Hey guys! Im back again with an update. I got all my hoses and fittings from a place call Hoses and Fittings, etc. in Fremont. They had great service and were really helpful. Heres what i got:
For the hydraulic steering hoses i got 20' of Parker 421-6 (3/8") hose and their field attachable fittings. These fittings are pretty cool. they dont require crimping, you attach em with only 2 wrenches. Heres how they work:
After cutting the hose with an abrasive chop saw or cut off wheel, etc. and cleaning the cut, you take the fitting on the left (which has a left hand thread) and tighten it down over the hose until the hose bottoms out in the fitting.
After that you take the piece on the right which is hollow and has a right hand thready that matches the thread on the inside of the first fitting.
As you tighten the second fitting into the first, it pushes itself into the hose and pinches it between the two fittings. Once the fitting is tightened all the way down, its sealed and ready to go, thats it!
And heres a hose all finished
I also got my brake system done. Here's how it came out:
Having the red brake lines and black radius arms looks pretty sweet (nice job picking the color Katrina!). Its inspired me to (whenever i decide to paint this thing) paint the truck in that same red. With a black soft top and radius arms/axles it will look awesome
And now here's my special little "im poor" project
. I needed some sort of parking brake for this truck and i also wanted a way to lock up the rear axle while letting the front spin to do front digs. I could do a couple things to achieve this ability. First i could get a cutting brake, but that costs $150 and wouldnt give me the ability to keep it locked as a parking brake. Also, i could get line locks but they are at least $50 and would kill my battery if i used them as a parking brake for more than a day or so. So i decided to make my own line locks. It was pretty easy, i just got two 1/4" ball valves, some 1/4"NPT to 1/8"NPT bushings, and some 3/8" inverted flare to 1/8" NPT adapters. Here are the parts (excluding brake line of course)
Now i know that ball valves will wear out eventually but thats no big deal, whenever they do that i will just replace them or figure out something else.
after getting the fitting on i just rerouted the brake lines for the front and rear through the valves. So heres how they work all installed (view from drivers seat looking down and to the right):
With both valves open, everything is normal. Brake pressure in both axles is controlled by the pedal.
By pressing down the brake pedal and closing the front valve (the one on the left), the brakes are locked on the front axle and the rear brakes are controlled by the pedal.
By pressing down the brake pedal and closing the rear valve (the one on the right), the brakes are locked on the rear axle and the front brakes are controlled by the pedal. This is what i will be using the most, as this is the position that will allow for an effective front dig.
By pressing down the brake pedal and closing both valves, the brakes are locked in both the front and rear. Obviously, this is the parking brake haha
That's the update! I have to bleed the brakes still and add a filter and possibly cooler to the hydraulic steering system. After that its on to finishing up the double transfer case (shifters, etc.), making driveshafts, and doing the cage/body work. Hopefully soon i can get a job and start bringing some money in to finish up this stuff. Thanks for checking it out!! :icon_thumby:
Sam
