Gone Postal : Mail Jeep Build - Page 16 - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum

RageM880 · 02-09-2012, 06:28 PM

Drove a std in Ireland. That was fun. Only thing weird was the first day I kept hitting the door with my right hand when it was time to shift.
I'm a fan of the E.B setup sbf 2wd np435 dana 20. There's several ways to adapt the 435 to d20.

95yjjeep · 02-10-2012, 10:52 AM

As you guys know, my original plan of running a 4.0L jeep inline six has been thrown out the window. For the same cost, I could run a modern chevy v8 with better power and better fuel economy than the jeep engines, and a v8 is just damn cool in my book! So enough of the rambling...this decided to follow me home today. A 2000 GMC Sierra 5.3L V8 with wiring harness, computer and everything else to make it go vroom (except an alternator)! hopefully?! haha! I'm really starting to freak out since I'm to the stage where i am getting to the motor/drivetrain swap. I'm sure I'll be needing a lot of help from all you guys so get ready for some questions. i'm going to try to gut the factory wiring harness since i don't want to spend $700 for a new one from painless or holley or somewhere else. It looks like it will be a pain in my ass but i'm going to give it a valiant effort.

i'm ready for it to run. with 295hp and 335ft-lb of torque, I hope I don't twist up my frame like a pretzel. I guess I better get my welder out and start plating EVERYTHING!

another pic.

My plan for transmissions is to find a SM465 granny 4spd and mate it to a dana 300 or whatever else I can find as far as t-cases go.

Thank you guys for all the input. There were some great choices brought up but this option ended up being the most cost effective for my build and I couldn't resist the price. Supposedly it "runs good" but i'll find out shortly i guess. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it.

95yjjeep · 02-12-2012, 05:33 PM

I got quite a bit of work done over the weekend. I'm trying to prep the frame and get the body setup so I can get the motor in it.

painted up TIG'd tie rod.

the frame plating that I made. This is the sharpie'd up metal. It's 1/8" plate.

frame prepped before welding the plate on.

welded up.

upclose.

another angle.

95yjjeep · 02-12-2012, 05:39 PM

I also started adding supports to the cowl/firewall area. You can also see the passenger side framerail painted up.

I also drilled and welded in nuts on the new firewall/cowl area where the new tube fenders will bolt up.

Opposite side more complete.

I also fab'd and welded up the front rollcage floor plates. Thanks to Chris at MarsFab for giving me some valuable pointers yesterday at his welding class. It's making my welds look better and better.

Cheepin · 02-12-2012, 06:07 PM

Good choice on the motor.Tie your cage into the frame.This will help a bunch in keeping it from twisting.

95yjjeep · 02-19-2012, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheepin

Good choice on the motor.Tie your cage into the frame.This will help a bunch in keeping it from twisting.

Thanks man! I'm definitely planning on tying the cage to the frame rails.

95yjjeep · 02-19-2012, 03:24 PM

With today's shitty weather, I couldn't get much done so I built the motor mounts in the garage. I didn't want to pay for pre-made ones so this is what I dreamed up.

another angle. The wavy pieces will be welded and bolted to the frame.

95yjjeep · 02-23-2012, 10:05 PM

I picked up a transmission and a friend came over to and helped me unload that heavy SOB. So what did I get? An SM465 2wd transmission from an '81 3500 series chevy wrecker.

It's been rebuilt already, has a new heavy duty 12" clutch, pressure plate, shift fork and a PTO setup on the side. A friend explained what a PTO did since I really didn't know. Either way, it is pretty cool but it's definitely coming off. Anyone need one? I'll make a plate out of aluminum or something to cover up the hole that the PTO was mounted to. My plan is to mate this transmission to the 5.3L engine using the typical longer pilot bearing, longer flywheel bolts and a 6.0L truck flywheel that everyone else are using. Then I'll mate the transmission to an early bronco dana 18 using a novak or AA adapter or an np231 or something like that.

I will DEFINITELY clean it up and throw on a fresh coat of old ford blue paint. Even though it's chevy and chevys are usually painted red, I like blue better.

You can see the PTO from this angle. This is such a short little bastard.

Heavy duty 12" clutch. It came with another brand new 11" clutch setup if anyone needs one I've gota spare.

The same friend that helped me unload the transmission wanted me to post up a pic of my BFV so here it is.

60anny · 02-24-2012, 12:16 AM

Phew!! Just finished reading through this thing. Honestly, this is fantastic. I love your creativity and fab work! Never thought an old mail jeep could be...badass. You seem like a great guy, too...keep up the good work!!

95yjjeep · 02-24-2012, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 60anny

Phew!! Just finished reading through this thing. Honestly, this is fantastic. I love your creativity and fab work! Never thought an old mail jeep could be...badass. You seem like a great guy, too...keep up the good work!!

Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I've gotten some great feedback and it is so awesome. I still can't believe everyone doesn't think I'm crazy for building a DJ. It's a dang project to say the least. haha! I love it though. As much fun as I've had so far building this thing, I think I'll always have a project vehicle....I'm thinking slammed 40s vintage pickup with corvette drivetrain for my next build. Those trucks are too expensive to build though. I guess I'll have to find a bastard child truck like my mail jeep so I can afford it.

TheDoc · 02-25-2012, 04:21 AM

Great work done so far, it will look schmick when she's finished. For my curiosity what are those engines selling for with harness.
Thinking of building up a stretched 2 dr and am curious at prices.

Thanks,
Nick.

95yjjeep · 02-25-2012, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDoc

Great work done so far, it will look schmick when she's finished. For my curiosity what are those engines selling for with harness.
Thinking of building up a stretched 2 dr and am curious at prices.

Thanks,
Nick.

Thanks man! I got a 2000 model 5.3l w/ harness and computer with 130k miles for $350 total. The flywheel and conversion to mount the engine to sm465 was about $75. I'm going to try to strip the harness on my own and have a buddy tune the computer.

Phat95YJ · 02-25-2012, 11:47 AM

That BFV makes my back hurt just looking at it. I have buddy that has one similar to that and its freaking heavy..

95yjjeep · 02-26-2012, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phat95YJ

That BFV makes my back hurt just looking at it. I have buddy that has one similar to that and its freaking heavy..

Yes sir! It's heavy as lead. It's a transmission vise that was being thrown out at the Chevy dealership I worked at when I was in college. I love it. It's the one tool I don't think I can break. I'm pretty hard on tools.

sleepsontoilet · 02-26-2012, 06:59 PM

Loving it bud, it's progression is unreal. Have you considered having Wayne do your harness work for simplicity?

Bedwell · 02-26-2012, 07:15 PM

Haven't check on this thread in a while, this thing is looking like a bad unit

kaosVictim · 02-27-2012, 10:51 PM

this thing gets funner looking everytime i check this thread keep up the good work

95yjjeep · 02-29-2012, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepsontoilet

Loving it bud, it's progression is unreal. Have you considered having Wayne do your harness work for simplicity?

Thanks man! I've considered having Wayne do it. I'm going to look at doing it myself because I can spend that other ~$300 on the wiring harness I need for the chassis or one of the other million parts I still need to order. If it's too complicated I'll have Wayne or LT1swap.com do the harness for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bedwell

Haven't check on this thread in a while, this thing is looking like a bad unit

Thanks! I'm slowly plugging along. My due date for this thing to be "drivable" is June/July 2012 so it's coming up fast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaosVictim

this thing gets funner looking everytime i check this thread keep up the good work

funner? or funnier? Thanks!

95yjjeep · 03-03-2012, 07:13 PM

I didn't get much done today. This crappy weather is slowing up my productivity. I did get the new motor mounts tack welded and ready for them to get tig welded. The old motor mount is on the left. I think the new ones I made will be a little bit stronger.

another shot. the tubes that will be welded to the frame are random lengths because they were scrap pieces that were left over from the cage. The plates that mount to the motor are 1/4". The tabs are 3/16". The cross bar is 1/4" and the tubing is 1.75" .120 wall.

I took the PTO off of the transmission. That's PTO is a heavy little bastard!

And come to find out the person I bought the transmission was actually telling the truth. The gears looked to be in excellent shape from what I can see from the bottom. It makes me think there was a recent rebuild like they said it had.

I got the old flexplate and random things stripped from the motor this week. I'm plannning on getting the proper flywheel and parts so I can get the 12" clutch installed this week or next so I can get the motor setup between the framerails in the next few weeks.

calipup72 · 03-04-2012, 08:09 AM

hey i have the cover for that pto if you want it let me know. love the build looks kick ass. whats your width on the front outside tires

95yjjeep · 03-04-2012, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calipup72

hey i have the cover for that pto if you want it let me know. love the build looks kick ass. whats your width on the front outside tires

thanks man! shoot me a pm with what you want for that cover. I was planning on just making a new cover out of 1/8" sheet but if the factory cover is cheap enough i might go that route. For your question about the front width, the front width from outside tire to outside tire is 82". I'm running 15x9 wheels, full width '76 HP44 (67" wms) and the 36x13.50 tires. I don't know what offset the wheels have. They were some wheels I picked up second hand.

95yjjeep · 03-05-2012, 10:27 AM

so I got bored at work today during lunch so I did a photoshop rendering of what I want the jeep to look like when I'm done with it, for the most part. This is about the right color I'm wanting to paint it, tube fender design I'm planning to build and front side/cowl armor I'm planning to build and tie into the rock sliders.

calipup72 · 03-05-2012, 04:26 PM

The cover is in the mail you should have in a few days

95yjjeep · 03-05-2012, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calipup72

The cover is in the mail you should have in a few days

Awesome! Thanks so much!

95yjjeep · 03-05-2012, 06:32 PM

I went by Charles' shop today (Carpenter's Auto Service) and he TIG'd up my motor mounts for me. Hopefully ONE DAY I'll be this good at TIGing.

02-09-2012, 06:28 PM	#376 (permalink)
RageM880 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Member # 97466 Location: Colonie, NY Posts: 52	Drove a std in Ireland. That was fun. Only thing weird was the first day I kept hitting the door with my right hand when it was time to shift. I'm a fan of the E.B setup sbf 2wd np435 dana 20. There's several ways to adapt the 435 to d20. __________________ Corruptisima republica plurimae leges.

02-12-2012, 06:07 PM	#380 (permalink)
Cheepin Registered User Join Date: Sep 2000 Member # 1792 Location: Parachute,CO Posts: 2,360	Good choice on the motor.Tie your cage into the frame.This will help a bunch in keeping it from twisting. __________________ CJJuggy.FI406/465/205/D60/14bolt FF on 39.5 Swampers.Kids 70Jeepster fullwidth on 34/9.50 swampers.

02-23-2012, 10:05 PM	#383 (permalink)
95yjjeep Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Member # 140167 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 679	I picked up a transmission and a friend came over to and helped me unload that heavy SOB. So what did I get? An SM465 2wd transmission from an '81 3500 series chevy wrecker. It's been rebuilt already, has a new heavy duty 12" clutch, pressure plate, shift fork and a PTO setup on the side. A friend explained what a PTO did since I really didn't know. Either way, it is pretty cool but it's definitely coming off. Anyone need one? I'll make a plate out of aluminum or something to cover up the hole that the PTO was mounted to. My plan is to mate this transmission to the 5.3L engine using the typical longer pilot bearing, longer flywheel bolts and a 6.0L truck flywheel that everyone else are using. Then I'll mate the transmission to an early bronco dana 18 using a novak or AA adapter or an np231 or something like that. I will DEFINITELY clean it up and throw on a fresh coat of old ford blue paint. Even though it's chevy and chevys are usually painted red, I like blue better. You can see the PTO from this angle. This is such a short little bastard. Heavy duty 12" clutch. It came with another brand new 11" clutch setup if anyone needs one I've gota spare. The same friend that helped me unload the transmission wanted me to post up a pic of my BFV so here it is. Last edited by 95yjjeep; 02-23-2012 at 10:06 PM.

02-25-2012, 11:47 AM	#388 (permalink)
Phat95YJ Registered User Join Date: May 2011 Member # 189941 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Posts: 592	That BFV makes my back hurt just looking at it. I have buddy that has one similar to that and its freaking heavy.. __________________ 95 YJ- with stuff, 04 KJ- stock 05 F350- the tow rig

02-26-2012, 06:59 PM	#390 (permalink)
sleepsontoilet Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Member # 127171 Location: Humble,Tx Posts: 2,142	Loving it bud, it's progression is unreal. Have you considered having Wayne do your harness work for simplicity? __________________ "You never really know a woman until you meet her in court!"

02-10-2012, 10:52 AM	#377 (permalink)
95yjjeep Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Member # 140167 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 679	As you guys know, my original plan of running a 4.0L jeep inline six has been thrown out the window. For the same cost, I could run a modern chevy v8 with better power and better fuel economy than the jeep engines, and a v8 is just damn cool in my book! So enough of the rambling...this decided to follow me home today. A 2000 GMC Sierra 5.3L V8 with wiring harness, computer and everything else to make it go vroom (except an alternator)! hopefully?! haha! I'm really starting to freak out since I'm to the stage where i am getting to the motor/drivetrain swap. I'm sure I'll be needing a lot of help from all you guys so get ready for some questions. i'm going to try to gut the factory wiring harness since i don't want to spend $700 for a new one from painless or holley or somewhere else. It looks like it will be a pain in my ass but i'm going to give it a valiant effort. i'm ready for it to run. with 295hp and 335ft-lb of torque, I hope I don't twist up my frame like a pretzel. I guess I better get my welder out and start plating EVERYTHING! another pic. My plan for transmissions is to find a SM465 granny 4spd and mate it to a dana 300 or whatever else I can find as far as t-cases go. Thank you guys for all the input. There were some great choices brought up but this option ended up being the most cost effective for my build and I couldn't resist the price. Supposedly it "runs good" but i'll find out shortly i guess. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it.

02-12-2012, 05:33 PM	#378 (permalink)
95yjjeep Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Member # 140167 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 679	I got quite a bit of work done over the weekend. I'm trying to prep the frame and get the body setup so I can get the motor in it. painted up TIG'd tie rod. the frame plating that I made. This is the sharpie'd up metal. It's 1/8" plate. frame prepped before welding the plate on. welded up. upclose. another angle.

02-12-2012, 05:39 PM	#379 (permalink)
95yjjeep Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Member # 140167 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 679	I also started adding supports to the cowl/firewall area. You can also see the passenger side framerail painted up. I also drilled and welded in nuts on the new firewall/cowl area where the new tube fenders will bolt up. Opposite side more complete. I also fab'd and welded up the front rollcage floor plates. Thanks to Chris at MarsFab for giving me some valuable pointers yesterday at his welding class. It's making my welds look better and better.

02-19-2012, 03:24 PM	#382 (permalink)
95yjjeep Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Member # 140167 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 679	With today's shitty weather, I couldn't get much done so I built the motor mounts in the garage. I didn't want to pay for pre-made ones so this is what I dreamed up. another angle. The wavy pieces will be welded and bolted to the frame.

02-24-2012, 12:16 AM	#384 (permalink)
60anny Registered User Join Date: Aug 2010 Member # 165835 Location: College Station, Texas Posts: 13	Phew!! Just finished reading through this thing. Honestly, this is fantastic. I love your creativity and fab work! Never thought an old mail jeep could be...badass. You seem like a great guy, too...keep up the good work!!

02-25-2012, 04:21 AM	#386 (permalink)
TheDoc Registered User Join Date: Feb 2012 Member # 212046 Location: Sohar, Oman expat Posts: 6	Great work done so far, it will look schmick when she's finished. For my curiosity what are those engines selling for with harness. Thinking of building up a stretched 2 dr and am curious at prices. Thanks, Nick.

02-26-2012, 07:15 PM	#391 (permalink)
Bedwell Registered User Join Date: Jun 2011 Member # 191742 Posts: 85	Haven't check on this thread in a while, this thing is looking like a bad unit

02-27-2012, 10:51 PM	#392 (permalink)
kaosVictim Registered User Join Date: Aug 2011 Member # 196105 Posts: 25	this thing gets funner looking everytime i check this thread keep up the good work

03-03-2012, 07:13 PM	#394 (permalink)
95yjjeep Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Member # 140167 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 679	I didn't get much done today. This crappy weather is slowing up my productivity. I did get the new motor mounts tack welded and ready for them to get tig welded. The old motor mount is on the left. I think the new ones I made will be a little bit stronger. another shot. the tubes that will be welded to the frame are random lengths because they were scrap pieces that were left over from the cage. The plates that mount to the motor are 1/4". The tabs are 3/16". The cross bar is 1/4" and the tubing is 1.75" .120 wall. I took the PTO off of the transmission. That's PTO is a heavy little bastard! And come to find out the person I bought the transmission was actually telling the truth. The gears looked to be in excellent shape from what I can see from the bottom. It makes me think there was a recent rebuild like they said it had. I got the old flexplate and random things stripped from the motor this week. I'm plannning on getting the proper flywheel and parts so I can get the 12" clutch installed this week or next so I can get the motor setup between the framerails in the next few weeks.

03-04-2012, 08:09 AM	#395 (permalink)
calipup72 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Member # 119372 Posts: 116	hey i have the cover for that pto if you want it let me know. love the build looks kick ass. whats your width on the front outside tires

03-05-2012, 10:27 AM	#397 (permalink)
95yjjeep Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Member # 140167 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 679	so I got bored at work today during lunch so I did a photoshop rendering of what I want the jeep to look like when I'm done with it, for the most part. This is about the right color I'm wanting to paint it, tube fender design I'm planning to build and front side/cowl armor I'm planning to build and tie into the rock sliders.

03-05-2012, 04:26 PM	#398 (permalink)
calipup72 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Member # 119372 Posts: 116	The cover is in the mail you should have in a few days

03-05-2012, 06:32 PM	#400 (permalink)
95yjjeep Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Member # 140167 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 679	I went by Charles' shop today (Carpenter's Auto Service) and he TIG'd up my motor mounts for me. Hopefully ONE DAY I'll be this good at TIGing.

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