[69' Series IIA Build]

Here’s my fancy cross member tube bending apparatus.

I bent/rolled the three tubes for the three cross members like this.

The front & middle cross members are made up & ready to weld together.

[69' Series IIA Build]

I haven't posted for a while, because the things I have been making aren't very photogenic, just a bunch a parts and pieces. lol 

But I now have pretty well everything for the chassis cut out, made and ready to start welding it all together to be a HD chassis,  hope to start welding later this week.

Today I did a few finishing touches on rear cross member. Here is a pic of everything sitting in place for a dry fit. 

The main part started out as a length of 4' x 6" x 3/16", then cut like this. The ends were tapered like a SIIA cross member and the center part cut down to 5" height. Then a piece of 2" x 4" x 3/16" tube was cut, to make the center 7" high. 

The 4" x 6" now 5" high was notched for the 2-1/2" x 2-1/2 x 1/4" tube that will be the hutch receiver and the two pieces of 2"x 4" go on either side of it, and the ends of the 2" x 4" get 3/16" caps. The bottom of the angled sections and those ends get capped with 3/16" plate too.

 They also were inletted for the two 1" x 2" D-ring clevis, for 1" pin D-rings, to weld into, and will be welded into the the bottom of the main tube, this gives 7 'sides' welded, plus the top of the clevis gets welded to the main tube also.

The hole in the L side 2" x 4" is for the threaded weld washer sitting besides the hole. The R side one shows the lifting grade eye-bolt that threads into them after they are welded into the lower section of CM. I forget what steel they are made out of, but the threaded section of the weld washers is 3/8" of 5/16" thread for trailer safety chains. This way I can simply unscrew them when not needed and have less clutter in CM.

I made the larger tube out of 1/16" plate, rolling it by hand & using C - clamps around the hole saw I used to cut the hole, kinda low tech, but used what I had available, I ended up with a bit more gap in the tube than I intended so cut a strip that will get welded into the open slot of the tube. The tube sticks out on both sides till it's welded in, then trimmed flush. The smaller tube is a piece of Schedule 40 pipe that the trailer wiring plug will go through and have a circular plate on the outside that the plug actually mounts to. This way I have access to run the wiring and a way to mount it, without having an opening into the CM, it will be trimmed flush after welded in.  

When I cut , (with the 4-1/2" angle grinder that I used for all the cutting) the 4" x 6" tube it pinched inwards along the cut. I needed a way to spread it back in 4" OD width, so I cut some pieces of angle the inside dimension and put them in the tube. They have the wide part at the bottom so junk doesn't fill up the V over time, will weld them into place along the underside of the angle. These add a lot of torsional strength the the CM and maintains the proper width while fabricating it too. On the right side I used two to strengthen the outer end because it gets a CM mounted swing-away hinge.

 

Well those came out a bit bigger than planned. But for less than $100 not going to make a swing-away hinge, heaven knows I'm making enough other stuff! lol

I'm pretty confident that by the time I do the chassis tie ins of the rear cross member, it probably won't bend or the D-rings won't pull out. :-D

Cheers, Allen

 

 

 

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

Thanks, the plywood is cheap 3mm 3 ply, it cuts pretty easy with a utility knife and makes it easier to fine tune the shape with a sanding block. The trouble with paper patterns is they get damaged and out of shape to easy, especially if they are used to make more than once. 

Cheers, Allen  

[69' Series IIA Build]

Here is the pattern for the front spring hangers, there are four pieces like this all 1/4" material that welds on each side of the chassis horn. The blue line shows were the 1/4" plates go to box in the bottom of hanger and where the actual spring hanger welds onto the base. The red line just shows the outline of the chassis horn. These will have two 3/8" holes drilled and tapped so Buzzweld etch primer, CIO & WAR can be applied to the inside of the boxed section and then a bolt with sealant put in holes to seal it up, till want to check and re-coat if needed, all boxed in sections will have either taped holes or drain holes, depending on location and situation so all interior areas will be coated with Buzzweld etch primer, CIO & war. All the outer surfaces of the chassis, axles, driveline ect, will be coated in Buzzweld 2K Armor, CIO & WAR. Rust should not be a problem! lol

  

 

Cheers, Allen

[69' Series IIA Build]

This is the bolt in cross member that goes under the gearbox, 1-1/2"x 2" x 3/16" and it will have the 3/16" angled front reinforcement (already made but didn't get pic) drilled and tapped for application of etch primer, CIO & WAR. The outer ends will be cut, boxed in and will bolt to brackets welded to the chassis rail.

Cheers, Allen

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

I haven't been able to make as much progress as I had hoped to recently, did get some smaller parts designed and built, ready for welding. But next week I'll be getting the steel so I can finish building the chassis! Right after I build a welding cart for my new welder. :-)  Decided to go ahead and get a good welder, a Hobart 210 MVP and is big enough to weld anything on the build, actually it can can weld up 3/8'.  

This is the under the flywheel bolt in cross member, it's 2"x 3"x 3/16" with 1/4" plates to bolt through the chassis rails using sleeves in the bolt holes. The first pic shows it without the 1-1/2"x 1-1/2" x 3/16" angle and the 3/16" vertical reinforcements from the tubes to the plates, the second pic shows them sitting in place. The angle pieces will be welded to the main cross member for reinforcement, but mostly to have an angled face on the front  the cross member so if it hits a rock or something, it doesn't present a flat face to take the impact and help it slide up and over, since it's going to get smacked on occasion. Both the 2"x 3" tubes and the angle section will have either 3/8" or 1/2" holes drilled and tapped so can coat insides with etch prime, CIO and WAR, then thread a bolt in the holes to seal them up, later can unbolt them, flush insides and re-coat if wanted.

 

These are the vertical braces tying in the 2 x 3 to the side plates, and making them all uniform size. 

 

 

Cheers, Allen

 

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

The spring hangers from RS got here this afternoon si was able to finish laying out the rear spring hangers base that the individual hangers will mount to.

The hangers will go on the front & rear. They are made from ¼" materia and have a 'brace' piece to be welded into the long side.

That's a secret new high tech form of welding holding it in place there! :-)

I made patterns from poster board as I figured out the shape & dimensions of the base part. Then made a thin plywood pattern.

I was sitting here watching A Touch of Frost and doodled on the pattern.

The upper 2-⅜ " overlaps the Chassis rail & the part in the upper R corner will be cut out of the inside plate to clear the cross member. 

The side parts will be ¼" and overlap the rail. The lower three sides colored in show where the ¼" x 3" wide pices get welded between the two side plates.

They sit like this for the rear springs.

I was sitting here watching A Touch of Frost and doodled the pattern to show where things go.

While sitting here I drew a sketch to show the size of the parts.

I made the bottom section a bit longer than the RS hangers a place to run a nice weld bead on the front & rear.

Here is how the spring hangers will sit on the hangers bases.

Tomorrow I plan on getting the pattern for the front dumb irons done.

They will be similar in concept as the rears, ie.. two ¼" side plates with ¼" x 3" pieces on the bottom three sections welded in to make a box and then the RS hangers welded to that, but offset to the outside like originals. 

Cheers, Allen

[69' Series IIA Build]

I hope so, the steering arms are 1" thick billet steel machined.

The tie rod ends will be HD FJ80 and the tie rods 1.5" x ¼" tube with threaded bungs welded in.

Tucked up nice and high, hopefully out of harms way. :-)

the main reason for using these HD steering arms is to get high steering and be able to use the 25mm steering pins instead of the stock 17mm cast pins.

The trunnion/steering pins are a bit of a weak link in the Land Cruiser steering system, so not really overkill to get them.

Everything kind of goes together as a system, so I do get the full Monty this way.

The steering system won't be a weak link that's for sure. lol 

Cheers, Allen

[69' Series IIA Build]

Well the high steering arms arrived today. They didn't get put in the box when the 25mm steering upgrade kit and steering arms got here.

I assembled the driver side steering assembly with the Rock Rings, wiper, backing plate eliminator,  grade 8 spindle studs & nuts, ARP 2000 knuckle studs, to see how everything looks together. 

The cone washers & nuts haven't got here yet so I put a couple of the grade 12.9 cap bolts that go in the bottom caps to hold the steering arm in place temporarily. 

The hub is a junk one for mock up only. Have 'new ones coming, but haven't got here yet. 

 

This is the RH side steering arm. 

 

Of course they will look a whole lot better when they are on the axle though! Lol

Cheers, Allen

[69' Series IIA Build]

The lathe is from 1920s or so, it was originally on a boat of some kind, Mike turns 70 in a few months, he looks like he's barely 60.

Talk about 'old School' eh? :-)

Cheers, Allen

[69' Series IIA Build]

Soren,

 Thanks! The way the LC hubs and bearings are set up they won't seal completely, so they weep, they were designed to have a seal and not run wet bearings. This is the same seal that's used on the front axles in the knuckle ball. I'm just putting it on the inside of the spindle. 

The Marlin Crawler Eco Seals are a pretty cool design, they really work great, better than most other axle seals. 

Cheers, Allen

[69' Series IIA Build]

The area where the brass bushing normally sits got opened up a bit...

This is the new enlarged, but shallow pocket for the seal to set in. The seal in the pic is sitting upside down.

So now the rear axle oil stays where it's supposed to be and the wheel bearings are run greased like the front ones are.

This took a bit over 2 hrs to machine. I thought that was pretty darn good. I say 'we' but I really mean Mike the machinist! :-)

There are places on the housings that have nicks and spots ground in them, but they will all be welded up before they are finished. The 'paint' is just some primer I sprayed on them to reduce the rusting, but a good bit has been ground off. The housing will get sand blasted once all the welding is finished, and then get coated in BuzzWeld 2K Armor and top coated with CIO.

The knuckle balls will get sand blasted & coated with 2K Armor & CIO also. The 2K Armor likes a slightly rough surface to bite into. 

Cheers, Allen

 

 

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

The inside of the front spindles used for the rear axle look like this. There is a deep recess machined in it for brass bushings that the CV joint comes up against and there is a seal in the inside of the knuckle ball. 

You can see the seal recess here.

Here I just sat the seal lightly in place for the pic, but it goes like this, to keep the gear oil in and water out of the housing & diff. 

But since the rear axle doesn't have a knuckle ball to put a seal in for the rear....

 

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

The rear housing was a bit simpler because it just needed th have the outside of the tube machined section extended and shortened. 

Which ended up looking like this.

A sleeve machined to fit tight over the machined section and have an OD of 3.5" welded on both ends, for the Ruff Stuff FF/Disc Flange to weld to.

This is the FF/Disc flange with a front spindle that bolts to it sitting in position, though the sleeve will be fitted under the FF/disc flange. :-) 

Then a front hub, goes on it like the front for the axle and drive flange to mount, won't know the exact position of the FF/Disc flange till the pinion angle is set, after the engine, gearbox, TC & springs are in place.

The hub in the is is a junk one, the Postal Service was rough with the box that was transporting the hubs to me and they fell out somewhere along the way! So waiting them to take care of that issue and I'll be getting some new (used) ones shortly. 

Cheers, Allen

[69' Series IIA Build]

Then these go together like this, and will get welded when I get the pinion and set. The machined area where the steady rest was, will get a piece of tube machined the OD of that section and a wee bit larger OD of the housing, so will end up even stronger than original. angles figured and

The reason I had to cut some of the short side off even though was adding a sleeve extension is, that without the extension it was to short and with the extension it was too long. So just shortened the sort side and deepened the machined recess.  

The long side looks like this.

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

What was theory, is now fact! :-) The reason I say this is, that up until yesterday I wasn't completely sure if what I  had  figured on doing would actually work, or if there would be some issue that I hadn't considered would make this not doable, but it was successful.

We did the front housing first, it was a little bit more involved than the rear. We needed to shorten the housing on both ends and deepen the machined section where the knuckle ball flange sets.

  

The LC housings are made of two main pieces, a top and bottom that is pressed into shape and then welded together to make a somewhat round tube. So we centered it in the lathe and cut a round section on the outside of the housing to mount a steady rest so could use boring bar and deepen the inside machined section. .

Centering up the steady rest. 

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

I'm using 4.56 gears for my set up, but they can be geared with 3.70,  4.11, 4:57 & 4.88 gear ratios.

i got the axle housings machining finished today. Will post pics later.

Cheers, Allen 

[69' Series IIA Build]

Hey Soren, the rear axle is 2.5" wider than stock at 57.5", will be running 255/85-16 tires on 5.5 x 16 rims with 3.5" BS, then combined with the 2" taller 109 1 Ton dumb irons, Australian Military SWB 2" taller rear spring hangers (from Richards Chassis) and corresponding 2" shackles and the Rocky Mountain Spares Parabolic springs  which will add 1" to 1.5" of lift, I think I'll be able to clear the extended shocks and squeak by, with  minimal trimming if any of the wheel arch. 

Will probably need to cut the sides of the rear shock tower, heat & straighten it so the lower part lines up with the upper part, then weld in a little wedge shaped piece to bring tower right close to wall of the tub. So

I know, not real proficient with Paint! lol But you get the idea, hopefully. Getting ready to head out to the machine shop and watch Mike machine one of the axle housings, probably just do one today & the other one tomorrow. I post up some pics of the process and finished results tonight.

Cheers, Allen   

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

Thanks guys, I just wanted to check and see if I was over doing the tech and pics. I'm not concerned about a lot of comments, just making sure it was at least somewhat interesting. :-)

Using Ford F250 shock towers front and rear, they are 3/16" material, with these I can have 14" of shock travel. The rear ones will be set out from the chassis rail a few inches,  to clear the bottom sides of the tub, so the tub doesn't need to be notched or modified to clear the taller shocks & towers.

 

Welding a doubler plate on the inside and outside of the rails and welding in crush tubes through the rails, then bolt them on with 3/8" grade 8 bolts. Nice thing about them being bolted on, is since they are kinda tall, they can be unbolted if wanted for working on something.

Cheers, Allen

 

 

  

[69' Series IIA Build]

6 minutes ago, Jon W said:

Looks great but hope your nephew had some safety specs 😉

He didn't use the angle grinder, he's just the model to show how I used it, so I could take the pic. :-)

Cheers, Allen 

[69' Series IIA Build]

I thought it came out pretty good for such a jury rigged 'lathe'. Lol

This pic is after I used a piece of 1" wide sandpaper and polished the knuckle ball flange a bit. 

Guys, let me know if you want me to keep going on this thread or if I'm boring you to death with to much detail and to many pics. I've never done a build thread before, so not sure what anyone would like, so could use some feed back, as to whether keep going or not. 

 

Cheers, Allen

 

 

 

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

So I came up with this contraption. 

Here's my nephew Edgel being the model showing how I used the angle grinder while he turned the pole and I ran the angle grinder.

I used this to keep pole from moving length ways.

Put a mark on the disc to so could tell when we were getting close to 6mm deep, then would cut a bit and look close, cut, look repeat, till it parted nice and clean.

 

 

[69' Series IIA Build]

I needed a way to cut the leftover part of the housing off the flange of the knuckle balls. I had to buy a set of knuckle balls because the ones on my axle housing were badly pitted.

This is what they looked like after I cleaned them in solvent, cut off the steering stops and wire wheeled them. 

Here you can see the knuckle ball flange with the leftover part of the housing tube. 

I used a flap disc to clean up the  leftover housing. I needed a way to cut through the 6mm of housing, but not into the knuckle ball flange and have a fairly straight cut line.  So I came up with an Island lathe. lol

So I took a pole that was just a bit smaller than the hole inside the knuckle ball and wrapped duct tape around it till it was a tight fit in the end of the ball. To be continued...

This pic shows the RS knuckle ball gussets. 

[69' Series IIA Build]

Speaking of cleaning, here's a before & after of one of the diffs, they both looked like this before I spent some quality time with 8" bench wire wheel, a few different sizes of wire wheels in the drill and angle grinder flap discs to cleanup some of the rough casting edges . They both will get sand blasted to finish the cleaning and prepping the diff cases.

Cheers, Allen

[69' Series IIA Build]

I decided to use the 72' Series III SWB chassis I have, with some mods and doublers. The top front of one chassis rail has some pitting on it and the bottom of both chassis rails has some rust on the inside. So I'm going to add a top and bottom piece to both rails with 1.9mm material and build new chassis  horns 3mm for the 109 1 Ton dumb irons. I've  gotten most of all the  old motor mounts, shock mounts and other bits cut off and rails cleaned up. Hopefully will get  be able to get over to Hilo to get steel for this, the new rear cross member and for cross member s 2 & 3 this week. 

Cheers, Allen