Project Tech Snob

[EndlessMtnFab]

Finally ready to put my build on . :greensmok



Jeep is not done yet ... but I am hoping by the time I lay this thread out, it will be running. :gag:



The name comes from a conversation with a friend. He was busting my chops about how deep I get into details & theories and looking at every possible approach. He called me a tech snob, and so we have a new name. Besides, Project Anal Retentive doesn't quite have the same ring to it. :laugh:



That said .... Project Tech Snob is a 97 XJ that had 276,000 on the motor before the #6 piston cracked. Even with the rev limiter at 5K .... a motor that old doesn't like to aggressively approach it. :banghead:


Setup wise .... it was an Up Country package with a 5 speed trans & 3.07 gears ( HP30 / 8.25 ). Ran 30 x 9.50 tires from Day One (we bought the Jeep back in 1997 with 5,000 miles on it ... while we were living in CO ).

As the motor got older, I swapped in some free 3.55 gears to ease the motor's strain. Gas mileage dropped by 1/2 mpg. Avg economy was between 21 and 22.5 with a corrected odometer. The Jeep had all the factory skidding at the time.


I have been working on this a while, mainly due to my balancing the company (parts sales/outfitting, gearing, & custom fab), house projects, and the Jeep all at on time. I can't seem to concentrate on any one thing long enough, which isn't helping the speed I finish this thing at.



Rather than give all the specs in one shot ... I'll just release things as I go. I'm hoping it will reduce confusion and promote discussion. There are some "different" approaches I took in this build and I have an open mind for critiques.



Enjoy the read.



Joe

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

It's an old picture ... but it gives you an idea of what the truck looked like when I started.

Nothing to report about the Jeep until this happened.

:hang:



A friend was kind enough to work out a deal with me for his stroker motor. He destroyed his ZJ ... but only had 5,000 on the new motor. It is a 4.7 engine (4.2 crank, machined 4.0 rods and .060 overbore) that has been done by a trusted shop in his area. Ran 24 lb/hour injectors.

Cleaned it up. Used some POR 15. Swapped over some of the accessories. Painted with POR Engine Enamel. And we have a pretty motor !

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

While the motor was on the engine stand ... I called up Brown Dog Industries to inquire about their block mounts. At the time, I was running the MORE Bomb Proof mounts and was very satisfied with them. I inquired about the compatibilty and Tim said they would work. However, being that I was one of his dealers ... he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Now the MORE offroad mounts sit in a box and I have new BD engine & block mounts.


I was aware that BD uses 7 bolts for the driver side block mount (receives more torsional stress) and 4 bolts for the pass side. I request Tim send me an "unfinished" pass side ... so that I could modify it more to my liking. Tim was/is quite confident that I do not need the additional support. However, he was kind enough to send me some additional material.

And this is what I ended up with.

At the time I welded this ... I ran out of argon to join the pieces with my TIG welder. I beveled both sides of both plates slightly and fired up the MIG. Joined the pieces together and ground them flush. Then I took some additional plate and bridged the initial weld. And repeated the process on the other side as well. I didn't need to spend a great amount of time on the OE alternator bracket, other than to ensure the mating suraces were square/smooth.




Painted up !

The problem was ..... the engine bay looked like this

and I was just *thrilled* was this

:gag:

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

For all my welding .... I cannot do body work for squat. But I gave it my best impersonation.

While I had the sand blaster out .... I cleaned the outside frame rails in preparation for TMR frame plates and a set of "Famous Maker" Chassis Stiffeners. I coated both the frame rails and the insides of the stiffeners with Zinc Primer / Cold Galvanizing compound to keep rust at bay (between metal surfaces). *Warning* USE CAUTION WHEN WELDING WITH THIS STUFF !!! FUMES CAN LINGER AND CAUSE SICKNESS !!!

I drilled additional holes in the main chassis stiffener to allow me to rosette/plug weld to the frame rails. This will further stiffen everything up. Take your time and skip around while welding to prevent "over-heating" the sheetmetal frame rails. At the same time ... I had some threaded bungs made to be replace the factory nutcerts (used for the transmission crossmember). I increased the bolt size to 1/2-13 in addition to the number of bolts. You can see these on the stiffener on your right.

And finally, an unmounted shot of the TMR frame stiffener.

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

Remember ... I'm not a body man. I don't like welding sheetmetal. Nor do I pretend I am good at it. So please be easy on the weld comments.

I also wanted to reinforce the steering box area. Several companies make suitable reinforcements. But me, being the excessive compulsive neurotic that I am ..... wanted to make my own. Mainly because I wanted provisions for a 4 bolt steering box. At the time I made these pieces, I was intending to run a YJ box. I have since purchased a 79 J20 box. Same variable ratio as my XJ, 4 bolt case, and a larger piston to boot. Just have to make custom hose ends because of the flared fittings on the gear box.



Made some templates ....

Cut them out (inside & outside rails, of course) ....

Then added the proper spacers to mount the box and drilled lots of rosette weld holes. I added an additional 3/16 to the spacers to account for the larger case of the 4 bolt box (mainly at the end of the box).

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

Machined a spacer out for the 4th bolt (XJ steering box uses 3 bolts, YJ / J Series box uses 4 bolts). Cut out a piece of the frame rail ... and grafted the spacer in. The frame was cut partially to allow the spacer to sit in the correct spot. I also

Coated the frame rails and insides of the plates with the zinch compound again (see prior warning about welding ---- FUMES !! ). Then started welding all four plates, taking care not to concentrate the heat in any one area for too long.

I did the same process on the inside/outside of both rails. This will stiffen the entire front end and offer sturdy mounting points for the bumper and steering box. I will also give me a strong mounting point for a steering box brace. And this moment ... I have not decided if I need the brace yet. There have been mixed opinions about a steering box brace on several sites (including ). Mainly because the brace it just pushing the stress from one weak area to another. If anyone has suggestions/comments/inputs about the brace with this setup ---- feel free to chime in. :anon:

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

Now that all immediate chassis/frame work has been completed .... time to pretend I'm a body man again. :doh:


Prepped all the sheetmetal and used some POR 15, followed by etching primer & epoxy primer .... and we have ....

The trans tunnel has been done as well. But I don't have any pictures of that.



Once everything cured ... I got my shutz gun and sprayed some Speedliner (with Kevlar) in the bay. Should last longer than the rest of the vehicle. :dunno:

The 2 black spots by the shock mounts were my decision to remove some of the primer in anticipation of shock mods later on. I will "touch up" the area when I am done. I haven't decided if I am going to use some JKS stud eliminators, or if I'm going to make something similar to the T&J upper shock mounts. I would have purchased the T&J mounts ... but unfortunately, the bolt runs the wrong way for how I want to mount the shocks.




Once the liner cured .... Jay (from Philly area) came up to help me get the motor in.

 

[kastein]

Wow! I think you might be more of a perfectionist than I am. I love it. Subscribed!

 

[MoparManiac]

Sweet build so far man :thumbup:

 

[DeftwillP]

Awesome build thread.

 

[Sherman_thetank]

Looks great! Ill havto keep my eye on this one

 

[themangeraaad]

Very nice! I love how you mention that you "cant do body work for squat" but your floor pan patching looks a hell of alot cleaner than anything I have done, makes me feel real good about my skill as a welder... or lack there-of (granted I learned to weld while doing my floor pans and they are getting progressively better as I get further into the project, but still). Oh, and while you weren't thrilled to see some rust under the carpet... at least you weren't looking straight down at your feet where the floor should have been :laugh:

Subscribed

 

[dgrigorenko]

Very nice!! You are going to have a really sweet setup! I like that you are meticulous, it can only make things better

 

[JRW7072009]

Nice work they should have been built from the start like that. Looking forward to seeing more.

 

[Talyn]

Nice. I like the attention to detail.

Also, if you get sick from welding zinc paint (which you shouldn't be doing to begin with), drink milk.

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

Also, if you get sick from welding zinc paint (which you shouldn't be doing to begin with), drink milk.

D'oh. I didn't even think to mention that ! Thanks !!! I haven't gotten sick as I took every precaution I could (open ventilation, fans to circulate air, frequent stopping to let everything clear out, etc). The proper way to avoid getting sick is a welding mask with respirator.



I'm glad everyone likes it so far ... there is more to come. I will post this in spurts and may skip a day/two before I go back to it. Right now, I'm eating lunch, so I have time for another basketful of posts.



Joe

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

When the motor was installed, I simply bolted the trans to the block. There is no clutch, flywheel, etc installed at this point. It's mainly in place so I can mock my drivetrain measurements & dimensions.



At any rate, some time in the wayyyy distant past I purchased one of these. This is the low range portion of a 23 spline Dodge NP203

Ain't she purdy? :sunshine:



Disassembling for rebuild and some parts changing.

Washing down with POR prep and painting. Gotta make sure it shines to impress everyone. :laugh3:

Definitely enough bearings & needles.

What I swapped out.

New guts, new shaft.

Lemme tell you ..... this sucker is heavy. I think it weighed 72 lbs on the scale.

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

Also ... In that same wayyyy distant past, I purchased one of these. Thirty bucks !!! arty:

No wonder it was only 30 bucks !!! :flamemad:

News Bulletin. Oil is an accepted lubricant. Mud is not. Never seen gears this melted before. :shocked:

Located some good used gears (take note how clean and shiny the case is now) and installed a JB Conversions HD rear output. A front output will be installed someday as cash funds allow. There are more important things I need to get for the Jeep in the mean time.

 

[themangeraaad]

I like your build.. largely because you use a image hosting site that is work friendly and I can actually see all the pictures But really: lookin good!

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

I like your build.. largely because you use a image hosting site that is work friendly and I can actually see all the pictures

Let me correct that for you then. I'd rather keep the anticipation up, so you can't wait to see it when you get home.



Thanks tho.



Joe