Project Southern X-Posure V2.0

[rswords]

Moving my thread over her seeing as how seems to be more traffic and more this area. May take a few posts to catch up.

Also, this thing is a beater. Its the epitome of just make it work, always has been. This truggy is know among my friends to sit for YEARS get a fresh battery tossed in it and go wheel hard without doing anything but checking fluids. Im not putting any more money into this truck that I cant pull out for my Buggy/Juggy build thats in the when the new shop is up.

Anyway....

V1.0 was...

-4 linked rear with RuffStuff Parts
-18" King 2.5 Air Shocks
-4.3 with TH350 trans to a 205 case and 5.29s in yota axles with all the goodies.
-52" rear leaf springs in front with shackles in the front.
-120" Wheel base

The full build is on the other site.... but the sum of it is I took an 85 X-Tra cab SR5 and cut it up into a truggy.

V2.0 Is cutting off the back half, making it bigger to add a 3rd seat. Get a doubler in it and pit it on one tons when I start destroying the axles.

I wheeled the truck and had great luck with it. It worked well. As with everyone a kid in the mix changes stuff. Kinda took a break from wheeling, built my K5 on tons to do more "family friendly" wheeling while the kid grew up a bit.

Now that she is 4.5 (now almost 7) it's time.

Here are some old videos and pics of the truck.

RSWORDS - AMP Hill V-Notch with RCPFA

www.youtube.com

RSWORDS - Bunny Hole - Big Dogs Off-road, Gore VA -9/11/16

www.youtube.com

RSWORDS - Insanity -Big Digs Off Road, Gore VA - 9/10/16

www.youtube.com

 

[rswords]

Oh the wife did take it mud bogging and wiped the tranny out for me, so I'll need to fix that. about 2 min on the limiter. Toughest 4.3 ever

Stacy making the 4.3 rockcrawler try and be a mud bogger.

www.youtube.com

 

[rswords]

I pulled the truck in and got the torch out. In an hour she was assless.

 

[rswords]

More tube. The guy in the pic is 6'2" for reference. Not super happy with the upper tube. When the seat comes in I finalize them.

 

[rswords]

Rear seat is mounted...

And the whole reason to cut it up again

 

[rswords]

Started building my fuel cell. Using .250 aluminum throughout and a RCI fuel pump assembly. If my high school Math is correct its about 10 gallons.

 

[rswords]

Doubler showed up and got it and the 203 mated. Disassembled the 205 and dropped it at my machinist to get the input bearing pocked opened up for the large bearing.

Also picked up a 60 front. The yota axle where as "built" as they could be and lived OK with the 40s other then the occasional ring gear. I figured with the added weight and extra gearing no way they would make it so a ton swap was in order.

Also made a top to keep some weather off the kid

 

[rswords]

Then started on the doubler mount. Need to make the passenger side lower to clear the driveshaft.

 

[rswords]

It's work on the truck time again now that summer is over and I have some weekend time back.

Found a deal on a 14 Bolt With 5.38s, linked disc brake swapped already.

Ripped both axles out this afternoon and started putting the tons in.

Gonna run 5.38s welded rear and some auto locker in the front. Probably what ever I find used cheap. :lmao:

 

[rswords]

Put a Lugnut4x4 kit ofn the front 60 and mounted the hydro assist

 

[rswords]

Mounted the fuel cell and tranny cooler

 

[rswords]

Spent a Friday morning in a thrash running new brake lines and tossed her on the trailer to head to Good Evening Ranch that afternoon with about a 100 yard test drive. She looks nice sitting on big boy running gear.

 

[rswords]

no wheeling pics because about 30 min into the maiden trip the transmission tail housing decided it was done.

I'm pretty sure I messed up my dimensions on the front driveshaft at 10pm the night before and made it too long.

I caught a rock pretty hard right on the pumpkin of the front diff shoving it into the case and breaking the tail housing.

Hopped in With some friends and enjoyed the weekend regardless.

 

[rswords]

So that brings us pretty much up to date.

I installed some spring sliders from LII. I had horrible U-Joint angles at full droop, the sliders gave me about 3 degrees back and flex just as good if not better then the shackles.

I also ordered two more suspension seats so I cut the old frame work and tunnel out so I can tuck everything up nice and pretty like.