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Nuts & Bolts
4-Wheel & Off-Road
6420 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515
fax 323.782.2704
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Tech Letter Of The Month
Family Fab Fun
Question: Here's my situation. I had to sell my '97 Dodge 1500 4x4 when gas hit $3 a gallon. I got a great deal on an '05 Tacoma TRD Prerunner and it gets about 22 mpg. My problem is that when I go wheelin' with my 7-year-old son, the North Florida sand likes to suck up the skinny-tired machine. The lack of the 35-inch BFG's and 4WD has gotten us into a pickle or two.
What I'd like to do is build a set of rock rails and off-road bumpers so I can get a Hi-Lift in there and jack it out of the holes, while still keeping the warranty intact. I have an 80-amp stick welder and a 100-amp wire-feed welder. I can get up to 2-inch-diameter tubing at the local hardware store, which seems to have 0.120 walls.
I purchased a Pipe Notcher from eBay for $25 and am now looking at tube benders. I could just simply purchase prefab stuff, but it's expensive and my son and I like to build things together. I keep envisioning the project, but can't quite seem to get a cohesive plan in my head. Can you give me any ideas to help push my project along?
Waldo, Orange Park, FL
Answer: I hate to dissuade people from making modification to their vehicles so I won't mention that by adding the weight of beefier-than-stock bumpers and rock sliders you will most likely lower your fuel economy.
Building bumpers and rock sliders are a great entry-level project and doing a project like this with your son is way more valuable for the two of you than just bolting on store-bought parts. However, I must mention that if you calculate the value of your time to round up parts, tools, and measurements, you may find that buying sliders and bumpers is actually cheaper, but again not as valuable a bonding and learning experience with your son, so let's get started.
First, figure out your design, and the simplest way to do this is look at catalogs or magazines and borrow a design from what you've seen. I like a rock slider that has one tube at the bottom of the body and another up higher just below the door, though I also made some simple square tube sliders for my Toyota.
A
Square tube (A) is usually much easier to work with, but I found 0.120 wall wasn't thick enough for my trail machine, but it might work for you. As for 2-inch tube, it might look a bit '80s on your truck, so stop by a real steel yard and look at 1 1/2- or 1 3/4-inch DOM. You'll also need a few gussets between the inner and outer tubes, and you can bend the ends of one to meet the other, though a bender isn't necessary. Finally be sure these sliders are tight up against the body with about a 1/2-inch gap so that if they flex when against a rock or when jacking they don't do damage to the rockers that you are trying to protect. You will also need runners from the frame to the slider and then should have gussets to help spread the load. Remember to disconnect the battery before welding onto the truck and grind any paint clear from the frame to get a solid penetrating weld bead.
So to give you an idea, here are some sliders (B) made by Shaffer's Off Road (775.885.9944) that I'll be installing on my Chevy in the next month or so (by the way, Shaffer's also offers sliders for Toyotas for you readers that don't have a welder).
Bumpers are a bit trickier and I would start on the rear first since it will be easier. You don't need anything complex, just a simple two-tube design like the one Tim Hardy runs on his Samurai.
In fact you can do this design (C) with just a chop saw to miter-cut the tube at the corners and then you wouldn't even need a tube bender. Also I would make it bolt to the frame instead of welding it solid. Just note how the stock bumper attaches and be sure to figure in the proper gusseting.
For the front bumper you should be able to come up with a satisfying design after your first two projects. Thanks for writing and I'll be sending you Hobart's (www.hobartwelders.com) new Patriot auto-darkening welding hood for supplying this December's tech question of the month.
Get on The Man Plan
Question: I live in Australia and own a '78 K-30. No one here really knows anything about Chevy fullsize trucks, as they were never released over here. What I want to know is what is the best way to mate up an NP205 to an auto transmission and what is the best auto for the job? The motor is a mildly worked 350 but the old four-speed is about to die and no one will even look at it to rebuild due to how rare these things are down under.
Marcus
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: Stick with the "man plan." If it were me I wouldn't swap that manual out unless I lost my left leg in a wild kangaroo attack, and even then I may keep it. You should have an SM465 manual trans, one of the toughest four-speed manual transmissions, and one that really isn't that hard to rebuild. Sometimes the synchros go out, but any big truck transmission shop should be able to rebuild it even if you need to get the parts from the U.S. Look in many delivery trucks as some of them came with that trans. Plus manuals are way cooler than automatics. Folks will tell you that manuals are harder on drivetrains and they make it hard to drink your latte and talk on the phone while you drive, but you shouldn't be doing that anyway. In addition, automatics will make you fat, because you only need one foot to drive and one arm to steer; a manual keeps you young and fit because you are using all your limbs to drive, and if it's hot and you don't have A/C, this will be a great work out.
If you're dead set on an auto I'd recommend a TH400 as it's probably the toughest auto you can put behind a 350, but they don't come with a 10-spline output like the SM465. Advance Adapters (www.advanceadapters.com), Gear Tech HD (www.geartechhd.com), and Off Road Design (www.offroaddesign.com) can help you with this swap, but again it is gonna be expensive. What are you gonna do with that spare pedal when you lose the manual trans? Otherwise Gear Tech or ORD can also send you a complete used or rebuilt four-speed manual tranny, or help you get the parts to fix your own (though we're sure shipping would be a little costly). Keep the manual; you'll be back on the road quicker, and having more fun doing so.