The War Wagon: Slowlyvverot's '93 X Eltee

[Slowlyvverot]

Oh ok. Well I don't know if I will be able to make it out there anytime soon. I wish I could though. I will keep an eye out on the RBV forums and local yards but for now my TC situation is perfectly alright.

Tested out 4Lo today and it works great, I crawled up my "test hill" nice and slow and hardly spun the back tires. Not bad considering the hill was muddy from all the snow melting today.

I almost got stuck though when I moved to another hill to see how steep I could climb. From this picture it's evident I need to work on my departure angle:

That front locker woulda got me up and over but as it was I just spun my tires and had to do some maneuvering to back myself off the hill.

I also discovered my rear tires rub like crazy when I flex it out enough and from the clanging sounds of my undercarriage, my RA's are limiting my front travel right now. Can't wait to get everything for my lift!

 

[Foxracin]

Its not a u pull it yard so you wouldnt have to pull it out. If you want it I could pick it up or something for you sometime or whatever. Just let me know.

Should have left the front diff out until you could get the locker situation figured out. I hate pulling the front diff in one of these.

 

[Slowlyvverot]

Its not a u pull it yard so you wouldnt have to pull it out. If you want it I could pick it up or something for you sometime or whatever. Just let me know.

how hard is it to find a linkage that works with that case?

 

[Slowlyvverot]

Haven't done a lot with the splodor expect DD it lately. I got the bug again recently after working in my boss' garage for a day so I'm gonna be buying parts again and finishing up this lift. It's gonna be more budget-oriented since I have other expenses I gotta take care of first. The good thing is there isn't a lot left to buy until I can take a long weekend and put it all together. Staaaaay tuned.

 

[CountryBoy78]

Did you ever figure out your locker problem? Did they send you the wrong one?

 

[Slowlyvverot]

not sure yet but I suspect it is the right one. I remember the owner of the shop I went to was advising against a front locker on a DD because he was told it was a bad idea for his MJ...I guess he didn't understand the concept of an auto locker. Or that you don't use 4wd on pavement. Anyway I'm guessing he told the guy who was working on my truck not to install it for some BS safety/liability issues. Might be true, might not be. But I'm heading out to Charlotte the beginning of March to see Foxracin and he's gonna help me set it up if it's the right one.

On the build front, I got some front brake lines today, and ordered some shock towers. More stuff lined up to be purchased this weekend.

 

[Slowlyvverot]

Well you might be able to disregard what I said about the shop who set up my gears...I have 4 wheel ABS and word on the street is that the D35 aussie locker is made for non-abs carriers. Apparently there is justttttt less enough room in the ABS carrier that the aussie won't fit. how hard would it be to swap carriers?

 

[CountryBoy78]

Hmm.... I'm not sure how bad it would be to swap the carrier or find one that fits you locker.......now you got me thinking mine is 94 with 4 wheel ABS too..... I guess that SAS I have been thinking about doing is sounding better than dealing with TTB

Hey get ahold of FoxRacing on here he might be able to hook you up he just got done SAS his ex.

 

[Slowlyvverot]

I emailed Torqmasters about my speculation and this is what they had to say:

No, we have not seen any correlation between ABS and a locker fitting in an Explorer installation. We are assuming you have the XD13527 Aussie Locker model. The TTB installation is slightly different than the standard XD13527 installation and we have included a copy of the write up we provide when we know we have an Explorer TTB application. We note that a special manual is required on the product page of the XD13527:

"The Aussie Locker XD-13527 is the most advanced "traction added" Automatic Precision Locker in the world today. Specifically designed for off-highway enthusiasts and wheelers the Aussie Locker has been proven world wide from the Outback of Australia to Moab, Utah. Our engineers make every effort to ensure that the models listed on our web page are accurate. However, due to vehicle manufacturers using available inventory, prior owners of a vehicle changing models it is the customers responsibility to confirm that the model Aussie Locker they order fits their differential' All Aussie Lockers are designed for installation in an open differential. The Aussie Locker will not work in posi or limited slip carriers. For front Dana 35TTB locker installations, after ordering, send a note to customerservice@aussielocker.com requesting the supplemental Dana 35TTB installation manual. This supplement covers some unique installation requirements in the TTB front differential."

If the issues raised by your mechanic are resolved with this additional manual let us know. Obviously if they are not we will get a technician in touch with you so please send us contact information.

of course I missed the bit about the special manual the first time around. So I have a copy of that on the way and they also linked me to a thread on RRORC which details the TTB installation, step by step. I will just keep my trap shut until I get to the bottom of this

 

[CountryBoy78]

Hey I found this thread on the ranger station for you..

http://www.D35ABS?.therangerstation.com

motopete is the one who started the thread it is in the brake forums.



dang it ........I can't get it to link.... anyways go to the the ranger station and look up D35 ABS? thread in the brake forum. I think I might have sloved the problem with you front carrier.

 

[Foxracin]

Hey I found this thread on the ranger station for you..

http://www.D35ABS?.therangerstation.com

motopete is the one who started the thread it is in the brake forums.



dang it ........I can't get it to link.... anyways go to the the ranger station and look up D35 ABS? thread in the brake forum. I think I might have sloved the problem with you front carrier.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?p=946800

Thats new info to me.

 

[Slowlyvverot]

Interesting. Thanks very much for the link.

Well let's see...what to do? TM's return policy is 15 days and I'm well past that. I suppose I'll sell the locker and use the money to buy the Jeep model. Or I could use the $ to finish buying suspension parts. Opinions?

 

[Foxracin]

I would give them a call and give them the info you found. They should refund your money or exchange it for the right one and be glad your giving them the right info.

 

[Slowlyvverot]

I've been in touch with Bill Cole (President) and explained the situation to him and linked him to that thread on TRS. Hopefully he will get back to me tomorrow.

On a positive note, I picked up my shock towers this last weekend from the ford dealer. Big ol beefy things and pretty easy on the wallet to boot.
I also found a set of '77 RA brackets (finally) and bought em up so they should be here by next week.

Tax money is going to go towards a new DD so I can start work on the truck soon. I know I keep saying that but I'm actually making progress now! haha
I also picked up a 2nd job so hopefully I can get my truck in good shape by the time Uwharrie opens this spring. I'm looking forward to a first real wheeling trip.

 

[CountryBoy78]

Glad I could help, you never know when yourself could use help ........the old saying what goes around comes around......

I did find it interesting too. I hope you can figure something out and who knows maybe they will get this problem fixed so their locker will fit any carrier.

 

[CountryBoy78]

Thanks Foxracin for getting the link to work

 

[Slowlyvverot]

Got my RA brackets. They are from a '77 F150. Need to clean them up and drill out the rest of the rivets still rusted in them. I tried to test fit them with the RA bushings I got with my skyjacker arms and the bushings are too big for the hole in the bracket. Could I just trim the bushing some or would it be a better idea to enlarge the hole in the bracket? I have crossmember ideas floating around my head. Should be pretty easy to mock up and get a buddy to build for me.

Picked up some 6" Skyjacker coils from Foxracin last weekend. I know, my build plans change like the direction of the wind. I figured I'll go with the tried-and-true Stage II Skyjacker stuff before I start messing around with softer coils.

The last thing I'll need for this lift to be functional is a pitman arm, FA600. Gonna order that this weekend and then I'll be all set.

It sounds like there may be a few wheeling trips in my neck of the woods soon so I will be glad to try this piece of junk out on some real trails for once.