rang-a-stang's summer project/build

[rang-a-stang]

Woo Hoo!!!! It's in! Drama free!

[Full Size Jeeper]

Looking good!!!!!!!!!!

[bkilby]

Looking good Rang! Keep up the good work! I take it the fires missed you...

[Driftwood]

I want a new engine for my 79.

[iapexl8r]

looking good! when do you fire it up? Be sure the oil pump has been primed, I use vasoline (for the priming of the oil pump). man its getting close

[rang-a-stang]

Thanks guys! I am super excited! Yeah, fires missed us but some good friends of ours were evacuated and stayed in our tiny house for a few nights. They went home to a smokey house a few nights later but it was still there. The hills around us burned and it was pretty eerie seeing them glowing orange.

Not sure when I'll fire it up. I am shooting to be driving it by Christmas and so far that seems reasonable. I did pack my oil pump with vaseline. The dizzy in there now is just an old dizzy that i am going to strip the cam gear off so I can use it as a priming tool.

So last night, I cracked open my transfer case to figure out why it would not go into E-Drive/4WD. I found that my motor was not fully seated. The spring that holds it in place was demolished (see picture, dead spring on the right, obviously compared to a good one) which allowed some movement. So when vacuum hit the motor on the E-Drive/4WD side, instead of the motor shifting into E-Drive the whole housing would move just enough to light the light but not enough to fully engage 4WD. I had a spare spring so I popped it in there and Boom! 4WD works again.


Tonight I installed the trans case, replaced the yoke seal on my rear axle, gave it some new U-joints, and now have a complete drive train installed (obviously not the small bits but the big parts). Hopefully this weekend I can finish installing all my brake lines, steering, and wiper motor.

[SOLSAKS]

well the cat's in the craddle now !!!

really looks nice with all the detail

and painting work on the chassis and firewall.

we are all stoked and wanting new engines ourselves now !

dave in NC

[rang-a-stang]

Wiper motor is in (that was 5 minutes).

Steering column installed along with the XJ intermediate shaft are in. I am super stoked on on the intermediate shaft.

Dual diaphragm brake booster (Thanks BKilby!!) in. Master in Cylinder in. I re-did the flare nuts on the long brake line because I could never get them to seal correctly and added the brake line armor at the same time. I couldn't get the flare nut to thread into the proportioning valve so I removed the proportioning valve and saw I not only boogered up the threads but the little cone at the bottom is jacked, too. Awesome. That would explain why the last brake line in that socket wouldn't seal. Now I am on the hunt for a proportioning valve.

[Driftwood]

Dang, wish I had seen the spare tire rack on your old frame sooner. I need one because my rack is missing. It wasn't with the 79 when I bought it back in 08.

[rang-a-stang]

Dang, wish I had seen the spare tire rack on your old frame sooner. I need one because my rack is missing. It wasn't with the 79 when I bought it back in 08.

I swapped my tire rack to my new chassis. If you need a tire rack, PM me. I know a guy that probably has one and usually sells his stuff pretty cheap.
********************************************
No good pictures because there really isn't much to see.

I am a federal employee so yesterday while I was federally mourning the loss of 41 I was finally able to finish up the hard brakes lines all the way around. Then I opened all the bleeders to let them gravity bleed while I was working on other items and NOTHING came out. (yes, I bench bled the master) Sigh... I guess I'll have to do the old fashioned 2 man job. Not a big deal, it's just time.

Also:
Re-sealed the heater box, installed starter, passenger header, push rods, and rockers. As I was setting valve lash I ran out of time and had to step out for other stuff. I hope to finishing lashing the rockers in the next 48 hours, button up the valve covers, and start installing the front accessories. I had to order a new oil dipstick tube because the crappy Omix Ada one I had before was cracked...soooo I ordered another one . I am hoping that I will have better luck installing this one since I have better access to the side of the block and the header is not on yet. Besides, it was $6 on amazon. If I break it, I'll get another. I can get 6 of these crappy OA ones for the cost on one Bulltear one.

I need to get busy! I want to fire it up sometime in the next 15 days! I am taking my Mazda racing on Saturday so that day is out. Sunday, my bride and I are heading to Huntington Beach to visit my brother after church so that day's out, too. Maybe I'll try to make next weekend (15-16 Dec) a 3 day weekend devoted to get the Jeep running... hmmm....

[Full Size Jeeper]

When you tried to install the tube did you use any anti-seize or lube? Trying to learn from others mistakes, Also what tool did you use to try and get it in. Did you sand it a little?

[rang-a-stang]

I just touched the ridge on my bench grinder, just to get a tiny bit off the sealing bulge. I inserted it in the hole as far as I could get it, then I slid a fat fender washer down to ride on the ridge that rides on the block. A wrench went after that to distribute the force of my mallet as I tapped it in as far as I could. I did not put anything on the tube (sealant or anti seize). I am going to cut the header to clear the dipstick tube. (like in this discussion).

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=185636

If you are not going to cut your header flange, install the header first.

[rang-a-stang]

So, you ever have one of those days where working on your FSJ is like putting together a Lego set; where everything just kind of fits together and you have all the parts? I didn't have one of those days today.

My goal today was to install the exhaust (done), bleed the brakes (done), fuel system (didn't touch it), install the front accessories ( ) and get the sheet metal installed. I cut my driver header flange to make it easier to install/remove with the dip stick. My exhuast was made when my chassis was bent so it doesn't fit as perfectly as it used to.


I started the day by separating the inner fenders from my fenders, and the rad support from the front fascia. I cleaned them and painted them satin black. They came out super nice but it was too dark to take pictures. Notice the drivers fender well (the yellow) showed signs of a dead Duraspark. Getting that goop off was not hard, but it sucked. Heat gun for the heavy stuff then the rest came off with denatured alcohol.



I started the install on the serpentine belt system I bought from wesdog and it's a mess. Pretty much NOTHING lines up. Nothing. I spent about an hour on it, got frustrated, and moved on to a few other items. I don't want to install sheet metal until I get the front accessories done.


Before I cleaned up, I also went through some of my parts stashes to get rid of a bunch of stuff. It's nice getting things put away, and otherwise disposed of. My transfer case is now completely installed since I ran all my vacuum lines to it and hooked up the speedo. My hard vacuum lines on for my trans case were absolutely caked in grime. Took me about an hour to get them cleaned up.

Next up will be the fuel system and I have to figure out what I am going to do about this accessory drive. grrrr....

[rang-a-stang]

As I have been waiting for my Nylon fuel line to show up later today (thanks for the advice babywag) to finish my fuel system, I have been tinkering on easy things, here and there. I updated my fuel pickup. The factory pickup tube was already 3/8" so all I did was add a new strainer to the end of it. I used cotter pins to hold it together because it seemed the most risk free. The discharge side is 5/16"s now and I intentionally had it dump onto the strainer.

I also have 4 pulleys (crank, water pump, power steering, and an idler) of my 8 total pulleys lined up. The last 4 (A/C, Alt, and 2 idlers) will all come together later this week. I have a plan to get them into alignment but I still have to measure for new hardware. I have to move my A/C pump about 1/2" forward and the alt and idlers will come with it. That means I have to fab some solid spacers and buy new Grade 8 bolts to hold it all together. Then I should be ready to measure/buy my belt.
I already shaved the bracket and installed my new alt (150amp CS144). It BARELY fits in that bracket from Bulltear. I had to drill a new upper hole in the alt tab to get the hardware to line up and there is maybe 1/16" clearance between the alt cooling fan and the bracket. The alt also hanga a bit outboard of the engine and may interfere with the inner fender.
1 week to Christmas. I want to drive it by Christmas. Prayers appreciated!

[SOLSAKS]

rang a stang

i hope you do get to drive it by x-mas...we are pulling for you.

i like that pulley system.

1/16"..... man, that is close.

that new power plant looks good sitting inside the clean frame and newly painted firewall.

once again,...good luck.
dave in NC