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Beatup96

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Posts posted by Beatup96

  1. One of the things I noticed right away with the AC springs was that the on road handling got much better .

    Virtually no "body lean" or whatever you'd call it , I can do corners even with the Cooper STT's at speeds that would have required a new pair of shorts with the old and beat down suspension .

    I'm sure the wider stance of 3.75" backspaced wheels , new shocks and struts add to it also but the coils have to be a large part of it .

    If I were to put some sticky road tires on this thing it would really surprise some people around corners..... :laugh:

     

    The downside is the ride at speed over relatively minor stuff like sunken manhole covers is pretty harsh .

    I think I'll be looking into the limiting straps .

     

  2. I understand the owners being aware part , and I think that was a big part of the guy going off on a little girl in my situation .

    According to his wife he is very fond of his dog and it had been abused before he took it in .

    He thought they would take him and put him down , and he responded in anger out of affection for his buddy .

    I think when I explained it in that way to my niece it may have saved him from a beating....

     

    The 10 y.o. became deathly afraid of dogs since , the 4 y.o. had nightmares for a week but seems to have either forgotten or repressed it now .

    Me , Chico never left my side when I visited and could tell I was coming from 1/2 mile down the street .

    I'd seen his aggression towards other dogs before , and I'd sit there with him and explain that he could get in a lot of trouble with his big mouth .

    I just had to kinda shrug and say "I told him so" and "He went out like the badass he thought he was" .

     

    You had quite a pack of little guys , the 3 remaining are probably your best support group .

    Big or small , they sure do seem to connect with what their human is feeling .

  3. Man that sucks big time .

    This past summer my grand niece (10) was walking her Aunt's Chihuahua along with another grand niece (4) , they turned a corner and ran into a German Shepard (also on leash) .

    My little buddy Chico thought he was 7 lbs. of badass fury when it came to other dogs , with people he was a little gentleman .

    It was all over in seconds , so fast that the woman walking the GS couldn't stop it .

     

    My grand nieces saw the whole thing and were traumatized pretty bad , then when the cops got there the husband of the girl walking the GS started yelling at the 10 y.o. that it was all her fault .

    The cop said he wanted to throttle the guy .

    No charges got filed and the woman went over to apologize and to pay to have Chico cremated and his ashes returned ,

     

    Animal Control did an investigation and now requires the GS ( a shelter dog it turned out ) to wear a muzzle when he's being walked .

    I see him being walked with his muzzle on and actually feel bad for him , he just carries himself like a sad old dog .

    As a dog lover I can't help but feel for him a bit even if he killed my little bud .

     

    How is your other dog doing ?

     

    • Like 1
  4. Let me know what you find, scary thing trying to slam the brakes on with steel wheels and 33's..... takes too long to stop!

     

    I have Rock Crawlers with 32" STT's on mine and it stops great , I've put about 2,500 miles on them so far and it was money well spent .

    Great pedal feel , doesn't take much to haul her down now .

    Anti-lock still works fine , I tested it a few times on snowy roads .

    I don't think my rear brakes have ever been touched , 150,000 give or take on them .

    • Like 1
  5. I used the Powerstop drilled and slotted rotors from Rockauto , I bought the kit that came with ceramic pads .

    Not sure how they'd be with different pads , but my truck stops on a dime now , better than it ever did in stock form .

    I did also put on new Cardone calipers at the same time , so I imagine that gave things a bit of extra "oomph" .

    • Like 1
  6. Don't even get me started on the subject..... :angry:

     

    I don't carry for self defense , but as of Oct. 1st here in CT we need a new "ammo permit" to buy any type of ammunition .

    Or.... you can just get a concealed carry permit that will cover you for buying ammo , rifles , shotguns and handguns .

     

    So.....being an avid waterfowl hunter with a squeaky clean record , I stocked up on steel shot over the summer .

    Now I'll just go the full route and get a concealed carry permit before next season , something that many have decided upon since the new laws came into effect .

     

    I may or may not carry a handgun after getting a CCWP , but what matters is that I'd have never even applied for one had they not passed a law taking away my ability to buy a box of steel to go hunting .

     

    As for NYC , I can be there in about an hour , but I'll never step foot in that rancid liberal bastion in my lifetime .

  7. You SC guys get all our Woodies when we get a hard freeze.... B)

    Just got back from the goose pit , we did OK , 8 Canada's , 5 Mallards , 2 Gadwall and a hybrid Black for the 4 of us .

    The two on my spare were cherry picked from a PILE of Mallards , it's been a slam fest on them this year .

     

    If you look at my hitch we have the same problem .

    It worked with the stock 28" , need an extension now with the 32" .

     

    Good luck and shoot'em up !

     

  8. I ran into a problem the other day hooking the boat up, my spare tire doesn't allow the hitch to get to the reciever. With duck season in full swing I can't keep borrowing trucks any ideas?

     

    Another duck hunter !

    Where ya at and how's your season going ?

     

    A pic from last weekend ....

     

    8d6bc545-e819-458c-ab13-77d44bb00eaa.jpg

  9. After doing the AC 2" all around with the AC 1" strut spacers (they advertise as giving you 1 1/2") , I'd have to say "good luck" in fitting 35's up front .

    33's would be do-able but you'll be doing some trimming for sure , my 32's would have ripped off the mud flaps had I not removed them .

    Turning radius in forward gear is OK with the 3.75 backspace wheels , but in reverse it's still an issue with rubbing at about 1/2 lock .

     

    In the rear , going with 2" coils and 3" spacers for a total of 5" I think you'll probably have to add the panhard drop bracket or the rear axle may not be centered correctly left to right .

    You may also be looking at adjustable (longer) control arms to center the wheels in the wheel wells , mine are a bit forward from stock , better now that all the bushings are new but still a bit off center .

    I'm no mechanic , but I also wonder about driveshaft angle being a problem at 5" in the rear without a SFD .

    Now that my coils have settled a bit I'm considering a 1" spacer in the rear , from just eyeballing it I think it may work but I don't think I could go any higher .

     

    This is what you get from the 2" AC with the AC spacers and 32's on a '96 XE.....

     

    a5efc404-7ca9-4c59-bfb5-0b83484799ae.jpg

     

    I also had trouble with the passenger side CV axle binding after installing a new EMPI part , switching it to a NAPA part on the passenger side cured it .

    This is the angle it's at , no problems so far but I haven't pushed it much yet.....

     

    IMG_0035-2.jpg

     

     

  10. I had my upper and lower bushings replaced with the split ones from 4x4parts .

    The guy who did them charged me $150.00 but cussed me out a bit..... :lol:

    He said he chiseled out the old ones with the metal sleeve

    The new ones go in easy according to him .

     

    I couldn't move either the uppers or lowers by hand , but I had noises , swaying , and axle movement front to rear on braking and acceleration .

    Either would cause an audible clunk .

     

    After doing the AC lift with new shocks and struts I drove the truck for a week before the bushings were done , and the difference after the new bushings is incredible .

     

  11. Hey guys, OME lift getting installed tomorrow, gonna have to ditch my factory LE 17" wheels soon and I am buying some 16 inch with 3.75 backspacing, think I will be ok with 265/75/16 tires with a little trimming?

     

    With the AC lift and 1" strut spacers I was able to fit 32/11.5/15's , pretty much the same height as your 265/75/16's .

    I had to remove the mud flaps (or the tires would have done it for me) , and some trimming is still needed .

     

    With the OME and those wheels you should be good , but as you say , I'd expect to have to do some trimming .

  12. Nice! Now go beat it up... :lol:

     

    B

     

     

    All in good time..... :laugh:

     

    Still getting used to the new ride and handling characteristics , overall I'm pleased with the results .

    All the new suspension parts did offset the toasted control arm bushings a bit , but the ride at over about 50mph was still pretty scary , let off the gas abruptly or hit a bump "just so" and it was like a rodeo ride .

    Now that everything is nice and tight back there I find myself on the gas with the windows down and radio off just to hear the tires hum..... :happy:

     

    I leave my job at about 3:30 a.m. and last night I figured it was a good time to hit the highway to check out the higher speed ride .

    Not bad at all , cruises right along and handles well without any vibrations .

    I was thinking at first that she seemed a bit slower until I thought "hey dummy , your speedo is off with the 32's" .

    Hit 65mph on the speedo , which calculated to about 75mph from the stock 235/70/15 , fast enough for an old fart like me !

    More than enough to tow the duck boat .

     

    I may take the "long way" to work this evening , a route that would take me down some farm roads along the CT River floodplain .

    They're not real bad this time of year but there are always a few spots that will give me a much better handle on the 4wd capability now vs. when the truck was bone stock .

  13. Well , I think I'm about 98% done !

     

    Had all the control arm bushings replaced with the split poly ones , what a difference !

    I think the CV binding issue is resolved (knock on my wooden head) , just minor stuff now and cosmetics .

     

    Happy happy !

  14. I agree, 3 inches of lift will make cvs act funny. It wouldn't hurt to buy another cv shaft, could be a faulty part? Then if it doesn't work, you have a spare for the road.

     

    Yeah , I had lurked for quite a while before actually doing anything to the truck and knew that going 3" could be a problem .

    I had seen where some CV shafts had worked for one person but not the other and it could end up being a "what if" situation

     

    It seems that changing out the EMPI part with the remanufactured NAPA part did the trick .

    I drove it 10 miles or so after the switch with the hubs locked and in 2wd and the binding isn't there now .

    4wd works , no binding .

     

    Thanks everyone for your input !

  15. After installing the AC 2" lift with AC 1" strut spacers and Mile Marker locking hubs on my 1996 XE 4wd , it seems that the right (passenger) side CV axle is binding but the left side is fine ?

     

    Just got off the phone with my mechanic friend who has the truck up on the lift right now .

    I'm going to look at the problem in a few , but as he explains it , when he turns the right wheel with the hubs locked the shaft binds about 3 times for each revolution of the wheel , causing the differential to move each time it binds .

     

    Both CV axles were changed out when the lift was installed using new EMPI parts from Rockauto .

    I'm thinking I might stop by NAPA on the way over and try switching the right side out with a NAPA part .

     

    Any suggestions other than that ?

    The mechanic seems to think that the angles on each side are the same , could it be something to do with the Mile Marker hub on the right side ?

  16. I just went through the whole tire shopping deal .

    While I accumulated parts over a period of months , I'll bet I looked at just about every major internet tire site .

    In the end I went with a local chain store and I don't feel I would have saved much if any $$$ doing otherwise .

     

    The combination of shipping , mounting , and balancing fees pretty much ate up the approximate $40.00 I'd have saved on each tire .

    Add in the convenience of buying face to face 2 miles away from my font door and also keeping a few bucks circulating "locally" .

    I live 25 miles away from a Tirerack warehouse and the shipping was still $118.00 , then I had to find an installer and pay them .

     

     

  17. You'll get it figured out, it's all in the details now. Details can be... irritating at times though. ;)

     

    B

     

     

     

    Yeah , I figure I'm just about there .

    I believe I found the correct hub centering rings , once they come and I'm sure they fit I think I'm going to have a set made from high grade aluminium .

    Ordered the bushing kit , still need to check the CV's .

    I'm thinking I may take out the strut spacers , I like the look but if they're a problem I can live with the rake .

  18. That turned out great! :aok:

     

    Your rear axle looks a bit pulled forward, and adjustable rear links are available to address that, but otherwise, that is about exactly how I wish our R50 looked. I'm holding off to do it to a 2003 or 2004 though...

     

    Congrats, I'm sure you are loving it again.

     

    B

     

    Who sells the adjustable rear links ?

    I saw Fleurys made them and had it in my mind I'd buy them from him if needed , but it seems he's not building them anymore .

    The bushings are shot , both upper and lower and they're next on the list .

    Think they may be adding to the axle looking pulled forward ?

    There are bugs to be worked out but I'm pretty much past the point of no return .

     

    I do like it even with the glitches still needing addressed , it's a completely different vehicle thats for sure !

  19. Nice! I was expecting a beatup looking Pathy.That thing looks great.Love the rock crawlers.Thats what I am planning to get in the near future.

     

    Thanks !

    Had you driven that truck before all the recent work you'd understand the name.... :lmao:

  20. You think its the CV's making the noise ?

    I had a torn boot on the right side before replacing them , it was torn for a long time .

    When I'd use 4wd and make a tight low speed left turn I could hear what sounded like the splines clicking/chattering on the right side .

     

    This sound is different , and you can feel it through the pedals .

    I locked the hubs and put it in 4h , got the front wheels on some uphill gravel and turned the wheel to full lock right and left while slowly inching forward and there was no noise like before .

     

    Then I put it back in 2wd with the hubs locked and drove it about 30 yards on pavement .

    It sounded different , more like something interfering in the hub , once per each tire revolution .

    One thing I noticed about the hubs while locking and unlocking them , was that there is a clear click when moved to the unlocked position but no click when they were moved to the lock position .

     

    The CV's are definitely angled more than before .

    No camera right now (dropped it in an old cranberry bog duck hunting) , took those pics with low tech phone .

    I'll see if I can get a decent pic of the CV's when the sun shines tomorrow .

     

    Thanks for the compliment on the new look !

  21. Took some pics today , for some reason my computer won't accept the one taken of the view from the front though .

    I never did get any "before" shots , but she looked like any other R50 with a sagging suspension .

    Had to take off all the mud flaps and still need to do some basic trimming .

    Still things to do like the trailing arm bushings , trying to find out what the correct sized hub centric to lug centric spacers are , find out what the "click" is from the new hubs when they're locked (in or out of 4wd) , hit the bumpers , tire carrier , and maybe the hubs with Plasti Dip , etc.....

     

    Side....

     

    resize_image_1757971694.jpg

     

    Rear....

     

    resize_image_1758241961.jpg

     

    Rear tire in relation to flare....

     

    resize_image_1757561861.jpg

     

    Front tire in relation to the flare....

     

    resize_image_1757166858.jpg

     

    Different angle of the side view , kinda fuzzy 'cause of the crazy Beagle that kept jumping up on me looking for cookies....

     

    resize_image_1757015100.jpg

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