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  1. vvwilkins

    2021 SoCal Spring Rally

    I'll try to roll out Thursday evening; most likely Friday Morning.
  2. vvwilkins

    2021 SoCal Spring Rally

    THOR (and possibly Titan) will be joining. It's been far too long since THOR's been out. Replaced all the rear suspension rod-ends (and front shocks) since last time, runs much more smoothly (for a 5ton) now. Thank You FastNova & SaltyDuece for all your work in bringing us together.
  3. vvwilkins

    All 5-tons: Heavy Duty Torque Rod Ends

    I went to HF and bought the 4pc Jumbo SAE wrench set which includes a 2-1/4" open end / box. In hindsight, I should've bought a 2-1/4" crows foot which can be used for both removal and install/torquing on the outer ends of the uppers and lowers. On the plus side, the HF 2-1/4" box end was...
  4. vvwilkins

    Texas to Alaska ... what to take?

    ... 4months later :) Just noticed I had replied to this thread back in December... I've had a couple beers since then, still sounds like a fun trip :)
  5. vvwilkins

    CANCELLED: 2020 SoCal Spring Rally

    Totally BLOWS! The Best thing we should be doing is getting Outside and Enjoying some fresh air and good times!!! Rather than going off on a rant about wildly inaccurate university "C-19 projection models" and our media machine.... I'll simply Thank FASTNOVA for attempting to bring us all...
  6. vvwilkins

    All 5-tons: Heavy Duty Torque Rod Ends

    UPDATE: All 12 torque rod bushings have been successfully replaced and installed in THOR. This task has been (for me at least) the single most challenging so far. The fabrication & acquisition of various tools (some successful, others not so much) and physicality needed at times tested my...
  7. vvwilkins

    All 5-tons: Heavy Duty Torque Rod Ends

    Regarding the "compression plate"; while it helped, the tool I had the most success with was the home-made pickle fork. It successfully removed 6 of the 12 bushings. I fab'd it from a 2 1/8" crows foot wrench and 1 1/4" (?) diameter DOM pipe. Several solid wacks on the business end did the...
  8. vvwilkins

    All 5-tons: Heavy Duty Torque Rod Ends

    @Brutacus: That's one Serious Air Hammer you have there Sir! @Jbulach & @74M35A2 thank you for clarifying the strike zone. So today I decided that Finesse is highly over-rated and embraced brute force plus a new 4" travel Air Hammer from HF....Success!!! Just backed off the forward torque rod...
  9. vvwilkins

    All 5-tons: Heavy Duty Torque Rod Ends

    Well Done Brutacus!!! You've made way more progress than I have. I'm still struggling (and I mean Struggling) to get the tapered rod ends to separate from the mounts. What method did you use to free the rod ends behind the spring pack? Funny thing is I was able to remove all 12 cotter pins...
  10. vvwilkins

    All 5-tons: Heavy Duty Torque Rod Ends

    I bought 12 from Erik's Military and Industrial Supply. Got the cotter pins off, Now struggling to get the old ends separated from the truck... arg... Athough, the Proto Tools offset 2 1/4" strike wrench is the bomb!
  11. vvwilkins

    What have you done to your 5 ton this week?

    Installed a Grover 1609 big rig air horn in THOR. While the original horn was working fine, it seemed to lack the appropriate presence people expect when seeing a 5ton roll down the road. I'm pleased with the new tonality a tap on the horn button now provides. Pictures attached... Removal of the...
  12. vvwilkins

    5Ton Rear Axle Hop

    @Lukes_duece, Thanks for the wrench part # - great suggestion. Regarding wheel balancing: I'm reluctant to put fluids, balancing beads etc which may impact operation of the CTIS (took me 9months of debug to get it working so I don't want to risk jacking it up :) ). I've briefly looked into the...
  13. vvwilkins

    5Ton Rear Axle Hop

    Thanks for the tips & guidance! I think I'll give your & Wes's method a try. Pictures if you have them handy are always appreciated.
  14. vvwilkins

    5Ton Rear Axle Hop

    @MAdams: Thanks for the airing down advice for sand. I was running 25psi all around thinking that was plenty low. But your advice makes sense since there are 4 big tires in the rear carrying an empty cargo bed. I do have the factory bead-lock donuts installed - so, next time I'm gonna give your...
  15. vvwilkins

    All 5-tons: Heavy Duty Torque Rod Ends

    Very interested in how these ball-joint style torque rod ends manage axle wheel hop. The rubber bushings appear to provide some active damping. Do the ball joint style provide some type of damping? My M923A2 exhibits extreme axle hop while hill climbing and subtle wheel hop on highway above...
  16. vvwilkins

    CANCELLED: 2020 SoCal Spring Rally

    Count Me In - looking Forward to seeing you all again!
  17. vvwilkins

    5Ton Rear Axle Hop

    Thank You for the quick feedback. Replacing the all the dog bone bushings is now the top priority.
  18. vvwilkins

    5Ton Rear Axle Hop

    Crew, while taking my 5ton out on trails and hill climbs in particular, the rear axles will exhibit extreme hop under load and dig its own hole. I've also noticed that while cruising down the road at +55mph the rear wheels are constantly bouncing - even with fresh tires. Took a look at the...
  19. vvwilkins

    What have you done to your 5 ton this week?

    Added a rear winch to THOR. A Sherpa 25k unit. Attached are a few pics of the install...
  20. vvwilkins

    Sherpa winch vs PTO winch

    ok, way late to the party and thread ... thought I'd share, just finished installing my second Sherpa 25k winch on the 5ton. This one I mounted on the stern with synthetic line. Here's a couple pics of my install. Replaced the supplied 12.9 bolts with ARP (after the pics were taken) for a bit...
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