My '94 Hunter Green “No Compromises" Build

[machoheadgames]

Noise Isolation & Heat Insulation

While I wait on my Arizona trip to get the axle and transfer case stuff done, I figured I’d do some interior work. The YJ had gotten super nasty over the years. I removed the factory carpet in 2015 and did a roll on bed liner using Monstaliner. Really the only reason this ever happened was because I was in college, living at apartments with no garage to keep it out of the rain. The interior would get flooded every single time it rained and eventually I just couldn’t keep carpet anymore due to the nasty smells and how long it took to dry.

The bedliner results were okay but man, the heat was bad and so was noise. It was a lot louder than before, even though back in the carpet days it was still loud too. It was just even louder with no carpet, and was borderline miserable.

After 6 years of sitting through rain storms, sitting in the sun, being driven with dirty boots, etc, the floor got to be really disgusting over the years:

Using damp rags and paper towels, I’ve been wiping area by area to get it clean. Slowly it is getting there.

Over the years I’ve drilled a lot of small holes in the floor for various things that are pretty much all now out of service. Since I’m doing a flooring kit, now is the time to cover them. I first dabbed the holes using some black touch up paint by duplicolor. Using the HVAC ductwork tape, I put two layers of tape straight down, on top of every hole.

Using the rollers and my hands, it’s just a matter of cutting the pieces and sticking them down to the floor on one edge, then rolling them tight to the floor slowly until the whole piece is down. Overall it’s pretty easy, just takes time. I think the difference is going to be huge. You can tell how much less the tub is prone to loud tinny noise simply by tapping on the covered area. I’m excited to get this done.

Once I’m done laying Kilmat, I think I’m going to order a 1/8” or a 1/4” sheet of dynaliner which is meant for heat reduction. I’ll probably only use it up front over the transmission hump and maybe part of the feet areas. Not 100% sure but I do think adding some heat insulation will be crucial.

After that, I will be ordering a carpet kit from Stock Interiors. I’m going with charcoal colored plush cut pile, and adding mass backing. This should help add some extra heat insulation as well.

I also ordered a set of Rugged Ridge floor mats. Don’t usually like RR stuff but these seem good and had excellent reviews. They are backordered so we’ll see how they are when I get them. Hopefully I’m done with all the other interior stuff before they get here.

Rugged Ridge Floor Liners

 

[jeepjoe43]

Noise Isolation & Heat Insulation

While I wait on my Arizona trip to get the axle and transfer case stuff done, I figured I’d do some interior work. The YJ had gotten super nasty over the years. I removed the factory carpet in 2015 and did a roll on bed liner using Monstaliner. Really the only reason this ever happened was because I was in college, living at apartments with no garage to keep it out of the rain. The interior would get flooded every single time it rained and eventually I just couldn’t keep carpet anymore due to the nasty smells and how long it took to dry.

The bedliner results were okay but man, the heat was bad and so was noise. It was a lot louder than before, even though back in the carpet days it was still loud too. It was just even louder with no carpet, and was borderline miserable.

After 6 years of sitting through rain storms, sitting in the sun, being driven with dirty boots, etc, the floor got to be really disgusting over the years:

View attachment 117561

Using damp rags and paper towels, I’ve been wiping area by area to get it clean. Slowly it is getting there.

View attachment 117563

Over the years I’ve drilled a lot of small holes in the floor for various things that are pretty much all now out of service. Since I’m doing a flooring kit, now is the time to cover them. I first dabbed the holes using some black touch up paint by duplicolor. Using the HVAC ductwork tape, I put two layers of tape straight down, on top of every hole.

View attachment 117568


Using the rollers and my hands, it’s just a matter of cutting the pieces and sticking them down to the floor on one edge, then rolling them tight to the floor slowly until the whole piece is down. Overall it’s pretty easy, just takes time. I think the difference is going to be huge. You can tell how much less the tub is prone to loud tinny noise simply by tapping on the covered area. I’m excited to get this done.

View attachment 117564

View attachment 117567

View attachment 117566

Once I’m done laying Kilmat, I think I’m going to order a 1/8” or a 1/4” sheet of dynaliner which is meant for heat reduction. I’ll probably only use it up front over the transmission hump and maybe part of the feet areas. Not 100% sure but I do think adding some heat insulation will be crucial.

After that, I will be ordering a carpet kit from Stock Interiors. I’m going with charcoal colored plush cut pile, and adding mass backing. This should help add some extra heat insulation as well.

I also ordered a set of Rugged Ridge floor mats. Don’t usually like RR stuff but these seem good and had excellent reviews. They are backordered so we’ll see how they are when I get them. Hopefully I’m done with all the other interior stuff before they get here.

Rugged Ridge Floor Liners

Did the same roll on bed-liner thing for mine, but that was just bc I removed the carpet and the painted sheet metal was slippery.
Probably should have looked into some kind of non-slip stair paint.
But I had just done bed-liner on the fiberglass shell that Merc put under the vinyl top on my Grand Marquis.
So I had an extra can, BTW the Merc came out beautiful, silver car with a black top looked sharp!

 

[machoheadgames]

Did the same roll on bed-liner thing for mine, but that was just bc I removed the carpet and the painted sheet metal was slippery.
Probably should have looked into some kind of non-slip stair paint.
But I had just done bed-liner on the fiberglass shell that Merc put under the vinyl top on my Grand Marquis.
So I had an extra can, BTW the Merc came out beautiful, silver car with a black top looked sharp!

Yeah my original plan was bedliner, then throw the carpet back over it but with all the rain and it leaking every time, it was a lost cause. Sure hate how hot it is with nothing though, that heat just cooks you constantly. Now I'll at least have the protection of bedliner, noise insulation, and heat protection.

 

[jeepjoe43]

Yeah my original plan was bedliner, then throw the carpet back over it but with all the rain and it leaking every time, it was a lost cause. Sure hate how hot it is with nothing though, that heat just cooks you constantly. Now I'll at least have the protection of bedliner, noise insulation, and heat protection.

Mine lives outside and I've never run anything but a bikini top, if you can't hose it out, I don't want it.
I guess I'm just used to the heat and the noise. This is the first Jeep I've owned that actually had a shifter cover.
Kind of got used to being able to look down and see the front driveshaft.

 

[machoheadgames]

Mine lives outside and I've never run anything but a bikini top, if you can't hose it out, I don't want it.
I guess I'm just used to the heat and the noise. This is the first Jeep I've owned that actually had a shifter cover.
Kind of got used to being able to look down and see the front driveshaft.

Mine is going to live in the garage forever and hopefully will never see rain again for the rest of its life. Hence why I'm quieting it down and insulating it. I do plan to keep it mostly topless and doorless but I need to figure out a solution for the hardtop before I commit to that, and the hardtop is nice enough that I refuse to sell it because I would never find another in this condition if I did.

 

[jeepjoe43]

Mine is going to live in the garage forever and hopefully will never see rain again for the rest of its life. Hence why I'm quieting it down and insulating it. I do plan to keep it mostly topless and doorless but I need to figure out a solution for the hardtop before I commit to that, and the hardtop is nice enough that I refuse to sell it because I would never find another in this condition if I did.

I understand.
I like running a Jeep naked, You've not truly experienced a Jeep until you strap the windshield to the hood.
Until I get the front cage to anchor the the bikini...Got to have some shade.

 

[machoheadgames]

More Noise Isolation and Heat Insulation

I've continued on my insulation voyage since the last post. I'm still working on laying out the noise insulation to the floor. It takes a while to cut up all the little pieces to fit the tub's dips and curves in the floor. I'm also in no rush so I'm not going fast with it which is also making it take longer. I'm just about done with the floor itself, and I'm stopping at the firewall for now (more later). I'll post final pics of the insulation when it's all done, just before it gets carpet on top.

I pulled the trigger on my carpet kit this morning. It is the YJ full kit from Stock Interiors, and I added the rocker panel option. I am not sure if I will actually install them, it depends on the fastening method. If its spray adhesive, I may opt to skip them. We'll see. For the carpet itself, I chose the plush cut pile (not Ultra plush...UP would be too thick), and I did choose to get the mass backing. The mass backing adds a 40 mil epoxy layer that cuts out lots of extra heat and noise which will be awesome in combination with the Kilmat insulation. The carpet fabric itself will also help with noise and heat. It's finna be quiet in there! (I hope anyways lol).

I'm going to pull the heater box for the carpet install so I can lay out the carpet and see how high up it goes. What the carpet will cover will determine how high I go with my Kilmat. Ideally I'd like to line as much of the firewall and side JOOP panels as I can, but if carpet won't cover them, then I won't because I don't want to see the Kilmat foil backing exposed forever. I suspect the carpet will go up to just under the heater box, so I should be good to line the firewall with insulation at least. The JOOP panels are really what I'm not sure about as much.

 

[jeepjoe43]

More Noise Isolation and Heat Insulation

I've continued on my insulation voyage since the last post. I'm still working on laying out the noise insulation to the floor. It takes a while to cut up all the little pieces to fit the tub's dips and curves in the floor. I'm also in no rush so I'm not going fast with it which is also making it take longer. I'm just about done with the floor itself, and I'm stopping at the firewall for now (more later). I'll post final pics of the insulation when it's all done, just before it gets carpet on top.

I pulled the trigger on my carpet kit this morning. It is the YJ full kit from Stock Interiors, and I added the rocker panel option. I am not sure if I will actually install them, it depends on the fastening method. If its spray adhesive, I may opt to skip them. We'll see. For the carpet itself, I chose the plush cut pile (not Ultra plush...UP would be too thick), and I did choose to get the mass backing. The mass backing adds a 40 mil epoxy layer that cuts out lots of extra heat and noise which will be awesome in combination with the Kilmat insulation. The carpet fabric itself will also help with noise and heat. It's finna be quiet in there! (I hope anyways lol).

I'm going to pull the heater box for the carpet install so I can lay out the carpet and see how high up it goes. What the carpet will cover will determine how high I go with my Kilmat. Ideally I'd like to line as much of the firewall and side JOOP panels as I can, but if carpet won't cover them, then I won't because I don't want to see the Kilmat foil backing exposed forever. I suspect the carpet will go up to just under the heater box, so I should be good to line the firewall with insulation at least. The JOOP panels are really what I'm not sure about as much.

View attachment 117594

Mine had the stock rockers and they were applied with Velcro.

 

[machoheadgames]

Mine had the stock rockers and they were applied with Velcro.

Interesting. My YJ had carpet when I got it, but in the binder my grandma gave me of all the old receipts, there were instructions and I think a receipt for a carpet kit. The carpet was not cut out around the third brake light contacts so the third brake light never even worked as long as that carpet had been in place. No rocker panels, so I assumed stock it didn't come with them either. I may try velcro. The rest of the carpet I previously had was all fastened in with velcro. It fit perfectly, looked like it was stock even though I guess it wasn't.

 

[jeepjoe43]

More Noise Isolation and Heat Insulation

I've continued on my insulation voyage since the last post. I'm still working on laying out the noise insulation to the floor. It takes a while to cut up all the little pieces to fit the tub's dips and curves in the floor. I'm also in no rush so I'm not going fast with it which is also making it take longer. I'm just about done with the floor itself, and I'm stopping at the firewall for now (more later). I'll post final pics of the insulation when it's all done, just before it gets carpet on top.

I pulled the trigger on my carpet kit this morning. It is the YJ full kit from Stock Interiors, and I added the rocker panel option. I am not sure if I will actually install them, it depends on the fastening method. If its spray adhesive, I may opt to skip them. We'll see. For the carpet itself, I chose the plush cut pile (not Ultra plush...UP would be too thick), and I did choose to get the mass backing. The mass backing adds a 40 mil epoxy layer that cuts out lots of extra heat and noise which will be awesome in combination with the Kilmat insulation. The carpet fabric itself will also help with noise and heat. It's finna be quiet in there! (I hope anyways lol).

I'm going to pull the heater box for the carpet install so I can lay out the carpet and see how high up it goes. What the carpet will cover will determine how high I go with my Kilmat. Ideally I'd like to line as much of the firewall and side JOOP panels as I can, but if carpet won't cover them, then I won't because I don't want to see the Kilmat foil backing exposed forever. I suspect the carpet will go up to just under the heater box, so I should be good to line the firewall with insulation at least. The JOOP panels are really what I'm not sure about as much.

View attachment 117594

Mine had the stock rockers and they were applied with Velcro.

Interesting. My YJ had carpet when I got it, but in the binder my grandma gave me of all the old receipts, there were instructions and I think a receipt for a carpet kit. The carpet was not cut out around the third brake light contacts so the third brake light never even worked as long as that carpet had been in place. No rocker panels, so I assumed stock it didn't come with them either. I may try velcro. The rest of the carpet I previously had was all fastened in with velcro. It fit perfectly, looked like it was stock even though I guess it wasn't.

Mine did not have the JOOP panels from the factory, so I can't speak to the install there.
I just know what was there when I pulled out all the "Fluff".
The adhesive for the Velcro pads failed before the Velcro let go when I yanked it.
All of the pads came out with the carpet, but 30 years in zonie heat will do that.

 

[SirDoopYJ]

I am doing my best to absorb as much information as I can from this thread. I believe you should write a book. I am having a" Wayne's World I am not worthy" moment.

 

[machoheadgames]

I am doing my best to absorb as much information as I can from this thread. I believe you should write a book. I am having a" Wayne's World I am not worthy" moment.

Lol. Thanks man. It’s nothing special really, just a big trifecta of money, time, and knowledge gained by learning from others online and reading repair manuals to self-teach everything else. After 8 years that combo is bound to finally go somewhere and help accomplish something semi productive.

And as always, any knowledge I may have on a YJ is up for grabs. If something I post doesn’t make sense or needs to be explained differently, definitely ask and I’ll try to clarify. I had to skim over some stuff (which is ironic given how long some of my posts were) so really the pictures are generic and my descriptions didn’t always tell everything either. I can always clarify further and get more specific, close-up pictures if need-be.

After the Arizona trip, it’s looking like I will finally start splitting up some driving time between the YJ and the Frontier. It sure has been long enough, I really haven’t driven the YJ but a handful of times since I got my old Ranger in July 2017. Pretty sad, I have missed it.

 

[machoheadgames]

Frontier is loaded up with Jeep shtuff!

Ready for an long haul early tomorrow AM.

 

[jeepjoe43]

God speed on your trip home brother.
It was very nice meeting you!
Hope you got everything accomplished while you were here.

 

[machoheadgames]

God speed on your trip home brother.
It was very nice meeting you!
Hope you got everything accomplished while you were here.

Thanks! So far looks like I’m going to make it to Amarillo tonight for the night and then an early leave tomorrow should get me home before lunch.

Nice to meet you too, luckily by the end of the day we finally got the 30 gears done, and he welded my 44 perches. Pictures to come in a few days when I get home install.

Also, my Bestop seat covers I ordered and my carpet kit arrived at home, so exciting changes coming soon. It’s about time to start driving it!

 

[jeepjoe43]

God speed on your trip home brother.
It was very nice meeting you!
Hope you got everything accomplished while you were here.

Thanks! So far looks like I’m going to make it to Amarillo tonight for the night and then an early leave tomorrow should get me home before lunch.

Nice to meet you too, luckily by the end of the day we finally got the 30 gears done, and he welded my 44 perches. Pictures to come in a few days when I get home install.

Also, my Bestop seat covers I ordered and my carpet kit arrived at home, so exciting changes coming soon. It’s about time to start driving it!

Glad to hear it!
Looking forward to driving mine too, and getting to know the girl.
I want to get past this showering her with gifts-holding hands stage and actually becoming partners

 

[machoheadgames]

Arizona Trip for Axles and other Junk

Well the Arizona trip is over with. It was a fast one. I left on Wednesday 5/26 at 7:30 AM my time, and got to Arizona at 10:00 PM their time which is basically the equivalent of me driving until midnight my time with the time zone differences. 16.5 hours start to finish. I will say one thing, humans were not built to drive 1,020 miles at once, but at least it got done and safely.

Thursday my friend worked on regearing the Dana 44 to 4.88. This axle came out of his LJ. He previously had a TJ that he built a set of 30/44 axles for, so when he liquidated his TJ, he kept those axles and moved them to his LJ. That meant the LJ 44 was up for grabs. We made a deal and it was mine.

While he worked on the 44, I did a teardown and rebuild of my NP231. While I was in there, I installed a 6 pinion planetary, a true neutral shift plate, a wide chain kit, a new range fork (the one with built in pads), a JB Conversions rebuild, and a JB Conversions Standard SYE (NOT Super Short). I was working slowly and didn't get it all done in the one day, but had also focused some of my efforts to the teardown of my new Dana 30. Here's a pic of the completed NP231.

Garage where all the work was being done...it did not stay this clean throughout lol.

The D30 my friend acquired for me was pretty nasty, so I spent a good while cleaning the tubes, inner c's, inside the diff, etc. Lots of Super Clean, water, and scrubbing. I installed the seals and removed the old CAD parts and it was ready to be regeared to 4.88. I chose TrueTrac Limited Slips for both front and rear axles. I don't really need lockers for my use and I can benefit from LSDs with the type of driving and terrain I expect to do.

On the wagon being cleaned...

On Friday he kept working with the 44, trying to get a good gear pattern. The doofus that owned his LJ screwed it up in all sorts of ways, and the axle was no exception. The carrier bearing caps were installed backwards and the old traklok chirped on turns. We think he tried to install a lunchbox locker, hated it, tried to reinstall the traklok and failed miserably. He also twisted the splines on my axle shafts some, so I guess some Revolution shafts are in my future eventually. Anyways, this axle was molested by the same guy who zip tied speakers in place and and did a bunch of other crap to the LJ under the surface. At the end of the day, it's all relatively harmless stuff and the axle is straight, so it was still worth it. He finally got a good pattern on the 44, sealed it up, and set it aside to focus on the Dana 30. Geared/sealed 44 shown, perch work not done yet.

The Dana 30 gave him pretty much no trouble on the setup, thankfully. He knocked that out in a few hours and then we set the 44 up to weld the perches and shock mounts. I bought these perches. I chose them because they are lower profile. My Jeep is already level, and I can not tolerate negative rake (squatting in the rear). These perches did some with pretty large center pin holes, around 11/16". Most aftermarket YJ springs have pins with 1/2" or 9/16" heads. I have 9/16". My friend happened to have some 3/4" OD DOM tubing with a less than 9/16" ID. We drilled the perches to 3/4", cut the DOM, tacked it in place, then drilled out the ID to 9/16".

Next up was welding the perches. I don't have any pictures of this but basically we eyeballed it, checked the measurements, shuffled the axle back and forth until it was in the exact right spot, triple checked the measurements, tacked the perches in place, flipped it over, and he fully welded both perches. We welded these with a few more degrees of angle to them than stock. The idea was to get the pinion up a bit higher, but we didn't want to go too high. The end result is that I need around 5 degrees of shim now as opposed to the 8 I used to need. Next up was shock perches. These can be tricky on a YJ as the shocks end up close to the axle tubes. On the YJ frame there is also a fuel filter and a fuel filter skid plate under the filter. The Old Man Emu shock rock guard comes very close to the filter skid plate. I was quite concerned however he welded it would end up wrong, but we tried our best to compare with the Dana 35, and welded them up after eyeballing and making some solid guesses.

Old D35 on some stands so we could use it to do mockup of the 44 perches and shock mounts.

Friday I carted everything home. On this drive I got a bit of a late start, around 10 AM Arizona time. I was planning to stop and spend the night in Amarillo but I never booked a room because I wasn't sure I'd make it. By the time I got there, I couldn't find hardly any rooms open so I kept on pushing down the road. Eventually it got to a point where I wasn't even tired and I just pushed to get all the way home. I ended up home at 5 AM my time. That was a rough drive, and I don't plan on ever driving so far in one day again. I did choose the scenic route on US 60 through the mountains. I saw some beautiful sights and caught a few pictures at a viewing area on the side of the road.

Miscellaneous

My Arizona friend had been storing parts for me for ages. I had made plans back in 2018 to go out there, get a Super 35 installed with an Eaton E-Locker, as well as an E-Locker up front too. I bought the S35 shafts in anticipation of that, so those will be up for sale. I had also changed my plans to a Ford 8.8 later, so I have a TrueTrac for that, which will also be for sale. I also have the 8.8 yoke from East Coast Gear Supply that I was going to install on the 8.8. I ultimately opted to skip the 8.8 because I changed my mind (again!) to go with a Chrysler 8.25. I didn't like the offset pinion of the 8.8, nor the low ground clearance of the 8.8 diff. The 8.25 plan never worked out and it just worked out perfectly that he bought an LJ that had an axle to spare, so that's what I went with. Anyways, the 8.8 TrueTrac and the Dana 35 Super shafts will be for sale soon.

We also worked out a deal on a Sonopod with a 10" Kicker that he decided not to use, so that's awesome. I'll be sticking it under a Tuffy trunk enclosure eventually. You screw it down to the floor and it downfires for a good quality bass feel.

He also bought this Rugged Ridge third brake light riser bracket to use on his Exogate tire carrier, but he was going to have to modify it anyways to clear his 35" spare, so he gave it to me instead. It made my third brake light a bit excessively tall, but that's fine. IT looks a bit goofy currently but it only went up around 2" and I expect the 33's to be pretty big compared to my 28" 31's, so I bet the future with 33's will look like the "before" picture. Regardless, I want the light higher rather than lower for maximum visibility, and it will help drivers behind me see it behind the larger tire better. Many people throw the third brake light in the trash but I like having it because it really helps the people behind you differentiate between brake and tail. Granted, my Quadratec tail lights do a VERY good job of that, but it can't help to have the triangle.

Before:

After:

 

[machoheadgames]

More Axle Stuff

On the AZ trip, I also met @jeepjoe43 who I sold my old empty Dana 30 to. He had a similar ideal in his mind that he could get my axle built while he drives around on his current one. Then once it's ready, just install right into place. During our exchange, he nicely gifted me a DV8 super swamper tread diff cover. Thanks Joe! I'll get a pic once it's installed. Amazon actually delivered my Lubelocker gaskets a few minutes ago so it'll be soon, hopefully today or tomorrow.

After getting home from the trip, I realized I have a hell of a lot of stuff to do! I got the 30 cleaned up some more, put it on some stands, and painted it with rust converter and VHT epoxy black paint. I don't need it to be beautiful, I just wanted it to look black and not rusty under the Jeep. The axle I sold Joe was black as can be, so I at least needed it to look like I wasn't downgrading myself lol.

With the help of my brother, I set the 30 up in place on the springs. Yesterday I rented a ball joint press and installed my 2 Spicer Ball Joint Kits. They went in perfectly. The knuckles that came with my front axle also were in pretty poor condition, but I installed them temporarily so I could get the Jeep on it's wheels again. With this recent axle adventure, I am going back to stock brakes and steering. No more WJ swap for me.

To complete the front, I ordered:

Pitman Arm Nut
Two steering knuckles
Two brake shields

Once I receive these I can hook everything up and go for a drive soon.

After getting the Dana 30 in place, I tried my luck with the Dana 44. Lo and behold, it fit the springs freakin' perfectly! I pulled the shims from the springs so I could take some pinion angle measurements. This axle was impossible to weld perfectly without the Jeep present, because the Dana 44 is longer at the pinion, which shortens my driveline, and the JB SYE uses a high clearance yoke, that shortens the driveline a bit. Not wanting to risk it and weld the pinion too high, we guesstimated a bit low on purpose. With no shims, the axle is at 11 degrees and the driveshaft at 24 degrees. According to Tom Wood's pinion angle calculator, with my 17" driveshaft, I need a 5 degree shim. This makes sense because as you rotate the axle, the pinion lifts up the driveshaft u-joint which means 1 degree of shim actually adjusts the angle difference by roughly 2 degrees (the exact amount depends on length of driveshaft). I went ahead and ordered some 5 degree shims from Tom.

Even the shock mounts were 100% perfect. We managed to install them in such a way that the shock never hits the tube, yet is not too far forward to hit the fuel filter skid plate either. Thankfully, the YJ doesn't offer a lot of uptravel so it's not like the shocks have some crazy travel anyways, but it's still easy to be concerned when you can't do the welding in person. This actually worked out better anyways, the OME shocks don't allow much downtravel because they are pretty short. They never bottom out due to the YJ's lack of uptravel. The way we welded the shock mounts a bit higher actually allows the shock to travel all the way down and stops at the same time the suspension does, so no loss of downtravel now! The springs don't flex up enough to bottom out so no issues there regardless.

Once the degree shims arrive, I'll pull the 44, paint it, and take some pictures, especially of the spring perches and shock mounts. I am ecstatic with how well it fit. Patrick (the Arizona friend) is very good at this type of stuff so I wasn't too worried, but there's always that doubt when you don't have the vehicle with you to confirm. I'm very glad it all worked out and certainly glad to have his help and expertise with axle work.

To go with the 44, I ordered:

New Caliper Hoses
New Coated Rotors & Pads
New Parking brake shoes & hardware

The LJ axles use this funky combined hard and soft line hybrid, so I ordered a flaring tool and will cut and flare the line so I can install new hoses myself.

After the 44 Axle is done, I will be piecing my Dana 35 back together and hopefully selling it. It is a 4.10 ratio, setup and plumbed for disc brakes, and is overall a nice condition axle. It would make a good axle for someone with a mild build plan that wants disc brakes. I also have the super 35 shafts so it would make a good build for someone wanting to run a locker as well. I only ever changed plans because I decided I wanted a LSD instead of a locker out back.

Interior

Before I left, I ordered Bestop seat covers to go with the ACC carpet kit I had also ordered. Both arrived while I was gone, so those were nice to come home to. Only the rear Bestop seat cover arrived so I went ahead and got it installed. Not the tightest fit ever but seems like nice quality and will do the job. Certainly will clean up my ratty grey cloth seats a decent amount at least.

The carpet kit is extremely nice. This carpet is way thick, the mass backing adds a lot of thickness and weight. That will help it hold it's shape and not blow away in the wind. It also comes with jute padding adhered to large areas for extra noise isolation and comfort. It is charcoal color but turned out sort of brown. Not a big deal though, should look good in the Jeep and it certainly doesn't look as brown as the pictures.

 

[jeepjoe43]

More Axle Stuff

On the AZ trip, I also met @jeepjoe43 who I sold my old empty Dana 30 to. He had a similar ideal in his mind that he could get my axle built while he drives around on his current one. Then once it's ready, just install right into place. During our exchange, he nicely gifted me a DV8 super swamper tread diff cover. Thanks Joe! I'll get a pic once it's installed. Amazon actually delivered my Lubelocker gaskets a few minutes ago so it'll be soon, hopefully today or tomorrow.

View attachment 117674

After getting home from the trip, I realized I have a hell of a lot of stuff to do! I got the 30 cleaned up some more, put it on some stands, and painted it with rust converter and VHT epoxy black paint. I don't need it to be beautiful, I just wanted it to look black and not rusty under the Jeep. The axle I sold Joe was black as can be, so I at least needed it to look like I wasn't downgrading myself lol.

View attachment 117669

With the help of my brother, I set the 30 up in place on the springs. Yesterday I rented a ball joint press and installed my 2 Spicer Ball Joint Kits. They went in perfectly. The knuckles that came with my front axle also were in pretty poor condition, but I installed them temporarily so I could get the Jeep on it's wheels again. With this recent axle adventure, I am going back to stock brakes and steering. No more WJ swap for me.

To complete the front, I ordered:

Pitman Arm Nut
Two steering knuckles
Two brake shields

Once I receive these I can hook everything up and go for a drive soon.

After getting the Dana 30 in place, I tried my luck with the Dana 44. Lo and behold, it fit the springs freakin' perfectly! I pulled the shims from the springs so I could take some pinion angle measurements. This axle was impossible to weld perfectly without the Jeep present, because the Dana 44 is longer at the pinion, which shortens my driveline, and the JB SYE uses a high clearance yoke, that shortens the driveline a bit. Not wanting to risk it and weld the pinion too high, we guesstimated a bit low on purpose. With no shims, the axle is at 11 degrees and the driveshaft at 24 degrees. According to Tom Wood's pinion angle calculator, with my 17" driveshaft, I need a 5 degree shim. This makes sense because as you rotate the axle, the pinion lifts up the driveshaft u-joint which means 1 degree of shim actually adjusts the angle difference by roughly 2 degrees (the exact amount depends on length of driveshaft). I went ahead and ordered some 5 degree shims from Tom.

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Even the shock mounts were 100% perfect. We managed to install them in such a way that the shock never hits the tube, yet is not too far forward to hit the fuel filter skid plate either. Thankfully, the YJ doesn't offer a lot of uptravel so it's not like the shocks have some crazy travel anyways, but it's still easy to be concerned when you can't do the welding in person. This actually worked out better anyways, the OME shocks don't allow much downtravel because they are pretty short. They never bottom out due to the YJ's lack of uptravel. The way we welded the shock mounts a bit higher actually allows the shock to travel all the way down and stops at the same time the suspension does, so no loss of downtravel now! The springs don't flex up enough to bottom out so no issues there regardless.

Once the degree shims arrive, I'll pull the 44, paint it, and take some pictures, especially of the spring perches and shock mounts. I am ecstatic with how well it fit. Patrick (the Arizona friend) is very good at this type of stuff so I wasn't too worried, but there's always that doubt when you don't have the vehicle with you to confirm. I'm very glad it all worked out and certainly glad to have his help and expertise with axle work.

To go with the 44, I ordered:

New Caliper Hoses
New Coated Rotors & Pads
New Parking brake shoes & hardware

The LJ axles use this funky combined hard and soft line hybrid, so I ordered a flaring tool and will cut and flare the line so I can install new hoses myself.

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After the 44 Axle is done, I will be piecing my Dana 35 back together and hopefully selling it. It is a 4.10 ratio, setup and plumbed for disc brakes, and is overall a nice condition axle. It would make a good axle for someone with a mild build plan that wants disc brakes. I also have the super 35 shafts so it would make a good build for someone wanting to run a locker as well. I only ever changed plans because I decided I wanted a LSD instead of a locker out back.

Interior

Before I left, I ordered Bestop seat covers to go with the ACC carpet kit I had also ordered. Both arrived while I was gone, so those were nice to come home to. Only the rear Bestop seat cover arrived so I went ahead and got it installed. Not the tightest fit ever but seems like nice quality and will do the job. Certainly will clean up my ratty grey cloth seats a decent amount at least.

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The carpet kit is extremely nice. This carpet is way thick, the mass backing adds a lot of thickness and weight. That will help it hold it's shape and not blow away in the wind. It also comes with jute padding adhered to large areas for extra noise isolation and comfort. It is charcoal color but turned out sort of brown. Not a big deal though, should look good in the Jeep and it certainly doesn't look as brown as the pictures.

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Glad you enjoyed the Zone, sounds like it was just as well you didn't go to Sedona.

Thanks for the props brother, may it serve you well! That's going to look good on a nice clean axle!
It never even saw mine.
And mad props to you for dragging that axle across the country for me.
I didn't get home in time to order any parts, got caught in holiday traffic, but not too bad.
And I decided to drive straight home and not drop it my buddies shop, it's still in the trunk of my hoopty.
But that's OK, because I love the smell of hypoid in the morning! lol

That is a nice looking carpet kit, BTW.
I'm sure pics don't do it justice.

 

[machoheadgames]

Glad you enjoyed the Zone, sounds like it was just as well you didn't go to Sedona.

Thanks for the props brother, may it serve you well! That's going to look good on a nice clean axle!
It never even saw mine.
And mad props to you for dragging that axle across the country for me.
I didn't get home in time to order any parts, got caught in holiday traffic, but not too bad.
And I decided to drive straight home and not drop it my buddies shop, it's still in the trunk of my hoopty.
But that's OK, because I love the smell of hypoid in the morning! lol

That is a nice looking carpet kit, BTW.
I'm sure pics don't do it justice.

Yeah I did, I didn’t get to see much sadly but it was cool nonetheless. Maybe someday I’ll make it back out that way. It sure is a long drive if you don’t have a reason to go out there though lol.

Looking forward to the cover in place, should look good.

I think that carpet will be really nice when done. It’s going to be a bit of a pain to install but will be worth it. Really will clean up the interior.

At this point I’m just itching for all the parts to ship so I can get done. I enjoy building the Jeep but I’m ready to stop for a while and just drive & enjoy it.