***CAUTION: If you like to see projects completed quickly this is clearly not your thread.***
Like many of you, it means the world that Ramsey's advice is preserved in this thread. I did not know him personally, but respect him immensely. Some of his comments and challenges have kept me poking away at the project.
Well, the photos and videos of Timeless' completed conversion have me compelled to post an update. The end of this post can provide some life stories about what happens during a three year 4wd conversion...
All of the work I'm doing I want to preserve digitally and lack of a plasma cutter made me want to have all pieces cut on a CNC, but I didn't know CAD or have software. An old netbook running Linux and Freecad solved that problem. Nashville has a great metal shop (Loftis metals) that turns around my tiny orders in a day or two.
So let's see, the radius arms are built with heims, laser cut/welded radius arm brackets, arms still to be gusseted, fitted with shock mounts, and finish welded
I sacrificed my first TTB to make the jig to place everything. Then picked up a second with warn hubs, but 4.10s. I was a bit stuck on how to handle my gear ratio mismatch until a third TTB with 3.55s to match my rear appeared on craigslist. In the end I'm out $200 total for the three axles. It'll be hard to leave an axle unused knowing that every part I've needed can be run quickly on the CNC, so wife permitting this conversion will be followed by another.
And if you have the patience to still be interested, here's the insanity of my workflow in a single crossmember example: (sorry it's sideways)
Left to right (or bottom to top): After creating enough room for my differential to not hit the crossmember and having everything close to final resting place with the radius arms tacked in, I stared with a 1/4" hardboard template (that actually came from a combination of some CAD files shared by another member and sloppy cardboard templates). The hardboard template had piano hinges so that I could mount it and get my angles dead on with a digital angle finder so that everything mated properly. I used the slotted spots bolt holes to allow me to locate the holes exactly.
Once that was done, i designed the part on the computer, then used a laser cutter to cut some scraps of cardboard including cardboard support braces (not visible) that give me the exact angles I need based on my measures from the piano hinge model. The cardboard was rigid enough to bolt in place and the bolts fit in nicely.
I tried to think a few steps ahead for some gussets I'll need on the ECM, modified the file one more time, and sent it off to be cut. The cardboard was the sacrificed as a jig when I tacked up the 1/4 plate. It was the best feeling to bolt up the plate version and have the bolts drop perfectly through the engine mount brackets, stock crossmember, and my new bracketry.
I'm still designing and tweaking each piece so I would see this as a model in what the components may look like, but not necessarily final product. Progress has been slowed by: having a second son two years ago which means a 2 and 4 year old. They're already camping with us, just not in the van and those trips have pushed me to put in serious time. Then there were the other non-van projects... a nice treehouse and sandbox for the boys a remodel of part of the house to make a master suite and master bath, a career change that meant the loss of teacher summer work sessions. And van related projects... welding up a MOVE bumper, finishing the glasswork on the $72 fixed top from an airport shuttle.
If you have the patience, stick around. It'll be there sometime. I have more photos, but don't know what people care about, so I've limited to photos that are relevant to the narrative.