"King Leonidas" Build thread!
- Thread starter pnorvell
- Start date
pnorvell
Adventurer
Yet another thing i forgot to add in the write up. I scored these off a guy from Dweb. Got both of them for $100. I like them, though i haven't needed them yet, I couldn't ignore that price. I wish i knew how to weld because the front diff needs another tab to mount to, the kit didn't come with it. It's held up fine, but it's a lot of weight of just two bolts(talking about the one pictured on right):
pnorvell
Adventurer
I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon for the rear cargo boxes. I've been wanting to build one since before Christmas but i just never had the time or the money. I finally have some time and ran across some money so here's what I've got so far. With some inspiration from "The Nomad" in LRL i pieced some things together. Here are some rough plans:
I chose to use 3/4" MDF and 5/8" particle board for this project. Ok, main reason, less than half the price of plywood. But in the end I think i will be most happy with this combination. Plywood easily chips off on the sides and will most likely bow overtime. I wanted avoid all of that, and save some money in the process. Here are some pictures to keep it interesting:
I quickly came to find out that our table saw was worthless. Not beefy enough to hold the 4'x8' pieces and would move as i was trying to run the board through! Not ok. I ran over to the truck to do a dry fitting and it was pretty snug. So i continued... I truly almost butchered both boards and would have been back to square one. I swallowed my pride and drove over to my brother-in-laws house for some help. Here's the chariot that got me there:
Old Yellar!
The man builds furniture so i knew i was in good hands. Within the first couple of minutes he had geometry equations all over the place, i felt like i was in class! I knew though that the fact that i didn't understand was a good thing... He knew a HECK of a lot more about this than i did! This led me to the conclusion that had i continued on my own trying to build this, i would have been screwed! To sum up in a word... FAILURE...
That brings us up to date. I'll be working on it again by next weekend. I should have more pictures by then as well. Stay tuned...
Peter
I chose to use 3/4" MDF and 5/8" particle board for this project. Ok, main reason, less than half the price of plywood. But in the end I think i will be most happy with this combination. Plywood easily chips off on the sides and will most likely bow overtime. I wanted avoid all of that, and save some money in the process. Here are some pictures to keep it interesting:
I quickly came to find out that our table saw was worthless. Not beefy enough to hold the 4'x8' pieces and would move as i was trying to run the board through! Not ok. I ran over to the truck to do a dry fitting and it was pretty snug. So i continued... I truly almost butchered both boards and would have been back to square one. I swallowed my pride and drove over to my brother-in-laws house for some help. Here's the chariot that got me there:
Old Yellar!
The man builds furniture so i knew i was in good hands. Within the first couple of minutes he had geometry equations all over the place, i felt like i was in class! I knew though that the fact that i didn't understand was a good thing... He knew a HECK of a lot more about this than i did! This led me to the conclusion that had i continued on my own trying to build this, i would have been screwed! To sum up in a word... FAILURE...
That brings us up to date. I'll be working on it again by next weekend. I should have more pictures by then as well. Stay tuned...
Peter
jeff_wright
Adventurer
Way to go Pete! Can't wait to see the finished product.
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Nice choice on the wheels. I like that style too, and I wanted (still do) those ones, but settled for an older style. I also painted mine with Duplicolor, but in Bronze. Only thing I can say is, don't spend too much time on them, because they won't look too good for too long if you're off-roading.
jnaut
Observer
Pnorvell,
How's the paint holding up on those rims? I've been thinking of doing the same thing with mine, but I've been concerned that painted rims would look worse than the naturals if you off-roaded in them and they started chipping and flaking?
d2offrover
New member
Nice DII!!!
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
My wheels are pretty gouged. I guess it depends on what you're looking for. Want a pristine carpet queen mall crawler look.... just don't go off-road and they'll look great. The paint holds up well for a long time.
Heck, I used regular non-wheel paint on a set of track wheels and they've survived years of attack from hot track pad brake dust.
But... if you go off-road at all, anything other than silver paint will really show the marks. There's just no way around that.
Heck, I used regular non-wheel paint on a set of track wheels and they've survived years of attack from hot track pad brake dust.
But... if you go off-road at all, anything other than silver paint will really show the marks. There's just no way around that.
pnorvell
Adventurer
I like the look of all the DII wheels. The main reason i have the 03-04's is because of the deal i got, all 5 for $300 on Ebay. The guy rocked. I didn't pay shipping we met as he was going through town. As for the paint... I love the slightly different look but they're starting to chip a bit. I'm super anal about them off-road so they've held up alright with a little rock rash.
Little to unnoticeable cracks in the clear coat are showing up but that's it. A little rock rash but you have to look for it. This is also going on about a years worth of wear and tear.
I know what you mean... For some reason I wouldn't drive anything else! Except maybe a toyota. I don't know if i could get use to nothing going wrong though...
pnorvell
Adventurer
This is true! Haha Yeah man i think I'll be there by that night but not positive. I'm going with my bro-in-laws schedule for working on the drawers. Also if i have money for gas. I'll let you know by Thursday or so.
Peter
jeff_wright
Adventurer
Bummer, I wish I could get up there this weekend but I've got a formal. You guys have fun.
Michael,
I burned you a disk of the pix and have it in an envelope I'll drop in the mail tomorrow. Sorry it took so long.
Michael,
I burned you a disk of the pix and have it in an envelope I'll drop in the mail tomorrow. Sorry it took so long.
I know what you mean... For some reason I wouldn't drive anything else! Except maybe a toyota. I don't know if i could get use to nothing going wrong though...
ha ha, if only that were true. You know how everyone says the 22re is bullet proof? I've had two trucks with 22re's and both have grenaded on me. I had to sell the first one, the second one I still have and now it has a rebuilt engine. They have there fair share of problems, it's just easier and cheaper to fix.