Well over due update coming in,
So a fair bits happened since the last update.
First off, I decided to redo the front axle
. Reason being that as I ditched the whole bell crank idea it just seemed a lot bigger and heavier than it needed to be. Whilst perusing another guys build I really liked the simplicity of his front axle setup, so I unashamedly borrowed his idea and applied to to my setup. I drew a few bits up in CAD for the laser cutters, I was having stuff cut to convert my rims to beadlocks so it made sense to get everything cut in one go. And at the same time at allowed to resolve a couple of issues I was having. Namely where to put the bumps pads, the lower shock mounts and I wasn't happy with the lower link mounts.
This was the plan:
So back to a blank canvas:
Received a pallet of awesomeness from the laser cutters
these are the new towers for the upper links
Then Myself and a mate welded up the new bits to the from axle:
I'm really happy with the way it turned out. It's a fair bit less unsprung weight which should help the handling somewhat. I also have a set of heavy duty diff covers to add on still.
I still need to weld on a from hoop for the Hdyraulic steering ram to mount to. I have this bent up but waiting on my hi steer arms arriving before I fit it so that I can get the location of the ram right.
I had a set of Beadlock parts cut to convert my wheels
I made the outer ring out of 8mm Aluminium sections that fit into each other, I have seen this on a few US cars and thought it was a good idea.So when I inevitably damage the outer ring I can just replace the sections that are damaged as opposed to having to change the entire outer ring. Then I had an anti coning ring cut too which you can see resting onto of the inner ring on the right hand side of the photo. This will stop the outer ring sections from pulling away from the tire bead when I bolt them down.
Then I also had parts cut to make a new oil sump with a rear bowl, I then made it so that it projected out to the side that doesn't have a prop shaft as at full bump the prop shaft was getting pretty close to the sump.
While I was at it I had designed an internal baffle that will help keep oil around the pickup. I am copying a "trapdoor" type baffle that is popular in the US. this basically allows oil to flow into the centre section but prevents it from flowing away when the pan is at extreme angles. I still have to weld on a few piano style aluminium hinges onto the inside of the centre collection point. This is what will help keep the oil in there.
And then seeing as I was getting stuff cut I had a new welding table cut, again an idea I saw over in the US, it's slot and tab design so it fits together really well and there is minimal welding to prevent distortion.
Following that the next job was to mount up the front bumpstops:
That is about as far as I am at the moment. A few more key parts have arrived. I opted for Donaldson Powercore Air Filter and housing.
If your not familiar with these they are used on heavy earth moving equipment and designed for pretty extreme environments so it should work well in this application. Hopefully i can get this installed this weekend.
Then the gran daddy came, a Haltech Elite 2500 ECU with IQ3 Racepak dash and universal harness. This should hopefully simplify the wiring somewhat.