Woodrow's 97 Green TJ Moderate Build

[Wildman]

For the Dana 35 you want the 1541 axles over the 4340. Due to the way the metal is hardened and the type of bearings used with the Dana 35 the 4340 shafts can have issues. Jerry has some pictures of where the axle pitted where the bearing rides at. So you picked the correct type of axle.

 

[Woodrow]

For the Dana 35 you want the 1541 axles over the 4340. Due to the way the metal is hardened and the type of bearings used with the Dana 35 the 4340 shafts can have issues. Jerry has some pictures of where the axle pitted where the bearing rides at. So you picked the correct type of axle.

So I now know after reading some really informative threads on the topic here. Unfortunately, I didn’t yet know that last year when I put in 4340 27 spline shafts and trutracs front AND rear with a Re -gear. I’m happy with the front, but obviously the rear was a mistake-fixed now (hopefully).

 

[Wildman]

So I now know after reading some really informative threads on the topic here. Unfortunately, I didn’t yet know that last year when I put in 4340 27 spline shafts and trutracs front AND rear with a Re -gear. I’m happy with the front, but obviously the rear was a mistake-fixed now (hopefully).

Front's are fine in 4340 as they don't have a bearing that causes the issues like the rear. It's always a live and learn thing. Believe me I've made my share of mistakes as I've built rig thru the years too.

I've really enjoyed watching yours since you started posting on the forum.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Nice work, Wood.

 

[Woodrow]

Some odds and ends today finishing up the hind end project:
1) Adjusted the e-brake.
2)Added a frame mounted rear recovery point. I welded 2 grade 8 nuts onto a piece of scrap 1/8” mild steel to make it easier to tighten the grade 8 1/2“ bolts (I think it should make the construct stronger too).

3) Then I spent most of my Jeep time today hooking up electrical for the e-locker in the new Super 35.

A quick test drive around the property shows all good. Rear locker done

 

[JMT]

Everything coming along very smoothly. Great work. Slow and steady wind the race.

I’m curious about sandblasting the axle. I’ve got a front and rear that need serious attention. Sandblasting seems easiest, but I’d like to hear what you suggest, and if there are any issues that could come up.

 

[Woodrow]

Everything coming along very smoothly. Great work. Slow and steady wind the race.

I’m curious about sandblasting the axle. I’ve got a front and rear that need serious attention. Sandblasting seems easiest, but I’d like to hear what you suggest, and if there are any issues that could come up.

Thank you

I just cleaned and painted my front housing on the rig. It had surface rust but no thick scale, grease or heavily caked on dirt. That turned out fine.

The rear was really bad so since I had such a complete redo planned, I thought sand blasting would be reasonable to try.

As to issues: I don’t have the equipment to do it my self (I looked into it but it was too much for my needs-you need a really big compressor). So I had to take it in to a shop. I‘d read internet stories of sand getting inside the housing then not getting cleaned out and wrecking the gears/bearings. My attempt to prevent this was to leave the old shafts, brakes and diff cover in place and I put a bolt in the vent tube hole. Then, after removing all of that, I cleaned it w/ 4 cans of brake cleaner. Too early to say if I was successful…

 

[JMT]

Thank you

I just cleaned and painted my front housing on the rig. It had surface rust but no thick scale, grease or heavily caked on dirt. That turned out fine.

The rear was really bad so since I had such a complete redo planned, I thought sand blasting would be reasonable to try.

As to issues: I don’t have the equipment to do it my self (I looked into it but it was too much for my needs-you need a really big compressor). So I had to take it in to a shop. I‘d read internet stories of sand getting inside the housing then not getting cleaned out and wrecking the gears/bearings. My attempt to prevent this was to leave the old shafts, brakes and diff cover in place and I put a bolt in the vent tube hole. Then, after removing all of that, I cleaned it w/ 4 cans of brake cleaner. Too early to say if I was successful…

I want to do it. So much easier. I thought of stuffing something down the tubes and welding a plate over them. Bolt in the vent tube is a good call. Then get after it. Save soo much time. Thanks

 

[Woodrow]

I want to do it. So much easier. I thought of stuffing something down the tubes and welding a plate over them. Bolt in the vent tube is a good call. Then get after it. Save soo much time. Thanks

I tried to clean up the housing with a power washer then stripping wheel on a grinder. It was a lot of work and not super pretty. I think sand blast AND powder coat is possibly a better option. The reason I think this is the adhesion of even a well prepped and primed garage piant job is only so so. To do that on your axle, you’d need to remove the diff, shafts and brakes. I wouldn’t weld a cover on the tube ends (maybe bolt one on after removing the brakes?). Then a bolt in the vent tube and bolt a diff cover on.

 

[JMT]

I tried to clean up the housing with a power washer then stripping wheel on a grinder. It was a lot of work and not super pretty. I think sand blast AND powder coat is possibly a better option. The reason I think this is the adhesion of even a well prepped and primed garage piant job is only so so. To do that on your axle, you’d need to remove the diff, shafts and brakes. I wouldn’t weld a cover on the tube ends (maybe bolt one on after removing the brakes?). Then a bolt in the vent tube and bolt a diff cover on.

would you remove the carrier?

 

[Mike_H]

I want to do it. So much easier. I thought of stuffing something down the tubes and welding a plate over them. Bolt in the vent tube is a good call. Then get after it. Save soo much time. Thanks

bare, clean, housing. stuff the tubes and pinion with rags and tape the ends. bolt the cover back on. Try to prevent any media from getting into the housing. Once you're done, clean, clean, clean...then when you think you're done cleaning, do it again. Unless you have a professional style sandblaster, it takes quite a while to clean it. I used the harbor freight spot blaster and it works, but it doesn't really deliver enough media to be efficient on something as large as an axle.

 

[Woodrow]

would you remove the carrier?

Yes. I don’t think that’s an absolute, especially if your are the one doing the blasting. But I’d feel better about it. Also, I have so little experience here, my opinion isn’t worth much.

 

[JMT]

bare, clean, housing. stuff the tubes and pinion with rags and tape the ends. bolt the cover back on. Try to prevent any media from getting into the housing. Once you're done, clean, clean, clean...then when you think you're done cleaning, do it again. Unless you have a professional style sandblaster, it takes quite a while to clean it. I used the harbor freight spot blaster and it works, but it doesn't really deliver enough media to be efficient on something as large as an axle.

Ok, thanks for the advice. I was going to take it to a professional to have them do it.

Yes. I don’t think that’s an absolute, especially if your are the one doing the blasting. But I’d feel better about it. Also, I have so little experience here, my opinion isn’t worth much.

If I removed the carrier I might feel better about it too. With it out all that's left is the pinion. I think I could get the inside of the housing clean and hope no media got in the pinion. It may not matter though. I'll definitely remove the cover afterward and clean it out super well with brake cleaner, then turn the gears by hand to make sure there's no crunchy sounds.

I've had pretty good paint results by degreasing, preparing surface, degreasing, prime, top coat, 2K clear. I'd use gloss on axles so dirt doesn't stick to them as well and easier to remove.

 

[Mike_H]

Ok, thanks for the advice. I was going to take it to a professional to have them do it.


If I removed the carrier I might feel better about it too. With it out all that's left is the pinion. I think I could get the inside of the housing clean and hope no media got in the pinion. It may not matter though. I'll definitely remove the cover afterward and clean it out super well with brake cleaner, then turn the gears by hand to make sure there's no crunchy sounds.

I've had pretty good paint results by degreasing, preparing surface, degreasing, prime, top coat, 2K clear. I'd use gloss on axles so dirt doesn't stick to them as well and easier to remove.

I don't think I'd sandblast an axle that I wasn't planning on replacing bearings on. From your post, it sounds like you want to leave the pinion in? If you don't plan on stripping the housing down, I'd just get it as clean as you can with a wire wheel and needle descaler, hit what you can't clean up with rust converter and then prime and paint as normal.

 

[JMT]

I don't think I'd sandblast an axle that I wasn't planning on replacing bearings on. From your post, it sounds like you want to leave the pinion in? If you don't plan on stripping the housing down, I'd just get it as clean as you can with a wire wheel and needle descaler, hit what you can't clean up with rust converter and then prime and paint as normal.

Ok, well, scratch my idea! Most of this is coming from "This is my sons rig and I want to get through it as best as possible in as little time as possible." He's a real stickler for details. Like OCD. His stuff is always pristine. I'm pressed for time and rust buckets always have hidden issues that slow the process down. You of all people know that Mike! Thanks!

 

[Woodrow]

I think the post tuck and stretch tank exhaust mods are complete. Both the tummy tuck and GenRight Crawler tank lead to less real estate for the exhaust. I had a full stainless 2.5” exhaust since before the stroker went in (stock was 2.5” to the Cat and 2.25” behind that). Even the extra 1/4” in diameter made the tail pipe a little tricky without the tuck and stretch tank (which is wider though shorter front to back and not as deep as stock). When I put the stroker in, I also changed to a stainless header. To protect that from cracking, I added a flex coupling in front of the oil pan.

That, in turn, made the rest of the exhaust a little more wiggly which wasn’t a problem before the tuck. But after the tuck, the Cat would sometimes rattle on the UCF skid (2.5” below frame and no body lift). And after the GenRight tank, the tail pipe needed to be pretty stable to stay away from the tank skid. My solution was an additional exhaust hanger near the engine/transmission junction.

It uses one of the starter bolts to secure it. I thought about a frame attachment, but that didn’t make sense because the forward attachment is to the header and the next rear is to the back of the transmission (both of which shouldn’t move relative to one another). Here’s mount to the trans and the space for the Cat:

Its nice that with the tuck and MML, the front of the exhaust is all above the frame rail.

The stainless 2.5” tail pipe was previously custom fabricated and TIG welded by a local artist and had to be redone by the same talented individual. It’s tight but hits nothing and is rattle free. Its hard to tell in my pics, but it clears the tank skid by 1 1/2“ and even after a 45 min drive mostly in town traffic today, I could leave my hand on the skid. So heat apparently is not an issue.

I really like the tailpipe not going below or behind the tank skid. It should be well protected. The exhaust sound is also nice again. The loud buzzy drone it had with the temporary post-muffler dump is thankfully gone. Amazing what a difference just adding a tail pipe makes.
For reference here was the previous situation:

With the hi-lift and drop hitch gone and tail pipe re-configured (and the better clearance tank skid), the departure angle is looking better.

 

[JMT]

I think the post tuck and stretch tank exhaust mods are complete. Both the tummy tuck and GenRight Crawler tank lead to less real estate for the exhaust. I had a full stainless 2.5” exhaust since before the stroker went in (stock was 2.5” to the Cat and 2.25” behind that). Even the extra 1/4” in diameter made the tail pipe a little tricky without the tuck and stretch tank (which is wider though shorter front to back and not as deep as stock). When I put the stroker in, I also changed to a stainless header. To protect that from cracking, I added a flex coupling in front of the oil pan.
View attachment 358660
That, in turn, made the rest of the exhaust a little more wiggly which wasn’t a problem before the tuck. But after the tuck, the Cat would sometimes rattle on the UCF skid (2.5” below frame and no body lift). And after the GenRight tank, the tail pipe needed to be pretty stable to stay away from the tank skid. My solution was an additional exhaust hanger near the engine/transmission junction.
View attachment 358661
It uses one of the starter bolts to secure it. I thought about a frame attachment, but that didn’t make sense because the forward attachment is to the header and the next rear is to the back of the transmission (both of which shouldn’t move relative to one another). Here’s mount to the trans and the space for the Cat:

View attachment 358664
Its nice that with the tuck and MML, the front of the exhaust is all above the frame rail.
View attachment 358662The stainless 2.5” tail pipe was previously custom fabricated and TIG welded by a local artist and had to be redone by the same talented individual. It’s tight but hits nothing and is rattle free. Its hard to tell in my pics, but it clears the tank skid by 1 1/2“ and even after a 45 min drive mostly in town traffic today, I could leave my hand on the skid. So heat apparently is not an issue.
View attachment 358665

View attachment 358666
I really like the tailpipe not going below or behind the tank skid. It should be well protected. The exhaust sound is also nice again. The loud buzzy drone it had with the temporary post-muffler dump is thankfully gone. Amazing what a difference just adding a tail pipe makes.
For reference here was the previous situation:
View attachment 358674
With the hi-lift and drop hitch gone and tail pipe re-configured (and the better clearance tank skid), the departure angle is looking better.

The exhaust looks really good. I’m glad you got rid of the dump. I still have mine and it drones as you describe. It is the single most annoying thing on my rig. I just don’t want to dump any more money into exhaust. I’ve been like 3 times to the shop.

 

[Woodrow]

A small update today:
Since my stock rear bumper is off and likely to have an as yet undetermined replacement, the Hi-lift is gone too. I’m surprised it only weighed 31# (feels like more).

I am, of course, well aware of the controversial nature of the this device here and it’s uses or lack there of. But it was in my garage and my Jeep didn’t come with a stock jack or winch so it seemed like a reasonable solution while I focused on other things. I never used it but did drag it on the ground several times off-road. Now, however, I’ve found a stock jack with tire iron, handle and bag on e-bay. A trial run confirmed It all works nicely and the mounting locations were intact, except one of the Velcro straps which I replaced.

Better conformity with the hive mind and a 20+ lb. weight loss (until I add a winch)
More to come with regard to a rear bumper and the spare tire mount…

 

[JMT]

A small update today:
Since my stock rear bumper is off and likely to have an as yet undetermined replacement, the Hi-lift is gone too. I’m surprised it only weighed 31# (feels like more).
View attachment 359244
I am, of course, well aware of the controversial nature of the this device here and it’s uses or lack there of. But it was in my garage and my Jeep didn’t come with a stock jack or winch so it seemed like a reasonable solution while I focused on other things. I never used it but did drag it on the ground several times off-road. Now, however, I’ve found a stock jack with tire iron, handle and bag on e-bay. A trial run confirmed It all works nicely and the mounting locations were intact, except one of the Velcro straps which I replaced.
View attachment 359246

View attachment 359245
Better conformity with the hive mind and a 20+ lb. weight loss (until I add a winch)
More to come with regard to a rear bumper and the spare tire mount…

Cool. It’s coming along great. All good choices. I have a winch for sale. Kind of wish I could just zip it over there! Shipping is just so darn expensive. You may not even have an interest. It’s a SuperWinch TS 9500 SR without a rope. If I can’t sell it soon I’ll just about give it away!

 

[Woodrow]

Cool. It’s coming along great. All good choices. I have a winch for sale. Kind of wish I could just zip it over there! Shipping is just so darn expensive. You may not even have an interest. It’s a SuperWinch TS 9500 SR without a rope. If I can’t sell it soon I’ll just about give it away!

Thx. I still have a bunch I'd like to do and I'm not quite ready to dive into the winch yet. But I may see some light at the end of the tunnel. You'll know I'm getting close when I start asking stereo questions.