Rebuilding An Old High School Friend!

Poor customer service is one of my considerations when dealing with vendors so I know what you mean.

Even if it is cheaper or better, if the service is rude or indifferent it can put a negative spin on the transaction.

 

Well progress may have just came to a screaching halt... pinched a nerve or something in my lower back on Friday and have been crippled ever since. I was hoping it would improve a little over the weekend but no luck so far. Thankfully the rear end is up on saw horses and I can get all the parts cleaned with out bending over... Not sure if I can actually pick up the center section to install it in however. I can move around a little if I stay straight up and down but bend over even just a little and I'm done. Getting old SUCKS!

 

Man, that's terrible. I feel for you. I hope you heal up quickly.

 

Managed to get the rear diff set up and buttoned up over the course of the week. It was very slow going but thankfully the kids are out of school and were able to help because anything below my knees might as well have been on the moon. So everything I dropped the kids got to pick up.... "pick up that shim"... "grab that socket"... "hand me that." That's how you learn right?

Back is feeling marginally better today so maybe the boy and I will be able to get the axle bolted to the springs... who knows, maybe I'll even be able to put my shoes on all by myself today! Unfortunately if it dries out this afternoon I am going to have mow (because the yard is starting to look like a forest) and I'm sure that will destroy whatever progress my back has made. Oh well... "once more unto the breach!"

 

Rats! U-bolts provided with the rough country springs aren't long enough for the rear... can't even get a single thread to catch to try and stretch em. Oh well, guess it's time to place another parts order and then go mow some hay.

 

Help I just realized the rear backing plates I obtained for my 11" brake conversion won't work. All the backing plates came off of a 74 Full Size Cherokee and the fronts obviously worked fine but it looks like the rear axle was a flanged D44 so they are different. Errrrrr!

So can I adapt them??? Using a shim as a bolt patter and just drill new holes???

 

Well I just answered my own question... after further inspection these backing plates can NOT be adapted. Guess I get to spend this evening scouring the internet for backing plates... or start hitting the junkyards.

 

I found a set of rear backing plates on ebay already refurbished complete with shoes, brake cylinder and appropriate hardware for $250 so I went ahead and bit the bullet. I talked to a couple of sources that sell 11" inch conversion kits about getting just the backing plates and most of them had orders on back order due to the lack of backing plates already. One guy straight up told me that no one was going to sell just the backing plates because they have pretty much become "unobtainium."

On the bright side, at least I already have all the parts whenever the time comes for that first brake job.

 

Obtaining my goal of a rolling chassis was delayed while I waited for some shims to set the axle end play. Shims are here and I've been fiddling around with it this afternoon but I feel like something is wrong. I have almost 180 thousandths of shims (all my originals plus all but two from the new pack) and have about 3~4 thousandths of end play... I am happy with the end play, but 180 thou seems excessive. Could I have something wrong?? Or is this normal? My CJ5 had all the shims on the passenger side and that is the way I have reassembled it. What do the experts think??

 

Found my problem. The drivers side hub was over torqued. I realized it as I was putting the passenger side together and saw the 150 ft-lb spec in the book and thought... "Hmmmm, pretty sure we torqued the other side to over 200." Assembling the the drivers side we were hurrying, trying to get it together before dinner, and I had my "helper" reading the torque settings for me from the book and it looks like he was a line off. Bad on me I should have double checked.

So I popped the hub off the drivers side. Inspected it thoroughly to make sure it wasn't cracked. Installed it correctly and low and behold I've got all kinds of end play now. Looks like I need to pull about 70 thousandths out of my shim pack.... . Now it's back to the passenger side to pull it back apart and adjust my shim pack yet again. What do you want to bet I end up with the exact shim pack that was there when I took it apart? Which means I could have had a rolling chassis 10 days ago.... ERRRR! Oh well, I guess it keeps me off the streets and out of the bingo halls!

 

It's official! I finally have a rolling chassis!! Boy that took about 7 times longer than it should have.



Turns out I did need those new shims after all, as I ended up discarding one of the original 5 thou shims and replacing it with one of the new 7 thou shims so I could get it within spec.

Time to start stripping the engine down and run some brake lines.

 

Engine Pan Modifications: Getting ready to start modifying the pan. I will build a skid plate for it with a piece of 1/8 inch plate in much the same fashion as the F-head pan. But I am currently debating baffles.



Since the 3800 is transverse mounted from the factory, it already has baffles, as you can see, to keep oil around the pickup tube when cornering... but I'm wondering if this will be enough. I am considering a baffle fore and aft of the pickup for a little extra insurance. The pickup is centered in the pan and sits 1/8" off the bottom so I doubt extra baffles are really required. But if I'm going to do it now is the time... Thoughts?

 

In preparation for building brake lines I took some time today and built a tubing straightener... Such devices are are available but I think they are outrageously priced for what they are. So I decided to build my own. I think I have all of $10 bucks in this. I even hit it with a little Chevy Orange for a little extra horse power






And it even works! Now I just need to bust a move... Hmmmmm, I wonder if I have enough, or any, tubing nuts?

 

Finally got around to applying bed liner to the side steps and rear bumper. I had been waiting for the humidity to be not quite so ridiculous... the Monstaliner directions say don't apply when humidity is above 80%, which really makes it hard come summer time in Iowa. But with a little help from the wife, we took advantage of some dryer weather over the weekend and were able to knock it out.

 

Took a little family vacation last weekend but still managed to make a little progress during the week. Plumbed the brake lines for front and rear axles and even got the front hooked into the master cylinder.






Unfortunately, I ran out of fittings so I wasn't able to finish the run to the rear axle which will include the brake switch and a proportioning valve. I bent the tubing as tight as I could without kinking it at the master cylinder but it still hangs about 5/8 of inch below the frame. Less than ideal but we'll see exactly how exposed it is once the drive train is in. Then I may have to figure out some kind of protection... maybe I can extend the transmissions skid plate forward and tie it into the rear spring eye. We'll see, like I said I will reevaluate once the drive train is installed.

I also got the engine tore down and ready to be hot tanked. Looks like I can get away with honing the cylinder walls so I'll get the engine parts I need ordered this weekend.

 

That looks so good!

 

Wife's car (Timing belt, water pump, valve lash & spark plugs) took way longer than it should have (of course if I hadn't broken a valve cover bolt things would have gone much smoother) but I have managed to make some progress on some small projects.
Brake fittings finally showed up in the mail and I was able to finished the rear leg of the brake lines. So brake lines are 100% complete!





I had to fab up some clamps/anchors for the rear emergency brake cables... I searched the interweb for the correct part but couldn't find them anywhere. So based on what I could see in numerous pictures this is what I came up with.







And finally finished the skid plate on the oil pan.



Still not sure if I should add more baffles to the inside. I guess I don't have to actually make that decision until it is time to bolt the silly thing on.

 

Very nice!

 

Dropped the engine block off at the machine shop last week so we'll see how long that takes. In the meantime I've been working to finish all the little things on the tub in prep for painting. I'm hoping I can have it ready for paint in a couple of weeks.