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Pzuzu The Isuzu Build (RIP)

Made so much progress today Im amazed.

In 7 hours I finished my steering box mount, mounted my steering box, measured and made my draglink, located and tacked my radius arm mounts on both sides, and flexed the front end out!


I started with the steering box early afternoon. Spent an hour on friday at work grinding my outside the frame plate to be beautious like the inside was. Knocked them out to 5/8ths for the sleeves and found out I really needed an 11/16s bit not a 5/8ths. Couldnt get one in short order so I went to lowes and got a cheapy $4 carbide cutter that locks into an impact drill.

Took a little longer than expected but worked great. Had it mocked up on the frame in no time.

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Cut the anti crush sleeves flush on the outside and welded them in inside and out. Hit the outside welds with a 36grit flap wheel for a nice flat surface for the washer and head of the bolt and threw the box on.

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I havent welded the plates to the frame all the way yet. When EVERYTHING on the frame is done anything thats more than 1/8 to 1/8th is gonna get welded up at work. Especially considering the steering box plates are 5/16ths...

Whipped up a draglink in short order.

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Got all that done in a timely manner so I figured I should start working on getting my drivers side radius arm located and mounted. After some head scratching I figured I would determine where on the tube the radius arm went by taking the same measurement as the already done side from my plumb bob line.

Then came the frustration of the frame side mounts that ive revised on the truck and in my head 40 jillion times. Last week I had determines I would french the mounts in a crossmember. Well idk what I was thinking because the mounts hit the frame and another crossmember would be really over kill and probably in that way of pulling the trans, plus making it removable is a pain in the ballz.

My solution was to french the mounts into the frame. Even though its only 1in into the frame its 1in less hanging on racks and logs.

Cut the frame out.

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Then this happened. First time for everything I guess.

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Guess my grinder is the Tim Taylor binford tools suped up special lol.


Insert prefabd mount.

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Remember kids measure 600 times so your truck doesnt crab walk down the road!



So I had both radius arms on. Time to see what all this talk about radius arm binding is about!

3link eat your heart out.

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This is 5in up, 8in down measured from the balljoint to the coil bucket. Mind you theres no weight here at all to help it move. Which means theres no binding at all within the range of travel of the shocks. I didnt have to push on anything or sit on the frame, nothing.

A little tidbit about radius arms. While I would NEVER EVER recommend anyone use the stock ford clamps and wedges like I have simply because they are very hard to locate from scratch on a new axle, and a pain in the ass to tighten up, I will say if you're looking for a better front ride then leafs but dont have the knowledge to be crunching 3link numbers, or the will to locate that pain in the ass upper link radius arms are a damn good choice.
 
Reading a bunch of aussie land cruiser builds is seriously making me want to import a 4 banger TD for this thing...

That is all, bad thoughts running through the head :doah:

Theyre like $2000 minimum to import. I would get a fully mechanical from an earlier body trooper.

Pluses: Fully mechanical, no wiring like Ill have to do with a 3.8, good for water crossings, dependable, torque, can simply be turned up for power.

Negatives: Never available here, parts issues, more money, more money, more expensive fuel.



Dont mind me Im also gonna go look into if a 6.2 will mate up to my isuzu trans somehow... :thinking:




Oooo I could do a 6.2 to a toyota trans and tcase and go doubler in the future!
 
Reading a bunch of aussie land cruiser builds is seriously making me want to import a 4 banger TD for this thing...

That is all, bad thoughts running through the head :doah:

Theyre like $2000 minimum to import. I would get a fully mechanical from an earlier body trooper.

Pluses: Fully mechanical, no wiring like Ill have to do with a 3.8, good for water crossings, dependable, torque, can simply be turned up for power.

Negatives: Never available here, parts issues, more money, more money, more expensive fuel.



Dont mind me Im also gonna go look into if a 6.2 will mate up to my isuzu trans somehow... :thinking:
well how big are the trooper engines?
I am working on a possibility of using a 2.1 liter diesel that is pretty common here and would be available for cheap, and it's all mechanical.
But that is not an overnight thing so by the time you finish the frame and suspension, check back with me and I'll let you know.
it's a 2000 model year and comes as N/A but I am putting a wastegated turbo from a mercedes on it to get a little more ooomph out of it.
 
well how big are the trooper engines?
I am working on a possibility of using a 2.1 liter diesel that is pretty common here and would be available for cheap, and it's all mechanical.
But that is not an overnight thing so by the time you finish the frame and suspension, check back with me and I'll let you know.
it's a 2000 model year and comes as N/A but I am putting a wastegated turbo from a mercedes on it to get a little more ooomph out of it.


2.8L-3.1L used in to troopers. Is it an isuzu diesel? My issue here is what Im gonna use for a trans. I have 2 options for using an isuzu trans. The motor needs to be a GM 60* bell OR an isuzu bell.

Im gonna mull over a 6.2 here...
 
2.8L-3.1L used in to troopers. Is it an isuzu diesel? My issue here is what Im gonna use for a trans. I have 2 options for using an isuzu trans. The motor needs to be a GM 60* bell OR an isuzu bell.

Im gonna mull over a 6.2 here...
I know the gas engines are 2.8l but the diesels, how big are they?
I am guessing maybe 2.5?
And this engine is not a GM and I am working on making an adapter for it to mate to GM trannies.
 
I know the gas engines are 2.8l but the diesels, how big are they?
I am guessing maybe 2.5?
And this engine is not a GM and I am working on making an adapter for it to mate to GM trannies.


No thats the diesel sizes I gave you there :D Early ones are 2.8, later is 3.0 and 3.1s.

Have any more info on this mystery motor here?
 
No thats the diesel sizes I gave you there :D Early ones are 2.8, later is 3.0 and 3.1s.

Have any more info on this mystery motor here?
Oh it's a commercial engine off refrigerated trailers, Yanmar brand.
California Air resource board has made it illegal to use any of them more than 7 years so any 2005 or older have to be repowered.
I have one from my 2000 that I repowered and I am trying to find a way to adapt it, I already talked to David (sixB here) about making the adapters, so now I am trying to put a turbo on it.
It wouldn't work for a big K5, but for a trooper, maybe, or for me I am looking at a Suzuki Samurai, or the earlier ones. I could get about 65-70MPG according to my calculations, and they are cheap to get.
 
Im looking into a 1.9L volkswagon TDI diesel too. They make an adapter for a toyota trans. I wouldnt mind getting a toy trans and tcase into my rig. Lots of aftermarket for it.
 
Im looking into a 1.9L volkswagon TDI diesel too. They make an adapter for a toyota trans. I wouldnt mind getting a toy trans and tcase into my rig. Lots of aftermarket for it.
If you find one of those let me know.
I want to put one in my jetta.:D
 
You could always go with a VW 1.9l diesel. Plenty of aftermarket for them to make more power. Easy to get parts too since there are thousands of diesel VWs out there.
 
You could always go with a VW 1.9l diesel. Plenty of aftermarket for them to make more power. Easy to get parts too since there are thousands of diesel VWs out there.

Yeah Im looking into them now. Trying to figure if its good enough to pull the truck around.
 
With the right gearing, I see no reason why it should any issues with your truck. My mom has a 2005.5 which is the 100hp/177tq motor and at first I wasn't sure how it would do being such a small engine. It moves that car with ease is scary, pretty damn fast too. Course the car has a 6sp dual clutch auto so that helps also.
 
With the right gearing, I see no reason why it should any issues with your truck. My mom has a 2005.5 which is the 100hp/177tq motor and at first I wasn't sure how it would do being such a small engine. It moves that car with ease is scary, pretty damn fast too. Course the car has a 6sp dual clutch auto so that helps also.

The trucks gonna have 4.56s with 33s. The VW diesel seems to have an RPM range like a gasser, similar to how he OM617 is.

Im gonna keep doing research, but I might wind up going this route.
 
Those gears and a 5sp trans would be perfect behind the VW diesel. Throw a doubler in there and it would do pretty damn good in the woods too. As for which engine to look for, anything from 2003 and older are suppose to be all mechanical engines with 99-03 being the most preferred for both mileage, power and tunablity. That's what my research has found at least, since I'm looking for a used jetta tdi. Whole car in my case.
 
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