89 Pioneer. basically done

[JeepcoMJ]

thanks. I'm pretty sure I'm not going as I don't have $$$ for shorter springs to boot.

 

I'm gonna make a t-case drop today I think and we'll see if that works out in my favor.

 

even then, I've got 3 weeks to pay $4300 to my school, to get my federal student loan payments suspended and resume recieving them for school, and I still owe a bit on the truck itself.

 

so money is TIGHT.

[Twisty]

What about using leafs from Tater salad? Take out the third leaf to lower the rear a little...you could do it for cheap. I re-built my MJ leaf springs using parts from an XJ spring....for free.

[JeepcoMJ]

What about using leafs from Tater salad? Take out the third leaf to lower the rear a little...you could do it for cheap. I re-built my MJ leaf springs using parts from an XJ spring....for free.

 

I had thought of that but tater's got 1 broken leaf on each side...

 

so I'm honestly not sure if I can use them.

[Twisty]

gad zooks.

 

I bet you are :mad: :hateputers: :headpop: right now. Sorry dude.

[89eliminator]

yeah this sucks.

 

looks like i will have to wheel by myself. :cry:

[Scott86mj]

You could use a drive shaft from a comanche with a d35. Mine was out like that when I SOA it but when I installed the dana 44 It gave me an extra inch. Or get a drive shaft from a long bed or 2wd drive and have it shortened. I got mine shortened when I installed the 4.0l for $25.00.

[JeepcoMJ]

yes, I'm pissed.

 

a mellow pissed actually. that's when you know I'm mad. I was planning on this and just too many things have come up that require money. honestly, school is more important to me than jeeps, especially since I've lived at home since my unexpected "semester off". I really want to go to school so I can make something of myself and not work at menards for the rest of my life.

 

and scott, I am going to go see what my local place would charge to shorten the 86 longbed d-shaft and balance it. either way, I just can't justify spending the money to go to the badlands...even if I have enough.

 

and Wade, there are still others that will be there. just sadly not me, my bro, or my dad.

 

on a good note, I can use the time I took off to button up the interior swap and a/c swap on the 3800, and finish body work etc. on the 89.

 

as they say, $#!& happens.

[JeepcoMJ]

I fixed the bad bulbs in the tail lights today cause the rest of it is pissing me off and i worked 8 hours today and slept alot so didn't get anything else done.

 

I will move onto cab corners tomorrow morning. again, cause I'm not up to tackling the axle issues.

 

it will be tacked into place on monday, and moved out next to the barn, where I will leave it sit for a couple weeks. at this pont, I am making the decision of whether or not to sell it after I'm done with the SOA. I need money for school and it's either this goes or the 3800 does, or I get even more loans. I don't like any of them options.

[beaterjeep]

Pat, I'm sorry to hear that, but like I mentioned to ya last night, I'm willing to stay as long as I'm welcomed to help with what I can on the 89.

[offroader461]

Hey i just was chatting with a buddy about you D/S issue...hes running metric ton springs in his MJ but has an 8.25 out back...he is running a longbed 2wd shaft and says its long enough and has plenty of spline in the t-case...if you don't want to do that he said put in a t-case drop kit and a YJ yoke and you are good to go....just thought i give my $.02....it looks great too. :D

[JeepcoMJ]

a longbed 2wd shaft would be so long that it wouldn't fit...or if it did, it wouldn't be able to compress upwards...

 

sure he didn't mean a longbed 4wd shaft?

 

I'm trying the one from tatersalad later this week.

 

still won't be making it. too many bills to pay :(

[JeepcoMJ]

I put the stock steering wheel in at the request of many people (friends/family didn't like it, come to think of it it was out of place), and I fixed the driver's side vent wing window as it had broken off the spindle. welding next to glass isn't fun but I succeeded.

 

also stuck a bottle of recharge in the a/c just 134 and it's holding with the dye that I was given.

 

and it's FWD right now.

 

I'm making spacers for it at my dad's friend Bruce's machine shop here sometime soon for the transmission...1" thick, 3" round spacers...8 for the crossmember, and 2 for the t-case skid plate. then I can use my pinion angle tool to set the pinion angle within 2 degrees of the transmission yoke output angle. then build the driveshaft based off of that

 

 

I'll also build a 3" drop kit for the e-brake assembly so that it will work with enough slack for flex.

 

after that, all that is left is to lengthen the brake lines out on the front and rear, make the brackets for the front, and then finish the cab corners.

 

 

and yes, I am sick of working on this thing as it's now become a disapointment for the week, so working on smaller things is what I'm interested in at the moment

[JeepcoMJ]

making spacers today then gonna get them in on wednesday and set the rear pinion angle and get the axle full welded/painted too.

 

also puttin in the new e-brake lines probably as they're from a longbed and will be longer. that's theory...we'll see.

 

then once all that's done and the rear brakes are hooked back up, I will be FINALLY doing the cab corners and finish painting the bottom edge black.

 

from there, it's just get steering aligned and new stems on rims/tires balanced, and then get it registered. upgrades this month are lower gears if I can budget for them.

[JeepcoMJ]

well, I just ordered the stock for the spacers today.

 

it's 1" OD, 1/4" sidewalls, meaning 1/2" hole in the middle. they cut to length, I decided upon 1 and 1/4" sections...it was worth the money to save time in making them. plus they cut them off square which saves me a bit of machine work.

 

ordered 20. I only need 9 to complete the drop (I have a t-case skid), but I'll use 3 on my e-brake bracket to lower it, and that will leave 8 for Rokhound should he want them.

 

if he doesn't, $20 plus shipping sends them to your door.

 

 

so I pick them up in the AM and get the hardware to install. gonna have to drop the tranny crossmember because I broke one bolt off already and will have to weld a nut to it and heat it up to remove it. that will be the case with a few of them I feel. after that, gonna install them, get my reading on output shaft angle, center the rear axle, set pinion angle to a +2 degree angle so that it will compress and allow the d-shaft yoke to slide in and out, but not fall completely out.

 

then tac and weld rear axle up, permanently install, and plumb my rear brakes up. I hate the brake part...

[beaterjeep]

How's the dropping and welding going so far?

[JeepcoMJ]

How's the dropping and welding going so far?

 

 

very well. complete except for t-case skid had the frame-side bolt headbroken off. I only broke 2 bolts off, the other one is removed thanks to my dad's welding skills (built it up and removed with vice grips) and the other one will be done next.

 

here's pics...it had studs on the driver's side frame for the crossmember, they had to go for the drop kit to work...so they did but the nut for one broke off.

fixed it this way.

then just welded that stud down...

 

spacers 1" OD, 1/4" walls, 1/2" ID

completely installed crossmember

d-shaft will gained 1.25" or more of input on the slip-yoke from the drop

 

 

so it's dropped.

 

in the morning I will re-center the axle, then use the pinion angle gauge to set the rear axle to match the output shaft, pull axle after tac-welding it in, then have dad full weld it paint it and reinstall it.

 

will be doing rear brakes tomorrow too and also dropping the e-brake assembly.

 

whatcha think?

[JeepcoMJ]

did more today...

 

 

got angle gauge, set pinion angle.

 

removed axle after tac-welding perches on

 

 

welder is not up to snuff anymore, so it will have to be welded @ my grandpa's shop on saturday morning. then I can weld my shock mounts on it and get everything permanently mounted

[JeepcoMJ]

I can't weld (well). so I had my dad weld the perches for me at my grandpa's shop. I made the shock mounts first out of the stock ones

ubolts still go through this, but now it's simply a side-along shock mount welded to the perches and axle tube

dad welding it. my eyes wer closed, not the camera :P

here it is with the shocks all mounted up, and some views of the system and how it works

sorry for how dark they are

hooked ebrake lines up

...they were kinda floppy and I was worried about the passenger side

one hitting the exhaust. solution to the problem was a set of cable clamps with a return spring off something or another between them. centers it on the truck, and allows for flexing and movement while flexing. I will add another set of springs which connect to either side of the diff housing at a later date...to keep flopping and noise from that to a minimal as I'm sure these won't be quiet.

and attached the "soft line" for the rear brakes. gotta plumb rear brakes tomorrow and then the rear axle is completely done.

next thing after that is to extend the front brake llines (will also do tomorrow), and finish the cab corners then weld up and seal the rockers off.

 

it's getting bucket seats this week as well, no full center console...I'm going to make my own fold-up center console/armrest/3rd seat from some snowmobile foam and stuff complete with seatbelt. and it will be made to be comfortable :P

 

got ???'s? ask. or if I did anything wrong/ please let me know...

 

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[JeepcoMJ]

oh, and how about "dua"l exhaust out of a 2004 nissan 350z?

 

 

 

:P

 

got a COMPLETE factory single in/dual out system for free.

[88swampedmj]

i like how you did the shock mounts in the rear..

 

whyd you drop the crossmember?

[JeepcoMJ]

i like how you did the shock mounts in the rear..

 

whyd you drop the crossmember?

 

driveshaft was too short...net lift in the rear was approx. 8" due to the aftermarket rear springs I apparently have :P

 

and thanks :D

[DirtyComanche]

I'd not have dropped the tcase unless somebody held a gun to my head and told me to. Even then I think I'd rather die than see my belly that low.

 

 

Just incase you're wondering how I feel about the subject.

 

 

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[JeepcoMJ]

lol...I felt the same way, but it wasn't really that much sacrafice with how high this thing is and how I will be wheeling...I know I won't be doing what you do offroad, just minor wheeling/fun stuff no rock climbing.

 

I'll be making leadplates for it though...so that if I do get up on a rock or something, there will be a skid leading up to it or something. that will at least help make sure it doesn't just rip itself apart.

[DirtyComanche]

Good idea. The stock x-members like to tear apart if you get them caught.

[JeepcoMJ]

brakes are plumbed in the rear, just need to extend the front lines. gotta put the 2wd leafs out of the "new" rig in it...it just sits too high in back for my comfort.

 

left to do to make it functional;

 

connect e-brakes and tune them

extend front lines

finish cab corners and weld them + rockers

put in bucket seats (doing that tonight)

front end alignment, and grease all greasables.

take her for a flex-run.

 

 

after I finish her, I'm getting plates...but not going to drive her for awhile for insurance purposes (will be expensive to get my own...any input on what to look for?)