Rocky The Roxor Build

[Bob R1]

Rocky started leaking Gear Oil at the drivers side rear wheel.
I am sure this is Torq Locker related one way or another.

Reused Wheel Seal Failed ???
Wheel Bearing going Out ???
Something not installed correctly ???

I dropped Rocky off at the garage this afternoon. Hopefully they will get it in the shop and figure out what is going on shortly.

Bob R

 

[Roxasuras]

I am back. I took a small break due to my Satellite Modem taking a dump. Viasat is now back up and running.

SEPTEMBER 2024

FRONT BUMPER
I have my Front Bumper Installed. I did not end up going Cecco Racing on the front bumper as I had originally planned. I picked up a 42" section of 5" Channel and a couple 1/4" x 2" X 6" straps for the end caps. Pipe Plus in Willow Springs cut the 5" Channel on a Band Saw on both ends so it was Square for the project. I had Willis Garage in Summersville Weld the end on the Channel. I have a One Inch X Two Inch Tab on the bottom on both ends of the Bumper to keep a Farm Jack from sliding off the bumper ends.
I painted the new Bumper with some AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) Flat Black Bumper Paint that I had left over from my Wrangler MOAB Bumper Chop. I applied Clear Coat over the Black Paint. The only hard part of the build is drilling the EIGHT Mounting holes in the Bumper in the right places.

TORQ LOCKER
I finally got Rocky in the shop to have the Torq Locker installed in the back. It seems to be doing better as I put more miles on it. It is way better behaved on Grass/Dirt/Gravel Roads than Black Top. It seems to be getting better about not Popping loudly on tight turns. I had serious thoughts about taking it back out to start with. However it seems to be getting over the Loud Pops turning. I will probably slow down driving Rocky to town for the next few months due to cold weather and so far no Doors or Heater/Defroster. This will get more break in miles on the unit while not on Black Top making tight turns.

PARTS ON ORDER
I made an order with Roxor Parts Direct.
3/4" HD Shackles
HD D Ring 4 Bolt Mount (Shackle Mount)
4 New Bumper Bolts (I am very impressed that they carried the needed Bumper Bolts)
Hood Mount for the Hi Lift Jack.

I will keep you posted on how the Order goes.

Now I will need to get in gear on the Hi Lift Jack Clean up project. The Plan is to paint it OD Green.

Bob R

I painted mine od green, looking forward to seeing it all done ✔️

 

[txroadkill]

Rocky started leaking Gear Oil at the drivers side rear wheel.
I am sure this is Torq Locker related one way or another.

Reused Wheel Seal Failed ???
Wheel Bearing going Out ???
Something not installed correctly ???

I dropped Rocky off at the garage this afternoon. Hopefully they will get it in the shop and figure out what is going on shortly.

Bob R

Make sure the spacer was installed back. Otherwise the preload on the bearings isn’t there causing them to go out and then the seals leaking. Very common issue. That spacer needs to be put back in the rear for things to work properly.

 

[Bob R1]

I checked my parts box. No spacers are in it. I would presume they were reinstalled.

I stopped by the shop this morning. He says that he installed the shims.
May just be the seal. Fingers Crossed.

Bob R

 

[Bob R1]

18 September 2024
Rocky is on a lift back in the shop.
It was not taken apart as of 4 PM.
Making Progress.

Bob R

 

[Bob R1]

20 September 2024
Rocky is apart and being cleaned up. The Grease Seal leak was caused by a Rear Wheel Bearing going out. Apparently the Spacer dropped out during the install.

Repair parts are on order. They figure Wednesday for completing the repair.

Bob R

 

[lost1wing]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Hopefully you will have Rocky going again next week.

 

[Bob R1]

27 SEPTEMBER 2024
Well Rocky is still in the Hospital. They got the wheel bearings installed, then decided the rest of the Rear End Bearing's needed replaced as well. They are sourcing some US Made Bearings for the repair.

By the time I get Rocky out of the shop I might have a Farm Bumper to install.

I drive Waaaaay to much on Black Top in Town, requiring tight turns. We are going to remove the Locker from the rear end, and reinstall the Spider Gears while replacing the rest of the Bearings.

I took the Hi Lift Jack apart and got it all cleaned up, and repainted OD Green to match the color of Rocky. The rebuild kit came in Wednesday. I will get it installed today at work. Replacing the Climbing Pins, and the Shear Bolt should take all of 5-10 Minutes.

I have the Hi-Lift Jack Hood Mount from Roxor Parts Direct on the table ready to install when I get Rocky back home from the Garage.

I also have the "Four Bolt" Front Shackel Mounts and new D Shackles ready to install also.

I am not sure if I mentioned it above, but I now have the new 42" HD Front Bumper installed. Looks a lot stouter.

Bob R

 

[Bob R1]

29 SEPTEMBER 2024
I ordered my Cecco Racing Farm Bumper this morning.

I have the 7/8" D Shackles for the Rear Bumper on hand. Harbor Freight purchase, same as the ones for the Front Bumper. I picked up a Foot or 1" heater Hose to fabricate Spacers for the Shackles. I have had the Heater Hose Spacers on my Jeep Wrangler MOAB for several years, and they have worked fine.

Bob R

 

[Bob R1]

01 October 2024
I got a Shipping number this morning from Cecco Racing. Looks like my Farm Bumper Shipped.

I will check on Rocky while in town after a while. I need to pick up a couple Target Bases at the Range to have a couple hits ironed out. Hoping that the Torq King Bearings show up shortly.

Bob R

 

[Bob R1]

3 October 2024
The Bearings and Seals from Torq King had not arrived at 2PM today. I am hoping they showed up after I left. I am not warm and fuzzy that I will get Rocky out of the Hospital this week.

The UPS Tracking Number has my Cecco Farm Bumper arriving tomorrow (4 October). I will probably get it all painted up over the weekend. Matt Flat Black with a Clear Coat Overcoat.

Hoping to get the Rear Farm Bumper, and Hi Lift Jack "Hood Mount" installed Monday or Tuesday of next week.
I may order a Cecco Front Shackle Mount. I am not all that impressed with the first one I purchased.

Bob R

 

[Roxasuras]

She should look good all done up

 

[Bob R1]

5 OCTOBER 2024
The Bearings and Seals for the rear end did arrive Thursday afternoon. My mechanic had a show and tell day at school Friday, so it will be Monday before I get the Roxor out of the shop. That is also contingent on no wrecker calls taking up his day. The good thing, the rear end will be all Timken Bearings when I get the Roxor back.
We are leaving the Locker out. The original Spider Gears are going back in. I drive on Black Top in Town way to much to put up with a Locker in the rear.

The Cecco Farm Bumper was on the deck when I got home from work. I carried it to the shop and put it on saw horses. First Impression, it is NOT made from Bear Cans. The weight is listed on the instruction sheet as 60#. I would have thought it was heavier. I will need to round up an M8x1.25 and an M12X1.75 Tap to chase the crossmember threads on the attachment points with Factory Installed Nuts. The Hardware Bag contains one Nut Plate with Three Nuts attached. I presume this Nut Plate is for holes that you cannot get to on the back of the Crossmember. Probably the Fuel Tank is in the road. A Nut Plate will beat dropping the Fuel Tank.

On my plate today is getting the Bare Bumper paint job started. I picked up Rust-Oleum 2X BLACK Primer (249846) for the base coat. For the next coat I have Rust-Oleum 2X ULTRA MATTE Premium Paint + Primer (331182). The Top Coat will be Rust-Oleum 2X GLOSS CLEAR Acrylic Enamel (271913).
The bumper will not need very much preparation to start painting it. As clean as the raw metal is, I would not be surprised if it was built Monday after I placed the order. No Rust on the metal.

With luck I will get the Farm Bumper installed on the Roxor Tuesday.

I will probably make another order with Cecco for a set of Front Shackle Mounts. I am not totally happy with the construction of the first set that I got, as compared to the Cecco Shackle Mounts that are Waaaaay heavier constructed. They are worth the higher price to get the quality of construction that you can count on never letting you down.

I have all Four of the 7/8" Harbor Freight D Shackle's on hand to install when I get everything mounted up.

More to come.

Bob R

 

[Bob R1]

6 OCTOBER 2024
I will be finishing up painting my new Cecco Farm Bumper today.

To start with let me brag on Cecco Racing. My new "Un-Finished" Farm Bumper came in well packaged with no damage. I ordered it on a Sunday, and it arrived the following Friday. NO RUST what so ever on the bumper. Just wipe it down with solvent and paint. All the Mounting Hardware came in a Zip Lock Bag, and it came with instructions. I did need to purchase two Metric Taps to chase threads, An 8mm X 1.25 and a 12mm X 1.75, which we had at the local hardware store where I work part time. This Bumper is NOT made from recycled Beer Cans. The Instruction Sheet says it weighs 60 pounds. I was sure that it was even heavier than that. The Frame Tie's are likewise not made of Recycled Beer Cans. This Bumper is well thought out, and as Stout as it can be made for a Roxor. I do not have any doubts that it will hold up to anything I will do with it. I will use the Rear Bumper to Drag Brush with a Hook, attach my Fan Sprayer for my 25 Gallon Spray Rig, I have a Reese Hitch Mounted Seeder, as well as a Fold Up Cargo Carrier. I will also be fabricating a joint use Jeep Size Trailer for it as well as my Jeep Wrangler MOAB. I also have new Harbor Freight 7/8" D-Ring Shackle's with 1" Heater Hose to use as a spacer to keep them solid.

Back to the doing today part.
I got it wiped down with Thinner yesterday, and Primed it with Black Primer, and painted it with Black Matte.
Today I will shoot another coat of Black Matte on it, then top it off with Clear Coat, and let it dry.

I should get my Roxor back out of the Shop Monday. The Plan is to take the Bumper and Roxor to my local fabricator/mechanic/muffler guy Tuesday, and install the Farm Bumper at his shop where we have a lift to get to the mounting hardware easier. AND Yes I will Drill the Frame and install the Frame Tie In Braces. The Frame Tie Brackets are the main component making the Farm Bumper Bullet Proof.

Bob R

 

[Bob R1]

8 OCTOBER 2024
I got Rocky out of the shop this afternoon.
My rear end now has all Timken Bearings from Torque King.
We removed the Locker, and reinstalled the Factory Spider Gears. I have determined that I drive in town way to much to put up with a locker.

The Cecco Racing Rear Farm Bumper is all painted and ready to install.
I have the Taps to chase threads with on the factory cross member, ready to go.
I also have the .500 Drill Bit for the Frame Tie in bolt holes.
I should get my Cecco Front Shackle Mounts in Friday with luck.
I have Four Each 7/8 D-Shackles on the Table ready to install. I have a foot of 1 Inch Heater Hose to fabricate side spacers for the D-Shackle's.
I have my Roxor Parts Direct Hi Lift Jack Hood Mount also on the table.
My Hi-Lift Jack has been stripped, and repainted OD Green and a parts kit installed. I also have the Handle Isolator installed.

The Roxor will look different after the installation of this round of parts.

I still need Doors, a Heater, and a Winch. I am getting closer to completion.

Bob R

 

[Bob R1]

9 September 2024
Nothing accomplished today. I was hoping to get home from work earlier than I did.
When I did get home I had a box on the table. The Cecco Front Shackle Mounts came in.
I will get them painted tomorrow at work.
These Shackle Mounts are very impressive. The machine work as well as the welding are over the top. This is a FIVE STAR Plus Product. It is constructed well above and beyond adequate. Not mentioned anywhere, the Shackle Mounts come with Eight New Bumper Bolts.
I have a Sportsman's Club Board Meeting tomorrow, so I will not be able to get any of my parts installed until at least Friday after work, or possibly this coming weekend.

I have on hand ready to install:
Cecco Rear Farm Bumper
Roxor Parts Direct Hi Lift Jack Hood Mount ( One Piece )
A Classic Old School Hi Lift Jack that has been Rebuilt and Painted OD Green
Cecco Front Shackle Mounts
Harbor Freight 7/8 D Shackles, Two for each end.
A bolt on Hook to mount between the seats on the rear bulkhead to hold my Hearing Protection. I am frequently at the Range, and I need hearing protection to be in the Roxor at all times.
I also have a new Digital GPS Speedometer to install.

Bob R

 

[Gabe]

You can see the shackle mounts on my front bumper. In my opinion they should come built into the bumper like the rear. Make sure you leave the one side connected or just loose when you install the shackle. I took mine completely off not realizing the screws they had for the shackles where connecting the bumper and because of the winch plate everything was under lots of tension and it was somewhat of a challenge getting all the bolts back in and seated mainly because I was doing this job solo.

 

[Bob R1]

10 September 2024
I do understand. I had my Home/Shop fabricated Front Bumper off and back on several times getting all Eight of the Bolt Holes exactly where they belong. I Rounded up all the Parts, I had the Fabrication Shop weld the ends on. Then I drilled and then enlarged the Bolt Holes. I should have ordered the Shackle Mount earlier to use as a templet for the bolt holes.
My Front Bumper may even be a hair heavier than the Cecco 42" Base Bumper. (No Bull Bar or Receiver) My winch mount is the one Diesel Freak sells, so I probably have the same one that you have. It is tight on the top

I got the Shackle Mounts painted at work yesterday. I will probably Clear Coat them today. I did discover a problem. The 7/8" D-Shackle's from Harbor Freight are actually 1" where they go through the 1" hole in the Cecco Shackle Mounts. I am going to need to loosen up the fit a little the way it looks. Probably a good start would be to knock the paint off the contact area of the D Shackle Pin's and see if that loosens it up enough to get through the hole. Plan B would be to see a buddy with a lath and knock a little off the Pin diameter.

Looking forward to getting the Parts installed.

I need to get Rocky out on the Deer Lease this weekend and weed eat around Blind's #2 and #3. I brush hogged the trails a while back and noticed that #2 and #3 could use a little more attention before deer season.

Bob R

 

[Bob R1]

12 September 2024
Messing with Walnuts this morning, and again this afternoon. Ate up more time than I had planned for. The Antique "JUNK" Huller quit yet again.

I got the Cecco Farm Bumper on. I am still working on the Frame Tie In's.
Step 1: is to remove the Cross Member End Caps.
Step 2: is to run a Tap through all of the Cross Member Holes with Nuts on the back side. This is more important than you might think. Getting the bolts all started is a REAL PAIN. It would be way worse without having the Threads Cleaned well.
Something you need to do. After you run a Tap through all of the nuts on the cross member, you need to make yourself a drawing of the Cross Member and mark the Threaded Holes, as well as the size. When you start the installation, you cannot see the Threaded Holes to tell them apart.

On the Left Side Frame Tie In I ended up doing some grinding on the Tie In Bar to get the Bolt Holes to all line up. When I start on the Right Side I will try and be more careful of the Fit. Possibly that will help with the fit, without a Bar Remodel.
EDIT: I had to do the same modification to the tie in bar on the Right side.

Harbor Freight 7/8" D-Shackles.
Wire brushing the paint off the Clevis Pin "center section" got both of the Front Clevis Mounts to accept the Pins. This did not help one of the Rear Bumper Shackle Mounts however. I will need to look things over better in good light to see if the Fit Problem is the Pin, or the Hole for the Pin. Three out of Four so far fit.
EDIT: The Pin on the one D-Shackle was slightly over sized. I ended up using a stone to reduce the diameter a little at a time until it fit.

I should get everything finished up tomorrow.

Bob R

 

[Vinny]

I think we're all starting to wonder what the heck your Roxor looks like.
Is this close?😆😆😆