Hi. I'm turbobrick and I have a carcaine problem.

[turbobrick]

Where do you store the "crane"? I'm thinking of building one to go in receiver hitch, but not really an a frame, just a hoist arm.

In the Faux PW, I usually put it on top of the ladder rack, but when the SxS was in there, I just put it on the bed floor below. I folded the crane into a pretzel a year ago picking up a steel flatbed, so I haven’t stuck one on the new truck yet. The new one I’m planning to build will pivot at the lifting point, folding basically flat so it can tuck away.

 

[Allenchrisx1]

Awesome guys!

 

[cgasner1]

I wouldn’t even consider hunting the jarbridge without having a power wagon

 

[turbobrick]

You guys bumping the thread reminded me that I didn’t keep you all posted on truck progress. I dented in the front bumper pushing through a snow drift. I wouldn’t have even hesitated to push so little snow in any rig I’ve had before, turns out these bumpers are made of tissue paper and Plasti-Dip. So, I waited for a sale, and grabbed a AEV bumper. Yeah, it’s expensive, and now the winch isn’t tucked as tight as I’d like, but the thing is bomb proof and fits perfect. It also allowed me to ditch the light bar over the cab, lower the headache rack, and tuck a light bar low and up front, way superior IMHO. Better tow points too, and the ends are modular for different light set ups (I went with the stock fogs for now), and you can get a different set that clears 40s should I ever get there.



That extra weight up front quickly made itself known, and I pushed out a front bump stop pretending I was Ivan Stewart, which led to the untimely demise of a front Bilstein. So I got some upgraded bumps from Thuren, along with their springs for the PW plus just a little lift and rate change to handle the weight. If you are driving a 2500/3500 Ram offroad, get the bumps now, they seriously improve the ride and won’t uninstall themselves.





That really got the front end sitting right, but now it was going to have a serious Carolina Squat, so I also got Thuren’s leveling shims for the rear. That got the truck sitting level, but the stock springs just don’t have enough rate, so I have some Icon chase truck coils that I’m going to try. I installed new Bilsteins all around, and it’s pretty close to perfect.

There were a couple loose joints in the steering, so I upgraded the drag link, tie rod, and track bar to Synergy stuff, added EMF’s awesome on truck rebuildable balljoints, and replaced the unit bearings and ujoints. I also added a steering box sector shaft brace. All the braces on the market don’t fit with the PW sway bar disconnect, so I cut it up, sleeved and braced it, and after a bunch of welding it’s perfect. Adds a little more rigidity up front, especially while offset winching, and helps take some load from the sector shaft.



Goals before season this year are to rework the fuel float in the auxiliary tank, swap in the new rear springs, try a different fog light set up, and maybe a dual battery kit. I drew no tags, but between my wife dad, niece, and brother in law, this truck has six tags to carry us to this year. We drove it to southern AZ in ‘22 and ‘23, it’s perfect for the dual role of highway and hard offroad, just need to keep dialing her in.

 

[wolfpup]

Love it! Keep posting project pics as you go!

 

[turbobrick]

If you look back at the last picture of the tie rod/drag link, you can see the steering stabilizer bracket was broken. That was just a placeholder, since supply chain stuff kept me from the stabilizer I wanted. Finally got the Fox stabilizer on there with the Synergy billet clamp.




The rear spring rate just wasn’t right, with the flatbed and extra fuel tank, I needed more rate. Icon makes a 2” lift spring intended for Baja chase trucks. On a Power Wagon, the 2” lift is +0” so I kept the Thuren spacers in place, and it sits perfect. These trucks are really on the edge of needing a rear track bar drop bracket to eliminate bump steer even at stock height. So, I added a Carli drop bracket and a BDS adjustable track bar to get it dialed in. The Carli is a bolt on, but I welded it for a little more peace of mind. The difference is huge, all the chassis steer that the track bar was imparting to the truck is gone. And, as a bonus, this home brew approach cost 1/2 of the admittedly awesome but non-adjustable Thuren kit does.



Truck is ready for my dad’s longer than ears pronghorn hunt in a week, looking forward to feeling the improvement on some washboarded out BFE Nevada roads.

 

[Khunter]

I am O-fer understanding what any of the items are:

“it was caged, frame plated, fabricated 9" housings, TruHi 9 with ARB in front, low 9 with Yukon Grizzly out back, 5.38 gears, 4 speed Atlas transfer case, 37" tires, Raceline beadlocks, Mastercraft suspension seats, Radflo coilovers”


But I am not afflicted with carcaine. Fun read of your path to hunting all the same.

 

[KB_]

@turbobrick < I like this guy.

Awesome truck.

You are the leader of truck gang

 

[turbobrick]

I am O-fer understanding what any of the items are:

“it was caged, frame plated, fabricated 9" housings, TruHi 9 with ARB in front, low 9 with Yukon Grizzly out back, 5.38 gears, 4 speed Atlas transfer case, 37" tires, Raceline beadlocks, Mastercraft suspension seats, Radflo coilovers”


But I am not afflicted with carcaine. Fun read of your path to hunting all the same.

The XJ had an external roll cage made out of 1.75" DOM steel, the entire unibody of the Jeep had extra plates welded to the outside of the unibody from front to rear to reinforce the unibody, the axles were of the 9" Ford flavor but made from steel plate rather than stampings like factory ones, the front third member was a special high pinion 9" for maximum strength in a front application (standard Ford 9" third members are low pinion) and it had an ARB air locker for traction, the rear third member was a standard low pinion design with a mechanical locker, the gear ratio for both differentials were 5.38:1 for more gear reduction to go with the taller tires normally the XJ would have 3.73:1, the 4 speed Atlas is a transfer case with a reduction box to allow for multiple gearing options and lower overall gears for rock crawling most 4x4s only have 2 speeds high and low, the beadlocks hold the tires to the wheel even at very low tire pressures, suspension seats have foam over a nylon webbing base to make the jarring hits offroad feel a little smoother, the front coil and shock set up was changed to a shock that carries the coil over the shock body for more compact packaging and adjustability.

 

[turbobrick]

The truck did awesome on my dad’s hunt. It swallowed up the highway miles easily as usual, and cruised on the dirt roads like it never has before. This was my nephew’s first chance to go on a hunt, he did awesome and had a fun time. As usual, my dad squandered every opportunity he had at a speed goat, so no bucks were harmed, but the improvements to the truck were validated in the field and memories made.

 

[Farmerj]

Ever thought your dad wasn’t after the goat and got his world class memories like he wanted?

Nice build.

 

[turbobrick]

Ever thought your dad wasn’t after the goat and got his world class memories like he wanted?

Nice build.

No, he is a difficult and stubborn man who is almost intolerable. He called the hunt on the second afternoon and by his own admission didn't take the hunt seriously. I'm not surprised, this is his MO. He will always be a part of our hunts, but I don't think I'll be 'outfitting' his hunts anymore, his behavior is not that of a man who is there for the memories.

 

[longbow51]

So, @turbobrick you obv know what you're doing around trucks. So what's the deal with beadlocks on the highway? Just curious; I never felt I needed to air down, but know there are some places like Baja and other sandy places where folks do it all the time.

Great looking rig!

 

[Dave N]

Beadlocks are illegal for road use in most if not all states.

 

[turbobrick]

So, @turbobrick you obv know what you're doing around trucks. So what's the deal with beadlocks on the highway? Just curious; I never felt I needed to air down, but know there are some places like Baja and other sandy places where folks do it all the time.

Great looking rig!

There are DOT approved beadlock options out there, I've not used any of those systems though. The Racelines I ran on my XJ were an excellent wheel, and I will use them again in the future. You'll see beadlocks in Baja for racing, mostly as added insurance, and you'll see them a ton on the dunes and in rock crawling where they are indispensable. For my use case with this truck, they're not something I need. Beadlocks are pretty maintenance intensive, not something that's fun on a street driven vehicle that sees a lot of miles.

You can go way down in pressure with standard wheels if you're in a situation like stuck in a sandy spot, I'm talking about 10-15 pounds, and probably be ok. The big problem with low tire pressures is getting back up to street pressure. On my XJ I converted the AC compressor and it would bring the 4 tires from 12psi to 35 in about 10 minutes. I obviously didn't do that on the PW, instead I have a Power Tank, it'll fill the tires quick, but its a pain to take out and put away. Its a great option though, no modifications to the vehicle, quick fill.

 

[turbobrick]

Took the truck out for a drive and it had a little noise from the rear driver side. Took a look, and could see something was amiss.




Popped out the springs, and sure enough one was broken.



Big props to Icon, they immediately made sent me a replacement set for free. But, I decided to try a different set, so I’ll hopefully get the new Carli springs in tomorrow. This could have been due to the bump stops not being long enough, but I’m thinking it might just be my bad luck.

 

[zpooch]

Hmmm, I've only had one set of icon springs and they broke on my Titan

 

[turbobrick]

Hmmm, I've only had one set of icon springs and they broke on my Titan

That's super interesting, these springs are my only real world experience with Icon. Makes me glad I decided to try the Carlis, they are very different appearing springs considering how they allegedly do essentially the exact same thing.

 

[turbobrick]

Here is a comparison of the springs I have. Left to right. Stock Power Wagon spring +2” over standard 2500, Carli heavy duty 3.25” spring so +1.25 over PW, Icon chase truck spring, +0 in a PW.

 

[turbobrick]

Got the new Carli R2 springs and the Thuren bumps installed in the rear. The Carli springs are a 3.25” lift, so 1.25 over the stock Power Wagon I started with. These springs are designed to sit level with the slightly taller front springs I have and up to about 800 pounds extra on the rear axle. I put in the full 70 gallons the truck will hold, and the thing feels great. I’m hoping we’re sorted for now, but I’m still waiting on the longer rear endlinks I ordered.