Sab-a-dab-a-doo! The back-country LJ build has officially started

[sab]

This morning I mounted the hard lines for the fuel system along the driver's side frame rail. Because I installed the Genright raised body mounts, I couldn't just use Adel clamps at the top outside of the frame rail because the raised body mounts interfere. I started by re-mounting the gas tank and skid so that I knew where the rear end of the lines needed to be. With those ends located properly, I used an Adel clamp to mount them to the frame:

With that in place, I did some custom bending to get the lines just right, and then I used Adel clamps mounted to the tops of each of the raised body mounts. I tapped each hole drilled for a 1/4-28 screw from the bottom, since I couldn't get the tub raised high enough to do it from the top:

Here are the Adel clamps for the rear two body mounts:

And for the front body mount, I used 1/2" tall aluminum spacers on both lines to get some space between the abrasive stainless flex line and the body mount:

I just had some lunch, and I'm headed out to work on the center console slots for the cutting brake handles. Stay tuned!

 

[sab]

To cut the slots in the console for the cutting brake levers, I had already used the short dummy levers to mark the locations of the slots in the console. I started by using a Rotabroach cutter for the ends of the slots:

Then, once all four end holes were cut, I mounted the console to the side of the fab table and marked the cut lines between the holes:

Then I used a pneumatic body saw to cut along the lines:

And here they are complete:

Here's the console over the levers inside the LJ:

I'm a little worried about slot length. I don't really know how far the levers will need to move in order to move the brake caliper pistons, so I really don't know if those slots are enough. I won't know until I finish the Savvy mid-arm axle bracket install and put the axles back in, and it will be awhile because there's a lot of work to do to finish that. Fingers crossed!

Next weekend, I plan to start re-installing the transmission, transfer case, and skids. Stay tuned!

 

[sab]

Not much accomplished today. First, I installed the @sunnysideup_lj hood latch skid plate:

What a well made piece - fits the curves perfectly, and closing the hood is smooth now!

Then I cleaned and reinstalled the exhaust heat shield:

Hopefully my ambition returns tomorrow. Today was a de-stress day after a crazy week. I was dragging my butt all day. Stay tuned!

 

[sab]

Progress! I got the transmission and t-case back in the rig today:

Stay tuned!

 

[ColoJeep]

Progress! I got the transmission and t-case back in the rig today:
View attachment 609956

View attachment 609957

Stay tuned!

How do you work on a Jeep standing up like a human being ?

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Nice...

 

[sab]

How do you work on a Jeep standing up like a human being ?

Today was a "bad back day," and Advil wouldn't help. Without the lift, I wouldn't have been able to do what I did.

 

[sab]

I spent all day on the block-off plate for the twin sticks. I'm happy how it turned out:

Just got it painted:

I ordered some 10-32 screws and rivet nuts to finish the installation next weekend. Stay tuned!

 

[sab]

I started another bonus build project the weekend before last and finished it tonight. As I was building the brake lines, I realized that the flex lines running to the rear axle will need to be attached to the control arms. In addition, there will be an air line for the locker and an electric line for a pressure switch at the locker that I will use to trigger my locker lights (Rubicon).

I've seen people just zip tie them to the control arms, but I worry about everything staying put with the movement of the arms. I'd seen some steel tabs that could be held in place with hose clamps that allow a zip tie to go around them, and I liked that idea, but I wanted them in 316 stainless for corrosion resistance and couldn't find any, so I drew up a flat pattern in Fusion and had SendCutSend make a couple dozen of them for me:

I would have had them bend them, too, but they couldn't make the bends required because they are too close together. I knew I could find a way to bend them, so I placed the order, and when they arrived this afternoon, I cut out of the office at a reasonable hour and headed home to the shop to take a stab at bending them. It turned out to be easier than I expected.

First, I put a 90° bend on the end with the opening in it. That was the easy bend because I could use my press brake setup. I use a dial indicator to determine how far to move the knife when I'm making repetitive bends - it saves time:

Here's how they look with that first bend in them:

The second bend was a head-scratcher at first. I have a lot of pliers and other implements that I've used over the years for creatively making bends, so I went to my newest "old stand-by" - a pair of Knipex parallel, smooth-jaw pliers (I love these pliers!) I scribed a line 1/2" from the end and placed one pliers sideways on the line, and then used the other at 90° to it and made the bend, which is pretty easy with 16g sheet:

Here's what it looks like strapped on the control arm:

And with a hastily-set random wire harness zip-tied in place:

I'm pretty happy with the results. Stay tuned!

 

[lBasket]

I started another bonus build project the weekend before last and finished it tonight. As I was building the brake lines, I realized that the flex lines running to the rear axle will need to be attached to the control arms. In addition, there will be an air line for the locker and an electric line for a pressure switch at the locker that I will use to trigger my locker lights (Rubicon).

I've seen people just zip tie them to the control arms, but I worry about everything staying put with the movement of the arms. I'd seen some steel tabs that could be held in place with hose clamps that allow a zip tie to go around them, and I liked that idea, but I wanted them in 316 stainless for corrosion resistance and couldn't find any, so I drew up a flat pattern in Fusion and had SendCutSend make a couple dozen of them for me:
View attachment 610643

I would have had them bend them, too, but they couldn't make the bends required because they are too close together. I knew I could find a way to bend them, so I placed the order, and when they arrived this afternoon, I cut out of the office at a reasonable hour and headed home to the shop to take a stab at bending them. It turned out to be easier than I expected.

First, I put a 90° bend on the end with the opening in it. That was the easy bend because I could use my press brake setup. I use a dial indicator to determine how far to move the knife when I'm making repetitive bends - it saves time:
View attachment 610646

Here's how they look with that first bend in them:
View attachment 610647

The second bend was a head-scratcher at first. I have a lot of pliers and other implements that I've used over the years for creatively making bends, so I went to my newest "old stand-by" - a pair of Knipex parallel, smooth-jaw pliers (I love these pliers!) I scribed a line 1/2" from the end and placed one pliers sideways on the line, and then used the other at 90° to it and made the bend, which is pretty easy with 16g sheet:
View attachment 610648

Here's what it looks like strapped on the control arm:
View attachment 610651

And with a hastily-set random wire harness zip-tied in place:
View attachment 610654

I'm pretty happy with the results. Stay tuned!

Looks good... are you going to weld them down or is there a reason you want them to be removeable?

 

[sab]

are you going to weld them down?

No, the control arms are heat-treated aluminum and the tabs are stainless steel.

or is there a reason you want them to be removeable?

Flexibility for mods in the future. I see no reason to make them permanent, and any way to do that would likely weaken the control arms.

 

[lBasket]

No, the control arms are heat-treated aluminum and the tabs are stainless steel.


Flexibility for mods in the future. I see no reason to make them permanent.

Cool makes sense. Just curious. Good engineerin' with them I like it.

 

[sab]

Yesterday, I started on closing off the tunnel for the transmission and transfer case levers. I'll post more on that shortly, but first, in anticipation of putting the interior back together, I pressure washed the carpet this morning. I hung it out side on a line to let most of the water drip off all day, and then I moved it into the shop on a make-shift clothesline this afternoon:

Back to the close-off project. Yesterday, I cut some .060" thick adhesive-backed foam to put on the block-off plate I made last weekend (to hopefully seal it from hot air attempting to come into the cabin):

For the first half, I cut it out first using a pattern I transferred to paper, and then applied it, as shown above. The second half was a bit more complicated due to the clearance hump for the Atlas twin-stick tower, so I just stuck the foam to the plate and then cut the edges and holes (holes were cut with an ordinary paper single-hole punch.) Viola:

Also yesterday, I installed the 10-32 nutserts needed to install the block-off plate:

And that wrapped up yesterday's build activities. This morning, I was occupied by another project - the battery for our fancy zero-turn mower. I can't keep batteries alive - it will last one season even with a smart charger on it whenever it's not in use. Every spring I have to buy a new $75 sealed lead acid battery. I've tried three different chargers on different settings, and the results are always the same - a dead battery in the spring. I had to drive into town to get a new battery for it.

Mid-morning, I started back in on the LJ build. I had not replaced the stock nutserts around the block-off plate because I thought I'd be able to use them, but they didn't work - they were spinning when tightening the screws. I tried using the nutsert tool to pinch them tighter, but the that resulted in stripped nutserts. I think they are 10-32, but maybe not? To remedy the situation, I just drilled them out and replaced them with new 10-32 nutserts. Then I put the transmission block-off cover and the new transfer case block-off plate I made on:

Finally, I used self-tappers to install the boots on the Atlas twin-sticks and planetary levers:

I'm getting close to starting in on the axles. However, I don't think it'll happen next weekend because I'll likely clean the interior and then start installing the carpet, seats, and center console. Stay tuned!

 

[chili_pepper]

Kenwood KSC-PSW7EQ

Did you ever get this wired using the factory harness?

And how do you like your Astro rivnut tool? I'm in the market for one as well as a rivstud tool they make.

 

[sab]

Did you ever get this wired using the factory harness?

No, not yet. It's coming up though. I needed to get the levers all done to figure out if it can go inside the console. I didn't think it would fit, but now that the levers are done, I think it will. I just have to make a bracket. I'll likely be installing and wiring that in a few weeks.

BTW - thanks for making the STL file of your cabin air filter horn available. I had a friend print it, and we chose PPS-CF when Bambu introduce it as a new material. It's an incredible material (very strong and very temperature tolerant), but in researching adhesives compatible with polyphenylene sulfide, I'm finding that most aren't compatible. It's a very hard-to-bond material. I did find some adhesives that were compatible by working with an adhesive company, but they were in the $1000 per ounce range. I have an aircraft-grade fuel tank epoxy I may try, or I may try plastic-welding it, and if neither of those work, I'll just have to get it printed in ABS so that I can glue it with ABS glue. I haven't done anything with the pieces, yet, because I'm discouraged by the adhesive situation...

 

[chili_pepper]

No, not yet. It's coming up though. I needed to get the levers all done to figure out if it can go inside the console. I didn't think it would fit, but now that the levers are done, I think it will. I just have to make a bracket. I'll likely be installing and wiring that in a few weeks.

I just had the rear half of my console out to verify a subwoofer adapter ring print I did this weekend and ended up driving around without the console in....and I think I might like it better without the rear armrest part, feels roomier. But I don't want to ditch the sub completely, so looking at that particular Kenwood unit to possibly relocate under a front seat.

BTW - thanks for making the STL file of your cabin air filter horn available.

No problem, though apparently they are no longer available for download, some issue with my host server that I haven't yet resolved. Two members recently tipped me off to it.

PPS-CF when Bambu introduce it as a new material

Haven't gone for any of that yet, but did buy some PPA-CF. Haven't had a project yet to justify it.

I'll just have to get it printed in ABS so that I can glue it with ABS glue. I haven't done anything with the pieces, yet, because I'm discouraged by the adhesive situation...

You can use straight acetone for tight joints, though I tend to use a fairly thin ABS glue mix.

FYI, I do have a V2 of that in the works, modifying the main air plenum design so as to reduce supports (and therefore waste, a lot of it) and print time as well as making the assembly compatible with earlier TJ cowls. I could even mirror it for those owning right hand drive Jeeps. I'm also considering offering up some assembled prints (or maybe printed glue-up kits) for those who don't have access to a suitable printer....just a thought at the moment.

I know of two printed in ABS (by me) that have at least 1 year of summer/winter temp cycle (Mid-Atlantic, Northeast) on them and appear to be holding strong.

 

[Mike_H]

Try the print in ASA if your printer can handle it. Basically the same mechanical properties as ABS, but much more UV resistant.

 

[Woodrow]

Yesterday, I started on closing off the tunnel for the transmission and transfer case levers. I'll post more on that shortly, but first, in anticipation of putting the interior back together, I pressure washed the carpet this morning. I hung it out side on a line to let most of the water drip off all day, and then I moved it into the shop on a make-shift clothesline this afternoon:View attachment 612120

Back to the close-off project. Yesterday, I cut some .060" thick adhesive-backed foam to put on the block-off plate I made last weekend (to hopefully seal it from hot air attempting to come into the cabin):
View attachment 612122

For the first half, I cut it out first using a pattern I transferred to paper, and then applied it, as shown above. The second half was a bit more complicated due to the clearance hump for the Atlas twin-stick tower, so I just stuck the foam to the plate and then cut the edges and holes (holes were cut with an ordinary paper single-hole punch.) Viola:
View attachment 612124

Also yesterday, I installed the 10-32 nutserts needed to install the block-off plate:
View attachment 612127

And that wrapped up yesterday's build activities. This morning, I was occupied by another project - the battery for our fancy zero-turn mower. I can't keep batteries alive - it will last one season even with a smart charger on it whenever it's not in use. Every spring I have to buy a new $75 sealed lead acid battery. I've tried three different chargers on different settings, and the results are always the same - a dead battery in the spring. I had to drive into town to get a new battery for it.

Mid-morning, I started back in on the LJ build. I had not replaced the stock nutserts around the block-off plate because I thought I'd be able to use them, but they didn't work - they were spinning when tightening the screws. I tried using the nutsert tool to pinch them tighter, but the that resulted in stripped nutserts. I think they are 10-32, but maybe not? To remedy the situation, I just drilled them out and replaced them with new 10-32 nutserts. Then I put the transmission block-off cover and the new transfer case block-off plate I made on:
View attachment 612151

Finally, I used self-tappers to install the boots on the Atlas twin-sticks and planetary levers:
View attachment 612152

I'm getting close to starting in on the axles. However, I don't think it'll happen next weekend because I'll likely clean the interior and then start installing the carpet, seats, and center console. Stay tuned!

Nice work on the twin stick. That part took some time for me to think my way through. I may have missed it, but did you need to "massage" your tub at all to clear the Atlas?

 

[Wildman]

I just had the rear half of my console out to verify a subwoofer adapter ring print I did this weekend and ended up driving around without the console in....and I think I might like it better without the rear armrest part, feels roomier. But I don't want to ditch the sub completely, so looking at that particular Kenwood unit to possibly relocate under a front seat.



No problem, though apparently they are no longer available for download, some issue with my host server that I haven't yet resolved. Two members recently tipped me off to it.



Haven't gone for any of that yet, but did buy some PPA-CF. Haven't had a project yet to justify it.



You can use straight acetone for tight joints, though I tend to use a fairly thin ABS glue mix.

FYI, I do have a V2 of that in the works, modifying the main air plenum design so as to reduce supports (and therefore waste, a lot of it) and print time as well as making the assembly compatible with earlier TJ cowls. I could even mirror it for those owning right hand drive Jeeps. I'm also considering offering up some assembled prints (or maybe printed glue-up kits) for those who don't have access to a suitable printer....just a thought at the moment.

In know of two printed in ABS (by me) that have at least 1 year of summer/winter temp cycle (Mid-Atlantic, Northeast) on them and appear to be holding strong.

When you get the early TJ version ready I'll take one.

 

[sab]

I may have missed it, but did you need to "massage" your tub at all to clear the Atlas?

Oh, yeah - it was an ordeal. A four-speed Atlas and a tummy tuck are not a beginner's project. I've got a fair amount of fabrication experience (but never did it for a living, so I'm no expert), but at times, this project absolutely humbled me. I built a jig to use a hydraulic ram to bump the tub out. You can see that starting with Post #259. However, I learned the hard way that the dual-layers of the tub should be disconnected by cutting the spot-welds first because not doing so will result in a messed-up floor pan beneath the drivers seat. You can see that damage in that post (#259) part way down. To fix that (not back to "show" quality, sadly), I cut the spot welds, which you can see in Post #375, and starting in Post #378, I repaired the floor pan using mainly hammers, then re-welded the spot welds, followed by doing some additional tub mods to clear the shift tower for the twin sticks. I started it in late September 2024, while I was between jobs (by choice) and was able to work on it full-time for about a month total. I worked on other things some in the meantime (for instance, cutting brakes, "since I'm in there.")

I figure I have north of 300 hours in my Atlas install and tummy tuck work - a LOT more work (and re-work) than I expected.