Thanks. There's internet all over. Coffee shops, Pollo Felize (chicken restaurant), hotels and then some.




More trip updates. 5 videos total now and some pics. http://www.safaripacific.com/adventures/ 2010_central_america/ updates.php

 

Broke down and returned to AZ. Central America Expedition - Page 15 - Expedition Portal Forum

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Hopefully you can get everything worked out

 

Ahh weaksauce!

 

back by chevy. epic fail

 

what exactly broke???

 

Looks like the spindle snapped.

 

wow thats ****ty

 

His spindle broke. He says that in his linked thread

 

SAS IT!!!!!! that sucks tho. back to the shop and back to the frying pan!

 

I believe his plan is to SAS it and do a motor swap. He was hearing some knocking in his motor a few times.

 

that really sucks! hope you get ur truck up and running again soon! i was wondering were you were at. were did you broke down if we may know?

 

Luckily I was close to home. Long story but things just didn't work out for most of the trip. I had to turn back to fix some other issues then the spindle snapped after I crossed back in the US.





Time to remedy the "problem"

 

Yep, and the knocking is getting louder. Not sure if I want to do a simple overhaul and ship to South America where I'll swap in a diesel. Or just drop in a 3.0 V6 I have from my last ranger. I started to build it 8 years ago, but never finished as I wrecked my 93 ranger.

 

With the amount of work you've put into that truck, it just wouldn't be right to drop in a 3.0 V6.... DIESEL!!!

 

What gear ratio will you have?

The diesel may be worth it as far as a long lasting reliable engine

 

I'm thinking 4.88s. Right now I have 4.10 in the 7.5. Also swapping in the ford 8.8 at the same time.


The only problem I'm having is finding a diesel that fits. The Cummins 4bt is a good motor, but way to big. Anyone know of a good mechanical diesel that has plentiful parts and will fit?

 

Are you sure the 4BT won't fit? It's been swapped in these trucks before

 

They only fit with a massive lift. Since I'm heavier and have a high center of gravity I don't want to do a big lift. I'll have to go up 2 inches (5 overall) from where I'm at now to fit the axle, which isn't bad.

 

nice. and what are your plans for the sas? whats the front axle didnt see. what tires u going to run? links coils leafs?

nice to hear from you again working on the truck!

 

Why not the 5.0? I know you have probably thought about it just curious why not that instead of a diesel or the 3.0. There are tons of parts for a 5.0 and seems to work in most of the trucks that have done them.

 

Dana 30 high pinion. Going back to basics with leafs. Leafs are a rougher ride, but repairable in the field if need be.


If I wasn't building a rig for international travel I'd go that route. Need to keep the motor in a good fuel economy range. Diesel is the best at 30+ mpg. Not to mention not having to worry about buying bad gas.

 

Im glad to see a SAS getting under way and Im even OK with the leaf spring setup...but not happy to see the d30 going in. Seems like a lot of work to do the SAS only to use a very weak axle. IMHO

 

A dana 30, really? It looks like you already have the axle but I wish someone could talk you out of it. Hell even the front diff in a ranger is a d35 center section.

I think a HP 44 would be a much better place to start. Hopefully for the rear axle you'll spring for a 31 spline 8.8 instead of the 28 spline as well. Not only is it going to be stronger but they typically come with disc brakes and there is a lot better selection of lockers for the 31 spline.

 

Keep in mind I don't go rock crawling in this thing and only run 32" tires. The truck is very rarely in crossed axle or steep spots since I have such a high center of gravity. Yes, I have a 31 spline 8.8 that will be swapped in at the same time.

Bumped into a guy that has the old 2.2l Mazda S2 diesel. He says its reliable. Anyone have input on that and if there good where to find one?