SimonandSimonBeast Build

[SimonandSimonBeast]

We may need a Wagons on OBX event some year. We camped in Frisco woods for years and have rented houses in Frisco, Buxton and Avon. My in-laws talked me into Corolla and Corova a few years ago and we really liked it up there too. Love being there.

SimonandSimon Beast nice truck and choices on your build.

Thanks TommyG. PWs in OBX sounds like a good idea. I usually rent soundside so I have direct water access and great sunsets. Last time in Ocracoke we got a house directly on the sound with a dock. There are Carolina Skiff rentals out of Silver Lake Harbor, you pilot it around to the house and dock it there for the week. Opens up a whole new frontier for the trip.

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[TommyG]

We may need a Wagons on OBX event some year. We camped in Frisco woods for years and have rented houses in Frisco, Buxton and Avon. My in-laws talked me into Corolla and Corova a few years ago and we really liked it up there too. Love being there.

SimonandSimon Beast nice truck and choices on your build.

Thanks TommyG. PWs in OBX sounds like a good idea. I usually rent soundside so I have direct water access and great sunsets. Last time in Ocracoke we got a house directly on the sound with a dock. There are Carolina Skiff rentals out of Silver Lake Harbor, you pilot it around to the house and dock it there for the week. Opens up a whole new frontier for the trip.

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Have not been on the water in the sound. We just try to stay near a ramp to the beach so we can drive out and surf/play on the beach all day. It would be cool to explore via the water too. So much to do there you could spend a lifetime and not get bored.

[TommyG]

We may need a Wagons on OBX event some year. We camped in Frisco woods for years and have rented houses in Frisco, Buxton and Avon. My in-laws talked me into Corolla and Corova a few years ago and we really liked it up there too. Love being there.

SimonandSimon Beast nice truck and choices on your build.

My brother been gong there for years. We just started to go with him the last 2. We like it up there too.

Idea. Rent a house in Oct when it's cheaper, and have everyone pitch in.

Fall is the best. Have had some amazing Halloween trips there over the years. Warm water, decent weather, low prices and you have the place to yourself.

[RustyPW]

When we was there in early Oct. Hardly anyone was there during the week. We had the whole section of beach to ourselfs.

[SimonandSimonBeast]

Purple Cranium Spider diff guards installed front and rear.

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[ghaugo]

Looks awesome! I really like that color.

[SimonandSimonBeast]

Looks awesome! I really like that color.

Thanks. It's Hammertone Candy Red powder coat w/another clear powder coat. I figured being in rustylvania I would pay a little extra for more coats. Black decals.

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[RustyPW]

Looks awesome! I really like that color.

Thanks. It's Hammertone Candy Red powder coat w/another clear powder coat. I figured being in rustylvania I would pay a little extra for more coats. Black decals.

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First stone chip and they're done.

[SimonandSimonBeast]

I figure by next year it will be black Rust-Oleum rattle can like everything else under there.

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[SimonandSimonBeast]

Carli ball joints on the way from CJC Off-road. To arrive Friday and installed Monday by my awesome local mechanic, Spaniel's in Hatfield, PA. Maple sliders should be on the way too. Maple skid coming later. Trying to keep the these guys in business.

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[SimonandSimonBeast]

Just arrived...Carli Ball Joints.

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[RustyPW]

I got them. 2 things. When installing the bottom ones. Make sure of the position of the grease fitting. You want to be able to get to it with a grease gun. And speaking of grease. Be careful on how much grease you inject. Because you can hydrolock the joint. Making the joint hard to turn.

[SimonandSimonBeast]

Thanks Russ. CJC has a good video on it. Very detailed. I am also surprised about the detailed COLOR instruction that come with it. My truck is behaving a bit "darty" up front. Seems to be getting worse. I'm hoping this resolves that. Still on the stock joints at 60K+ miles. I've read where people recommend 86ing them at 20K.

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[FirerescuePW]

How is your track bar? That'll make it a bit darty, too.
Is Spaniel's doing the work this week? My shop is about 5 minutes from theirs.

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[SimonandSimonBeast]

Dropped it at Spaniel's last night. Orvilla Rd & Welsh Rd. Will be worked Monday. I have a Thuren bar and Thuren 3" system I put on last year. Bolts are tight. I did notice the axle wasn't centered. It's at least an inch to the left. It seems like the bar needs to be lengthened a bit at the heim. It's confounding though. It didn't seem like that for the better part of the year after I installed it. I'm kind of wondering if they will find something else wrong. There's no clunking, or anything obvious that way.

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[RustyPW]

It took me a while in adjusting the trackbar to make everything even. I put a 6ft level up against the tire sidewall and measured off of that.

[SimonandSimonBeast]

Yesterday I was under there looking at where the boogies line up with the pads on the axle. It's off by at least an inch to the driver side, meaning the track bar should be lengthened to push it to the passenger side. I'm thinking the ball joints are bad too, compounding the problem. So, it's a good time for my mechanic to get the ball joints in, then check how much the track bar is out. Fix that and align. I have him checking brakes and bearings whilst it is all apart...might as well.

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[SimonandSimonBeast]

The level off the tire sounds like a good idea. Maybe measure to a known point on the frame above the tire. I've read the bodies can be off center, so a frame point would be better for driveability. My mechanic has the scoop though. He'll figure it out and get it squared away. A couple of the guys that work there drool when they see my truck pull in. Big Power Wagon fans.

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[SimonandSimonBeast]

Got the truck back today. Everything is much tighter. The trackbar had to be run out quite a bit further than Thuren's recommendation to get the axle centered. Old ball joints had some side to side slop particularly in the lowers. One upper was seized in pretty good due to corrosion. All in all this is a piece of mind to have done.

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[SimonandSimonBeast]

Maple sliders coming Thursday. Now I know one of the things I'm doing this weekend. Away with the chrome OE steps, in with the solid steel Maples.

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[SimonandSimonBeast]

It's a work from home day...shhh...don't tell anybody it's a work on the truck day. Mapes got here via UPS Freight. Removed the old OE steps to get ready for Sat install...some pics:

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[Colibri]

Loving the truck sir, just wanted to mention something about the adjustable track bar, at least on the third gens the thuren/carli recommendation for length did not center the front axle. It had to sit to one side at ride height so that the axles spring perch wouldn’t crash into the trackbar bracket on the frame at full bump. I don’t know about interference issues on your generation of truck specifically, but you might want to check and make sure nothing is going to hit at full stuff with a centered axle

[SimonandSimonBeast]

Thanks for the compliment. That's good to know man. I wasn't thinking about that. I think mine was extreme to the left. I could see 1.5" more reveal on my left tire. The left boogie was lined up above the left side of the pumpkin. My Thuren swaybar links were slanted over. It wasn't like that for a while after I originally installed the system. I'm guessing when I did some winter wheeling with the bar disconnected I really had things twisting up. It must have caused things to settle in. I get what your saying though. I think I will have to disconnect and run it up a boulder somewhere to see if there are any clearance issues. Hopefully, we didn't adjust it too far.

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[SimonandSimonBeast]

Sliders done...I need a beer! That's Lucy in the one pic. She thought I put down the blanket for her. These things are stout. Thumbs up to Neil at Maple Off-road

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[Mule007]

Looking good! Lucy looks like some pretty good help !