The Black Hole

[reapereviltwin]

400#

Two grunts and a fart with a 4 ft cheater bar is pert near close.

Now where have I've heard that before?

 

[gmanpaint]

Now where have I've heard that before?

:bsnicker: Most likely out of your mouth!

And you thought your Euphemism's fell on deaf ears!

Rig is going on another test run today. Need to make sure these dang brakes really are working good.

 

[reapereviltwin]

And you thought your Euphemism's fell on deaf ears!

Actually I did!

 

[CDW6212R]

Don't most gear sets come with an assortment of shims for the pinion?

I thought you meant the carrier side spacer shim kits available. I have bought two of those, and may still have the one I didn't need. The first one was great, as it had outer shim components with thin shims that went inside of those. After 9 years I've forgotten how those were so much better, but the next kit I didn't like because all of the shims were the same diameter and would be a pain to install with the carrier etc. They both were about $30 per kit back then.

 

[gmanpaint]

Well, I''m not 100% what I'm going to do yet Don. I want to swap the internals from the Ex 8.8 to the F/W F-150 8.8. The EX internals were rebuilt a few thousand miles ago with all new races & bearings, etc...

The used F/W 8.8 will need to be rebuilt (seals, bearings), but the carrier & ring gear wont be torn down, just swapped out with new shims. Ex 8.8 has the new 4.56 gears, the locker, and the open carrier W/hardened shaft, plus all new hardware already. These parts add up big time, & I can't afford to replace all of them to go 9" axle. The fact I have to regear the D44 (it has brand new gears as well) is sad as it is.

I don't like how easy the rear pinion seal can go bad so easily (even with good angle), with the crush sleeve, and was hoping the solid spacer would help with that.

Shopping for new parts for the 8.8 carrier swap, and not knowing the best way to go about it w/o over spending on things I don't need, is frustrating to say the least. ie... do I buy a new master install kit, a new reg install kit, just the shim packs &/or the pinion shim & sleeve kit, separate pinion nut, etc...just needs to be as economical as can be.

I ain't no Rockefeller

 

[CDW6212R]

If you've done a few of the diff, rebuilds etc, often you end up with lots of extra parts from the various rebuild kits. I know it's tough to tell what's in each kit, brands differ etc, but try to get the one with nothing extra that you don't need. The smaller kits may be cheaper if you don't need much, or the one or two items not in the kit you can get alone.

 

[gmanpaint]

The gears come alone by themselves, and the master kits I had for their install, used up 99% of the kits. I think I have a few shims, and some marking compound left over is all.

Your right tho, the regular Yukon install kit might have all I need for the swap. That paired off with the crush sleeve eliminator kit, might just be enough. Will dig in a little deeper with my research.

 

[gmanpaint]

Rig got a shakedown this evening. Went over everything else on it that I could think of. The annual Smorr meet is less than a month away, so it needs to be ready.

Good:
All fluids checked out, all lights working, 4wd kicking azz, drive shafts & U-joints are solid. Front suspension is nice & tight. Engine & trans are operating within parameters. Gauges all check out. Switch panel is fully functional. CB radio is in working order. Wheels & tires are same as they ever were.

Bad:
Need a new trans mount installed.
Have a gangster lean on the dr side now for some reason. About a 1 inch diff from pass side.
Smell antifreeze on start up.
Rear dr window doesn't work.

Will try to remedy all this if I have time. Trans mount is top of the list.

 

[gmanpaint]

Wish I had a place to mount this too.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

Yes me too! That could hold alot of Guiness!! But how to keep it cold, so many ideas, so little time!

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes me too! That could hold alot of Guiness!! But how to keep it cold, so many ideas, so little time!

To keep it cold, an AC cooled box in place of the left rear seat. I was planning a cooled passenger seat a while back, using a box of water there with a custom AC line running to a condenser there.

 

[gmanpaint]

Ahaha! You guys crack me up!

The spare fuel can will sit on the swing out tire carrier someday. That's the only way I can think of mounting it securely. Hatch door sheet metal is way to thin (would take a lot of interior reinforcement) to attach it to.

I had entertained the idea of making a 3/16" carbon plate mount that bolted to the roof rack to hold it at one time. I think that would work for travel, but not for trails. That idea was scratched.

I was just looking at all the parts just sitting waiting to be installed the other day, and got depressed looking at them just sitting. Sigh...

 

[CDW6212R]

Ahaha! You guys crack me up! ...




I was just looking at all the parts just sitting waiting to be installed the other day, and got depressed looking at them just sitting. Sigh...

"You... crack me up!", I have way more parts to install on mine, and most of them are inside the house. I am too slow at working on my house, lazy, and nobody is here kicking my...

Keep plugging along, every little project is a step closer to being done.

 

[gmanpaint]

Aha! Ok Sir!

Do we need to have a build party at your house some weekend?

 

[CDW6212R]

Not really, most of my "new" parts are for the body work that I want done. I have Saleen bumpers, wing, 2003+ hatch glass, all new window moldings, door moldings, hinges, mirrors, lights, running boards, and an F150 hood new in three pieces, hoping to have the scoops added to mine. It's a street SUV obviously, and that's just the body parts. I have new amps, speakers, door panels, memory seats, seats, console, carbon fiber trim etc.

The one part not stored in the way is the air compressor that I installed on my old mail truck. Now that that is a spare vehicle, I plan to move that over to my keeper truck.

I shouldn't mention the 347 still on a jack stand at a friend's house, or the two 4R70W's I have in my garage, plus the new parts to build the one that is apart. I think the engine will go in my Lincoln, and I'll build another one for the truck(363).

 

[gmanpaint]

Wow....you win! Thinking a weekend is just not gonna cover all that work

Think we need to send Ben over to get you motivated :

 

[CDW6212R]

I stopped buying parts when I ran out of room, well a few months after. The front bumper is in a box in my hallway.

I got the bumper from a member who had all of the XP8 parts, so it's green.

 

[gmanpaint]

Spent the last 2 days getting this installed. I am super pleased with how it came out. Took a bit of foresight to get this right as the original build started months ago on it. Finally got it finished today

I got the Rugged Ridge 8500 for a couple reasons...

The dimensions needed for it to fit tucked in...
The removable controller box could be relocated...
It beat out many other brands in every way in the same price range.

Here is the control box relocated to the grill

Took out a few fins in the grill to be able to hook up the controller.

It is tucked in and protected from weather, by the body, and it matched up perfectly with the bumper, and skid plate.

Side view

This rig will take on harder trails now that this is installed. Woot!

 

[lynchy wa]

That look's Fan-bloody-tastic mate! Great work!!!!

 

[gmanpaint]

That look's Fan-bloody-tastic mate! Great work!!!!

Thanks Greg!