Colorado B/S Thread

[1-tonxj]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

How many years in the making is your rig?

It's been built 3x maybe 3-1/2 as 2016 into 2017 I rebuilt most of what was done by previous owner and crawlertech ...this build I gutted most of what I built in 16-17 ... it's a slow process when you build mostly from scratch and not bolt on a Jeep with only 10 hours a month or so to do the work , but safe to say it is the full body king rig of this chapter.

 

[freerider15]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Starting disassembling the buggy today (some of the interior).

Was just planning on getting the D60 slapped in, but scope creep might be hitting :laugh:

Might just see about getting the cooling system change I wanted, completed.

As well, might look into changing the fuel supply line (pump, filter, regulator) etc. routing...as I'd like to be able to put an on/off ball valve in there.

Unfortunately, the cooling system change is $$ and will require some custom work (TIG'ing AN fittings onto the waterpump and Tstat housing), but would be well well worth it.

Allllmost thought about trying to see if I couldn't somehow fit a 4 link in the front...but am quickly nixing that. Still *might* redo my LCA mounts though.

 

[in4aride]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Just make it wheelable this season, finish Nikki’s rig and start fresh next winter on yours.

 

[Kittrell]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Just make it wheelable this season, finish Nikki’s rig and start fresh next winter on yours.

And end the cycle of always wrenching and never wheeling? Are you mad?!

 

[freerider15]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Just make it wheelable this season, finish Nikki’s rig and start fresh next winter on yours.

It will still be wheelable, I've got 3 months until EJS...should have enough time to get it ready for that.

The cooling system stuff is simple. Outside of getting the fittings TIG'd on, it shouldn't take me more than a day to get the cooling system complete.

Waiting for a ball hone to arrive any moment, then I should be ready to start getting the D60 put together. Got the tubes welded and the axle pretty well cleaned up. Truss is welded up and ready for install as well.

The Blue XJ will get a front DS rebuilt and thrown in, and remain that way for a bit. It should be good for light wheeling as is. Buggy will be "out" for a month while the truck is in the body shop. Might take that time to start putting together the 8.8 and built D30.

And end the cycle of always wrenching and never wheeling? Are you mad?!

Hey now, I still have done far more wheeling than most in this chapter in the last couple years. :laugh:

I'll have truck, buggy, trailer, and blue Jeep all as done as they're going to be for a while by the end of the year. Getting the blue jeep running and driving was the biggest amount of work between them all.

 

[DutchVDub]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Gathering up the parts for the buggy one at a time.

1988 Ford Kingpin Dana 60 Front

Later Ford Sterling 10.25 8x6.5 rear

Refer sourced Kubota V2203 diesel engine

70's Ford C4 automatic with 302 bellhousing

Ford NP205 transfer case

Kubota Swappers adapter kit to attach the little diesel to a SBF transmission

All the parts to convert the refer style Kubota to a "vehicle" BobCat style. Smaler oil pan, oil dip stick and tube, valve cover with oil fill, correct exhaust manifold for the turbo kit, and associated hardware/gaskets

I also got a used fixture kit from a local seller.

I ordered the JHF/Goatbuilt 4 seat chassis kit today, it ships after KOH. I also have an Overland Diesel turbo kit on order to give the little diesel some extra power. I'm also going to be ordering a NWF black box to go between the C4 and NP205, giving me 3 low ranges to choose from. That will hopefully give me enough gearing options to balance out the low rpm range of the diesel engine with different trail situations.

I’m not expecting to get the buggy done until next summer at the earliest. I do have most of the big ticket items paid for other than wheels/tires. Everything else will just nickel and dime me to death. I move into my new house after Feb 13, then I need to set up that garage. It’s a 3 car with almost 12’ ceilings and a 26’ deep 2 car side. I’ll also have room for a car trailer next to the garage so I’m really excited.

 

[freerider15]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Love the JHF kits...would love to build a rear steer two seater.

Gotta say, some interesting parts there...definitely some I wouldn't chose...but looking forward to the build!

 

[DutchVDub]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Yeah, the diesel is leftover from when I was going to do the CJ6 instead. The Ford AOD has better gearing than a 700r4 so for streetability I was going to go that route, which I’d already ordered the eng/trans adapter for. Once I decided to go full buggy (at my g/f’s recommendations) I had to figure some other drivetrain options. The C4 with the AA short adapter will be the same length as a TH350 and while not as common is every bit as strong. NP205 is heavy as hell but with the NWF black box will be the same length as the 4 speed Atlas I was going to go with and significantly cheaper.

The diesel is going to be interesting but I’ve been a diesel mechanic since I was 17. It’s a very simple and reliable engine that will make plenty of torque. Guys are getting almost 300 ft/lbs with a simple turbo and adjusting the stock injection pump. Mechanical pump and mechanical shut off means no electrical stuff to deal with other than the starter and electric fan. This engine will also easily stay cool with a CJ2 sized radiator. Worst case though I’ll just need to swap the torque converter and flex plate out and I could bolt a 302 to the drivetrain no problem. So if I find I don’t like the diesel in the buggy I’ll do that and reuse it in my Willy’s truck with a Ford M5OD manual transmission.

And yeah, I’m kind of a Ford guy so I wasn’t going to go LS regardless.

 

[Kittrell]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Hey now, I still have done far more wheeling than most in this chapter in the last couple years. :laugh:

Don't worry that was a dig at all of us. With the exception of Dutch who can put together a mostly functional XJ in a weekend, everyone else is pretty much just turning wrenches 80% of the time.

 

[in4aride]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Get the chassis rack from jay? I saw he had been selling one.

Justin, still doing buggy in ejs without bfe or are they opening it? Still thinking about a day trip out for a quick run to meet up with Seth or others for a mild run.

 

[in4aride]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Don't worry that was a dig at all of us. With the exception of Dutch who can put together a mostly functional XJ in a weekend, everyone else is pretty much just turning wrenches 80% of the time.

Hey I wheel a lot, especially now that it’s not in a xj :roflmao:

I think I took more trips to Moab last year than chapter runs the past two years :twak:

 

[time2getdirty]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

I do believe I have built and wheeled more rigs than more than half of you guys combined in the last 9 years since I joined Naxja.

 

[in4aride]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

I do believe I have built and wheeled more rigs than more than half of you guys combined in the last 9 years since I joined Naxja.

Combined they probably weighed less than 1ton’s rig :roflmao: :gag:

Sorry had to.

 

[DutchVDub]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Mostly functional is a relative term lol, but the beater XJ does keep going. Although when I first got on this forum I was taking my completely stock XJ out almost ever weekend.

Yeah Mike, I got the chassis jig/fixture from Jay. He lives like 15min away from me.

Pretty sure 1Ton’s XJ weighs more than his Cummins truck. But hey, at least he is working on it and goes wheeling. I’ll give him credit for sticking with the same rig all of these years. I’ve basically just been in an endless cycle of building the exact same thing over and over again. When my g/f convinced me to do the JHF kit instead of the CJ6 she only had 1 stipulation, I can’t sell or part out the XJ until after the buggy is done.

 

[1-tonxj]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Combined they probably weighed less than 1ton’s rig :roflmao: :gag:

Sorry had to.

Probably but my 5600 lbs was with 400lbs of people , 250, lbs of tools , 156lb 40 spare tsl mrw beadlock, spare axle shafts and spare drive shafts to which i have no idea what those weigh , so if weighing it out like most did ...empty... it was sub 4800lbs . I think I gained some with the boatsides , but not much after you subtract the loss of body sheet metal and the 1/4 thick sliders and the guts of the doors and all interior trim . I recently added about 50 lbs of 1-3/4 1026 tube to inner cage and the tie in to the exo . But if weighing it empty I'd wager it weighs under the 5600lbs it did way back in 2012 probably around 5200 lbs .

 

[in4aride]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

Mostly functional is a relative term lol, but the beater XJ does keep going. Although when I first got on this forum I was taking my completely stock XJ out almost ever weekend.

Yeah Mike, I got the chassis jig/fixture from Jay. He lives like 15min away from me.

Pretty sure 1Ton’s XJ weighs more than his Cummins truck. But hey, at least he is working on it and goes wheeling. I’ll give him credit for sticking with the same rig all of these years. I’ve basically just been in an endless cycle of building the exact same thing over and over again. When my g/f convinced me to do the JHF kit instead of the CJ6 she only had 1 stipulation, I can’t sell or part out the XJ until after the buggy is done.

Yeah I just like giving him shit, he knows :roflmao:

I’m same, I’ve built same thing repeatedly until the last one. Then I realized, unless going Justin’s route with it, xj just doesn’t fit what I want to do on a trail, why I now have the Tj. Although the Tacoma should be better built than the Tj here by summer.

 

[1-tonxj]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

I'm still debating a bling 4.6 stroker or v8 ... obviously the right v8 such as a gm 6.2 and accompanying transmission are 400+ up and torque , but a bling 4.6 with a couple grand of extras is almost 300hp and is about 330 ft/lbs... and bolts in over a weekend vs another project I really don't have time for that eats up trail time .

 

[trippled]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

So jealous you ordered the jhf chassis Dutch. Should be very cool with the little diesel. I was looking at the rock lizard chassis the other day and thinking how cool one would be with a little vw diesel in it.

 

[in4aride]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

So jealous you ordered the jhf chassis Dutch. Should be very cool with the little diesel. I was looking at the rock lizard chassis the other day and thinking how cool one would be with a little vw diesel in it.

Those are a cool option for small power setups. They aren’t enough to handle too much weight or power.
The 4.0 aw4 built one is pretty sweet.

 

[time2getdirty]

Re: The Colorado BS thread

I am wheeling right now.