1970 Jeep Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

[Resbum]

Excuse the long-winded intro. I need to give credit where it’s due. If you want to get to the meat and potato’s jump to the next post. I waited until now to start the thread because I wanted to be sure I could actually pull this off before embarrassing myself.

First off I need to give some well deserved credit to BJ’s Offroad. www.bjsoffroad.com (http://www.bjsoffroad.com) I got lucky enough that I can easily drive to BJ’s from where I live and bug Brent on a moment’s notice. Seriously, without all the help, knowledge, willingness to price match, and willingness to get non-FSJ parts from Brent this project NEVER would have made it this far. If anyone is doing any kind of project they should seriously consider contacting BJ’s.

Some other notable mentions:
Clover Park Technical College rebuilt both differentials, transmission and transfer case. A lot of the time schools won’t install aftermarket parts. Wayne, the instructor in the Drivetrain Program, jumped right onboard when he heard where I wanted to go with the project. Kurt and Greg, in the Auto Body Program. They painted the frame and did the sheet metal work on the cab. Note- This is an academic institution and the students needs come first and foremost. If you approach them don’t be surprised if they turn down your work. I got VERY LUCKY.

A skilled professional welder for all the welding of critical components (things that can kill you) and other work.


Justin and Dennis at Metal Supermarket on 100th, in Lakewood.


Ron at Hi-Strength Bolt on 100th , in Lakewood.


Also, some others that have treated me right:


4 Wheel Parts, Tacoma and Portland


Discount/America’s Tire, Tacoma and Portland


RE Electric, Tacoma, WA


Tacoma Speedometer, Tacoma, WA



All the craigslister’s that bought, sold, and swapped with me



And others I’m sure I’m forgetting at this time.


A SpecialNote:
Ballistic Fabrication- After placing my first order in November, 2011, I learned that Ballistic had developed a bad reputation. After learning this I basically thought if I get screwed I just won’t use them again. Let me tell you that they’ve been making huge efforts to correct the problems they were having. I’ve now ordered from them 5 times. Every order has been correct and shipped immediately. The one snafu I did have(minor) I sent an email on a Sunday about getting it corrected. Dave replied within 1 hour from his iphone saying i twould be fixed. The little replacement part was in the mail before 10AM the next morning. I’ve spoke with several of them on the phone. They openly admit that they did have troubles and are doing everything they can to “earn customers trust back” (their words, notice earn). I’m a pretty good read of people and I believe each one of them are sincere in this desire. Just my take on them so far.


Edited on 13 July 2012 to give some thanks and free advertising to more people and businesses.

I’m now well into rebuilding and finishing the engine. The following businesses have really leaned forward to help me out. All of them are top-notch companies. Most of them I have used in the past and the ones I’m trying for the first time have outstanding reputations. In dealing with all of them their reputations are well earned.

In no particular order:

Once again, BJ’s Offroad.

The machine shop at Napa on Pacific and 96th,in Tacoma, WA.

Remflex Gaskets- I’ve used them in the past and love them. This time I needed an exhaust manifold gasket in a hurry and they went above and beyond to get it to me.

Performance Coatings, in Auburn, WA.- I’ve used them in the past. They do an outstanding job and every time I’ve used them it’s been a pleasure.

Turbo Technologies- They helped hook me up with some of the misc exhaust pieces I needed, as well as knowledge, advice, and expert opinions.. Edit addition- Since first writing this TT stepped up and did A LOT of the welding on my exhaust. THANK YOU.

BD Diesel Performance- I can’t say enough about the positive experience I’ve had dealing with them. I made a road trip up to their facility in BC, Canada, to drop off my cores and pick up my new parts. They took me on a tour and went out of their way to help me get the most bang for my buck.

Colt Cams, in BC Canada- This is my first time dealing with them. They come highly recommended by BD Diesel Performance and I stopped by their shop to drop off my cam went I road tripped to BD Performance. Geoff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable and helped me spend my money wisely.

Bud's Machine Shop, in Lakewood, WA. They've been around for decades, have an outstanding reputation, and have done somereally top-notch engines.

Larry B's- http://www.fostertruck.com/dodge/ Larry B's makes some really nice products andthe website does a really good job of explaining why they fail, or appear tohave failed when they haven't. I got lucky and live near enough I drove to hisshop to pick up my parts. Larry is extremely nice and VERY knowledgeable. Plus,I'm impressed with his products. When all was said and done, I left his shopwith a solenoid, relay harness, fusable link, "Solenoid-Saver" diode,and heavy duty starter contacts. I highly recommend checking his stuff out.





If I’ve missed anyone I feel bad and will edit them in if I think of them. Every business and person I’ve dealt with has been a pleasure.

[Resbum]

June 24th, 2011. The build begins after a year of research and gathering parts. It's starting out as a 1970 3/4 ton Camper Special, Custom Cab, 3407Z, Jeep Gladiator Pickup
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/2803/justbeforedisassembly.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/justbeforedisassembly.jpg/)

Four days later it looked like this
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/7298/20110628164701.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/17/20110628164701.jpg/)

Temporarily place engine and drivetrain. 1994 12V Cummins 6BT. 1994 47RH transmission. 1991 NP205 transfer case.
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/2884/20110703151217.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/339/20110703151217.jpg/)

Now I need to make all of this fit. I had to open the body mounts and radiator pillars 4 inches, cut 2 rows off the top of the after cooler, and trim a bunch of sheet metal.
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/7284/20110707134453.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/856/20110707134453.jpg/)

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/8505/20110707134148.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/851/20110707134148.jpg/)

[Resbum]

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/9071/20110719174609.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/97/20110719174609.jpg/)

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/9967/20110719182017.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/26/20110719182017.jpg/)

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2594/20110719183353.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/600/20110719183353.jpg/)

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/8904/20110719183632.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/20110719183632.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Next, cut off the fan and place 1 ½ inches behind radiator fans, center and level, then lock it down.
http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/166/20110705184350.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/594/20110705184350.jpg/)

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/2564/20110703164330.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/20110703164330.jpg/)

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/3563/20110721170020.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/20110721170020.jpg/)

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/4540/20110721171511.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/20110721171511.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Now fabricate trans crossmember, replace OEM hardware with bigger grade 8 hardware, trans and engine mounts.
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/6725/20110810133258.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/259/20110810133258.jpg/)

The nut and washers in the middle were the original OEM size
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/231/20110810133411.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/689/20110810133411.jpg/)

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/2391/20110810133644.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/20110810133644.jpg/)

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/641/20110814124619.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/88/20110814124619.jpg/)

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/7947/20110819131054.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/6/20110819131054.jpg/)

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/9723/20110820113245.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/20110820113245.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Now, cut away the old and replace with a 1991 Front Dana 60HD out of a Dodge W350, converting it to under frame spring mounts. The springs are from the same Dodge and got re-ached and new bushings. The rear axle is the original full-float Dana 60 and it got the same under frame spring mount conversion. The under frame conversion added 5 ¾ inches of lift. Both axles are now running Detroit TrueTrac’s, G2 4.11 gears, and Dutchman 1.5 inches 35 spline chromoly axles.
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/7821/20110821125413.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/190/20110821125413.jpg/)

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/5841/20110822151036.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/441/20110822151036.jpg/)

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/7894/20110822150849.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/20110822150849.jpg/)

These shackle mounts eventually got replaced with Ballistic Fabrication mounts that have bushings in them.
I adjusted the jack stands to the new ride height. Yeah Baby!, 22 inches of ground clearance at the trans crossmember.
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3906/20110905155826.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/513/20110905155826.jpg/)

[Resbum]

This is a jig I made to set the front caster and tilt of the rear differential. I'm proud of this creation. I could accurately measure changes of .1 degrees with it.
http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/6296/20110902115902.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/813/20110902115902.jpg/)

Level the chassis then go from there
http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/2737/20110902115830.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/20110902115830.jpg/)

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/4055/20110902115945.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/593/20110902115945.jpg/)

Here it's aligned front to rear. With all the weight of the engine/trans/TC compressing the spring I kept adding and taking away blocks between the spring and the frame until I got caster where I wanted it. Then I measured from the frame to the spring eye. That's the measurement I used to make the shackles and mounts.
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/6804/20110902120141.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/20110902120141.jpg/)

The lines are 1 degree, the dimples are .2 degrees. Here the caster is set to 3.4 degrees
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/264/20110902120203.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/718/20110902120203.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Now everything gets stripped off, the frame gets scrubbed and pressure washed, and it’s off to media blasting, welding, and paint.
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/1006/20111002135213.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/20111002135213.jpg/)

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4400/20111004150554.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/267/20111004150554.jpg/)

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8210/20111016164321.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/6/20111016164321.jpg/)

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5230/20111016164529.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/442/20111016164529.jpg/)

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/5801/20111016164542.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/443/20111016164542.jpg/)

The frame got two rounds of welding. First all the trans, motor, and suspension mounts. Then I took the frame home painted behind the areas that I then boxed in with tack welds. While welding the first round the welder noticed the frame was cracked around the old steering box mount. So I decided to lower the steering box 1 ½ inches while fixing the frame. Then it went back for round two of welding.
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/8599/20111023161048.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/20111023161048.jpg/)

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/390/20111023150854.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/443/20111023150854.jpg/)

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/5651/20111023140002.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/690/20111023140002.jpg/)

[Resbum]

The finished product.
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2112/20111122132734.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/88/20111122132734.jpg/)

Both the welder and I didn't like the number of holes Jeep had in the frame between the motor mounts and the front end, so plates were added along the inside of the rails
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2155/20111202153636.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/267/20111202153636.jpg/)

Boxed from the trans cross member back to the next cross member
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4892/20111202153727.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/20111202153727.jpg/)

It also got boxing between the rear spring mounts and the bed attachment mounts
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/8324/20111202153713.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/196/20111202153713.jpg/)

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1963/20111202153748.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/138/20111202153748.jpg/)

http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/6060/20111202153737.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/860/20111202153737.jpg/)

[Resbum]

My homemade media blasting booth. After 3 days of media blasting parts I now rank media blasting right up there with fiberglass work. IT HAS A HUGE SUCK FACTOR!!!. No matter how careful you are you end up with media in every nook, crevice, and cranny in your body.
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/1092/20111217150702.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/826/20111217150702.jpg/)

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7906/20111221173441.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/684/20111221173441.jpg/)

Front axle blasted and painted. Ready for final assembly.

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1293/20111219164119.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/705/20111219164119.jpg/)

The NP205 rebuilt, converted to twin-stick and ready for install
http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/2936/20111223133950.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/577/20111223133950.jpg/)

The axles and all their parts. In this pic the rear axle still needs to have some tabs welded on. Notice all four hubs are disc brakes.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/3088/20111223134357.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/171/20111223134357.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Next I placed the rear axle under the frame and finalized the locations for the spring perches, shock tabs, and track bar tabs. Then it was time for paint.
http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/7059/20120105181842.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/20120105181842.jpg/)

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/9065/20120105170740.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/20120105170740.jpg/)

This is the base coat I used on everything. It's the same ZeroRust as the top coat, only red so you could see good coverage between coats. On the axles and TC I brushed on the first coat.
http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/1557/20120106191448.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/813/20120106191448.jpg/)

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/9273/20120107161852.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/577/20120107161852.jpg/)

[Resbum]

It's finally time to start putting things back on the truck. First came the rear axle.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6223/20120108095420.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/515/20120108095420.jpg/)

Then the front axle. This is when I also installed the new king pins, knuckles and spindles hardware, and 35 spline axles. The cross over steering arm is from Offroad Unlimited and is one beefy unit.
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/2190/20120118102213.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/21/20120118102213.jpg/)



http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/8909/20120120110734.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/20120120110734.jpg/)

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/5152/20120121182255.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/20120121182255.jpg/)

Time for the tie rod. Made from 1 1/2" 1/4"wall DOM.
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2547/20120122160020zb.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/692/20120122160020zb.jpg/)

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/3697/20120122164433.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/845/20120122164433.jpg/)

[Resbum]

After seven months I finally have it back to a rolling chassis. Early one Saturday morning I towed in down to the local Firestone a friend manages and his guys did a thorough alignment check on everything they could possibly measure. Everything came out perfect!!! The thrust angle between the front and rear axles was only out by .06 degrees, the axles are off centerline of the frame by less than an 1/8 of an inch, and the caster was exactly where I calculated it. Not bad for nothing more than a homemade jig, a homemade plumb bob, a water level, tape marks on the floor, and being anal compulsive about measuring on the diagonals for square, while hanging the new axle/spring mounts. Man, my ego was so swelled up that day I was probably sickening to be around. I figure the results were worth one day of gloating.
[/URL]

[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/99/20120123141702.jpg/"]http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6877/20120123141702.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/80/20120122170522.jpg/)

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/5738/20120128085443cropped.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/20120128085443cropped.jpg/)

[Hook574]

:worthless:



Just had to be said :D get em done quick I'm still in the research phase :thumbsup:

[Resbum]

Yeah, sorry for the unintentional tease. I use to prefer imageshack over photobucket for media hosting, but it has really been giving me problems for the last six months. More than half the photos I had placed in an album for this thread were corrupted and I had to recreate the whole album.:banghead:

Anyways, this is where the truck is at right now. I'm currently making the track bars and the cab is out getting the sheetmetal work done. I'll post more when I have something to update.

Resbum

P.S.- I've documented the build with over 700 pictures, so far. As time permits, I could do detailed writeups of certain parts of the build if anyone wants more info.

[Mikel]

Looking really good! Keep us updated :thumbsup:

[Tad]

:thumbsup: Excellent build!

[Chumley360]

Awesome!:thumbsup:

Is the intercooler from the '94 as well?

[Resbum]

Thanks.

Chumley360- Yep, the intercooler came with the engine. When it was time to make it fit it was either major mods to body work or cut two rows off the top. I went the easy route.

Resbum

[Hook574]

Resbum, This is one of the best threads I have ever read! Well worth the wait on the pictures :thumbsup:

I thought you might be a little OCD when I read it without the pictures, after seeing the pictures I now know you are a LOT OCD, thats why your build is coming out so well.

Congratulations on all of your hard word. I can't wait to see the rest.

[Austin 4x4]

awsome build. i love the way that frame looks rolling without the body on it.

[budojeepr]

Resbum, This is one of the best threads I have ever read! Well worth the wait on the pictures :thumbsup:
X2

At first I thought you'd put the radiator in front of the valance, but behind the grille.

Sweet work!

[tgreening]

Yeah, sorry for the unintentional tease. I use to prefer imageshack over photobucket for media hosting, but it has really been giving me problems for the last six months. More than half the photos I had placed in an album for this thread were currupted and I had to recreate the whole album.:banghead:

Anyways, this is where the truck is at right now. I'm currently making the track bars and the cab is out getting the sheetmetal work done. I'll post more when I have something to update.

Resbum

P.S.- I've documented the build with over 700 pictures, so far. As time permits, I could do detailed writeups of certain parts of the build if anyone wants more info.



It nice to see someone doing a buildup like this who is actually doing it, instead of paying to have the bulk of the work done and passing it off as their own. I can only wish I was making the kind of progress you're making. Mine tends to run in spurts, and tiny little spurts at that. :)

[budojeepr]

P.S.- I've documented the build with over 700 pictures, so far. As time permits, I could do detailed writeups of certain parts of the build if anyone wants more info.
I'm going to be selfish and ask for more detail on your mod to fit a larger radiator. I have one rig with a 454 and one with a GM diesel, and both have no reserve when it comes to cooling capacity.

Thanks!!

Brad

[Resbum]

It nice to see someone doing a buildup like this who is actually doing it, instead of paying to have the bulk of the work done and passing it off as their own. I can only wish I was making the kind of progress you're making. Mine tends to run in spurts, and tiny little spurts at that. :)

Austin 4X4 your avatar intrigued me so I checked out your build thread. Pretty freaking cool. The only way you can go bigger is to make it a dually.

Hook574- OCD? Man, I laughed my a** off when I read that. Yeah, there might be some of that going on.:lol:

tgreening actually kind of hit on it. 34 years ago I got my first project. It was a motorcycle that came to me as a frame and 3 boxes of parts. I was 14 and my dad bought me some basic tools and helped me get through it. For the next 33 years I was never able to do a project the way I really wanted to. Life, time, work, and finances always had to come first. Every motorcycle, autoXing, and 4X4 project always had to be a compromise.

I'm 48 now, divorced, and retired from the military back in March 2011. I decided after 30 years of working nobody but God was going to tell me what to do for a year or two. This project has been the first use of that time. I wander to the shop every day. Sometimes I work on it 3 hours, other times, like yesterday, I work on it 13 hours. Now that I've committed to going to the Ouray KOA Jeep Meet in July I see more of the 13 hour days in my near future. :rolleyes:

I originally was just going to rebuild the Buick 350 and Turbo 400 that came in the truck, but the trans was a basket case and it's kinda morf'ed into what you see now. If I'd been married when I started this I'd be divorced now.:lol: I count myself extremely lucky that all the pieces fell into place that's allowed me to do this. With all my hobbies I've taken a lot of knowledge from forums because others made the effort to post info. If anyone can learn things from this thread it's just my way of paying that effort forward.

Resbum

[Resbum]

I'm going to be selfish and ask for more detail on your mod to fit a larger radiator. I have one rig with a 454 and one with a GM diesel, and both have no reserve when it comes to cooling capacity.

Thanks!!

Brad

No worries. I actually documented that part pretty well because I wanted to be able to revert the changes if I found it wouldn't work. When I do the next update posts I'll include one on the radiator mod.

Resbum

[budojeepr]

No worries. I actually documented that part pretty well because I wanted to be able to revert the changes if I found it wouldn't work. When I do the next update posts I'll include one on the radiator mod.

Resbum

Thanks (and thanks for your service!). I did some digging on ImageShack. This picture (http://imageshack.us/f/26/20110719182017.jpg/) answered it for me...

Mind sharing the source for that lovely radiator? :rolleyes:

[Hook574]

Mind sharing the source for that lovely radiator? :rolleyes:


My thoughts exactly. Congrats on your retirment, I'm very jealous ;)

[Mikel]

This is the radiator we put into a friend's M715 with a 6BT.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-380328/

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn223/bw1339/DSC05215.jpg

[KaiserMan]

Mikel, can you tell us about the 6 lug wheels but GM hubs on that M715? Is it all custom?

[Mikel]

Mikel, can you tell us about the 6 lug wheels but GM hubs on that M715? Is it all custom?
Good eye! That's a 1986 GM dana 60 axle. I made 2" spacers out of 1018 steel (to bring the wms to wms width from 69 to 73") with the eight lug pattern on one side and the six lug on the other. With hydroboost, truck stops really well. Parts are dirt cheap and available everywhere.

Gearing is 4.10s. The rear was regeared to 4.10s as well. With the Cummins, it's not undergeared at all.

You should come down to Plainville some day :)

[The PIG Smith]

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6877/20120123141702.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/99/20120123141702.jpg/)
Tell us more about those wheels.
What brand, model and size those are?
What size tire is mounted on those wheels?

[Resbum]

... Mind sharing the source for that lovely radiator?
It's a Flex-a-lite: Model http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/58295.html
Here's the ebay store I got it at.
http://stores.ebay.com/cascadesalescompany
I got it for about half price. I am extremely wary of ebay purchases, but the seller described it as a Flex-a-lite that passed all functional quality checks for performance, but was blemished in the manufacturing process. I noticed they were in Milton, WA, about 15 miles from me, so I asked the seller if I could pick it up to save shipping and they agreed. I drove over there and it turns out to be the Flex-a-lite manufacturing plant. They use that ebay store front to sell their blemished goods. My blemishes turned out to be 20 slightly bent cooling fins (While fabricating I also noticed it's about 1/4" out of square). Not bad for 1/2 price. While I was there I picked up a remote filter kit, trans cooler, oil cooler, and power steering/hydraboost cooler.

Tell us more about those wheels.
What brand, model and size those are?
What size tire is mounted on those wheels?
The wheels are 17X10 Weld Racing forged aluminum wheels I bought from a craigslister who wanted to step up to 18" rims. I got them for $200. He also turned out to be the guy who told me of an excellent Cummins mechanic who will help me do the engine when I get to that point of the build. God bless craigslist. :thumbsup:

The tires are 35X12.5-17 Hankook Dynapro M/T's that I had siped. I never realized how limited the selection is for Load Range E M/T's until I went looking for them. My 5th wheel has a gross weight of 18,000lbs and a max tongue weight of 2,800lbs. Although my truck will only haul it for maybe 2% of its life it still needs to be able to do it. I read hundreds of customer reviews online before commiting to these tires. They get great reviews from people who haul heavy. Luckily, they get good reviews for also being quiet and how they wear.

I've mentioned craigslist a few times. I'm barely able to afford this project. My ego does not require that I have the latest high dollar brand new bling items on my truck. Function comes first, form comes second. If I can get it on craigslist and it's in good shape and doesn't appear stolen I have no trouble buying it used. I also do a lot of price checking for new parts. I have no issue with getting vendors to price match against each other to drive the price down. Brent, at BJ's Offroad, has been great at helping me out with price matching. He has also been understanding when I can buy something cheaper somewhere else.

Resbum

[ross80truck]

Great thread! I just subsribed. I am working on a similar project except I am using a Wagoneer instead of a J truck and I am using a NV4500 instead of the auto, other wise everything else looks the same. I hope mine looks half as nice as yours looks. Keep it up. :thumbsup:

[Jeepguyp]

wow

[budojeepr]

It's a Flex-a-lite: Model http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/58295.html
Here's the ebay store I got it at.
http://stores.ebay.com/cascadesalescompany
Perfect, thanks for the info.

You got me thinking again about putting in an intercooler...:thumbsup: ...although the location might be in the way of my (as yet nonexistent) A/C evaporator.

[bruner1981jpce]

Nice work! Can't wait to see the next update. Subscribed.

[Resbum]

I want to thank you all for the positive feedback so far. I'm also open to suggestions and negative feedback, as long as it comes in a constructive manner.

ross80truck- You should start a build thread. I'd like to see your project.

Perfect, thanks for the info.

You got me thinking again about putting in an intercooler...:thumbsup: ...although the location might be in the way of my (as yet nonexistent) A/C evaporator.

budojeepr- Everyone has AC, but onboard compressed air is a little less common.:D There's about 2" between the radiator and the intercooler for the AC evaporator, if you really want it. Me, ...? I'm going with onboard compressed air. I'm going to turn the AC compressor that came on the engine into my air compressor. I have an old LP tank for my storage tank. I'm planning on mounting my trans, oil, and power steering coolers between the radiator and intercooler.

I will say this. Doing the radiator mod was relatively straight forward. The intercooler mod took a lot more thinking, mod'ing, fabricating to finally work.

I had some extra time this AM so I decided to post the radiator mods now, while its on topic. That way people don't have to go searching for it later in this thread. There's a couple pics that show the amount of cutting that went into getting the intercooler to fit.

Resbum

[Resbum]

The very first thing I did was establish centerline between the frame and front valance. See the little red dots in the pic. I used my plumb bob and marked the frame and sheetmetal with punch marks so there was no risk of losing them. Since I'd removed the front fenders there was absolutely nothing to help keep that reference without the marks. Notice the green arrows on the right side. That represents the imaginary vertical line I used when cutting off sheetmetal to make the intercooler fit.
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/1395/201106170544paint.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/201106170544paint.jpg/)

See the red dots and green arrows.
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2766/20110626170517paint.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/267/20110626170517paint.jpg/)

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1717/20110626170616.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/20110626170616.jpg/)

The red line shows where I cut the pillar off the front sheetmetal. You can also see the intercooler pipe sticking through the sheetmetal. By the time you move the pillars outboard a couple inches they start getting pretty close to it. I also rounded off the base of the pillar(red line) to make sure there was plenty of clearance.
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/8039/20110710140924paint.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/528/20110710140924paint.jpg/)

This is how much you need to open up the pillars
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/2437/20110707134621.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/20110707134621.jpg/)

This pic really shows just how much sheetmetal needs to be removed to get the intercooler to fit. I still need to fabricate the sheetmetal that'll support the base of the intercooler
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5388/20110712151458.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/20110712151458.jpg/)

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5295/20110712151955.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/515/20110712151955.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I used a piece of 3X4 rectangle stock to make the new mounts. I cut it approximately 3" long, then cut it on the diagonal along the long side. See yellow line. The cutoff piece then became the mount on the other side. I used my welding magnets to position the new mounts along the top of the old mounts, then tacked them in place. Using my 4' level/straight edge I then scribed a line through the old holes centerline on to the new mounts. Red line. Notice the scribe mark is actually back from the red line. That's to account for the sheetmetal that was left on the pillar when I cut it off. The green arrow is my new mounting hole location.
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/6466/20110718163504paint.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/20110718163504paint.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/5123/20110718163540.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/20110718163540.jpg/)

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8779/20110718163608.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/69/20110718163608.jpg/)

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/8374/20110718164922.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/193/20110718164922.jpg/)

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7361/20110718164930.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/20110718164930.jpg/)

I leveled everything and used blocks under the radiator to make sure there was clearance for body/frame flex.
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/6681/201107181727paint.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/190/201107181727paint.jpg/)

I clamped angle iron (red lines) to the new mounts to position/support the front sheetmetal properly
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/7474/201107191746paint.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/201107191746paint.jpg/)

Then mounted everything together
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/9967/20110719182017.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/192/20110719182017.jpg/)

I think I hit all the major points to consider.

Resbum

[Eugene 1]

thats is great work i hope mine turns out half as good:thumbsup:

[Hook574]

Are the new valance mounts going to get into the inner fenders?

[Resbum]

Are the new valance mounts going to get into the inner fenders?

They're not going to get into the inner fenders, because they're inboard of the intercooler plumbing. Those definitely get into the inner fender areas. :rolleyes: I'm going to tackle those mods when it comes up. While building everything I did do some test fits and checks and don't expect it to be a problem. I'm also pretty sure they're not going to interfer with wheel clearance during tight turns. Time will tell.

Resbum

[Hook574]

I figured that was a "cross that bridge when you get there" kinda thing. I know you said you cut the intercooler down 2 rows, did you do that yourself? Does a radiator shop do that, and could it also be cut down in width?

I know yours needed to be that width to clear your radiator I was just wondering if a narrower rad could be used.

[Resbum]

I cut it down myself.

The very first thing I did was confirm that my welder, could weld cast aluminum back together.:thumbsup: I also confirmed with him where I should make the cuts so he had the material he needed to weld it back together.

I used a cutoff disc on my grinder to cut the fins between the second and third rows. Then I smoothed down the cut fins with a block of wood so the top trim piece could be tacked back on. Then I used a straight edge and tape to layout nice even cuts around the tops of the header tanks, before cutting them off.

Cutting down width IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANIMAL. You're cutting across all those rows. I personally wouldn't consider that. I can't see any way it could be cheaper than just buying one made to the desired width.

I'll edit some pics into this post later.

Resbum

[Hook574]

Thanks for the great info, keep it comin' :D

[Resbum]

All the parts and pieces, except the Prothane polyurethane bushings. The joints, bar ends, mounts, and tabs are from Ballistic Fabrication. The tubing is 1 ½” & 2”, ¼” wall, DOM. A Note- The materials cost as much as some of the really nice track bar kits offered by vendors. I had pretty specific ideas of what I wanted and none of the kits met all those needs. If you find a set you’re relatively happy with you might just buy them and make them fit your needs. Making them from scratch took A LOT MORE than I expected. Six days, instead of three.
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/306/20120101134844.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/403/20120101134844.jpg/)

Attach two pieces of rectangle stock cut at 24 degrees, and lined up with the axle tabs, to the cross member so that the shackle mounts will be oriented correctly with the axle. Then attach the shackle mounts and shackle plates. So that everything is lined up the same feed a piece of 5/8ths stock through the lower shackle holes. Tilt the shackles so that the lower ends are facing towards the front 5 degrees from vertical and take accurate measurements between the three track bar mounting points. There was actually about an 1/8th inch difference between the two sides so the difference was split.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/9292/20120207184208.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/20120207184208.jpg/)

With those measurements create a full size drawing to build off of. Make the two adjustable track bar ends out of 3” long 7/8ths” bolts with the heads cut off and tapped(threaded) into pieces of the 2” D.O.M., and welded up. After that notch the fixed end of one bar and cut the bars to length.
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/8178/20120207184111.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/20120207184111.jpg/)

Completely weld the axle ends(one adjustable, one fixed) onto the bars and accurately lay them onto the drawing. Tack weld the two pieces of DOM together at the shackle end.
http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/5276/20120207184456.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/20120207184456.jpg/)

This plate between the axle ends of the bars is the same plate that was used to position the tabs on the axle. By using it there is no doubt the spacing is correct for the axle ends of the track bar.
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/863/20120209174502.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/220/20120209174502.jpg/)

I used the plate to weld the axle tabs on, that's why it's notched.
If you look closely you may see punch marks centered on the bolt heads. I put these bolts in when I took the measurements for the drawing.
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/5236/20120215125115.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/20120215125115.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Tack weld a 1” square piece on for the center bit of the cutter to drill through.
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/723/20120211164537.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/192/20120211164537.jpg/)

This little Ryobi was never meant to tackle a job like this. Approach it as if you’re doing a “Dremel Tool” job. Slow and let the drill press do it at its own pace. Get a beverage, turn up the music, put on ear muffs, and spend 15 minutes occasionally adding cutting oil. Refer back to the last picture. Cut the tack weld at the end of the bars, thoroughly clean everything, and insert the joint. Use a clamp to pull the bars tightly onto the joint and weld. When the joint is about half way welded onto the bars trim off the ends and finish welding.
http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/295/20120211155634.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/715/20120211155634.jpg/)

Fabricate the crossmember and weld it in.
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9205/20120211165942.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/29/20120211165942.jpg/)

I’m an amateur welder. Between that and using a welder barely able to do the job my welds were uglier than sin after running triple fillets. However, the professional I hired for other critical areas, assured me the welds are sound. I chose to grind and cleanup my welds, so that I didn’t have to look at them.

R.I.P.- One dead soldier. After seven months of abuse and a box full of used up cutoff discs, grinding wheels, and sanding wheels my $15 craigslist DeWalt grinder died while finishing the second bar. It took everything I threw at it and deserved to be put out of its misery.
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6784/20120212135835.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/217/20120212135835.jpg/)

Finally paint the bars and hang to cure in front of the pellet stove overnight.
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/2959/20120213101424.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/20120213101424.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Time to put all the pieces together and install
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/1523/20120215143840.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/20120215143840.jpg/)

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/7154/20120215143922.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/7/20120215143922.jpg/)

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/54/20120215161600.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/20120215161600.jpg/)

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/2741/20120215191136.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/20120215191136.jpg/)

This picture was taken with my phone resting on the bottom of the transmission crossmember. It's the middle low point between the two axles. The track bars look like they aren't going to have much of any obstacle clearance issues.
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/7273/20120215163236.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/837/20120215163236.jpg/)

I'm pleased with how the track bars turned out, but it was a mess load more work than I expected.

Resbum

[Resbum]

I just posted a thread over in the Off-Road FSJ Tech area because it seemed more appropriate over there then in this build thread. I originally posted it at Pirate4X4 about a month ago.

It has to do with a problem I came across while installing the 35 spline 1.5" outer axles and WARN hubs in the front Dana 60. Apparently it's been a known problem that I wasn't aware of.

Here's a link to the thread:
http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=152219

Resbum

[Resbum]

Today I wrapped up the major work on the frame.

I adjusted the track bars by compressing the springs with rachet straps wrapped around the axle and a 4X4 until the suspension was at its midpoint of travel. Then I turned the adjustable axle mounts(yellow arrow) in and out until the shackle joints(red arrow) lined up with the shackle holes. Then cranked everything down.
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/7051/20120216142254paint.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/41/20120216142254paint.jpg/)

Then I did a lap around the truck checking and retightening all the spring and shackle bolts, and axle u-bolts. After towing the frame down for its initial alignment everything had taken a good seat and the u-bolts had relaxed. They actually took more retightening than I expected and I'll definitely be checking them several more times.

Next on the list is to mount the shocks, install the calipers and new brake lines, mount the steering box and fabricate the drag link.

Resbum

[Hook574]

What is the primary use of your truck going to be, towing, trail, little of both? I'm asking because I like the way you have done your suspension and I'm wondering how narrowing the spring mount width will effect stability while towing or cornering.

[COLOFIREMAN]

Love the thread and great job on the work!!! One thing a old welding teacher told me many many years ago......"it doesn't have to be a preaty weld to be strong......as long as you know how to grind good....thats all that matters.":thumbsup:

[Resbum]

What is the primary use of your truck going to be, towing, trail, little of both? …
Thanks. I guess I've never said what my goals were when I set out to build the truck.

Short answer. Man, I've become long winded in this thread! Yeah, I noticed.:rolleyes: Like I said earlier, I just retired. I want to build a tough, simple truck that will last longer than I do. I don't expect it to do any one thing great, but I do want it to handle most anything I ask of it relatively well.

Long answer.
-The truck is a 1970, no emissions or inspections to worry about.
-The '94 Cummins has no computers or sensors
-The '94 47RH has no computers or sensors. The OD and lockup are both push button.
-This means if the truck breaks I pull out simple tools and fix it. No mechanic bills, and by building it myself I know it inside and out.
-I have one small piece of property in the central Oregon high desert and I plan on buying another small piece with trees somewhere else in eastern Oregon. Both pieces will be off-the-grid.
-I need a truck that can haul building materials, fuel, water, firewood, etc., and be my general work around the property truck.
-I also need a truck that can handle the back roads, trails, recreational 4-wheelin', hunting trips, and possibly rarely pushing a snow plow.
-I also have a boat trailer rated at 5,000lbs that I'll be converting into a 6' X 14' flatbed for hauling bigger things.
-I currently live in my 40' Toyhauler 5th wheel. I plan on moving it to the properties and living in it while I build my cabins. I don't have any plans of doing major amounts of traveling with it. Eventually it will be permanently parked at one of the properties as a guest house for family and friends who come visiting. However, the truck still needs to be able to safely move it.

… I'm asking because I like the way you have done your suspension and I'm wondering how narrowing the spring mount width will effect stability while towing or cornering.
The springs on all four corners came off the same 1991 Dodge W350, with Cummins, as the front Dana 60HD and NP205. It was a 1 ton car hauler with one of those tilting beds on it. Because they’re 1 ton springs I expect they have a relatively stiff spring rate. That should offset sway because of narrowing the spring mounts some. Time will tell.

I’m going to be adding air bags mounted with quick disconnects for when I have to haul the 5th wheel or some other really heavy load. The airbags and the ability to air down/up the tires is the biggest reason why I’m converting the engines AC compressor to onboard compressed air, instead of adding AC to the truck.

Finally, because the truck was made as a Camper Special it came with a front sway bar from Jeep. When installing the Dana 60 up front I looked for ways of being able to put it back on with quick discounts. I haven’t looked or given it much thought since deciding to lower the steering box 1 ½”. However, I have been thinking of front and rear sway bars for extremely heavy loads.

Again, sorry for getting long winded at times. I’ll try to limit my responses in the future.

Resbum

[Resbum]

Love the thread and great job on the work!!! One thing a old welding teacher told me many many years ago......"it doesn't have to be a preaty weld to be strong......as long as you know how to grind good....thats all that matters.":thumbsup:

Luckily I grind prettier than I weld.:lol:

[Hook574]

Man don't apologize for giving great answers! It's funny how much what you're doing sounds like what I want to with my wagoneer. I will be retiring in a few short years and need a good all around vehicle to travel in. I want to pull a small camper and head west with a little off road exploring thrown in there.

Your plans for air bag helpers is exactly what I was planning but I think I might just outboard the springs since I'm planning on doing a little more towing.

I'm with ya on trying to use stock parts as much as possible. Being in BFE with a broke custom part would suck bad.

[Mike27]

Outstanding build! I wish I had the time and patience to strip my Jeep down to the frame and build it into a beast like that. I love the fact that you've deliberately avoided electronics. I've lived almost half my life in rural central and eastern Oregon and it can be a very, very long way from real civilization if something breaks.

[Resbum]

Got the rear brakes and shocks on today.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/5847/20120217160420.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/684/20120217160420.jpg/)

[tgreening]

I think you'll be good to go with most all of your intended uses, with only one concern (for me). Dual track bars like that tend to be fairly limiting on articulation. I'm not sure if the johnnie joints at your shackle ends will do the trick. If mild wheeling is all you're after you will probably be ok, but just so you know, you could have gotten away with just one track bar, more centrally located on your axle, with little to no effect of the articulation of the rear end.

[Resbum]

I think you'll be good to go with most all of your intended uses, with only one concern (for me). Dual track bars like that tend to be fairly limiting on articulation. I'm not sure if the johnnie joints at your shackle ends will do the trick. If mild wheeling is all you're after you will probably be ok, but just so you know, you could have gotten away with just one track bar, more centrally located on your axle, with little to no effect of the articulation of the rear end.

Thanks tgreening for the honest input. Yeah, this was one of the tougher calls I made when designing the truck. Here's the reasoning I used.

I confirmed with Ballistic Fab that the 2.63" joints have 24 degrees of articulation with the 5/8th" bolt bore hole(30 degrees for 9/16th's). The shocks I'm running in the rear only have 10" of travel and are approximately 42" apart. I plugged those numbers into an online triangle calculator and with the two shocks at opposite extremes, fully compressed/fully extended, the most my rear axle can mechanically articulate is 13.3 degrees. Because the shocks are tilted aft the axle actually gets a touch more articulation. Let's say 12" and that comes out to 16 degrees of mechanical articulation. When I got the first track bar made I hooked it up to a shackle and swung the axle end through what I believe will be the most it could experience and it freely moved through that range.

When I positioned the lower shock tabs on the axle I set it so that the axle hung at 8 3/8th" of extension with the wheels and rims mounted. That leaves about 1 5/8th" hyperextension. I'm going to mount the bump stops so that they stop the axle 3/4" before max compression.

My thoughts are that with the 1 ton rear springs I'd have to be extremely heavy in a really twisted up position before the springs would ever flex to max opposite extremes.

Now the other thing that came into play when deciding to run two bars. The engine torque. I'm not an engineer and honestly don't know how much rotational torque one bar can handle. My plans for the engine are to stop the mods around 600ft/lbs of torque. Because I don't have a clue, two bars are just a safety net. Now that I think about it, rock crawlers running doublers have crazy gear ratios, +100:1, so they must experience some pretty big rotational torques running just one bar.

Now some confirmed validation for your arguement. I have an idea of what's going on, but it would take math I'd struggle with and I'm too lazy to confirm it.

Here's what really happened when I put the track bars on. As I said, I originally set the rear axle to droop 8 3/8" of shock extension with all the operating weight hanging from it(tires/rims). After I mounted the track bars the axle only droops 7 3/4" with all its weight hanging on it. It takes my fat rear laying over the wheel to get it to extent to its original resting place. So something is going on to limit articulation.

Resbum

[budojeepr]

Here's what really happened when I put the track bars on. As I said, I originally set the rear axle to droop 8 3/8" of shock extension with all the operating weight hanging from it(tires/rims). After I mounted the track bars the axle only droops 7 3/4" with all its weight hanging on it. It takes my fat rear laying over the wheel to get it to extent to its original resting place. So something is going on to limit articulation.
First off, I have HUGE respect for your fab skills and the way you're going about building and sharing your thoughts and details on the build. Second, your retirement plans nearly drive me crazy with envy. :D

I had the same concerns as tgreening about the articulation when I saw the pic in this post (http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showpost.php?p=1406270&postcount=51).

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/7051/20120216142254paint.jpg

You're trying to limit axle wrap as a result of all that torque, right? It's a good design for that. However...

Ignoring the effects of the shackle at the back end, the front shackle -> axle -> frame mount of track bar make a triangle with fixed leg lengths. Any movement of the axle up or down, whether it's both wheels or just one, means something has to bend. Luckily, it's the spring, for most of the available travel. Once the spring rate exceeds whatever is the weakest link in the track bar or its mounting on the axle or frame, you'll break the track bar somewhere. If the spring rate is always lower than the weakest link, sooner or later you'll fatigue the spring somewhere and it'll break.

This is why most track bars have extensible arms - so the geometry can change as the axle moves up or down.

Here's a suggestion: You can mount the front end of each torque bar on its own shackle. The movement of the shackle should be enough to keep things from breaking, and it won't hurt the anti-wrap effects of the track bar.

My experience (as opposed to theory) with this is limited to a single Rubicon Trail run where my buddy's torque bar (that's what he called it) did not have any extension built in, and it busted its frame mount off. That left him with severe axle wrap and the mount on the axle would bang on his fuel tank with every bump or touch of the accelerator.

We ended up running his winch cable down under the front bumper, all the way back to the axle mount, then cinching it down. It really compressed his front springs, but controlled the rear axle. That's when I got the idea of making an axle wrap control system using a spring-tensioned cable. Of course that would only work under forward torque...

Thanks for listening (talk about long-winded!! :eek: )

[tgreening]

First off, I have HUGE respect for your fab skills and the way you're going about building and sharing your thoughts and details on the build. Second, your retirement plans nearly drive me crazy with envy. :D

I had the same concerns as tgreening about the articulation when I saw the pic in this post (http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showpost.php?p=1406270&postcount=51).

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/7051/20120216142254paint.jpg

You're trying to limit axle wrap as a result of all that torque, right? It's a good design for that. However...



This is why most track bars have extensible arms - so the geometry can change as the axle moves up or down.

Here's a suggestion: You can mount the front end of each torque bar on its own shackle. The movement of the shackle should be enough to keep things from breaking, and it won't hurt the anti-wrap effects of the track bar.



Thanks for listening (talk about long-winded!! :eek: )



I'm a bit confused. Unless I missed something I'm pretty sure his bars ARE shackle mounted at the front. He shouldn't have any problems with forward/aft movement of the axle during it's compression cycle.

[budojeepr]

I'm a bit confused. Unless I missed something I'm pretty sure his bars ARE shackle mounted at the front. He shouldn't have any problems with forward/aft movement of the axle during it's compression cycle.
Dang, you're right! My apologies! That's what I get for reading IFSJA on my phone. So what's limiting his (extension) travel, then?

[Resbum]

The bars are shackled at the front.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/9292/20120207184208.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/20120207184208.jpg/)

budojeepr kind of hit on it, though. I think the problem has to do with where the front of the track bars/shackles are mounted. When the spring flexes this changes the length between the axle and front spring mount, the radius getting longer and shorter as it travels up and down. This in turn changes the location where the front of the track bars actually wants to pivot around.

This has to do with my earlier post about math I'd struggle with. There is a way to calculate the most desireable location for mounting the track bar to frame shackle pivot point. i.e. track bar length. This would put the the pivot point of the track bar at the "imaginary" pivot point somewhere out in front of the spring mounts.

Based on what I saw when I assembled everything I would have been very close to that "imaginary" pivot point if I'd mounted the track bar shackles to the front of the crossmember, instead of the rear. With the track bars hooked up to the axle, between full droop and the springs compressed to mid point of travel the front pivot point of the track bar changes location by about 1/2". If we take that one step further we could think that between full extension and full compression my track bar pivot point wants to change by about an inch.

I can see where that could hinder my articulation some.

[Hook574]

I am not very knowlegable about suspension and I did poorley in geometry class, but it seems to me that if you cycle the suspension and the tracbar shackle dosen't point straight at the axle or collapse against the frame toward the front then you should be good right?

[tgreening]

The bars are shackled at the front.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/9292/20120207184208.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/20120207184208.jpg/)

budojeepr kind of hit on it, though. I think the problem has to do with where the front of the track bars/shackles are mounted. When the spring flexes this changes the length between the axle and front spring mount, the radius getting longer and shorter as it travels up and down. This in turn changes the location where the front of the track bars actually wants to pivot around.

This has to do with my earlier post about math I'd struggle with. There is a way to calculate the most desireable location for mounting the track bar to frame shackle pivot point. i.e. track bar length. This would put the the pivot point of the track bar at the "imaginary" pivot point somewhere out in front of the spring mounts.

Based on what I saw when I assembled everything I would have been very close to that "imaginary" pivot point if I'd mounted the track bar shackles to the front of the crossmember, instead of the rear. With the track bars hooked up to the axle, between full droop and the springs compressed to mid point of travel the front pivot point of the track bar changes location by about 1/2". If we take that one step further we could think that between full extension and full compression my track bar pivot point wants to change by about an inch.

I can see where that could hinder my articulation some.



I "think" I get what you're saying, but I don't think that's going to be the problem. The travel radius of your trac bar is dynamic because the shackle can move for/aft to eliminate any bind. That takes care of suspension compression. When you're or the gas with good traction is when the trac bar is actually trying to rotate. I have mine set so it is trying to pull the shackle up, yours would be trying to push the shackle up. I'm not sure if that would be an issue or not.

It's been a lot of years since I've worked on this problem, but I think where the issue arrises with the dual bar setup is whenone tire is at full stuff and the other at full droop. In this scenario one side of the axle is moving to the rear and the other side to the front. What this does in effect is make your axle a bit twisted out of alignment under your frame. In extreme articulation cases this is what causes axle steer.

What this does to your trac bars is in essence swing them to one side or the other, depending on which side is drooping and which side is compressing.

Now your forward ends of your trac bar are not just pushing up against the shackle and twisting withIN the shackle, but they are trying to push the shackle sideways, and this is where I believe the bind comes from. A single trac bar would have the same problem, just to a lessor extent.

On my jeep I have a single trac bar mounted right beside the pumpkin, and my shackle not only swings for/aft like yours will, but it will also rotate side to side. I have no binding issues and the suspension will actually flex beyond good sense. I'll see if I've got a pic somewhere.

In your case all of this is probably a moot point since your intended wheeling is fairly light. You will on the other hand have excellent wrap control on the road when moving around any heavy loads, or just testing the oomphfability of that big oil burner in there. :)

[Resbum]

Wow. What a great discussion about track bars/torque bars/anti-wrap bars.

Thanks Hook574, budojeepr, and tgreening for contributing. Regardless of why someone wants them, and if they want one or two, there is some excellent food for thought here.

This tech page is by BillaVista over at Pirate4X4 and has excellent info.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/

Here's his tech article on what he calls anti-wrap bars, and is what I used to think my way through the set I built. It sounds like tgreening's is very similiar to his design.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Anti_wrap_bar/antiwrapbar.htm

This is an excellent article BillaVista makes reference to in his anti-wrap bar article, and it does a good job of discussing why bars help a suspension and some of their pitfalls.
http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/susp/axlewrap/

Resbum

[Resbum]

I am not very knowlegable about suspension and I did poorley in geometry class, but it seems to me that if you cycle the suspension and the tracbar shackle dosen't point straight at the axle or collapse against the frame toward the front then you should be good right?

Hook574, I tried to make mine so that the angle at the front pivot point/shackle was as close to 90 degrees as possible. I used the axle centerline to front pivot point, then up through the shackle to the shackle frame mount for my references. Because the bars primary purpose is to stop rotational forces, having a true 90 angle at the shackle joint translates 100% of those forces to the frame/mounting point.

Resbum

[Resbum]

I need to back up a little. After I got the track bar frame mounts finished I hit them with paint(ZeroRust). Until now I hadn’t put the clearcoat on the frame. Now that major fabrication is done on the frame I finally applied it. I just used rattle cans(4) because this is going to be a work truck. It still turned out pretty good. I was mostly after the UV protection and an extra layer of toughness over the ZeroRust, although ZeroRust is pretty freakin' tough by itself once it's cured.

The pellet stove was never meant to “heat” the shop so all it does is keep the humidity down and the temp 10 to 15 degrees above the outside temp. However, by building enclosures over things I’ve painted I’ve used it to cure parts. After the frame was dry to the touch I covered it with an opening made with the saw horse to direct air under the plastic. The temp rose to 87 degrees. I then let it sit for 24 hours. After that I finished installing the track bars, rear brakes, and shocks.
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/820/20120215124536.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/263/20120215124536.jpg/)

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/8077/20120214162332.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/20120214162332.jpg/)

I fought the flu over the weekend so front end progress has been slow. However, I got a lot done yesterday and should have some more pics this evening.

Resbum

[Hook574]

I'm glad to hear that the Zerorust is a good product. I have been looking at it for my frame and body. Did you get it from Raybucks?

Hope you are feeling better also, flu sucks, no updates suck worse! :D

[Resbum]

I get the ZeroRust from one of the local stores here. One day I was in there getting some other things and they had this sample sitting on the counter. It was a piece of diamond plate coated with it. When no one was looking I pulled out my keys and tried to scratch a corner of it. Didn't even leave a mark. That impressed me enough I went home a looked it up on the net. I'll let people come to their own conclusions, but I'm very pleased and impressed with the stuff.

[Resbum]

The front brakes, shocks, and steering box are finally on. I did some of it while I was sick and finished the rest yesterday. I still have to orientate the external reservoirs where I want them, but need to wait.
http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/7803/20120221132214.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/857/20120221132214.jpg/)

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1082/20120221142622.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/339/20120221142622.jpg/)

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/1429/20120221161814.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/20120221161814.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Today I wrapped up the draglink. After the pictures it came back off and got paint. I’m very pleased with how well the geometry of everything came out.
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/3305/20120221160943.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/109/20120221160943.jpg/)

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/6803/20120222131425.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/33/20120222131425.jpg/)

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/4296/20120222134345.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/20120222134345.jpg/)

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5138/20120222134216.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/444/20120222134216.jpg/)

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/2640/20120222134142.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/718/20120222134142.jpg/)

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/5735/20120222134054.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/406/20120222134054.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I might as well show some pics of the ongoing cab work. Originally, I thought the truck cab could be saved. I’d even ordered the replacement floor pan’s for it. As I exposed everything I realized how bad the floors truly were. Then, when I removed the windows I saw all the rot under the window rubbers.

So, it was off to craigslist again for a donor. I ended up buying a whole truck. Before I even towed it home I posted the engine, trans, and transfer case on craigslist. The day I picked up the donor truck I towed it straight to a guy’s house who had bought those. He removed everything, gave me $50 more than I’d paid for the truck, and I towed it to the shop. Besides the cab, I kept all the sheetmetal (no bed), and other odds and ends for spares in the future.
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/8326/driversfloorboard.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/694/driversfloorboard.jpg/)

Got it all stripped down
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/3306/20120109152921.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/20120109152921.jpg/)

Stopped by the pressure washer, then off to the bodyshop.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5140/20120111091711.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/515/20120111091711.jpg/)

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/4882/20120130125336.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/20120130125336.jpg/)

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/7263/20120130125417.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/20120130125417.jpg/)

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7947/20120209135906.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/20120209135906.jpg/)

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/6921/20120221105654.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/20120221105654.jpg/)

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/3292/20120221105718.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/407/20120221105718.jpg/)

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/9710/20120221105741.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/20120221105741.jpg/)

[ross80truck]

I know I have already said this once, but this is a beautiful build. I love all the pictures you are posting and all the information you are giving on why and how you have done certain things. Great read. Keep it up! Man I need to get working on mine!

[Resbum]

Arghhh! Been fighting a couple issues plumbing in the brakes hard lines. Since stopping is more important than going I haven't been rushing it.

Should have some pics in the next day or so.

Resbum

[m715]

Awesome job, great fab skills and nice pictures!
It's good to see you can squeeze the dodge intercooler in with a bit off cutting.

I might have missed it but what is the size the radiator? Length x Height

I've got a M715 that I will be putting a cummins so this is good tech :thumbsup:
Subscribed!

[Resbum]

Thanks m715,

It's a Flex-a-lite: Model http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/58295.html
Post #33 gives all the details about it.

I'm finally wrapping up the brake lines today. Yesterday the school asked if I could bring the truck (rolling chassis) by so they can have it to mock up notching the firewall for engine clearance. I'll temporarily drop the engine and drivetrain in and tow it over.

This is a good time for me to take a break. I've been working on the truck for 8 months non-stop. While the school has the truck for the next week, or so, I'm going to load up a bunch of building materials I've been collecting and run down to my property in Oregon.

Resbum

[m715]

It's a Flex-a-lite: Model http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/58295.html
Post #33 gives all the details about it.


Ah, just what I was looking for. When I first saw it thought it was just the fan, now I see its a rad/fan combo. That gives me a good idea of how wide I can go with a radiator. Thanks!

[Resbum]

I finally got the brake lines plumbed in. The kit I bought was for a newer model. I didn't think it would be that much different. I was wrong. I had to straighten and rebend a lot of the lines. Eventually I got everything to fit, though. I still need to make a couple tabs to secure the line to the rear axle and mount the bracket to the frame for the soft line down to the axle.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/669/20120229165932.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/69/20120229165932.jpg/)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2497/20120229170033.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/72/20120229170033.jpg/)

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/8089/20120229170057.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/20120229170057.jpg/)

[lobie]

What proportional valve did u use.

[Resbum]

It's the disc/disc proportioning value from BJ's Offroad

http://www.bjsoffroad.com/prod-746.htm

Use the "Choose your item" drop down on the right side of the page to select disc/disc

Resbum

[Resbum]

Today was a good boost to the morale. I wasn't expecting to feel good just seeing the engine and drivetrain temporarily installed. Once I got it out of the shop and saw it in daylight I felt good.

The truck will spent the next week or so at the school getting the cab fitted.

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/8836/20120301115838.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/594/20120301115838.jpg/)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8314/20120301115852.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/171/20120301115852.jpg/)

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4978/20120301115907.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/20120301115907.jpg/)

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1985/20120301115939.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/7/20120301115939.jpg/)

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8846/20120301120234.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/715/20120301120234.jpg/)

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/9863/20120301120340.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/20120301120340.jpg/)

[Resbum]

When I got to the school they had already got a headstart on notching the firewall. Tomorrow they'll put the cab on the frame and I'll swing by a get a few pictures.
http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/4993/20120229082659.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/804/20120229082659.jpg/)

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4836/20120229082714.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/20120229082714.jpg/)

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/7835/20120229082724.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/20120229082724.jpg/)

[lobie]

It's the disc/disc proportioning value from BJ's Offroad

http://www.bjsoffroad.com/prod-746.htm

Use the "Choose your item" drop down on the right side of the page to select disc/disc

Resbum


Thanks. I've looked at that one. I also have an adjustable one from a previous project. I think I'm gonna try the one I have first.

[Resbum]

I have an adjustable one, too. I was thinking of running them in parallel with each other.

When the manual one is set to a higher restriction than the automatic one the automatic one will do its job. That would be most of the time. When I have to haul an extremely heavy load I could crank up more pressure (less restriction) to the rear brakes with the manual valve and the rear brake pressure would divert through it.

Right now that's just a thought.

Resbum

[COLOFIREMAN]

It's looking great brother.......keep it up:thumbsup:

[Resbum]

It's looking great brother.......keep it up:thumbsup:

Thanks.

When they updated the Ouray KOA map the other day I noticed if I pull this off, and make it there, you and I will be neighbors.

Resbum

[Resbum]

This may be my last post to the thread that has anything new for the next week or two.

Today, when I stopped by the school, I was informed of a SNAFU that needs to be overcome. It's going to be tighter on the drivers side of the notch than we expected. We talked about options and the school will take it from here. It should turn out fine, just a little more work than we expected.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/195/20120302111839.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/20120302111839.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/4848/20120302111820.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/20120302111820.jpg/)

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/506/20120302111707.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/210/20120302111707.jpg/)

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/439/20120302111652.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/716/20120302111652.jpg/)

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4295/20120302111638.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/12/20120302111638.jpg/)

[lobie]

Have u fit the down pipe off the turbo yet. Looks like u may have to notch the firewall or use a different exhaust manifold.

[Resbum]

I know that it is going to be very close from when I was mocking it all up. If nothing else, it almost certainly is going to take either mod'ing the down pipe or looking for a different manifold.

After I took these pictures I ran to the shop and grabbed the turbo, down pipe, steering column, wiper motor, and a few other parts. By the time I got back to the school they were stopping for the day.

We'll have a better idea by Monday afternoon.

Resbum

P.S. Have I metioned how VERY GRATEFUL I am to the school for taking this part of the build on for me? If I haven't, I am VERY GRATEFUL that they're doing this for me!!!

[Bjtgtr]

I love this build :thumbsup: Thank you for sharing it with us on here. So much excellent info. Can't wait to see it completed:drivin:

[Resbum]

Thanks. I've taken a lot of great info off the net because others made the effort to post it. I'm just trying to pay it forward.

Resbum

[Eugene 1]

looking real good Res. nice attention to detail

[Resbum]

Thanks Eugene. Same to you. That was a very nice mod using the engine crossmember in your build.

Have u fit the down pipe off the turbo yet. Looks like u may have to notch the firewall or use a different exhaust manifold.

Just an update before I bugout for Oregon for the next 4 days. When I get home at the beginning of next week the school should be done with the passenger cab work.

I've come up against the first major self-induced SNAFU of my build. On one hand, I can't complain because I've made it this far with no major surprises. On the other hand, I now need to tackle something else that I wasn't expecting to.

I don't know how I did it, but I was off by 4 inches on the clearances I thought I had around the back of the engine/turbo and firewall. There was really no other way to get everything from the intercooler, larger radiator, and engine to fit properly. I just screwed up on how far it was going to encroach into the firewall area. Right now, as it stands, in the above quote lobie was on to this problem before I was. Good eye. :thumbsup: I owe you a Fresca or beverage of your choice if we ever hook up.

My turbo exhaust outlet is literally at the firewall. Not one bit of room for the downpipe.

While I've been getting ready to go to Oregon this week I've also been running around talking to people I know about possible fixes. From previous projects I know of George at Turbo Technologies. He has 30 years of experience as an artist with turbos. He was one of my stops and came up with probably the simplest and most elegant fix. I'll hold off saying what it is until I can see if it will work next week. Fingers crossed.

I'm also going to plagiarize lobie's "To Do" list from his build thread because it's so well thought out and thorough. If you haven't looked at his build thread you really need to.

Resbum

[lobie]

Thanks Resbum

It's just a bump in the road. Everything has a solution, just has to be engineered.

[Resbum]

...It's just a bump in the road. ....

:lol: This bump really rattled my teeth together, but at least I didn't break any of them.

Now it's off to Oregon and I'm going to totally forget about the truck for the first time in 8 months.

Resbum

[Hook574]

Resbum, I'm sure you have done a lot of reading on 4btswaps.com, there are a ton of exhaust manifolds for those motors that locate the turbo in different places. There's even guys on there cutting the manifolds up and putting them back together where they want them. Maybe you can get some ideas there.

[COLOFIREMAN]

Thanks.

When they updated the Ouray KOA map the other day I noticed if I pull this off, and make it there, you and I will be neighbors.

Resbum


Looks that way......hope you don't mind the drool marks on the hood when you wake up in the morning....;) :D

[Resbum]

Looks that way......hope you don't mind the drool marks on the hood when you wake up in the morning....;) :D

In a weird kind of way that would be a compliment.

Got back from Oregon yesterday and I'm definitely not as young as I use to be. Stiff and sore. Moved 14,000lbs of stuff.

Here's some pics of what the school got accomplished while I was gone.

[Resbum]

I definitely was off in my anticipated firewall clearance. On one hand, in this pic look at how much of the weight I got behind the front axle. On the other hand, it's taken a lot of notching to make this work.
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/9863/20120301120340.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/20120301120340.jpg/)

I'm not really sure why they've notched it so generously. It actually comes about 3 inches farther in than the back of the engine. It doesn't really affect the plans I had for under the dash so I'll take it. Also, I now have a really nice surface on top of the tunnel for mounting the shifter and twin-stick boot.
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/5513/20120313121201.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/20120313121201.jpg/)

The starter bulge in the side of the bellhousing was one of the things that really caught us off guard and led to the major amounts of fabrication that's taken place. It will take some creativity to not interfer with the throttle foot too much.
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9712/20120313121244.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/20120313121244.jpg/)

Drivers side firewall view
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/2838/20120313121426.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/20120313121426.jpg/)

[Resbum]

By notching it so generously I'll have plenty of room for taking the exhaust manifold off and on. I also have plenty of room for taking the rear valve cover off.
http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/1689/20120313121503.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/638/20120313121503.jpg/)

Here's how much clearance I currently have out the back of the turbo for the downpipe. There's currently a couple options I'm considering.
http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/6494/20120313122723.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/849/20120313122723.jpg/)

The NP205 rear output wasn't in the same spot as the old Dana20. The trans tunnel originally didn't go directly out the middle of the back, so the school notched the back of the tunnel, too.
http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/4972/20120312080451.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/805/20120312080451.jpg/)

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8804/20120306131529.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/20120306131529.jpg/)

I couldn't be happier with all the thought and hard work these young people have put into this project for me.

Resbum

[lobie]

Looking good. :thumbsup:

[Resbum]

Thanks lobie.

It looks like the school isn't going to get the cab finished before the end of this quarter. So, they'll probably be keeping it for the next 3+ weeks. I'm going to put that time to use fabricating and plumbing in all the things going into and behind the dashboard.

To do that I'm going to use the old cab floor and firewall and the dashboard out of the new truck to mock it all up. When I picked up the dashboard I took measurements of the notch the school is putting in the cab and I'll make one out of cardboard for the old cab to fabricate around.
http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/889/20120314161926.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/831/20120314161926.jpg/)

Here's all the electricals. I'll also plumb in all the air ducts.
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/8572/20120314160214.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/190/20120314160214.jpg/)

Wiring harness I got from BJ's Offroad
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/43/20120314160253.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/571/20120314160253.jpg/)

Yeah baby! 10 gauges in the picture and I'm still waiting for the fuel pressure gauge. Let the jokes begin, yeah I might be making up for other shortcomings in my life.:lol: FYI- The VDO Vision series gauges are the most complete series you can find, from any manufacturer, if you want all your gauges to be the same. Even with that, I had to get some of them through the marine series of the Vision gauges
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/1231/20120314160313.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/403/20120314160313.jpg/)

One of the things I got that I hope will make it easier is 6 gauge wiring harness that VDO sells. To the right is the brake controller for the 5th wheel
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/4703/20120314160337.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/20120314160337.jpg/)

[lobie]

Nice gauges. I really like the way mine turned out.

[lobie]

10 gauges in the picture

10 gauges:

- the 6 standard
- pyrometer
- boost

What are the other 2?

[Resbum]

It comes out to 11 with the missing Fuel Pres Gauge. I guess I should have listed them. I’m not just a gauge freak that needs to boost his ego. Every gauge I got I had a reason for.

-4000 RPM Tach for the diesel(found it in the marine series)
-85 MPH speedo. I geared the truck such that there is no reason for more

Critical mechanical monitoring:
-Oil Pressure
-Water Temperature
-Transmission Temperature (Automatic Trans)

Turbo Related:
-Fuel Pressure (important for tuning and monitoring fuel filter)
-Pyrometer (important for tuning and towing)
-Boost

Special Purpose:
+/- 150 Amp Gauge (reads +/- 15 (X10)) and shunt (found it in the marine series)
I’m eventually planning on having an onboard welder. In day to day operations I can monitor it as +/- 15 amps. For welding or other high current needs I can divert it through the shunt and it monitors it multiplied X10. i.e. +/- 150 amps = +/-15 on the gauge

Common gauges:
-Fuel Level
-Volts

I wasn’t expecting to use it yet, but somewhere I have a to-scale layout of how everything is going to be, including turn signals and dummy/warning lights.

Basically, I’m going to make a 5 gauge cluster to ride on the dash, above the normal gauge housing. In it will be the critical monitoring gauges orientated so the needle points straight up in its normal/nominal operating state, regardless of how it orientates the housing. That way, with a glance, if all the needles are pointing straight up you don’t have to read what the value is. If you take a glance down and a needle isn’t pointing straight up, or close to it, you pay it more attention. An old racing/aviation trick. Less time your eyes aren't out the window.

The five gauges I have in the cluster will be:
Oil pres.... Water temp.... Boost.... Pyrometer.... Fuel pres.

The normal cluster will be laid out:

Amp............................................... Trans Temp
...............Tach ............Speedo..........................
Volts............................................. .Fuel............

I’ll probably put in an Air Pressure gauge somewhere for monitoring onboard air and charging the rear air bags.

Resbum

[ross80truck]

Can you do a little write up on how you are wiring in the tach into the cummins motor. I am going to have to tackle that pretty soon and it would be nice to see how you do it.

From what I have found so far, Autometer is now selling diesel tachs and a pick up that you use on your harmonic balancer, but I would like to see how you are doing yours. Thanks.

Also, keep it up, rig is looking great!

[Resbum]

Lobie is ahead of all of us and has done his gauges. He's using the same tach I am and posted how he installed the pick up sensor in post 217 of his thread.

Resbum

[lobie]

Can you do a little write up on how you are wiring in the tach into the cummins motor. I am going to have to tackle that pretty soon and it would be nice to see how you do it.

From what I have found so far, Autometer is now selling diesel tachs and a pick up that you use on your harmonic balancer, but I would like to see how you are doing yours. Thanks.

Also, keep it up, rig is looking great!

I used an Isspro sender:
http://www.isspro.com/proddetail.php?prod=R8912

Its a 2 pulse per rev sender. The VDO tach is programable from 0.5 pulse per rev to ..........(I forget).

[ross80truck]

Thanks for the information. I am eager to see all of your gauge mounting.

[Resbum]

I did a bunch of running around yesterday gathering things for working on the dashboard. I wasn't planning on working on it yet, so hadn't bought/ordered some of the things I'll need.

The school finalized the firewall notch and I swung by there and took final measurements for mocking up a dumby on the old cab. When all was said and done I lost about an inch of floor space to the starter where my throttle foot will sit. Considering how bad I messed up calculating when placing the engine/drivetrain I'll take it. I finally remembered to ask why they notched it so much deeper than the back of the engine. The answer was something I wouldn't have considered. Notches can trap a lot of heat. The extra room is to help let it escape. Works for me considering I'm not planning on having AC.
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/6596/20120316083701.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/826/20120316083701.jpg/)

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/9516/20120316083646.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/20120316083646.jpg/)

A couple weeks ago I mentioned in passing I was was going to move this crossmember back. The instructor asked if they could do it. Sure, why not. I had them move it back the width of the old rivet holes. The front crossmember holes are now in the old rear frame holes. I did this for several reasons. 1- It centers the crossmember in the middle of the flat part of the frame. 2- I gain back the space I lost in the front when I put in the track bar mount. This keeps the space for the fuel tank the same. 3- It centers the crossmember directly under where the 5th wheel hitch will be. 4- Using grade 8, 1/2" bolts, torqued properly nearly doubles the strength and clamping pressure over the rivets to tie the crossmember to the frame.
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/3342/20120316083530.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/684/20120316083530.jpg/)

[Resbum]

The old gauge cluster area is really small. In order to get the gauges I want there to fit I need to open up the area to the size of the outer edge of the trim piece. This gives me an area 5 1/2 X 11 1/2 to work with.
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/568/20120316164629.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/20120316164629.jpg/)

While I was removing the old dashboard from the old cab to mock up the notch the face fell off the old gauge cluster housing. While holding it I realized how cool and classic it is and started toying with the idea of seeing if I could use it in the new cluster. Since I can't find my old cluster drawing anywhere I drew up a new one last night while watching the boobtube. I put the face under a piece of paper and used the pencil to high light it, then cut it out.
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/9914/20120316192325.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/442/20120316192325.jpg/)

This is something I came up with. The corners of the panel will actually be rounded. I'm open to other suggestions, also. After seeing this I'm positive I want to keep some of the old Jeep charm in the gauge cluster. This also allows me to use the old turn signal lights and I get two dumby/warning lights. Another thing I could try is to put the gear selector lights for the auto trans in the old odometer window.
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/61/20120316194729.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/220/20120316194729.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Two days ago I hit Gold on the the internet.

For the last eight months I've been considering what to do about all the old dashboard switches and controls. Try and rebuild/use old hardware with questionable life left in them or buy some of the questionable universal switches that are out there.

Then I found Ron Francis Wiring. If any of you are doing work on your vehicle electrical system you need to check them out.

http://www.ronfrancis.com/

Resbum

[Resbum]

Just some updates. The school got the last of the tunnel welded up and when they come back at the end of next week they’ll be wrapping up their work.http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/3281/20120319132036.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/35/20120319132036.jpg/)

http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/8596/20120319132024.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/571/20120319132024.jpg/)

http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/6863/20120319131932.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/571/20120319131932.jpg/)

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/4314/20120319131911.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/694/20120319131911.jpg/)

[Resbum]

While the school has had the rolling chassis and cab I’ve been concentrating on other things. One of those was color. In my mind’s eye I’ve always known what color I wanted to paint it. I just never knew it was “Cummins Beige” until I stumbled across this picture in tndonor’s “Jungle Rot” threadhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k146/tndonor/P3081153.jpg


The color changes a fair amount depending on the lighting. Here are some other pictures of it.
http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/6159/cumminsbeigeengine.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/593/cumminsbeigeengine.jpg/)

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/5884/cumminsbeigecab.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/715/cumminsbeigecab.jpg/)

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/373/cumminsbeigevalvecover.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/cumminsbeigevalvecover.jpg/)

This is a sample from a can I bought through Cummins. It tends to look a little lighter than what this pic shows. The camera in my phone did not do a good job of capturing the real color. Next to the painted surface is a piece of wood veneer I’m thinking of using as a backdrop for the gauges.
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6294/20120322095743.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/210/20120322095743.jpg/)

Here’s some info I tracked down if anyone is interested in using Cummins Beige, Black, or Red

Paint, Cummins beige, aerosol, 12 oz (340 g) can Cummins part number 3824515 normally available at any Cummins parts outlet or most authorized Cummins repair shops.

Titanium Black, Cummins number 3824514[/font]


Cummins brand APEX RED part #3163075. It is a "certified Cummins color" so it says on the can.

Here’s some other info I found for aftermarket paint. I believe these are the mix codes. Not sure.
Name # Cummins Beige
Product # DE 1638
HTML # C3AD7E
CMYK # 25, 29, 57, 1
RGB # 195, 173, 126

I did find one other color called "Cummins Beige" with a different number, but it was noticably darker.

[olllllo]

What an absolutely gorgeous build. One on hand, I can't wait to see more. On the other hand, my foot is going to ache from going outside and kicking my own rig after seeing it!

[Resbum]

Thanks olllllo,

The squirrel cage fan of my old heater was literally a Squirrel cage fan. When I removed it from the firewall the sheetmetal ducting and fan were packed with all the nesting material of some critter that took up residence. The truck had been sitting for 16 years, so it didn’t really surprise me.
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/9701/20120319142535.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/406/20120319142535.jpg/)

Most of the work I’ve gotten done on the dash this last week has been in my head. I wasn’t planning on working on it yet, so hadn’t really thought about placement of everything. Now I'm almost positive I got it figured out and the parts have been ordered.

I stripped everything off the old firewall and fabricated the notch mock up. Then put the new dash on and took some measurements. The old cab was definitely not going to be saved. As I've been walking on it this last week working I kept stepping through it.:lol:
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/6237/20120319152828.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/20120319152828.jpg/)

After measuring, stripping the new dash, and some consideration I’ve decided the easiest route to go is to buy an aftermarket heater and wipers. In this picture you can see the mocked up heater box on the passenger side. It stops flush with the bottom of the dash and doesn’t take any room from the passenger’s feet. The new wiper motor will fit perfectly in the space above the heater box, next to the notch. This will also allow me room to have a glove box in the old speaker opening. The door to the old glove box will now become access to the new fuse panel on the left side and switches, misc., etc., in the middle and right side. I have all new switches coming from Ron Francis, the heater coming from Danhard #1412, and the wipers coming Specialty Power Windows.
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/2681/20120323141227.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/20120323141227.jpg/)

Another thing I've decided is to leave the top of the dash bare metal. The old covers are absolutely hashed and beyond saving. The metal dash they sat on top of is actually quiet pretty and I think it will look good just being painted. If you look closely above the instrument panel opening you can see where I sprayed on some of the Cummins Beige to see what it would look like.

Resbum

[lobie]

What's the plans for the down pipe? I remember you saying u had a couple options. You mind sharing them. I'm curious.

[Resbum]

What an absolutely gorgeous build. One on hand, I can't wait to see more. On the other hand, my foot is going to ache from going outside and kicking my own rig after seeing it!

Actually, you have a very cool rig. Had it not been for needing to do some occasional heavy-duty work with my truck I would have most definitely been on the hunt for a 4BT instead.

[Resbum]

What's the plans for the down pipe? I remember you saying u had a couple options. You mind sharing them. I'm curious.

lobie, check a couple posts down for an answer.

Today I mocked up the space I need for the wiper motor. I'll still need some room to run the air ducting, but here's some pics of how much room is under the dash to work with everything. The logical order is to plumb in the heater and ducts, then the wipers, and then run the wiring in the space that's left. So, I'm now on hold for that until the heater and wipers come in.
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/2382/20120324121747.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/85/20120324121747.jpg/)

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4679/20120324121904.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/526/20120324121904.jpg/)

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5997/20120324121757.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/20120324121757.jpg/)

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5444/20120324121838.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/20120324121838.jpg/)

[Resbum]

After referring to a bunch of pictures, including these two, and taking a bunch of measurements today, I've decided to mount my batteries inboard of the hood hinges longways facing forward. (2) Deka 727MF's weigh 100lbs and I'd rather have that weight behind the axle instead of in front of it. Especially since the truck may have a HD bumper and winch in its future. I'm going to have to notch the inboard backside of the inner wheelwells a little, but tire clearance won't be a problem at all. Between the spring under frame conversion and extra 1/2 inch of body clearance I've gained 6 1/4 inches of lift. Actually, more like 3 1/4 inches of tire clearance since I'll be running 35" tires.
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/6129/20110626155523.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/20110626155523.jpg/)

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1995/20110626162746.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/31/20110626162746.jpg/)

By moving the heater under the dash I've freed up the pas side. The battery will go where the heater motor use to be and the downpipe will go where the heater core use to be. I'll just make sure there's a good heat barrier between them. I pulled out my hydroboost and some pictures of hydroboost installs and made sure there's room on the drivers side. The wire harness will most likely come through the firewall in the old wiper motor hole and get routed appropriately. Nothing else comes through the firewall where the battery is going to sit.
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/4950/20120324165019.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/571/20120324165019.jpg/)

[Stuka]

You have no idea how jealous I am right now. I wish I had the time and place to do this kind of restoration on my J10.

Great work, and I cannot wait to see more.

[Mudbull]

Wow!! Ive been reading your thread from the beginning, every new update blows my mind at how cool this thing is going to turn out! Keep up the good work, Im looking forward to the wiring, as im debating whether to rewire mine from scratch or use the donors...Good luck!

[Resbum]

OK lobie now for your answer.

The old turbo is going bye bye. It's shaft was really loose, so it was going to need a rebuild anyways. For another $600 I could install a new BD Super B turbo, so it's been ordered.:thumbsup: It comes with a 4" downpipe which matches the rest of the exhaust I already have. As for making room for the downpipe,......

After considering everything I went with what George, at Turbo Technologies, suggested. He said this fix would not affect my spool up in the least and I trust and respect his advice 100% when it comes to anything turbo.

I'll use these stainless mandrel bent pieces and flanges to make an S pipe between the manifold and turbo that moves the turbo forward the distance I need. I'm amazed at the amount of flexibility you get for placement out of just (2) 90 degree bends. George told me how to fabricate everything correctly, then I'll take them to Neil for welding. There's a place about 30 miles away that does ceramic coating, so I may even get that done.
http://img806.imageshack.us/img806/11/20120324164542.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/806/20120324164542.jpg/)

[Resbum]

You have no idea how jealous I am right now. I wish I had the time and place to do this kind of restoration on my J10.

Great work, and I cannot wait to see more.
Thank you Stuka. Believe me, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd get a chance to do something like this. All the planets lined up in a Rose colored universe for me.

Wow!! Ive been reading your thread from the beginning, every new update blows my mind at how cool this thing is going to turn out! Keep up the good work, Im looking forward to the wiring, as im debating whether to rewire mine from scratch or use the donors...Good luck! Definitely do a rewire!!! It's really not that expensive or hard if you plan it out good. I didn't even hesitate. The VERY FIRST TIME I saw the wiring in this truck I knew I was doing it.:D

[budojeepr]

I second the wiring advice. You'll be glad in a number of ways, including the peace of mind in just knowing how it all works.

[Resbum]

I'm almost positive this is how I'm going to lay out the instruments. There's a few warning lights, etc., not drawn in, but they'll go in the open areas on the panel. I have (2) old instrument faces to work with, so I may cut the warning lights out of one set, flip them over, and put them between the two on the face I'm going to use. This would give four warning lights. The gear indicator lights could go in the old odometer window area. I'm still debating how I'll mount the five gauges on the dash, but I have a couple ideas.
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/792/20120324123609.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59/20120324123609.jpg/)

[lobie]

Looks good Resbum

[twisted frame]

That's a neat looking dash layout.

[rwjohnstone]

Thank you Stuka. Believe me, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd get a chance to do something like this. All the planets lined up in a Rose colored universe for me.

Definitely do a rewire!!! It's really not that expensive or hard if you plan it out good. I didn't even hesitate. The VERY FIRST TIME I saw the wiring in this truck I knew I was doing it.:D

I agree, there is nothing better than knowing how something is put together on your own rig, takes out that bit of wonder, hhhhhmmm are those 50 year old wires grounding out.....

[Resbum]

..... hhhhhmmm are those 50 year old wires grounding out.....

Yep, that and just having all the fuses in one location make it worth the effort.

[Mudbull]

Yep, that and just having all the fuses in one location make it worth the effort.

Oh I completely agree with you guys, we put new painless systems in everything; I've already ripped the original wiring out of the kaiser. Sorry I wasn't being clear I was contemplating using my donors (96 ram) wiring to save a few hundred dollars and maybe some headaches (maybe cause some too)

[rwjohnstone]

Oh I completely agree with you guys, we put new painless systems in everything; I've already ripped the original wiring out of the kaiser. Sorry I wasn't being clear I was contemplating using my donors (96 ram) wiring to save a few hundred dollars and maybe some headaches (maybe cause some too)

I know what you mean, my trucks setup from the PO had every wire coming from the ignition with 1 or 2 in-line fuses all taped together and pulled up into the dash with twine......:banghead: I delt with that for 2 summers, not worth the headache.

[Resbum]

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/166/20110705184350.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/594/20110705184350.jpg/)


Got kind of lucky. I finally remembered to check and see if the 4,000RPM tachometer I got for the diesel came with the sensor, like the original 7,000RPM tach I bought. Nope, no joy. I headed over to Tacoma Speedometer to order one like lobie used in his build.

I've always known Mark is sharp, but he must have a mind like a steel trap, also. He's like, "Wait a minute I thought yours had a factory sensor on it?" This came from remembering a picture he saw 6 or 7 months ago. Out came my camera, rifle through 800 pictures, sure enough there's a tach sensor off my dampener. Mark even knew it's a two pulse Isspro sensor made for OEM applications. It sure makes life easier to be surrounded by people who know their stuff.

Resbum

[Resbum]

I just got asked this in another thread, so I thought I'd post my answer here, also.

Is your avatar jeep related??? I can't tell what it is.
Only Jeep related in relation to my FSJ build. That's why I chose it.

The picture was originally on a box for some sunglasses I bought. Can't remember the brand. I thought it was cool so I scanned it into my computer.

It's an atom bomb mushroom cloud coming out of the top of a guys head. Which perfectly represents how I've felt at times while fabricating my truck.:lol:

Resbum
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/144/resbumavatar.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/resbumavatar.jpg/)

[ross80truck]

Great idea on the turbo! I was thinking of doing the same thing on my Waggy when I get that point. I am eager to see how yours turns out. With building my rig so I can take the family in it, I know I am going to need to keep the heater and AC. Take good pictures of that turbo setup please for the rest of us.

[Resbum]

Woo Hoo! The Danhard underdash heater came yesterday afternoon. More on that soon.

While I was waiting on the heater I did the rough fabrication on the gauge housing that will sit on top of the dashboard. I'll finish it once I have the steering wheel and seat positions finalized, so that I can position it to see all the gauges over the steering wheel.

Started out with a 2 1/2" mandrel bent exhaust piece I had and a sheet of sheetmetal of the same thickness. Cut the bend flush with one of the inside sides.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/8283/20120327175755.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/20120327175755.jpg/)

Then, cut it down the middle.
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/9956/20120327180235.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/37/20120327180235.jpg/)

Next, clamp the sheetmeatal onto the 4" exhaust and bend it around 90 degrees
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6897/20120327181241.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/208/20120327181241.jpg/)

Use a cutoff wheel and cut several slits into the inside radius and work the metal so it flattens out
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/996/20120327183757.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/36/20120327183757.jpg/)

Starting at the bent ends, tack the sheetmetal between mandrel bent pieces, working really slowly to keep heat to almost nothing. Rarely over what hurts to touch
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/408/20120327191846.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/259/20120327191846.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Eventually you get to this point.
http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/4958/20120327195801.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/848/20120327195801.jpg/)

And end up with this. I'll finish it while working on the dashboard.
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/4729/20120327195856.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/20120327195856.jpg/)

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/140/20120327200025.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/684/20120327200025.jpg/)

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/9616/20120327200816.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/641/20120327200816.jpg/)

[lobie]

Nice:thumbsup:

[Mudbull]

Lobie is ahead of all of us and has done his gauges. He's using the same tach I am and posted how he installed the pick up sensor in post 217 of his thread.

Resbum

Sorry to bring this back up again, but im trying to figure out how to wire my tach as well and had a quick question: Lobie has a 1st gen 6bt but from the pictures it looks like you have a 2nd gen; the second gen has a crank sensor that sends two pulses per rev. So why are you using the isspro pickup/magnets, is the dodge unit not compatable with the gauge?

[Resbum]

Sorry to bring this back up again, but im trying to figure out how to wire my tach as well and had a quick question: Lobie has a 1st gen 6bt but from the pictures it looks like you have a 2nd gen; the second gen has a crank sensor that sends two pulses per rev. So why are you using the isspro pickup/magnets, is the dodge unit not compatable with the gauge?

Yep, you're right. I posted about it in #135. Someone I know pointed it out to me. The Dodge sensor works.

I'm at the shop posting from my phone. With luck I should have pics of the wipers install posted later tonight or in the AM.

Resbum

[Resbum]

Well, I finally have something to update. It's been a long two weeks of planning, waiting on parts to arrive, and doing odds and ends. Wednesday I got 5 UPS packages and 1 FedEx package.

I got started with the new windshield wipers. I really, really like this setup from Specialty Power Windows. The switch that came with it has washer, intermittent/delay, slow and fast settings in it. The Ol' Jeep got a touch of modernization!


Robbie and Keith, at SPW, were also really into customers(me) doing mods to suit their needs. After looking at everything, taking some measurements, and a couple phone calls, I decided to use the OEM Jeep wiper transmissions with the SPW gears mounted to them.
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/8407/20120405120213.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/20120405120213.jpg/)

The Jeep parts have thicker shafts, Bronz bushings, and the knurled ends were different sizes and I wanted to use the original Jeep wiper arms.
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/5969/20120405120313.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/546/20120405120313.jpg/)

The Jeep shafts are swedged at the end to hold the knurl on, but the knurls are splined to the shaft. The first thing I did was tap a set screw into the knurl and shaft. Then I growned the swedge off. After that I cutoff off the base of the housing and trued it.
http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1052/20120405132221.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/577/20120405132221.jpg/)

I then cut the new shaft housing off of the gear housing and made the hole the same diameter of the Jeep shaft. After that I mounted the Jeep housing to the new gear housing with counter-sunk flathead machine screws. It's important to keep the two orientated properly making sure the flat part of the Jeep housing is parrallel with the long end of the gear housing. I did that with the metal plates they're sitting on in this picture.
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/6296/20120405135816.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/141/20120405135816.jpg/)

A note about the gears that come in this kit. They have a rockwell hardness of 45 and I destroyed 7 drill bits trying to remove them from their shafts. I finally had to go buy a pure carbide 5/16's locksmiths bit. Specialty Power windows is more than happy to sell gears that haven't been welded to shafts and they're only $4.00(mine are in the mail, but I didn't feel like waiting). In this pic you can see that the original Jeep mounting holes are barely wide enough to clear the gear, allowing you to use the original mounting points. There's a bronz washer between the knurl and the housing and a shim between the gear and the housing. I made sure they were in place and temporarily added a second shim for future clearance.
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8418/20120406134951.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/20120406134951.jpg/)

Then place the everything in a vice with the knurl resting on the vice jaw bar underneath. Push firmly down on the housing and lock the vice down. I used this jig to hold the gear clamped true to the housing and keep it from possibly warping and welded it on. At this point everything was assembled so tight the the shaft won't turn. Remove the set screw from the knurl and drive the knurl off the shaft. disassemble everything and take the extra shim off from between the gear and the housing. When reassembled with just one shim everything spins as smooth as a babies butt. A hole also has to be drilled into the other housing plate to accommodate the new weld. At this point you can clean everything up and reassemble following Specialty Power Windows instructions. They even included a installation DVD with the written instructions.
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/5190/20120406134959.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/819/20120406134959.jpg/)

[Resbum]

This is how a housing looks when mounted.
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/3736/20120406152040.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/20120406152040.jpg/)

Run the tubing for the gear drive between the housings.
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/970/20120406160618.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/85/20120406160618.jpg/)

This is how it looks with the dash in place. While the dash was on I finalized the location for the motor.
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/7706/20120406161016.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/20120406161016.jpg/)

Install the motor and temporarily put all the mechanical parts on. When everything is permanently installed there isn't one exposed moving part. I can butt other components right up to the wiper parts and have no moving part contacts. This is a really slick system.
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/3265/20120406184210.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/20120406184210.jpg/)

The white piece of sheetmetal is the top panel for the heater. All the space above it, except for the passenger side defroster duct, can now be turned into a glovebox with its door where the old speaker use to be.
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/9008/20120406184231.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/20120406184231.jpg/)




Now I can finish mocking up the heater and cable controls. When I get the truck back it will be a simple matter of transferring all the hardware over to the new cab.

Resbum

[Resbum]

I was kind of tired last night when I posted and after rereading everything this AM decided to post a few more pics that show some more detail.

It was nice having two complete sets of Jeep wiper assemblies. I set the nicest individual parts aside and experimented with the others.

Resbum

OEM assemblies are swedged at both ends. Grind them off to take things apart. You can also see the splines inside the knurl on the right.
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/1793/20120405120636.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/192/20120405120636.jpg/)

While the knurl was still in its original location I tapped the set screw into it. Here I'm experimenting. That's why the swedge is already removed.
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/8265/20120405125118.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/196/20120405125118.jpg/)

These are the knurls and shafts I used in the conversion. Set screws, then remove the swedges. The set screws were also eventually shorted so they set all the way into the knurl.
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/3092/20120405131426.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/256/20120405131426.jpg/)

The new gear and shaft housings with one of the shaft housings already cut off.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/2836/20120405133852.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/207/20120405133852.jpg/)

[JeepinPete]

At first I was thinking to myself, whats wrong with the factory wiper linkages? Then seeing your doghouse, the reason was obvious. The only thing I worry about is welding the shaft to the gear. Hard steel parts generally do not take welding very well, and that is a pretty highly stressed area. Hopefully it works out for you, because that is a very slick setup :thumbsup:

One question, do you have a picture of the flexible gear rack that drives the gears?

[Resbum]

At first I was thinking to myself, whats wrong with the factory wiper linkages? Then seeing your doghouse, the reason was obvious. The only thing I worry about is welding the shaft to the gear. Hard steel parts generally do not take welding very well, and that is a pretty highly stressed area. Hopefully it works out for you, because that is a very slick setup :thumbsup:

One question, do you have a picture of the flexible gear rack that drives the gears?

Yeah, me too. I wanted to make sure it was welded good. I kept the heat on a touch longer than normal and watched for good penatration. The gear actually accepted the weld stock really well. That's also why I decided not to remove the extra weld material and drilled a hole in the other gear housing plate to accommodate it. Then, as a last test, I used a small strap wrench I have on the gear, locked the shaft in place, and gave it a good twist. I figure if that didn't break it a good load of snow sitting on top of the wiper won't. Time will tell.:rolleyes:

There's a solid core wire wrapped in a felt-like material, then a second wire spiral wrapped around all of that with spacing between the spirals. The spirals go into the valleys of the gear teeth and the felt accepts the points of the gear teeth. It's flexible enough that the directions say it can handle up to a 3 inch radius bend in the housing. For comparison, the bend you can see near the motor on my setup is about a 6 inch radius.

Robbie and Keith, at SPW, say their kit is based on some European OEM designs and that their parts will last as long as any OEM system will. After scrutinizing their system I believe them. I'm going to be shocked if I ever have a problem with the wipers.

Resbum
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/3198/20120407084805.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/713/20120407084805.jpg/)

[budojeepr]

Wow, that wiper setup is cool. Nice work. Having seen this, I probably won't be happy with my stock setup. Ah, well...

[Resbum]

Actually, both sets of the Jeep wiper parts showed almost no wear and still turned as smooth as silk after more than 40 years. Jeep sure built 'em right back in those days.

Resbum

[Resbum]

Today I took the easy way out on prep'ing the bed. It was already degreased and pressure washed. We had a break and actually got some sunshine today so I called the media blasting place and they could squeeze me in. So I ran it down, they got the job done, and I got it back into the shop without it getting wet.

They did the whole bottom & inside, and the lowers and flares. There's one small area that I'll need to address, but everything else was surface rust.
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/7411/20120412155540.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/267/20120412155540.jpg/)

[budojeepr]

So THAT's what one of those looks like! :thumbsup:

[rwjohnstone]

......drool..... why do I live where they use salt on the roads:banghead:

[Resbum]

It's hard to believe the cab and bed came off the same truck. The cab was so far gone I had to buy a donor truck so I had a good cab to work with. It was rusted through all the floor, the air ducting areas, and all the way around the windshield. The only rust on the bed is in the lower back corners and the floor/seam area where the original spare tire carrier was mounted.(The upper right corner in the picture)
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/6237/20120319152828.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/20120319152828.jpg/)

[lobie]

I thought my floors were bad.

Looking good. I must have missed it somewhere but what happened to the cab the school worked on?

[twisted frame]

Can't wait to see this dash built out and floor pics are always appreciated. My driver side was as bad as yours. Even the cab support from the inside of the rocker up to the hat channel was gone.

[Resbum]

... what happened to the cab the school worked on?

lobie, you didn't miss anything. There's just not been much to post about the new cab lately. It's part of doing business with the school. Student needs come first and foremost. It didn't get worked on for a week or so between quarters. With the new quarter they were doing more academic classroom time for new learning material. They have been finishing it up, but the progress slowed down. For the last week they've been finishing up the filler work and smoothing everything up.

I did swing by the school yesterday and Kurt and I set next Wednesday as the pick up date. :dancingbanana: It'll be nice to have it back.


Considering what they've gotten accomplished I couldn't be happier with them keeping it as long as they have.

On Feb 22 I gave them the cab with no promise other than they were going to fix the rusted area around the thottle pedal. I told Kurt if they could do more feel free to keep the cab longer.

In 7 weeks(5 1/2 working weeks) they've repaired/replaced:
-The whole floor
-The passenger side rocker panel
-Created a new tunnel
-Widened the rear exit of the tunnel
-Created a new notch in the firewall
-Removed the old wiper motor mount
-Filled the old heater core opening in the firewall
-Filled an old gas tank filler opening behind the passenger door
-Fixed some rust on one of the windshield pillars
-Relocated the frame x-member near the rear axle
-Removed any surface rust that could be found
-And fixed a lot of minor things all over the cab

One very BIG :thumbsup: to all the guys that got their hands dirty on my cab. They're giving me a brand new one back. I'm going to treat the 5 or so students that worked on it to the local Round Table Pizza lunch buffet.

For me, them keeping the cab so long turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It's allowed me to turn my attention to things that, until now, I had only thought about in the most general sense. Wiring, dashboard, heater, wipers, body work, everything else I've posted about since Feb 22nd. I got a whole mess load of parts ordered that will be needed in the future and things are going to go together much faster now.

Resbum

[Resbum]

I got some work on the bed done yesterday. I hit all the seams and areas the media blaster couldn't get to with rust converter.
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/548/20120414142427.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/20120414142427.jpg/)

This is a closeup of the area that was rusted. I think it developed rust because of a combination of two things. The lower arrows show where the spare tire brackets mounted to the floor. The upper arrow shows where the seam was deformed, allowing water/moisture in, from someone in the past crunching that sheetmetal. You can see how the bottom of the sheetmetal has been pushed up.
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/777/20120412155540b.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/36/20120412155540b.jpg/)

This picture shows some of the rust out I need to fix and the jig I made to straighten out the panel
http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/9756/20120414142156.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/805/20120414142156.jpg/)

Another shot of the area from the inner side
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/8725/20120414142142.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/20120414142142.jpg/)

The jig got it fairly straight. I'll work the metal a little more then smooth it with filler.
http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/6735/20120414144508.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/804/20120414144508.jpg/)

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/2224/20120414144359.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/688/20120414144359.jpg/)





Today the goal is to get the sheetmetal work done on the bottom of the bed so that I can at least hit the bottom of the bed with epoxy primer to get it protected from flash rust.

Ultimately, I want to have all the areas that got blasted epoxy primered by Wednesday. Then I can set the bed aside and get back to working on the chassis and cab when they come back from the school.

Resbum

[Resbum]

Got the first coat of epoxy primer on the bottom and sides today. Was a little pissed when I took everything out of the box and realized they'd given me black primer instead of the gray I'd ordered. And, of course, they weren't open today. Oh well.

It's not the prettiest job, but all the areas I sprayed today are going to be under bedliner so I didn't stress too much about it. I used a brush to work it into all the seams, nooks, and cracks before shooting the rest of it with my spray gun. Hopefully the good wheather holds out and I can get another coat on tomorrow before the humidity goes back up.
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1829/20120415181925.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/694/20120415181925.jpg/)

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/2575/20120415181802.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/35/20120415181802.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I got the truck back today. The school did an outstanding job on it and I couldn't be happier. The guys that worked on it really took on a sense of ownership and worked on it as if it was their own.

Resbum

To recap, here's everything they did to the cab:
In 7 weeks (5 1/2 working weeks) repaired/replaced:
-The whole floor
-The passenger side rocker panel
-Created a new tunnel
-Widened the rear exit of the tunnel
-Created a new notch in the firewall
-Removed the old wiper motor mount
-Filled the old heater core opening in the firewall
-Filled an old gas tank filler opening behind the passenger door
-Fixed some rust on one of the windshield pillars
-Relocated the frame x-member near the rear axle
-Removed any surface rust that could be found
-And fixed a lot of minor things all over the cab



http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/9855/20120418142033.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/20120418142033.jpg/)

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/4509/20120418142053.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/201/20120418142053.jpg/)

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4336/20120418142114.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/20120418142114.jpg/)

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/120/20120418142147.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/707/20120418142147.jpg/)

[Resbum]

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/54/20120418142201.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/20120418142201.jpg/)

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/3310/20120418142803.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/843/20120418142803.jpg/)

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/508/20120418142131.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/401/20120418142131.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I spent the weekend mocking up the locations of all the controls. i.e. Seats, steering wheel, shifters, foot pedals, and gauge housing on top of the dash. Took all the measurements, marked the locations, and took mess loads for pictures. Now the cab doesn't need to be on the frame in order for me to work on either. I need to take the cab back off to finish the mechanicals on the frame and do prep work and paint on the bottom of the cab.

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/8420/20120422150808.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/600/20120422150808.jpg/)

I got the cluster housing cut down to roughly the shape it's going to be and positioned it so I was sure I could see the center gauge. It's taped to the dash and will actually sit about 3/8" higher when mounted in the face plate. I'll do the finish work with the rest of the body work.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/1083/20120422150207.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/214/20120422150207.jpg/)

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/3318/20120422150433.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/684/20120422150433.jpg/)

http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/3438/20120422165343.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/857/20120422165343.jpg/)

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7315/20120422150248.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/3/20120422150248.jpg/)

[Resbum]

From the passenger side with everything positioned.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/900/20120422153510.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/20120422153510.jpg/)

This picture shows where the knobs for the transfer case and trans shifter will be. The transfer case twin-stick assembly is actually going to get cut up and modified so it will mount properly. Nobody makes an assembly for my combo of trans and transfer case. BJ's Offroad cut me a super duper deal on this assembly because it was a proto type from when they were developing their twin stick.
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1407/20120422153416.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/705/20120422153416.jpg/)

This shows where the transfer case shifter boot and trans shifter housing will be.
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/5527/20120422164252.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/717/20120422164252.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Today I pretty much finished up the mechanicals on the rearend.

Axles in and torqued
Brake line tabs to secure the lines to the pumpkin done
LubeLocker gasket in and torqued
Gear oil added
Took final measurements to get the driveshafts ordered

I'll be running 1410 U-joints at the axles and 1350 CV's at the transfer case. The rear shaft will be 46 1/2" long and the front shaft is 46" long, so I'll be able to interchange them if I ever need to.
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2649/20120423173114.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/20120423173114.jpg/)

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/339/20120423173144.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/404/20120423173144.jpg/)

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/4032/20120423173201.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/580/20120423173201.jpg/)

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/2587/20120423173305.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/20120423173305.jpg/)

[twisted frame]

Those students did a fabulous job. Wow. It brings new meaning to that Custom Cab badge.

[Resbum]

Yes, they did. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Resbum

[Resbum]

Well, as near as I can tell I've finished the work on both the axles.

I installed the Lubelocker gasket on the front differential and got it's gear oil in. Also installed a new longer remote breather hose.

The flexible brake line is now installed from the frame down to the rear axle. I also changed the axle breather over to a remote breather mounted up on the frame. And all the extra threads on the suspension and trackbar bolts have been cutoff.

Front and rear breathers are now high enough that the truck can sit in three feet of water without sucking water into the axle.
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8109/20120426133907.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/20120426133907.jpg/)

http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/7804/20120426133504.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/814/20120426133504.jpg/)

When I was 17 my best friend and I learned about getting water in the axle with the destruction of a rear axle in his 1963 Chevy 4X4, after getting it stuck in a mud hole.

Resbum

[Resbum]

I got the e-brake brackets made and mounted and ran the cables up into the frame. I'll wait to finish routing them until I know exactly where the fuel tank and exhaust are going to be.
http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/2981/20120428143243.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/52/20120428143243.jpg/)

http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/574/20120428143013.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/848/20120428143013.jpg/)

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/1694/20120428154502.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/849/20120428154502.jpg/)

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7568/20120428171248.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/233/20120428171248.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I was kinda concerned about all the things hanging off of and around the rear suspension, but it looks like it all tucks nicely out of the way. I shouldn't have any issues with snagging the e-brake cables, brake line or remote breather line on anything.
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/1508/20120428171321.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/707/20120428171321.jpg/)

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/765/20120428171354.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/705/20120428171354.jpg/)

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/4454/20120428171444.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/254/20120428171444.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I've spent the last few days mocking up how everything is going to fit under the bed of the truck. To do this I knocked together a copy of the bed underside framework out of 2X2's and clamped it in place.

I did a major change and rearrangement of things when I discovered a pinhole rust out on my original gas tank. Go figure, it was the only rust on the tank, so I thought it was a pretty good tank. I'd seriously been thinking of adding more fuel capacity and this was the final straw that made up my mind to do so.

Originally, I was going to mount the onboard airtank above the exhaust pipe on the pas side of the driveshaft. Now it will go in the old fuel tank position. The exhaust pipe will have the pas side all to itself. The fuel tanks are now going to be mounted behind the rear axle.

budojeepr did a great writeup of installing a Suburban 42 gallon tank, with links to other threads, in his "Swapping and 72 body onto a 81 diesel chassis" thread, posts #23-#30. Thanks to his honest assessment of how far down it hangs in post 30 I decided to look for other options. Also, a tank this size without baffles allows fuel to move around a lot and you can start sucking air while there's still gallons of fuel in the tank.

This led to literally a whole day of looking at 100's of tanks online. After a long tech phone call to Spectra Premium(extremely helpful technician) I decided to use (2) of their 16 gallon tanks that originally were in 87 to 94 Mazda pickups, part # MZ8A. They're 33"L X 14.5"W and 11.4"D. About 1.5" less deep than the 42 gallon tank. Also, they're skinny enough that with some good planning there should still be room for the exhaust pipe to run along the pas side of them.

Jesse, at High Angle Driveline is making my rear driveshaft and it should be in the mail by early next week. The fuel tanks were ordered and are already in the mail. Hopefully, the next time I post it will be to show how everything mounted up under the bed.

Resbum

[lobie]

Did you look into the early '90's s10/blazer 20 gal tank? Thats what I used and it fits great. Gives a couple more gallons.

[Resbum]

Hi lobie,

I just went to the Spectra website and looked it up. The 20 gal tank demensions are approx 41LX15WX13.5D. The space behind my axle gave me a safe area of 34X34 to work within, and less than 13"D to be shallower than the 42 gallon tank.

I figure 32 gallons (2X16) is plenty for a day of offroading, and on a roadtrip will give longer range than my bladder. :) Side by side they'll need an area 33X29 to fit in.

[HerrKooled]

Looks great, full out restoration on the truck. I am now ready to go ahead with my 12V, and this has been very helpful. What did you end up using for a 32 gal tank? I've thought of using the Ram truck tank from the donor

[Resbum]

Thanks.

I ordered (2) Spectra Premium 16 gallon tanks that originally were in 87 to 94 Mazda pickups, part # MZ8A. They're 33"L X 14.5"W and 11.4"D.

Resbum

[Resbum]

Took a week off for another hobby of mine while waiting for the tanks and rear driveshaft.

Starting back to work on the truck today.

Gas tanks have arrived and they should work great. Pics to come soon.

Rear driveshaft should be in the mail anytime, if it's not already.

Resbum

[Resbum]

Woo hoo. It took 6 weeks for them to finally arrive, but all my LED lights and connectors showed up today. No more changing lightbulbs and polycarbonate lenses, so they should last awhile.
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/4087/20120510144428.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/37/20120510144428.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Got the tanks roughly mocked in today. There's a big access panel behind the passenger side rear wheel well into the bed area.
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/2803/justbeforedisassembly.jpg

I'm going to build an enclosed box behind it in the bed for storing things that would be nice to get to from the outside, without having to get in the bed. I'm going to plumb both filler necks into that area also. The 2X2's mock the bed frame and the level is where the floor sheetmetal is.
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7581/20120511150716.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/823/20120511150716.jpg/)

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/5912/20120511150600.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/833/20120511150600.jpg/)

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/9921/20120511150533.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/692/20120511150533.jpg/)

They stick down aways, but they're still above the approach angle line. I'll see what to do about protecting them with the bumper from directly behind. I could gain another inch of clearance if I modify the filler necks into the tanks.
5/13/12 Edit- It turns out the bottom side of the bed has perfect locations of the frame members and a reenforcing piece to accept the tank mounting straps. That gained an inch of ground clearance I wasn't expecting. My rubber mallet did a beautiful job of tweeking the filler necks down for another inch of ground clearance, so now the tanks don't hang down as far as I thought they were going to. Pics will come later.
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/1426/20120511150516.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/259/20120511150516.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Maybe it's too early on a Sunday morning and I haven't had enough coffee yet, but I just had a thought that seems funnier than hell.

In the first pic of the above post you can see the two old fuel filler openings in the drivers side of the bed.

Instead of filling them in I could leave non-locking caps in fake filler necks and have them run down under the bed and deadend.

Then when that dirty SOB comes along and tries to siphon my fuel he can spend a half hour or so just sucking air. Or maybe have the filler necks lead his siphon hose to a push button that activates my horn. Or, even better, since they'd probably start at the rear one have it deadend, and the front one could lead to a horn button. Then they could spend 15 minutes at the rear one sucking air, move to the front one and get a real shocker.

Hell, I'd probably get a nice rubber hose and gas can out of the deal.

:thumbsup: :lol:

[69 FSJ]

Just make a nice 180 bend and have one lead to the other. He'd put the hose in one and have it come back at him. He'd be pretty confused at that.:thumbsup:

[Resbum]

:thumbsup: Added to the list of possibilities

[Hook574]

Add a one way flap inside the tube so the dirtbags hose can't be retrieved and he'll have to go steal another one

:D

[Showngo]

Have it run to a smaller fake tank filled with colored water:thumbsup:

[Resbum]

Got a fair amount done today. Started by finally labelling everything and removing the wiring harness off the engine. It's amazing how much less complicated it now looks with all those extra wires gone.
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/3486/20120514121834.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/20120514121834.jpg/)

Next I moved on to installing rivot nuts for things like mounting the heater to the firewall, mounting the wiper motor, mounting the trans shifter to the tunnel, etc. Instead of buying the $200 tool made to suck down the rivot nuts I just cobbled together a combo of nuts, bolts, washers, and wrenches and sucked 'em down that way. I've never used rivot nuts before. These things are slick and I'll definitely remember them in the future.
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/57/20120514134912.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/442/20120514134912.jpg/)

Then, just as I was wrapping up for the day, my rear driveshaft arrived from High Angle Driveline (middle). I had the rear shaft made with .120 wall tubing, so it should be able to handle a accidental hit a little better.

The bottom shaft is the rear shaft from the 1991 Dodge the front axle came out of, and it has 1410 u-joints at each end. Instead of having a whole new front shaft made I'm thinking of using it in the front. Just have it cut down, recondintion, and adding a 1350 CV. I need to do a price comparison betweeen that and all new.

The top shaft is one of the old front Jeep shafts.
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/4985/20120514162643.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/20120514162643.jpg/)

[twisted frame]

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing all those accessories like the heater and wiper installed. The firewall on my truck needs some tending to and we don't always see improvements in this area in these builds. Looking good!

[Resbum]

The new High Angle Driveline driveshaft has found a home. 1350 CV and 1410 u-joint. After I got it in I measured the compound angle at the axle and it's less than 5 degrees. I was shooting to keep it under 7 degrees since that's what the math said the safe limit for the 1410 is for the rpm's the shaft will turn at highway speeds with my tires and gearing, etc.
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/3310/20120515150530.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/37/20120515150530.jpg/)

[twisted frame]

Did you bend your own brake lines? That bend near the crossmember looks sweet. If so, did you lay it out with rod first to get the bends? Did you use one of those cheapy benders or a better kind?

[Resbum]

Did you bend your own brake lines? That bend near the crossmember looks sweet. If so, did you lay it out with rod first to get the bends? Did you use one of those cheapy benders or a better kind?
I posted other pics of the hard brakelines back in #80.

I guess you could say I bent my own brakelines. I bought a kit for a newer model year thinking they would be close and they were totally different. For the most part I ended up having to straighten and rebend all the lines. Because tubing work-hardens I was very careful to only straighten and rebend one time, so I worked slow.

I didn't lay it out with rod first, but I would have had I been starting from scratch.

For most of the straightening and bending I used one of the better benders, but I also used a cheaper one if it fit and I couldn't get the good one to fit.

Warning- Unsolicited advice coming:
I also had to redo a lot of the ends. For that I used a GOOD quality DOUBLE flare tool. I think mine cost $60. This is something that IS NOT optional. All brake and fuel lines should be done with a good quality double flare.
OK, I'll climb back down off the soapbox now.

Resbum

[twisted frame]

Nice, thanks. I just did some brake line work myself and was pleased with the double flares. My bends could've been smoother though.

[Resbum]

It's been a long three days trying to get everything fitted into their final spots on the firewall, but the heater, wipers, and shifter now have their mounting points installed.

It took many trips to the store, eight bags of bolts, rivet nuts, sheetmetal screws,, washers, and two different taps. All my prefit pieces fit really well. Trying to get the fasteners into all the blind, tight areas turned out to be ONE GIANT P.I.T.A.

The wipers
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/2634/20120519092858.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/513/20120519092858.jpg/)

I made this out of a bunch of the old parts. It mounts over the old passenger side foot fresh air vent. It will be a cable controlled flap that will let me choose variable fresh/recirculating air.
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/4491/20120519093005.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/716/20120519093005.jpg/)

Flap mounted over old foot air outlet. Air will come in through a combination of either opening, travel upwards, then behind the heater housing to the squirel cage fan inlets.
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/590/20120519145510.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/20120519145510.jpg/)

The wiper motor, Air inlet flap, and bottom heater sheetmetal in place.
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/4730/20120519093909.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/641/20120519093909.jpg/)

Everything mounted on the firewall. I'll finish the rest later, while installing the interior of the cab.
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/5739/20120519095207.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/189/20120519095207.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Some pictures with the dashboard in place.

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/5726/20120519100111.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/528/20120519100111.jpg/)

A small glovebox will be made through the old speaker opening, above the heater housing. The bottom of the heater is only about a half inch lower than the bottom of the dash.
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/4358/20120519100140.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/254/20120519100140.jpg/)

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8060/20120519100209.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/20120519100209.jpg/)

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/1093/20120519100355.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/20120519100355.jpg/)

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/4461/20120519100639.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/201/20120519100639.jpg/)

Now I can strip everything back off, take the cab back off the frame, get the prep work done on the bare metal, and put a coat of primer on. I also need to finish the mechanicals on the frame. I just threw everything on temporarily to deliver to the school so they could fit the cab to the frame.

Resbum

[billyrb]

cool build sir!

[Resbum]

Thanks Ryan.

[COLOFIREMAN]

I do really like how your taking the time to make it both work and look good. Again, Very nice build!:thumbsup:

[twisted frame]

Do you think you might try to incorporate the Kaiser-ear speaker grille into the glovebox door somehow?

[Resbum]

Thanks COLOFIREMAN.

Twisted frame, when I took the speaker grill and other tidbits off I was careful not to damage anything. I'm going to see what can be done to use it for the glovebox door, but I also have a backup plan that I may go with because it will tie in better with the rest of the whole dashboard.

This is what I've been doing for the last 4 days. Standing around thinking a lot, then running around collecting the last of the parts needed to install the whole fuel system. My goal is to have it done by the end of the holiday weekend. The old fuel filter and mechanical lift pump are now gone and getting replaced with an Airdog FP100.
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/7135/20120525181230.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/844/20120525181230.jpg/)

[gotmike]

just a tip... you might think about trimming the front inner fenders about half way up the sides... with where the fuel filter, and oil filter and everything sit it's soooo much easier to change when you can just reach in through the wheel well and get ahold of them to change them out...

build looks great though... wish i had as much time and effort to put into my build... looking forward to seeing it done...

[Resbum]

Thanks for the tip gotmike. I'm losing the stock fuel filter, but I'll definitely consider your words when thinking about the oil filter.

I decided to switch over to the AirDog 100 pump and filters for two primary reasons.

After researching a bunch, and advice from knowledgable Cummins mechanics, I'm convinced the stock mechanical lift pump leads to a lot of the fuel system failures. Not that it isn't pretty reliable to begin with, but if it does start to fail it can lead to a more expensive p-pump failure.

The second reason is room. Because of how far back I had to set the engine the stock fuel filter would have almost been touching the firewall sheetmetal.

This pic was taken while the cab was still about 4 inches back from its mounting points. The mechanical fuel pump is below the fuel filter.
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/4848/20120302111820.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/20120302111820.jpg/)

Here the cab is in place. You can see just how much room is left for putting the fuel filter back on.
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/2838/20120313121426.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/20120313121426.jpg/)

This is all the stuff the AirDog allowed me to remove from the engine.
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/2193/20120526174230.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/441/20120526174230.jpg/)

[Resbum]

And this is how it looks now, with the stock parts gone. I still need to do some final securing of things, but will hold off until I run all the wiring.
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/9558/20120527141212.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/215/20120527141212.jpg/)

When I got the truck back from the school, while the cab was still in place, I took some pics and measurements of where the steering shaft, hydroboost, and brake master cylinder were going to be. Referring back to that info I plumbed the fuel lines so they wouldn't be fighting for the same space.
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/4725/20120527141420.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/20120527141420.jpg/)

The wiring harness runs along the fuel lines from the AirDog to the front. I should have taken a picture after I'd installed it, but forgot to.
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/7589/20120527153630.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/406/20120527153630.jpg/)

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/5705/20120527153507.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/694/20120527153507.jpg/)

The fuel system is installed from the engine to the AirDog. Today I hope to finish the rest.
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/4623/20120527153723.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/840/20120527153723.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I had to figure out how to mount the fuel transfer selector valve between the pump and the tanks. I rummaged through all my leftover metal and came across an old spring perch I decided not to use on the rear axle and a u-bolt of the right size. Weld a couple tabs on the perch and I ended up with this.
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/7941/20120528141524.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/195/20120528141524.jpg/)

Painted everything with the can of Cummins Titanium Black I bought earlier and mounted it. Next attach the selector valve to it. I still had a tab to use, so....
http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/8503/20120528170305.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/20120528170305.jpg/)

... I welded another tab to this cross-member and painted it.
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/6308/20120528154215.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/843/20120528154215.jpg/)

[Resbum]

When all was finished for the day I had the fuel system all plumbed in up to after the transfer selector valve. And, my onboard compressed air tank now has a home.
http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/1557/20120528164612.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/805/20120528164612.jpg/)

The tank will be single point mounted on each end and ride on top of a 1/2" rubber pad. That should allow it to take any frame flex.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9973/20120528164707.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/20120528164707.jpg/)

I had 2X2's resting on each side of the frame. The top of them sat about an 1 1/4" below where the bed sheetmetal will be. I kept everything at or below 2X2's, so there shouldn't be any interference fits with the bed.
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2829/20120528165334.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/215/20120528165334.jpg/)

[Resbum]

The air tank looks a little nicer now. Sanded off the top layer of paint and rust, primed and painted it, and let it cure over night. Mounted it this morning.
http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/4296/20120529153646.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/20120529153646.jpg/)

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/1732/20120529160349.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/20120529160349.jpg/)

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/495/20120530075940.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/856/20120530075940.jpg/)

[Resbum]

After mounting the air tank this morning I moved on to fabricating the twin-stick mount and bracket for the transfer case. Got a good start and should have it finished tomorrow.
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2517/20120530170817.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/215/20120530170817.jpg/)

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9848/20120530170453.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/12/20120530170453.jpg/)

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/345/20120530170401.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/36/20120530170401.jpg/)

[twisted frame]

I just went back over the first 2 pages of the thread. I saw that you're planning on only occasional hauling duty for this truck. Are there any other specific things you plan to do with it? Just curious.

[rwjohnstone]

Nice! I feel so guilty everytime I check your build.... Keep up the great work and thank you again for adding so much detail to your thread:thumbsup:

[GWDriver]

I continue to be amazed at this build. Phenomenal work!

[Resbum]

rwjohnstone and GWDriver, thanks for the kind words.

I just went back over the first 2 pages of the thread. I saw that you're planning on only occasional hauling duty for this truck. Are there any other specific things you plan to do with it? Just curious.
Nope, I just want to build a simple, tough truck that doesn't do any one thing great, but will do anything I ask of it reasonably well. i.e. Work around the property, haul building materials, hunting trip, occasional recreational 4wheelin'. etc.

[Resbum]

I thought I'd finish the T-case shifters today, but didn't quite get there. I still have to cutoff the shifters and remount them the way I want them. Other than that major fab work is done. Tomorrow I'll move the shifters, then hit everything with paint.
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/8533/20120531175701.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/546/20120531175701.jpg/)

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/480/20120531175729.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/525/20120531175729.jpg/)

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7568/20120531175636.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/444/20120531175636.jpg/)

[rwjohnstone]

I will be fabricating a twin stick for my tansfer case this weekend, did you remove the rear output selector shaft and grind it down? Any tips before I dive into this? Thanks in advance

[Resbum]

While the T-case was getting rebuilt I took the shaft home and did the grinding myself. I most definitely do not agree with the practice of removing the detent ball to get "twin stick" capability. That's just begging to accidently cross shift the front and rear axles.

After doing a bunch of research I was convinced the info in this article is accurate, so I used it as my instructions. This is for a Ford NP205 so the sticks are reversed for which axle they control versus the Chevy and Dodge NP205's
http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/drivetrain/154_0008_np205_twin_stick_shifter/viewall.html (http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/drivetrain/154_0008_np205_twin_stick_shifter/viewall.html)

Here are the before and after pictures from the article.
http://image.jpmagazine.com/f/9105261/131_0008_case_06_z.jpg (http://image.jpmagazine.com/f/9105261/131_0008_case_06_z.jpg)

http://image.jpmagazine.com/f/9105273/131_0008_case_07_z.jpg (http://image.jpmagazine.com/f/9105273/131_0008_case_07_z.jpg)

Here's my copy of the after picture I used to come up with my measurements. Unlike the article, I didn't just free-hand it.
9/16's to 7/8's and 11/16" to 1"
http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/495/20111210130519.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/715/20111210130519.jpg/)
Step 1- Lay tape over the shaft(except the slot areas) to establish centerline and side lines
Step 2- Lay a piece of tape over the slots and use a razor to cut the tape away following the profile of the slot. See the cut away piece of tape for the ramp area stuck to the ruler.
Step 3- Peel away the tape from over the slot and move it the appropriate distance.
Step 4- Using the centerline and side lines as guides retape it back onto the shaft. This will expose the area to grind away with an exact duplicate of the ramp profile.
Step 5- I placed a 1/2" diameter, straight sided carbide grinding bit in my drill press and set the height so it just went into the table.
Step 6- I took my time and removed all the material that wasn't covered by tape.
Step 7- Use various grits of sand paper and embry cloth to take it back to a polished surface.

I hope this all makes sense.

Resbum

[rwjohnstone]

You sir are a true testament to how a forum is to be used. I was expecting a "yes I did" not a full writeup. I commend you sir, and yes I had concluded the same result, 4low in the front and 4high in the rear makes for a terrible st
ory

[Resbum]

No problemo! Glad to help.

I didn't get anything done on the shifters today and I probably won't for a couple days. My last Grandparent passed away and I'll be at her memorial tomorrow. She was 96 and had a good life and a peaceful death. It was time for her to join my Grandfather.

Resbum

[lobie]

Sorry to hear that.

Looking good.

[Resbum]

Thanks lobie.

I'm going to wander down to the shop and see if I can get the shifters finished today.

Resbum

[Resbum]

Finished fabricating the twin-sticks today. You all have seen enough pictures of my paint jobs, so I won't post any pics.

There was a fair amount of flex in the long arm I made at the transfer case that the shifter link attached to. I stiffened it up by sliding a collar over the shaft, then welded a strap between it and near the top of the arm.
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/6475/20120603155404.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/338/20120603155404.jpg/)

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/8900/20120603155605.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/20120603155605.jpg/)

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/3755/20120603155758.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/37/20120603155758.jpg/)

[Resbum]

After spending three days looking at the transmission crossmember while fabricating the twin-sticks I decided to tackle something I knew I'd have to do sooner or later, but was finding ways to procrastinate doing.

Today I removed the rear driveshaft and moved it to the front. It cleared the leading edge of the trans crossmember by a 1/4". Man, I hated having to cut into it, but a notch was definitely needed.
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/7755/20120605131704.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/254/20120605131704.jpg/)

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/9168/20120605131730.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/215/20120605131730.jpg/)

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9117/20120605134222.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/3/20120605134222.jpg/)

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/6210/20120605140051.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/20120605140051.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I only needed another inch of depth, but I made it 1 3/4" deep. I'd have to drop the front axle clear out from under the truck before it will hit now.
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1690/20120605152856.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/694/20120605152856.jpg/)

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7850/20120605153122.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/220/20120605153122.jpg/)

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/4017/20120605174359.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/20120605174359.jpg/)

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3078/20120605174446.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/18/20120605174446.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Tip for the Day- Always keep your eyes open for something new and/or improved.

My engine and trans came out of the same truck. Don't ask me why, but the seller didn't bother to include the trans dipstick and tube or the throttle to trans kickdown cable. Comparing Moper OEM part numbers I found which vehicles would work as donors and hit the local salvage yards. Found a 97 RAM 1500 to suite my needs. While laying under it, removing the parts I wanted, I noticed the trans pan looked a little larger and beefier. Figured it was worth the money to find out, so I pulled it also. When I got to the shop I pulled the one on my truck, cleaned everything, and headed for my kitcken with the two pans. Levelled both and filled with measured amounts of water. My "new pan will give me an extra 1/2 quart capacity.
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/1346/20120607071109.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/198/20120607071109.jpg/)

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/1641/20120607071316.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/594/20120607071316.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Here's what I got done while IFSJA was down.

I added a drain plug to the new trans oil pan and installed/fine tuned the shifter linkage and throttle kickdown cable. It was a lot easier than doing it after the cab was on.
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/7233/20120610121725.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/407/20120610121725.jpg/)

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5312/20120610121747.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/20120610121747.jpg/)

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/7673/20120610121917.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/20120610121917.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Once that was done I stripped a bunch of the periferral stuff off the engine, then pressure washed it. After drying all night, today I removed all the covers and got it down to the block and head. Tomorrow the guy that's going to help me with the engine is coming by and we'll decide on a plan of action for the engine.
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/2545/20120610151551.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/535/20120610151551.jpg/)

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/923/20120611154508.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/840/20120611154508.jpg/)

[mellor_21]

this is awesome. subscribing.

[ross80truck]

Make sure to fix the "killer dowel pin" while you have the front cover off.

[lobie]

Make sure to fix the "killer dowel pin" while you have the front cover off.

Absolutely. Good thinking ross. Not sure where I posted it but mine was on the way out. It is such an easy fix but can cause so much damage.

[Resbum]

:thumbsup: Thx ross and lobie. That was the first place my eyes zeroed in on when the cover came off. Mine was still in place but sticking out ever so slightly.

The fan in my home computer took a dive so internet is thru my phone and limited right now. I'll update pics later.

The really good news is that both myself and the diesel mechanic that's going to offer tech advice and help reassemble agree the engine is in excellent condition. So a total teardown is not mandatory.

I'm going to recondition the head and plastigauge the front and rear main and rod bearings. If those look good I'm going to leave the bottom end alone. Maybe:D. Everything in me is screaming to put in new rings and freshen up the hone marks while the engine is this far apart.

[Resbum]

Tip for the day.

Anyone doing a Cummins swap from a Dodge should go to Genosgarage.com and order a factory manual CD for the year of the donor for $35. Mine was 1700 pages long. I spent a day going through it copying the pages that applied to the parts I'm using and got it down to 340 pages. 140 pages of those were for maintaining and rebuilding the engine.

It is some of the best money I've ever spent. Seriously!!!

Resbum

[Resbum]

This is how my killer dowel pin looked
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6420/20120612173637.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/10/20120612173637.jpg/)

[Resbum]

Got the head pulled and stripped down today. Everything is bigger on a Cummins. This is the first time I had to use an engine hoist to pull a head.
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7851/20120613161039.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/137/20120613161039.jpg/)


http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/7664/20120613161546.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/835/20120613161546.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I took one of my six prybars and made a valve spring remover tool out of it.
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/3482/20120613173035.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/20120613173035.jpg/)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3594/20120613173048.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/338/20120613173048.jpg/)

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9966/20120613174714.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/685/20120613174714.jpg/)

Because I'm only doing what's necassary to the head I'm being extremely careful to keep track where everything came from, so that I can keep matching parts together when it's reassembled.
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/8317/20120613175515.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/20120613175515.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I took the head and exhaust manifold down to the shop my diesel mechanic recommended to get them cleaned and surfaced. I was going to hand-lap the valves and call them good. The shop quoted me a price that was below what I was expecting, so I blasted back to the shop and grabbed the valves and springs.

Work getting done: Head and manifold cleaned and surfaced, valve job, and checking the spring tensions.
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6592/20120614164627.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/20120614164627.jpg/)

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/5630/20120614164941.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/685/20120614164941.jpg/)

While the shop is doing their thing I've been going through all the rocker arms, tappets, and pushrods, keeping parts together as matched sets.
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7936/20120614143253.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/20120614143253.jpg/)


Tomorrow the valve guide stem seals will be here and I can pick up all the parts from the shop. I should have the upper end of the engine finished over the weekend.

Resbum

[Resbum]

Here's a link to a guys thread that took out A LOT more material than I did. He also did an outstanding, artistic job.
http://www.fordification.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=23267&start=375
He's building a compound turbo engine and plans on running 60+ pounds of boost. We have totally different goals for porting our heads. My goal was not to flow more air, but to flow the air my engine needs more smoothly and efficiently. That will help keep EGT's down and hopefully increase MPG's. Because of that I only concentrated on the throat below the valve seats and the bowl areas around the valve guides.

The first thing I did was tape all the openings in the head, then lay the old head gasket back on with some bolts slipped into headbolt holes to keep it in place. Next, I dug out all my grinding and polishing stuff, put the head in a comfortable working position, and pulled up a chair.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/310/20120616110607.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/214/20120616110607.jpg/)

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/2976/20120616102828.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/803/20120616102828.jpg/)

There are some ridges and edges underneath the valve seats on these heads. It's the dark material immediately under the seat in this picture. It appears to be there because of easy of manufacturing. By knocking them down and smoothing the throat through that area it opens it up by about 3/16 of an inch. I used a silver permanent marker to color the valve seat area to help see it and keep from grinding it.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/2717/20120616091217.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/20120616091217.jpg/)






The only areas I actively removed material from was through the throat and from around the valve guide shrouds. Other than that I mostly concentrated on smoothing transitions, flashings, and contouring. I worked the exhaust ports over much more thoroughly than the intake ports. When all was done today I had this. Sorry for not having better pics, all the shiny metal made it hard to find an angle that didn't create glare.
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/2845/20120616165320.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/35/20120616165320.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/5161/20120616165345.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/20120616165345.jpg/)

[Resbum]

It's been 12 years since the last cylinder head I ported, polished, and port matched. I forgot just how time intensive it can be.
Here's another couple links to some very good info about doing it to a 12V.
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/head-porting-t266131.html (http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/head-porting-t266131.html)
http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/general-cummins-high-performance/155159-12valve-porting-progress-2.html (http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/general-cummins-high-performance/155159-12valve-porting-progress-2.html)
It took four full days and I estimate right around 30 hours to do my head. And that was for a job just to clean it up and make it flow better. Unlike some of the heads I've done for high reving auto-crossers I didn't bother taking this one to a mirror finish. That would have probably added another 10 hours to the job and for my needs wasn't required.
The vast majority of the time was spent opening the throats just below the valve seats, cleaning up the bowl of the intake side, doing the whole exhaust runner, and port matching the manifold to the head with the Remflex gasket I'll be using.

This is how I aligned everything for the port match. The holes for the manifold bolts in the manifold and gasket are larger than the bolts. Luckily I had some tubing that the bolts fit through and the tubing fit inside of the manifold and gasket holes. I cut four lengths of it. Next, there is a trouth in the manifold that I filled with another piece of tubing that I cut in half.

I used the lower bolts in the number 2 and 4 cylinders. Place one sleeve in both the manifold and gasket holes and fill the trouth with the filler piece. Line everything up and slide the bolts into place and your can mark the outline of the gasket opening.
Mark the face of the manifold.
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5088/20120619091108.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/196/20120619091108.jpg/)

Leave the sleeves in the gasket and screw the bolts into the lower number 2 and 4 in the head, and mark the face of the head. You can see the filler piece still sitting in the upper throuth of the manifold in this picture.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/3149/20120619092204.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/20120619092204.jpg/)

Marked before port matching
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3897/20120619093250.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/69/20120619093250.jpg/)

After port matching. I still need to finish the final smoothing in the manifold.
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/5008/20120619172156.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/513/20120619172156.jpg/)

I know this is a huge amount of work. But the payoffs can be large and it costs no money, just time. If someone wanted to tackle just one part of this process I would tell them to open up the area just below the valve seats. Like I said early, just knocking that ridge out of the throat area opened it up around 3/16th of an inch.

[twisted frame]

Great photos and instructions. Thanks! I don't have any diesel plans in my future but port matching for my 360 is on the horizon.

[ross80truck]

Resbum, If I send you my 5.9 head and intake what will you charge me to port match and polish it? Would a six pack of beer be enough? Ok ok, what about a case? :thumbsup:

Looks good. I am eager to hear how it runs.

[Resbum]

Haha, right now a keg of beer couldn't get me to do another head. My fingers are going to be sore for two weeks.

[1983 j10]

im sure you know this but with more air in a deisel means you need more fuel to make up for the higher air flow. im sure you did other things to the engine i really didnt read thorugh the whole thread. but the port job on the head looks great. are you going to put a stud kit in since you have the head off. and did you catch cummins fatal flaw with the dowl pin under the timing cover there is a kit to fix it.

[Resbum]

... are you going to put a stud kit in since you have the head off. and did you catch cummins fatal flaw with the dowl pin under the timing cover there is a kit to fix it.
The verdict is still out on the stud kit. I don't have any plans to run serious boost through the engine. All my mods are going to be well on the mild side.

I finally got the upper end finished today. I'm returning the engine to Cummins Beige and Cummins Titanium Black. The exhaust port area is painted with VHT 1100 degree paint and the manifold is out getting ceramic coated. I'm hoping that and the Remflex gasket will help keep it from cracking in the future, since that seems to be a failure with them. The lower end won't take near as long since I'm only going to inspect everything, then reassemble.
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/18/20120621145908.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/20120621145908.jpg/)

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/6842/20120623130942.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/822/20120623130942.jpg/)

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/1860/20120623131652.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/717/20120623131652.jpg/)

[1983 j10]

Looks like its gonna be a strong engine when it's done. Great work by the way

[Resbum]

Thanks.

One year ago today I took the first nuts and bolts off the truck and started this project.

I don't know whether to celebrate or be bummed out because it's not finished.:lol:

[lobie]

Thanks.

One year ago today I took the first nuts and bolts off the truck and started this project.

I don't know whether to celebrate or be bummed out because it's not finished.:lol:


It took me 13 months to come out and i didn't do near the amount of work u have done.

[Mudbull]

Beautiful work, truely an inspiration as always! Your making me think awefully hard about doing a port/ polish job when i get my stuff apart, once again you do excellent work. Good luck, i look forward to the updates (cant wait to see the engine all painted).

[rwjohnstone]

Wow looks great and I am sure it will be a flawless runner. Have you considered 60lb springs?

[Resbum]

Thanks.

I may do exhaust springs in the future, but now I won't be running an exhaust brake or 4000 RPM so I'm not worried about them. The machine shop checked their tension when the head was worked over.

Got the pistons pulled today. Tommorow I'll start checking everything over. First impressions are good.
http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/8081/20120624162732.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/688/20120624162732.jpg/)

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7506/20120624162615.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/151/20120624162615.jpg/)

[gotmike]

you might want to think about the the stud kit, and check around to see about O-ringing your block for where the head bolts on... i've heard great things about doing that... not only for power numbers, but for longevity of the engine... with the amount of work you're doing you may well never need to open this engine up again (just take the valve covers off occasionally to check your backlash) just something to look into...

[WHSII]

Thanks.

One year ago today I took the first nuts and bolts off the truck and started this project.

I don't know whether to celebrate or be bummed out because it's not finished.:lol:
When I started my stock restoration of my J10, I thought long and hard and decided it could be done in 14 months.

July 2nd, it will be 28 months... I am close to painting, but not there yet.

Better to do it right and take longer than rush it and not be happy.

Very nice work!

WH

[Resbum]

Thanks for the comments everyone.
you might want to think about the the stud kit, and check around to see about O-ringing your block for where the head bolts on... i've heard great things about doing that... not only for power numbers, but for longevity of the engine... with the amount of work you're doing you may well never need to open this engine up again (just take the valve covers off occasionally to check your backlash) just something to look into...
There are several reasons why I'm not jumping onboard the stud/fire ring bandwagon.

The biggest one is $$$$. By the time everything adds up it's about $1000. I don't have that. Next, because of the tunnel, with studs it will be impossible to pull the head without removing the engine from the truck. The fire rings would require ordering special parts in the future, which I want to avoid. And, to be honest, are overkill in my opinion. More on that later.

Edit- gotmike, I hope you don't feel like I was slamming you down. I replied from my phone and unintentionally sounded abrupt.

[68J2000]

I'm with you the head studs and O-ringing/fire-ringing is over kill and not really needed for a moderately built street engine. I've got a 6bt from a 89 Ram that I threw into my 97 ram and I've seen around 32psi loaded up and between 28-30psi unloaded. I've never run into any kind of trouble with my head bolts/head gasket and checked the head bolts with a gauge before re-torquing the bolts to 135ft.lb. (Torque to yield I believe for these bolts). I am running the 60lb valve springs only because I have a Jacobs brake and a 4200RPM governor spring.

If you really want to wake that engine up after you get it all back together I'd recommend throwing a 3200RPM governor spring in it, it'll feel like a whole new engine afterwards for sure! Good luck and great build so far, love the attention to detail!

[Resbum]

gotmike,
I hope you don't feel like I was slamming you down. I replied from my phone and unintentionally sounded abrupt trying to keep it short. What I meant was I feel if a person properly installs a head then they shouldn't need fire-rings for stock or mild engines. There are a lot of Cummins out there that have never had a problem.
If you really want to wake that engine up after you get it all back together I'd recommend throwing a 3200RPM governor spring in it, it'll feel like a whole new engine afterwards for sure! Good luck and great build so far, love the attention to detail!
I am seriously considering the governor spring.

On with the updates.

Got the manifold back from ceramic coating. Hopefully this and the Reflex gasket will keep me from having cracking issues in the future.
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1617/20120627202724.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/20120627202724.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I pulled the pistons and the rings and cylinders look it excellent shape and the mechanic and I agree to leave well enough alone.

Before
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7506/20120624162615.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/151/20120624162615.jpg/)

I soaked the pistons in throw away pie tins face down in Berryman's Chem-Dip for 6 hours, then went to work cleaning off all the carbon. I left the rings in place and made great pains not to let anything harder the a scrub brush get near them. I finished them off with a polishing of the face.
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/8461/20120627202435.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/20120627202435.jpg/)

After. Notice the two boxes of new rod bearings sitting below them?
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/3300/20120627202538.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/20120627202538.jpg/)

[Resbum]

This is why I'm replacing the rod bearings. Notice the grey flaking? All 6 of the halfs that were on the rod side had this flaking.
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9213/20120630162514.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59/20120630162514.jpg/)

The rod journals on the crank were all within spec for diameter, taper, and out of rounds, so a good polish to cut the glaze was all that was needed. I made these weighted 800 grit wet/dry jigs to hang from the journals. The sanding surface are the exact width of the rod journals
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3420/20120630151201.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/232/20120630151201.jpg/)

By jacking up the back of the truck I levelled the top of the engine block with my level. That's needed so the sandpaper applies even pressure against the journal face. Next, put a blob of thin grease into the oil passages of the journals to keep grit out. I then hung the jigs from the journals two at a time and spun the crankshaft through 12 revolutions.
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1757/20120630161721.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/267/20120630161721.jpg/)

When all are done clean the grease out of the oil passages and clean everything up. I rechecked all specs and everything is still good to go.
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/2972/20120630162226.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/525/20120630162226.jpg/)

[Resbum]

I actually did the top of the block first. I plugged the bottom of the cylinders and used aluminum tape to cover the oil passages. I ran a bottom tap all the way to the bottom of the head bolt hole and retrieved the shavings with my shop magnet. This did a great job of getting the majority out. Very little more came out when I did the final cleaning.
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6031/20120629175533.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/20120629175533.jpg/)

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/2190/20120627202206.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/525/20120627202206.jpg/)

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9166/20120627202034.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/29/20120627202034.jpg/)

When I was finished I could screw the bolts all the way to the bottom by hand. Total depth of all the holes was 40mm or more
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1209/20120628095010.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/171/20120628095010.jpg/)

[Resbum]

These are the tools used to surface the block face. I fine turned my straight edge then took it to the machine shop and compared it with a machinist grade straight edge. He couldn't get his .001" feeler gage in anywhere along its face, so I knew it was true. I used 60 grit, 120 grits and red/blue scotchbright pads. I wiped a light film of cutting oil on the block before using the pads. The thinnest feeler gage I have is .0015".
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/1607/20120630104338.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/137/20120630104338.jpg/)

Here's the sequence I follow when doing a block or head. I basically try to get a feeler gage in anywhere between two hole. Those include oil and water passages, cylinders, and head bolt holes. I got EXTREMELY lucky. Factory specs are up to .003" and I couldn't get my .0015" gage in anywhere. I doubt there's anywhere out by more than .0005".
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/5581/20120624162732paint.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/801/20120624162732paint.jpg/)
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/3944/20120630104222.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/269/20120630104222.jpg/)

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/1029/20120630104110.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/696/20120630104110.jpg/)

Here the straight edge is lined up with the water and oil passages. To me this is an area to pay close attention to.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4311/20120630103956.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/69/20120630103956.jpg/)

I checked the block several times while finishing it and used just enough sanding/polishing and pressure to get the job done.
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/8432/20120630102326.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/844/20120630102326.jpg/)

[Resbum]

After I finished the block face I did the cylinders. The hone marks still look great. I wiped the cylinders down with Berryman's Chem-Dip, let them sit a while, then gave them a light up and down scrubbing with a red scotchbright pad. Clean thoroughly and wipe a film of WD-40 on.