XJsportG's "How'd I get here" build

[XJsportG]

THIS ISN'T DEAD! :wave::wave:

A Lot of progress has been made, and I am super behind in posting some things up. Jumping back to November, I tackled the following:

• Remove old King Pins
• Drill front axle for the Zip Locker air lines
• Set the truss up for the front axle
• Cleaned up the 14 bolt

King Pins: If you ever find your self needing to remove these, this is probably the easiest way to do it. Make a cut 1/8" away from the base of the King Pin & top of the C, all the way around the and about 3/8" deep. This reflief cut will allow you to turn these out with your hand. These are torqued to 600ft/lbs! No need for 10ft of breaker bar and massive amouns of heat.

Drilling Air Lines:

Welding Truss:
(Setting Truss)

(Tacked truss to axle)

(Clearanced driver side of the housing for Heim Joint)

(Done welding)

(Done wleding)

(Tacked truss to axle)

Primed the 60:

14b: This is how the 14b look when I brought it home. Started taking the brackets and other parts off. Then it was time to start cutting anything that was welded on! Finally got it down to bare tubes and I took it to get sand blasted. Amazingly, this thing bit into the back of a Toyota Avalon! Once I got it back, I primed it up and and painted the front 60.

 

[XJsportG]

Now onto to December! I realized if I was going to working on these heavy paper-weights, I needed an easier way to move them around. Harbor Freight had a nice deal going on, so I picked this up to help me pick things up!

Loaded the Dana 60 up, and dragged it down to TrailTec 4x4 for it to be geared and the locker installed.

Brought it home and routed the airline in the housing. Had to create an access hole in the truss above the housing for the airline to be routed through. (I'll add a picture down the road.)

I took the next few weeks off from this build and helped friend swap in my old trussed Dana 30 housing into his TJ to match his new 8.8 he installed. And during this time, I found out 1 of my front Bilsteins was bent pretty bad...

Installed the Reid Racing knuckles with a fresh KP rebuild. High-steer arms are coming, but I installed the stock caps on for now.

Then it was time for the 14b to be geared and locked by TrailTec 4x4. During this process we found out the factory case had a GovLok in it, and the case would not accept the Yukon Grizzly locker as there are only 3 cross pins, as opposed to the 4 a open case would have. Made a quick call over to East Coast Gear Supply, and they were able to send me an open carrier for 4.10 & down. Part# for the carrier is 6258336, and is the same between a true 14 bolt & the new GM AAM 10.5/14 bolt.

Both axles home, safe & sound. Waiting to be worked on again.

After that I took a few trips in Janauary and didn't accomplish much into Feburary. My daily driver was involved in a hit & run in front of our house on a snow day. Rear quarter panel & taillight were taken out (Toyota Avalon). Insurance "totaled" it as the cost to fix was more than what it's worth. Ended up keeping and getting it fixed, but during that time I thought about the future and what I needed/wanted in a daily driver. Something able to handle trips to the mountains, snow, 4x4 beaching, camping, etc, and also may a tow-pig if I aboslutely needed to for a short trip....

Could you guess what I was thinking??

If you said a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel, then you were right!

 

[freerider15]

I would highly recommend welding the tubes to the center section and plug welds where possible on the D60.

If nothing else, tie the truss into the center section some how.

Don't end up like me, needing to figure out how to rotate the housing back up ~3*.

Coulda shoulda woulda...hindsight is 20/20...etc. etc.

Weld the tubes on the 14B, and tie the pinion into a truss if you do one.

 

[XJsportG]

I would highly recommend welding the tubes to the center section and plug welds where possible on the D60.

If nothing else, tie the truss into the center section some how.

Don't end up like me, needing to figure out how to rotate the housing back up ~3*.

Coulda shoulda woulda...hindsight is 20/20...etc. etc.

Weld the tubes on the 14B, and tie the pinion into a truss if you do one.

I feel like everyone has a pros and cons list for welding the center or not lol.

If I were to worry about one, I'd think the 14b would spin a tube first. When I welded the TnT truss on the 60, their instructions stated to not weld it to the center section. Although I did have to partially tie it in for the drive LCA to be welded on... I plan to truss the 14b and tie in the pinion once I link it, but hadn't planned to do it now.

I'd hate to have to pull the axles back out weld the centers... But I would also hate to spin a tube down the road.

Guess I have some thinking and reading to do.

 

[freerider15]

Seeing as I didn't think I'd spin a tube on the D60, really really really regretting it now.

It will take me 10x times the amount of time and effort to completely disassemble the axle, than it will to just hopefully rotate the center section back 3*.

I'm not sure WHY they would say not to connect the truss to the center section, that's part of the point of a truss. I plan on doing a truss of sorts, and welding it somehow into the housing/snout so it never****ingmoves again.

I can't remember without looking back, but if running a 3-link, it's going to be a higher risk (with tons and big tires).

I'm lucky I caught mine, and it only rotated a little. I've seen some nasty nasty carnage when the really rotate (broken coilovers/shocks, ripped out mounts, ripped hoses, etc. etc.).

 

[XJsportG]

Seeing as I didn't think I'd spin a tube on the D60, really really really regretting it now.

It will take me 10x times the amount of time and effort to completely disassemble the axle, than it will to just hopefully rotate the center section back 3*.

I'm not sure WHY they would say not to connect the truss to the center section, that's part of the point of a truss. I plan on doing a truss of sorts, and welding it somehow into the housing/snout so it never****ingmoves again.

I can't remember without looking back, but if running a 3-link, it's going to be a higher risk (with tons and big tires).

I'm lucky I caught mine, and it only rotated a little. I've seen some nasty nasty carnage when the really rotate (broken coilovers/shocks, ripped out mounts, ripped hoses, etc. etc.).

You going to pre-heat the housing before welding the tubes? If I didn't already have the seals in, I'd be more tempted to do it.

I'm guessing with the TnT for the 78-79 60s there is more tube on the driver side to weld to compared to other later 60s where you HAVE to weld to the housing. Also some people my not take the prep work needed to make a good weld on the housing.

I'll have to give them a call and see why they recommended not too.

 

[freerider15]

You going to pre-heat the housing before welding the tubes? If I didn't already have the seals in, I'd be more tempted to do it.

I'm guessing with the TnT for the 78-79 60s there is more tube on the driver side to weld to compared to other later 60s where you HAVE to weld to the housing. Also some people my not take the prep work needed to make a good weld on the housing.

I'll have to give them a call and see why they recommended not too.

Yeah, I've got a oxy/acet torch set. Though, the weld that was thrown on (triple pass on about 1/3 of the tube) in Moab as a get through fix wheeled through Area BFE for two days and not a budge. But, I'll make sure to do it right since the entire axle will need to come out.

I've got a 78/79 D60, so welding the Driver's side won't be too bad since there's room.

I would have thought that welding would have killed that seal, but still not a leak.

Either way I'm paying for it now :laugh: