The Hornet. 96 S-10 2wd to 4wd

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Using the kit from Front Range Offroad, I adapted Tacoma rotors and V6 calipers. Gotta give credit to HGSR for already having the IFS hubs and having them turned down to accept the Tacoma rotors. This is a huge upgrade that makes brake jobs and trail fixes a lot easier.
 
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Lead Mechanic, not quite ASE Certified. He at least starts all the bolts.
 
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Back on the ground finally!
 
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Probably my favorite shot of the truck so far.
 
I also got it outside to flex the suspension around a little. So far no binding and no rubbing, but I still lack making my drag link to cycle the steering while its being flexed. Maybe next week. Here's what I've got so far.
 
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Definitely helps having a giant John Deere in the family.
 
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Next on the list will be to finish those rock sliders. They've been lying on the floor next to the truck long enough. I'll post again when I get at least the drivers side done. The sheet metal is already cut and the slider is all welded up. I'm about 90% sure I'm going to pursue an exocage before I hit the first trail. The plan is to leave the sliders 3" outside the sheet metal so I'll have a strong base to build off of. If anybody has any recommendations on a good exo builder, I'd love to hear it.
 
BigSouth said:
Next on the list will be to finish those rock sliders. They've been lying on the floor next to the truck long enough. I'll post again when I get at least the drivers side done. The sheet metal is already cut and the slider is all welded up. I'm about 90% sure I'm going to pursue an exocage before I hit the first trail. The plan is to leave the sliders 3" outside the sheet metal so I'll have a strong base to build off of. If anybody has any recommendations on a good exo builder, I'd love to hear it.
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Metalwerx in Hickory, M&M Offroad in Mocksville, Marsfab in Concord, and Buckeye Performance in Swannanoa are likely the closest ones to you that would all do a good job.
 
Hopefully this fall I'll have the 4X4 conversion complete and the truck will be ready for that exo. I'll probably start with Metalwerx and Marsfab just because they are closest. Thanks for the recommendations!
 
Finally got the steering links built. Got tired of trying to man handle those tires around when I need to move it around my shop. 1.5" .250 wall DOM with 5/8" rod ends. Sadly, my steering wheel ended up upside down and the Astro van steering box doesn't quite give me full range of steering. Guess I'll need to add that to my upgrade list for down the road.
 
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I also dove head first into trying to finish up my brake lines. I can't put into words how angry this made me. I'm a nuclear operator for Pete's sake. I studied this online, watched YouTube videos, forum write ups, you name it. Made about 4 trips to town, hitting all the useless auto parts stores and stirred through all the adapters. JIC, Inverted flare, Bubble flare, NPT, AN........ I dumped probably $40 in useless adapters trying to do this myself. Finally, I was sent to Shelby Auto Parts on Washington Street. This old timer showed me around back and did in 10 minutes what I couldn't in the last week. A truly humbling experience. I guess now I know when to ask for help and I know right where to go. Highly recommend these guys.
 
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2 hose clamps on each shock body will keep everything up out of the way.
 
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First pump of the pedal and found this little problem. Don't know if I nicked it with the grinder at some point or it just rubbed against the frame rail too long. Either way, it bought me another trip to town.
 
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Same guys at Shelby Auto Parts sold me 2 compression fittings and a short piece of tubing. All pressed up with no leaks.
 
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Gotta love the way UPS just leaves a couple grand sitting on the sidewalk. Glad I live outta sight.
 
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Atlas 2, 4.3:1 ratio, with Toyota flanges on the outputs. Been saving for a long time to get this little gem. Too bad I ain't got the funds to do the transmission rebuild done right now to swap in the shorter output shaft. I'll probably end up going with Shelby Transmission Specialists when the time comes. They quoted me $1325. Unless somebody on here knows somebody that does charity work, its gonna have to wait.
 
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