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1963 Us Navy Dj-3a

Discussion in 'Builds and Fabricators Forum' started by Fireball, Nov 5, 2024.

  1. Jan 9, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
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    Thanks. My original goal was a much fancier shape for the floorboard, but when I was trying the mock it up in cardboard, I realized it was going to be beyond my skill level and take way too long to make. Slab sides are easy and I figured it would be low profile enough to not look too bad.

    In the end end it turned out better than I thought it would. Good enough. On to the next task. I really want to get this hunk of junk running and on the trails, so I'm trying to keep it moving along.

    Next items are:
    • Brakes - dual master cylinder, proportioning valve, hydraulic parking brakes, hoses, ...etc.
    • Exhaust - making a full system that's tucked up high and goes out the back
    • Cooling - New radiator, fan, shroud
    • Rebuilt the carburetor
    Then it should run while I work on EVERTHING else.
     
    Ol Fogie, vtxtasy, homersdog and 2 others like this.
  2. Jan 9, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    By Beefy, I think I really mean standard yoke. I had a much more svelte on in my stash of stuff. I' pretty sure I got it from ITLKSEZ, and have no idea what the original application was.

    You can see how much less material it has than the normal 1310 front yoke on the right:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The normal yoke and the parking brake rear output housing have interference issues even with the dust shield removed and some minimal grinding on the yoke :
    [​IMG]

    The skinny yoke, however fit fine, so I put it on the back and the big one on the front:
    [​IMG]

    I though about it for a while and it didn't sit well with me having a weaker yoke, or needing a special yoke that's hard to find for the back of the transfercase. I ordered a pair of used 1310 yokes (with dust shields) from ebay.

    I also realized after I used my only seals and had already set the output shaft pre-load that I had bought and forgot a D18 no-parking-brake output housing from a wagon or truck:
    [​IMG]

    Note there is much less lip protruding past the seal compared to the parking brake housing. The tape on the parking brake housing below is at the seal level (The tape was there to keep grinding dust out of the housing when I cut the lip down):
    [​IMG]

    Rather than clean up the non-parking brake housing, wait for a seal, find the right length bolts and reset the pre-load, I made my existing parking brake housing match the non-parking brake housing.

    It's hard to tell in the picture, but the parking brake flange yoke is about 1/8" longer in the seal area and has a gentle taper above it. Both help it clear the lip on the parking brake output housing:
    [​IMG]

    To sum it up, by chopping the housing, normal yokes fit and I can have a single trail spare that fits in either location. Also note I popped the dust shield off the rear yoke, but it would probably be fine to leave it in place with the trimmed housing.
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2025
  3. Jan 9, 2025
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2025 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    Jun 21, 2005
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    This is great info, thanks for sharing! I never knew that there was a non-parking brake housing either.

    Question: how does one pop off the dust shield? I'm hoping to get an easy answer before performing destructive testing myself :twist:
     
    Ol Fogie likes this.
  4. Jan 9, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    Feb 9, 2018
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    I just used hammer to gently tap a screw driver under it. Then worked around it. It was pretty easy to get it off without damaging it.
     
    Ol Fogie likes this.
  5. Jan 9, 2025
    T. M.

    T. M. Rubicon or bust!

    Boise, ID
    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2024
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    604
    Interesting. I thought they were spot-welded on. Definitely going to try and make a Tom Wood's yoke work on the front of my tcase then if the dust shield can be moved easily.
     
    Ol Fogie likes this.
  6. Jan 10, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    Not much to show for tonight. Just the seat frame bolted in:
    [​IMG]

    I need to make some riser blocks for the passenger seat and a bracket to mount the power seat controls for the driver seat before I bolt them in.
     
  7. Jan 12, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
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    Had to do a bunch of non-Jeep things today, but I did get the three brackets needed to install the seats done. They are drying overnight so I can install the seats tomorrow:
    [​IMG]
     
  8. Jan 12, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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    Front seats are bolted in:
    [​IMG]

    They seem solid, comfortable, and the gas pedal situation is much better with the floor hinged pedal.

    The shifter bending has worked out great. Everything is between the seats and easy to reach:
    [​IMG]

    Here's the bracket for the silly power driver seat controls. There is no reason to have these, but they were already there I don't want to fabricate all new seat brackets while I still have so many other more important things that need work:
    [​IMG]

    With that, I can call the raising the tranfercase/rebuilding the floorboards project done.

    Time for brakes.
     
  9. Jan 13, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
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    After getting the seats in the Jeep this morning, my wife, the dogs, and I goofed off all afternoon and made pizza for dinner. I was a nice day but not super Jeep productive.

    Post dinner, I put all the tools away and cleaned up the shop.

    Here's all the brake stuff that's going in:
    [​IMG]

    • Dual master cylinder conversion - I bought this in the interest of not wasting time fabbing brackets. I'm not planning on using the proportioning valve/brake light block it came with.
    • Some NiCop tubing as needed.
    • A pair of 2lb residual valves since it has disks front and back.
    • An old Mopar performance proportioning valve from my hotrodding days. This will probably get mounted on the frame in front of the master cylinder
    • A mechanical brake light switch I'll trigger from the pedal
    • A hydraulic shut-off valve for a short term parking brake. This will get mounted to the floor riser between the seats.
    • Braided steel brake hoses. In addition to replacing the front hoses, I plan on running individual hoses to the rear brakes and getting rid of the brake line on the axle.
    • I've also got some new pedal draft seals hiding somewhere.
    That will do the brakes for the short term. Eventually, I plan on adding Wilwood mechanical calipers to the rear axle.
     
    melvinm, blalp!, Ol Fogie and 8 others like this.
  10. Jan 14, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    Before I started on the brakes, I wanted to see how bigger tires will look and fit on the DJ. To do this I needed to move a bunch of junk under and around the pile-o-parts CJ-2 so I could get the tires off:
    [​IMG]

    The 35 year old swampers that were holding it up are 34x9.50-15 and measure at 33 inches tall. Much taller than the weather checked 10.50x31-15 tires that came on the DJ that measure at 30" tall:
    [​IMG]

    I also have some 1-1/4" spacers to make the rear track come very close to matching the front. I hate the track discrepancy the Jeep has right now with the 51.5" D30 in the front and a 48.44" tapered D44 housing in the rear:
    [​IMG]

    I've not been a huge fan of the 90's looking wheels that came on the Jeep, but I like them better with the lug cover rings off:
    [​IMG]

    Maybe I'll use them but paint them bronze, gun metal gray, or ........black :shock:

    Thick CJ factory disks brakes front and rear:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    ITLKSEZ will love the Jeep with the Swampers on it! :rofl::
    [​IMG]

    I'm not going to actually use these 35 year old tires. I'm just using them to check fit and see what size I want to run. I think 33's will be perfect. They will be a tiny bit shorter and a little wider. I like the way it sits and I like the matched front/rear track widths.

    More pictures:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I like that I can have flares that cover the tires. I'm not a huge fan of the look of flares, but our gravel roads that are muddy in the winter and throw rocks at you in the summer kind of demand it. I'll need to find some front flares. It would be nice to make them quick detach somehow:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    duffer, blalp!, Ol Fogie and 13 others like this.
  11. Jan 14, 2025
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Veradale, WA
    Joined:
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    I do! They look killer!! 34x9.50 Swampers are the coolest looking tires ever made IMO.

    Too bad they suck in every other aspect. :rofl:
     
  12. Jan 14, 2025
    Rozcoking23

    Rozcoking23 RUN & GET BIT! 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor

    Stockton, CA
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    Those tires and rims change the appearance of your JEEP for the better…. I liked it before now I really like the looks of it.
     
    Ol Fogie, Fireball and 3b a runnin like this.
  13. Jan 15, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    Now that I just put the bigger wheels on, it's time to jack up the Jeep and take them back off so I can work on the brakes.

    While the front was up in the air, I decided to check the steering angle with the big tires. Turning left, not bad!
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Just touching the spring:
    [​IMG]

    Turning to the right, not so hot. I hit a hard stop with an inch gap to the spring:
    [​IMG]

    Which brings to mind something I noticed a couple months ago. The Pitman arm is not straight when the tires are. Surely the PO centered the box and clocked the arm like this???
    [​IMG]

    Not a chance. Runs out of travel to the right, still has travel to go to the left:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Which means the box isn't centered for straight ahead travel and will have slop. Adding a longer drag link and centering the steering box to the list of future projects.

    Also, the steering tie rod hits the shocks on both sides at full lock:
    [​IMG]

    I could probably fiddle with the U-bolt skid plates to move the bottom of the shock back 1/2", but since the plates already have rear shock mounts, I'll probably fabricate some new upper mounts to move the shocks behind the axle. Another future project.

    However, in the near term, moving the shocks means I need to route my front brake lines with that in mind. Currently the frame sides of the brake lines are where rear shocks want to be. This means I'll be wholesale building all new brake lines front to back. Sigh. Ordered a bunch more fittings.

    I was done playing with the steering and adding projects to the list, so it was time to pull the tires to start the brake project:
    [​IMG]

    I did find a date code on the Super Swampers:
    [​IMG]

    That means the newest they can possibly be is November 1992. Could be '82, but there were probably built in '92. They are in remarkably good shape for being 32 years old. It probably helps that they've been inside for at least 27 of those years.

    Got the old master cylinder out so I can test fit the new dual cylinder bracket (not pictured). The next steps are dropping the junky exhaust pipe for room, and cutting out the old master cylinder bracket:
    [​IMG]

    Then I need to figure out where I'm mounting everything:
    • Adjustable proportioning valve - where it's not too high to cause bleeding issues, but also where I can reach it for adjustment
    • Two residual pressure valves
    • Hydraulic brake lock
    • Frame tabs for the brake hoses
    • Mechanical brake light switch
     
    vtxtasy, Ohiowrangler, blalp! and 8 others like this.
  14. Jan 16, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
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    Not much done last night, but progress none-the-less.

    Pulled the driver side exhaust for better access:
    [​IMG]

    Removed the brake lines for that were in the way, and cleaned the grease off the area I'm cutting to prevent fires:
    [​IMG]

    Old bracket removed and area cleaned up. I've got the new holes marked and will drill them out tonight:
    [​IMG]
     
  15. Jan 16, 2025
    duffer

    duffer Rodent Power

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2009
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    4,830
    Jeff Petrowich is making D18 girdles and no doubt can customize them in whatever configuration you want. These are early pieces I got from him:
    [​IMG]

    I'm going to tie that PTO cover to the base plate if I ever get time to actually put together the D18 with his 5.07:1 gear set. Both components are 1/2" steel.
     
  16. Jan 16, 2025
    duffer

    duffer Rodent Power

    Bozeman, MT
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    You can just use a heat gun to heat them up and they will fall off.
     
    T. M. and Fireball like this.
  17. Jan 16, 2025
    T. M.

    T. M. Rubicon or bust!

    Boise, ID
    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2024
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    Is that a fill port on the PTO cover?
     
  18. Jan 16, 2025
    duffer

    duffer Rodent Power

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
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    Yes
     
  19. Jan 17, 2025
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2025 Sponsor 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    Drilling the holes for the new master cylinder mount. I had to drill them from the outside of the frame because there isn't enough room between the frame and bellhousing to drill them from the inside:
    [​IMG]

    Mount bolted in:
    [​IMG]

    And.....:poo:

    Like every aftermarket "bolt-in", it's going to need a bunch of work. There are three major issues:

    1). The pedal arm not only hits the bracket like forum member Militarymetal found recently, but it will also hit the master cylinder itself. I need to trim the bracket and do some bending on the pedal arm. There is physical space in the Jeep for the arm to swing, but it needs more S-bend to fit into that space:
    [​IMG]

    2). The master cylinder is too low, even when cheated all the way up before tightening. The pushrod is binding in the hole. The master cylinder needs to move up 1/4-3/8":
    [​IMG]

    At the very least, I need to slot the holes in the bracket more, but I might weld on a plate with new holes so so there aren't slots.

    3). You can't get the lid off the master cylinder because it's into the body cowl support brace, ...even with the support bent up. You can see the cowl support interference on the left and the pedal interference on the right:
    [​IMG]

    Sigh. I'm need to cut a bunch off the side of the cowl support in a crappy area to work.

    I figured all this out at about 10:00PM and decided to head to the house and pour myself a nice glass of rye. At least my weekend is planned out.
     
  20. Jan 17, 2025
    3b a runnin

    3b a runnin Active Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    virginia
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    That sux
     
    Fireball likes this.
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