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Seabee M38A1 Build

Discussion in 'Builds and Fabricators Forum' started by tymbom, Mar 30, 2014.

  1. Jan 22, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    I'm at the point where I'm about ready to take the axles out and do a final assembly. I've been keeping all the parts for the axles in the boxes under a work bench. I decided to set up a folding table and lay out everything out.

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    This way I can see what I have and what I need. I've been dry fitting a bunch of parts together and discovered that I was sent the incorrect brake pads. Emails have been sent so hopefully that will be sorted out next week. I also realized I didn't have wheel bearings for the front axle. So once the wheel bearings and brake pads arrive, I will have all the parts to assemble the axles. In the mean time I've been tinkering with some other tasks that need to be done. I needed to bend the transfer case shift levers a bit to get them away from the dash. In low range the levers were against the dash. I heated up the base of the levers with torch and bent them back slightly.

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    Here both levers are in the neutral position.

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    Here the front output is in the high range position.

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    Here the front output is in the low range position. I had a mild panic when I thought about the trans cover interfering with the shift levers, but it clears just fine. When we put the shifter s together I left the interlock pills out so I can select the front wheel drive high range position. That way if something happens to the rear driveshaft or diff I can still drive home. Things are starting to get exciting... Hopefully I can keep making good progress. Thanks for checking it out. Laters.
     
  2. Jan 28, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]

    I managed to make some headway this afternoon...

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    First I made a stubby little driveshaft out of an extra Bronco shaft we have laying around. It's sorta straight. I can see a decent wobble when it turns. I don't plan on driving with this shaft, I just needed to set the pinion angle.

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    With the pinion angle set 3 degrees down from straight at the output shaft, I could set the disc brake caliper mounts in place. A little blast of air squeezed the pads on the rotor and aligned the bracket. Then I just tack welded it on. Repeat on the other side.

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    Next up is the lower shock mounts.

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    Everything is just tacked in place.

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    Driver side

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    Everything is looking pretty good. Tomorrow I'll put the U-bolts back on along with the tires and do a flex test to make sure everything clears. If it all looks good I'll take the axle out and finish the welding. Then assemble the axle guts with all the right seals and grease and stuff.
     
    73 cj5, fhoehle, dozerjim and 2 others like this.
  3. Jan 29, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]

    Flexy Friday! I flexed out the suspension using my engine hoist and everything looks like it's going to clear just fine.

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    Here's a close up of the driver's side rear tire peeking through the tail light hole. There's about an inch of shaft left of up travel. I can comfortably stick my hand between the shock body and the tire. If it rubs at the extreme end of the travel, I'm not too worried. It's not like I'll be driving fast with one tire fully compressed like that.

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    Passenger side looking forward. When the driver's side tire had about an inch of shaft left, the passenger side had about the same amount of down travel left as well. I haven't mounted any bump stops yet, but I've measured and figured out which ones I want. Now to start taking the rear axle out and doing some welding and assembly...
     
    73 cj5, fhoehle, Norcal69 and 2 others like this.
  4. Feb 7, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    One step forward and two steps back... That's how it goes... All the mounts are straighten out and welded to the rear axle housing so I squirted some self etching primer and some satin black on... While waiting for the paint to cure I realized I had forgotten to place the brake line tabs and weld them on. Darn. Oh well. I can add them later.

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    I got to this point ^^^ and I noticed something else was going wrong. See the bellows for my axle vent?

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    I have these fancy inner axle seals that seal the pumpkin area from the axle tube.

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    So the vent fitting needed to be relocated to the center section of the housing. No big deal. Just tear it all apart and drill and tap the new hole.

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    Weld up the other hole. And so it goes... I'm ready to finish putting the whole thing back together, I just need some more silicone/RTV goop to keep the fluids in. Once the whole thing is assembled with brake lines and everything, it'll go back under the Jeep. Thanks for checking it out. Laters.
     
  5. Feb 9, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Rear axle is assembled. I finished the vent relocation and built a couple hard lines to attach to the flex lines coming from the calipers...

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    And I as I sit here posting this I realized I made a mistake. I wonder if you guys will notice...
     
  6. Feb 9, 2021
    jeep peep69

    jeep peep69 Member

    redding ca.
    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2007
    Messages:
    619
    With the expired tags hopefully you non opped the registration.
     
    tymbom likes this.
  7. Feb 9, 2021
    Jw60

    Jw60 Sitting up n buckled down. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Sedalia MO.
    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    4,717
    Caliper brackets aren't even?
    Missing shock mounts.
    No u bolts
    No u bolt brackets
    Center section is upside down and offset wrong.
    Shackle bolts are loose
    Muffler is in the way of a rear tank.
    What else... :confused:
     
  8. Feb 10, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    I guess it's harder to see. The flex lines from the calipers are too straight. As the pads wear, the caliper will slide on the pins. With the flex.lines pretty much straight, they won't allow the caliper to slide...
     
  9. Feb 19, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    Well that's what I get from trying to work on things while I'm stressed out about things to try and relieve the stress about things... :cry:

    I can fix the caliper bracket pretty easy, and the flex line is a simple fix. I'll get longer flex lines so I don't have hard lines running over the U bolts.

    I've got the front axle out now to finish up some stuff before putting it all together.

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    The hydraulic assist cylinder is mounted, here at full right turn.

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    And again at full left turn. Right now everything is all painted up and waiting. Maybe this week I can find the spare time to get it put together. Thanks for checking it out. Laters
     
  10. Mar 2, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]

    Waiting on parts...

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    I'm honestly not sure how I missed this years ago when I took it apart, but it bit me in the butt. All set to put the front end together and this is what I found... Luckily new ones aren't too much trouble.

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    The front axle housing is back on the leaf springs and I'm starting to play with the front shock mounts. I bought the upper mount from Mountain Off-road Enterprises in Colorado. It's designed for 1972 and newer Jeeps, so it's gonna take a little tinkering to fit this one. Not a big deal other than they advertise it being constructed from 1 3/4in tubing, it's actually 1 1/2in tube.

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    Axle shafts put together...

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    For some reason it really tried my patience putting those together. I know it's been over 20 years since I did axle shaft U joints, but good grief. Still making progress though. The spindle nuts should be here later this week. I'm getting pretty close to moving under it's own power...
     
    73 cj5, Muzikp, Fireball and 3 others like this.
  11. Mar 6, 2021
    Bottom Rung

    Bottom Rung New Member

    CT
    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2020
    Messages:
    19
    Awesome build sir. Truly next level stuff.

    That’s a rig worthy of a magazine, well..... you know....... back when magazines were a thing.
     
    tymbom likes this.
  12. Mar 9, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    Thanks for the compliment... I try my best and do some things several times. I'm getting close to being able to drive it. It's been just over 8 years since I started on it. Thanks again. Helps keep me motivated
     
    ITLKSEZ likes this.
  13. Mar 12, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]

    Something pretty exciting arrived the other day... The local driveshaft shop burned down last summer during a large fire near Medford Oregon. I decided to give Tom Woods a call since I've been reading about them in magazines as long as I can remember. I'm extremely pleased with them. Super fast and the price was right too.

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    Here it is all bolted up. This is with the suspension at fill droop. It just barely binds. I'll have to do a little grinding for clearance.

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    The front axle is assembled with all the grease and oils inside... Axle shafts and locking hubs...

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    For some reason Warn Premium hubs are the only choice. The upper shock mount is in position, I just need to drill some holes for that. I'm going to add some braces to make it a little more solid. So I'm sneaking up on being able to test drive around in the field. I've made some changes to the brake system so I'm waiting for the parts to arrive, then I need to make some hard lines and do some bleeding. I think there was a loose fitting on the clutch since it seemed to have leaked down. Hopefully that's all it was. Any way, thanks for checking it out. Laters
     
  14. Mar 18, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]
    Proportioning valve is mounted on a bracket on the chassis now. This style of valve has one output for the rear brake line, and two for each front brake line. I had originally mounted the proportioning valve on the firewall, but I realized that I would need to put a pigtail in each of the three lines to allow for movement between the chassis and body. The lines coming from the P-valve look nice and clean without the pigtails.

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    That leaves the two lines from the master cylinder... The pigtails are easy to make, I just wrapped the line around a cut off piece of the tubing from the tie rod and drag link. I also put the tubing bender in the vice for most of the bends. So now I'm just waiting on USPS to deliver the flex lines and I'll be able to add fluid and bleed some brakes...
     
    Muzikp, 47v6, ITLKSEZ and 2 others like this.
  15. Mar 31, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]

    I finally ran out of patience today... I've been waiting for almost three weeks for the brake lines I needed to finish the brake system. So without brakes and the clutch I drove around in the field in low range.

    [​IMG]

    My daughter came over immediately and wanted to ride with me. Still a ton of work to do, but it felt so good to be out bouncing around in the field. Hopefully the brake lines will get here soon but I think they got stuck in the Suez Canal...
     
  16. Mar 31, 2021
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2015
    Messages:
    6,656
    :clap::bananatool:
     
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  17. Apr 1, 2021
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2005
    Messages:
    1,998
    The jeep looks great; your tires are huuuuge! I've followed along since you started this project, and it's looking like you're in the home stretch now! Keep up the good work!
     
    tymbom, Buildflycrash and ITLKSEZ like this.
  18. Apr 1, 2021
    Buildflycrash

    Buildflycrash More or Less in Line. 2024 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Gulf Breeze FL...
    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2007
    Messages:
    3,559
    7 years to the day from the first post. Congratulations! That is a long time to wait to take a ride around the pasture.
     
    tymbom likes this.
  19. Apr 1, 2021
    Muzikp

    Muzikp Active Member

    Sacramento Ca.
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2016
    Messages:
    1,450
    That thing is beautiful!!!!! :clap:(y)
     
    tymbom likes this.
  20. Apr 15, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    So in my last post I was waiting for the brake lines... In the mean time I had trip to the desert planned...
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    First stop was the Black Rock Desert... Then we drove to Moon Rocks and camped for the night. Then off to Berlin Ghost Town.

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    Located in the beautiful Ione Valley...

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    This was a neat place. I need to take my wife back there since it was just my daughter, my dad, brother in law and his son on this trip.

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    Went through Beatty and saw some donkeys...

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    Drove on this road...

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    Passed this sign...

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    And found this...
    This is the tail of a General Dynamics F-16. My uncle Darrell was the first crew chief for this plane when it was brand new in 1979. He was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base at the time.

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    He even kept a copy of his orders to go accept the plane for the Air Force. His first F-16 and it was brand new...

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    I believe this is the only picture he has of the plane before it crashed. My uncle shipped out the Germany in 1981 or early 1982. In December of 1982, the plane was on a two ship training flight when the plane departed from controlled flight... the pilot ejected and was okay. The plane crashed in the mountains north of Nellis. I've been told stories about this plane since I was a kid, I saw it at Nellis in early 1982 when I was 7. I've always dreamed of going and checking it out. Long story short, we had planned a big guys trip with all my uncle's and cousins, but for various reasons just about everyone backed out. My uncle really wants to come out next year and go see his plane...

    We explored the crash site for the day then headed back home...
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    With a couple stops in Death Valley. I would really like to return here, preferably in some dirt roads. There was tons of tourists everywhere...

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    Stopped in Hawthorne Nevada. There is a cool little museum there, the Hawthorne Ordinance Museum. That's a chunk of 16 inch barrel off a 1940's era battleship and the bullets? Rounds? Pews? Munitions...

    They had a tank to climb in...

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    It's an M-47 Patton...

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    Then we took a pic in Flanigan Nevada, another ghost town, but there's really no town left. Yeah we got matching shirts. The Love's truck stop in Fernley had them and by then it was just the three of us... A great trip. We had tons of fun. And sun. And sand. And dirt roads. More build updates in a minute...
     
    Clayton, 47v6, Fireball and 3 others like this.
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