how much room between the truss and the top of the dif? could it be tighter?
edit: and there it was just a few posts later........
you welded the dif shave with a mig? no special wire?
Last edited:
Nashville TJ's Build - Continued
- Thread starter NashvilleTJ
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edit: and there it was just a few posts later........
you welded the dif shave with a mig? no special wire?
OP
Regular mild steel wire, with careful attention to preheating the housing to a consistent 400 degrees, monitoring it with a temp gun, and letting is cool overnight wrapped in a welding blanket wrapped in moving blankets. All the research I did said this would work well with the cast steel on the 14.
@Wildman new title: "Build Thread Consierge"
OP
I've been getting ready for another adventure bike trip, so I've not spent too much time on the rig. This year a group of 8 of us are heading up to New York to do the Northeast Back Country Discovery Route (BDR). It starts in Hancock, NY along the PA border, and travels 1400 miles through seven states to the Canadian border - nearly all of it off road.
So I threw the knobbies on the KTM, performed some routine maintenance, and fitted some new luggage that I picked up from Moscow Moto.
Here is the route - it's the yellow line starting in the lower left corner of the map if you can see it:
My buddy Marc picked up a 25 ft enclosed trailer for the trip to Hancock, so last week he and I spent some time outfitting it to fit 9 big bikes and gear.
Any way, we leave next Monday. If anyone is interested I'll be posting to instagram during the trip. I'm at jeff_doster.
Now back to some Jeep stuff.
So I threw the knobbies on the KTM, performed some routine maintenance, and fitted some new luggage that I picked up from Moscow Moto.
Here is the route - it's the yellow line starting in the lower left corner of the map if you can see it:
My buddy Marc picked up a 25 ft enclosed trailer for the trip to Hancock, so last week he and I spent some time outfitting it to fit 9 big bikes and gear.
Any way, we leave next Monday. If anyone is interested I'll be posting to instagram during the trip. I'm at jeff_doster.
Now back to some Jeep stuff.
OP
I had some time this afternoon, so I worked a bit on fixing the damage to my front axle inflicted by my buddies Chris and John from JF during that last wheelin' trip to AOP
.
My original plan was to simply replace the damaged center section of the hydro mount / guard, and in planning for that you may remember that I ordered a new tube connector from Ballistic Fab. Well, it turns out that the design of their current version differs from the one I bought for this many years ago, and it did not match the existing joint. Whooda thought? Thinking maybe that I had bought it from Poly Performance at the time, I ordered one from them. And you guessed it, yet a third design that would not match the existing connectors.
So, time for a new plan.
My original plan was to simply replace the damaged center section of the hydro mount / guard, and in planning for that you may remember that I ordered a new tube connector from Ballistic Fab. Well, it turns out that the design of their current version differs from the one I bought for this many years ago, and it did not match the existing joint. Whooda thought? Thinking maybe that I had bought it from Poly Performance at the time, I ordered one from them. And you guessed it, yet a third design that would not match the existing connectors.
So, time for a new plan.
OP
I really do not want to have to replace that entire guard, which is what I would have to do if I had to replace the connectors on the fixed ends of that tube. So instead I decided to cut out the damaged section and sleeve it. That way I could use the existing tube connectors.
Here is the damaged section, along with the tube and sleeve material I had lying around the shop. You can see a bit of the bend, but in reality it's much worse than it looks in this picture.
So first up, I cut out the damaged / bent section on my chop saw, leaving enough of the existing tube to accept a sleeve.
Next, I cut the sleeve and new tube section to length, and straightened out the damaged tube as best as I could to allow the joints to move just a bit in order to be able to line up the connectors - which are very tight and require pretty precise alignment to go together.
And here it is slip-fitted together:
Here is the damaged section, along with the tube and sleeve material I had lying around the shop. You can see a bit of the bend, but in reality it's much worse than it looks in this picture.
So first up, I cut out the damaged / bent section on my chop saw, leaving enough of the existing tube to accept a sleeve.
Next, I cut the sleeve and new tube section to length, and straightened out the damaged tube as best as I could to allow the joints to move just a bit in order to be able to line up the connectors - which are very tight and require pretty precise alignment to go together.
And here it is slip-fitted together:
OP
And here it is bolted in place and ready for welding. In retrospect, I think this approach turned out to be easier than my original plan. Mainly because I did not have to rebuild the right half of the suck-down winch bracket - which actually is attached to the removable section.
Over the years I've beaten this thing pretty hard, even before this final bit of damage. As a result, the entire guard / mount assembly has been pushed up just a bit - maybe a 1/4". Everything still clears, but it's tight. In fact, the hydro cylinder just comes into contact with the tube - not enough to effect how it functions, but I'm not happy with it.
That guard is crazy strong, and it must have taken a hell of a lot of impact force to bend it up that 1/4", and therefore I don't think there is any mechanical way to get a large enough lever in there to bend it back into place. And even if I could, I feel like that would weaken the guard.
So when I get around to welding this up I may pull in a trick from when I straightened the 14 bolt. I think I'll run a couple of fat beads along the underside of the tubes that mount the guard to the axle housing and see if I can pull it back down a bit. If that works, great. If not, I think it's fine the way it is. But I like the challenge, so we shall see what happens.
Over the years I've beaten this thing pretty hard, even before this final bit of damage. As a result, the entire guard / mount assembly has been pushed up just a bit - maybe a 1/4". Everything still clears, but it's tight. In fact, the hydro cylinder just comes into contact with the tube - not enough to effect how it functions, but I'm not happy with it.
That guard is crazy strong, and it must have taken a hell of a lot of impact force to bend it up that 1/4", and therefore I don't think there is any mechanical way to get a large enough lever in there to bend it back into place. And even if I could, I feel like that would weaken the guard.
So when I get around to welding this up I may pull in a trick from when I straightened the 14 bolt. I think I'll run a couple of fat beads along the underside of the tubes that mount the guard to the axle housing and see if I can pull it back down a bit. If that works, great. If not, I think it's fine the way it is. But I like the challenge, so we shall see what happens.
nice job..........that sleeve should make it much harder to bend next time also, 1 might think.
pulled the brakes off that pig. holy shit...... just the calipers and rotors gotta be 50-60# of hardware.
the pads and rotors are practically new, not a scratch on um cept for the surface rust from sitting.
pulled the brakes off that pig. holy shit...... just the calipers and rotors gotta be 50-60# of hardware.
the pads and rotors are practically new, not a scratch on um cept for the surface rust from sitting.
OP
I took some time today and finished up the axle repair. First I wanted to try and address the clearance issue on the ram. As I said earlier, it was just kissing the guard, and not deflecting at all - but I still wanted to take a shot at fixing it without pulling the whole guard off. I only needed it to move an 1/8" to a 1/4".
My first idea was to pull it back into line with heat, so I threw several fat, ugly, hot welds on the undersides of the mounts.
It did move a bit, but not enough. On to plan B. I took an 8' piece of tubing and tried to bend it - but even with all that leverage (and me jumping on the end of the tube) it would not move. On to plan C.
So I went all medieval on it's a$$ (Credit to Marsalis Walls). I took a cutoff wheel to the brace and cut it about 3/4 of the way through from the top.
Then using the 8' tube - but still having to jump on it - I was able to get it to drop down enough. I jambed a small metal wedge into the top of the slit as I jumped on it to keep it in place for welding. The wedge was to help keep the heat from the weld from pulling it back out of place. It worked, but man what a lot of effort.
After that, it was quick work to weld up the cross piece.
Then a little work with the flap disc to clean up the cross piece and remove the failed nasty fat welds on the braces. And after a little paint, it all went back together.
Hard to tell from the picture, but the ram now clears the guard by about an 1/8". In retrospect, a crazy amount of work to take care of something that probably did not need fixing - but, a fun little project.
My first idea was to pull it back into line with heat, so I threw several fat, ugly, hot welds on the undersides of the mounts.
It did move a bit, but not enough. On to plan B. I took an 8' piece of tubing and tried to bend it - but even with all that leverage (and me jumping on the end of the tube) it would not move. On to plan C.
So I went all medieval on it's a$$ (Credit to Marsalis Walls). I took a cutoff wheel to the brace and cut it about 3/4 of the way through from the top.
Then using the 8' tube - but still having to jump on it - I was able to get it to drop down enough. I jambed a small metal wedge into the top of the slit as I jumped on it to keep it in place for welding. The wedge was to help keep the heat from the weld from pulling it back out of place. It worked, but man what a lot of effort.
After that, it was quick work to weld up the cross piece.
Then a little work with the flap disc to clean up the cross piece and remove the failed nasty fat welds on the braces. And after a little paint, it all went back together.
Hard to tell from the picture, but the ram now clears the guard by about an 1/8". In retrospect, a crazy amount of work to take care of something that probably did not need fixing - but, a fun little project.
When does registration start for your fabrication course(s)...!?!? Sign me up!
Please keep these very informative posts coming our way!
Learning a lot from your build.
been tryin to find time to read through the rear axle work.
i see you got most of the brake parts from RA. i never did any core exchanges via drop. they send you the labels and you just pack it back in the same boxes and ship it off, yes?
they are almost 50% cheaper than anything around me.
considering knocking the rear brake package down to large single piston 3/4 ton calipers, maybe knock that thing down 10# an end.
the OE calipers are massive and sweet but they are designed for a rig that can haul and stop 10k, my little dirt go cart doesn't come close to that and doesn't really need it.
i see you got most of the brake parts from RA. i never did any core exchanges via drop. they send you the labels and you just pack it back in the same boxes and ship it off, yes?
they are almost 50% cheaper than anything around me.
considering knocking the rear brake package down to large single piston 3/4 ton calipers, maybe knock that thing down 10# an end.
the OE calipers are massive and sweet but they are designed for a rig that can haul and stop 10k, my little dirt go cart doesn't come close to that and doesn't really need it.
OP
I’m a big Rock Auto fan. Pretty sure that’s the way it works with the core exchange. If memory serves, I don’t think I sent back any cores because for me the shipping cost ate up a big chunk of the cash back.
I like the 1 ton dual piston brakes on my rig. They are heavy, but work really well on my heavy rig running 40’s with a plan to go bigger.
another axle thread popped up and the Ford SD front Dana 60 was brought up. the easter bunny piped in and mentioned the offset is not great. eluded to a not so perfect shaft angle from pinion to TC and maybe the pumpkin is positioned in a place that can limit up travel.
i assumed the offset was not perfect but didn't think it'd be a problem possibly. the 60's larger than the 44 so that's instantly gonna effect up travel space vs a Dana 30 or Dana 44. but if it's pushed out into the TB mount and/or comes up under the steering gear.....well that's no bueno.
do you have any knowledge of these potential issues?
(or at least your page gets more attention from the players with the bigger pieces.)
i guess i could ask the bunny but he's given clues i'm just not fully catching.
i assumed the offset was not perfect but didn't think it'd be a problem possibly. the 60's larger than the 44 so that's instantly gonna effect up travel space vs a Dana 30 or Dana 44. but if it's pushed out into the TB mount and/or comes up under the steering gear.....well that's no bueno.
do you have any knowledge of these potential issues?
(or at least your page gets more attention from the players with the bigger pieces.)
i guess i could ask the bunny but he's given clues i'm just not fully catching.
OP
I’m following that thread as well.
Not sure about the offset issue. I’ve not yet looked into it that deeply. My ProRock 60 tucks up in there nicely, so when the time comes I’ll at least have a target.
Blaine doesn’t follow this thread - I know because I’ve never gotten any crap for all the stupid things I’ve done to the rig…
Not sure about the offset issue. I’ve not yet looked into it that deeply. My ProRock 60 tucks up in there nicely, so when the time comes I’ll at least have a target.
Blaine doesn’t follow this thread - I know because I’ve never gotten any crap for all the stupid things I’ve done to the rig…
OP
My other Off-Road passion is adventure motorcycle riding. A group of seven of my good buddies and I just completed the Northeast Back Country Discovery Route. It starts in Hancock, NY at the PA border, travels 1400 mostly dirt miles through seven states - and ends at the Canadian Border.
This is my third BDR. Last summer we did the Colorado BDR, and in 2018 we did the Mid-Atlantic BDR (I didn't do a trip in 2019 for some reason...). The NE was the most challenging of the three.
Here is my bike all decked out for the trail. I ride a KTM 1190 Adventure. It's a 150 HP beast - just a bit faster than the Jeep.
My good buddy Jim runs a BMW GS 1200 R (which I call the Snow Mobile) - and everyone else was riding the new Yamaha T-7. Hard to keep up with those things when the trails got very technical (which they often did).
Here is a drone shot which really shows what the trip was like. Beautiful scenery for the entire trip.
A lot of the trip was gravel, where you could make pretty good speed.
And there were some crazy technical rocky sections:
And a lot of wet, sloppy, muddy sections:
And a few cool places to run - like this bridge over the Delaware River:
We were on the trail for eight days, and on the bikes for ten. Over 1800 miles in total. And another 1,800 pulling the trailer to get out to Hancock and back.
This is my third BDR. Last summer we did the Colorado BDR, and in 2018 we did the Mid-Atlantic BDR (I didn't do a trip in 2019 for some reason...). The NE was the most challenging of the three.
Here is my bike all decked out for the trail. I ride a KTM 1190 Adventure. It's a 150 HP beast - just a bit faster than the Jeep.
My good buddy Jim runs a BMW GS 1200 R (which I call the Snow Mobile) - and everyone else was riding the new Yamaha T-7. Hard to keep up with those things when the trails got very technical (which they often did).
Here is a drone shot which really shows what the trip was like. Beautiful scenery for the entire trip.
A lot of the trip was gravel, where you could make pretty good speed.
And there were some crazy technical rocky sections:
And a lot of wet, sloppy, muddy sections:
And a few cool places to run - like this bridge over the Delaware River:
We were on the trail for eight days, and on the bikes for ten. Over 1800 miles in total. And another 1,800 pulling the trailer to get out to Hancock and back.
OP
The trip included a run up the Mount Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire. It's the first place the sun hits the U.S. each day (We did not verify that fact).
At the top it was cold, cloudy, and very windy.
Going up and down, it was fairly clear and the views were spectacular. Here is a time lapse of a portion of the run to the bottom. It is a thrilling road to ride - lot's of tight turns and crazy drop offs.
On the trail just before the Canadian Border, we were stopped by the New Hampshire State Police because the trooper thought we might be Canadians sneaking into the country. True story.
After satisfying the trooper that we were in fact not Canucks, we asked for a police escort to the border - which he was happy to provide:
We ended up at the Canadian border - which is still closed. But still and exciting destination.
It was a great trip. If you are interested in more detail, I posted pretty extensively on Instagram at jeff_doster .
At the top it was cold, cloudy, and very windy.
Going up and down, it was fairly clear and the views were spectacular. Here is a time lapse of a portion of the run to the bottom. It is a thrilling road to ride - lot's of tight turns and crazy drop offs.
On the trail just before the Canadian Border, we were stopped by the New Hampshire State Police because the trooper thought we might be Canadians sneaking into the country. True story.
After satisfying the trooper that we were in fact not Canucks, we asked for a police escort to the border - which he was happy to provide:
We ended up at the Canadian border - which is still closed. But still and exciting destination.
It was a great trip. If you are interested in more detail, I posted pretty extensively on Instagram at jeff_doster .
About 10 years ago I had dreams of riding the TAT. I had a dual sport Husky TE630 and that was pretty capable. Then I got a case of the olds.
Looks like a fun ride! I work at Rocky Mountain ATV on their R&D team as a product developer for the Tusk product line. Im very familiar with the KTM ADV bike line up. That 1190 is a beast! I’ve fabbed up a few sets of pannier racks, crash bars, and skid plates for adventure bikes.
OP