Backroads Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Probably a good thing the wifey isnt home cos I bet the smell of stripper and bedliner in the house is making it pretty easy to sleep at night! But on top of that, props on building an MJ inside ur house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAKEnBLAKE Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 wow, earlier today I was complaining about having axles on my front porch and tools in my living room. You totally have me beat... Keep it up, man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-600JeepMJ Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 :cheers: I also used the rustolem paint on my jeep but I used a roller instead of the rattle can. :idea: the complec manager said no spray painting :nuts: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
case5412 Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share Posted September 28, 2010 It's been 4 months since my last post; I'm sorry for not being a freaquent poster but life can get busy from time to time. I've also noticed how much of a mess my thread is, sorry bought that also but I am a newbie to forums. :waving: My truck has been coming along slowly but surely. My plan has changed, due to budget concerns, but I am still building and restoring my MJ nicely. My goal is still the same “to complete a nice daily driver before my Wife returns”. She should be returning some time middle November. Current MJ location: A shop with no drive shafts sitting there ready for some major swaps. (not in my house any longer) :huh???: Old plans and new plans: OLD: My old plan was to get a D44 front axle and a rear to match, convert it to 4WD, restore the old broken pieces and lift it 4.5 inches with a SUA. Let’s not forget 35” tires and various off road upgrades. NEW: Due to finance and time issues I’ve had to remove most of my “off road” goals and put my energy towards basic repairs and restoration. I had to have someone rebuild the transmission, so I got a new one out of an older MJ 4WD. My current goal is to make the truck drivable and reliable so I’ll have a daily driver by mid November. Recent progress: I got the truck to the shop about 2 weeks ago and I began with the axle hunt. I found a Wagoner with D44 front, it was nice and I found a rear D44 out of an Isuzu, it was also nice. But after realizing how long the truss (for the waggy front end) would take to order and how long it would take to order my lift and the money I would have to put into it just for the uniqueness. Don't get me wrong I do love uniqueness but I'm hardly ever practical and I need to be now. So I scratched the lift and axles and took them back, no problem only a couple hours of work wasted. I then started for the repair search. Needed a new transmission and stock axles off a donor, basically a few stock donor parts, and I needed new wheels because I used my Comanche wheels on my Compass. As of now I have two donor axles out of a 89 Cherokee, got them from a junk yard for about 200.00$, they are D30s with a 3.55 gear ratio, high pinion front. I plan on keeping the 3.55 ratio because it'll do for the goals I've set. I also bought some Wrangler 2006 stock steel wheels from an army recruiter for 60.00$, probably the best money I've spent since I started this project. I'll post the wheels picture below. I'll get current pictures of my truck by tomorrow night, and of the new axles and transmission. I got an AX15, not sure if it's a good transmission but it was laying around in someones back yard so I had it rebuilt and it's in my truck now. Will update more tomorrow. Thanks for reading my short story, lol. My cat seems to always jump in the pics. He will be my riding partner. Those boxes I assume are from the new wheels the guy I got the steel wheels from came in; his left over boxes. I tried to get good picture quality in my new pics; from now on I'll try to make my thread at least semi entertaining for you all. :hijack: Thanks for reading, Casey :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buxmj Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Great work man, hope it keeps moving forward. I'm glad you moved your truck to a shop. I was worried that there might be kids above you,(fumes from strippers are very costic) but it's taken care of. Even though you've had to change plans, it looks like it is moving forward. I prefer stock mj's myself and I think there are a few more "purists" lurking around. Take care and keep up the good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86MJ2WD Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Great job man , You give me hope for the future ! So your wife let you work on your gear IN the house ? HHhhummm Does she have a sister ? Haha ! Keep up the good work ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btm24 Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 oh wow man this is tuning out great :cheers: Brandon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Hey man your truck is coming along great. By all means keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
case5412 Posted September 30, 2010 Author Share Posted September 30, 2010 Great work man, hope it keeps moving forward. I'm glad you moved your truck to a shop. I was worried that there might be kids above you,(fumes from strippers are very costic) but it's taken care of. Even though you've had to change plans, it looks like it is moving forward. I prefer stock mj's myself and I think there are a few more "purists" lurking around. Take care and keep up the good work! I may sound a little big headed by saying this but if you click on my profile and you notice my "occupation" you would then realize that my work practices are safe. Sorry to worry you all with the scary pictures. :smart: Sorry I didn't have new pictures posted the other night, I forgot my camera and I'll get some on here Saturday when I go to the junk yard, again. I'm making the trip for the bracket that hooks to the transmission that has the 4WD lever on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buxmj Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Sorry I didn't look at your profile, I was just remember helping my brother strip furniture and I just about passed out and my brother was laughing at me. Didn't mean to sound snooty. I was impressed with all you did in an apartment, I would have had some drywall repair to do getting that stuff in and out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
case5412 Posted October 2, 2010 Author Share Posted October 2, 2010 Well, today wasn't fun. After searching a few junk yards, nearly 30 XJs and 1 MJ I found none had the AX15 transmission with the small little 4WD bracket I need. :( I also ran into a problem with the rear axle. The year of the axle is 89, and my MJ is a 92, for some reason when you put the 3.55 gears into my MJ 3.07 rear end it doesn't seem to be a perfect match. They seem to be the same exact differential, but it makes a knocking sound now, like it's loose. (I'll post this on MJ Tech if my problem isn't solved soon) I plan on getting some 3.55 gears from a 91 and up, if anyone knows a good dealer please let me know, cause I don't want to embark on another long search right now. I could put the XJ axle I got on the rear but all the break lines and brackets are in the wrong place, so it seems less labor intensive to find some 3.55 gears for my current MJ axle. I'll get some pictures up on how my MJ looks soon. (if I would've found the "this thread is useless without pics" smiley, I would post it now) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automan2164 Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 I also ran into a problem with the rear axle. The year of the axle is 89, and my MJ is a 92, for some reason when you put the 3.55 gears into my MJ 3.07 rear end it doesn't seem to be a perfect match. They seem to be the same exact differential, but it makes a knocking sound now, like it's loose. You do know that gears require a very special process to install right? Its not an un-bolt and re-install thing. We are talking adjustments in the thousands of inches. You did change the pinion too, no? Rob L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
case5412 Posted October 3, 2010 Author Share Posted October 3, 2010 I also ran into a problem with the rear axle. The year of the axle is 89, and my MJ is a 92, for some reason when you put the 3.55 gears into my MJ 3.07 rear end it doesn't seem to be a perfect match. They seem to be the same exact differential, but it makes a knocking sound now, like it's loose. You do know that gears require a very special process to install right? Its not an un-bolt and re-install thing. We are talking adjustments in the thousands of inches. You did change the pinion too, no? Rob L. I feel stupid now. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Automan2164 Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 I also ran into a problem with the rear axle. The year of the axle is 89, and my MJ is a 92, for some reason when you put the 3.55 gears into my MJ 3.07 rear end it doesn't seem to be a perfect match. They seem to be the same exact differential, but it makes a knocking sound now, like it's loose. You do know that gears require a very special process to install right? Its not an un-bolt and re-install thing. We are talking adjustments in the thousands of inches. You did change the pinion too, no? Rob L. I feel stupid now. :( Chalk it up as a learning experience. I am a fleet mechanic, and I won't even touch gears. While I commend you for the motivation, there are somethings best left to professionals. I would rather weld perches onto an axle to make the whole thing work than only change gears. :ack: Now you have a problem though. The gears most likely will have damage, and they will need to be set up. A good gear guy charges around $300 to set up a rear end... Do you have any experienced members near you? Here is a quick rundown of the how to: http://www.drivetrain.com/parts_catalog ... tions.html Rob L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 there's a huge difference between stupidity and plain ol' ignorance. at least now you know (and you didn't spend hundreds on brand new gears and bearings (which could easily be ruined by now). :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Yeah don't sweat the gears....another cost effective option is to buy a welder and 4.5" grinder if you don't have one already. For the cost of getting gears done you can buy a welder, which is a complete game changer. Then the door opens to all sorts of possibilities. They'll also pay for themselves eventually (especially considering time saved) when little things break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btm24 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 did any body see that rear bumper?!? :bowdown: its not bent all to hell nor did i see any rust OMG! lucky :D Brandon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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