Don't like the adverts? Click here to remove them
Beau's official Cruiser Story
- Thread starter Beau
- Start date
diggerdave
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2014
- Messages
- 593
Beau - that's a fine looking cruiser. I'm amazed at how well it looks with 22" rims! I think they all look better without the side steps too.
Could I ask how you attached the mesh to the back of the bumper as I like the look of that?
I hope you weather the storm ok
Could I ask how you attached the mesh to the back of the bumper as I like the look of that?
I hope you weather the storm ok
Beau
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2,014
- Country Flag
Starcruiser - Appreciate the heads up! I am young and do find times like this exciting but the parents are a little worried. As we have rentals nearby we spent a lot of the last couple days and today preparing them. Boarding up the windows ect in preparation. We aren't too comfortable leaving the house and unfortunately don't have family out of state to travel too, so feel more comfortable staying put.
The cruisers in the garage which is better than outside. I/The family don't plan on leaving during the hurricane but after it passes we expect badly flooded roads/areas, so the cruiser will be put to good use. But it's always good to have a back up plan ect if you need to get away! We expect power to possibly be out for up to a week. Hopefully damage done by this isn't too bad.
Shayne - I'll be honest, there is no real dummies guide but I'll try and explain it the best I can. You have two adjusting cams at the bottom wishbone arm. The rear is mostly used to adjust the caster, the front ones more so camber. However, both work together in order to achieve what you want. By pushing the rear arm more out you increase caster, pushing the front wheel a touch more forward on it's pivot. However, the more you do this, the more camber increases. So you then adjust the front adjustment to back camber off. This isn't something you can do on your driveway sadly. I tried, but you can never dial it in 100% and you can ruin tyres quickly if you get it wrong. Take it to a shop, and explain to them what you want done and they can help you. A pro to increasing caster is a slightly more dead track at speeds (less wandering feeling), however it's a trade off for slightly heavier steering (my opinion). To me, this never bothered me.
Worth mentioning that you have a lift so I'm not sure how this would effect the adjustments. From what I've read in the past, is some get lucky and have room for adjustment, and some are maxed out already. Worth giving it a go though. Like I said I was surprised the 32.2" tyres fit without touching one bit.
The cruisers in the garage which is better than outside. I/The family don't plan on leaving during the hurricane but after it passes we expect badly flooded roads/areas, so the cruiser will be put to good use. But it's always good to have a back up plan ect if you need to get away! We expect power to possibly be out for up to a week. Hopefully damage done by this isn't too bad.
Shayne - I'll be honest, there is no real dummies guide but I'll try and explain it the best I can. You have two adjusting cams at the bottom wishbone arm. The rear is mostly used to adjust the caster, the front ones more so camber. However, both work together in order to achieve what you want. By pushing the rear arm more out you increase caster, pushing the front wheel a touch more forward on it's pivot. However, the more you do this, the more camber increases. So you then adjust the front adjustment to back camber off. This isn't something you can do on your driveway sadly. I tried, but you can never dial it in 100% and you can ruin tyres quickly if you get it wrong. Take it to a shop, and explain to them what you want done and they can help you. A pro to increasing caster is a slightly more dead track at speeds (less wandering feeling), however it's a trade off for slightly heavier steering (my opinion). To me, this never bothered me.
Worth mentioning that you have a lift so I'm not sure how this would effect the adjustments. From what I've read in the past, is some get lucky and have room for adjustment, and some are maxed out already. Worth giving it a go though. Like I said I was surprised the 32.2" tyres fit without touching one bit.
Beau
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2,014
- Country Flag
Diggerdave, Thanks! Side steps do look good off. You really do see how much ground clearance these things have then. However as I'm 99% on road, they went back on as it can sometimes be a pain getting in and out.
With regards to the mesh, I folded back the mesh on the inside to hug the plastic and then used some JB-Weld. It worked well. However, If I had to do it again, I'd use a slightly thinner grade mesh because folding the metal I used over was difficult and not very workable. Thinner/less strong mesh would give the same result, but fit a lot easier.
Also worth mentioning, the mesh acts quite well at filtering out leaves/big bugs and in the event something larger like a stone is flying in that direction, offers quite good protection to the radiators. Not much of a issue on the CLEAN good roads back home (UK), but here in the US, debris flying about is a common sight.
With regards to the mesh, I folded back the mesh on the inside to hug the plastic and then used some JB-Weld. It worked well. However, If I had to do it again, I'd use a slightly thinner grade mesh because folding the metal I used over was difficult and not very workable. Thinner/less strong mesh would give the same result, but fit a lot easier.
Also worth mentioning, the mesh acts quite well at filtering out leaves/big bugs and in the event something larger like a stone is flying in that direction, offers quite good protection to the radiators. Not much of a issue on the CLEAN good roads back home (UK), but here in the US, debris flying about is a common sight.
Beau
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2,014
- Country Flag
Thanks Beau and congrats on reaching 200,000 milesfunny isn't it i was a bit gutted to reach 100k in mine but 200k is an achievement i look forward to
makes my current fetish for galvanizing the chassis seem almost sensible
Thanks Shayne, and 100k is just about breaking in one of these trucks! Galvanizing the chassis would be great!
On the note of 200,000 miles, is there anything worth changing as preventative maintenance? I have lower ball joint on the list. For now, suspension/drivetrain are all original except rear shocks/spring, and front shocks. I'm certainly impressed.
Don't like the adverts? Click here to remove them
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2013
- Messages
- 16,232
Yes change the windcreen wiper rubbers because she deserves a present
Seriously though there's nothing i can think of that 200k would suggest changing , regular maintenance and they will just keep going
I have wondered about the front diff which certainly isn't weak but eventually causes problems for many , wonder if having the diffs professionally reset before problems ensue might prolong them ? an idle thought when i should have been sleeping .
Seriously though there's nothing i can think of that 200k would suggest changing , regular maintenance and they will just keep going
I have wondered about the front diff which certainly isn't weak but eventually causes problems for many , wonder if having the diffs professionally reset before problems ensue might prolong them ? an idle thought when i should have been sleeping .
What's the news on Mathew in your area Beau?
From our news, it seems like it was expected to be worse. Trouble is, we can't trust what we get shown too much...
From our news, it seems like it was expected to be worse. Trouble is, we can't trust what we get shown too much...
Beau
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2,014
- Country Flag
So I'm located on the east coast which is where the hurricane struck. Thankfully the centre didn't make land but stayed offshore about 10 miles. We had high winds of around 75mph and a some rain. House held up great, and there was no damage. Trees did fall, back fence fell, but all in, nothing life threatening.
It seems to be doing more damage further up the coast now that it's closer to land, flooding certain areas of the east coast. Our area certainly got lucky, it could have been a lot worse!
That's good news Beau!
Is the danger over for your area now, or is it likely to catch you on its way around?
Hopefully, it's all over for you, bar the fence repair!
Is the danger over for your area now, or is it likely to catch you on its way around?
Hopefully, it's all over for you, bar the fence repair!
Good news Beau, 75mph is not so bad. Was that constant or gusts? Glad there's only been minor damage and you and your folks are ok.
Beau
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2,014
- Country Flag
They are predicting for it to swing back around and possibly hit us again, but it's way too early to tell. Hopefully that's not the case, as I've just spent today removing all my storm proofing material.
That was gusts, with constant winds averaging closer to around 50mph. Thanks. This was the first for me and my family, and we think we got lucky in comparison to other places in florida. In my opinion the winds can be dealt with, but flooding and water is a complete different ball game.
Unlike the UK, Insurance here for homes is rather expensive. A family home like mine (about 8 miles from the coast) would cost about $2500 to insure for the year, and that's a very basic coverage. So a lot of people don't take insurance and natural events like these can really knock people back. It's terrible.
That was gusts, with constant winds averaging closer to around 50mph. Thanks. This was the first for me and my family, and we think we got lucky in comparison to other places in florida. In my opinion the winds can be dealt with, but flooding and water is a complete different ball game.
Unlike the UK, Insurance here for homes is rather expensive. A family home like mine (about 8 miles from the coast) would cost about $2500 to insure for the year, and that's a very basic coverage. So a lot of people don't take insurance and natural events like these can really knock people back. It's terrible.
I think 87 hit 100mph or might have even been 110mph. Not something we were used to, or expecting (poor Michael Fish!). Gave my cousins dog a fit 'cos the pressure dropped so low.
Flooding causes so much damage. But the wind when it gets hold of something and turns it into a missile!
Is it Guyana you're in at the moment? I went past Milton Keynes yesterday and it didn't look like it had had a hurricane!
Flooding causes so much damage. But the wind when it gets hold of something and turns it into a missile!
Is it Guyana you're in at the moment? I went past Milton Keynes yesterday and it didn't look like it had had a hurricane!
Beau
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2,014
- Country Flag
Guyana is actually my ethnicity (where my parents are from). I was actually born in the UK (London). Moved to Milton Keynes at around 11 years old and lived there till 19, and right now having spent 2 years in Florida where I currently am. Anyway, today I got the truck a bit muddy for once! My enclosed trailer is parked in my back yard and has sat there for nearly a year now. Of course with the amount of rain we've had the trailer tyres were well sunken in the ground, as well as the axle. Dug out what I could, and tried pulling it out. (Was also fully loaded), but wheels just kept on spinning. Locked the CD, no luck. Tried the rear diff lock for the first time in years (yes I was in LR) but it wouldn't engage, didn't surprise me. So I got another car to help pull in tandem and we just about managed to get it out.
So sometime soon I'll be attempting to fix my Diff lock. Any tips on this. Because I keep the underneath tidy, there's no actual rust on the actuator. So how do I go about freeing it up? Is it just a case of removing it and inspecting, cleaning, greasing and sticking it back in?
Thanks for the explanation Beau. All makes sense now.
As for your diff lock, I'm afraid I'm going to be no help on that. Good luck sorting it out.
Anyway, it's about time we had some photos, don't you think?
As for your diff lock, I'm afraid I'm going to be no help on that. Good luck sorting it out.
Anyway, it's about time we had some photos, don't you think?
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2013
- Messages
- 16,232
If it looks good it probably is good just seized up from lack of use . I got lucky with mine as it didn't work when i bought the truck because i removed the inspection plate on the side and sprayed some WD-40 in and bingo , though i spent a good half hour rocking the truck back and forth trying to make it engage .
Just so you know the lock can't engage unless the wheels are turning think of it as a sprung peg looking for a slot to drop into .
Just so you know the lock can't engage unless the wheels are turning think of it as a sprung peg looking for a slot to drop into .
Beau
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2,014
- Country Flag
We all like pics matelooking at that ground i don't think a locked diff would have helped much at all with your road biased tyres .
My thought exactly! Even so, it was a wake up call to sort out the rear diff lock
diggerdave
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2014
- Messages
- 593
Mine's never worked in the two years I've owned it. I can't quite face the job of getting off the old twisted lump of disentegrating aluminium that's welded itself to my rear axle 
