DirtyComanche

My old exhaust was lifetime warrantied. Apparently that doesn't cover ripping it off on rocks, though.

Now you've got an excuse to lift it.

Somebody on ifsja.org was doing a 6x6 conversion on a J3000 or M715. It looked pretty cool. I don't know that he's got any farther with it, though. Anyways, J-trucks are cool. I'm still tempted to pick up the one that I know is for sale...

Not to mention you probably saved money in the long run.

Oh, that's an old pic. It has a body now, sorta. The front is mostly there. Actually, I even put fender flares back on it. They're ugly as sin. And I put the doors back on because it rains every day... And I'm working on the flatbed. I had to put something back on it to make it street legal. Well, make it LOOK steet legal.

Actually, I've got a flat bed now... :cheers:

Tires are like tits; the bigger the better. Okay, you didn't hear me say that. Honestly, it depends what you wheel and what you like. I'll probably not go larger than 35s for quite some time. I'm going to focus on making the truck comfortable with 35s. I don't wheel like Pat, who basically drives like he's got a horseshoe up his @$$ (no offense). But, there's a little thing called inchitis, the constant urge to go bigger. And it's a time/money relationship too.

Better to ask questions now, then after you've already signed the check...

I know you abused your D30 pretty hard, but how long do you think it realistically would have lasted before you had some horrendous failure, like breaking the inner Cs or shearing off the knuckles? I'm just saying that I think it makes more sense to start with something a little bigger (D44) and get a little more strength on a few other parts. You can get a D44 front out of pick'n'pull for $150cnd here (tax included), so initial purchusing cost is not much. Stock axle bracketry all blows anyways, now you've just got a really good excuse to redo it. Not to mention things like hubs and the potential to do junkyard highsteer. Besides, how often were you going through unit bearings :evil: And the whole "just get a D60 the first time" thing, well, let's not go there. He wants to run 35s, not 40s. well, at least a 35. Okay, he should just get a D60.

I got 'em. I'll get you some pics after I get regeared.... (Tomorrow maybe)

That Rocky Road lift is garbage. There's a couple threads about it. Anyways, it uses stock arms, BIG no-no. And it has large spacers plus coils. Why not just a longer coil? Everything about it screams cheap. Umm, yeah, stop picking on me Pat! I'm just an idiot. :banana: Well, you live and you learn, really. It was probably for the better though. It forced me to buy a stcik welder and learn to stick.

Yes, I'll admit it's 'get what you pay for'. But, as far as R&D goes, $#!& I could be drunk as f' and still be more thoughtful than they are. That track bar bracket is just so retarded that I was left feeling empty inside. I welded flat bar to the outside of it, perpendicular to the flat side, so it's not a matter of putting all the force on a 3/8 peice of plate on the narrow side. Springs aren't in-house. The supplier is the same as the RE ones, I think. It takes a huge investment to make springs, so it makes way more sense to outsource them. $#!&, I'm way to drunk to explain things/

Oh, it's just a little sticking point with me. I should probably edit my sig to say 'don't buy rusty's LAs, or anything else made in-house'. Poor design, poor quality, didn't fit right, etc. Some things just left me shaking my head. What the hell is up with their track-bar bracket anyways? I showed it to my brother (he's an engineer) and he pretty much told me that it was going to sheer, just based on a comparsion with the stock ones. he said in all likelyhood it was WEAKER than the stock bracket. Powdercoating blows, welds blow, bunch of other crap that I generally didn't like the look of. If you want more details I'd go on. Their stuff is alright, if you like the mall.

Oh yeah, you can go front leaf springs relatively easily. You'll have to build a new front x-member to hold shackles. But it's easier than making the 5-link garbage work. (Sorry if I seem screwed, I'm still drunk from last night)

It all depends on your idea of easy too... Can you weld? Anyways, you can dump money into the D30, but if you're going to go larger than 33's, it does NOT make sense. I learned an interesting thing yesterday, 297X (half-ton Ujoint) shafts share the same ears as 260X (1/4 ton Ujoints), so while the 297X is stronger, it's not by much as you break the ears instead of the ujoint. When I say share the same ears, they are the same other than the 297X style has a larger hole (making it even weaker). I think I'm going to just carry a bazillion 260X shafts and start saving my pennies.

How much spare time do you have, and how deep are your pockets? Just Empty Every Pocket Eh? Otherwise, if you want a 'manche, go for it. Never hurts to look, haggle, and then walk away if nothing else. Make sure you get a good look under it, check all the fluids, and give it a test spin if possible.

Looks good. You might want to hack some sheetmetal now, too. And what the heck sort of truck is in the background?

I'm at 6.5", sits closer to 8" I think. Clears alright. I did quite a bit of hacking. Just make sure you get rims with little enough BS. Oh, please tell me you've contemplaited the consequences of such a tire on stock axles.

I lost my charger for my camera, but... There's a ground inside the driver's side tailight. And that's the only one I know of. I'll flip through the FSM.

My BA10/5 was replaced in '96, so maybe it'll last a little while longer... But whenever I'm at pick'n'pull, I look.

Don't worry about it. I taught a girl how to drive standard on my BA10/5, and I actually wheeled it for quite a while. It's noisy, but hasn't exploded yet. (I'm gonna go knock on some wood)

The only bent arm radius setup out there is the TNT one, I think. And it ain't gonna fit. Realistically I've jsut got too much BS because I bought the AR-767s instead of finding something else. Anyways, I'll admit that the rusty's crap was a mistake. However, I think I can farther modify it to suit my needs. 4 bends and a new X-memeber (which I was going to do anyways, as the rusty's one is retarded) and it would be golden. Although, that might get tricky with where the UCA mounts are on the LCAs. Hmm. Okay, I should just get fullwidths.

That makes sense... I think I might get some half inch spacers and longer studs for my front. 4.5" BS with a 8" rim and 12.5 wide tire just doesn't work. Well, it works in a straight line. Wait, how about I say "@#$% rusty's" because all it rubs is the control arms, which could have just as easily been bent. Oh hell how I hate that kit. Of course, I'm not a fan of those spacers.

Thanks mjeff87, I think I know how I'll do this now... Just gotta get the forking flatbed done. I'll check out the JCW garbage Pete, but ya know me; I ain't gonna buy it if I can make it...

How many 15+ year old vehicles have the stock exhaust? Mine is 2.25 I think. But I don't remember. It was pretty weird.