[Elgatoprerunner]

Radius Arms complete.

I had to shift gears because I was running into problems with where the vehicle was located. It was on a asphault area with a slight grade. The explorer frame tapers like a wishbone so takeing measurments was next to imposable. I temperarly welded a trailer hitch on the front and used the forklift to drag it into my shop where the floors are concrete, smooth and level. This made it easy for me to snap lines and with the help of a laser level I was able to know that all my mounts, axle, radius arms were square to the vehicle. Once I was sure of this I them started the finish welding.


I checked around for a place that can bend the 2" 1/4 wall dom. I found a guy in Azusa. He wanted $30.00 per bend. I decided to make a jig and heat the pipe up and bend it over some 8" sch 40. This is a 10 degree bend.

I mocked up the front axle and radius arms on a table. Found my angles and knew when the 2" would be centerline with the frame then it hits my radius arm mounts square.

One of tires lightly brushes the tubing when turned full lock.

Had to kick the mounts so they would hit the radius arms square. There is only a couple of feet of strait frame on this thing.

At full bump the differential would make contact with the cross member. I'll notch as necessary.

Waiting on 7" BC Bronco's coils and tie rod flip reamer and inserts. Should be able to get to the track bar bracket tomorrow.

 

[Elgatoprerunner]

Damage

I dropped the Navajo. It was late Sunday and I was cleaning up. I jumped on the forklift to move the Navajo out of my shop when the temperary bracket I welded on front frame broke. I guess my welds were a little too temperary. What I realized is that the truck was still in gear. That little nudge was enough to rip the welds on the hitch. The damage... It broke the brackets I just tacked for the track bar, bent the he'll out of the cross member, and bent both frame ends. I'm assuming at the crumple area. Oh well. Three steps forward two steps back. At least I wasn't underneath it. I re welded the bracket and was able to move it.

 

[Tbars4]

...Well that sucks big time..

..It must have landed pretty hard or just right for that kind of damage...Hoping it's not as bad as you think though..

 

[Elgatoprerunner]

Frame reinforcement.

This side of the frame has a lot happening. Coil mount, steering box, track bar. A little reinforcement would go a long way. I made a template using the old paper and side of a pencil trick.

There was so much oil inside this frame from past leaks that it caught on fire a few times. I seamed that everytime I got a good weld bead going I would have to stop and put out a fire.

Anyone want to stop by my shop tomorrow and be my fire watch is more than welcome. I will be installing my new Ballistic adjustable coil mounts. They are sick...

I drilled the **** out of this plate. I focused a lot of rosette welds around the steering box.
I think I may have stripped two of the three threads in the steering box. Has anyone ever through bolted the steering box?

 

[Tbars4]

i think Mounty71 did on his briefly owned first gen...:scratch:
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[mounty71]

Ya I did, good memory Ted. Check the 2nd link in my signature. If that were to happen to me now I would have found the correct size bolt, but if memory serves me correctly I think I replaced the steering box. What was I thinking?! If only I knew then what I know now.

 

[mounty71]

Sorry, that link in my sig doesn't really have anything in there. Here's a thread I started about what I did.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216467

 

[Stic-o]

Just grab another box from the JY. It's the same box on just about every 80's an 90's ford truck or van. I think the box in mine came from a 350, but it's the same box as a explorer.

Also I have longer bolts if you need some. I had to order a special box of them when I did mine

 

[Elgatoprerunner]

Stripped steering box

Ya I did, good memory Ted. Check the 2nd link in my signature. If that were to happen to me now I would have found the correct size bolt, but if memory serves me correctly I think I replaced the steering box. What was I thinking?! If only I knew then what I know now.

Thanks for the help. You mentioned in your thread that there was a protrusion for the top bolt. From the pictures it looks like the cap on top of the steering box. Is that the protrusion you were talking about?
If so think all I would have to do is clearance that cap so I can get a full-size grade 8 through bolt. How tight? Does anyone have pics of steering box braces??

 

[mounty71]

Looking at it now it looks like the cap. I didn't really know what I was doing when I had that truck, the entire thing was a big mistake. Instead of clearancing the cap I would personally just get a bolt the correct length and just keep an eye on it.

 

[Elgatoprerunner]

Ballistic Fabrication adjustable coil buckets

I started on the coil buckets today. I am running 7" BC bronco coils. I have no idea how much the vehicle will compress them. I guessed at 2" and made a sort of jig to hold the upper and lower coil mounts together and at the right height. I welded 2 - 3/8" rod couplings to the bottom of the lower coil mount. These will be my new threads for the coil retainer thingie.

The ride height of this thing is so tall that I will have to extend the bottom coil mount.

I had to make a bunch of these brackets to adapt these buckets to my frame.

This is what I came up with to adapt the coil mount. I was thinking of ways to strengthen my radius arms. I think these brackets will serve two functions

The coil mounts are level at ride height.

 

[Elgatoprerunner]

Plasma cutter accident. Not for the squeamish

I was cutting some brackets yesterday. I set down the plasma torch and started grinding in the vise. I guess I leaned up against the plasma torch and hit the trigger. The torch lit off into my leg. It instantly went though my Carhart bib overalls and a layer of Levi's. (Brand new ones, my wife's not happy about that one.) You can see a line where the pocket of the levi's protected my leg from the heat going up any further

I was using a Lincoln Pro Cut 55. This unit does not need a ground to light off. It will arc and blow air for a few seconds before it will shut off. That was all it took to almost burn my balls off.

It was a good thing I was "hanging" down the other leg. LOL