Constant Aggravation: A college budget build.

[dozer_xj]

Well after researching (spending more time on Pirate than school work) and taking my time to collect parts I decided to "Pull the trigger" on this project. This is not a "I wish or want to do this someday thread" It is happening!

The goal:
Have a very reliable rig that does not break the bank. I figure why upgrade my stock stuff when I can spend close to the same money (a lot more work and time finding deals) on something worthwhile. You have to have a good place to start. Keep it cheap by being smart but also spend money where it makes sense (seals and bearings) but save money by using factory gears and limited slip (ill get back to this shortly.)

What I have got:
98 Jeep XJ, 4.0, AW4, Dana 30 with Marker hub conversion, Chrysler 29 spline with a power trax, 355 gears. 4.5" lift, bumpers, bla bla bla... (its all got to go so why tell you about them right?) All this will be for sale shortly!!!It was my first car and that is how I got the Jeep bug. Got a truck this fall and they jeep was not worth much so why not really make it a toy!
Moving along:
I bought a 78 Ford f250. Sold trans and t-case, kept the axles and scrapped the reast. Got axles and MADE MONEY!
They axles:
8 lug
4.10 gears
Open HP Dana 44 front
Limited slip Dana 60 rear

What I have done:
I got some brackets (cheapest I could find. Took some fab work but you get what you pay for) and put disk on the Dana 60 already. Started cleaning and taking apart the 44 tonight. These were very dirty and nasty! The Illinois salt was not nice to these axles or that truck for that fact. The wire wheel and I are good friends now. The 3"x3"x3/16" angle is already welded in for unibody reinforcement. I have the Dana 300, cables shifters, CJ7 rear leafs (FRONT LEAF CONVERSION! stay tuned ASHMEN!) with a shackle at the rear. Got most of my parts from a guy in our club who gave me a hell of a deal.

Present Plans:
Front leaf converson, The 3/4ton axles, sell current axles and lift to offset cost, put dana 300 in, cable shifters. Good rear drive shift with square front shaft. 35-37” tires (what ever I can find a good deal on). Now I know some people say that that 44 will explode on 37s but it was free, not much hard core stuff in Illinois though I am going out west this summer and I drive like a pansy anyway. I think it is at least better than my 30 and it will hold.

Future plans. Re-gear, 35 spline rear shafts with spool, dana 44 locker, DOM cage (uncle has a bender) high steer, hidden front winch.....list goes on forever. You know how that is.

Like I have said...I have already started. Now it is almost 1a.m. so I am tired of typing. I have been to busy working to stop and take pictures of what I have done lately so I will start you with these and get more tomorrow.
The internet, craigslist, wheeling friends and Ebay are my friends on this one. There will also be a bit of a spin on this project that you will find out about later.

[dumblucky]

its a good way to go just make sue ya keep an eye on those ball joints, and I would get chromos ASAFP..I wouldnt spend a whole lot on the high steer if I was you, as far as wheels

8 lug rules

you will be so glad when it comes time to put a dana 60 up front..buy some steel wheels with a diy beadlock kit..( I would go 17" myself)

[dozer_xj]

Originally Posted by dumblucky

its a good way to go just make sue ya keep an eye on those ball joints, and I would get chromos ASAFP..I wouldnt spend a whole lot on the high steer if I was you, as far as wheels

Yeah the ball joints were toast in it any way so im going to put new in and carry spares like every one says. as for chromos I admit that I might need them but we will have to see. If I dont breake them by this summer I might get a set and keep the stock safts as spares. Speaking of stock shafts....Those outer 19 spline shafts make me wonder why im even swaping this 44 in.

Originally Posted by dumblucky

you will be so glad when it comes time to put a dana 60 up front..buy some steel wheels with a diy beadlock kit..( I would go 17" myself)

I dont know if a 60 will come for a long time. Just dependos on how much stuff i break. Remember...In Illinois there are only trails and hill climbs. No rocks. I am using the stock low range in the dana 300 and that is it was far as gearing for now. My wheel and tire plans seem to be leening toward buying hummer 36" bias and 8 bolt hummer bead locks from 406YJ off of here. He has good prices. Any one have comments on this wheel and tires set up? I have not heard too much about them but it seems like people are buying the shit out of them.

Well its time to head to the parts store and start another day of wrenching.

[solidaxleford]

you will def need crmo shafts i run 36s and broke 3 sets of axles before my upgrade now im on crmo and ive broke them too now im going 60 in the front im not super hard on my stuff but not a pansy either before you start see if you can just go 60 now you wont regret it

[dozer_xj]

Originally Posted by solidaxleford

you will def need crmo shafts i run 36s and broke 3 sets of axles before my upgrade now im on crmo and ive broke them too now im going 60 in the front im not super hard on my stuff but not a pansy either before you start see if you can just go 60 now you wont regret it

What type of rig and what type of terrain?

[dozer_xj]

Did not get much done tonight. I am working on my Jeep out at my girlfriends house. Her dad is a very knowledgable and has alot of tools. Plus a heated garage this time of the year is NICE! I cut my work short tonight becuase it started icing out and I wanted it get home. A 15 mile drive through the country and through hills on ice is not to great.

What I did get done;
-Ball joints replaced
-Chased the threaeds on the wheel studs and the studs on the knuckles that hold the spindle on. I didnt want to buy new if I didnt have to. Its all about saving money. They were in good shape any way.
-Took picutres!

The brakes are not on the rear axle on the one side becuase I have to put the speedi sleve on the seal surface. It is pitted really bad. I screwed up not taking before pictures on these axles. THEY WERE A MESS!!!! Every wear item on them was junk. Yes I know I have a leaky pinion seal on the Dana 44. The good thing about all the motor oil over the 44 is the metal is not as pitted as the 60 but the knuckles are rotted pretty bad.

The picture of the underside of my jeep is to show the unibody reinforcements. It is not the best picutre becuase I had to use the head lights of my truck to light them up. If you want better picutres just ask. I just wanted to show that im not faking this jeep build. They are only primered becuase I am going to build some rock sliders and a cage off of them soon.

The picture of the car is Jerry's (girlfriends dad. He is cool as hell) 63 Nova ss. He has had it for over 20 years. He built the whole thing buy himself. Body work and all. That car is his resume on the good work he does. Im lucky to have such good free help. You can also see her brothers CJ 5 in there some.

[dozer_xj]

I got my cable shifters in the mail today. I want to do a Shifter set up like Timmy and of Vetteboy. After i write this i am heading to get something to eat then heading to work on the axles again. I got my brakes and seals for the fron axle today so hopefully wheels and tires will be my only BIG purchase for a while.

I got an ARB snorckel hood thinking I was going to build my own snorkle but I do not think I will do that anymore. If you want it let me know. They are $90 brand new. Illl take 45 shipped. The other thing in the pic is the B&M trans temp guage. I wanna keep tabs on that AW4 becase that will blow if that thing goes out on me!

[dozer_xj]

Got some more work done. Dana 60 is ready to go. Dana 44 we are running into a few things. I need a hub rebuild kit with snap rings , bolts, and o-rings. Everything is either junk or it was missing already (this axle was not taking care of. Will the Mile marker "service kit" work on factory ford f250 hubs? The parts stare says they will.

speaking of missing stuff. The hub spring cup on one side is missing when we took it apart. After searching the stores and on the interent I am having no luck. Any help will be awesome! Ill include a picture.

I painted some of the stuff pink for breat cancer awareness. My mom and my girlfriends mom has it so it is something personal to me. Im going to do a "Jeeping for a cure" like Jensen on here does with his Blasphemy Jeep (xj) (racing for a cure)

Yes I know some of it looks orange. There is 8 coats of pink paint on the knuckles and diff covers but the black primer I used still shows through.

And help with what kit will work with factory ford hubs ( i need o-rings, screws, and snap rings that hold lock out in) AND THE SPRING CUP will be awsome!! I have searched but i need to know if the mile marker service kit will work and I cant find anything on that spring cup. THANKS!!!





SPRING CUP



I have more picutres but pirate wont let me upload them right now so I will try later.

[urbanmuddboger]

looking good so far

but we will see

[Skerb]

rotate your calipers back or forward some...good luck bleading them as they are.

[xjdoug]

what thickness did you use on the frame stiffeners again? and what size angle did you start with? i think my shits gonna get linked here soon....

[dozer_xj]

The calipers are set to the back some. You just cant tell in the pictures. Also the axle will be rotated back for driveshaft angles any way. Doug... I used 3x3x3/16 angle. Like 54 inches long on each side. I drilled 1.5" holes in them for plug welds. That hole is way too big. If I did it again I would use 1" holes. Your linking it? I thought you said you liked the front leafs or are you just doing the back?

[dozer_xj]

This is how nasty rusty this axle was. This is parts of the brakes. The top one is wire wheeled and the bottom one is rusty still. Like beet the rust off with a hammer rusty. sorry for the camara phone picutre.

I need some of these snap rings so I can rebuild the hubs. I talked to the parts store and they are trying to sell me a mile marker hub rebuild kit. Will that work on my factory ford hubs?

Hubs bolted on. Just waiting on lockouts and a spring cup. Might have to head to the Ford dealership.

[dozer_xj]

Will warn hub service kit 11967 work with me ford hubs? any one have an exploded view of a dana 44 hub? I have searched alot with no luck. Going tomorow to the dealership for the spring cup. Do i even need it?

[xjdoug]

Originally Posted by dozer_xj

The calipers are set to the back some. You just cant tell in the pictures. Also the axle will be rotated back for driveshaft angles any way. Doug... I used 3x3x3/16 angle. Like 54 foot long on each side. I drilled 1.5" holes in them for plug welds. That hole is way too big. If I did it again I would use 1" holes. Your linking it? I thought you said you liked the front leafs or are you just doing the back?

im thinkin ill do the back if i keep it....

[MrShoeBoy]

You seem to be off to a great start on the build!

Get alloy front shafts ASAP!!! I did the same thing as you are doing... Build it as you go. I broke a long side inner on one trip, a stub shaft and a U joint on another with 35" BFG M/Ts. After that I got USA Alloy inners, Dutchman outers, and Yukon super joints. Nothing has broken in 2 years of wheeling now. Just wish I did it sooner so I wouldnt have to stop due to the broken shaft.

I would also recomend getting high steer, or at least getting high steer on the passenger side for the drag link. I kept blowing through TREs due to the drag link angle I had on my XJ on 35s with 6" lift. I fixed this by getting Dedenbear knuckles and high steer arms and again in 2 years never had a problem with steering. The Dedenbear knuckles arent required, but my knuckles have seen better days so I just went ahead and upgraded. The flatter drag link and track bar REALLY helped the handling and the Jeep was much easier to handle on road driving around. I would have done this first before locking it. Hind sight is 20/20

As for the hub springs... I dont have any springs in my hubs and my Warn locking hubs are just fine. If the parts store is no help, try going to the dealership and seeing if they have what you need. When you put everything together, be sure to GREASE EVERYTHING. Smear some on the sub shaft, grease the axle shaft bearing in the spindle, grease the hub splines so the lockout doesnt get seized inside, grease the seals so they dont tear when you install it, and ANTISEIZE the crap out the the spindles, caliper bracket, and knuckle. It will make life much easier when its time to replace the broken stock axle shaft I made sure to grease or antiseize everything in the front axle and this past weekend I tore everything down to regear the front and it came apart with no swearing after being together for a year and a half

Good Luck!

AARON

[dozer_xj]

Thanks for the help!

[MrShoeBoy]

Since you have it stripped why not cage it? My last XJ (version 2.0) lasted 3 years before the chassis gave up the ghost even with frame rail rail reinforcing (from front LCA mount to leaf spring mount). The whole truck felt loose and I could never get rid of all the unibody squeeks. The squeeks got really annoying cause I couldnt get them to go away I started my current Jeep (version 3.0 ) with a cage, TMR frame plates, and frame rail stiffeners in hopes it will hold together a little bit longer. In the words of Michael Jackson "Its tighter than a 12yr old"

Lets see some more build pics

AARON

[dozer_xj]

Here is the deal. I am going to put a cage in it as soon as I get rocker gards on it(so I can tie the cage into it.) I also have to pick a weekend becuase im using my uncles mandrel bender and he live 4 hours away... Summary...I am putting a cage in it but I have other things I want to do to it first.

As far as the build...I am going on a wheeling trip new years day and then it comes apart after that. BUT I cannot do anything to it untill I can get it to charge. The battery and alternater is good. I put a new computer in it thinking it was a regulator in the computer and still no fix. The battery tester still says it is a regulator problem. Can I put an internal (or external(which ever is opisite of the on in the computer)) regulator on it? My check engine light is on all the time any way. YES I HAVE SEARCHED!

What computer has the regulator in it? I have replaced the one on the driverside fender next to the air box.

[MrShoeBoy]

So you are saying the check engine light is on and the battery is not charging? You have put a new battery and a new alternator in.

Kinda a dumb question but did you hook the wires up correctly, especially the ground wire? If you miss the ground, the truck will run but wont charge... Ask me how I know

How did this happen? The check engine light just came on one day and it stopped charging or was there something else? If the wires are hooked up as they should be, is the alternator putting out any juice when installed? Test it right at the alternator output. If you have juice there, check the voltage at the battery. If no juice there, then replace the fusible link between the alternator and battery. If no juice at the alternator, trace the wires from the alternator regulator to the computer and check for faults (put a meter on it and check for really high resistance). If theres a fault or really high resistance replace the wire in the harness.

AARON

[dozer_xj]

Ok last night I was tired so I didnt go into detail. Thats my bad.
Here is the story of my jeep loosing charging ability:
^Day after thanksgiving I weld on unibody stiffeners. Like a retard I forget to disconnect the battery. I get in my jeep to drive it and its not charging. I think oh its the alternater. I take it off and bring it too the parts store. They test it and tell me it is fine. I put it back on and fire it up and look at that! Its charging again. I figure I get off lucky.

I drive the jeep for a while then it stops charging again so I park it. Fast forward to Christmas break. I figure it is a regulator problem since it works sometimes and not others so I get a new ECU from the Junk yard. I replaced the computer on the driverside fender. was that the right one?

I get in my jeep and start it up with the new computer. It is STILL not charging so I drive to the parts store and they test the battery and say it is also good. Then they test the charging sytem and tell me it is a regulator problem (which I though I just fixed with a new computer). So I get in my jeep and head to the Jeep dealer for a $50 test. On the way there the voltage guauge shows that it is charging just under 14 volts. So I cant take it to get it tested since it is working. I drive it for a day and the next morning it stops charging again. I spend yesterday afternoon with a wire diagram and traced every wire and fuesable link.

On a side note...When I first start it the volt guage shows 12 volts(battery voltage) then after a few mins of driving the volt gauge drops down to nothing and the check guages light comes on. I know its not chaging becuase the wippers and windows are really slow.

My plan of action:
1. go talk to the dealer about it again right after I get done typing this.
2. try feilding the alternator to see if I can get it to chage which will tell me it is a regulater problem(like the parts store test thing told me)
3. Check resistance on wires going to the computer.
4. put a different regualtor on it so I can bypass the computer.

my one hugew question is Did I replace the right computer???

What would cause my voltage guage from being wierd like that and showing zero voltage when I atleast have some. Like say I know it is not just a gauge problem.

[MrShoeBoy]

The gauge in the dash is in no way accurate. Get a multimeter and test the voltage at the battery with the motor off. It should read 12v + or - a volt. Test it again with the motor running. Voltage at the battery should read 14v + or - .9v. If its not happening there meter at the alternator output. Should be right around 14v.

As for the right computer, is it from a same year Jeep as you have or at least in the same range. 87 through 90, 91 through 97, or 98 through 2001. Thats all I got, what does the factory service manual say about testing the charging system?

AARON

[dozer_xj]

It says have a dealer test it. I did put a voltmeter on the battery. I have found some info on the web. Im going to try that. I have a appointment at the dealer on wednseday, If I cant get it fixed by then Ill have them do it. What is another $45 at this point....

Im starting to figure out you cant build it right on a budget....

[MrShoeBoy]

Originally Posted by dozer_xj

Im starting to figure out you cant build it right on a budget....

Welcome to the club

AARON

[RCman]

Originally Posted by MrShoeBoy

Welcome to the club
AARON

Haha!
Very true, my budget was out the window months ago.

I'm using H1s in my build as well. Not the military tires though, I've got some 39" PitBulls. The only issue I've got so far is the steering on my HP D60. The clearance is tight if you run the stock ~7" backspacing. I had to modify the knuckle and cut off the stock steering arm and I'll be forced to run high steer (not that that is a bad thing). I honestly don't know what you'll run into for issues with the D44 you have, just be sure to look into it before you commit to them.

Maybe I missed it, but what are you plans for the front suspension?
Please tell me that t-case drop is leaving.