coolwind57

We're not a praise or church band. We perform in the tri-state region, mostly big festivals and special music events. We'd even done weddings. www.rockonwaterfestival.com is the next big one we're doing here in a couple of weeks and it's my favorite of the year. Likely to have between 6000-10,000 attendees. Headliner there this year is Unspoken. We've got some of those songs on rotation in areas of Southern Indiana, Kentucky and even Chicago, IL. www.hushharborband.com Yes, BLS. I've been to several concerts and Zakk Wylde and his crew really know how to put on a great show for THE MOST dedicated fan base I'd ever seen. An older album, "Hangover Music" is probably one of my favorites, along with "Mafia." Check those out. He did a pre-BLS album with a group he called "Pride and Glory". You gotta check that one out. I can't believe that the stuff on there isn't well known by metal fans. I'm a STING fan too. Have all his stuff. He's my favorite song-writer.

I'm an 80s rock kind of guy. Hairbands and some 80s pop. Go go iTunes or Spotify and type in "Hush Harbor". This is my band and we have a few tunes there. We're Christian rock. I've recently been getting into groovy, smooth jazz stuff like Sade when I'm in a chill-out mood. For high energy hard rock, I go with Black Label Society--my go-to metal for many years now.

Everything I'm reading suggest a shortage of aviation mechanics and that the shortage is only getting more critical over the next decade. You didn't ask specifically but you seem to be genuinely curious, so here's a little history I'll share of why I ended up choosing this path: I'm a shade tree, weekend mechanic. I've always liked working on cars. No formal training, however. I always admired guys that specialized in one area and became experts in it. From Auto mechanics to HVAC guys to plumbers, electricians.... I can do a little of just about anything. But never specialized and became an expert in anything particular (besides my military career, which was all non-mechanically oriented). My buddy is a former instructor at this aviation school. He's taken a couple years off and is now doing 6-Month recurring Afghanistan tours, teaching Afgan Air Force aviation mechanics. And he's KILLING IT, let me tell ya. Mostly tax free and raking in 6-figures. Anyhow, over the past couple of years, I'd occasionally asked him about his chosen field and always found it fascinating. Aviation in general is fascinating to me. I"ve learned that mechanics are in big demand throughout the industry. I'm a Facilities Manager, taking care of a big 48,000sf office building and 16 residential-type rental homes. This new path started to make a lot of sense, as I thought learning a new specialty was a great sort of "bucket list" item. And the fact that I had this free tuition and books schooling opportunity land in my lap--again, plus I also get PAID to go. The industry seems to be really hungry for A&P mechanics ("More like STARVING" was the clarification of the Director of the program whom had once corrected me). I've got a very full plate now, as I work full-time and I'm still in an active band that has a lot of booked up weekends this Summer/Fall. The program is full time as well --evenings. It's certainly going to be a challenge, but I'm usually not one to sit and let life pass me by. So, what do I expect to earn? Man, here recently I've seen places offering signing bonuses for guys with ZERO actual experience--with just the FAA certification with still wet ink on it. But most places seem to want a guy who's at least performed PMs on aircraft for a couple of years before they start getting into the 50K-75K+ range. I suppose like anything else, the salary range can vary depending on many things.

Dang, nice garage Cruiser.

This post caught my eye. I've just been accepted in an Aviation program. If all goes well, I'll finish and have my FAA A&P license in 2.5 years. I'm currently gearing up for my tool requirements for an August 19th first semester. I get a very generous discount from Snap-On for being in this aviation program, about 50% on most stuff. Snap-On is still pretty expensive even at that discount! I already own quite a bit of tools that are required by the course, mostly Craftsman hand tools. I've got only a few that I'll likely get from Snap-On and I'm definitely eyeballing an offset open wrench set from Mac Tools. I'm having fun shopping and researching. I'm 50 this year and always thought it would be cool to specialize in a particular mechanics field and have formal training in doing it. So Uncle Sam is paying for all tuition and I get a $500 stipend for books/tools per semester. Top that off with my rich Uncle PAYING me to go to school ($1560 per Month) and as you can imagine-- I just couldn't turn it down. The school was pretty booked up. I was on a waiting list, and I was shocked that I recently got the call with a seat for this Fall semester. Now to pull off full-time evening school with full-time work during the day.

I appreciate you sharing. I was aware of the purpose/function of the track bar. And it looks like you and I measure the centering of the axle the same way. Also, my aftermarket CORE 4X4 track bar is certainly adjustable (as are likely all aftermarket track bars). I suppose I was asking about the numbered questions in my original post. I'll go through and recheck setup if Eagle and I have the best/preferred or only method of centering the axle. I'm guess I'm kinda leaning towards bad springs. And I agree....quality parts. CORE 4x4 track bar is impressive.

This is kind of a weird one: Ever since I bought my truck a couple years ago, I'd had issues with the driver's front coil spring rubbing the track bar bracket. The truck appears to have a couple of inches of lift and the sway bar ends were so very close to the springs, so I swapped them out for longer Ford F-350 ends, as I recall. I also installed a new OEM track bar once. I recently replaced the whole setup (track bar, & frame bracket) with an aftermarket Core 4x4. The Core 4x4 frame bracket didn't save me from having the same clearance problems. My driver's spring continues to be within 1/8" or so from the frame. The passenger side clears much better--mainly because there's no bracket taking up clearance room. So, my goal is to center my front axle over the chassis of the truck to get rid of my occasional rubbing noise. I'd attempted this with the new OEM track bar as well as the Core 4X4 bar. Not really much success because of that contact point at the track bar frame bracket. I even removed and shaved off some edge metal from the Core 4X4 bracket to help provide clearance and get rid of the rubbing (which sounds awful on braking/cornering actions). Looks like that wasn't enough to solve the issue. I'd tried centering the axle by using a tape, measuring the distance between the front fender flares and the edge of the front tires. Last time I did this, I had to use a come-along to pull the chassis towards the passenger side to get my measurement equal on both sides. Even when they measure equally, I still have 1/16" to 1/8" or so clearance from that coil to the track bar bracket. 1. So, do I have perhaps thicker springs up front than stock? If my tape measure reads the same on both fenders, and I still get this rubbing, then maybe this is the reason...?. 2. Is there another, more advisable method of measuring the centering the axle? 3. This sounds kinda dumb, but when centering, I'm essentially moving the chassis over to the axle and not vice-versa to find center, right? I would think that the chassis follows the axle (the axle being the solid anchoring point). Am I correct in this thought? 4. Are my springs out of whack maybe? Eyeballing them, they look straight if that means anything. There is no body damage that I can tell...never been in a wreck to my knowledge. Also, the springs were the same color as the original paint--again, if that means anything. Something very screwy is going on here--I would think a guy would never have to shave some metal off of a track bar bracket (stock or aftermarket) to provide spring clearance. I'm thinking I have something going on with parts, or maybe there's a better centering technique that I'm not yet aware of. I'd love your thoughts, guys.

I used MOOG 378s for my stock 1989 MJ axle shaft U-joints. Followed up by MOOG 513107 wheel bearing/hubs while I was at it. Just did it just over a week ago. $184.94 total with shipping. I went with an Ebay seller.

Good plan for next time. I may just go ahead and pull the diff pan to get the rest out and do a full flud replacement anyhow. I doubt this axle has ever been addressed in the 30-years, 104k miles since built. The hub bearings were Timkin Made in USA and were extrememly seazed in there. My MOOG replacements are made in Korea. .

Sounds good. Getting ready to hit it now. As far as fluid loss, I had a significant amount come out when I pulled the driver's side axle shaft. I'l need to top offl the diff anyhow it seems. I think my truck likely isn't sitting perfectly level, but still I was a bit surprised that so much came out. I assume my bearing should be ok as I gently pulled it on out just fine (although I did have to bang that hub quite a bit to get it out). Thanks for the input.

Thanks. I've got peace in my heart now. I'll try to finish up on the job tonight when I get home from work. I had heard about that c-clip for the inner shaft being in the diff. Glad I don't have to mess with this shaft or get inside the CAD cover plate. Thank you for the info, bro.

^^^what is he talking about??? What frame? Not a response I'd want to get right off the bat if I were a newby, 1st-time poster here. Ignore the unhelpful comments Rustycnly. There's actually courteous, helpful people on here that I'm sure can actually address your inquiry.

Ok, I have an original CAD-enabled 89 4wd. I'm in the process of replacing hub/bearing assemblies and axle shaft u-joints up front. I got the driver's side axle pulled but I have a quick question on the passenger side of my original CAD 2-piece axle: 1. Do I simply pull the outer passenger side out just as I did the driver's side? Does it just slip out of the CAD sleeve or something, without me having to access the CAD cover? And if so, do I simply reinstall the shaft just as I did the driver's side by just slipping it on in there? I've searched and read articles, but none I've found makes this totally clear. BTW, I'm considering doing CAD-delete later by pushing the CAD sleeve over, installing the cover upside down and plugging the vac lines--BUT I want to ensure I get my u-joints and hub replacements successfully completed first.

Good plan. I never did this to my spare. Three weeks ago, I was going down the highway and almost had an accident. I heard a huge sound and my truck's rear end went slightly skyward. I thought I ran over something that I didn't see in the road. I pulled over and my spare tire was missing with only a dangling, frayed cable hanging down. My license plate wiring was in shreds with some minor rear bed sheeting distorted a bit. So now I need a new spare tire holder, a new spare tire, and a half hour fixing my license plate wiring. More importantly, I could had killed somebody with my airborne spare at 75mph. I'll be strapping my new spare down with extra security, you can bet on it. Strap down your spares, fellas. Don't rely on the stock cable alone. Don't be a coolwind57.

Well I have to be honest about something that I'm kind of embarrassed about. And it is beginning to make more sense since your are beginning to point at your fuel pump as a possible reason for this issue. I had replaced my fuel tank going on two years ago, I think. Anyhow, I pulled out the pump/sending assembly from the old one and put it in the new one and got it all installed. Some time later, I was viewing pics and I realized that my assembly didn't have the screen (sock) filter on it when I installed it on the new tank. I suppose it didn't even dawn on me that there was suppose to be one on there. I simply pulled off the old, then installed on the new. I'm wondering if there's some contaminants being held by pressure in the pump or associated lines maybe and that they get released after an hour or so as pressure slowly releases. This is just a thought. By the way, I was amazed at how your filter was clogged up, my friend Good heavens! Perhaps we're both victims of contaminants blocking the pump's functioning.

Well if you think you have found your culprit, then I'll put this on my list of things to try. ...And I am banking on NOT dropping the tank! Heavens to mercy. I struggled getting my new tank put in a couple years ago and I'd rather take an a$$whoopin' than have to deal with that again. Properly aligning the rubber filler hoses was just awful. Thanks for sharing, amigo.

Anxious to hear about any updates, bro.

This yard sounds like Louisville yard two years ago. They had a Comanche and like 12 XJs, a few being Renix. I was like a kid in a candy store. Now they have just a couple new model XJs. The supply dried up within 6 Months of my owning my Comanche. I keep an eye on Louisville and Indianapolis every now and then, but it seems to be hopeless these days.

Well, after I typed that I kinda figured that the shafts determine the yoke size. So, Pete should I assume that there is no direct drop-in CAD axles with more beef? in other works, no beefing up without eliminating the original CAD system? Later XJ and TJ bigger axle shaft/yokes are good only if you're going to eliminate CAD, correct?

I've got the exact same issue going on too. Some noise and I certainly have the ol' tell-tale "dry-orange-discoloration-at-the-U-Joints" look. I'm up for replacing my entire hubs, while I'm in there. And if memory serves me correct, can't we upgrade to larger U-joints/yokes without replacing the shafts themselves, or not? I can't remember what it looks like in there....

I've been plagued with this for some time. I've pretty much covered every component with the exception of a new fuel pump. Slow to start when it's warm. Fires right up after sitting for many hours and especially overnight. I get a plume of gas odor when it does finally fire up during those excessive warm crank times. You?

I had asked if they're powercoating. The guy at CORE 4x4 said that they're going in that direction, but still has a ton of paints so it'll probably be a while.

My stock bar and bracket is toast. So I wanted to replace with something other than stock. I rarely go off-road and I've got 31s with a couple inches life...and I was looking for quality at a bargain price. CORE 4x4 intreged me. So when I called to order last week, I had to leave a message. I was wanting to talk to a real human being to ensure that my very slight lift was not going to be an issue with their track bar. I thought I'd probably not hear back from them. Less than one minute later, my phone rang. Great conversation with the fella from Core 4x4 and his taking the time to answer my questions sold the product for me. He even told me he'd adjust the bends of my bar just to ensure I'd have no clearance issues with my lift. Core 4x4 & UPS took a week to get it in my hands. Its massive and puts the stock bar to shame. I especially like how they fabricated the frame bracket. Took me about an hour to install because I had to use a come-along to center my front axle. Took her for a spin. Feels nice and stable now....no chunking sound, which is nice not to hear. Looks to be a pretty nice product and for a bit over $200 with a NO-BREAK IT warrantee, I think if yours get similar use, then you probably can't go wrong.

I'm a bit afraid that my bracket had been "wallered" out a bit. For the price, I decided to go with the Core 4x4 combo.

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