90's throw back.....Manche build

[NC-V]

After seeing these pics of the front axle housing, I am going to assume that you have a new driving tactic of plowing straight through the rocks instead of trying to go over/around them, correct? Disintegration instead of Navigation? Curious as to the weight of that assembly when you are done. I can't wait to see this thing in action!

 

[mcutler]

After seeing these pics of the front axle housing, I am going to assume that you have a new driving tactic of plowing straight through the rocks instead of trying to go over/around them, correct? Disintegration instead of Navigation? Curious as to the weight of that assembly when you are done. I can't wait to see this thing in action!

Lmao , i like that disintegration line.

No different than I previously drove! With the loss of visibility of the buggy, I know the entire front half of the truck will see more carnage...

No less beef than before on the 60...!

Now

Then

Love the work but me thanks you are going to miss the final calculated weight but I like them plump[emoji481]

Don't be so negative you ol whiny knash...


Just some weights for you to think about Cannon...

This is the copper crawlers weight sheet. Total unsprung weight is still a few hundred pounds over the unsprung of the manche on my guestimation worksheet. This was from November, once I had the shocks attached, before the truss work obviously...which was only about 25 lbs of material.

Crawler; D 60 & 14, 43's: 1842 lbs unsprung

Manche, unsprung weight before truss, 9's and 40's; creative figuring for other additional pieces in the unsprung formula...(don't try to decipher it, hell I barely can, that was a few months back! ) 1530 unsprung...still a few hundred pounds less than crawler.

Now the manche will certainly have more sprung mass than the crawler...but that will only make it perform/ride better from a tuning perspective.


Matt

 

[upnover]

IMO TMI LOL
My only question what's the "calculated" date it will roll out on a trail?

 

[loose cannon]

Now that's messed up your just using trickier with big words and scribbled number on paper continue on still loving it

 

[mcutler]

IMO TMI LOL
My only question what's the "calculated" date it will roll out on a trail?

Hopefully by short pant weather

Now that's messed up your just using trickier with big words and scribbled number on paper continue on still loving it

[emoji106]

Matt

 

[mcutler]

I still plan to lop the corners off and cap the upper link mounts like the rear, (I left that extra meat there cuz I wasn't sure how I would finish it out at the time. ). Also some plating on the inside of the upper mounts. Still need to cap around the shock mounts, plate the diff, and gusset the steering arms, (they have been torqued at some point).


I also got the bottoms of the bash tube supports plated and corner gussets done today as well.

Matt

 

[WARRIORWELDING]

You know I don't remember you having a grossly large head.



Folks like you ( rare ) that pour so much effort in the design, engineering, thought and then execute it to the ninth degree truly impress me. And either by clever editing or just leaving it out. I haven't seen a damn thing hacked plum off cause it wasn't just right. That's a huge feat given the complexity of this design.

 

[iwaxmyjimmy]

You know I don't remember you having a grossly large head.



Folks like you ( rare ) that pour so much effort in the design, engineering, thought and then execute it to the ninth degree truly impress me. And either by clever editing or just leaving it out. I haven't seen a damn thing hacked plum off cause it wasn't just right. That's a huge feat given the complexity of this design.

He spends a lot more one on fitment than pretty much anyone I know of that's not doing this for trophy trucks or NASCAR.

 

[mcutler]

You know I don't remember you having a grossly large head.



Folks like you ( rare ) that pour so much effort in the design, engineering, thought and then execute it to the ninth degree truly impress me. And either by clever editing or just leaving it out. I haven't seen a damn thing hacked plum off cause it wasn't just right. That's a huge feat given the complexity of this design.

I really appreciate the kind words my friend!

In my history of self teaching, correcting old bad habits, and figuring out how I want things to work and look, I've made many mistakes. Hopefully few on this build, but many in the past. It's took me 15 of my 20 years of welding to figure it out, lol. But the best reason I don't have to back up and punt much anymore, best may be a stretch of the word...I spend so many hours blueprinting this crap in my head, (and much more the older I get; so much so I get annoyed with myself and sit down by the fire and smoke,take a nap, drink a Pepsi, etc.) All the pics i posted today, were started and completed today, i feel like other guys could do it faster, the ocd frustrates me...But I make many small mistakes daily.

I'll even tell on myself on two while working on the manche...one biggie (almost heartbreaking) , one aggravating.

This was the aggravating...
I had about 2 hours this particular day. Thinking I'm gonna knock out a small little section, the skid plate tubing.

You see those to round tubes butted into the rectangle? Well there is a ID tube clamp on each end for skid removal....quick easy piece right?....two tubes and the goatbuilt provided crossmember....easy, no problem done in an hour...stand back with my dew and smoke...then I kick myself....not only did I weld them in solid, but I welded them in upside down.... one hour job turns into a 3 hour correction, (that I have yet to do..) not a deal killer, I can fix it and even reuse the clamps, but very aggravated with myself...



Then a few weeks later...again, just an hour to have in the shop...gonna get started on lower shock mount placement for full travel...this happened...

Nobody hurt...except my pride
Got a bedside, mirror, A pillar, both front fenders. Was able to straighten everything back out. But nonetheless, heartbreaking. No real mistake made other than trusting two motorcycle ratchet straps to hold the axle, as I've done hundreds of times, one broke, then the other, the pendulum effect took over and pulled the truck of the lift. Breaking all my tacks on the temporary suspension points.

That two hour shop time, turned into four hours to get it down safely...including removing the arms from the lift, come along, binders, chains, engine hoist...and then four more hours dollying the sheet metal back...

So yeah...I make mistakes, I plan frustratingly not to make them...but shit happens [emoji481]

Thanks Andrew!

Matt

 

[WARRIORWELDING]

You do alot of first, but a damn near roll in the shop is gonna be hard to beat! Glad you didn't get hurt. We all wanna see this thing get flogged.

 

[Paul]

Sonofabitch! Damn cuz, that could've been bad juju....

 

[mcutler]

Sonofabitch! Damn cuz, that could've been bad juju....

Yea it was ugly, fortunately I was standing at the controls when she rolled. Cussing like a mofo...

Matt

 

[rodcycle]

I really appreciate the kind words my friend!

In my history of self teaching, correcting old bad habits, and figuring out how I want things to work and look, I've made many mistakes. Hopefully few on this build, but many in the past. It's took me 15 of my 20 years of welding to figure it out, lol. But the best reason I don't have to back up and punt much anymore, best may be a stretch of the word...I spend so many hours blueprinting this crap in my head, (and much more the older I get; so much so I get annoyed with myself and sit down by the fire and smoke,take a nap, drink a Pepsi, etc.) All the pics i posted today, were started and completed today, i feel like other guys could do it faster, the ocd frustrates me...But I make many small mistakes daily.

I'll even tell on myself on two while working on the manche...one biggie (almost heartbreaking) , one aggravating.

This was the aggravating...
I had about 2 hours this particular day. Thinking I'm gonna knock out a small little section, the skid plate tubing.

You see those to round tubes butted into the rectangle? Well there is a ID tube clamp on each end for skid removal....quick easy piece right?....two tubes and the goatbuilt provided crossmember....easy, no problem done in an hour...stand back with my dew and smoke...then I kick myself....not only did I weld them in solid, but I welded them in upside down.... one hour job turns into a 3 hour correction, (that I have yet to do..) not a deal killer, I can fix it and even reuse the clamps, but very aggravated with myself...



Then a few weeks later...again, just an hour to have in the shop...gonna get started on lower shock mount placement for full travel...this happened...

Nobody hurt...except my pride
Got a bedside, mirror, A pillar, both front fenders. Was able to straighten everything back out. But nonetheless, heartbreaking. No real mistake made other than trusting two motorcycle ratchet straps to hold the axle, as I've done hundreds of times, one broke, then the other, the pendulum effect took over and pulled the truck of the lift. Breaking all my tacks on the temporary suspension points.

That two hour shop time, turned into four hours to get it down safely...including removing the arms from the lift, come along, binders, chains, engine hoist...and then four more hours dollying the sheet metal back...

So yeah...I make mistakes, I plan frustratingly not to make them...but shit happens

Thanks Andrew!

Matt

I hate this happened, however glad no one got hurt.

 

[CasterTroy]

SO glad you weren't hurt! That coulda been ugly, and you wouldn't have been able to finish, and I couldn't come along and buy it the second you got bored with it.....domino effect ya know

 

[Oliver's]

Nightmare stuff right there, glad you were clear of it!

 

[upnover]

OK, Guess me, the dogs, and my coffee maker are gonna have to come up and camp out, to supervize you. We don't need or want you hurt. You or the Manche!

 

[ol'Jeeps]

GEEZUZ!!

Stop that shit!!!

 

[BRUISER]

This is the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night when I leave vehicles on my lift

 

[rodcycle]

I thought you had the baddest mache till I saw this.....


Now please don't change up your build now.

 

[mcutler]

Front axle is done. (Aside from moving the fill port). Shocks are boxed, bash plating on lower differential, inside uppers plated, upper link mounts capped on front, and steering arm bracing, fully welded out. Now onto the front bump cans.



...and whittled this out with plasma, carbide bit, and a file....anyone want to buy me a plasma table?

Steering arm support and shock boxing...

A look wth the ram removed

Down on the bumps ready for plating...

Matt

 

[Black Bear]

You may want to check out the plasma tracer by rotten leonard is really a pantograph for a plasma. Would speed up the process,is affordable and easy to use. These are the test parts I copied..

 

[mcutler]

You may want to check out the plasma tracer by rotten leonard is really a pantograph for a plasma. Would speed up the process,is affordable and easy to use. These are the test parts I copied..

Thanks, I'll look into that!

Matt

 

[ramjo]

I think you need to rename your shop to Cutler's Lab.....definitely creating an off-road dominating monster in there!

 

[mcutler]

I think you need to rename your shop to Cutler's Lab.....definitely creating an off-road dominating monster in there!

Lol, I like that...not sure about the dominating part, but Mattix thinks it's a monster...

Matt

 

[mcutler]

Finally find some pics of my old Tellico cab truck!

85 cj7 frame, toy cab/clip narrowed 14"-cozy, Chevy leafs, 44/12 bolt 3.73, lock rights, 38tsl radials, double hump 327, th350, atlas2, home brew hydro steering, York on board air- clearance reason for hood scoop, rear radiator- and reason why I will never run another, split windshield no wipers or heat- squeegee on dash for condensation, home built 22 gal aluminum cell bottom feed attached to back of cab, street legal!

Circa 2000...I was 24 years old... holy history batman...

Good ol lower 2 at Tellico!

The previous configuration of the cj, before trashing the tub and building the cab truck....late 90's

Matt