The Hulkster build thread

[Logan03CO]

Looking good!

[303george]

Originally Posted by Logan03CO

Looking good!

Thanks!

[303george]

Finally fixed my PAD light today. No more annoying flashing airbag thingy!



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Originally Posted by Logan03CO

Looking good!

Is that a new bumper in your pic? That thing is awesome!

[Logan03CO]

Originally Posted by 303george

Is that a new bumper in your pic? That thing is awesome!

lol - Thanks!

Yep - It's a bumper from Jon Pope @ Fearce Offroad (http://www.fearceoffroad.com/)

[303george]

Very nice. I'd order one of those in a heartbeat if I had the extra cash. That bumper makes your truck look even more beastly. I didn't think that was possible!

[Logan03CO]

Originally Posted by 303george

That bumper makes your truck look even more beastly. I didn't think that was possible!

lol - What this little thing?!

[303george]

I finally have some updates!

1. I got new shocks! Bilstein 4600s. I installed the front shocks today and damn, what a difference


2. I cranked my torsion bars. I did 3.5 turns on each side and ended up with an extra inch on the passenger side and just shy of an inch on the driver's side. I'll be cranking them a bit more to try to get as close to 1.75 inches as i can without effecting ride quality. I took the truck out today over some bumpy roads and a few potholes and it rides fine. Actually better than before but that's probably due to the new shocks. Here's how the truck sits now:

Almost level. The back is about an inch higher. I'm hoping I can raise the front a bit more because I also got some Belltech 6400 shackles which I'll install tomorrow along with the rear shocks.

I also shopped around a bit for tires. I'm going with 32/11.5/R15 BFG A/Ts. I know it's going to be a tight fit but I've seen a few guys running them with just a torsion twist and they seem to be happy with them. I'm a little nervous about it but I know I want 32s. If I have to, I can install a BL later.

I had flip-flopped for months about getting a body lift and finally decided that for me, it's more trouble than it's worth. If I can avoid it, I'd rather not go that route. I'd like to have a suspension lift or SAS some day and if/when I do that, the BL would come off anyway.

Also, as you can see in the pic, I bought a beat up camper shell for the summer. It's coming off soon but I may take one more camping trip this year before it comes off. It’s awesome for camping but I can’t fucking wait to get my toolbox back on.

3. Last, but not least, I got a new windshield. I was driving home from work one day and BAM - a huge chunk of gravel flew up and hit my window. It was cracked too much to fix with resin so I got a new one. No pics of the windshield but just look at any other pic of my windshield and imagine that it's brand new.

[303george]

Got my new wheels and tires on today and my battery was in need of replacement so I picked up an Optima red top:




Wheels and tires:






When all was said and done, I wound up twisting my torsion bars 6 turns on the drivers side and 5 on the passenger side and got exactly 1 inch of lift on each side. I did need an alignment afterwards.

[303george]

Got some stock gas tank and transfer case skids. If everything goes according to plan I'm also going to pick up a used RCI front skid plate this weekend. I plan to paint them all red along with my tow hooks, emblems and badges. At some point I'll add some rock sliders and paint those red as well.



I also took off the camper shell for the non-camping season and put the toolbox back on. It looks so much better but I think all of the diamond plate is about due for another polish. I'll post up some pics at some point but right now it's getting too dark for my shitty phone to take any. Oh and I got a bug shield.

[bdillard77]

Sub'd! I saw your truck on the wheel reference page and I think I want my truck to sit about the same as yours. Keep it up man!

[303george]

Originally Posted by bdillard77

Sub'd! I saw your truck on the wheel reference page and I think I want my truck to sit about the same as yours. Keep it up man!

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Occasionally I get some slight rubbing from the bigger tires but it's so minimal it's barely worth mentioning. You could probably trim the bumper valance slightly and get rid of the rubbing altogether but it barely rubs anyway.

The shackles might be a bit of a pain to install. On mine, one of the shackle bolts is stuck inside the bushing and I need a torch to burn it out so I'm still running the stock shackles for now.

[Chris98]

Those skid plates cleaned up nice, didn't know you were a member here. Did you get the bug shield installed?

[303george]

Originally Posted by Chris98

Those skid plates cleaned up nice, didn't know you were a member here. Did you get the bug shield installed?

Yep. I put it on that night when I got home. I'm waiting to re paint the skids before I put them on though.

[303george]

Random pic for 2015:



Still haven't gotten the skids installed. Seems like the only days I have time to paint them, the weather is too cold to do any painting. Looking forward to spring when I can start working on the Ranger more. I'm about to order a hitch and some sliders but still torn between Rocky Road or Trail Gear sliders.

[303george]

I decided to go with the trail gear sliders. I'm going to have to find someone do to some of the welding and I decided to install the skids for the time being since I figured it'd be better to have them on when the sliders get welded. I also bought a rear hitch. I still need to install the gas tank skid and cut the t-case skid bolts a bit shorter. I'm kind of liking the black. Now I'm debating leaving them all black or painting red like I had originally planned. Here's some pics of the skids so far: