High travel, high clearance & high octane, a streetable adventure LJ story

BuildBreakRepeat said:
Whoa whoa whoa whoa @Chris
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Don't worry, I'm not gone. I needed the money to pay off some backed taxes I owed to the IRS, as they had put a lien on my house.

Now that that's taken care of, I'm going to save up for about a year and look for an AEV LJ with a V8 swap. It will probably run me about 40k, but it will be everything I've ever wanted and more!

It's not a question of if it's going to happen, just when :)

Anyways, sorry to hijack the thread :)
 
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Chris said:
Don't worry, I'm not gone. I needed the money to pay off some backed taxes I owed to the IRS, as they had put a lien on my house.

Now that that's taken care of, I'm going to save up for about a year and look for an AEV LJ with a V8 swap. It will probably run me about 40k, but it will be everything I've ever wanted and more!

It's not a question of if it's going to happen, just when :)

Anyways, sorry to hijack the thread :)
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That’s the dream man, sorry to hear about the taxes - those are rough sometimes. I’m planning to build my Jeep almost the exact same as your rubi. Good luck on the search! And to its new owner :)
 
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BuildBreakRepeat said:
That’s the dream man, sorry to hear about the taxes - those are rough sometimes. I’m planning to build my Jeep almost the exact same as your rubi. Good luck on the search! And to its new owner :)
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I love that Jeep, but at least I know it went to a good home.

I've wanted one of those AEV LJs forever, and I've also really wanted a V8 swapped TJ / LJ forever as well. I think this will be the culmination of my TJ / LJ dreams, and I'm finally at a point in my life where I can actually make it happen!

I'm just happy @toximus bought it, because at least I know it went to someone on the forum who knows what they are doing. I wouldn't have wanted to sell it to some a$$hat who was going to destroy it. It really is in great condition!
 
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Chris said:
I love that Jeep, but at least I know it went to a good home.

I've wanted one of those AEV LJs forever, and I've also really wanted a V8 swapped TJ / LJ forever as well. I think this will be the culmination of my TJ / LJ dreams, and I'm finally at a point in my life where I can actually make it happen!

I'm just happy @toximus bought it, because at least I know it went to someone on the forum who knows what they are doing. I wouldn't have wanted to sell it to some a$$hat who was going to destroy it. It really is in great condition!
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I’ve always loved the stock look while achieving max capability. @toximus is gonna love that thing - just hope he posts pics of it getting out there! ;)
 
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Chris said:
Don't let him fool you... it's for his wife, not him ;)

Well, unless I misunderstood it.
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I will have to, uh, test drive it often you know... Make sure the wheels still turn, the go peddle still makes it go, and the suspension still flexes. The usual stuff.


BuildBreakRepeat said:
hope he posts pics of it getting out there! ;)
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I'll see what I can do for you.
 
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The windshield is removed, remaining rust spots sanded, and internal paint applied. Once the internal paint dries I will shoot the red paint.

20190316_windsheild-frame-hanging.jpg


And the rollcage is painted. It will be covered in padding again so the ugly paint transitions won't be seen.

20190316_cage-painted.jpg
 
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Tom Wood's exchanged my 2" front driveshaft for a 1.25" shaft. It now clears the transmission. I bolted up the exhaust pipe and it clears too.

Long term I'm going to need a larger shaft in there if I want it to survive when the hubs are locked at speed. Once I have absolute final measurements I will be having a special custom shaft made out of chromoly with the splines placed where the transmission interference is and heat treated. This smaller 1.25" shaft at least will allow me to mock up and measure and later will be a spare.

20190315_tomwoods-front-125-driveshaft.jpg
 
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toximus said:
Tom Wood's exchanged my 2" front driveshaft for a 1.25" shaft. It now clears the transmission. I bolted up the exhaust pipe and it clears too.

Long term I'm going to need a larger shaft in there if I want it to survive when the hubs are locked at speed. Once I have absolute final measurements I will be having a special custom shaft made out of chromoly with the splines placed where the transmission interference is and heat treated. This smaller 1.25" shaft at least will allow me to mock up and measure and later will be a spare.

View attachment 82695
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At speed means anything over 60-65 mph. I don't see any opportunity where that is a viable option or where you need to go faster than that in 4 hi.
 
mrblaine said:
At speed means anything over 60-65 mph. I don't see any opportunity where that is a viable option or where you need to go faster than that in 4 hi.
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55-60mph will happen with the hubs locked (2wd) just being on the streets in winter. Won't a larger shaft be easier on the TC bearings even at those speeds? I suppose it also depends on how bad the pinion angle ends up being once the steering is dialed in and the vibes it causes. If the vibes are bad enough it may not matter what size shaft I end up with.
 
toximus said:
55-60mph will happen with the hubs locked (2wd) just being on the streets in winter. Won't a larger shaft be easier on the TC bearings even at those speeds? I suppose it also depends on how bad the pinion angle ends up being once the steering is dialed in and the vibes it causes. If the vibes are bad enough it may not matter what size shaft I end up with.
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The front output bearings aren't the issue. The issue is lack of rigidity in the shaft and it will spin into a banana shape at the higher speeds. That is what causes the vibes. That and improper pinion angles.
 
mrblaine said:
The front output bearings aren't the issue. The issue is lack of rigidity in the shaft and it will spin into a banana shape at the higher speeds. That is what causes the vibes. That and improper pinion angles.
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If I have to go to a larger 2" shaft, even if only for convenience and nicety, it's sounding like it's doable. If it's not beneficial for my uses then I'll retain the 1.25" shaft. I don't want to put the cart too far ahead of the horse. We'll revisit this at a later date.
 
mrblaine said:
The front output bearings aren't the issue. The issue is lack of rigidity in the shaft and it will spin into a banana shape at the higher speeds. That is what causes the vibes. That and improper pinion angles.
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Are you implying it’s going to warp itself during regular highway speeds? Do you realize exactly how much speed that thing would need to cause it to flex that much? Even turning that long of a part on a lathe would only cause it to deflect a few thousands when cutting on it. What’s the wall thickness on the 1.25” shaft? If the shaft is made properly and runs true within .010” why would there be any vibrations? Most factory driveshafts run out close to .04 0” and are then balanced. I’ve built 2 front shafts in my day that were within .005” and had zero vibrations.
 
ranger101 said:
Are you implying it’s going to warp itself during regular highway speeds? Do you realize exactly how much speed that thing would need to cause it to flex that much? Even turning that long of a part on a lathe would only cause it to deflect a few thousands when cutting on it. What’s the wall thickness on the 1.25” shaft? If the shaft is made properly and runs true within .010” why would there be any vibrations? Most factory driveshafts run out close to .04 0” and are then balanced. I’ve built 2 front shafts in my day that were within .005” and had zero vibrations.
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No, I am not implying anything. I am stating that driveshafts have a critical speed and will have issues when those speeds are ignored or exceeded.

Here is a speed calculator if you want to play with it.
https://spicerparts.com/calculators/driveshaft-safe-operating-rpm-calculator
After that, do a search on driveshaft critical speed and why that matters. As you increase the length of a driveshaft, the diameter has to increase to keep it from bending or whipping as the speeds go up.

Then do a search on driveshaft critical speed and do some reading. There is a reason that the driveshafts you see on larger vehicles like pick ups have very large diameter rear driveshafts.
 
If we had all of the dimensions and wall thickness we could calculate and see if he’s actually ok, or if we’re just filling his head with a scary scenario that may never arise.
 
ranger101 said:
If we had all of the dimensions and wall thickness we could calculate and see if he’s actually ok, or if we’re just filling his head with a scary scenario that may never arise.
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Or, we have chatted with Tom Wood 6 times previous when we have ordered the same 1.25" diameter front driveshafts to solve the exact same problem and have notes on the order that give the top MPH for that shaft. We also have Tom's verbal warning not to exceed those speeds and the comment from him that he will be making that notation on the order invoice and we really should pay attention to the note and his warning. I don't fill anyone's head with scary anything I can't prove.
 
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ranger101 said:
If we had all of the dimensions and wall thickness we could calculate and see if he’s actually ok, or if we’re just filling his head with a scary scenario that may never arise.
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Several drives shaft manufacturers refused to make a shaft for me. Tom Wood also warned me about bending this shaft during a discussion about what's possible for them to build.

You already have my tire size and gear ratio to calculate rpm. The measured shaft length is 39-5/8". The angle is approximately 12* as seen at the TC output. You have the tubing diameter, iirc the thickness is 0.188".
 
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