TTB van pics please!

wyndsurfr

Observer
I was just wishing for a longer cable yesterday haha.... the ground clamp isn't confidence inspiring, but it's been working so far, I agree, a better one is in order. Had someone last night ask me "this doesn't seem very cost effective, why not just buy an all wheel drive chevy express and put a transfer case in it"? Lol.... If I could afford an all wheel drive chevy express, I wouldn't be doing this at all, I'd just buy one and be done with it haha.
t b
 

wyndsurfr

Observer
Finally there.... I figured out, how to figure it out hahaha, that was the hardest bit I think. The van frames are asymmetrical and the drivetrain sits a little to the passenger side, so... I was having a HELL of a time figuring out how to make sure that my TTB mounts were properly placed to put the front wheels in the proper spot side to side.... That was really tough. Anyhow, finally put a level on the fender to the 4x4 hub, pull it out until it reaches "plumb" and measure the distance. Of course you have to get the van's frame level... anyhow, I'm within 1/16th of an inch and I don't think it's gonna get any better than that. It's taken two days to get that close. I came to a full stop on all work today so I could get multiple people over here with "fresh eyes" too just look it over and see if there was anything I missed. I even drove to an alignment shop and jawed with the owner for a bit about aligning the dana 44 and what I should do now before everything is finalized. I think we are a "go" for making the real mounts, likely get a start tomorrow. I will be doing lots of measuring and photographing so, if anyone wishes to follow me down this path, there will be lots of info. I don't know that I'm doing it "right" but I'm doing it!
 

Timjim

Observer
Congrats on making it this far. From my limited knowledge you have chosen a path few go after, but I think the result will be pretty great. I love the way my van rides with the TTB.

And thanks for the good word on the Millermatic 211. When I first looked into bumpers and such and all the things I want to weld, that welder seemed like a great deal to get me going. I opted to just take things into work and flip the welders a couple bucks to take care of me. One guy at work lays down some amazing TIG beads, hes worth the cash! We also have a better setup there for doing fabrication work with tables and clamps and all that. I still might pick one up anyway.

Oh and on the TTB. Agile has mine set at 5-6 Caster with 1 degree of positive camber and 1/8 toe in. Here's a good article I read on the TTB alignment and steering geometry:

http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/winter2008/steering_tech.htm

Probably stuff you already know. Good luck with the install.
 

wyndsurfr

Observer
Thanks :) I got the first mount nearly done today, I have decided to make a "cradle" that includes both mounts on one solid chunk that fits into the engine crossmember. Thinking about not welding it in place but just bolting it with some good hardware so I don't have to worry about stress cracks on the engine crossmember... that may change by the time I'm done, but I don't think it will... also, figure while I'm doing it, I'm gonna make another cradle, probably only take another few hours and after a good 8 days on it, that's nothing haha.... Thanks for the info on alignment, I really haven't researched much specs, just trying to match what my bronco has under it since it drives well but I'll for sure check it out. I'll take post some pics of the mounts when there is something to look at. Had a couple boilermaker friends come by and check out the welds, most of the crap I weld I don't care much since it's farm welding, but this is important, they suggested I heat the whole thing up in my forge and cool it slowly to help relieve any stress on the critter from welding because I'm burning things in really hot and making multiple passes. I had to take a break today and go get a torch, the little janky ones I had just didn't output enough heat to bend the 1/4 inch plate that I need bent and I really didn't want to fire up the forge for a couple bends. Anyhow, found some cheap used ones and ready to go again on monday. I expect to be able to drive the van to the alignment shop early next week though :)
 

wyndsurfr

Observer
Made some good progress today, front mount is nearly complete, it's spot welded in place so I could start on the rear mount. Once it is done, they will be joined and, this will be one solid bolt on piece... I hope haha.... I'm going to wait until I see if it works out before I make another thread about the build.
 

wyndsurfr

Observer
sorry, I've been posting all the pics to facebook and not on here, was waiting till I was done, then was going to do a build thread.... also.... kinda wanted to grind off and re-do some of my ****ty welds so no one makes fun of me :p haha... I went a little overboard with the mig in a few spots, I'll just blame it on sleep deprivation. Anyhow, here is a link to the album and here is my stopping point tonight... https://www.facebook.com/blu.farmer...1073741832.100008537282329&type=3&pnref=story

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20170328_204653.jpg

20170328_143829.jpg
 

wyndsurfr

Observer
In the post above you can see the orientation of the beams... that's all that matters, my big insane mount is just me going WAY overboard with it. In the second pic you can see it from the front. I'm not done, still has to come back off, a few braces put on, some spot welds finished up, trimming of the crossmember to clear the diff, and some paint but..... It's looking pretty darn good. With the drivers side beam centered under the front lip of the engine crossmember and the passenger side beam right up against the back of the crossmember, there is just enough space for the axles to clear. I'll take more pics of the big bracket I made when it comes off tomorrow or thursday. Tomorrow (wednesday) I intend to tinker with steering, see if I can make any of the stock components work or if I have to get fancy with it. Anyhow, this bracket hugs the engine crossmember in every dimension I could, so, hopefully the stresses are going to be distributed across the entire surface. Every part of it is bolted as well as welded, so, even if my welds fail I will have some grade 8 hardware to perhaps give me enough time to get to safety, but... I don't think this has any chance of failing under any reasonable circumstances. It is so much stronger than the stock attachment points that it's just ridiculous. I could have done this with much less steel and much less work, but.... at the end of it, I feel safe with this and I would feel comfortable sending someone else off in this van. I'm going to do a little heat treating on it before it gets painted, stress relieve the welds and maybe do a little bit of differential hardening on the pivot points so they will not wear through. Anyhow, all of this is just what I chose to do, the only thing a person has to do is get enough clearance for the axles and there are several ways to do that, I wanted as low of a ride height as I could get, and I think this is it, at least without seriously modifying the engine crossmember and I had visions of insurance company lawsuits in my head if I did that :p lol

*edit* I want to add, that this could be done without a lift... could be... but it would be pure hell. I don't think I would have made it without a lift, everything had to come on and off so many times, there was lots of welding/torching/plasma cutting going on overhead.... If you could make this bracket from a set of plans or just buy it, this would be nothing, two guys could have it done in an easy day, but, to make it from scratch like this has taken me 2 weeks, however I didn't have any help so that made it much much harder/longer. Anyhow, I'll post a build thread just as soon as I see if it will steer and not kill me haha. I will not be doing the transfer case and driveshafts for a couple of weeks, so, for now it will just be a 2wd van with a 4x4 front end, but, I am sure this was the hard part, cutting/welding the fuel tank may prove tricky, but since I don't have a TIG welder, I may just drop it off at a shop that does.
 
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wyndsurfr

Observer
I may have said it before, but really, in a straight line, this is like one day's worth of work, maybe two even with making the bracket. Figuring out HOW to make the bracket and figuring out how to figure it out was the tricky bit that took all the time. I have probably had this front end on and off a couple dozen times.
 

wyndsurfr

Observer
so much to say..... anyhow, it's on tires on the ground with steering. the van steering is enough to make it mobile around the property, but the springs aren't gonna work.... I think I might have to shorten the van steering a bit or lengthen the bronco steering stuff. I haven't even attempted to do any sort of alignment stuff yet. Luckily the van stuff bolted right up to the bronco axles, so... it'll move. Turns out, the van springs are no where near tall enough, it sat right down on the crossmember even after trimming, but, no sweat, I have some lift springs.... all this is why I am not doing a build thread yet, I want it to work first haha, then.... I can do a straightforward build thread of point a to point b. If I were a smarter man, I would have measured the van's spring compression before I took them off of the 2wd suspension, I would have done a bunch of measuring and documenting before just hacking away, but...... live and learn. Anyhow, first thing in the morning, I'm going to put the lift springs on it and that should pick it up enough to drive it around.

20170329_221701.jpg
 

wyndsurfr

Observer
sorry for no more updates folks.... a lot has happened.... looks like I'm getting a divorce. The farm is in my name, so it's staying as is all the equipment, but, having to sell off all of my toys to pay her.... Poop happens.... anyhow, the van is still in the same state it was in, totally mobile, with too long of springs under it. The van brake lines even bolted right up to the bronco stuff.... I'll need ABS steering knuckles if I want to mess with abs, but right now, that's not a concern, I'm just trying to get a big pile of money together so I can start rebuilding.... Maybe in a few weeks, I will be able to start again. The good news about selling off pretty much everything I own (non-essential to earning a living) I will have a little bit of money left over so I can finish this van in a sprint instead of a crawl. Once I start on it again, I suspect I will be done in less than 2 weeks to have a fully functioning 4x4 van :)
 

wanderer-rrorc

Explorer
Sorry to hear about the divorce...I had one...next one will be an industrial accident...they SUCK...but they ARE WORTH IT...


Hopefully we will have some updates soon!
 

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