1KZ surf transformed to Coil SAS club truck

[NJV6]

I agree totally on the correction bushes, I can remove the spring retainers, alter the swivel housings, the re-weld the spring retainers, this may be the "best" option.

I had a good look at mine tonight when putting in the new swivel hub kit. I don't think it would be to bad to cut it off to get at the balls, bit tight but do-able.

Regarding the IFS hub swap - are you not concerned about it pushing the disc and calliper 'in' from behind the wheel when spacing it out like that? I am up to this stage and needed some hilux stub's.

[hosehustler]

The calliper and rotor don't move they stay in their existing place its only the wheel that moves out,because of the offset of the IFS hub, and run my last truck for years with this mod in all types of terrain NZ can offer with no probs

[Chopper01]

I thought you were going to run 33's or is it 35's ??

[hosehustler]

I thought you were going to run 33's or is it 35's ??

33's.....and I bought these a while back for $1500
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =173316086

[badnuz]

they ARE sexy rims

[kaney]

I thought you were going to run 33's or is it 35's ??

33's.....and I bought these a while back for $1500
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =173316086

so you didnt win that auction for those 35" simexs then lol

[hosehustler]

so you didnt win that auction for those 35" simexs then lol

Not yet........still working on that.....
Nothing like having options
Nothing goes un-noticed around here

[mike]

i wont go any other tyre on the surf after those bfgs! they grip like the SAT's and float good on shingle and the likes and the road manners are awesome! back to the rum (thanks mark!)

Mike

[hosehustler]

i wont go any other tyre on the surf after those bfgs! they grip like the SAT's and float good on shingle and the likes and the road manners are awesome! back to the rum (thanks mark!)

Mike

you're right Mike, the BFG's are a good full size tyre, with a very good reputation..............watch Marks homemade rum though you could run the space shuttle on it
bring me a bottle for the front end parts

[mike]

i wont go any other tyre on the surf after those bfgs! they grip like the SAT's and float good on shingle and the likes and the road manners are awesome! back to the rum (thanks mark!)

Mike

you're right Mike, the BFG's are a good full size tyre, with a very good reputation..............watch Marks homemade rum though you could run the space shuttle on it
bring me a bottle for the front end parts

done!

[hosehustler]

A little more work done this weekend, but more importantly some parts required obtained and a couple of decisions made.
I have removed the Surf IFS powersteering box and purchased a 70 series cruiser box which are apparently stronger(stuffed 3 IFS Surf ones in last truck) and I was moving the whole set up further foward and adjusting angle to make way for panhard rod mount, a Prado steering box is no use as the pitman arm sticks out forwards and if you turn it around the box steers the wrong way,
By moving the box I'm achieving 70mm more room which will be a huge help, could move it further forward by chopping away some bodywork but I think this will be plenty, also means you can mount it more vertical which should help with draglink/panhard rod angle matching on the raised vehicle.
here's a couple of pics.

To be new position and cruiser Box



Room gained by shifting forward (can see original monting hole at 70mm)


Im intending at this stage to use the Cruiser pitman arm But if it's not going to be suitable TrailGear have a couple of options available through Jafa, but I won't know till I get the axle in place.

One of the problems encountered from moving a box forward or fitting an crossover/hi-steer to a normal beam axle lux is that the steering shaft isn't long enough, or you can't find one the right length, here's what's a simple solution.
The 70 series has a slip joint which gives heaps of option, it's longer than the standard IFS one as you can see in the first pic, and can be extended heaps as in 2nd pic, no need for expensive spacers, and can be certified as no welding has take place, if it's too long thats simple as well, just chop a bit of both male and female to get required length.

IFS steering shaft top and cruiser one bottom (70mm longer)



Tis pic shows how slip joint can be widened.

[Bulletproof]

Hi Tim
Just in case it helps. That cruiser pitman arm I found is 165mm centre to centre

Cheer Richard

[rokhound]

, a Prado steering box is no use as the pitman arm sticks out forwards and if you turn it around the box steers the wrong way,

There is no rule that says you have to move the box froward Tim. I 'm going to move mine back and give all the piss weak Lux chassis rails at that point a good ole dose of steel flitching. Just another way of looking at it anyway.
Carry on, looking

[turoa]

whats wrong with using the prado box? the pitman arm doesnt have to face backwards?

[hosehustler]

"echo"
There is a few issues to overcome if you use the Prado box due the shape and length of the Prado chassis compared to the Lux, mainly the ideal position of the Prado box would clash with the Hilux engine mount, Coil/shock towers in the way, steering shaft shortened heaps (cert issues), and angle of box compared to shape of chassis. all in all there's no reason why it can't be used, but I think there's less 'challenges' to overcome using the 70 series box setup mentioned above.

[hosehustler]

Not huge amounts achieved today, as I worked all night and finished at 8am, I will do more over the week as I don't work again till Friday
I did remove the ARB winch bar, and looks like it won't be re-used (in favour of a custom tube winch bar)I dd some more grinding to annoy the neighbour and some needed parts were aquired (as below)
For those that are interested in the pic below there is, PRADO coil/shock mounts, rear(of front) radius arm mounts, and Panhard/panhard support mount., they are essential parts of the front end.........saves lot of work

[Mattman]

They were pretty nicely removed from the donor. How were they removed?

Matt.

[hosehustler]

They were pretty nicely removed from the donor. How were they removed?

Matt.

Carefully with Plasma a bit more grinding/refining and they will be as good as new

[hosehustler]

A bit more progress, i've completely finished the grinding stage, got the vehicle at ride height, and positioned the axle at ride height in relation to rear end, positioned powersteer box and made sure all the other bits should work out.
Looking as if the only issue I have is radius arms and I think I may have a compromise as they can't be altered due to certification and I don't want to go castor correction bushes,I can't rotate the swivel housings as that also means repositioning the spring and shock mounts...then the pinion angle is ugly, so at this stage I intend to do an adjustment to front radius arm mounts(on axle housing) but I can't go too far as the tie rod will the start clashing with radius arms....and slightly longer rear radius mounts.......a happy medium I hope
Lockers ordered.
Hilux stub axles, ifs hubs all mocked on and made sure they will work.
Radiator decision made, as they hang down too low, it's going to be 4 core, slightly shorter thand std length (4 core will compensate) trans cooler removed from radiator and I have a large external one (which will be fitted with a motocycle fan), large single electric fan on thermo switch ( to replace viscous unit), and deal done for the radiator cost

Here's a pic of progress.

[Engineer]

what lockers you going for?

[madaz068]

what lockers you going for?

Was going to ask the same

[hosehustler]

Lockers
I intended to go ARB as I've had lockright for the last four years and felt like selectables would be the thing.
I still think that, SELECTABLES ARE THE BEST OPTION but.....
I may earn good money and everything else arguments.....pros...cons.. blah blah blah.....
But aside from all that I have decided that value for money, the front end is going to recieve a powertrax lock right, and the rear end a powertrax "no-slip locker" nearly twice the price as a std auto locker but twice as good road manners
All up cost around half as dual ARB's............I wish I was rich, ARB's may be on the cards in a year or two.
On the locker debate ( which don't want to get into ) lockrights is what I've owned for years, ARB's Dad has had for years, I've driven and used both in every terrain NZ can offer, also seen many on both in use, my conclusion;
ARB, 2ndplace, selectable is what we all want (they are a little unreliable, AND EXPENSIVE)
Lockrights a definate 3rd place (they are reliable as hell and value for money)

FIRST PLACE,
Lockers of any description, locked diffs are an essential part of traction and they are required for the tracks which I enjoy.

P.S lockrights DO NOT unlock while driving down hill as the drive may seem to be going forward, but the load on diff is in reverse therefore it CANNOT unlock, I know those browsing this thread will know what I mean

[U-BOAT]

In regards to the the pinion angle, are the prado pinion angles the same as hilux or are they differant? Iv got my whole prado waiting for my swap over, but still havent pulled it apart to compare, iv hardly looked at the thing as iv been too busy. Looking good tim. keep it up.

u-boat

[Engineer]

Lockers
I intended to go ARB as I've had lockright for the last four years and felt like selectables would be the thing.
I still think that, SELECTABLES ARE THE BEST OPTION but.....
I may earn good money and everything else arguments.....pros...cons.. blah blah blah.....
But aside from all that I have decided that value for money, the front end is going to recieve a powertrax lock right, and the rear end a powertrax "no-slip locker" nearly twice the price as a std auto locker but twice as good road manners
All up cost around half as dual ARB's............I wish I was rich, ARB's may be on the cards in a year or two.
On the locker debate ( which don't want to get into ) lockrights is what I've owned for years, ARB's Dad has had for years, I've driven and used both in every terrain NZ can offer, also seen many on both in use, my conclusion;
ARB, 2ndplace, selectable is what we all want (they are a little unreliable, AND EXPENSIVE)
Lockrights a definate 3rd place (they are reliable as hell and value for money)

FIRST PLACE,
Lockers of any description, locked diffs are an essential part of traction and they are required for the tracks which I enjoy.

P.S lockrights DO NOT unlock while driving down hill as the drive may seem to be going forward, but the load on diff is in reverse therefore it CANNOT unlock, I know those browsing this thread will know what I mean

well done cannot argue..ive had lockrights front and rear, you've got as the same opinion as me

[Bulletproof]

Hi Tim
Just drawing your attention to another thing to be aware of. This is a mistake I made.

Make sure you have plenty of clearance between the panhard rod and the diff housing. As the suspension goes up the diff moves forward and my panhard rod hit the diff housing. I ended up having to bend the panhard rod and cut and reshape the diff housing. OK now .

You can see the clearance I have in the photo and it still just touches



modified diff housing



All looks good what you have shown so far

Cheers Richard

[hosehustler]

Cheers for that info Richard that was something I hadn't thought of
I had a good play with the radius arms and the issue of castor and thought i'd post a few shots of what I hope to be the solution, and I have to say many thanks to Glen (NJV6) for the idea
Here's the problem, as you can see in the first pic the castor is set at about factory requirements, and how low that make the rear of the radius arms which would require very long mounts.


As discussed earlier in the thread I intend to alter the front radius arm mount as you aren't allowed to heat up and reshape the radius arms, so front mount will be altered 25-30mm on very front mount only, gives no less ground clearance.


This little aleration will make a whopping 100mm difference at the rear , this gets the mounts up high enough so they are higher than the center of the gearbox crossmember.


Still leaves plenty of room for the tierod to move even at full lock



And in this last pic you can see the position the pan hard will be mounted in, the draglink clearance gained by repositioning the steer box, and the clearance between pan hard and diff housing.

[Bulletproof]

That looks good Tim and I think you are doing the right thing with the front radius arm mount. Where you are putting the rear mount is about where mine is and it has never been a problem. You still have the option of a shorter pitman arm if needed as well.
Coming together nicely.

Had a visit from Nuts today and he showed me more photos of the devastation at Seddonville. It sounds like Moa Bones , Precipice etc will be out of bounds all this year.

Cheers Richard

[IcedJohnno]

Very interested in what you are up to Tim.
Great to see the build up & your thoughts on here.

Have you thought of adding an X-link to the front end? Like Shane put up in a Nissan thread recently.

Seems to me you need to alter the front bush mount positions anyway and that creating an x-link would add massively to the front end artic. I know that the Prados with big springs / long shocks & therefore big Sus travel have WOF issues with the factory bushes wearing out quickly. The X-link would minimise this issue and gain softer & greater flex.

just a thought
John

[nivaman]

As discussed earlier in the thread I intend to alter the front radius arm mount as you aren't allowed to heat up and reshape the radius arms, so front mount will be altered 25-30mm on very front mount only, gives no less ground clearance.

Can the arms be mounted upside down?, are there any problems with doing this?.

[hosehustler]

Can the arms be mounted upside down?, are there any problems with doing this?.

They sure can be although those that I have seen use flatter radius arms out of a range rover or Pajero rear arms, here's a link to a vehicle I know well, this was a originally a leaf axle which was converted to coilovers, pretty sure they were pajero rears on this one, couple of downsides, mainly you have to do a bloody high lift otherwise the arms clash with the chassis, also i'm told (i never drove it) that when you brake hard the front upweights rather than dipping
I want to keep the centre of gravity down
Here's the truck i'm talking about
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motor ... 029062.htm