Gold Cobra
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Woodland, WA
Dicks little white XJ
- Thread starter dick.breakey
- Start date
Gold Cobra
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Woodland, WA
Gold Cobra
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Woodland, WA
Gold Cobra
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Woodland, WA
Gold Cobra
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Woodland, WA
This build is brought to you by Miller High Life.
josefxj97
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Bonney Lake, WA
The Champagne of Beers!
- Location
- NE Texas
No invite? Da hell?
jonesinxj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Granite Falls, WA
Board meeting for bod? Ben just there to laugh at????
dick.breakey
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Bellevue/Seattle
had a great time this weekend. though at one point I thought i was going to be driving Red Dragons! home. All worked out well, however its not quite done. I need to get an alignment in the worst of ways. Need some shackles for the rear cause the ones on there now are not the right ones. too wide on the lower mounts so they slide back and forth a about half an inch and make noise. the new currie steering is as beef as they come. The jeep is WAY higher than I had initially planned it to be. With the shackles in the back, its sitting about 6 inches and with the spacer, its about 5 up front. Before things settle its probably a little higher than that. I didnt get a single pic of it after it was on its own tires and not on stands. overall im super happy with the way it looks. even got the spare mounted up to the tire carrier like it should be. hopefully the TORX report will be here shortly so everyone can see the progress.
two tips for people to follow: Dont put your fingers under an axle when on a jack. your likely to lose a finger, which almost happened this weekend. Thankfully it was just slpit open and a fingernail was lost. (not mine) Also, dont drink 70 beers between 4-5 people and expect the last few hours of the night to be productive. its just not.
two tips for people to follow: Dont put your fingers under an axle when on a jack. your likely to lose a finger, which almost happened this weekend. Thankfully it was just slpit open and a fingernail was lost. (not mine) Also, dont drink 70 beers between 4-5 people and expect the last few hours of the night to be productive. its just not.
BPB
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Battle Ground, Washington
You gresham guys hurt our feelings
- Location
- NE Texas
dick.breakey
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Bellevue/Seattle
ah son of a gun. thanks for the work TORX. I make it a habbit to copy all every so often just in case theres an issue. especially before i hit submit on the posting. ive lost too many long posts by not doing that haha.
Whiteboard Overhaul Weekend: 1/21-1/22
Players:
Dick (dick.breakey)
Darren (Goblazers_6)
Dustin (TORX)
Eric (Dellstopjeep)
Ben (BPB)
Bryce [(FingerBlaster) not on the forum]
Parts to be Installed:
BFG 35" KM2's
Rough Country 4.5" Lift
Rough Country HD SYE
Teraflex 2Low
Currie Currectlync Steering
JCR Winch Bumper
Smittybuilt 10K Winch
ARB Blaster OBA
Resources Used:
MoneypitK5 Tire Service
Shaefer's List Customs Garage
Hollandcaust Welding LLC
Woodland Napa Auto Parts
Consumables Used:
Taco Bell
McDonald's
Starbuck's
Figaro's Pizza
78 Miller High Lifes
18 Coors Light
12 Rasperry Shocktops
6 HW Hef's
Dick had been collecting quite the pile of parts over the past few weeks. It was decided that he would bring the Jeep down this weekend, and we'd knock it all out over he course of the weekend.
I headed out to Woodland Saturday morning to help with the first project, tires. We needed 14 tires and wheels swapped around. Luckily Eric has a long bed truck, and we were able to fit them all in. We parked Dick's Jeep in the garage, and headed out to Washougal (~30 miles). Joe (moneypitk5) agreed to help with the tire portion of the project. HUGE thanks goes out to Joe for taking time out of his Saturday to help dismount/mount tires for us. We got the tires dropped off, and decided to head back to Woodland and start drinking... and working on the Jeep.
Eric already tired of driving, doing the contractor lean.
We got back to the garage and started diving into the Jeep portion of the project. Since I had just rebuilt all of my RE arms the prior week, I volunteered to assemble the Rough Country arms. Same basic uni-ball joint design.
If you love it, lube it.
Completed joint. Kind of nice RC supplies their own spanner wrench for the joints.
While I was on arm duty, Eric and Dick attacked the rear suspension. Yarding out the old, and installing the new. Progress was good at this point.
Got the arms all assembled. I'm impressed by the quality of the arms and joints. I think they should hold up well over time, and are definitely priced right.
Bryce and Darren worked on the front end, removing the OEM bumper, skid, and front suspension.
The rear u-bolt plate center pin holes are .5" stock, and the new center pins user a larger bolt. Dick used the Converse Drill Press to hog out the holes.
Success.
At this point we got a call from Joe saying the tires were ready to be picked up. It had been maybe two or three hours! Eric and I decided to roadie back out to Washougal and pick up the tires.
We hadn't been on the road for more than six minutes when I got a call from Dick. Since Eric's truck is loud I only got pieces, "cut his finger off... going to ER... Longview!" After some clarification it turns out Bryce got his pinky finger in a pinch point while moving the front axle. The axle fell on it, and it nearly ripped it off inside his glove (pictures are somewhere). Darren grabbed the garage first aid kit (safety first!), and rushed him to Longview ER. Dick meanwhile hung out with the underage babysitter.
Eric and I grabbed our tire collection from Joe, and headed back to his place to install his two sets. Dellstopjeep's Wife's rig look pretty good with the new Crushers.
We got the tires mounted, hit the road, tried to roll coal, and rocked out to Death Death Die.
More to come, stay tuned.
Players:
Dick (dick.breakey)
Darren (Goblazers_6)
Dustin (TORX)
Eric (Dellstopjeep)
Ben (BPB)
Bryce [(FingerBlaster) not on the forum]
Parts to be Installed:
BFG 35" KM2's
Rough Country 4.5" Lift
Rough Country HD SYE
Teraflex 2Low
Currie Currectlync Steering
JCR Winch Bumper
Smittybuilt 10K Winch
ARB Blaster OBA
Resources Used:
MoneypitK5 Tire Service
Shaefer's List Customs Garage
Hollandcaust Welding LLC
Woodland Napa Auto Parts
Consumables Used:
Taco Bell
McDonald's
Starbuck's
Figaro's Pizza
78 Miller High Lifes
18 Coors Light
12 Rasperry Shocktops
6 HW Hef's
Dick had been collecting quite the pile of parts over the past few weeks. It was decided that he would bring the Jeep down this weekend, and we'd knock it all out over he course of the weekend.
I headed out to Woodland Saturday morning to help with the first project, tires. We needed 14 tires and wheels swapped around. Luckily Eric has a long bed truck, and we were able to fit them all in. We parked Dick's Jeep in the garage, and headed out to Washougal (~30 miles). Joe (moneypitk5) agreed to help with the tire portion of the project. HUGE thanks goes out to Joe for taking time out of his Saturday to help dismount/mount tires for us. We got the tires dropped off, and decided to head back to Woodland and start drinking... and working on the Jeep.
Eric already tired of driving, doing the contractor lean.
We got back to the garage and started diving into the Jeep portion of the project. Since I had just rebuilt all of my RE arms the prior week, I volunteered to assemble the Rough Country arms. Same basic uni-ball joint design.
If you love it, lube it.
Completed joint. Kind of nice RC supplies their own spanner wrench for the joints.
While I was on arm duty, Eric and Dick attacked the rear suspension. Yarding out the old, and installing the new. Progress was good at this point.
Got the arms all assembled. I'm impressed by the quality of the arms and joints. I think they should hold up well over time, and are definitely priced right.
Bryce and Darren worked on the front end, removing the OEM bumper, skid, and front suspension.
The rear u-bolt plate center pin holes are .5" stock, and the new center pins user a larger bolt. Dick used the Converse Drill Press to hog out the holes.
Success.
At this point we got a call from Joe saying the tires were ready to be picked up. It had been maybe two or three hours! Eric and I decided to roadie back out to Washougal and pick up the tires.
We hadn't been on the road for more than six minutes when I got a call from Dick. Since Eric's truck is loud I only got pieces, "cut his finger off... going to ER... Longview!" After some clarification it turns out Bryce got his pinky finger in a pinch point while moving the front axle. The axle fell on it, and it nearly ripped it off inside his glove (pictures are somewhere). Darren grabbed the garage first aid kit (safety first!), and rushed him to Longview ER. Dick meanwhile hung out with the underage babysitter.
Eric and I grabbed our tire collection from Joe, and headed back to his place to install his two sets. Dellstopjeep's Wife's rig look pretty good with the new Crushers.
We got the tires mounted, hit the road, tried to roll coal, and rocked out to Death Death Die.
More to come, stay tuned.
After getting back to Woodland, Dick, Eric, and I continued plugging away at the Jeep. Not too long after getting back Darren and Bryce showed up from the ER. Bryce had broke his pinky, and mangled the finger up pretty good. They numbed it, and put a splint/bandage over it.
We got the transfer case out of the Jeep, and prepped it for the 2Low and SYE. It only holds a quart of fluid, and Dick somehow managed to put it all on the floor of our workspace.
Eric and I set in on tearing the case down. Dick was happy with our progress.
Around this time the one and only BPB showed up.
Got the case separated.
At this point Team Axle discovered Dick's mistake. Track bars bolt to track bar brackets... not your steering box.
Gutted the case, and put on knee pads.
Pre 97' cases used roller bearings on the main shaft. We needed to remove these in order to install the gear hub onto the new main shaft. Dick used the Converse Press to press out the bearings. Very precise.
Ben's job was to remove the exhaust that had fallen off awhile back, and reweld it. Safety first!
Team Axle got the arms on, and one coil spring on.
RTV'd the case halves and reassembled. If you notice we forgot to plug in the oil pump. Minor set back, but we caught it.
Some cases' shift fork rail needs to be trimmed to fit the new tail housing. Put the case in 4wd and trim it to 1". We trimmed it while it was in 2Low.. more on that later.
Make the cut look OEM.
We got the transfer case out of the Jeep, and prepped it for the 2Low and SYE. It only holds a quart of fluid, and Dick somehow managed to put it all on the floor of our workspace.
Eric and I set in on tearing the case down. Dick was happy with our progress.
Around this time the one and only BPB showed up.
Got the case separated.
At this point Team Axle discovered Dick's mistake. Track bars bolt to track bar brackets... not your steering box.
Gutted the case, and put on knee pads.
Pre 97' cases used roller bearings on the main shaft. We needed to remove these in order to install the gear hub onto the new main shaft. Dick used the Converse Press to press out the bearings. Very precise.
Ben's job was to remove the exhaust that had fallen off awhile back, and reweld it. Safety first!
Team Axle got the arms on, and one coil spring on.
RTV'd the case halves and reassembled. If you notice we forgot to plug in the oil pump. Minor set back, but we caught it.
Some cases' shift fork rail needs to be trimmed to fit the new tail housing. Put the case in 4wd and trim it to 1". We trimmed it while it was in 2Low.. more on that later.
Make the cut look OEM.
We started seeing the lights flicker, and the music stopped. Ben was stacking dimes.
Dick then fired up the cut off wheel and attacked his fenders.
Got the t-case back together. We tried to floor test it, but something felt bound up. At the time we figured we just needed to install it in on the rig, and put the cable shifter on it to really test it.
Dick and Darren couldn't get the axle installed, so they decided they need the winch hooked up to winch the axle in place... Time to install the bumper and winch.
Eric and I got the case semi bolted up, and tried to test shift the case. No go. We did some heavy thinking, had another beer, and determined we didn't cut the shift rail short enough. When you shift into 4wd it travels another .25" back in the tail housing. We trimmed it in 2Low (I assumed low range was the farthest distance the rail needed to travel) so it was binding up when we tried to shift into 4wd. We got the case pulled back out, cracked open the tail housing, and recut the rail. It shifted alright on the floor, so we went with it and sealed it back up.
Eric and I didn't feel like laying in oil installing a transfer case. So, the group made a deal with Ben. If he could install the case in 45 minutes, he could smoke in the garage. He accepted the challenge.
I noticed the fuel rain wiring harness was flexed out pretty good. The motor mounts had seen better days.
At this point, Ben had given up on getting the case installed, I took over and couldn't get the linkage installed, the Smittybilt Winch wasn't working with the JCR bumper, and we had reached the point where we were doing more harm than good.
We called it a night, and headed inside where Ben and I setup our bunk beds in the living room.
Stay tuned, more to come.
Dick then fired up the cut off wheel and attacked his fenders.
Got the t-case back together. We tried to floor test it, but something felt bound up. At the time we figured we just needed to install it in on the rig, and put the cable shifter on it to really test it.
Dick and Darren couldn't get the axle installed, so they decided they need the winch hooked up to winch the axle in place... Time to install the bumper and winch.
Eric and I got the case semi bolted up, and tried to test shift the case. No go. We did some heavy thinking, had another beer, and determined we didn't cut the shift rail short enough. When you shift into 4wd it travels another .25" back in the tail housing. We trimmed it in 2Low (I assumed low range was the farthest distance the rail needed to travel) so it was binding up when we tried to shift into 4wd. We got the case pulled back out, cracked open the tail housing, and recut the rail. It shifted alright on the floor, so we went with it and sealed it back up.
Eric and I didn't feel like laying in oil installing a transfer case. So, the group made a deal with Ben. If he could install the case in 45 minutes, he could smoke in the garage. He accepted the challenge.
I noticed the fuel rain wiring harness was flexed out pretty good. The motor mounts had seen better days.
At this point, Ben had given up on getting the case installed, I took over and couldn't get the linkage installed, the Smittybilt Winch wasn't working with the JCR bumper, and we had reached the point where we were doing more harm than good.
We called it a night, and headed inside where Ben and I setup our bunk beds in the living room.
Stay tuned, more to come.
Sunday: The crew started moving around 10:30. Eric and Ben made a Starbucks and McDonalds run. Dick requested "Excedrin." We finally headed back out to the garage after 11 for the final push.
Dick had gotten the linkage adjusted and hooked up. Even then we couldn't get enough throw out of the cable shifter to grab 2Low. We decided to clearance the gates. I trimmed maybe 1/8" off the front, and Dick did the center_gate_delete_mod on the rail. After we were able to hit all five shift points.
Team Axle picked up where they left off.
I got back to finishing up getting the tranny to t-case bolts installed. I found BPB had put the wrong nut on one of the studs.
Completed rear end.
Eric and I got the case torqued to spec, and cross member reinstalled. Only thing left was to install the Woody shaft. I was told 200ft/lbs for the u-joint strap bolts so I got the appropriate tool. 3/4" Impact with a 3/4 to 1/2 to 3/8 to 1/4 adapter with a 5/16 six point socket.
Darren began working on the disconnect install, removing the sway bar studs from the axle.
Ben welded the new tail pipe onto the muffler output. "Wow, I weld a lot better when I'm not drunk."
Dick worked on grinding down the rear bumper tie-ins so they could be rewelded.
Mr. President.
Got the Currie installed. Talk about a quality steering setup! Super beef, quality machining, the TRE's are all extremely stout, and it maintains factory geometry for a great ride. I had already decided on the Currie, but seeing it first hand secured that decision.
Front axle was done, rear axle was done, t-case was done, bumper was on. Dick's rear brake shoes had seen better days so a quick roadie to Napa got us some new shoes and hardware. Ben said he was most qualified for the install job.
What a happy family.
Dick had gotten the linkage adjusted and hooked up. Even then we couldn't get enough throw out of the cable shifter to grab 2Low. We decided to clearance the gates. I trimmed maybe 1/8" off the front, and Dick did the center_gate_delete_mod on the rail. After we were able to hit all five shift points.
Team Axle picked up where they left off.
I got back to finishing up getting the tranny to t-case bolts installed. I found BPB had put the wrong nut on one of the studs.
Completed rear end.
Eric and I got the case torqued to spec, and cross member reinstalled. Only thing left was to install the Woody shaft. I was told 200ft/lbs for the u-joint strap bolts so I got the appropriate tool. 3/4" Impact with a 3/4 to 1/2 to 3/8 to 1/4 adapter with a 5/16 six point socket.
Darren began working on the disconnect install, removing the sway bar studs from the axle.
Ben welded the new tail pipe onto the muffler output. "Wow, I weld a lot better when I'm not drunk."
Dick worked on grinding down the rear bumper tie-ins so they could be rewelded.
Mr. President.
Got the Currie installed. Talk about a quality steering setup! Super beef, quality machining, the TRE's are all extremely stout, and it maintains factory geometry for a great ride. I had already decided on the Currie, but seeing it first hand secured that decision.
Front axle was done, rear axle was done, t-case was done, bumper was on. Dick's rear brake shoes had seen better days so a quick roadie to Napa got us some new shoes and hardware. Ben said he was most qualified for the install job.
What a happy family.
With light at the end of the tunnel, we started feeling good about it. Ben started pounding down Vuel's.
Tires went on.
"Well LCOG just went out the window"
Gotta stay legal, so Darren used self tappers for the front plate. Pilot holes are for pu$$ies.
Time for a tape measure alignment.
Track bar definitely needed some adjustment.
All systems a go, Dick pulled it out for the first test drive.
"Lots of clunking, and the brakes are terrible." The clunking was expected after replacing every suspension component on the Jeep. We went through and checked all the bolts. The LCA bolts were finger tight and almost ready to fall off, the track bar bracket was loose, jam nuts were loose. Needless to say we tracked down pretty much all the mystery noises, and adjusted the rear drums in since they were dragging.
A few more test drives were done. Have to stay entertained in the mean time.
After a tasty crock pot dinner,, Dick decided he was ready to head home.
This project finally came to an end. Dick left Woodland about 9:00 and made it home to Bellevue around 11:30.
All in all, it went good. No major set backs, just a few hang ups. It's expected when working on Jeeps.
Dick, make sure you go through and re-torque all the bolts (u-bolts, LCA, UCA, track bar, steering box, lugs) again, and again after the next trip or drive. An alignment, and tire balancing should help out a lot as well. Everything is on, now it's just about fine tuning it.
The Whiteboard looks good! :thumbup:
Tires went on.
"Well LCOG just went out the window"
Gotta stay legal, so Darren used self tappers for the front plate. Pilot holes are for pu$$ies.
Time for a tape measure alignment.
Track bar definitely needed some adjustment.
All systems a go, Dick pulled it out for the first test drive.
"Lots of clunking, and the brakes are terrible." The clunking was expected after replacing every suspension component on the Jeep. We went through and checked all the bolts. The LCA bolts were finger tight and almost ready to fall off, the track bar bracket was loose, jam nuts were loose. Needless to say we tracked down pretty much all the mystery noises, and adjusted the rear drums in since they were dragging.
A few more test drives were done. Have to stay entertained in the mean time.
After a tasty crock pot dinner,, Dick decided he was ready to head home.
This project finally came to an end. Dick left Woodland about 9:00 and made it home to Bellevue around 11:30.
All in all, it went good. No major set backs, just a few hang ups. It's expected when working on Jeeps.
Dick, make sure you go through and re-torque all the bolts (u-bolts, LCA, UCA, track bar, steering box, lugs) again, and again after the next trip or drive. An alignment, and tire balancing should help out a lot as well. Everything is on, now it's just about fine tuning it.
The Whiteboard looks good! :thumbup:
dellstopjeep
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- KUNA, ID
RED DRAGONS!
