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CK5
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Fortify Offroad Mission Race Blazer
- Thread starter sreidmx
- Start date
You know when you meet someone and they tell you about how they know this person and that person and maybe they mention petty or a really well known driver? Plenty of us could claim that and have it actually be total bs..
I doubt that is the case with Chris Raffo, see above.
If you ever have a chance to chat with Chris on the phone or at a race, do it, he's got so much to say that is worth listening to. Now I have been extremely blessed to be around Dave Turner, who had been in this business for over 20 years and knows practically everyone, so in my business when you call a guy, say... someone at Bilstein and you drop the name kind of to validate some of this and they react favorably is really cool. Everyone I talk to has the same reactions to Chris which validates that he is not full of it.. well maybe he is but that's another story
See the big thing here is Chris has been willing to take myself and Scott under his wing and to show us the ropes, I believe to trust someone at that level, essentially with your life, well... takes you being a pretty damn good person to start with. Much less letting two handsom bearded fellows take your prized race truck with years and years of history down the road 7 hours without as much of a blink of the eye.
The core of this endeavor is to have fun, why do this or anything to this magnitude and not try to have a good time? I mean for gods sake Chris is a stock broker on a walnut farm.. he need some excitement!
Oh and for the record I know he's not afraid to huck his sh!t into oblivion... there is pictorial evidence to prove otherwise
I'm just glad he drives like a maniac when he needs to.. id like to have the crap scared out of me at some point.. sounds like fun.
I doubt that is the case with Chris Raffo, see above.
If you ever have a chance to chat with Chris on the phone or at a race, do it, he's got so much to say that is worth listening to. Now I have been extremely blessed to be around Dave Turner, who had been in this business for over 20 years and knows practically everyone, so in my business when you call a guy, say... someone at Bilstein and you drop the name kind of to validate some of this and they react favorably is really cool. Everyone I talk to has the same reactions to Chris which validates that he is not full of it.. well maybe he is but that's another story
See the big thing here is Chris has been willing to take myself and Scott under his wing and to show us the ropes, I believe to trust someone at that level, essentially with your life, well... takes you being a pretty damn good person to start with. Much less letting two handsom bearded fellows take your prized race truck with years and years of history down the road 7 hours without as much of a blink of the eye.
The core of this endeavor is to have fun, why do this or anything to this magnitude and not try to have a good time? I mean for gods sake Chris is a stock broker on a walnut farm.. he need some excitement!
Oh and for the record I know he's not afraid to huck his sh!t into oblivion... there is pictorial evidence to prove otherwise
I'm just glad he drives like a maniac when he needs to.. id like to have the crap scared out of me at some point.. sounds like fun.
Well, afternoon gents, @secutright delivered the Race truck to my place last night. @bergerking came over and helped us unload it, much appreciated for the late night!
Thank god for my lovely wife, while I was at work she absolutely gutted the garage so we could fit the truck in and still have room.
Heck she even cleared out the spare storage room!
I've been on a mission to get more organized, my problem is if I don't have a place for it then it gets out wherever. So I buy more of these black sterilite bins when we go shopping, also Walmart sells smaller bins that fit inside those so it's perfect. I have lots of places for things.
She fits great with plenty of room on both sides.
This morning I started with the "purge" and cleared out all of my spare crap I hadn't used in a few years.
That felt good to clear it out. I feel like I am starting fresh.
Thank god for my lovely wife, while I was at work she absolutely gutted the garage so we could fit the truck in and still have room.
Heck she even cleared out the spare storage room!
I've been on a mission to get more organized, my problem is if I don't have a place for it then it gets out wherever. So I buy more of these black sterilite bins when we go shopping, also Walmart sells smaller bins that fit inside those so it's perfect. I have lots of places for things.
She fits great with plenty of room on both sides.
This morning I started with the "purge" and cleared out all of my spare crap I hadn't used in a few years.
That felt good to clear it out. I feel like I am starting fresh.
So, just to make it interesting, I offered to put up $500 cash if the Moss Brothers, 1978 Black Bronco, runs in Vintage, and beats the Blazer.
So removing the shocks and glass were the first things needing to be done. The closer I look the more I learn, there is a lot going on here but from what I can tell the only reason this hasn't had much in the way of problems is because it's way overbuilt, the frame is boxed and there is a ton of triangulation and chassis to cage tie ins it's ridiculous.
They don't build them like this anymore because almost all frames are boxed and hydroformed now so they're much more rigid to start with.
Got all the shocks off and discharged. All the rears still had a full charge from what I can tell.
Here's the business seat, sure that could tell a story or too!
They don't build them like this anymore because almost all frames are boxed and hydroformed now so they're much more rigid to start with.
Got all the shocks off and discharged. All the rears still had a full charge from what I can tell.
Here's the business seat, sure that could tell a story or too!
handloader90
Building!
Sub'd
This is epic. I've seen pics of this truck in action and seeing what makes it tick is cool.
This/\ it's fulfilling a dream dude.. to touch and get to know this rig is like nothing else I've worked on.. every single area that could be weak is reinforced.. and just opening my garage and the rig I literally was trying to copy in high school is here at my house!! Freaking nuts.
CrpMag122
1/2 ton status
As always, I am late to the party... Better late then never, subscribed!
Duel fuel tanks wow, lots of fuel
The rear tank is the largest at a stated 44 gal. , but only actually pumps 39. We ran out of gas in a couple of races, so I added another 25. A big single fuel cell cost a couple of thousand bucks, so it was cheaper alternative to use standard stock car stuff.
this is awesome, sub'd
Woo, kind of a deconstruction going on here tonight.. yes right lol..
I depadded the cage and probally cut a million zip ties.
I bet there are a million little stories this truck could tell too.
Simple is king. Simple is effective.
Once you start to take the covers off you see how this thing goes together.
I filled a trash can with padding and started using the floor..
I depadded the cage and probally cut a million zip ties.
I bet there are a million little stories this truck could tell too.
Simple is king. Simple is effective.
Once you start to take the covers off you see how this thing goes together.
I filled a trash can with padding and started using the floor..
Also played with leaf springs today getting measurements for Deaver.
WOW!! Two words...BAD ASS!!!
Whats it pulling front and rear?
Right now 11 inches up front and 13 out back. We're working with Deaver to trying and get 14 up front and 17 out back but the length of the springs are the limits to that. 54 up front and 59 in back
Interestingly enough the mounts are spaced at 47 F and 56 R which is why I suspect the travel is being limited some.
If the springs don't have enough arch to shorten to those mounts distance the travel gets limited by the shackle .
As shown below, the clamp is the limiter, there are two ways to fix this, a shorter spring or a shorter shackle that doesn't swing as much.
The front isn't nearly as bad and has a decent angle at droop. So the only thing that needs modification here is a tad more arch and maybe slightly longer main leaf to prevent the shackle from flipping forward at droop with the extra arch.
Deaver is looking at this and said they would help up men it work.
Interestingly enough the mounts are spaced at 47 F and 56 R which is why I suspect the travel is being limited some.
If the springs don't have enough arch to shorten to those mounts distance the travel gets limited by the shackle .
As shown below, the clamp is the limiter, there are two ways to fix this, a shorter spring or a shorter shackle that doesn't swing as much.
The front isn't nearly as bad and has a decent angle at droop. So the only thing that needs modification here is a tad more arch and maybe slightly longer main leaf to prevent the shackle from flipping forward at droop with the extra arch.
Deaver is looking at this and said they would help up men it work.
