Project Tech Snob

[EndlessMtnFab]

If you have read this thread (and looked at all the fancy shmancy pictures) you would have noticed that some of the crossmember bolts are blocked by the crossmember. There will be a skid to cover most of the exposed bolts .... but that still leaves the dilemma of how to access the holes and tighten down the crossmember.




First .... we cut an ugly hole in the tubing. I will spare you the pain of seeing a freehand plasma cut hole. You are welcome. :wave:





Second .... we more carefully use a hole saw since the plasma cut hole was an abortion. The key is to feed it SUPER slowly and don't be surprised if you need a much bigger hole than the tubing actually is. The sloping surface changes the shape of the actual cutout. Then stick some round tubing in it.

Third .... cut the tubing down closer to the correct height and weld it to the crossmember tubing.

Fourth .... grind it down flush. Reweld again ... making the bead wider and regrind smooth if desired.

Another "Rock's Eye" View

And a closer shot of the recessed hole.

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

One particular thing I don't like about most commercially available setups .... is the lack of a modular crossmember. I have zero desire to remove my entire front suspension in order to drop the transmission ( in the event of a damaged clutch or if that stupid little clip that holds the throwout arm breaks). There are a few manufacturers that do offer access .... but I did not care for other aspects of their design. Call me picky.


Rather than show every step .... I will try to describe what I did and hope that the end pictures will give you the visual. Bear with me.



Measurements were taken to determine the largest section I could remove and still have room for all my parts. Once that was done, I simply cut the crossmember with a sawzall (once I marked everything, of course). Obviously, it needs to be secured together and easily removable. So I decided to use multiple options to "spread the load" from the stress created of a multi-piece crossmember.


To that end ... I made tabs for the front and back of the existing pieces. The removeable portion received 2 tabs in the front while the stationary pieces each received a tab on the back side. The idea is to be able to slide the crossmember in (from one direction only) and have the tabs interlock. The tabs were plug & perimeter welded and a bolt hole drilled on the extension. After that ... I welded some nuts to steel plates and set them aside. Holes were marked and drilled for the nuts, followed by 4 plug welds per nut-plate assembly.


Once this concoction was finished, I boxed/plated off all open ends. I left all the plates long, so that they also functioned as tabs. That way ... I can pinch-bolt those pieces together.




Alright ..... here are the pics to help you visualize a bit better.

Some quick notes to point out. At the time of the photos ... the plug welds were not done. Only the perimeter welding. You may also notice different sized bolts. On the front side of this crossmember, I did not have the room for 2 bolts per side. So I stuck with a single 9/16 bolt. On the back side, I used a pair of 3/8 bolts on each side.



Other notes to point out.....


You should also be aware that the UCA mount is in the removable section. By itself .... those bolts would be insufficient to resist the torquing imposed by a single control arm. I was already aware of this in the design stage and I will show you how I got around the issue. My "fix" also does double/triple duty for other potential issues. You will have to wait to see that. :firedevil

One last thing I'd like to point out ..... I will *also* be using a 1 piece skid/belly pan for obvious reasons (protection). But the skid will also enhance the structural rigidity. I have some large rivet nuts left over from a previous project. They will be installed into all 3 crossmember pieces and the skid bolted to it. Yes, it's a lot of work --- but the entire thing remains modular and very easy to disassemble for later work, repairs, improvements, etc.

 

[$700later]

will you be my babies daddy?

i'll clear my girlfriends schedule.

 

[Spanky88]

pics no worky

nevermind

 

[kastein]

Awesome work!

Glad I'm not the only one who uses tube that way (for the bolt access holes) - I am most of the way through replacing the LCA brackets on my new d30 with 3/16 + 1/8 plate, fully gusseted and enclosed. Ripped one off of my current axle and never want to deal with it again so I am completely overbuilding the new ones.

 

[Tdad]

will you be my babies daddy?

i'll clear my girlfriends schedule.

Clearly you have never met Joe. :laugh:

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

Clearly you have never met Joe. :laugh:

Why don't you take a running leap onto a bedpost knob ?






:jester:

 

[jeffhaut]

updates?
love this thing

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

In about one week .. you should have one.



To make a long story short ... the POR 15 never stuck to the metal. Started peeling away, taking the bedliner with it.



In the process of stripping and recoating (with a better quality product). I will go into more detail in the next post. Too tired to think right now.


Needless to say, I'm quite upset/angry/irritated.

 

[jeffhaut]

oh that really sucks man, ive heard it wont stick to clean metal unless you use their etcher shit. ive used it ALOT on rusty suspension components on honda car projects, never had it come up on me

best of luck sir, keep your eye on the prize!

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

I followed POR's instructions exactly.





1) Used Kerosene to wipe away the asphalt undercoating

2) Lacquer thinner to break down the Kero

3) DA sand as many panels as I could by hand

4) Sandblast areas I cannot reach and lightly re-etch the metal in general

5) Blow off sand with gun and wipe down with damp rag

6) Marine Clean per POR's instructions and hose off

7) Metal Ready per POR's instructions and hose off

8) Let dry overnight

9) First coat of POR with a brush

10) When just slightly sticky .... apply second coat of POR

11) When slightly stickly .... topcoat with the bedliner



This is the 3rd time I've had the POR lift off on me. The first 2 times ... I chalked it up to improper prep. This time confirms that the product is just sh!t.


Here's the worst part ... I had to remove the rear shock crossmember/brace. 42 spot welds and 6 'regular' welds to get it out. That area is a known moisture collector, so I wasn't taking any chances.


After doing some online research and checking with friends ... I'm doing things a bit differently now. Going to DA everything again and use Picklex (another etching product). This will be followed by 2 coats of Zero Rust. Then that will be top coated with 2 coats of Tractor Paint (with hardener). Will be easier to touch up. Less messy to apply. Cheaper too.


I have *no* issues with Speedliner ... I just don't want to go thru the hassle again. I have 2 gallons left and will use it in the interior (floor) and call it done.


In the mean time .... I will be making sure everyone knows what kind of junk POR is. Which is sad ... because I grew up about 5 minutes from where they are based (Morristown, NJ). Interestingly ... a competitor (who sells a similar product) said to me " If you prep it perfectly .. there is no better product than POR or my brand of paint. If you don't do it *just right* there is no worse product to buy"



So this week I will be doing prep work and probably putting the axles back together (gears & lockers).




Joe

 

[Talyn]

I've had mixed results with Por15. On my front axle and transfer case skid It has been flaking off. On the rear axle it has been holding strong. Don't know why... and I think I did less prep on the rear axle.

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

Sad part is ... I did it during warm weather and have yet to even put the thing on the road.

 

[jeffhaut]

the less prep ive done with it, the more sucess ive had haha

rusty lower control arms and knuckles from a civic i was working on, scrubed the grease off with a brush and dish soap, and paited when dry with a brush, 2 years later car still looks like he put all new arms in when we did the build. maybe its reacting with whatever you are putting on top?

 

[bcmaxx]

. maybe its reacting with whatever you are putting on top?

This is what I'm thinking. I plan on spraying etching primer on as the por15 dries, then topcoating after with bedliner

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

the less prep ive done with it, the more sucess ive had haha

rusty lower control arms and knuckles from a civic i was working on, scrubed the grease off with a brush and dish soap, and paited when dry with a brush, 2 years later car still looks like he put all new arms in when we did the build. maybe its reacting with whatever you are putting on top?

That's how I did it the first 2 times (different vehicle, different project). Lifted off just the same after a few months. In fact, the second time ... it was on a slightly rusty axle housing. And I topcoated with POR's chassis coat.



I check with both POR 15 and with Speedliner .... both companies said other folks have done that very combo in the past with no issues. So I guess it means I'm just a lucky shmuck.




Joe

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

I'm still in the middle of stripping the underchassis and decided to at least update this thread with different info. The POR/Speedliner is hit or miss with how easily it peels off in some areas. :smsoap:



At any rate ... there is still a lot of information for me to post .... so I might as well resume doing so.




Earlier in this thread I mentioned that I am running dual ARBs. Both of them are the 1st generation units. In fact, my D44 ARB is about 15 years old! The D30 ARB was a second hand purchase, so I don't know the exact age. At any rate, I placed a call to ARB to purchase some parts in anticipation of a rebuild. Basically, I was simply looking to "freshen up" the internals and replace wear items.



Here is a list of what I bought:

Air Supply tube
Thrust Washers
Locking bolts & tabs
Air Supply O-rings
U Washer
Carrier shims



ARB still carries everything you need for the old units. However, since they are well built ... there is little you need to replace if you properly maintain everything. The air tube supply was needed because I was picking a new location to install the bulkhead fitting. The same applies for the carrier shims (new housing). The rest are just normal wear items that would be a good idea to replace.



I have already rebuilt both units .. however, I will only be showing the pictures of the D30 rebuild. The D44 ARB is almost identical (other than size) to the D30 assembly. No need to inundate everyone with even more pictures. :shhh:

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

One unique thing I like about the first generation ARBs ... is their use of 3/16 tubing for the air supply line. This allows anyone to convert from compression fittings/ferrules over to double flared tubing. :yelclap: Makes removal a cinch and no need to keep extra little parts hanging around.


Below is an example of one of my old ARB setups. Not sure how/why I took the picture in black & white ... but it shows the setup well.

I will be doing the exact same thing this time around. For my Dana 30 ... I located the bulkhead fitting just behind the truss. First thing to do .... is to tap the inside of the bulkhead fitting. The adapters I use are NPT to IF fittings (Dorman/Motormite sells them). The thread are 1/8-28 NPT which is considered tapered pipe threading. In my case ... the bulkhead was already threaded on one end (but not the other). Yours may need tapping from both directions.

Then you drill the housing and tap with a 1/4 NPT tap .... Some thread locker, and then tighten the fitting home.

I will have some pictures of the D44 location in a little while ....

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

In the case of the old air locker units ... the case halves are cinched together by means of the ring gear bolts. So, the first step would be to remove the ring gear ! Once the gear is off ... you separate the halves and end up with this .....

Remove the side spider gear (and thrust washer) and you end up with this....

FYI ... the darker grey ring is the sliding gear that locks everything together (to make it a spool).

 

[EndlessMtnFab]

Flip the carrier over and remove the 6 locking tabs. Then remove the 6 bolts. This will let you remove the air supply side of the case.


This is what you should see.

The black plastic piece is the piston assembly. This is one of the 2 items that move (under air pressure) to engage/disengage the locker. There are dowels located in the case that are used to locate the spider gear shafts. Obviously, they need to come out in order to continue disassembling. Under the 4 tabs of the piston are springs. These springs assist in disengaging the sliding gear after you shut the air supply off. They will also come out during disassembly (as will the piston itself).




Below is a picture of the air supply cap and the U washer I have referred to. The washer is a rubber/poly/plastic concoction that slides back/forth depending on the air pressure. When air is supplied to the unit .. the back side of the U shape fills with air and then presses against the piston. Unfortunately, due to the angle of the picture, you cannot see the tiny air supply hole.

The other side spider gear also rests inside the bore of this cap ... but I have no pictures of that to show you. :sad1: