Pigeon-Rat - Opel gambler build

[BoondocK5]

Midnight 4x4 - Your Hub For Builder and Fabrication Parts

We'll Help Build Your Stock Rig, Rock Crawler, Side-By-Side, Prerunner, Etc. We Offer A Range Of Builder Parts From Mounts, Rod Ends, Spacers, Tabs, Tube, Dzus, Threaded Bungs And More.

www.midnight4x4.com

Midnight4x4 is a local shop here in Salt Lake. They sell a lot of fab parts, and build custom cages. Great guys to hang with too.

That’s SLC secret 4x4 fab parts place.
I’m always buying little bits and pieces from them.

 

[ashman]

I bolted a tire back on just to see where things ended up. First, I need to put a bend in the radius arms. I forgot about steering. Doh! Gotta make some room for the tire to swing in.
Second, at full bump (as it is right now), the tire is still a couple inches from the top of the wheel well opening. I've got to be able to do better than that.
I probably need to go with a radius arm style closer to @r3dd0g so that I can aim it at the bottom of the axle, then tie into the top. That way the radius arm isn't limiting my up travel so much.
Also have to rethink some of my crossmember.
Nothing is ever easy.

 

[83ChevyK5Blazer]

In the fullsize ttb world 2 1/2 or 2 1/4 from metal to metal is the norm.

 

[ashman]

I'm like 3" away from the outer lip of the fender. Lol

 

[83ChevyK5Blazer]

Got to get more out of it, what's hitting?

 

[BoondocK5]

Not gonna let the tire do the clearance work for you?

 

[ashman]

Got to get more out of it, what's hitting?

Atm, I can clearance more of the crossmember if i redesign part of it.
Also the current radius arm is an issue.

 

[ashman]

I made some progress on getting pieces for inside the frame rails. I finally decided it was time to actually learn a bit about using fusion 360. Specifically, I figured out how to import an image as a canvas, then calibrate it to the right size.
First I made a template then took a pic to use for the canvas:


I figured out that having a ruler in the pic made calibration WAY easier.

Once that was done, I just used the line tool to trace it out:


Add in a couple of fillets and 3 point arcs and it looks pretty good!

I've got a friend that has a 4x8 plazma table, so now that I actually can make something he can use, he cut the pieces out for me. His shop is 15 min away from me, and it took all of 5 minutes to cut both pieces.


I can't believe I put off learning this for this long.

I'll get these bolted up and then continue my crossmember modifications. Looking at it today, I'm fairly certain that I won't even end up using the outside piece on the drivers side. I'm going camping this weekend, so may not be much progress for a few days, but getting these things cut so cleanly feels pretty good.

 

[ashman]

Got my hands on an 1989 landcruiser steering box. (on the left)
It looks very similar to the Nissan one, but just a touch smaller, so fitment isn't going to be an issue. It accepts the same steering shaft, so that's nice, but the pitman arm doesn't transfer over. Not a big deal, but would have been nice.

I did confirm that it rotates the correct way for the pitman arm to be pointed forward.

I'm going to try and nail down the changes I need to make to the crossmember this week, then I can move on to steering!