My 1uzfe build

Discussion in '1989-1995 Build-Up/Project Threads' started by Mr.Mini_4.0, Feb 21, 2016.

  1. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    Okay fellas, about a week ago I started bringing my truck back to life. The new frame I got happens to be a little different, I believe it's off a 89 truck. I started on the front suspension. The rear suspension was a 100% direct bolt as far as the front end, everything is the same besides the lower ball joints. [​IMG]
    Considering that majority of the parts being use are off a 94 truck, I had to do a lot more work to make things work. Ended up installing a 94 lower control arms to fix the ballpoint issue. Last year when I did the original swap I got new control arms but I didn't use the lower ones as the original arms were fine for the time being. So those left over lower control arms came in handy this time around.
    The 2" drop spindle on the passenger side was completely damaged from the impact. I was forced to get another full set. [​IMG]
    After a few good labor hours, it sat on 4 wheels again
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Next up was to remove the engine from the bad frame
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]The L/F engine mount got bent from the engine twisting due to the impact. Instead of trying to straighten it up, I decided to fab up a complete new mounts. I'll warn you, they are not pretty;). But homie! They will work!! Lol
    [​IMG]
    These are the cut plates to be mounted to the engine block
    [​IMG]
    Drilled out
    [​IMG]Driver's side welded up!
    [​IMG]Another angle of the L/F welded mount[​IMG]Mounted to the engine for a test fitment. I also got it painted to make it look a little better:). Just so you guys know, I have the mount setup like this to make more room for my rad Fan. The motor sat about an inch closer to the front core with the drop zone mounts and it was hard to fit in the rad I used plus an electric fam. With this setup I will have just a little bit more room to play with.[​IMG]I had to double check and make sure the engine was center. Using the crank bolt I did just that![​IMG]

    Not 100%, but pretty close. If it annoys me that much I'll figure out a way to balance things out. But for now this is what I have.
    [​IMG]

    Here it is all bolted up. I also made some adjustments to my exhaust as well. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of it. but prior to the crash, the exhaust sat a little lower and you could see the pipe from the side of the truck. I fixed that issue this time around.
    [​IMG]

    I'll be putting the cab and bed on this weekend. I am missing some pictures of the old engine mounts that I will add later.
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2017
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  2. BatryOpratedBoy

    BatryOpratedBoy Enthusiast

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    Location:
    Fresno. =(
    Truck:
    Brave Little Toaster (Diana) and Salsa Verde (Traction Control)
    THANK GOD, you're back at it, man.
     
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  3. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    Thanks bro! I have to
     
  4. mutantcolors

    mutantcolors Enthusiast

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    Doing all the work frame-off makes so much sense now, and you can see how big that "small" V8 is for the body.
     
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  5. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    A lot more easier.. especially for fabbing. The Cab and bed aren't that heave either so it is a win win
     
  6. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    Nice rebuild......but there is no freaking way you'd ever get me to sign off on that bubblegum weld of those engine mounts for a v8 engine :(
     
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  7. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    Thanks. The goal wasn't to have pretty engine mounts. The weld is not pretty but it will hold.
     
  8. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    You SURE about that holding??? I've seen welds that look much better than that fail before.

    I first learned to weld by watching a friend in the garage. I did pretty good but then I wanted to really learn to weld better - so I took a class in college. We learned every type of welding except TIG, starting with brazing, torch, then to ARC, then to flux-core, then MIG; each process had like 10 different weld techniques to learn, you had to pass each test to move forward.

    For grading, Instructor would have the class stand around a giant vice mounted in the middle of the room. He'd clamp down our sample weld and then slammed it several times with a 10# sledge hammer while we all winced through our safety glasses (like the testing in Forged in Fire, lol). A good weld is stronger than the parent material, so if it didn't hold 100% and tore or sheared, then you failed that test. You could re-do the test as many times as you needed, but in order to re-do a test you had to re-submit and pass all the previous techniques leading up to the one you failed (If you failed #7 of 10, you had to re-do and pass 1-6 before he'd consider re-doing #7 for a passing grade). Needless to say, everyone learned how to make quality welds.
     
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  9. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    lol I know what you mean. Unfortunately, I didn't go to school for welding out of all the auto mechanic training I have, and working in the field for a little over 5 years. I tends to learn a lot more From doing things myself and facing challenges, as well as digging deep within my stomach to pull out that last patients to make it through each build I've done. From the look of things on the camera, it may not look as strong but the main welds for the mounts are sealed tight and considering I used a flux welder it didn't turned out as clean but I made sure the weld was sealed tight and werent bubbles connecting one another. If I still had it out, I'd show better pictures. But if it was weak, the amount of times I hit of with the hammer to test it out, it would have fallen out. And plus you may be right. Maybe over time it will fail. But if that happens then I'll have it to pay to get it welded better. But the welds holding the mounts together is solid. Don't pay too much attentions to the spark bubble. The truck is also a daily and not a race car. It "MAY" never see the track... All of these things were considered when I decided to weld it myself ;). But after hearing about your schooling.. I just hope I don't end up being an example lol.
     
  10. yotarip

    yotarip Veteran

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    So, how happy were you with the performance of the engine in your truck. With me, the lack of traction from a dig is frustrating but 3rd/4th gear pulls on the highway are pretty nice.
     
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  11. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    Yotrip!

    The performance was a hustle. The rear end was really light so I was usually struggling for traction when I gun it. I wish I had recorded it, but I ate a Tahoe on the top end in my truck a few days before the truck got totaled. I spun up to 2nd gear, and gained traction in 3rd, got caught up and ran him for a bit till I let off the gas LOL. One thing I did notice was the rear end was a bit loose. I felt like the engine with the manual combo had a lot more to give (power wise) but the rear end wasn’t transferring the power as much. Speaking of the rear diff, this time around, the frame I got came with a welded rear end, so I’m excited to see how it is going to feel. But I loved everything about the truck.
     
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  12. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    So, I had the bed and Cab put on the frame this past weekend. Took some work, but I got it done. Overall things are coming together in a way, and in a way, not so perfect. I'm still trying to figure out how, but the truck now sits extremely lower than it did before.

    Original Stance (From the previous build)
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    This is a video*******


    This Vid was recorded when I went to get my alignment after the original build. Yes the truck is lowered, but you can see how different the stance is.

    Current Stance with new frame:
    This one actually sits higher because I'm using the jack to see where the suspension sat the before.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Peep the fender to tire clearance :/
    [​IMG]


    The rear wheel weld is sitting too close to the tires and the body (Cab and Bed) is lower than it used to. Chances are a 2" drop spindle on from a 94 truck would lower an 87 frame closer to the drought? Plus, both L&R control arms are hitting the exhaust manifolds. I will do some measurements to see if the 94 upper control arm is different from that of the 87. If it is, I will swap it over.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Front end action:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I know the only thing I did not swap over was the upper control arms from the 94 truck frame. But doing some research, these are all the same parts, from the control arms to the drop spindles, so I’m not sure where the extra drop came from. For now, I am waiting for the body bushings to get here and see how low the body sits with those in place. If it doesn’t fix the body clearance issues then fuck it, I will just raise the cab. I ain’t looking into getting another frame over that.

    I also found out that the power steering gear from the 94 truck, did not bolt up to this frame. The bolt holes are a bit offset, so I will be getting a different steering gear. At the same time, maybe it's just me. Chances are I've been staring at an empty frame for so long that I’ve forgotten how the truck originally looked. But next us will be somebody bushings to lock in the cab and bed bolts then see how it looks. But overall a very productive weekend. I'll add more pictures later.

    But what do you guys think?

    Next up will be somebody bushings to lock in the cab and bed bolts then see how it looks. But overall a very productive weekend.
    Can you guys notice it? Some of the pictures didn't do the justice. But any inputs?
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2017
  13. yotarip

    yotarip Veteran

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    I cant tell from the pics. But, since the frame is used, you don't know if the torsion bars have been adjusted. Just readjust them to your liking.
    I also wounder if your original truck was a 1 ton chassis. Is the new chassis a standard? Are there differences in leaf springs between the 1 ton and standard that could affect the ride height?

    Don't know why the exhaust manifolds are hitting the upper control arms. They should clear if you are using the sc400 manifolds.
     
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  14. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    Speaking of the torsion bars.. I did remove them when I was replacing the lower control arms so, you think there's a chance I didn't put them back in properly? And these are the SC manifolds which were used on the original frame and it cleared. All I had to do was to cut off the heat shield mounts. I will double check the leaf today, but I'm positive its the same. Another thing I will be checking will be the lowering blocks. the new frame came with a set already put in. it could be a 4" instead of the 3" I had before. I'll do all of this today. But back to the torsion bars, how can I adjust them? Cuz now most if this is pointing towards them:/
     
  15. yotarip

    yotarip Veteran

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  16. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    CLAP CLAP CLAP!! I feel better already:)! I'm actually here watching YouTube videos on it and this is exactly where the issue came from. Thanks Yotrip!!
     
  17. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    This is going to fix the ride height as well as the Control Arms issue. that's two in one.. I was worried I'd have to buy more parts to fix this but i'm confident this will do.
     
  18. yotarip

    yotarip Veteran

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    No problem. I want to see this back on the road as bad as you do.
     
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  19. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    YES! I'm on it. I'm taking the old frame to the junk yard this Saturday and I'll be cutting a new front core and support while I'm out there. If I have time, I will cut it and figure out how I'm going to install it. I may go the cut and weld direction, but I also want to make it removable in case I have to do some major work up front I can just take it off. but we will see.
     
  20. Mr.Mini_4.0

    Mr.Mini_4.0 Enthusiast

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    Okay, there wasn't much there to take pictures off, but after work today I did a little bit of work on the truck. Came to find out when I installed the torsion bars, the driver's side wasn't seated (where the splines are on the control arm), and the adjuster bolt wasn't tight. I removed both the left and right sides, reinstalled and took my time to do the adjustments.

    Prior to the adjustments, I did some measurements behind both front tires, from the ground to the top of the fender mount and it measured 30" on the driver's side and 34 " on the passenger. After making the adjustments, both the L&R front sits at 36" from the floor to the core fender mounts.
    The front suspension isn't saggy any more. The adjustmebs cleared the upper control arms from hitting the manifold. After I install both fenders, I'll check and make adjustments as necessary.

    As far as the rear goes, the leaf springs are weak that's why the rear end is sagging so much. I lifted the rear end using the diff, installed some jack stands on the frame and when I remove the jack form the diff the entire axle sat very low. You'd obviously expect it to drop a bit without the wheels on the floor, but this was too drastic. The leafs on the old frame isn't broken but could go anytime soon so I will save me the headache and replace them. Things are coming along well. I'll keep you guys updated on the coming weekend.

    Thanks again yotarip!
     

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