new to me, but not "brand new"...brand used?

[fatguyzinc]

... got any pics ?

that was when i was 13 or 14, before i had a license and mom was teaching me how to drive off road.
heck, pagers and beepers werent even around yet, nor cell phones much less a phone with a camera...
im 48 now so that was.....34-35 years ago?

glad mom taught me off road, sliding in mud/sand etc means when you got road everythings easy--
and when/if it does slip-n-slide you just steer into it a get on the throttle.

wish you could talk to uncle mike, ask him about that time out in hana where he got stuck 2/3 of
the way up a muddy hillside-and mom jumped in his truck, backed down and across a super narrow
bridge with no rails, did a 'rockford turn', rocketed back across the bridge and up the hill in reverse--
and made it to the top the first shot. he still talks about that at every family get together, it was spectacular.

[Monster]

uncle mike .. got stuck 2/3 of the way up a muddy hillside - mom jumped in his truck, backed down and across a super narrow bridge with no rails, did a 'rockford turn', rocketed back across the bridge and up the hill in reverse and made it to the top the first shot .. it was spectacular.

Your Mom friggin' ROCKS !

[fatguyzinc]

When the aftermarket thinks the same as you, that is usually some good thinking. Considering he already did the axles and drivetrain it wouldn't surprise me if the other owner beat you to it though. Usually if they make it a guy like that takes it.

https://www.roughcountry.com/frame-s...IaAhTIEALw_wcB

yes, i put that kit in my last one 25 yrs ago, luckily this one isnt cracked--i dont think the po
ever took it of road. i may install that kit as preventitive maintainance on this one to prevent
it from cracking in the future.

[RockJustRock]

I was thinking to stiffen the frame for that ride quality and tractability you seek while driving across sand, dirt, rocks, trees, small animals, children, larger animals and volcanic residue. Perish the thought of un-necessary bounces. The owner of "Bouncing Betty" seems to LIKE the extra bounces, to each his own. But yeah, when I Googled "K5 Blazer ladder bars" I got zip, zilch, nada. When I Googled "K5 Blazer frame" it suggested "boxing kit?". Strange that flex is more of an issue on the shorter wheelbase, but it looks like many people feel it is.

[fatguyzinc]

I was thinking to stiffen the frame for that ride quality and tractability you seek while driving across sand, dirt, rocks, trees, small animals, children, larger animals and volcanic residue. Perish the thought of un-necessary bounces. The owner of "Bouncing Betty" seems to LIKE the extra bounces, to each his own. But yeah, when I Googled "K5 Blazer ladder bars" I got zip, zilch, nada. When I Googled "K5 Blazer frame" it suggested "boxing kit?". Strange that flex is more of an issue on the shorter wheelbase, but it looks like many people feel it is.

'bounce' is ok, and to be expected in a lifted 4x4 with stiff springs and big ballooney tires.
wheelhop, however, is NOT ok--it breaks parts. everything from wheel studs to axleshafts,
spider gears, ring & pinions, ujoints and driveshafts, in extreme cases it can break springs
or tailshaft housings or even crack your frame.

theres a reason why im so paranoid about porpoising, as noted these stubby blazers are
famous for it--and despite the HD axles, etc, i still want to minimize the possibilities of
the dreaded hoppies--and the broken parts that can go along with it....

im going to try the 48" ladderbars simply because--
A) i have them already, free is a nice price.
B) they are known to work stopping wheelhop in street/drag cars-why not a 4x4 too?
C) easy to mount or unmount if they suck.
D) see (A) above.....

im still thinking bout the front, pinion goes down/right side plants on the front axle during
hard throttle (opposite of the rear where pinion climbs and left side plants) so i have to
figure out something on that end too...there ARE enough brackets to run 4 shocks per
wheel on the front, if it ends up being a damping issue....and i may double up the rears too.

[fatguyzinc]

wheeeeeeee!!!! finally going home 10pm tonight. its been a L-O-O-O-O-N-G 3 weeks here
in maui as moms indentured servant. so tomorrow after i pickup my boy from school we
are rolling under the war wagon to look at how we are going to mount the 48" ladders.

the front is a good sized 3/4 hole heim, rear bolts around axle with giant u-bolts but im
thinking once we get the mounting squared away and a few test runs to see how it works
if everything is copacetic then i may ring weld the rear to the housing as well.

so happy im going home! love my mom and would do anything for her but D@MN she
drives me nuttier than squirrel sh@t...........

[fatguyzinc]

took awhile--got stuck in the "EBESBM" (every body elses sh@t but mine) loop again--
but the 48" ladder bars are painted and sorta in. still gotta cut/weld the forward mounts
and its 9:30pm here now so no cutting metal...till tomorrow. i hope. unless EBESBM
rears its ugly head again.....

[fatguyzinc]

YESSSS......... got the fronts welded up, they are IN !!!

[cstmwgn]

YESSSS......... got the fronts welded up, they are IN !!!

Where is the road test result report

[fatguyzinc]

Where is the road test result report

cant drive legally yet, plates still in storage. hopefully soon....

[fatguyzinc]

and somehow the stars lined up again, and i managed to install
the trailer hitch on the rear frame--what a pain, carriage bolts
and broached plates you gotta fish thru the frame for the forward
mounting points. 1st one took me 4 freaking hours..........

[fatguyzinc]

somehow the gods are smiling down on me--got a few free hours today too,
so i taped off the lower dash/glovebox and sprayed em metallic blue to match
everything else. (the truck was originally silver, and though they did the door
jambs and such blue to match paintjob, the dash was still silver.)

pics soon.... and crossing fingers i get to work on the 55 tomorrow-at least,
thats the plan.........

[Loren]

B) they are known to work stopping wheelhop in street/drag cars-why not a 4x4 too?

That when used as a pair they allow no body roll makes them a dragstrip-only thing though. Picture a hundred-percent of your effective roll stiffness, all on one end of the car. In the rain it will want to swap ends on corners, the stresses from street use can tear them right off axle housings, I've seen it. You can use a single, as I did on the Cherokee front and it works well, which will allow roll but differing arcs between it and the leaf springs or any other axle locators still has to be accounted for and with leaf springs it's impossible without pivoting mounts between the springs and axle housing.*

*Which I may yet do on the Chero rear, wheel hop at that end remains a problem at the top of a hill despite other measures taken.



The Chall uses ladder bars for simplicity (w/ a transverse-leaf) but is a smooth-dry-surface-only car.

[fatguyzinc]

That when used as a pair they allow no body roll makes them a dragstrip-only thing though. Picture a hundred-percent of your effective roll stiffness, all on one end of the car. In the rain it will want to swap ends on corners, the stresses from street use can tear them right off axle housings, I've seen it. You can use a single, as I did on the Cherokee front and it works well, which will allow roll but differing arcs between it and the leaf springs or any other axle locators still has to be accounted for and with leaf springs it's impossible without pivoting mounts between the springs and axle housing.*

*Which I may yet do on the Chero rear, wheel hop at that end remains a problem at the top of a hill despite other measures taken.



The Chall uses ladder bars for simplicity (w/ a transverse-leaf) but is a smooth-dry-surface-only car.

with giant 7/8 through bolt heims and delrin bushed shackles at the fwd mount point, it moves fine.
i jacked it up about8-9 inches and the other tire was still on the ground, seems fine to me. maybe
not as good as "normal", but everything is a compromise anyway-- more tire means more lift so
easier rollovers, less gas mileage, harder to climb into, etc...and the list goes on and on.

as long as it doesnt break and helps with the porpoising ill be happy.

[fatguyzinc]

didnt get much done, EBESBM again--but i DID manage to hop in and change the steering wheel
to a 13.5" diameter (minimum size per hawaii law) as the one one there was a 12"........