Weekend is over...what did you get done?

Mustang did great. It was launching pretty good most of the time. The Auburn posi was kinda acting up and not wanting to lock all that well like it used to. But I did manage a 1.56 60 ft, with a 7.17 1/8th mile and a 11.31 1/4 mile so Im pretty happy with that. Im so close that now I want to be in the 6's and 10's lol.

Wish somebody would've informed me about the pickle barrel gathering, I would have swung by.

Hey Doug, next time you drop a tire off for me to have vulcanized, you could at least break it down! Heck, the hard side was already done for you. lol!

Oh yea I doug said you had a wedding. Otherwise I would have let you know I was there. I had no intention to stay as long as I did but when the guy organising this suprise retirement party texted me where they were I was like why not!? LOL! It's 6.5 hours for me there. I will be giong back but it might be next year. My 25 HS reunion is next year.
 
We went camping up on Horse Pasture rd in the Jocassee Gorges Region. Had a blast! Played with water falls and drove 80 miles of dirt roads.

That sounds like fun, thats on my to do list for the summer before heading back to school.
 
I knew my install was going to easy. Working on the drop brackets last night and snapped the head off one of the transmission cross member bolts. Soaked the other side in PB Blaster. Figuring to snap at least one more. Well, guess I get to play with the propane, the cut off wheel, and the air hammer again.

Can anyone confirm...when I loosen the crossmember to install the drop bracket brace I was just going to put the jack against the tranny pan to support it. That should be ok?

This whole project has taken about 3 weeks an hour at a time at night, less the 7 days I spent in Texas and Iowa. It just confirms that I need a lift and a vacation day to work on it.
 
use a block of wood or something like it to help distribute the weight-- don't want to crush/damage the pan. I've been known to use an old hard cover book in a pinch to do that.
 
I knew my install was going to easy. Working on the drop brackets last night and snapped the head off one of the transmission cross member bolts. Soaked the other side in PB Blaster. Figuring to snap at least one more. Well, guess I get to play with the propane, the cut off wheel, and the air hammer again.

Can anyone confirm...when I loosen the crossmember to install the drop bracket brace I was just going to put the jack against the tranny pan to support it. That should be ok?

This whole project has taken about 3 weeks an hour at a time at night, less the 7 days I spent in Texas and Iowa. It just confirms that I need a lift and a vacation day to work on it.

I have a piece of 2x6 that is fairly long that I use to spread the load.
 
Went campin! Had a blast.

View from the 'Camp Site'.

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I knew my install was going to easy. Working on the drop brackets last night and snapped the head off one of the transmission cross member bolts. Soaked the other side in PB Blaster. Figuring to snap at least one more. Well, guess I get to play with the propane, the cut off wheel, and the air hammer again.

Can anyone confirm...when I loosen the crossmember to install the drop bracket brace I was just going to put the jack against the tranny pan to support it. That should be ok?

This whole project has taken about 3 weeks an hour at a time at night, less the 7 days I spent in Texas and Iowa. It just confirms that I need a lift and a vacation day to work on it.


x2 on the block of wood, the jack plate will push the pan in. Don't break your back trying to "work" out those seized bolts, i broke one off in the jeep ive got in to driveway and the nut-certs are pretty thick, ive heard of people drilling them out to 1/2". took me 10 minutes to fix with a new cobalt bit and tap


:edit: important mention here, dont cheap out on the bit, i hate 17 dollar drill bits just as much as the next guy but any cheaper than a cobalt bit its like trying to cut sheet metal with those little scissors they give kindergarteners
 
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I removed all the crap off my truck and getting it ready for its next and hopefully last repaint. It started to rain pretty hard so I called it quits for the day.

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Also does anyone know how I can bend this "frame" rail back so I can properly mount my front bumper? Or better yet want to help me bend it back? I bought my jeep with it bent like this and want to fix it now if its possible.
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Whatever you do, make sure you plate that section of the frame (if not all of it) as soon as you get it straightened out. If you put a new bumper on before plating it you'll probably not be motivated to stiffen it afterwards (I know I wouldn't be) and metal that's been bent loses much of its strength, especially where it creases it or flexes a welded joint. Make sure the spotwelds and MIG welds holding the front crossmember onto the top and bottom of the frame rail haven't been compromised.
 
Ima try to fix it this weekend if possible. Only issue is I have no access to a torch cept a mini propane. I dont think a lil mini propane torch will do it. I think ill take you up on the plating advice. I can plate it myself with a welder.
 
Propane isn't gonna do crap for you there, that's around 10ga sheetmetal. That being said, the tools RedHeep listed will do the job, it just won't be as easy as with a torch. When I had to straighten mine out I did it with a few pairs of channel locks and vise grips and a pair of 3lb blacksmiths hammers (one on each side) to do the final smoothing/flattening on the bumper mounting tab. Took around an hour, but it wasn't as badly bent.
 
I basically jsut need to get it so I can mount a bumper back on it.
 
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