Lucky 8?s Project P38

[Rover Mac]

Nice update :applause:

Envious of your TW front driveshaft, because you dont have to deal with the aluminum adaptor previously required.

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I was thinking of trying PlastiDip
http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip
on the factory front brush-guard and winch mount.
Coating the headlining is an interesting approach to the sagging headliner issue, but after seeing your
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnww6UqEiGw maybe it is not such a bad idea after all.


Spent Sunday morning resolving my BECM issues with Scotty at
http://www.becmdoctor.com/Default.asp

I now have an unlocked BECM as a trail spare and will hopefully have my spare engine ECU unlocked so that it can be swapped independantly of the BECM.

Thanks to Elias at
https://www.facebook.com/rover.restorations

I have updated my trail spares to the Bosch engine on the 01

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Sensors, computers, MAF, alternator, starter, etc

My 01 is now on coils, along with the Terrafirma shocks you provided, 5" longer brake lines, bump stops on the lower axle and BFG KM2's 255/85

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Agreed the SD rack is not as practical as "other designs"
However IMO it looks as if you have just left home depot with an aluminum garden gate strapped to your crossbars

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

Agreed the SD rack is not as practical as "other designs"
However IMO it looks as if you have just left home depot with an aluminum garden gate strapped to your crossbars

Agreed!
Hands-down the SD rack is the sexiest rack out there.

We have a few extra bits coming to help the Front Runner rack look not so.... boring.

 

[gl4x4]

did you use specific mounts for a p-38 on the new rack? how much is that set-up for a p38?

Its too bad the rack doesn't follow the roof contour. it looks a bit funny up front.

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

did you use specific mounts for a p-38 on the new rack? how much is that set-up for a p38?

Its too bad the rack doesn't follow the roof contour. it looks a bit funny up front.

Front Runner makes a track kit for the P38.

I agree with you the front is a little too tall. This was done on purpose so you can open the sunroof. Front runner has sent lower front mounts that will bring the front down to match the roofline. Overall the rack is extremely versatile. Plus we can easily take this rack and put it on the L332 project down the road.

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

Project update : Springs and things

It is a little known fact that the shocks in the front of a P38 are generally 2 inches longer than the shocks in the rear.



We decided to take advantage of this by swapping in a set of front shocks to the rear.



On the upside we would gain more down travel from the shocks and this would allow the rear axel to flex like the Hulk on steroids. Okay, the Hulk thing may be a little much but you get the idea. The downside is the spring would definitely fall off the lower perch or come out of the upper bucket. To remedy this issue we reached deep into our bag of tricks and pulled out a set of X springs from our friends at X Eng.



The X spring will not only act like a cone, it will also provide downforce to help keep the axle on the ground. With both wheels on the ground longer you maintain traction and stability. Above and beyond the intended use of the X spring it was extremely advantageous given the limited space and lack of cones for the P38.



The X springs axel mounting configuration offered us another advantage over traditional cones.
As you lift the truck the axel tends to wrap or point the diff up. This will cause the spring perches to sit at an angle. With the Spring perches at an angle it makes it extremely difficult to keep the spring on the perch. Most people will strap the springs to the perch. This will cause the spring to sit constantly in the shape of the letter C. With the X spring in place this was no longer an issue. As you can see the Lower spring and bucket allow the spring perch to twist without fear of becoming disconnected.



Here is a few forklift flex pictures and the articulation is quite good.





Front fender flares earning their keep



With the truck in the air we decided it was a good time to put on a set of Terrafirma drilled and slotted rotors. I cannot say enough good things about these rotors. We have used them on every project truck thus far and they have preformed above our expectations.



Here is a video of the X spring working

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIsMQyQOYg4

And the poser pic

 

[honda50r]

That's a mean-lookling P38. Cool to see so many things still being figured out about these trucks

 

[rnewman]

It needs manly diif guards. Justin keep knocking them off when hitting rocks....

 

[gl4x4]

i just welded 3/8" plate around my front diff and on the bottom. works fine. and won't ever fall off.

are those terrafirm shocks any good? or do they overheat and foam after a long day of ruts.

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

That's a mean-lookling P38. Cool to see so many things still being figured out about these trucks

Thank you. I can not wait for the bumpers.

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

It needs manly diif guards. Justin keep knocking them off when hitting rocks....

If I had a better spotter :rofl:

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

i just welded 3/8" plate around my front diff and on the bottom. works fine. and won't ever fall off.

That is a very good solution, unfortunately not everybody has access to a welder. That is why we're holding out for the new bolt on guards.

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

are those terrafirm shocks any good? or do they overheat and foam after a long day of ruts.

We have been using them in a few trucks for a while and have been very pleased. I have not noticed any shock fade at this time.

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

Project update : Something to prove

With the recent upgrades to the roof rack, suspension, and wheels we decided to head to Rausch Creek for some testing.



The first thing we did was air down the tires lower than we normally would to test out the bead locks. The pressure was set to 9 lbs.



With the tires ready to go and everything strapped to the roof rack we hit the trails.



What would a test be if we did not push the vehicle. In doing so the front CV blew up sending little metal balls everywhere.



In a normal P38 this little trip would be over. The center diff with its viscous coupling would send all the power to the broken axle leaving the vehicle motionless. Thankfully project P38 has a locked centered diff. This modification provided us the opportunity to continue on. Unfortunately we only made it another 10 foot before puncturing a hole in the front diff cover.



With a "I don't have time to bleed" attitude we decided to press on in one wheel drive.



At the end of the first day people were amused that the P38 was able to keep up in RWD. To be honest we did keep mostly to greens and some EZ blues. On Saturday morning when I fired up the P38 with an almost empty front diff the crew of hardened off road vets may have snickered at the notion it was going out on the second day. Unfortunately for me yesterday's kindness of sticking to easy trails was not going to be spread over to today. Our groups plan was to eat up every blue in the park and wash them down with some blacks.





In order for the P38 to have a chance of keeping up it would need to rely on it's best features.
1 Excellent tires air down for maximum traction
2 Bomb proof sliders with tree bars
3 Newly installed flexy suspension
4 A lot of go pedal connected to the fresh 4 dot 6
This is a typical blue trail at Rausch Creek



As I type this update my back is still in pain from the beating my body absorb. Lest anybody think that Range Rover seats are not comfortable, they are exquisitely comfortable. My pain comes from continuously smashing the rocks with the rock sliders. In all my years of off-roading I have never used a set of sliders so aggressively.





As we carried on the trails did not become any easier. In fact the difficulty started to rise.



You will only get so far relying on a heavy foot and sliders. At some point you must bow to the fact that traction is the king. Luckily the new installed X-springs provided an unbelievable advantage over the normal suspension we had.

With the X spring constantly providing a bit of downforce on the un sprung side of the axel it allowed the tire to stay in contact with the ground longer. By doing so the open differential was forced to send power to both axles. This was the key to our success for the remainder of the weekend. Have a look at this next picture. You will notice that both rear wheels are on the ground.



Here is a close up picture from the same spot.



Notice how the X-spring is forcing the axle down allowing the tire to retain traction. Because of that little bit of magic we were able to complete every blue trail on the map in one wheel peel.

No poser pics today but I will leave you with this little trick. In case of emergency you can always use your Terrafirma steering damper bracket as a twisted spline half shaft removal tool.

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

Project Update : Nice Rack

Everybody loves a sexy rack and L8 is no exception. In it's standard form the front runner rack looked kind of plain, But as we started to add accessories the rack took on a whole new look.



The first thing we wanted to do was lower the front of the rack down so it looked level across the truck. Front Runner keeps the front a little bit higher then the rear so you can open the sunroof. Knowing full well that the sunroof will not be used anymore we decided to bring the front of the rack down. One of the greatest things about the Front Runner rack is it's modular construction. To lower the front all we had to do was swap out this bracket.



A few bolts later and boom the new foot is installed. We did not even have to take the rack off the roof.



Next on the list was to put some lights on the front. Ironman 4 x 4 has released their own brand of LED light bars and we thought this was a perfect place for one.



Again to stress how convenient this rack is we used the spare foot as a light mount bracket.



All we had to do was drop a bolt into the track and tighten the bracket down.



The Ironman LED uses a convenient multiple angle mount. All you have to do is adjust it to your liking and tighten it down with the provided Allen wrench.



The lightbar tucked up perfectly against the rack, hopefully keeping it out of harms way.







With the LEDs done it was time to move out back. I must admit I was as excited as a little kid on Christmas for this upgrade. It's one of those stupid things that you say why hasn't anybody thought of it before. If another rack manufacturer has done this I have never seen it. Front Runner designed a table holder that bolted to the bottom of the rack. It allows you to adjust for width to fit a multitude of tables. This was extremely useful because the P38 has less cargo room then any of the project vehicles we have used.
This is one of the track legs that need to be mounted to the bottom.



Simply slide the bolts into the lower track.



Adjust to size and tighten down.



Top view of the tracks installed waiting for the table.



I know what you guys are thinking because I thought the same thing. What holds the table in place? The table mounting kit comes with a securing latch. First you bolt this ring to your table.



Then mount the locking pin bracket to the rack.



Drop the pin in place to secure the table from moving.



Here is a top view of the table in place. It is securely stored and out-of-the-way until needed. Keep in mind we mounted all of these accessories without drilling a single hole.

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

With all this cool stuff on the rack we needed a way to get there. Scott from BECM Doctor www.becmdoctor.com had a few of his SD style ladders left and sent us one.



Not only is Scott extremely knowledgeable about the inner workings of the BECM he's a cool guy to work with. I highly recommend him if you need a spare BECM or yours repaired. He also offered to do another run of ladders if we can get eight people interested. The price for the ladder is $200. And one more thing before we get back to the ladder. Scott is also trying to find a way to divorce the BECM from the ECU. With him on the case we have a good chance of success.
Mounting the latter was extremely easy. All we needed to do was drill some holes.



Install some Riv Nuts and tighten down.





Poser shot

 

[gl4x4]

i've been contemplating if its possible to throw away the BECM and go old school with a bunch of relays and fuses to run everything. That's all the BECM is a over complicated relay system.

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

i've been contemplating if its possible to throw away the BECM and go old school with a bunch of relays and fuses to run everything. That's all the BECM is a over complicated relay system.

Unfortunately you need to BECM to communicate with the ECU. Without that the truck will not start.

 

[Rover Mac]

Re: Lucky 8’s Project P38
"With all this cool stuff on the rack we needed a way to get there. Scott from BECM Doctor www.becmdoctor.com had a few of his SD style ladders left and sent us one.

Not only is Scott extremely knowledgeable about the inner workings of the BECM he's a cool guy to work with. I highly recommend him if you need a spare BECM or yours repaired. He also offered to do another run of ladders if we can get eight people interested. The price for the ladder is $200. And one more thing before we get back to the ladder. Scott is also trying to find a way to divorce the BECM from the ECU. With him on the case we have a good chance of success. "


Scotty is indeed a tremendous resource and a good guy to do business with, unlocked my Becms ( including my spare) and currently has one of my spare engine ECUs . with the intention of unlocking the ecu so it can be swapped out without being matched to the BECM but divorcing it completely would be great
Quick question about removing the front warped axle shaft
I do carry spare axle assemblies , 8 bolts to remove with the hub attached,
With a warped axle would I be able to remove the shaft with the hub still attached?
Only seen blown diffs and Cv`s on P38`s and removing the axle but (Jesus nut) to replace a CV on Alan's (Rockrover). P38 was quite an ordeal in Moab

 

[FIVESPDDISCO]

Quick question about removing the front warped axle shaft
I do carry spare axle assemblies , 8 bolts to remove with the hub attached,
With a warped axle would I be able to remove the shaft with the hub still attached?

Im not sure I understand the question.

The CV and 1/2 shaft are 2 different pieces so it depends on how the CV exploded. When the CV is broken generally the 1/2 shaft stays in. You would remove the hub leaving the broken CV in it and just reaching in by hand and pull out the halfshaft.

In my case there was something wrong and the halfshaft would not slide out like normal. It could've been a small twist in the splines or all the coal dust that got into the front diff because of the hole. That is why I used terrafirma steering bracket.

 

[Rover Mac]

Im not sure I understand the question.

The CV and 1/2 shaft are 2 different pieces so it depends on how the CV exploded. When the CV is broken generally the 1/2 shaft stays in. You would remove the hub leaving the broken CV in it and just reaching in by hand and pull out the halfshaft.

In my case there was something wrong and the halfshaft would not slide out like normal. It could've been a small twist in the splines or all the coal dust that got into the front diff because of the hole. That is why I used terrafirma steering bracket.

Thanks, thats what I was enquiring about.