4-cylinder cross country crawler build
- Thread starter The4bangertj
- Start date
OP
Current state is the axles are painted and the rear 35 is pulled. The 44 just need the bump stop pads drilled and tapped for the currie bump stops which I should be able to do finish up tm and have them under and then it should bolt right in. My last wheeling trip was running the desert pretty fast with some motor cycles and I felt like I was keeping up pretty well and definitely hit full compression and it felt fine but those big fat diff covered did hit stuff so with these new axles (as much as I want the arb ones so every knows Im actually locked) I think the lower half skids will be route since I can’t find the Barnetts in stock either. So far pulling the rear has been super easy just very dirty since everything is covered in old trans oil from my trip to get them and it started to rain. New bulkhead fitting for the axles and lines should be here Wednesday as well as I hope to re powdercoat my slider and front coils since I can’t get the curries yet as well As build my own proper sliders since the transmission issue sent me back financially.
Very nice build so far. Reminds me a lot of mine in the past. I did a lot of work on it when I lived in an apartment including an 8.8 swap in a friends driveway and rebuilding my 2.5 with broken piston skirt in my in-laws garage. Im hoping to use your build as motivation to get my jeep back on the trail. Keep up the good work!
OP
Thanks man. I haven’t pulled my motor yet but if this one goes I will throw another Jasper one or what ever is around then in it. Axle swap in the parking lot has gone very smooth some how. I love working it on but it’s doesn’t do much if it’s just sitting so I’ll be waiting to see your progress.
OP
Currently the 44 is bolted in and ready to go and was even able to put my sway bar back on in the rear since this housing doesn’t have broken bolts in the sway bar mounting spot like my Dana 35. Shocks are out since they need painting and I’m waiting for my bulk head fittings to show up to finish the lockers but it drove enough to spin around in the parking spot to pull the front axle. This has shown me my rear track bar that is currently still stock with a raised track bar mount binds a lot and really limits my down travel on the driver side because of it. Am looking into a jks rear, currie rear, or a currie rear with the currie bend bracket too. Any suggestions for that I’m all ears. Now the jeep is flipped around and today the axle is only held in from the upper and lower control arms. I have the front springs out as well as my sliders off to powder coat on campus as they will allow me to powdercoat for free as long as I pay for the powder or bring my own. Super cool I’m able to do that to prolong my need for better sliders as well as buying currie coils since I don’t have the money too.
You'll want to run the angled bracket for sure. I had a JKS rear track bar, but the Currie is the way to go. My JKS always rubbed a little bit, but not enough to limit any flex or travel. She's looking good!
OP
Will prob end up savings for the currie track bar and bracket then since the bind on my rear is the biggest limiting factor rn. My desire for a swaylock/antirock and track bar will have to fight for a little bit till my debt is payed off from the transmission then I can decide which will be first.
Good call since you have limitation in the rear. With the angle of your driveshaft, the angle bracket and Currie track bar is going to be awesome!
OP
Ya I feel like my angle is pretty good considering everything from mml to a 2in deep skid to a 4in lift. I can’t remember the angle off the top of my head but I’ll want to check it again since the rear is in(angle looks good but I just want to double check). I also want to build the short arms the best I can with all savvy arms and currie stuff with the hopes of outboarding the rear still. One day I’d still like to mid arm but that’s not available both financially and lack of a welder in my parking lot.
Your angle will be what it needs to be to point at the t-case. I suspect the majority of your binding is lack of angle and adjustment of the rear track bar. She'll be flexing great in no time!
OP
Ya that was set up and as far I could remember when the track bar is out the shocks limit droop. Then if no shocks then my springs are fully uncompressed (metalcloak 3.5in coils) so I’d assume my drive shaft won’t bind since it could move even more but didn’t, but I never checked specifically for the shaft. That’s what’s weird is I feel like it flexes really good still but can tell it takes a lot of effort for it. Either way thanks for the advice for doing it right the first time.
OP
Thursday I spend most of the day wire wheeling the sliders with the front axle almost all the way out untill I found a sticker on my window warning me I can be booted ($75-$150 to get off) or towed since my jeep is on Jack stands. So then I pulled the front axle all the way out and my buddies came over to help put the new one in.
When putting gear oil in the front I found the copper line has been hit from the ring gear and has the smallest crack through the core( the owner did state he had a small leak somewhere and suspected it to be the seal housing o rings but it’s obvious it was the copper line after seeing it) I think imma try the arb field repair on it first where you just cut the section out and splice in compression fittings since that’s a lot cheaper than buying a new seal housing. The previous owner did say it leaked where it would run the compressor more often so I think it’ll be fine to leak for a little till I can get everything else buttoned up.
So putting the new axle in took alot more work than the rear. I wanted to keep my knuckles and hubs since they are less than a year old but use the new axles shafts since mine are rusty/bent around the outer shaft sheetmetal and the threads on the outer are not the best but after swapping knuckles the new axles shafts wouldn’t separate from the hubs so I just threw in all my new knuckle/shafts/hubs/brakes and hoped his ball joints are decent for the time being. I plan on getting chromo shafts anyway to replace mine so they work for now and they have spicer ujoints.
We go so far that we decided to just get the jeep on its own weight so then they couldn’t boot/tow me. Another side note, I was planning to powdercoat the coils on my campus (just the fronts since the rears were replaced a year ago from sagging) but i was told by others and metalcloak that I shouldn’t repowdercoat them as the heat will warp them or cause spring rate issues so I will only be doing my sliders for the time being and hope to coal the coils in enough paint to not look too bad. At around 10:15pm we had the jeep on its own weight and it’s still missing the track bar mounted, one of the upper control arms, all 4 shocks and steering stabilizer, and still need to install the bull head fittings and solenoids.
Still biking to class which has been a lot better than I was expecting and still shocked I have a 30/44 with arbs and gears.
When putting gear oil in the front I found the copper line has been hit from the ring gear and has the smallest crack through the core( the owner did state he had a small leak somewhere and suspected it to be the seal housing o rings but it’s obvious it was the copper line after seeing it) I think imma try the arb field repair on it first where you just cut the section out and splice in compression fittings since that’s a lot cheaper than buying a new seal housing. The previous owner did say it leaked where it would run the compressor more often so I think it’ll be fine to leak for a little till I can get everything else buttoned up.
So putting the new axle in took alot more work than the rear. I wanted to keep my knuckles and hubs since they are less than a year old but use the new axles shafts since mine are rusty/bent around the outer shaft sheetmetal and the threads on the outer are not the best but after swapping knuckles the new axles shafts wouldn’t separate from the hubs so I just threw in all my new knuckle/shafts/hubs/brakes and hoped his ball joints are decent for the time being. I plan on getting chromo shafts anyway to replace mine so they work for now and they have spicer ujoints.
We go so far that we decided to just get the jeep on its own weight so then they couldn’t boot/tow me. Another side note, I was planning to powdercoat the coils on my campus (just the fronts since the rears were replaced a year ago from sagging) but i was told by others and metalcloak that I shouldn’t repowdercoat them as the heat will warp them or cause spring rate issues so I will only be doing my sliders for the time being and hope to coal the coils in enough paint to not look too bad. At around 10:15pm we had the jeep on its own weight and it’s still missing the track bar mounted, one of the upper control arms, all 4 shocks and steering stabilizer, and still need to install the bull head fittings and solenoids.
Still biking to class which has been a lot better than I was expecting and still shocked I have a 30/44 with arbs and gears.
The last apartment I lived in didn't allow ANY work on vehicle's in the parking area. Couldn't even install a stereo.
Looks great and you're going to enjoy the lockers. Good luck with the line repair.
Looks great and you're going to enjoy the lockers. Good luck with the line repair.
OP
Ya I remember reading the contract specifically for car work and I’m allowed to thankfully. Ya I’ll see how the lockers leak and see how pressed I am on fixing them.
OP
Just finished powder coating the sliders and they’re still hot. Every dimple from rust, scratches, or paint I didn’t get all the way off is very visible but I’m just hoping these can not rust out before I can build my own or buy savvy or genright ones. Just hoping the powdercoat will be stronger on the bottom side against the salty winters here in idaho.
OP
Both axles are under and everything but the air lines lines are done. Gears are noticeably better and around town it feels nimble again. Haven't gotten to the highway yet since I’m waiting to have to bull head fittings in and fix the front copper line in the diff. Rear sway bar back on really isn’t an upgrade but having it back on is noticeable. Rear disks are also noticeably better even just around town. Axles still needs some touch up where I couldn’t fit the brush and I’ll need to do redo the alignment just a bit. Rear pinion angle seems great and no vibes but I will double check it when I grease all my fittings. Did a quick little project to move my front license plate off the bottom and in front of the winch as I wait for my bulkhead fittings to show up. Got a lot of school work today and then might go fishing with friends tm but Monday I should have my lockers all done and ready to hit some trails and see a difference.
OP
Finally got the last parts to the axle swap and got the air lines running. Had to compression fit a new copper line into the front 30 where the copper line was hit from the ring gear with the previous owner. A little long but tested it and it holds air with no leak as well as clears everything inside and doesn’t wiggle around so it should be good to go. The rear was easy since the line was already good to go and just put in the new bulk head fitting since the previous owner took them. My lines are run a little weird since I have my compressor on the passenger fender but if I have any problems I’ll just get more line and route them again. Tested both and had them on for 3-5min each with no compressor kicking on. Now to do some little things like alignment and then get some wheeling in.
OP
Was able to test the lockers today. All I can say is just wow! Anything I hopped on or struggled with before quite literally just walked right up with zero hesitation. The only issues I had was my transfer case popping out of 4low setting me up in some weird spots(see the first pic, but was able to set my self up a little more on the driver side and walk right up). Here’s a few pics real fast of the day. Had an absolute blast and got to shoot some. Just need to resolve the tcase problem.
