Remove the hinge pins from the gate?
Desert Turtle - M1010 Build
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
Remove the hinge pins from the gate?
That gains me nothing as it is a single 10' swing gate and swings outward. The steel posts are the limit of the opening but the bigger problems is the pad is 10' 6" and the box with the stands where they need to be is just over 11'. The stands fit inside the post but would block being able to get into the yard.
Well... having stalled on the box move project for the moment, I decided to tackle a very long, outstanding project. 2.5 years ago, I installed the front Bilstein shocks but never the rear. Problem I ran into was, I had read the lower bolt was 9/16" diameter but the sleeves for the shock bushings are 1/2". Removing the bushing would allow it to fit but nothing would prevent the mount from crushing when you tightened the bolt and having the movement of the bushing on the bolt could cause it to turn and possibly loosen. Recently I found that Ballistic Fabrications made weld on reducer bushing, to covert a 9/16" hole to a 1/2". Cool, ordered them and once they arrive, set out to finish this project up. Well what I didn't know is, even though the upper mounting stud has a nut that is equivalent to a 1/2" bolt, the actual mounting stud itself is also 9/16". Well crap.
Looking at the old shocks, the sleeves are the right size for the mounting hardware but would never fit into the shock bushings. Hummm.... I wondered if someone made bushing that would fit the shock loops but have a 3/4" ID. I happened upon Daystar bushings that looked like they might work. Ordered a set off of Amazon and got them the next day. They looked like they should work so I set out to remove the old shock sleeves and removing the Bilstein bushings. Installed the Daystar ones, which fit the loops perfect and pressed in the old sleeves. Bam! Just what I needed.
Weekend came and I set out to finish this up. With the shock bushing/sleeves figured out, they bolted right into the factory mounts and hardware. Yay! Finally done. Took for a test drive and definitely better ride and handles bumps and dips much better.
Difference in bushing ID size
Daystar bushing with old sleeve, Bilstein bushing and sleeve and the Ballistic Fab reducers (which I am not using now)
Daystar bushing and old sleeve installed on one end, still the original Bilstein on the other
Shock installed (hose is nowhere close to exhaust, picture illusion)
Looking at the old shocks, the sleeves are the right size for the mounting hardware but would never fit into the shock bushings. Hummm.... I wondered if someone made bushing that would fit the shock loops but have a 3/4" ID. I happened upon Daystar bushings that looked like they might work. Ordered a set off of Amazon and got them the next day. They looked like they should work so I set out to remove the old shock sleeves and removing the Bilstein bushings. Installed the Daystar ones, which fit the loops perfect and pressed in the old sleeves. Bam! Just what I needed.
Weekend came and I set out to finish this up. With the shock bushing/sleeves figured out, they bolted right into the factory mounts and hardware. Yay! Finally done. Took for a test drive and definitely better ride and handles bumps and dips much better.
Difference in bushing ID size
Daystar bushing with old sleeve, Bilstein bushing and sleeve and the Ballistic Fab reducers (which I am not using now)
Daystar bushing and old sleeve installed on one end, still the original Bilstein on the other
Shock installed (hose is nowhere close to exhaust, picture illusion)
Well crap... Another unforeseen issue with moving the M1010 over to the Ram. The rear tire width is 3" wider than the outside of the box. I didn't think of this until a neighbor parked his newer Chevy truck behind the M1010 and I saw it was a fair bit wider. That prompted me to measure the Ram.
I think that likely killed the box move. I already had a few other questionable issues that I wasn't 100% sure would be solved. Guess I'll put the flatbed back on the Ram and use it to haul materials for the box build and then sell it. Wish I would have checked that before heading that direction. Oh well....
I think that likely killed the box move. I already had a few other questionable issues that I wasn't 100% sure would be solved. Guess I'll put the flatbed back on the Ram and use it to haul materials for the box build and then sell it. Wish I would have checked that before heading that direction. Oh well....
@Herbie Thanks. To get the clearance I would need, I would have to raise the inner wheel wells inside the box, which is not practical and if it doesn't work out, there is no turning back.
I will just continue on like originally planned and build out the Chevy truck. Just is going to take a loooot longer and much more effort.
Well... moving forward. Picked up some aluminum tube and sheet to start building the rear wall. Much to my surprise, by using 1.5" thick tube on the bottom and 1" thick tube on the top of the opening, the door fit perfectly. I knew it was going to be close but I figured I would have to shim the door to fill the gap. Nope, nice and snug. Got the wall studs framed up. Need to do some final welding and make a couple filler pieces for the curved part of the door. Then install the frame and skin the wall. By moving up to .063" sheet (instead of the .050" I have been using), I was able to get it 60" wide which means I can do the full wall in one sheet (60" high x 75" wide). No seams!!!
Last couple weekends have been working to permanently installing the back wall frame and wall sheet. Drilled through the tubing so I could get my pneumatic rivet gun into the tube to rivet the wall to the box. I am using the same structural rivets I did for the roof raise. Also used Sikaflex 221 adhesive/sealant. The frame and sheet are not going anywhere. 
Got the door cutout and test fitted the Turn Overland Wildlands door. Fit perfectly. Still need to final install it but am going to do that after I spray the wall with some etching primer. Happy with how things are coming along and this should be the last of the major external mods to the box.
Got the door cutout and test fitted the Turn Overland Wildlands door. Fit perfectly. Still need to final install it but am going to do that after I spray the wall with some etching primer. Happy with how things are coming along and this should be the last of the major external mods to the box.
I pulled these Hella Rallye 4000 lights off the Ram, when I removed the front guard off the truck to install the new headlights. I decided I wasn't putting it back on so the lights have been sitting on my garage floor. Tired of having to move them to get to things, I decided to just mount them onto the M1010. Ends up the Sheriff dept had cut out the cross bars in the two opening I put the lights in, so it made it easy to install. I will add the two cross bars above the lights, to help protect them.
Thanks!
Knocking off small things on a big list. Scuffed and etch primer the rear wall. Was hoping to get the door final installed with sealant but the weather didn't cooperate on Sunday. I ended up installing the six scene lights around the box, two rear and two on each side. Made a drilling template which sped up the process. I used Rivnuts so I can remove them if I ever needed to replace one. Had I used nuts on the inside, once the inner walls are up, I would not be able to access them. Lights are from SuperBrightLED.
Scuff and primed
Scene lights
Scuff and primed
Scene lights
Yep, everything fails or needs service, so do the best to allow for that. Seen too many other projects where that was not planned for and required a major amount of disassembly to repair/service/replace.
Minor progress. Adding L track to the top and bottom of the rear wall. This will allow me to build racks/mounts to hold items, like a set of steps I am modifying. This will allow me to change things easily if I need to and not worry about holes or old mounts in the rear wall. Installed Riv-Nuts and temporarily mounted the track. Will permanently install once I paint the wall.
Lots of Riv-Nuts installed
L Track mounted
Lots of Riv-Nuts installed
L Track mounted
Knocked out another small project on the camper. Installed the rear assist grab handle. Ended up using Riv-nuts installed into backing plates that were riveted to the door frame. Should be strong and allow for easy replacement should that ever be needed. Just by luck, the angle of the grab bar and the angle of the window happened to be the same. Looks good and really makes the goofy window design fit better. Started to mock in my Little Giant steps (was a step stool). Need to solve how I will mount them in use.
Gallowbraid
Adventurist
Love the recycled little giant. Great little step stools / ladders.