Ok small update, but progress is progress!

I didnt know what i wanted to do for my exhaust.  When its a rock crawler it doesnt matter where it goes, its gonna be in the way & get smashed.  So i made something simple that would be easy to service, and replace when it gets smashed!

First off, the muffler:  Gibson MWA

Let me just say, it sounds mean. Idle actually isnt that loud, but damn does it have a rumble when you rev it! I havent heard it with a tailpipe yet, but thatll come soon enough...

I bought some 3" fittings from amazon for cheap, turned out to actually be some pretty nice pieces. So i mocked it up, and realized this would actually be pretty easy to do!

​This is pretty much it. I mitred the end to give it a more finished look:

​Its tucked up in there pretty tight:

Built a couple exhaust hangars for the frame (one in front of muffler, one on tailpipe):

...and the finished product!

Hopefully its somewhat protected there, time will tell!

As a bonus, the doors are hung and aligned as well!
So the next day i get some free time ill begin the reassembly of them. So very close now!

Got some work done on the D70!
My old disc brake caliper brackets were in sorry shape and needed replaced.  I wanted to stay bolt-on, but this particular D70 came out of a dually, and as such i could not find a set of bolt-on brackets with the correct offset, so i opted to use weld-on caliper brackets from RuffStuff:

New lower shock mounts to replace my rock-bashed ones, also from RuffStuff:

Everything painted and ready for reassembly!

I ordered repair sleeves for the spindles. You can see the groove in the seal surface, and this is the good side!

This looks much better:

So with that done, the rear is now back together!

The calipers are adjusted, but i havent bled the brakes yet. In this pic the old calipers are still hanging off the springs, bt they have since been removed, and my stainless flex lines are connected to the new calipers.  Also waiting on parking brake cables from Lokar which are supposed to arrive Monday, so hopefully by Wednesday/Thursday both axles will be 100% done!

I also got the rear shocks installed, along with my anti-wrap bar:

We're actually getting pretty close now, i think this is all thats left:

• finish rear brakes + flush/bleed
• new fluid in both rears
• change oil in trans + doubler
• hang + assemble both doors
• CB antenna needs installed, + tune CB
  
• tailgate window motor is shot & needs replaced
  
• finish exhaust
  
• registration/inspection??? 

That actually might be all of it!  We're in the end game now!

Ok, finally had time to update this!
I havent made as much progress as id have liked; was trying to get some yard projects done before winter really sets in.  Which are now done, so here we go!

So in the front-end, i got my new ram mount made & installed:
This is a 1¼" OD tube clamp i picked up from ECGS:

I made a tab out of 1/2" plate to weld to it:

​I wish i had some super awesome update but i dont.

I came up with a solution that works, but im not super thrilled with. There is a lot less space than the pics show. Also, the clutch lever is tilted back towards the motor, and the gearbox can only be clocked every other position, so theres really no 'perfect' position; each one has its own issues to deal with so i stayed with this one.

I straightened the clutch lever...

​...and then made a removable extension for it:

It might look like theres a ton of room in this pic, but there totally isnt. I actually had to notch the bumper, valance & grill to get this to fit.

​This is the 'lock' position. The handle swings forward into the grill, and over towards the passenger tire when in freespool. It works just fine with one hand, but its not much to look at. The problem is, it will become a very tight space, once the radiator/condenser, and trans/p.steering coolers go back in. Because of this, im stopping right here. This will work, but im afraid if i try to design something more elaborate, itll be in the way later down the road. So im going to keep this for now, and once i get closer to the truck being complete, ill revisit it and see if i cant come up with a more elegant design, that doesnt interfere with anything else (i already designed, mostly built, & then rejected a 'better' design because it took up too much space).

So i went over to Eastwood today, bought some epoxy primer, and their extreme chassis black. Supposed to be pretty durable, and its an aerosol so i dont have to worry about trying to brush it on the bumper, and into all the crevices. Hopefully i can start painting them in a week or two, but first i need to deal with this:

​I dont want to cut the sheetmetal, so im modifying the clutch lever again. If all goes well, ill have this sorted tomorrow!

Bumper installed!

In case you were wondering, i weighed it, and the bumper comes in at 130#.  The winch weighs in at 72!  And thats w/o 90' of 7/16 cable on the drum.

So id call this project complete but if you look closely, youll notice the clutch lever is behind the valance!
Im gonna look into it tomorrow to see if ill be modifying the lever again, or making an extension or something.

​Welding is basically done!

​Mocking up window for fairlead:

​So i did some minor grinding with the bumper on the truck, just enough so i could fit and tack the smaller tubes in place. Then, off she came!

Set up on my cart, outside in the sun, grinding away!

This part is gonna take a while!

Gussets for the bumper brackets:

I decided on two for each side. While im sure one would probably be sufficient, it just looked out of place with one, and i figure a second cant hurt.

​Time to weld those seams!

...and more welding....

...and more welding!

​So if all goes well, ill be removing the bumper wednesday to begin grinding all the seams and getting them cleaned up, then lots more welding & grinding after that.

I got the driver corner finished:

I knew i was going to be doing some tube work, so i ordered some stuff, and took a couple days to upgrade the bender:

New base with swiveling locking castors, and a hydraulic conversion courtesy of SWAG Offroad.
Just in case i might ever want to switch back to manual for some dumb reason, i added 1/2" holes to bolt it to the floor, and the castors are bolted in place via tapped holes in the base plate.
It is soo much easier to use than by hand! Wish i did this years ago, makes bending tube so much easier to do by myself. No spring-back on the bends either, which is a huge plus over manual bending. So with that done, lets bend some tube!