TribeMimi

King of the Hammers 2011

2011-02-10T18:14:00.002-05:00

Good luck at KOH 2011 fellers!

(Lance don't die on my dirt bike pleeze)

Race coverage:http://www.pirate4x4.com/king-of-the-hammers-2011/index.php

He's an F.O.T. and he's a heck of a fabricator.

2010-02-10T20:30:00.003-05:00

Our buddy Adam's a Friend of Tribe as they say. And he's now got him a little business going these days. Check out http://www.tribe4x4.com/ and give Adam a call if you've got some offroad fabrication needs.

If you'll recall, he did some super nice exhaust work on Thump last fall. The tig welded joints are a thing of welding beauty.

It's the tiny things

2009-11-01T23:10:00.004-05:00

Couldn't find a local source for a 10-32 female threaded rod end for the B&M shifter cable to attach to the 4L60 shifting arm... so I made one.

RIP our friend, Jim Alexander

2009-10-12T17:05:00.002-04:00

Jim and his buggy in Clayton, Oklahoma

(Brandon holding the tire down)

TIG - it's a beautiful thing

2009-10-09T12:41:00.001-04:00

Exhaust is now fully welded up. Ain't she a beauty?
Once we're close to being done, the plan is to have these ceramic coated to reduce the heat.

This Offroad Building Can Be... "Exhausting"!

2009-09-11T11:49:00.004-04:00

Our buddy Adam came by to work his exhaust "magic" on the Thump rig. Amazing... that's as best a description as I can come up with. An assortment of left over exhaust parts from prior projects ranging from Jeeps to our tow-rigs, a chop saw and a few spot welds were all that was needed to knock this gem out in a few hours scattered across a couple of evenings after work. Adam's got the touch when it comes to routing exhaust tube in the most challenging of tight spaces. Never discard that ol'tow-rig exhaust you replaced years ago... turns out, Dodge 3" exhaust tube is quite useful for these projects.

We decided to route the driver side under the oil pan to the passenger side and point it straight back down the passenger side frame rail into a collector Adam fabricated. The tube from the header flange to the collector is 2.5" with the collector tube at 3" diameter. The muffler is a Hooker 3" straight pass through with a slight dumping tip just past the rear axle. We bought a ball-flange and have it located in the middle just under the passenger floor making removal of the whole exhaust system simpler.

The B&M shifter is mounted to the cage next to the driver seat. We wound up reworking the carter fuel pump mounted to the YJ assembly as the wiring was grounding out due to the ill-fitment of the larger pump and OEM rubber mounts. Hose-clamps rule! Upon mocking up my freshly created switch panels, we realized how little room an 8" dash provides and had to reassess my layout. The end result is three panels now instead of four. No photos yet of the new panels... but plenty of the other at the link below.

Update photo album

Finished! Congrats to 4411.

2009-08-23T01:53:00.000-04:00

#4411 Completes Day Two in V2R!

2009-08-22T09:56:00.004-04:00

Some mad, late night pit work on the rig before impound and a short night's sleep until one more day of racing! Saturday's the final leg ending in Reno.

Get IT! V2R day two!

2009-08-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

Day one was a disappointing DNF for 4411 as it was for all but two rigs in the Ultra-4 class. However, they patched it up and are hitting it hard today.

Viva Las Vegas to Reno (V2R for you kool kids!)

2009-08-20T15:00:00.003-04:00

Wishing Tribemimi's own... Lanzg best of luck as the PSC monster KOH Buggy competes in the Ultra-4 class of the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno Race. Three days and a thousand miles... the longest off-road race in the U.S.
Best in the Desert website
http://www.bitd.com/

Tracking of the race competitors with satellite image mapping (PSC is car 4411 Dean Bulloch & Tom Allen)
http://www.trackinginternational.com/tracking/

Pirate4x4's live coverage
http://www.pirate4x4.com/trailreports/vegas2reno09/index.php

We got the shaft(s)

2009-08-17T09:26:00.004-04:00

With the engine/transmission/transfer-case positions set, we were able to measure for new drive-shafts and get them ordered. All the 1310 stuff is going away and being replaced by 1350. The front is a standard shaft with a yoke on the Atlas. The rear is a flange mount on the Atlas and CV style shaft. Both shafts are .120 wall tubing. The front was made using 2" O.D. as the clearance around the 4L60E is very tight with a passenger drop diff.

We were concerned about clearance of the hood since the truck version of the 5.3 has a much taller air intake than what is found in the car versions. The hood was indeed hitting the top of the motor once we got it in place. Plan B was to cut a hole and put a hood scoop in. We had even acquired what we called the "Angry" scoop, for the occasion... the price was "right" for this little feller. After cutting out the center hood support, the hood actually cleared the intake with a half inch or so to spare. We won't need angry-scoop afterall. What to do with angry-scoop you ask? How about angry-scooped XB!

The remaining gauge panels are cut, drilled and test fitted with switches, indicator lights and the gauges. The dash will have a left and right panel of switches; a panel for the Tach, check engine light ignition light; and a panel for three gauges (water, oil, volt) mounted with degree rings. The gauges are all Autometer Phantom series.

Progress v5.3

2009-07-30T13:09:00.005-04:00

We're not working on the Thump at the feverish pace we did two years ago. I have to say... while I miss being able to go wheeling on demand... I don't miss the hectic schedule of getting a rig done by a certain date.

Progress so far: We've positioned the motor, transmission and transfer case complete with a new crossmember mounting for the atlas support ring and new motor mounts. I went with a pair of Hooker Headers and got a rebate deal from that purchase to acquire a three inch pass through muffler at the same time. Fearing the YJ OEM fuel pump lacked the fuel pressure needed for the 5.3, we modified the in tank pump assembly to hold a Carter pump. A new aluminum radiator with some minor modifications (thanks TJ) has been fitted with a Camaro twin electric fan. While at the pick-n-pull we found a couple of nice GM transmission coolers we have tucked inside the grill for cooling the transmission and power-steering. I had previously acquired a B&M stick shifter in the three speed variety which I have modifed to four speed and altered the gates and reverse lock-out to allow shift on demand from first to reverse. Lance cut me some aluminum plates for my dash switch and gauge panels. I have started drilling them out and mocking up the switch and indicator light layouts. I figured this would be a very time consuming process and I was right. However, I think when they are finally done and my dash panel is in place, it will look very clean and be worth the extra effort.

Updated Photo Album

2009-06-24T23:41:00.001-04:00

Rocky Patel makes a fine cigar!

Minus Six Plus Eight = VaRoom!

2009-06-18T12:45:00.004-04:00

We just couldn't leave well enough alone... I should have never sat in LanzG's rig last year in Moab and listened to him say... "just get it!" as I stared down the sandy trail ahead carving it's path across the Southern Utah desert somewhere between Pritchett Canyon and highway 191. I should have never pressed the ball of my foot firmly into the skinny pedal to the right and heard the hair raising rumble of 8 cylinders harnessing synchronized explosions of compressed air and fuel as the seat pressed against by back and my knuckles faded pale wrapping tightly around the wheel. "Woo Hoooooo!!!" The damage was done. The seed was firmly planted in the back of my mind. I tried to convince myself that my row of 6 hard working pistons had always been and would continue to be adequate. They had never let me down. However, they had never launched me down a desert trail like this and never would. And so, the seed sprouted and there was no turning back. I had a fever. The only cure... was more power.

Thump Transplant
GM 5.3 Vortec
4L60E 4 speed
Atlas 3.8:1

Updated Photo Album of Project in Progress

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T09:49:00.001-05:00

AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Love Tribemimi

R.I.P. Mimi 1998-2008

2008-09-09T11:59:00.001-04:00

MOAB x2

2008-08-28T13:50:00.002-04:00

I apologize... to all you followers of the tribe website.
"When are you going to update? How was Moab?" Sheesh... who knew anybody actually read this thing.

Yes, after an exhausting summer, one year ago...eeek! We hauled the fresh built rigs to Moab for a week of fun in the desert. We ran a mix of hard to mild trails including Coyote, Pritchet, Rusty Nail, Helldorado, Steel Bender, Metal Masher, etc.

And since it's been over a year... we just got back from Moab a week ago doing the same. This time we swung through Penrose, Colorado on the way up to run the Independence Trails. Then it was over to Moab for the week and a lovely time at "Grandpa's" aka Danny Grimes. Danny was super hospitable and we did our best to fatten him up all week with home-cooked breakfast and dinner, Texas style!!!

As for the rigs... wonderful. We've run the new setups for a year now and couldn't be happier. When you can crawl Rockpile in Pritchet Canyon, you are a happy wheeler. We've done it two years now. The rigs work well.

I'll get our photos organized and post some up later. Stay tuned...

Are we there yet?

2007-08-13T11:31:00.000-04:00

Done! Well... almost. The rigs are driveable and, from what we can tell without actually taking them on a test run, wheel-able. The plan was to get these done with time to test. But a month of rain, Joe's travel schedule, and a host of minor set-backs didn't allow such luxury. That being said... we've been to Moab with much worse worries.

Joe's had a last minute issue this weekend. Lowering the front suspension created some issues on the steering. In taking apart the trac-bar, we also found a developing crack. The TJ mount for the trac-bar is cast and notorious for either ripping off the frame or in our case, cracking. Some last minute fabrication fixed the issue. It was dark by the time we got Joe's rig out of the garage last night. The digital camera didn't like trying to take pictures of a black painted object at night... so we don't have good images yet. Joe's latest photos.

Clint's rig got some final issues nailed down... mainly wiring. We ran out of time to fabricate a dash. The OEM gauges and switches are functionally in place via a few pieces of aluminum strap. The new seats and harnesses were put in. A radiator reservoir was fashioned out of a gatorade bottle. Hey, it's as funtional as the cheesy aftermarket offerings at Autozone and O'Reilly's and is less noticeable and space consuming. The winch is wired up and ready for new rope which is supposed to arrive today courtesy of RockStomper. Btw, Clint's RCI harnesses were ordered from Jegs last Thursday and showed up Saturday morning. That's some quick standard shipping! The main issue resolved was alignment of the new PSC pump pulley. We went with a shorter belt due to clearance issues with the new shock hoops. The new pump wasn't setup for use with the old adapter bracket. After numerous fine adjustments to the bracket, we got the pulley to line up. Dennis can probably uninstall/install one of these blind folded now. Interestingly... the new belt is the same as one for a 5.0L Mustang motor. We're claiming a bump in horespower on Thump just because. Clint's latest photos.

Look out Moab... here we come!

Varoom!

2007-08-06T12:55:00.000-04:00

Painted, axles in, wheels on and... best of all... motors cranked! It was a power weekend for sure. Jojo's rig got a full paint job. His roll cage and frame are black. The remaining body panels are Chrysler red up to the front fenders, grill and part of the hood. There's still some hood painting left to make it blend together better. More importantly, the rear axle was installed only lacking rear brake lines. Fuel cell plumbing and wiring were completed. Joe went with an external fuel pump and regulator. We hooked up the battery and repositioned the power module on the front firewall. A little regulator adjusting and it fired right up. Jojo's photos.

Clint's rig got all wired up to run as well. Rigid brake-lines were extended for the rear. We fabbed some tail-light mounts out of aluminum and installed via tabs on the cage. The old aluminum rock top was trimmed down and cleaned up. Final adjustments to the steering were finished. Another measurement indicates the wheel base is now at just over 106". Sunday evening, Clint bolted in his new seats and drove his rig home. This week it gets a new exhaust. Mechanically it's about done. We need to ramp both rigs to make sure all is in order. We have one more weekend to make final mods. Clint's photos.

Tab tab tab

2007-07-30T12:01:00.000-04:00

This just in... Kevin Fowler has the world's tallest fiddle player. We took Friday off to hit Billy-Bob's and the KF show. Then it was on again all weekend.

Jojo got his stinger gusseted up and umpteen tabs welded to the cage for side panels and the rock top. Most importantly... the rear has a nice cooler holder now. After doing battle with the 4" hole saw, we put a Texas touch on the rear panel and put it in place. Joe's ready for tail- lights. Clint hasn't quite decided upon the rear tail-light situation. The axle should be ready to stab in this week and Lance says red paint will fly in the coming days. The fuel-cell/battery tray is done and ready once painted. Joe's photos.

Clint's got tires and shocks bolted up having completed the painting of the remaining bare metal on the frame. With the relocation of the battery to the rear and the addition of tubing between the a-pillar and radiator hoop, the fuse panel and power distribution were relocated up top of the firewall out of harms way. The PSC reservoir was mounted to a tab on the cage close to the brake booster. New front brake lines were installed on the front. We ditched the stainles braids for more durable rubber and hard line versions. We still need to flex the front and check the clearance on steering, shocks and lines. It probably needs a bump stop. Clint's photos.

Rust Be Gone

2007-07-26T13:18:00.000-04:00

Thump has been stolen and replaced by a nice looking imposter!

That's right, no more gold, no more pokey-dot and no more last minute paint jobs. Clint has been scolded, reprimanded and sworn to never again let Thump set out with ugly skin. It's been wire-wheeled, sanded, de-oiled, primered, and painted properly.

Question, will anyone recognize Clint at the next club run?

More photos of the new look.

Less Than a Month

2007-07-23T11:52:00.001-04:00

The Moab trip rapidly approaches and we're getting close.

Another weekend of hard work. We took Friday night off for some R&R... sorta. Clint's birthday was celebrated at a local Japanese Hibachi joint and post dinner hanging out at Joe's. After some recovery time Saturday morning, we were back at it.

Joe's rig got the rear axle mocking up finished and tabs in place for the shock, control arm and sway bar mounts. We bolted it up and moved it all around checking for clearance and how the geometry was working. It looked good. His axle was pulled for the final welding and cleanup. We also finished up his fuel cell and battery tray similar to Clint's. The rest of the effort on Joe's involved cleaning up the hood and remaining body panels, prepping them for new paint. Jojo's latest photos.

Clint's rig almost got the tubing work complete. A problem with the tubing notcher delayed the final pieces getting done. Spreader bars for the front window and seat mounts are all that remain. The rest of the tube is welded up and done. We ran tube from the A-pillar to the front hoop through the firewall. Jojo and Lance whipped up a rather snazzy cooler containment area in the rear with TJ putting his welders touch on it as usual. We tied the rear shock hanger bar to the fuel-cell/battery tray in the rear for some floor storeage area. A piece of sheet with dimple-die holes will soon finish it out. Dennis got after the hood with a new sander replacing old smokey from last week. We're pretty close to being able to paint the entire Jeep. The Swamper TSL SX tires got some groove treatment for better grip. Clint's latest photos

Time of Death: 9:29 PM

2007-07-17T11:01:00.000-04:00

The little Ryobi Sander that couldn't...

So... you've got a brand new sander. You use it for say... 20-30 minutes. You've only put a couple of sandpaper discs on it so far and it seems to be working like a charm. Then... brrrrr!!! It just quits. You shut if off and scratch. Friends gather and collectively ponder with you. Switching it back on and giving it a little tap or two... you here a mild buzz and dismal signs of life fleeting. Unplug it and return it for another you say? HECK NO! Leave that little dude plugged in and make it go out fighting! Wooo hooo!!!

Fabrication

2007-07-16T11:43:00.000-04:00

The most time consuming part of these projects has got to be fabrication. It takes hours to measure, mark, cut, clean, drill and weld this stuff up... if you do it right. In the end, it'll all be worth it.

Jojo's rig is almost back to sitting on its own suspension. The rear 4-links are welded up and the rod-ends are in place. Most of the control arm brackets have been welded in place. Beef has been the name of the game. Sleeved tubing for the control arms and 1/4" or thicker material for the brackets. Jojo's latest photos.

Clint's rig needed some rework on the rear axle. The raising of the transmission to sit above the flat skid plate caused a significant new pinion angle output yoke alignment. We raised the engine mounts with 1/2" plate and pulled the rear axle to cut and reweld the spring perches. While the axle was out, we cleaned off the shock mounts and gave the whole thing a good wire-wheel treatment. A tube with shock mounts was welded over the rear axle between the frame. The cross member was finished up adding another bar to the back with a bushing mount for the traction-bar shackle. With that done, the traction bar was fabbed up, welded and painted. Clint's latest photos.

Caged

2007-07-09T11:23:00.000-04:00

Another productive weekend at Joe's. Getting Thump mobile allowed us to flat tow it over to Joe's for a combined effort. Joe's rig got alot of clean up done to it. The frame mounts were cleaned off, the body was sanded down, the front tube fenders were installed, and the rear axle was cleaned of the old control arm and trac-bar bracketry ready for the new geometry. We hope to have it sitting on the rear axle by this weekend with new arms and a pretty new sway-bar.

Clint's rig has most of the rear cage bent and tacked in place. The winch plate is in. What little body is left has been de-major-dented and sanded. The hood still needs a work over. The freebie shock hoops from Pirate4x4.com (courtesy of Shaffer's if memory serves) have been modified and tacked in. Joe's getting new shocks on all corners to fit his new geometry. Clint's rig will use Joe's old Bilstein's, a major improvement over the old Pro-Comps previously used. Das ist gut!

Shout out to the men in blue... NRHPD! Thanks for not giving Clint a ticket on the way to Joe's flat towing a vehicle with no license plate or lights. We know you just wanted to check out the rig .

Photo link so Tulip can find them.

It Moves!

2007-07-06T12:12:00.000-04:00

Thump is moveable once again! We rolled it out of the garage last night for a Simple Green bath and power wash. The rollovers and leaks over the years had built up quite a mess in every nook and cranny. She's clean now. Simple Green is the best!

We took some measurements once we got wheels on it. Right now the wheel base is at 103 inches. However, there's practically no weight on the rear and the springs are brand new. After we relocate the battery to the rear, put the fuel cell in place, tube out the rear, add a full tank of fuel, a full cooler, seats, people, and work the springs some, it should settle out to the 106 inch goal.

Getting it out of the garage was energizing to say the least. We're ready to get after both rigs this weekend. There is light at the end of this long tunnel afterall. New Photos

RAIN or shine, the build goes on

2007-07-05T11:26:00.001-04:00

If you have a pulse, you've most likely heard of the incredible amount of rainfall in our area for the past month. We have no time for rain. We did not let it DAMPEN our spirits. Rim shot please! Attempting a complete rebuild on a rig in a one car garage involves a host of space related challenges. Adding buckets of rain every day... well... you get the picture.

Last weekend, Joe took a break from his rig to come over and lend a hand on Clint's. We put up the EZ-Up for some shelter against the downpours and came up with a red-neck tarp assembly off the front of the garage to deflect water run-off from the house. Dennis and Brandon stopped by to share in our misery. Despite mother nature's efforts... progress was made. We cut, drilled and sanded most of the hangers, shackles, and spring plates.

Last week's trip to Inland resulted in the remaining ubolt hardware for the axles. Elliott's, the greatest hardware store on the planet, had all the grade-8, fine thread hardware for the springs and shackles. With Lance back from his brief deathbed... we went full steam on Independence Day substituting the regular fireworks show with a shower of cutting torch sparks and the blue hue of mig-weld lighting up the neighborhood. It was beautiful and patriotic...

The aim is beef. All of the brackets, plates, shackles, etc. are of the 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick variety. Progress seesms so slow at this point. But, taking time to measure, measure again, cut, drill, sand, weld in place, then double check the measurements... has been a very time consuming task.

Currently, the axles and springs are hung; the cross member for the tranny is in place; the skid plate (flat 1/4 inch steel) is cut out and just needs frame holes drilled to install. We hope to finish putting the steering together, throw some wheels on it and push it out of the garage for a Simple Green power washing tonight. This weekend's plan is to tow Thump to Joe's for a dual Jeep build session. The latest photos.

A week of progress on Jojo's

2007-06-18T13:31:00.000-04:00

After a full day Sunday, week ago, dismantling Jojo's rig... we began putting it back together this week. Since Joe's got a traveling job these days, his time at home is a valuable commodity. We took advantage of him being home all week and spent several late nights in his garage. A full day Saturday, despite the rain, resulted in significant progress. The rear spring buckets are tacked in place. Jojo's wheelbase is looking to be around 106" when it's all said and done. We ditched the spring pucks to lower it down a bit. After some last minute ingenuity, coming up with a tube bender mount and getting the hydraulics to work... the rear tube took shape. Photos Here

Another Diet

2007-06-12T14:00:00.000-04:00

It's contagious apparently. Jojo's rig went under the knife this weekend. Similar plan as thump... lighter and longer. Joe's rig has been abused as many of you know. He's already upgraded drivetrain with Sunray 9" axles, beefier control arms and an Atlas. However, like thump, the body is looking pretty bad and the wheelbase is simply not long enough. The plan is to relocate coil springs front and rear lengthening the wheelbase, change of the link geometry in the rear to eliminate the need for a tac-bar and replace the factory sway bar with an decent aftermarket version. See Joe's Diet Photo Album for visual progress updates.

Buy Me

2007-06-08T11:14:00.000-04:00

My owner left me for another...

Cute loveable Dana 44 axle seeks new home. I'm locked and loaded ready to provide years of solid family fun. I'm 60" wide. I have aftermarket alloy shafts, Superwinch hub locks, a sexy 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern, Baertrax Buttface reinforced diff cover, hydraulic assist ram, dom steering linkage with heims and grade-8 hardware, and a Detroit locker bolted to 4.56 gearing. Email my owner at Thump93yj at yahoo dot com. My current asking price is a mere $2,000... but I may include numerous spare parts including, hub locks, rotors, spindles, 2 sets of oem shafts, a new long side alloy inner shaft, a housing and misc. other parts if the price is right. Located in DFW area of Texas.

Dana 60 arrives

2007-06-07T12:30:00.000-04:00

The pig showed up last night. Dana 60 with some custom touches courtesy of Sunray Engineering. It's a 35 spline Dodge 60 with 30 spline outers for now. I'm sticking with 4.56 gears and a detroit locker in the front to match the rear 60 which I've been running. The rear has Moser 35 spline with a spool. The front axle is setup with behind the axle high steer, hyraulic assist. I had been running hyraulic assist with my 44. Therefore, my box is already setup for the assist and last year I put on a PSC pump. The axle isn't quite done as I'll be acquiring the hubs, rotors and brakes in the coming weeks.

We did some more frame cleanup last night, cutting off the rear crossmember, shock mounts and trac-bar mounts. We've relocated the PCM from in front of the driver side firewall to the passenger side inner firewall for more protection. The OEM harness is plenty long enough and only required a slight widening of an exhisting hole in the firewall from the heater core removal. While the dash is gone, I've begun sorting through the wiring, eliminating much of it that is unnecessary. The plan is to have a clean wire routing with centralized accessory power, relays and fuses or breakers.

SlimFast for Thump

2007-06-05T16:13:00.000-04:00

The time has come. No more bent wagoneer leaf springs. No more reserved right foot driving fearing the broken hub. No more heavy pig of a tub that no longer resembles a jeep anyway and simply serves to help gravity deny forward progression over obstacles.

Goodbye Dana 44 front axle. You've been good to me. You've been strong. But then, I've been very nice to you.... too gentle some would say. I'm moving on. Dana 60 will take your place soon.

Goodbye waggy springs. You flexed so well... and bent then broke so often. I will... I will... I WILL NOT MISS YOU... you and your weird sized bushings! There, I said it. I feel better.

Thump is going to be lighter, longer and stronger. Project photo album

FWD-FWD Memorial Day High Country Trail Ride

2007-05-16T15:41:00.000-04:00

Clayton, Oklahoma

May 25th through May 28th in the beautiful Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma.

Registeration and information

We'll be there. Come join us. It's one of the best trail ride events around.

New Site and Format

2007-04-24T17:00:00.000-04:00

We've switched to the blog format. It's much easier to maintain, cheaper to host, and offers much more flexibility for more of our group to update. Hopefully this means more current news for Tribemimi and those who like to keep tabs on us.