JoshC's SAS #2

I guess i'll follow the trend like so many others on here. D44, 9" full width. I picked these axles up late last year or early this year i don't remember and they've been in the garage taking up space. I've been gathering parts for a little while too.

So far i've got:
-Yukon 5.13's
-Quick Loc locker for the D44
-Full steel spool for the 9"
-Radius arms drilled and tapped to fit the lower ranger coil bucket so i can keep my existing coils
-New ubolts for the leafs

I think that's about all i've got. The 9" third member is done, we regearded it a couple of weeks ago. We started on the 44 and quickly noticed that the idiot at the local off road shop, which is no longer in business, sold me a low pinion gear set So now i'm stuck with this gear i can't even use :fire:

Here's what i got done last night and today

I'm head up to the shop tonight to swap my tires over to my new rims. I think i may pick up a set of new radius arms, maybe something like the james duff arms like these

 

[bmxking5]

My radius arms are extended, wristed, and have heims on the end. I finally tested it on the forklift this weekend, and my truck only has 1 inch more droop with the wrist pin pulled, compared to it still being in. So I'd definitely agree to just do one or the other as there is an extremely small gain with having it wristed when it's extended.

 

[JoshC]

That's kind why i asked the question, i didn't think it was necessary. Did you post shots of your x flexing Bryan?

 

[FROADER]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1609794&posted=1#post1609794

 

[JoshC]

Geez i just have been lacking the motivation to work on this turd, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!

On 3/27 i bought a set of cage radius arms off of ebay from some company out in WA, i still don't have them. I've called and complained a couple of times and he's giving me a $50 credit (which was the shipping cost) and cage is sending some stickers and t-shirts, but i just want my freaking arms!

The main reason for all the hold up, like i said before, is because i'm waiting for the transmission to be rebuilt. Upon tear down he discovered water in it. So he wanted me to use a C4 instead and we'd swap out tail shafts since the one i could get for free was a 2wd. Some guys on pirate told me to use the C5 case because it had better oil paths. So i went back to the tranny shop today to see the transmission in parts and to talk about a couple of other things. As of right now the C5 is getting rebuilt with new clutches and will probably be done on tuesday.

The main reason for my stop at the tranny shop was to discuss my problem about a flexplate. Here is a picture of the two plates i have, my 97 plate on the left and the factory 2.8 C5 plate on the right:

1 main problem that you can see from that picture is that the bolt pattern is different on the 4.0 plate. Jefe told me that 97 was the year they went from a 6 bolt pattern to an 8, just my luck huh. So i pretty much have to use my plate or change the crank...i'm not pullin the crank. Now you know one problem, here is another:

The 4.0 plate has that huge hump on it. Ben from the tranny shop told me that if the torque converter would bolt up (which it does, same bolt pattern) and the pilot shaft fit in the center hole then i'd be fine more then likely. He wanted me to try it. Here is the old converter on the 4.0 plate:

And here it is on the 2.8 plate:

As you can see on the 4.0 the shaft doesn't even come flush with the plate, but on the 2.8 it comes just past flush.

Question...is that going to be a problem?????

Other then that i'm ready to get a little bit of work done. I finally got some brackets for my disc brake kit for the 9".

Brackets came from A&A mfg. I think it was 17 bucks shipped, not bad at all. Calipers are for an El Durado, so it does have an emergancy brake which you can see.

Also, i remember seeing somewhere that James said if the wedges are just welded on the top and bottom then they are removeable, is that what i've got then?

So far that's it. I've got to get a long piece of 1/2" pipe to slide in one side of my 9" so hammer out one of my shaft, it's not wanting to come out. And on saturday i'm going to take my rotors for the 9", which are from a CJ, to the shop to take out about a 1/16" from the inside so they will slide over my flange on the 9" shafts. I'm 99% sure i can do that and i chose to do that instead of taking 1/16" off the shafts because with the rotors modified i can run any shafts in an emergancy. I'm hoping to get the discs put on the 9" this weekend, but i've got to work so we'll see.

 

[IZwack]

Yeah you can remove those wedges and you'll be good.

 

[JoshC]

That's what i thought, but i don't really have any need to. I've got those cage arms coming and i've got to get the tranny in to make a cross member and i'd say with those extended arms my mounts are going to be close if not made into the tranny cross memeber.

 

[Mud Bug 94]

yea it should be right about there...

 

[Mud Bug 94]

can you use ur old converter on the c5? or vise versa?

 

[JoshC]

That is the old C5 converter. I've got a new one that has come in at the auto parts store, just haven't picked it up yet. I think i'll do that today and i believe that i'll take them over to the tranny shop to see what Ben has to say. But i don't have the 4r44 converter any more cause i took my auto out about 5 years ago.

The C5 converter is a 10" non lockup and the 4r44 is 11", same as the A4ld and the 5r55.

 

[JoshC]

Can someone tell me what this is called so i can buy another one. It was on my steering that Cory did for my D30, attached to the tierod.

 

[IZwack]

Cant you just make another one?

 

[JoshC]

I could, but it's a solid block about 1-1.5" thick and the back side has a bigger hold to allow a nut to fit in flush with the body.

 

[IZwack]

1-1.5" thick - wow thats overbuilt. I'm not sure you can buy that anywhere, i think thats a 1-off built part.

But I think you can easily substitute 3/8" and call it good.

 

[JoshC]

I was just assuming it was "buy it" part, not a build it part, but maybe i was wrong.

I could easily duplicate it in a smaller form for my new steering.

 

[RockRanger]

I wouldnt do a thinner piece of stock. With one side smaller then the other it is a tapered hole for a tie rod end. I would do it right by getting a different tierod end that has a hole built in to it already. It just needs to be Tapered with a tapered reamer. www.partsmikepart.com or something like that has a bunch of info on it. Look at how Stic-o did his steering and that is what I am talking about.

 

[JoshC]

I think i mislead you by saying one side had a bigger hole, i'll have go to get a picture of it tonight because it's not tappered.

 

[DB_1]

Can someone tell me what this is called so i can buy another one. It was on my steering that Cory did for my D30, attached to the tierod.

That's a steering block and Poison Spyder Customs sells them. They come with a 5/8" hole, non-tapered I believe.
Whatever happened to Cory L anyways?

 

[IZwack]

oh i see.. $65

 

[jrgaylor]

Did they give a reason why they are so late shipping the cage arms?

 

[JoshC]

That's it! Thanks alot, i might have to cough up the money and order it because i love that thing.

I have no clue what happened to Cory. Last i heard he had sold the custom shop and went in with a friend selling off road apperal, shirts and stuff like that. I tried to call him and email him a few years back and got no response. I'd like to know what happened to his explorer, that thing was sick!

They did give me a reason about the Cage arms. The guy from cage was off for 2 weeks for some jeep easter event. Fair enough i guess. This guy on ebay just has them shipped from Cage directly. This dirt bag still hasn't called me back again, i think i'll call right now.