The Nail Salon

[TORX]

Wednesday I could see light at the end of the tunnel. It was final assembly day.

Started by chopping my u-bolts down to length. I can't stand when you can't get a socket on u-bolt.

Took a cut off wheel, and chopped them down. Little bit of file work, and I had the thread cleaned up.

Installed the brake lines, and Dakota line. Even with my offset mount location, there's still plenty of slack in the Dakota line.

Something just says beef with the 8.8 drive shaft flange when compared to Dana's strap style yokes.

8.8... Done.

Next task was filling the diffs. I always ran 85-140 in my old axles. It seemed to quiet the noise form the lockers.

Got the brakes bleed. Used about a 1/2qt of fluid. Installed the old 30's for the test drive. Did a quick tape measure alignment. I take a tape measure and hold it on one tire's sidewall, and measure to the other sidewall (same place, same height). Then take another measurement off the back of the tire at the same height. I've found 1/8" of toe-in to work well. In this case the front measured 45.625, and the back measured 45.75.

When installing the rear tires, I noticed my soft lines were resting on the rim (always a concern in the back of my head). FAIL. I cranked out an aluminum spacer as a temporary fix. I'll probably end up redoing the hard lines later.

I'm in love with the stance on 30's. Seems perfect. All you LCOG guys are probably shacking your head.

Keep in mind the springs are brand new. It's going to settle a bit in time.

At this point I started it up. I prepared myself to deal with the known upcoming issues. Loose bolts, no brakes, binding steering. Stuff that usually goes along with a complete suspension overhaul.

Put it in reverse, and heard a clunk... Detroit... I smiled.

Brakes felt... different. I wouldn't say spongy, just different. I think it's the rear discs. They feel a lot like Jeepforceone's when I converted to discs. I can almost lock up the tires so I have brakes.

It drove insanely well. Tons of power with 4.56's and 30's. It was suppose to be an easy .25 mile test drive, but I was cranking through the gears.

The Detroit isn't bad at all compared to my old Aussie. Pretty quiet, and just clunks around when putting it in gear.

I hit a few speed bumps at 20mph. I was expecting all sorts of clunking from forgotten suspension bolt final torques, instead all I got was silence. The suspension seemed to work really well. Even with no sway bar it was very stable. Seemed to wander a bit, I think it's a caster issue. Then again my steering wheel was way off.

Still had a bit of snow remaining, so I grabbed 4hi on the fly. It's so nice to have four tire fire again! It just powered through it.

Overall, my mind was blow from the test drive. A solid three days of wrenching, and it worked.

Only issue to fix after returning was centering the steering wheel. Anytime you change your lift height, you toe-in and steering wheel will need to be adjusted.

Loosen the two 15mm bolts on the drag link adjuster sleeve, and rotate it to center the steering wheel.

I'm heading out in a few for the initial gear break in drive. A short 15-20 drive of various speeds, and then let the diffs cool off. We'll see if any other issues arise...

 

[TORX]

Wow torx awesome write up. Your not doing you Tera low kit? I pulled my new case apart and found this when I was installing the 2low kit.

I called Teraflex and they are looking into it to see if it's rebuildable and if they can help me. Thanks for the write up I'm looking forward to wheeling with you again.

Sold the TeraLow. It was a 21 spline, and I didn't feel like trying to swap inputs. Plus I have a different route in mind for the Nail Salon. I miss the gear reduction though.

I'm trying to think what that could be. It looks like bronze shavings? I think there's a bushing inside the planetaires. Looks like it started to self clearance. Might have been from running at too high of RPM. Either way, Teraflex should be able to help you out or point you in the right direction.

Doesn't look like any metal shavings, so hopefully the planetaires are still in good shape.

 

[Icemans]

Sold the TeraLow. It was a 21 spline, and I didn't feel like trying to swap inputs. Plus I have a different route in mind for the Nail Salon. I miss the gear reduction though.

I'm trying to think what that could be. It looks like bronze shavings? I think there's a bushing inside the planetaires. Looks like it started to self clearance. Might have been from running at too high of RPM. Either way, Teraflex should be able to help you out or point you in the right direction.

Doesn't look like any metal shavings, so hopefully the planetaires are still in good shape.

Thats what they said to. It happens when people go to fast in 4low with this kit. They said the plantaires can get over 8000 rpm and that gets the bushing hot and it will self clearance it self. We will see what happens.

 

[TORX]

20 mile gear break in drive complete.

After seeing it in the daylight, it's too tall for the wheel/tire combo. :laugh:

New tires and wheels are getting mounted tonight.

 

[crazymoose1990]

It kind of looks like this Dustin.

 

[Bronzewyrm]

:shocked: well done. its nice to see a long bit of planning, pay off in the end.

good job dustin!

 

[BoringDave]

Thanks for the great job on the 2'low and SYE install instructions. Very clear and detailed with great color pictures. The instructions given with my SYE kit are kinda crappy.

 

[TORX]

Project for the remainder of the day was mounting my new wheels and tires.

Loaded up the goods, and cruised (literally) out to Woodland to enlist the help of Goblazers_6 and Dellstopjeep. Brought the GPS along to keep the speed in check (speedo was way off with 30's and 4.56's). This was 60mph, and 65 was basically 3K rpm. Needless to say I was in the truck lane most of the way.

Decided to give the airsoft tire balancing method a shot. 8oz per tire.

We then took one of these (33x12.5 Cooper STT)...

...and mounted it one of these (Allied 15x8 Beadlock).

Lubed the inner bead with some dish soap, and got the tires slipped on the rims pretty easily. Then the real fun began.

The threads were tight from the powder coating, so I ran a tap through each hole (128 holes) to clean them out.

We then began installing the bolts, ratcheting the bolts, and then finally torquing the bolts.

One person would just be starting a wheel, as another was working on tightening bolts, as another would be doing final torque. System worked pretty well.

Costco compressor hooked up to a dead battery that was being charged as we used it. It seated four inner beads, and aired up all the tires.

Few hours later.

About this time, Darren asked why I bought biodegradable BB's... FML.

Unfortunately, the completed shot didn't turn out, so consider it a teaser pic. I'm pretty happy with the stance.

I noticed a little wobble on the way home. It would wobble slightly, and then smooth out. 70mph was pretty smooth, so I can't complain too bad. I'll see how it does the next few days, and add another ounce if I feel it needs it. Then again I might be vacuuming out dust in a few days anyways.

 

[kndrewa]

Such a teaser pic, way to keep the masses engaged.
I agree, stance looks great - I'll bet you're pretty excited to be in a lifted XJ again.

 

[jonesinxj]

Dustin, everything looks great that you have done so far!!! Damn teaser pic though! Are you going to run any kind of spacers in the rear for the same track width?

 

[muddypunk]

I think he did because of his wheels touching his soft lines

 

[HE-MAN]

Looks great Dustin.

 

[Icemans]

I think he did because of his wheels touching his soft lines

Those were his stock wheels. I think his beadlocks have more back spacing. I you should be fine unless the width difference matters.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

Some torxfab sliders and winch bumper are needed pronto!

 

[CASEY-R]

Thanks for the great job on the 2'low and SYE install instructions. Very clear and detailed with great color pictures. The instructions given with my SYE kit are kinda crappy.

Dave is right. Dustin, you should be doing installation manuals for A.A. Your attention to detail is obvious in both your write up and your work. Well done!

 

[NW99XJ]

Last project for the night was gutting the stock rear suspension, which traditionally has a reputation for rusted/seized bolts (think BPB's Stocker Build). The Nail Salon must have been a West Coast only rig, since I never encountered a single rusted/seized bolt.
Front leaf spring bolts require some extra muscle for removing. 21mm, and a breaker bar got the job done. I was pleased to see them come out easily.

Lucky bastard... I had such a hell of a time with mine....and i'm STILL Not pleased with how it all turned out.

...I refuse to run relocation brackets, unless someone's paying me.

I curious to hear your reasoning on this... not trying to start a huge debate or anything, (and i'm still on the fence with these anyways) but I'm very interested in what you've got to say about 'em.
As for everything else, good job man! Great write up too....glad to see there's others out there that take the time to stop and document their progress during a build.... personally, I think its a sign of pride in one's own workmanship....

 

[TORX]

Shortly after getting to Goblazers_6's yesterday we noticed a massive lake of 85W-140 under the driver tire. Leaky axle seal, and it was puking good.

So I drove home, parked it, checked it today, and sure enough another massive spill. It took almost a full quart to top off the chunk, and I only had maybe 80 miles on it.

As sick of wrenching on this stupid Jeep as I am, I brewed up some motivation to pull the front end apart and replace the seal. I'm sure Darrell at KNA would have helped me out, but it just wasn't worth the hassle to drive back out there over a $10 seal.

Tear down went insanely quick. I pulled the shaft/bearing combo to save time.

Pop the cover, and take off the main bearing caps (keep track of their orientation). Then remove the ring gear/carrier (locker). I place a hammer vertically over the passenger side of the diff, and use it as a pry point against a ring gear bolt. Little bit of muscle, and the chunk will pop out.

That's the leaky seal blaster.

I took a piece of pipe, and tapped it against the seal from the tube side. A few taps and it popped out.

Well there's your problem! Could have been a bad seal to start with, could have gotten hit during install, or I could have ripped it installing the shafts... who knows.

You can see how far the new seal need to be driven in. I ran a rag through the tube to clean out the excess oil.

This is where you get creative and find something the same diameter to drive the new seal in. Oddly enough, the old seal was one of a few tools I used.

Getting the new seal to line up was a chore, but eventually it slipped in place. I put some grease on the seal surface to help with the shaft install.

Install the ring gear/carrier. Torque main bearing caps to spec, 60ft/lbs.

Clean the gasket surface, and seal the cover back up. My magnets seemed to be working. Gear break in is always a dirty time for the diff.

 

[TORX]

I'll bet you're pretty excited to be in a lifted XJ again.

Honestly, no. :laugh:

It drives like a tank compared to stock status. I'll get use to it, and I'm sure after some seat time on the trail it'll grow on me, but right now I keep asking myself "what did you get yourself into?"

Dustin, everything looks great that you have done so far!!! Damn teaser pic though! Are you going to run any kind of spacers in the rear for the same track width?

Not right now. The width difference doesn't bother me. If I have clearance issues on the inner fenders then I'll consider them.

Those were his stock wheels. I think his beadlocks have more back spacing. I you should be fine unless the width difference matters.

Forgot to check the wheel clearance with the new wheels. Maybe my measurements for clearing a 3.75BS rim were right after all?

Some torxfab sliders and winch bumper are needed pronto!

Agreed. Maybe those will be my April projects. I need a break from this thing after Build Week.

Dave is right. Dustin, you should be doing installation manuals for A.A. Your attention to detail is obvious in both your write up and your work. Well done!

Gracias. :thumbup:

I curious to hear your reasoning on this... not trying to start a huge debate or anything, (and i'm still on the fence with these anyways) but I'm very interested in what you've got to say about 'em.

Surprisingly, I get asked this a lot.

I ran a custom set of relocation brackets on my last Jeep. My goal was to add more shackle angle, which in turn will improve the ride, and make the rear suspension work a little more. The brackets did exactly what they were suppose to.

However, with the positives, came some negatives. First issue I noticed was my shackles were now the lowest point on my departure angle. Not too big of a deal around here, but when you start dropping off big ledges, or get into some rocks, you begin to constantly slam down on them. While I never got hung up on them, I can think of one current NWC member who has multiple times. Before the brackets, I was hitting my bumper or tank skid, and that wasn't too often since they're much higher than the relocated shackles.

Second issue I noticed was increased axle wrap. In the rocks you could feel the axle wrap big time. It probably didn't help I was running a 4:1 which multiplied the torque. However, I noticed in the few shorts months of running the brackets my leafs began to show the signs of an axle wrap issue. I had to put a longer leaf on the passenger pack to pick up the sag.

I think if someone was really looking to fix their shackle angle, there's better ways to go about doing it. Search for a thread in the NWC called "Spring Recommendations," tons of great info in there.

Keep in mind this is just my .02. Plenty of people run them, and they seem to be happy with them. I however, will not run a set on the Nail Salon.

 

[TORX]

:dunno:

 

[TooBig]

Looks amazing. Great write up.