"bulletproofs" hilux specs and Videos

[Bulletproof]

Did an actual flex test this morning to see how the panhard rod is working. Found there is a little too much preload on the bush so will rebend panhard rod to fine tune it.

Front Flex 700mm



Rear Flex 770 mm



too much load on the bush



Cheers Richard

[SMOKEY]

Hi Richard, I have been following "bulletproofs" build with interest as i do most build threads, with your panhard rod mods dare I ask the question , is It possible to have a Rod end (heims joint, rose joint) fitted in place of the rubber bushes that are giving binding up problems ???. . By the way

DO YOU DO ANY OTHER WORK , YOUR JOB IS BETTER THAN MINE ,

FITZY.

[Bulletproof]

Hi Richard, I have been following "bulletproofs" build with interest as i do most build threads, with your panhard rod mods dare I ask the question , is It possible to have a Rod end (heims joint, rose joint) fitted in place of the rubber bushes that are giving binding up problems ???. . By the way

DO YOU DO ANY OTHER WORK , YOUR JOB IS BETTER THAN MINE ,

FITZY.

Hi Kevin.
As you know i'm a 'builder'. (of panhard rods that is) not houses like Murice

Yes Jeeps use ends like tie rods etc. I did consider this but was scared of the sheer factor from impact that you get in rough terrain. Thats why I stuck with the rubber for cushioning.

Are there no boats in today ?

Cheers Richard

[IcedJohnno]

Hi Richard, I have been following "bulletproofs" build with interest as i do most build threads, with your panhard rod mods dare I ask the question , is It possible to have a Rod end (heims joint, rose joint) fitted in place of the rubber bushes that are giving binding up problems ???. . By the way

DO YOU DO ANY OTHER WORK , YOUR JOB IS BETTER THAN MINE ,

FITZY.

Fitzy, with a name such as BULLETPROOF how could Richard possibly spend time doing something as mundane as 'work'!
I am sure he spends all his time either creating his masterpeice or using it.
Mumble mumble, wish wish
Currently I have had time but NO money (made redundant some months ago)
Found some work, so No money & No time for a while.

Richard where does the binding happen that you talk about? How does bending the Panhard rod eleviate this?
I know your rod is the heavy guage one however In my experience the more bent the greater the need for rigidity of the tension/compression member. Is your Panhard rod able to flex under load due to the amount of bend you have put into it?

Keep up the photos and commentary, tis damn good to read and to be able to see all this experience on line.
Not sure this thread should still be in 'New" members & Beginners though!!

[KiwiBacon]

Hi Richard, I have been following "bulletproofs" build with interest as i do most build threads, with your panhard rod mods dare I ask the question , is It possible to have a Rod end (heims joint, rose joint) fitted in place of the rubber bushes that are giving binding up problems ???. . By the way

DO YOU DO ANY OTHER WORK , YOUR JOB IS BETTER THAN MINE ,

FITZY.

That crap (rod ends in suspension/steering) isn't road legal here.
Just because you saw it on a US website, doesn't make it a good idea.

[turoa]

Hi Richard, I have been following "bulletproofs" build with interest as i do most build threads, with your panhard rod mods dare I ask the question , is It possible to have a Rod end (heims joint, rose joint) fitted in place of the rubber bushes that are giving binding up problems ???. . By the way

DO YOU DO ANY OTHER WORK , YOUR JOB IS BETTER THAN MINE ,

FITZY.

That crap (rod ends in suspension/steering) isn't road legal here.
Just because you saw it on a US website, doesn't make it a good idea.

why not?

[Bulletproof]

Richard where does the binding happen that you talk about? How does bending the Panhard rod eleviate this?
I know your rod is the heavy guage one however In my experience the more bent the greater the need for rigidity of the tension/compression member. Is your Panhard rod able to flex under load due to the amount of bend you have put into it?

The original panhard rod has only about 5mm of rubber in the parallel bushes. if you clamp one end in a vise and put a bar through the other end it is hard to rotate it. I have had trouble with the left hand wheel lifting and partially fixed it by cutting and twisting the panhard rod. Not happy with that I decided to put a rotating end.

You can see how useless the truck was before I played with the panhard rod .Notice the left wheel lifting.




When I fitted the rotating bush I miscalculated how much the right hand wheel would drop and had the panhard rod bent allowing for about 200mm .In reality it is only about 100mm so staightened it today and now all is good.

The panhard rod doesn't flex at all and all movement is in the rubber bushes.

Cheers Richard

[KiwiBacon]

why not?

Because they flog out extremely quickly and then pop apart.
Tie-rod ends are legal, the difference being they're sealed and can't pop apart as easily.

[suzolla]

That crap (rod ends in suspension/steering) isn't road legal here.
Just because you saw it on a US website, doesn't make it a good idea.

Not true,

Spherical bearing rod ends are specifically identified as being suitable for both suspension arms and panard rods in "The New Zealand Hobby Car Technical Manual" which is the guideline for custom built road going cars.

It details the specfic requirements of the rod end and its installation which includes a retaining washer on the outside to prevent pull out if the rod end becomes worn.

Thanks
Tim

[rokhound]

what he said ^^^^^. I have just got back from a local certifier who had no issue with using heim joints. He suggested forming dust covers to help stop the dust and shit getting in to the sides. Mine are 3/4 thread and 5/8 hole all in chromolloy.

[KiwiBacon]

That crap (rod ends in suspension/steering) isn't road legal here.
Just because you saw it on a US website, doesn't make it a good idea.

Not true,

Spherical bearing rod ends are specifically identified as being suitable for both suspension arms and panard rods in "The New Zealand Hobby Car Technical Manual" which is the guideline for custom built road going cars.

It details the specfic requirements of the rod end and its installation which includes a retaining washer on the outside to prevent pull out if the rod end becomes worn.

Thanks
Tim

Oops, looks like I've been hanging out with too many Aussies (they're not road legal there).

I wouldn't use them on my vehicles though.

[Bulletproof]

That crap (rod ends in suspension/steering) isn't road legal here.
Just because you saw it on a US website, doesn't make it a good idea.

Not true,

Spherical bearing rod ends are specifically identified as being suitable for both suspension arms and panard rods in "The New Zealand Hobby Car Technical Manual" which is the guideline for custom built road going cars.

It details the specfic requirements of the rod end and its installation which includes a retaining washer on the outside to prevent pull out if the rod end becomes worn.

Thanks
Tim

Oops, looks like I've been hanging out with too many Aussies (they're not road legal there).

I wouldn't use them on my vehicles though.

I looked into it and agree with Kiwibacon . A hot-rod and an offroader are driving over completely different terrain. Hot rods don't leave the formed roadways and are not subject to the knocks and hammering a 4 wheel drive is. Every 2nd trip we are bending tie rods and radius rods etc. On our trip through the stony about 3 weeks ago a radius rod was broken and tie rods were bent.
Having a rubber radius rod end absorbs some of the impact and things are less likely to break. The bushes I used move up and down nearly 500mm. On the tests I did with full articulation both ways the Radius rod actually only moves up and down less than 150mm so is not stressed at all. It is easily absorbed in the compression of the rubber ,but time will tell how long they last but it is very easy to replace the rubbers if they fail.

Rubber also muffles road noise being tranfered to the truck.
Cheers richard

[SMOKEY]

Richard, thanks for the reply, I agree with you on how the rubber bushes absorb impacts and noise but thought the Rod Ends might have allowed you the travel you are after. As for the Rod Ends not being strong enough, on this one I have to disagree, on our early series Straddle Carriers in the Container Terminal all the steering arms had ball joints (tie rod ends) , these would wear out and break prematurely, the breakages where usually from hitting things with the wheels. The later series Straddle Carriers are fitted with Rod Ends, we have had a few smashed from big impacts but the majority of the time the steering arms bend or they break the 50mm diameter steering anchor pins , the Rod Ends are giving us far better service . Mind you we are talking Big diameter 50mm Rod Ends , and 60ton machines .

AND AS FOR WORRYING ABOUT A BIT MORE NOISE IN YOUR HI-LUX ,

FITZY.

[rokhound]

it's not rocket science to put bushes on the chassis end of your control arms and rod ends on the other to combat noise and vibes. Yes they can get rattly, but the that is more than out weighed by the "no bind" articulation they give you IMHO. In the terrain I like to play on, we tear rubber bushes apart in no time at all. I have had them fail after 2 trips.

[Bulletproof]

Richard, thanks for the reply, I agree with you on how the rubber bushes absorb impacts and noise but thought the Rod Ends might have allowed you the travel you are after. As for the Rod Ends not being strong enough, on this one I have to disagree, on our early series Straddle Carriers in the Container Terminal all the steering arms had ball joints (tie rod ends) , these would wear out and break prematurely, the breakages where usually from hitting things with the wheels. The later series Straddle Carriers are fitted with Rod Ends, we have had a few smashed from big impacts but the majority of the time the steering arms bend or they break the 50mm diameter steering anchor pins , the Rod Ends are giving us far better service . Mind you we are talking Big diameter 50mm Rod Ends , and 60ton machines .

AND AS FOR WORRYING ABOUT A BIT MORE NOISE IN YOUR HI-LUX ,

FITZY.

Hi Kevin
Good comments. If the rubber bushes fail I will definately be going to the rod ends. I only have a little better than average articulation and am content with what I have as I also want good road handling as well.
My main concern with stress buildup is not the diff end but where the panhard rod attaches to the chassis and am scared the bracket may fracture and let go. The Nissan bracket is only 3mm steel folded. On a nissan it is strenghtened with an 8mm bracket from the steering box that I dont have, but I have braced mine to the other chassis rail.
Rokhound and Chopper and rock crawling guys have twice the articulation I have and I can understand the rubbers would flog out, but my rubbers don't move much at all so hopefully they will last.

Are you trying to say the Hilux is noisey ? I wouldn't believe that

Cheers Richard

[Bulletproof]

One of the best tracks on the west coast is the No6 track at Ngakawau north of westport.
If it is wet no one drives this track without a tow. One bog hole is as deep as a truck and 2 greasy hill climbs that if you dont make ,trucks slide back real quick and roll if they get wrong

It is simex country. I had BFGs on and they just didn't perform

A small clip from xmas 2007 with some members of the Buller club and Andi and Paul Delis.



Cheers Richard

[rokhound]

Did I spy bones in that vid Richard?

[Bulletproof]

Did I spy bones in that vid Richard?

No, the last time I have seen bones was at Linda Simpsons funeral.

Richard

[andrew007]

hi richard,
could you give us some directions to find the no6 track.are trees also down & blocking this track?
cheers andy

[U-BOAT]

As far as I know NO.6 trarck was unaffected by the storm. As richard said a really good track, one that always claims alot of damage though. There have been numerous rollovers and trucks on their sides

[Jafa]

Great pic! Love to do a trip up there

[Bulletproof]

Good pic Mark. Last time my hilux ran into the back of Steve as well

No 6 again in 2006. This time a nissan safari



Cheers Richard

[Bulletproof]

Another typical West coast trip Oct 06. A Nelson club trip around Moa Bones at Seddonville



Cheers Richard

[niblik]

WTF was that soundtrack?

[SMOKEY]

Richard, good vid;

Nibby, you wouldn't know the sound track's , you're way to young , Richard and Janet still play these on their old single 45's.

Just so happens that I know most of the tracks ( can remember Mum & Dad singing them------do you believe that ), may be this should go on another topic but it could be deleted when it is finished.

COMPETITION
I counted 6 songs:-
1 Broken Hearted Melody.
2 Venus.
3 Jimmy Brown.
4 ?????????????????.
5 Kathys Clown.
6 Rubber Ball.

WHATS NUMBER 4 ?????????. Richard and Janet can't enter.

MAKE THIS A NORTH VERSE SOUTH CHALLENGE,

FITZY.

[PR]

Sounds like a zimmer frame compulation

[U-BOAT]

by Bulletproof on Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:54 pm

Another typical West coast trip Oct 06. A Nelson club trip around Moa Bones at Seddonville

bloody good track that, its such a pity that it and 90% of the tracks at seddonville have been destroyed by all the wind-blown trees. It sounds like timberlands maybe walking away from the area and leaving the trees where they are The only track accessible at the moment is a new small loop track up radcliffs ridge road that we've opened up. Tracks affected in this area inlclude

moa bones, winch road, sues track, precipice, slippery track, coal mine track, the pipline loop track that you, steve and flag opened up plus around 4 other nameless tracks that we have. Smiths Clearing is also closed at the moment due to damage from the same storm but the Buller Club is planning on having a working bee to get it opened again.

[Dr_PC]

Richard, good vid;

Nibby, you wouldn't know the sound track's , your way to young , Richard and Janet still play these on their old single 45's.

Just so happens that I know most of the tracks ( can remember Mum & Dad singing them------do you believe that ), may be this should go on another topic but it could be deleted when it is finished.

COMPETITION
I counted 6 songs:-
1 Broken Hearted Melody.
2 Venus.
3 Jimmy Brown.
4 ?????????????????.
5 Kathys Clown.
6 Rubber Ball.

WHATS NUMBER 4 ?????????. Richard and Janet can't enter.

MAKE THIS A NORTH VERSE SOUTH CHALLENGE,

FITZY.

Sixteen reasons by Connie Brown Go the North Island

[Bulletproof]

First trip out with modified panhard rod and everything worked well. I was between a surf with prado suspension and a nissan and it shows how well mine works as the others lifted a wheel .

Most other prados and a 90 landrover had to be towed through.

Cock-eye creek behind Greymouth




Cheers

[Bulletproof]

I received a worthy presentation this weekend on Noname Rd today after conquering the big bog that no one else would attempt.



Cheers Richard