Completed Project Kirby's Navajo Next Level

So I haven't been posting much or working on the Navajo. I have been wheeling some and dirtbiking alot and just not doing much new stuff to the truck. Anyway, I have been gathering parts and need to do some wrenching and take it to the next level. I did add a new door last night! The old one wouldn't roll up due to the new dents. Partly from Independance trail, partly from an encounter with a tree snow wheeling!

Here's the new parts going in:

1) 8.8 New Axle- The old one has some ghetto brackets and the pinion bearing is toast. I paid a guy to setup the gears and he must have set the pinion preload with an impact or something. I need to do something about this soon!

2) 8.8 Detroit EZ Locker Got it cheap

3) Dana 44 Detroit Electrac Its a gear driven posi until you push the button, then it is a spool. Got it Cheap

4) New Front Bumper. Got a Warn X8000I mounted up, now it needs some tube to keep the grill off the rocks!

5) Wristed Arm- Picked one up a guy built and didn't use for cheap. I need to redo the welds because I don't trust him.

Pics:
Parts:

Winch Mount ( I think I need to make a thread For this)

Side View

Top View

 

[RockRanger]

I didn't clock mine. For some reason I thought the driveshaft would hit. If I tear mine apart I will probably clock it so I can gain another inch of clearance. If I remember right I had to rearange the floor with a 3lb sledge to make it fit.

 

[IZwack]

I clocked - but you'll notice you only need a few degrees because of the transfer case's shape, the bottom is a very wide "V". So the important thing is to only get the bottom of the V above the belly.

 

[Kirby N.]

Sweetness. So the consensus is clock it one click. I will give it a shot. Thanks for the input. To echo IZ's input, I really don't think it needs much to be flat. It barely hangs down as it is. I do have some serious battle scars on my tcase skid though!

The tranny is on the floor, Tcase seals are done, tcases are almost ready to go together. I think I have a very solid plan for the shift pivots and levers. Saturday I will clean the tranny, install freeze plugs to fix stupid leak, install flywheel and clutch, mock up shift levers minus actual links and maybe look into the gas tank relocate. If you cant tell I am avoiding the gas tank! That is the part I am dreding the most. I stared at it for like 10 minutes tonight. Still no plan! I need to pull of the skid and get a better look at the whole situation.

 

[rookieshooter]

If you cant tell I am avoiding the gas tank! That is the part I am dreding the most. I stared at it for like 10 minutes tonight. Still no plan! I need to pull of the skid and get a better look at the whole situation.

Have at least 3 cups of coffee and it will come to you in the form of a Vision LOL

Like to see how all this comes together.

 

[410Fortune]

Fuel cell? or BFH?

sport tranks metal or plastic?

metal is pretty forgiving with a ball peen hammer
plastic = ????? plastic welder? HAHAHAHA

what have others done?

 

[james t]

Fuel cell? or BFH?

sport tranks metal or plastic?

metal is pretty forgiving with a ball peen hammer
plastic = ????? plastic welder? HAHAHAHA

what have others done?

Just eyeballing mine, but i can tell ya a hammer aint gonna work... unless your hammer has a saw built into it that you can use to cut the front of the tank off. : I guess thats the one disadvantage to having a sport- the tank is almost upagainst the stock case.

I had planned to just do the F150 tank in the spare tire area and extend the fuel lines.

 

[410Fortune]

sometimes I just love my BII

but then of course I want to push my rear axle back about 6", so same boat as you!!

 

[Kirby N.]

I am not real excited about a fuel cell or a different tank behind the rear axle to worry about catching on rocks as I drop off of ledges.

It seems like that is what everyone has done in sports though :scratch:. Zapper slid in the stubler with the stock tank and then threw in a fuel cell! I have a small plan, even though I do not drink any coffee!!

Here is part of my plan:

The next part of my plan includes ice, a nine iron, and a buffalo- preferably stuffed for safety reasons.

I envision slicing off the front of the rolled under bracket on the front of the tank, and relocating the gas tank back 1". Part of the idea with moving the rear axle back 1" was that I could also move the tank back 1". Issues with that are line length, the fact that the rear axle is already really close to the tank, and then there is the mechanics of it all! Welding in new brackets, rebuilding the old ones back 1", or whatever. Part of the obstacle is the fact that it is right on the tank! Sparks with a grinder and the welder should be fun! I am not really worried about it. I should have filled it all the way upto eliminate the most oxidized gas fumes I could, but then how would I get it out? The other issue is the fact that there is some serious dents in that gas tank skid. Whatever I do it has to be stout!

 

[Kirby N.]

and to answer jaimes question it is platic with a huge metal skid plate almost completely covering it.

 

[410Fortune]

hmm moving the tank back might work, you may also be able to move it over a hair, I would plan on dropping the tank to modify these things, not full of fuel! If you are going to work on it clean it and fill it with water, measure in the truck, modify out of the truck.


fuel lines from a 4 door should solve the extension problem

if you are going to under the cargo area like a BII then maybe BII lines?? of FSB lines?
Custom lines are not too difficult either, but $$$

I would not be worried about hurting a rear mounted tank too bad, as long as it is tucked up a bit, my BII skid plate has seen more then its fair share of 2-3' drops right off a ledge, bumper first, then skid hopefully! Its dented, but still protecting the tank, a tougher skid then the 88 factory piece would be adequate for even the hardest hits, wheelers have had rear mounted tanks forever.

 

[slammer67]

On the clocking- on mine, I could not clock it more than one hole, any more and the case would hit the driveshaft. I have a c-v type driveshaft. With a standard jointed driveshaft you MIGHT be able to clock it two holes. I had mine clocked at one time, but put it back to normal, I was thinking that having it clocked up would affect the oil volume and maybe the working of the internal oil pump.

I don't think clocking is that big of a deal as mine doesn't hang that low

clocking it one hole would probably get me even with the frame on my ranger.

 

[Kirby N.]

hmm moving the tank back might work, you may also be able to move it over a hair, I would plan on dropping the tank to modify these things, not full of fuel! If you are going to work on it clean it and fill it with water, measure in the truck, modify out of the truck.


fuel lines from a 4 door should solve the extension problem

if you are going to under the cargo area like a BII then maybe BII lines?? of FSB lines?
Custom lines are not too difficult either, but $$$

I would not be worried about hurting a rear mounted tank too bad, as long as it is tucked up a bit, my BII skid plate has seen more then its fair share of 2-3' drops right off a ledge, bumper first, then skid hopefully! Its dented, but still protecting the tank, a tougher skid then the 88 factory piece would be adequate for even the hardest hits, wheelers have had rear mounted tanks forever.

Even filling it full of water does not work all the time. I tried to weld up a gas tank my brother shot a hole in for a Dodge D50 a nieghbor gave me. I tried rinsing it and filing it as full of water as I could and it almost blew me up as soon as I struck an arc. When it did it expanded the tank like a balloon popping out all the indentions and shot fire out the filler! Then my brother thought it must have burned all the gas out so we filled as full as we absolutely could and he tried it! When it blew again we decided we were pushing out luck! It is just flat dangerous any way you slice it, but I have heard it is less dangerous welding near a gas tank if the tank is full. Maybe, maybe not? I guess

I am not going to consider the bronco 2 tank until I am sure there is no simpler alternative. Right now it seems like a ton more work and with my deadline I am already pushing it.

Here are firezappers pics with a stubbler and a trimmed tcase/ Gas skid:

 

[Kirby N.]

After a close study of Firezappers pics, I am now thinking it may be possible to leave the bolt in the front skid support closest to the frame and cut the front inner corner off the skid. Then I can leave the skid where it is at and maybe offset the tank straps move the tank only back 1". Hmmm. Now you guys have me thinking. As soon as my little girl goes to bed I will start pulling down the tank for a closer look.

 

[slammer67]

To weld on a tank, run a hose off your exhaust to the tank fill hole with the engine running. If there's no oxygen, it cant explode. I learned it from an old welder guy I worked with once and I've done this on a couple motorcycle tanks and no boom.

Just get the drivetrain in and then you can figure out the gas tank situation

When's the deadline?

 

[410Fortune]

dang thats a good idea! where were you when I had to cut a hole in a metal exploder tank a couple years ago? LOL

I was worried about that because I had researched working on a gas tank is nothing to mess with, exhaust is cheap and easy!

Any other tips and tricks to insure a gas tank wont exploder?

All I did was use a sawzall and take a piece of it for my project

 

[Kirby N.]

Hopefully I am taking it to Moab April 8 for Easter Jeep Safari. I would get on with the driveline, but I am waiting on the 3/8" heims for the tcase links. I want to build them on the garage floor with the tranny and cases bolted up.

I like your crossmember slammer. I am thinking along those lines for a temp setup. Then maybe an integrated skid like yours for later.

 

[RockRanger]

You can get the parts you need to extend the fuel lines at napa. My super long build up thread has all the part numbers in it.

Take measurements of how hou do you shifters I want to redo mine.

 

[slammer67]

I used the stock crossmember and welded on some 6" x 3/8" pipe. I welded on the pipe and then cut out the c-member so I wouldn't have to worry about the ends not lining up.

The skidplate is made out of 3/4" solid square stock, it's strong, I can jack up the truck under it.

it mounts at the bottom of the frame and the sides (8 bolts total)
there is a solid piece that goes from the skid to the square part on the c-member that is missing in the pic. also missing is the 1/8" plate that covers the bottom of the skid.

 

[Kirby N.]

Fuel cell? or BFH?

sport tranks metal or plastic?

metal is pretty forgiving with a ball peen hammer
plastic = ????? plastic welder? HAHAHAHA

what have others done?

OK now you have me thinking. I got the skid trimmed and it looks like I got maybe like 1" more maybe less than firezappers setup. From his pics it looks like the top is the issue more than anything. So jaime has me thinking. Anyone know if there was a metal gas tank on any of the sports? I could hammer out like one more inch and be good if it was metal.

 

[Kirby N.]

From what I can tell from others' post on here it looks like the late model sport tanks are not as long and metal??? I can't find any solid info on it.

I did, however, see that cheapthrills said he mounted up his homebuilt doubler in his sport by cutting off the front of the skid. I am going to mount the tank back up and go with it until I get there.

As far as I can tell it will be nearly impossible to move the tank backward. I would have to move the crossmember that goes down the middle of it. That looks like it is all that would stop me.