Anton's build

[donkeychomp]

I am REALLY not a fan. Years ago I got offset rims from him, asked in black, and he sent white ones with some black paint dust on a few patches of the wheels. I say wheels in the loosest sense of the word as none were round. Sent them back. And yes he welded up the holes...badly.

[Anton]

Ok, so facebook (where I was hosting all my pics for this thread) decided to reindex it's photograph database and change most of the filenames, meaning about 95% of my pics stopped working outside of facebook itself (which obviously knew about the reindexing and just updated accordingly).

So I've moved the pics over to photobucket and edited all my posts so that the pics reappear. Took hours, but when you've got insomnia...

And I did funky things with my avatar today. No, donkeychomp, you're not drunk.

[kiwizook]

I did think I was seeing thing's, obviously I am, but it's got a reason.

and the avatar changed again !?

[Anton]

and the avatar changed again !?

[ScottieJ]

Ok, so facebook (where I was hosting all my pics for this thread) decided to reindex it's photograph database and change most of the filenames, meaning about 95% of my pics stopped working outside of facebook itself (which obviously knew about the reindexing and just updated accordingly).

So I've moved the pics over to photobucket and edited all my posts so that the pics reappear. Took hours, but when you've got insomnia...

And I did funky things with my avatar today. No, donkeychomp, you're not drunk.

Arrrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhh Not again they've done this before and I had to go through and edit my build thread, it took ages and was the reason I started using photobucket instead.

Ok how do you do the funky things with your Avatar?

As for someone mentioned a few threads back.....just look at pictures of some of the work done and well....it shouldn't even pass an MOT

[Anton]

Thankfully I kept all my build pics in a separate folder in facebook, so photobucket just imported all the photos for me directly and then I went through the thread and edited it post by post, finding the pics they'd screwed up and linking to the pics hosted on photobucket instead.

Bleedin' facebook. They did that deliberately to arse up people's hotlinks I think - if they don't like hotlinking, they should've just used a little java to stop people doing it years ago and we'd have all just gone directly to photobucket (or picassa or whatever) instead.

The funky things I did with my avatar - it's just a small PHP script that checks the contents of a folder I keep on my web server, picks a picture at random and displays it. I used the SCUK board's "Link off-site" option for my avatar, pointed that at the php script (with ?ipb=.jpg on the end to trick PHPBB into thinking it's calling a jpg file when actually it's calling a php script that just displays an image) and bob is my uncle.

No really, I do have an uncle Robert. Lives in Norwich. Ex RAF engineer. Top bloke.

And the someone mentioned - the parts I've seen frighten me. Like a piece of rebar in a Jimny radius arm? Seriously? Is a piece of steel plate that expensive that you can't make a backbone style rib out of it? I mean, rebar is made out of a grade of steel that is *supposed* to stretch, as part of a composite building material. It's at it's strongest when stretched, while concrete is at it's strongest while compressed - so they deliberately make the two stress each other in buildings.

Even if it's ok, that's going to be accidentally ok. He's basically picked something cheap and nasty, and without thinking, said to himself "that'll do for the mugs who buy my crap".

I wouldn't use his parts if you paid me to. Honestly, I just don't think he cares if one of his bits fails at 70mph and kills someone. I've seen pictures of his work and his welds look like they came out of a pidgeon's backside. I've done welds like that from time to time, but I always grind them back, cut a channel with the grinder, and re-weld if my welds don't come out strong. Even on non-structural parts - it's a matter of pride if nothing else!

I'd much rather either make it myself, or get someone I know to make it. For example, if I want something in the suspension or brakes welded, and I want it to be perfection, I make it, tack it, then I ask "special" Ross from the HPOC forums to weld it next time he's passing - he's probably one of the top coded welders in the UK. He's so good at welding, he can TIG paper to glass.

Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration. But he's *REALLY* good. It's his job though, so you'd expect him to be good at it - he does nothing else, day in day out, and has done for decades.

The "professional" mentioned before seems to be pretty crap, even compared to me - and I'm the first to admit I suck.



That's me testing out my £45 MIG stuffed full of el-cheapo gasless wire. Whilst I don't think I'm bad, I'm certainly no welding genius, but I'd say that my amateur efforts kick that "professional" guys ass.

He really annoys me. Even more than wOllie.

[Anton]

I want to do a full float rear, but full float kits for Samurai axles are too wide for my SJ. I want to keep the width I have. I want to use a 413 axle instead, but rather than fit wheel spacers, fit a shim between the axle housing and the full float adapter.

Been thinking about the shaft length I need to make a full float rear that is the same width as the front - but then I thought that all I need to do is get a single shaft the same length as the front halfshafts and birfields. Simples.

Then I started to wonder if I could adapt a front axle into a rear axle. Weld the knuckles so they are fixed.

What are your thoughts? Use the 413 axle I have, make a shim between the axle housing and the full float adapter to bring it to the same width as the front, or buy a front axle and weld it?

I don't think I can make certain that it's straight enough, but I would like your thoughts.

And yes, I did think about hydro 4ws for about 1 second, but dismissed it for legal reasons.

[donkeychomp]

I know some will disagree with me but why don't you want to go wider?

Wider=more stable.

And if it's a choice between wheel spacers and all the faffing around you mentioned go for spacers. Quick and simple job. Just extend the arches a tad. I know I need a more wider stance on P6 but at the moment I have no idea how to do it..32mm spacers already on!

(a mate suggested Toybota (pun intended) axles but I want to keep Piglet all Suzuki if possible).

[Anton]

I have offset dihatsu rims, and the vehicle is already too wide for the (already extended) arches. If the wheels stick out any further, they'll be wider than the wing mirrors, and I've been told that's a VOSA no-no.

Besides, one of the great things about SJ's is their narrow track means no getting stuck in fail rover ruts - I want to keep that advantage!

Also I'm allergic to wheel spacers.

P6 has the Vitara rear axle, doesn't it?

[andyrew]

Extend the mirrors