PROJECT - "Truck No More"

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Dirk

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Pimp!
 

aweber

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It will be done soon, Just have the rear driveshaft to make, beadlocks, and twin stick the Dana 300. I have been Camping almost every weekend so far this summer ;) :beer:
 

aweber

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Beadlock time. I was told to post the step by step process so here it goes:

So, I drew up the following and gave it to Mike:



He had to make some tweek's to be flippoff guy to get it to cut properly but they turned out just fine.

As you know, I am still garage free so this is the welding setup I am using:



Notice the pigtail I made to connect the welder to the 30A receptical

Welder settings:



Flux core of course (outside plus better penetration with the small welder)
 

aweber

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Rims - Free + $20 for sandblasting per rim.



They are the following:

http://superswamper-direct.com/4wheelproducts/Cragar_Wheels_Nomad_I_White.144151.513737

16.5 x 9.75 - 4.75" Backspacing

We made the inner ring sit inside the lip of the rim rather than on top. I think it is better for welding. This is how I made sure it was flat and true:



Spacing and tack weld:



This is how long of a bead I would lay down before going to a different side to keep from warping:



Welded and hit with a grinder:



Finished but Un-painted product:



Total Welding time, under 2 hours - Total cost for a set of unpainted beadlocks, $300.00
 

aweber

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Also installed my ARP - Dana 60 - High Steer Arm studs:

 
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DannyL

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Only thing I would add is, it's better to put a bevel on the outer edge of the rings for better penetration and less chance of leaks....
 
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aweber

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Only thing I would add is, it's better to put a bevel on the outer edge of the rings for better penetration and less chance of leaks....

I could see that. I am lazy though ;) I do plan on using tire bead sealer when I assemble everything though. Flux core sucks in general for this as it likes to leave lots of pin holes in the weld.
 

aweber

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On with the beadlocks:

Some people use 90 Deg valve stems in the stock location. After spending a couple days going to EVERY tire shop in Perth, including Heavy truck and NAPA, I could not find any. My philosophy has always been to make the buggy easy to service/repair, so since the 90's were not easy to find I went the extra step and re located the valve stems so I can use regular ones.



I initially tried welding a washer over them first but came to the conclusion that it was just as easy to just fill the entire hole with weld:



Then drilled new holes and installed the valve stems:



FYI - Valve stem holes need to be drilled to .625

This is the holy grail of the tire world:



I put a generous amount on the welds, it also makes it easier to slip the bead onto the rim (slippery stuff until it dries) Many bolts later and a bunch of tightening:



I filled the tire to 25 lbs of air and now going to let it sit overnight to see if it has any leaks.
 
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DoctorPhate

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Awesome write up,

I have a question about bead locks though, do they not become significantly more difficult to balance? Or does the use of BBs to balance help with that?
 

aweber

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Awesome write up,

I have a question about bead locks though, do they not become significantly more difficult to balance? Or does the use of BBs to balance help with that?

I ran 36" SX's on the street with DIY beadlocks. I used BB's in the tires for balancing and it was fine. SX's are a notoriously bad tire for being out of round and I had that truck up to 140 Kph.

See here for how many ounces to put in your tire: (a good tip is to put the BB's in a plastic bag when you assemble the tire then after some driving the bag will disintegrate and the bb's will be loose)

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/BigTirechart.htm

I'm not going to bother though, with 42's I don't see the point.
 

aweber

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Got the brakes all done and other misc stuff so I could finally drive it off the trailer.

Had to put the one tire I have assembled on it:





Just rear drive shaft and D300 shifters to do (plus some misc stuff like mount the coil over reservoirs, etc) and I am done :glasses:
 
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aweber

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Got the rear d-shaft done: (Sorry for crappy phone pics)




I moved the axle back far enough that the Toy tubing was too short so I went with 3" x .120 wall DOM and put it over top the Toy sized tube. Also had the spline flange machined down to fit the new DOM. Then I tacked it together under the truck and with a dial indicator and a rubber hammer I got it very close to true.
 
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Baja

Well-known member
Finish it up and come for a shakedown run at the Gorge this weekend!

Sent from my SGH-T959D using Tapatalk
 
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