Ewan's 79 CJ-5 restoration project

Ewan,

Before you pull it all off and out, what axles do you have now for it? may you take additional photos of the axles and their placement & bolts with the rest of the jeep?

 

Dana 30 front, AMC 20 rear. I'll take some more photos and upload them to my Picasa account. I'll also put them on my gallery at my webpage.

 

With your experience with Jeeps, have you found a difference between the 1 piece axles vs the 2 piece? Thinking of putting 1 piece Dana 44's or 60's on the Jamboree (Wide Track) but a little unsure of the quality associated with each Dana and AMC.... very nice tear down btw, now comes the expensive part.

 

Were it me, I'd upgrade the AMC20 with one piece axles, rear disc, locker and all the goodies and run it. There is an ongoing and long debate over which is a better axle once the two piece shafts are addressed. I did not see what you are planning on doing with the Jeep but as long as you stay under 35's, that is what I'd do. The only way I'd swap a D44 is if you found one that you could bolt in and be exactly what you wanted. But I'd not buy a D44 then a locker, re-gear it, etc. over the M20.

Unless you are going over the 36 to 38" tire, or you plan on hitting the skinny often, then I'd not spend the money on the axle. But I would put a locker in whatever.

 

aallison, I'm with you on the 1pc shafts. The 2pc shafts are just a poor design and the AMC-20 is a great axle once you swap in 1pc shafts. Keeping my 31's so tire size won't be an issue with me. I think the AMC-20 tends to be under-appreciated at times. The ring gear is actually larger than the 44, and only 1 spline difference on the shafts. 29 spline vs 30 spline IIRC. Another weak spot is where the tube meets the differential. If one could not source a Dana 44 easily and was set on large tires, I would think it would make sense to just do the 1pc shaft swap, truss and/or weld the axle tubes to the diff. That is just me though.

 

Looks like I may be looking for an axle welder in the near future... ^^^

 

Some progress this evening, removed the rear axle.

 

I removed the front axle and remaining parts today. Snapped about 6 heads right off on various bolts...damn rust. I also pressure washed the frame and removed tons of gunk that was built up on the inside.

 

Picked up a couple cheapo wire brushes at Harbor Freight. Combined with an angle grinder, they work rather well. Gets rid of the rust really quickly but creates a dusty mess. Hopefully this weekend I'll get around to sand blasting the spots I can't reach.

 

I read somewhere a Jeep rebuilder capped off portions of his frame to disallow the build-up of gunk over time and he said it was especially useful during four wheeling. I may do the same if it doesn't pose any detrimental ramifications to the frame... You know of any? It seems like a good idea so I will try to find his rebuild again.

 

Makes sense if you mud a lot or 4x4 where it is really wet. I don't think it would harm the frame any but I'd still consider sealing the inside to prevent any future rust/rot. I'm going to use Eastwood internal frame coating.

http://www.eastwood.com/internal-frame-coating-w-spray-nozzle.html

 

I see you have the same Maxwell House parts cans that I use.

 

I love metal coffee cans, they work great for soaking nuts and bolts. In fact, I still have a coffee with a few odds and ends can left over from my 85 CJ-7. Why do you always have leftover bolts when you work on a vehicle? Must not have been very important....R)

 

As far along as you are, have you considered galvanizing it. They only require that there is no grease or paint on it. They will pickle the rust/slag/scale off it, and it costs around 300.00. I dig the idea of getting everywhere inside the box protected by the hot dip. Just a thought.

 

I have thought of it before but for some reason I thought is was around $1k. Quick google shows there is a place about 12 miles from me that has a tub large enough to fit the frame. I'll look into it but every dollar I spend goes through the "book keeper".

 

I will be galvanizing my tub and most rust prone body parts. Lucky for me, I'm the QE for an Aerospace Engineering company so I get all the goodies. Let me know what size your tub is, I may be able to find a place we use, they do the pickle and work on our Lockheed body frames.

 

I had the whole cab for my 33,000lb gvw International Fleetstar galvanized. It warped the roof a slight bit, and was a heck of a thing to sand the galvanize texture out of, but it's all protected in the double walls now, and has a life span longer than mine.

 

No progress dude?

 

No, been super busy with work, family and gearing up for Christmas. I also have another project I'm working on (Lotus 7 replica) which can be tracked here

http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14128

I picked up a sandblaster earlier this month, tomorrow I'm going to purchase some soda blasting media. I'm hoping I can do some blasting Sunday since that is my only day off this week.

 

A sandblaster? You willing to sell your service to others? I wouldn't mind taking the drive down to you and getting a few parts sandblasted and primed in the near future....