Is Everyone A Fabricator Now??

[fishd00d]

HOLY CRAP!! This goes to show that you can not just "build a 4-link"...you DO need to cycle stuff and think about it before you do:

Ummmm the front mount isnt even broken??
http://offroad.raysite.net/images/ocotillo_12-14-02/IMG_0164.jpg

Other side:
http://offroad.raysite.net/images/ocotillo_12-14-02/IMG_0165.jpg


Please guys do some thinking and have a competent person build your stuff so you dont kill yourselves and your friends....

Go Big Or Go Home
United Jumping Truck Society

[mattrick88]

here is a thread on it <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.offroadrangers.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9430>http://www.offroadrangers.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9430</A>

i hope that guy offroads alone because that thing is a death trap.

some other things i noticed about this truck:
axle ends look like there are welded on with a stick welder
the brake line that just wanders around the axle
no bump stop
the ebrake is run along the link!!!

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by mattrick88 on 12/15/02 07:01 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

[sirhk100]

Ha, thanks for the laugh!! Outta complete curiosity, did he drive it home like that?

'92 Ford Exploder (work in progress)

[ACID_RAIN28]

all I got to say is

WTF!!!!!!!

Anyone can escape into sleep, we are all geniuses when we dream.

[ACID_RAIN28]

Question, what I am sure that the builder would like to remain annonomys(sp) but what "Wonder Boy" created that thing?

Anyone can escape into sleep, we are all geniuses when we dream.

[Kritter]

Fish. did you build that? JK

Kris
"Buy American before it's too late..."

[JrSyko]

Its kinda funny though how we laugh about how **BAN ME****BAN ME****BAN ME****BAN ME**ty that is, but then if you compare it to the [censored] built on the steering linkage thread it looks like its first class.

See ya in the dirt!

[ACID_RAIN28]

true!

Anyone can escape into sleep, we are all geniuses when we dream.

[fishd00d]

Nah mine wouldnt have made it to the dirt! lol

Go Big Or Go Home
United Jumping Truck Society

[motoxscott]

I'll give the guy credit for trying, you know he has tons of hours into it. Too bad he didn't have someone with some more experiance help him like people here. You never know, he could have got bad advice from some kid hiding behind a screen name who thinks they know everything, their seems to many of those types lurking in the shadows now days.

On the good side just when he was looking for things to do, he has a new project to work on.......................

[Donahoe]

All you need is a Mig welder and a chop saw and you are a certified off-road Fabricator... Thats what I hear....

NEVER LIFT!!!!!

[havahockey]

Don't forget the Harbor Frieght tube bender.

Race-Dezert Anonymous - Step #1:
"Hello, my name is Jason. And I'm a Race-Dezertaholic."

[ACID_RAIN28]

perfect example, wont say who it is but here is the story. Buddy of mine who works at a window tint and glass shop told me that this welder is moving into one of the empty places next to the glass place. Well long story short, he purchased a New MANDERAL machine, chopsaw, benchgrinder, Migwelder, BAM!!! instant muffler shop. " WONDER BOY" as we dubbed him aperently woke up one day and decided to do trucks and mufflers. Never welded before in his life! He is still in buisness now surpriseingly for like 3-4 months. But man, you should see some of the stuff, already made some jeep roll cage parts, can u guess what it was out of?????????

I belive after the first two weeks and a few Pissed of relatives and costumers he spent the weekend working on the mig settings, which still are not right, found a sweet spot and marked the settings. He was building a horse small horse corral the other day, with the setting in the same place for mufflers, chicken scratches everywhere, so helped him out a little with some setting adavice, and what do you know it was better.

I know that everyone has to start somewhere and that I will probably get some flak for this but it had to be told.

Anyone can escape into sleep, we are all geniuses when we dream.

[partybarge_pilot]

Hahahahahah, I wonder what tha spring rate of that shaft is? Someone should refer that guy to the four link thread.....

[orvacian]

It amazes me when you see something like that, the guy who built it seemingly has no mechanical common sense. What was supposed to keep that beam from spinning when it has heims on both ends?
The shock shaft mabye? Now the fab guy is probably telling everybody that Sway-a-way shocks suck. Can you imagine the look on the face of the guy at Sway-a-way's warranty department when he sees these "defective" shocks?

[crashesalot2003]

i think this should be a lesson to all people trying to build a truck, if you aren't sure ask for help, don't let your pride get in the way when your faulty job could get you, a passenger, or someone driving on the same road KILLED! it is not worth a life and/or a jail sentence! if you want to learn by doing be smart learn as much as you can, look at parts already done, and then if you go build it cycle the motion and think in your head what the stresses of weight and motion will do to these parts and how they are being pushed, and were they will break, and most of all be careful!

no brain, no pain

[motoxscott]

I've seen this same post flair up like a wild fire on some other boards. Anyone can be a critic, how about we offer some help to the guy rather than point out things he probably already knows by now. From what I've heard, the guy driving this didnt build it, he bought it used for a project and only took it out in the desert to see how it worked.........not very good

People have said that it risks other people on the road, why isnt the drunks in Glamis and Ocotillo driving around an issue. (adam brought this up).

I'm not endorsing the truck or the guy, just that I've seen him get torn a new one over this. I've seen many people who have no clue what they are talking about explaining the flaws and how it needs to be corrected and copying verbatim from the "links 101" post here.

That's all from me on this one. No point preaching if no one is listening...........

So has anyone seen Fish's baseball ????

[Dillon]

I've personally got no experience fabricating and haven't been around it much but plan to start as soon as I get my house and start messing around with bumpers and little insignifigant stuff, but a few questions.

Obviously you should be pretty experienced when it comes to designing a 4-link rear and its obvious he put alot of time into it, but I'm not exactly sure what happened. Again, for anybody thats doesn't know, I live in Oklahoma and haven't seen a true 4-link up close in about 18 months, so bear with me.

I can see that the links twisted apparently because the shocks aren't center mounted (?) on the link. But where exactly did it break?, at the rear where the pivot on the axle is seems obvious enough but what about in front. Is it just a really crappy weld I'm seeing or something else? Did he blow up the heims or what?

Again, I have no pride, I admit I don't know crap about fabricating but would like to learn from other people's mistakes.

[partybarge_pilot]

What He broke was the shock, the arm is still structurally sound. The shock should be mounted on the centerline of the arm. The pivot of the shock should be slightly below the center line of the front and rear pivots. This way the pressure from the shock holding your truck up also keeps the arm strait. These arms on this truck could be salvaged with, A. A urithane bushing up front and centering the shocks. B. another little hiem in a slider mounted parellel to the front one to keep the arm from twisting but still articulate.

[Dillon]

Well I know he broke the shock lol, but thanks :) I figured the shock should be centermounted but I still don't understand that is the only thing that broke, the left link rotated almost 90 degrees. I know that shouldn't happen, what about heavy pounding going sideways (re: CORR trucks), I know I've seen a trophy truck or two with heims at both ends, but I could be crazy. Even with a heim, it shouldn't rotate that much should it? or do he mess up one (or both) of the heims? I wish the pictures were a little better then I could picture it better.

I'm reading through the Links 101thread so that may explain it a little, just trying to figure it out.

Thanks, appreciate the help.

[hoeker]

the force of the shock off the centerline of the arm, didn't break the arm, rather it loosened the jam nuts. once the nut was loose he didn't stand a chance, probly only took a jump to do all that damage. as far as CORR goes i'm pretty sure all links are heim on both ends.

LIGHTS RIGHT
www.rosshoek.com

[Brian Mapes]

I wonder how he got that truck home, cuz if he drove it home then the ride would have sucked. Basicly no shocks because they cant compress. I cant even imagine. Jeez!

say goodbye to a tangerine sky
say hello, say hello to tomorrow.

[crashesalot2003]

just to clairify, i wasn't trying to be harsh or mean, i mean i don't know everything either, but we all should take these pictures as an example and learn from it, because that is what the whole "shop" section is about, to share ideas and knowledge, so if anyone found my words too harsh then i'm sorry that you missed what i was trying to say and maybe next time i'll try to be more elaborate.

no brain, no pain

[rdc]

What is the name of that driveshaft place that has its name stamped on the driveshaft in that picture? Where are they located? See those all the time.

[Kritter]

If you need driveline checkout JE REEL in Pomona, they stamp theirs. The owner is Jim Reel and he used to do big dogs like Gordon's and Riviera's driveshafts to name a couple. Tell him Davis Motorsports sent you.

Kris
"Buy American before it's too late..."

[RacerX]

I wanna see them pull the coils off the shock in the first picture.

[ntsqd]

What was I said several months ago ?
"Posession of a welder and a tube bender do not make you a fabricator."

Those LCA's are an example of just about everything that LCA 101 has talked about not doing. The coil-over mounts were a designed-in failure mode. There's a reason Engineers spend so much time in school. Experienced Fabricators have the same intuitive education, just they arrived at it differently.

TS

I used swerve around my halucinations, now I drive right thru them.

[beamdream]

Correct me if Im wrong....but does PIC#1 show a slight body lift? That doesnt look like a stock body mount....

C-$

[Kritter]

Thats a factory cab bushing/mount

Kris
"Buy American before it's too late..."

[JrSyko]

Why do you think that he mounted the shocks on the outer portion of the LCA? It looks like there is a mount in the middle that would have worked better?

See ya in the dirt!

[Kritter]

That was for the bypass!!!! JK

Kris
"Buy American before it's too late..."

[fishd00d]

They said that on the inner mount the shocks were hitting the frame.....so they had to move them out so it cleared the frame.....

Go Big Or Go Home
United Jumping Truck Society

[Kritter]

You know these guys Fish?

Kris
"Buy American before it's too late..."

[fishd00d]

No but one of my friends knows him.....

Go Big Or Go Home
United Jumping Truck Society

[hxckidd]

the shock was taken off the truck and replaced to drive it home. we knew that it wasnt ready to take out but my friend got a little over anxoius with it. we did not build it, we got it like that and we were in the process of rebuilding it, but we just have not found the time. yes there is another mount on the arm but the coilover was too close to the frame with it mounted on top, so it was moved to the side for the time being.

[TDORSloppy]

The guy who owns this truck is a customer of mine. He came in on Monday to pickup a replacement for the shocks but we only had one. He didn't seem too bummed about it but if anything he learned a lot. Here's some pics of it before at Kartek...

http://www.race-dezert.com/wwwthreads/files/6-39702-4link1.jpg

[TDORSloppy]

Another...

http://www.race-dezert.com/wwwthreads/files/6-39703-4link2.jpg