Bkennedy's SAS and Rebuild Thread

[BKennedy]

Couple more pictures;

Wash running through property

At this angle, you can see the roof of the closest house

 

[Stic-o]

So happy to hear about this. I know you have been talking about doing this for a long time, just needed the right place. Congrats my friend.

 

[410Fortune]

YEAH BUDDY!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has a well? Oh man first thing I would do is tie a washer on a string and see how far down to water..

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! very excited to read about this new adventure!
46.5 acres is a SHI* load of land!! good job

 

[BKennedy]

I have the original well report from 2005. It shows the drill depth of 305', casing depth of 265' and a water level of 75'. The well is on the lowest point of the property. There have been issues with the aquifer level dropping in the area due to someone who bought a lot of land in the valley and planting it with alfalfa and trees to get a tax break. He drilled several wells and dropped the water table in the valley. There are several aquifers and underground streams in the area so hoping this well is into one of those.

The property is actually two parcels. Both have power and telephone to them. They are 5.50 acres and 41.18 acres, and are attached. The smaller parcel has the well and across a dirt easement road from the big parcel. The power pole is about 25' from the well head. I will own the road.

 

[BKennedy]

I created a new property thread here;

Purchasing 46.5 Acres Near Kingman, AZ

This starts out as a double post because I have it on my Explorer build thread and decided to start a new thread for the property. I just went into escrow on 46.5 acres of near pristine land about half a mile down a dirt road off Stockton Hill Road 15 miles north of Kingman. It does have a old...

www.explorerforum.com

 

[BKennedy]

I noticed that while I was driving around on the highway that I have a driveline vibration at speeds 65MPH and above. I noticed it previously around when I had the custom leaf springs made but hardly ever drive for any distance on the highway at 65 and over. I moved the tires around and its still the same. I crawled under the Explorer today and checked the drive line angle. The flange at the rear pinyon is 4* down from the drive shaft angle. With a double cardan type joint, the pinyon should be pointed directly at the transfer case output. I was going to cut my perches off and reweld them at the correct angle when I realized with the axle flip kit that it has, it will be a lot more work than installing shims. I was going to take it back to the shop that did the leaf springs, but for the small amount of money and time it will take to correct it myself, its not worth it to me to leave it there when they would do the same thing I am doing. Ordered 4* shims and new center pins from WFO Concepts.

 

[FROADER]

Very cool, Brian!

I have a couple of friends that have ~40 acres in that area. One is around exit 91 and the other is around 84.

 

[BKennedy]

Those are way up in the mountains. I looked up there, but its a full hours drive out of town, and that adds an hour to the water for the boat. It also snows like crazy up there. I like snow, but I like the kind that goes away after a day or so. I am also not getting any younger and wanted to be closer to emergency services, cell phones, internet, etc. There is none of that up there. I know a retired Chula Vista Police Officer that lives up off Willow Springs. He showed me a bunch of lots that were for sale up there, but like I said, SNOW.

 

[FROADER]

Haha, yes they do get a bunch of snow. I get it.

 

[BKennedy]

I installed the 4* axle shims Friday. I finally had a chance to drive the Explorer around today. I put about 60 miles on it. On the freeway, the vibration I was feeling is 75% gone. I think the rest is the tires. If it was gears or bearings, I would think I would notice it at much lower speeds.

 

[FROADER]

The explorer I just sold had a vibe I was tracking down. it ended up being a lot of things. I started with the u-joints, but it ended up being those, pinion bearing, axles bearings, and gears that were all real bad.

Fingers crossed the rest of what you're feeling IS the tires.

 

[BKennedy]

The U-joints are fairly new and the drive shaft was balanced when it was lengthened for the Atlas install. It could only be tires, the pinyon bearing, the axle bearings, or least likely the output shaft bearing on the Atlas. When I installed the axle shims, there is no play in the pinyon or output bearings that I can feel wiggling the drive shaft by hand.

I was thinking of replacing the axle bearings because they are OEM as far as I can remember. I am also revisiting getting the Yukon 8.8 C-clip eliminator kit. I was concerned about the sheer strength of the bearing housings so I have spoken with a couple vendors. They both said the kit is produced to make the 8.8 stronger for trail rigs, and sheering the bearing housing bolts and the internal flange off would take a tremendous amount of force. I could eliminate my wheel adaptors and still keep the same width axles since the kit widens the axles 1". I still need to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze.

@FROADER , were the vibrations at freeway speeds, or all the time?

 

[FROADER]

My vibes were at all speeds, but only under acceleration. As soon as I let off the pedal (again at any speed), they went away.

 

[gmanpaint]

I got 2" of total width added from the Yukon 88 kit. Superiors kit (when they still made them) added 3". The bearings are D60 dimensions, and the bolts are thick grade 8= BEEF! My concern running them is if in the event I do snap a chromo, getting a replacement will be tough while away. Spares are pricey, so I haven't got a set yet. Axle tube bearings could be causing your vibrations for sure. But yeah, those meaty tires are most likely the cause. Might take them in and have them re-balanced, by a different shop with a road force and weights.

I believe a vibration on acceleration only is a carrier bearing. I had to replace the entire rear center section on the FJ because of that. It was cheaper to replace with a brand new loaded section then to rebuild it. Glad it was covered by warranty, as it was almost $3k. lol

 

[BKennedy]

The adaptors / spacers are 1" wide, so I would have the same wheel width. I didn't realize you had done this conversion. When did you do it and have you had any issues?

Its also hard to figure out what's causing the vibration because I did so many changes in a short period. I did tires and the leaf springs last, and that's when I noticed. Need to work my way backwards.

 

[gmanpaint]

I can only comment based on all new parts, with a full rebuild of the 8.8, including a solid pinion spacer instead of a crush sleeve. I can't say anything about the results, if reusing old parts. Axle was stripped bare, heated to 400-450* in an oven, then welded the tubes to the center for added strength at the same time of install, Topped off with a complete rebuild of everything at the time. Gears, carrier, master install kit, and axle bearings, etc...

I had it installed in spring of 2016, right before a Moab trip. Have taken it on the road to CO, KY, IN, KS, OK, IL, TN, AR, since. Not one issue, performs as expected, and I have felt more secure with it.

Some say that Yukon is now gone cheap with manufacturing parts, as it has become more streamlined to generic aftermarket side of the industry. Might want to research that a bit. The normal quality gears they made have changed up. Now they make cheaper set of 3 cut gears as the normal line, and offer a premium line of 5 cut high polished gears.

Either way, the 88 kit is a big upgrade. Once you see how massive those eliminators are, and being attached, I'm sure you will get the good feels about it. I am still planning on adding a truss to finish it all up. It will be like a narrowed D60 once completed. lol

 

[BKennedy]

I asked Rock Ranger to design a simple truss for the 8.8. He will get to it eventually, but he is a busy guy. By simple I mean a small truss that allows the OEM brake lines, vent tube location, etc.. You know, simple..

 

[BKennedy]

I am thinking of selling the engine I pulled from the donor Explorer. It has 98,000 miles on the odometer when pulled. Its a complete engine on the stand. What do they sell for?

 

[410Fortune]

a 94 4.0 OHV with 98K miles? I would ask $600-800 for it

I believe a vibration on acceleration only is a carrier bearing. I had to replace the entire rear center section on the FJ because of that.

You mean FJ cruiser? The third member? The 07-10 FJ uses the Toyota 8" rear axle...... in 2011 they upgaded to the Toyota 8.2 which is like bombproof compared to the wimpy 8. Im in the market for a 8.2 for the wifes FJ, the stock 8" third member has been rebuilt a couple of times in 205k miles.... and her 07 rear driveshaft was replaced with an upgraded part from Toyota...I keep telling the wife Im gonna setup a 8.8 to go in there....tired of $400 per side wheel bearings and 7.5" ring gear

 

[BKennedy]

If anyone's interested in the 4.0 let me know. I would go $400 for the ExplorerForum price, but I am not delivering it. Local pickup only. It also looks like crap because its from Ohio with all the aluminum parts exposed to salt. It ran great before I pulled it though. I think the only parts not still attached are the power steering pump and the AC lines.

If I need a new engine, I would be better off rebuilding the one I have, or swapping in a supercharged 3800 GM V6. The GM engine shares the same 60* pattern as my 700R4 transmission. I cannot do the swap if the Explorer is still registered in California because of the transmission, and the engine was never in a "Utility" vehicle. This state requires that if a electronically controlled transmission came out, a electronically controlled transmission needs to go in. It also requires the engine comes out of the same class of vehicle (Explorer is classified as a "Utility"). No one had noticed the transmission so far, but if I stuff a completely different engine in there and take it to a BAR referee, they are sure to notice.

One of the only things I don't like about the Explorer is its gutless on grades on the highway. If I ever register it in Mohave County where there are no smog laws, I would be swapping the L32 SIII Supercharged version in there as soon as I could talk 410 into doing it. I think I could get the engine in there, but making it work is something left to people who are familiar with modern engine swaps. It was the most improved version available from 2004-2007 and is listed stock at 260 HP. VROOM!! Its also the smallest version of the engine as it was reengineered several times to be more compact so it would require less modification to the Explorer to stuff it in there. Not that I have been checking into this or anything...

Buick V6 engine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I have always been a fan of GM engines and transmissions as they seem to hold up longer for me personally, and there is a more aftermarket support. Having the Explorer with a supercharged 3800 V6, 700R4 and a Atlas II would be about as good as it gets.