Barbara Sylvanas do it all build

[Sundowner]

Same here, pics didn't bother me and I thought the look was cool. Saw a few in person and just not a fan.

Yeah, I loved them in the photos, but it didn't look great when I saw one in front of me. If I recall correctly, the flares are actually quite a bit chunkier than the stockers...and the rear flare sits really high on the body. I also thought the front sheetmetal looked a bit odd after it was moved up; almost cantilevered in its proportion. But again, we're just debating preference, here; any highline done well looks better than one that's half-assed...and it actually works, too, so that's good.

 

[Classic>New]

I see what you two are saying. That's part of my hesitation if I am being honest. I know it might look good to me in pictures but in person how would I feel? I never thought of the visual blocking when it comes to the fenders either. I don't want to throw cash into something that I have never seen in person.

 

[jjvw]

In person, the AEV and DIY has a H2/H3 Hummer look. Look at enough pics, and you'll start to see it.

My thought is that this is a situation where you either leave it alone and work around the stock body or you commit to something that doesn't pretend to be something it isn't.

If form follows function, things will often still end up looking appropriate.

 

[Classic>New]

Took Barbara out on her maiden voyage today at Wharton National Park, NJ. Gotta say she handled it all like a champ from mud to sand. I would have been a bit more daring if I had people with me but still had a great time.

 

[Classic>New]

Question for the peanut gallery. I am going to be swapping in a Dana 44 rear axle and have been doing quite a bit of research on the aspects of the front Dana 30. I want to swap in a high pinion Dana 30 non-disconnecting from an XJ to get a little more clearance. The axles out of an XJ aren't overly pricey so it seems valid to me.

I know the gearing isn't interchangable as the pinion is different and will have to do high pinion specific gearing but that's an easy task of just buying the right gears.

So where my question comes in is; what else would I need to have ready in order to install the axle in relation to drive train? From what I have seen I don't need anything else other than maybe adjustable control arms but even that doesn't seem like a solid must. From what I can tell it's just a direct bolt and play. Am I right or am I missing things?

 

[Sundowner]

Well, before you go any further: the HP30 won't give you any more clearance. All it does is help your driveshaft stay out of the rocks, and it gives you a gear set that pulls together instead of spreading apart under load.

 

[Classic>New]

Well, before you go any further: the HP30 won't give you any more clearance. All it does is help your driveshaft stay out of the rocks, and it gives you a gear set that pulls together instead of spreading apart under load.

Right, well I like the sound of keeping my drive shaft further from the rocks. Depending on who you ask 4"s is a substantial difference. And I am inclined to agree with them.

 

[mrblaine]

Well, before you go any further: the HP30 won't give you any more clearance. All it does is help your driveshaft stay out of the rocks, and it gives you a gear set that pulls together instead of spreading apart under load.

The gear set doesn't really pull together for either high or low pinion depending on which end of the vehicle it is installed into.

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If you look at the profile of the tooth, there is a sloped side that is not parallel to the axle shaft and a straight side that is parallel. When the gear is driven on the straight side, the force to turn it delivered by the pinion is transmitted to the gear at a nice right angle to the gear rotation and the effect is relatively neutral deflection.

When the ring gear is driven on the coast or sloped side of the gear tooth, it is as you said, trying to push the two teeth apart or away from each other. To keep the deflection to a safe minimum, the axle needs to be much larger in a rear application to keep the teeth from walking out of pattern far enough that the ends of the tooth see too much force and break off.

 

[mrblaine]

Right, well I like the sound of keeping my drive shaft further from the rocks. Depending on who you ask 4"s is a substantial difference. And I am inclined to agree with them.

It is rare unless you are playing in places like JV to actually need the higher clearance afforded by the higher pinion. Very rare and so rare that until we started playing in JV on a regular basis, it was a non issue and I had never even heard of someone taking out a front LP 30 front driveshaft on a rock. They still get taken out with a HP 30, just not as often.

 

[Classic>New]

It is rare unless you are playing in places like JV to actually need the higher clearance afforded by the higher pinion. Very rare and so rare that until we started playing in JV on a regular basis, it was a non issue and I had never even heard of someone taking out a front LP 30 front driveshaft on a rock. They still get taken out with a HP 30, just not as often.

Hmmm this makes me think. If it is that rare that the drive shaft get taken out I would rather spend that money else where. The funny thing about the internet is that it always seems to focus on the negative likely hoods and makes these issues sound more common which put the thought in my head of getting the HP.

So it's something that I really "shouldn't" have to worry about and just stick to the LP?

 

[mrblaine]

So it's something that I really "shouldn't" have to worry about and just stick to the LP?

Are you going to play in areas like Johnson Valley? Yes? it is worth consideration then.
If you are not going to play in JV, then you have a very low likelihood of taking out a front driveshaft.

The problem with everyone recommending the use of a HP 30 is that has driven up the cost of the housings. They used to be disposable in that they cost around 150 bucks so it didn't matter much if you trashed it, just go get another one and move the expensive bits over. Now they are averaging about 450-500 and more in this area. At that price, they are getting into an area where a real axle is starting to look good.

 

[Classic>New]

Are you going to play in areas like Johnson Valley? Yes? it is worth consideration then.
If you are not going to play in JV, then you have a very low likelihood of taking out a front driveshaft.

The problem with everyone recommending the use of a HP 30 is that has driven up the cost of the housings. They used to be disposable in that they cost around 150 bucks so it didn't matter much if you trashed it, just go get another one and move the expensive bits over. Now they are averaging about 450-500 and more in this area. At that price, they are getting into an area where a real axle is starting to look good.

I would like to tackle JV and similar places. I'll keep pondering and do more research. Thanks for the help

 

[Sundowner]

The gear set doesn't really pull together for either high or low pinion depending on which end of the vehicle it is installed into.

View attachment 99807​

If you look at the profile of the tooth, there is a sloped side that is not parallel to the axle shaft and a straight side that is parallel. When the gear is driven on the straight side, the force to turn it delivered by the pinion is transmitted to the gear at a nice right angle to the gear rotation and the effect is relatively neutral deflection.

When the ring gear is driven on the coast or sloped side of the gear tooth, it is as you said, trying to push the two teeth apart or away from each other. To keep the deflection to a safe minimum, the axle needs to be much larger in a rear application to keep the teeth from walking out of pattern far enough that the ends of the tooth see too much force and break off.

That's not only a much better explanation than I gave, but excellent evidence for why I should keep my mouth shut far more often than I do.