Sab-a-dab-a-doo! The back-country LJ build has officially started
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Yes, part of my definition of unobtainable is affordable. I guess I should have added an adjective:
We've scoured the Interwebs, and they seem to be practically unobtainable.
Between my corner armor, my crazy-complicated step sliders, and keeping a few spares, I would need 150 of them. I like nice stuff, and I will pay decent money for it, but I'm not going to spend $1,650 on screws.
Yes, part of my definition of unobtainable is affordable. I guess I should have added an adjective:
We've scoured the Interwebs, and they seem to be practically unobtainable.
Between my corner armor, my crazy-complicated step sliders, and keeping a few spares, I would need 150 of them. I like nice stuff, and I will pay decent money for it, but I'm not going to spend $1,650 on screws.
Sometimes a good screwing costs money.
Just so that people have some reference .. this is from 2019.
edit - Dang, wrong thread. Wanted to post in main Savvy rant thread BUt I will leave it here.
edit - Dang, wrong thread. Wanted to post in main Savvy rant thread
BUt I will leave it here.
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I thought that might be the case. Theedit - Dang, wrong thread. Wanted to post in main Savvy rant thread
Just so that people have some reference .. this is from 2019.
View attachment 576665
edit - Dang, wrong thread. Wanted to post in main Savvy rant thread
I paid like 550 shipped for my used one
I thought that might be the case. The View attachment 576671 was for both the shock of the price, and the surprise at seeing it out of context here in my build.
Sorry about the out of context post. I clearly needed more coffee this morning. I was looking at screw prices you posted, 1650 is absolute insanity.
Slow progress on the build this weekend. "Other duties as assigned" again. I modified the Atlas' planetary shift lever bracket for more clearance during assembly and then blasted and painted it OD green (no pictures). Then I painted the bottoms of the aluminum slider backers OD green (I painted the sides Light Metallic Khaki last weekend):
The Light Metallic Khaki went on really well, but the 2K primer top coat was horribly orange-peeled as it came out of the can, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it was old? I don't think I'll use that stuff again. It doesn't look bad in the photo above because the light's at a flat angle, but I'm not at all pleased with my work. Very disappointing, again.
I'm not going to re-do it, though, because the way the sliders assemble onto the LJ, only about the top 3/8" and the ends between the fender flares and the step sliders are visible. It'll be our little secret...
I probably won't make a lot of progress next weekend, either, but I have 5 consecutive days off for Christmas and then 5 for New Years. I hope I can make some decent progress over those 10 days. Stay tuned!
The Light Metallic Khaki went on really well, but the 2K primer top coat was horribly orange-peeled as it came out of the can, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it was old? I don't think I'll use that stuff again. It doesn't look bad in the photo above because the light's at a flat angle, but I'm not at all pleased with my work. Very disappointing, again.
I'm not going to re-do it, though, because the way the sliders assemble onto the LJ, only about the top 3/8" and the ends between the fender flares and the step sliders are visible. It'll be our little secret...
I probably won't make a lot of progress next weekend, either, but I have 5 consecutive days off for Christmas and then 5 for New Years. I hope I can make some decent progress over those 10 days. Stay tuned!
I got the Savvy mid-arm brackets blasted today before getting ready for the Christmas party at my new office:
Tomorrow I'll rattle can them with primer so they are ready for installation. I'll have two five-day weekends to get some work done on that. Stay tuned!
Tomorrow I'll rattle can them with primer so they are ready for installation. I'll have two five-day weekends to get some work done on that. Stay tuned!
Everything's primed with weld-through zinc primer, ready for installation to start next weekend:
Now I have to find something to do the rest of the day - a rare occurrence for me.
See Post #441 for the continuation of the Savvy mid-arm installation.
Now I have to find something to do the rest of the day - a rare occurrence for me.
See Post #441 for the continuation of the Savvy mid-arm installation.
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Scott - What's your plan for those corners on the trusses? I'd weld and clean up all those corners before you install, that way you get a good welds on the back. I'd also do that before applying the weld through primer. For me, that primer makes welding more difficult, and I avoid welding directly over it if I can.
I've only used this primer a few times (I bought three cans, and I just barely broke into the third for this.) Previously, I wire-wheeled along the weld path prior to welding, mainly to avoid the noxious fumes (I also wore a respirator.) I haven't tried welding directly over it, but it's good to know it's not recommended. As for the corners of the trusses, I had planned to weld those during the installation since the wedge-shaped opening is outward. My thought was they were not welded during manufacturing so that you could tweak it slightly if necessary to get it to fit. Otherwise, why wouldn't the welder have welded them when the control arm mounts were welded? Of course, this is Savvy we're talking about. Their QC has failed on every item I've purchased (mostly missing parts, though).
Mr. Blaine had given me a tip that I forgot about until I made that last post - that is to cut off a short section of the legs of the C channel portion of the frame brackets to make welding them in place easier. He said for a hack welder like me (I'm paraphrasing
), it'll help me avoid gravity causing the weld pool to drip. I plan to cut the legs short next weekend, so I'll have to touch up the primer again. Stay tuned!
Those slots are intentionally left open to be welded after the trusses are attached to the axle tubes. Mine from the first production run way back in 2016 was like this.
Thanks, jjvw, that's what I was thinking. It's nice to get confirmation.
And when I walked into the house from the shop, my wife gave me something to do. "Honey, let's watch a Christmas movie," she said. "Be careful what you wish for," I replied. We're currently watching Die Hard.
Edited to add: There was just a scene where he's in front of a gas station sign. The good ol' days. Only .749/gal in California!
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As I see it, the open seams allow the bridge to spring a bit to get it installed onto the axle. Once placed, it all gets welded up into the specific shape of this particular installation.
They are not welded because welding closes up the gap and draws the two ends inward making the two sides out of perpendicular with the top platform. Along with that, it also closes up the inner distance between the two ends and makes it too short to readily fit over the ends of the casting on the 44.
Generally, the only tweaking needed is 2 places. The top of the rear 44 has pattern shift which causes a ridge in the cast that needs to be ground down from time to time. The second place is the front long side stiffener will need to be squeezed to bring the two lower edges in full contact with the tube.
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