The 4.0 Swap was chump change compared to this - Look inside...

[janderson4010]

yeah Rick you were right, there is some dang ole rust back there haha, looks like some patch panels are in order, thats ok though, i love welding stuff

 

[rookieshooter]

This is what I found on the pass. side when I removed the coilbucket several years ago. This is looking down on the partially removed bucket. Note that old spark plug that got wedged in there, no telling how long that was in there.

Here I made a template to to trace on the plate steel. Forgot what thickness, either 3/16 or 1/4"

I angled the ends so as not to have any long perpendicular welds to the frame. And to date no problems.
Hey, just noticed i had not welded those coil hoops on yet

 

[janderson4010]

im actually thinking about building a mount for my coil spring like the one you built for your coilover. one tube that runs parallel to the frame and another from the frame out to the other, with a flat plate for the coil and tabs for the shock mount. make more sense when i build it. ill prob end up needing to run a tube over the engine to tie the 2 mounts together for strength, but thats ok there is room

 

[janderson4010]

its starting to look more and more like this is gonna work

 

[rookieshooter]

its starting to look more and more like this is gonna work

That's the kinda pics I like

You might be interested in this Thread now that it seems your in the driveline part of the build.

 

[janderson4010]

I went out tonight and pulled the fenders off to give me room to work, im still thinking im going to build the spring buckets out of round tube but the 1 3/4 i have looks pretty darn big, i guess we will see how that goes. i won't be able to work on it for a while now, we got a few more jobs at the shop, I still work in telecommunications full time, and now my boss is having me build a little sidecar for his disabled sons bicycle, should be a fun little proj, especially since we just got a tube roller at the shop, rolled tube should be cool, and its a pretty worthy cause

 

[rookieshooter]

Have your boss come up with one of these for a cool looking shell.

 

[janderson4010]

you know that your boss has a deal at the steel place when you get payed in steel haha, plate for the doubler and all the steel for the control arms in my garage

 

[janderson4010]

thats the way you start a 1350/1354 doubler

 

[janderson4010]

and I got a little bit of machining to do, time to fire up the lathe

 

[janderson4010]

I cut off the bracket on the longside axle tube bk im not going to be needing it with the 3 link. im getting really excited about the axle truss im going to be building, its gonna take a long time to finish but the look will be worth it, and it will give me something to do for a couple nights after work

 

[broncobra22]

4.0 swap

I've been following your build and want to congratulate you on tackling several real projects at one time. I think your choice of 4.0 is solid...this is not to say anything negative about going V8 or whatever, as you know I went Carburated 302 on my swap, but each choice has consequences intended acidental or otherwise & as far as I can see the 4.0 is a very logical real world choice. SAS falls into more of what I just stated, proven, reliable, cost effective and Relitively simple...just like the 4.0 lot of bang for the bucks and the average guy can maintain and repair the SAS in some pretty primative conditions.
I have never done a doubler and I am looking forward to following your progress on this part of your build as well as the 3 link ...you really did get a good buy on the heims ...and thanks for posting your build information and pics. I wouldn't be too concerned about posting so called poser photos for the duration of the build ...without motor and front end it's hard to get much action out of any vehicle! I just want to see your progress and learn a bit more about the type of change your making in your truck. Best of luck in all you do!

 

[rookieshooter]

I like your enthusiasm in the build. Also I don't know what your going to do about tie rod ends, But chevy, I know, I know...well at least I did not capitalize the (c) uses heavier and with more workable angles then what's on there. My findings is that Napa with their top of the line ones which have some blue in them are extremely strong. Mine are as tight as the day I put them on. A company called Parts Mike might be of help also if you find your having a hard time finding some rod ends of this type if your going to do right hand left hand ends for the steering and drag links. I even think in my build that I list the part numbers.
They're so popular with Solid axles that Ballistic offers the inserts for the tube links. I know that on the street they really keep the front end tight in handling. Reaming out of the Pitman arm might also have to be addressed. Unless your going heims with the great prices you get.

 

[janderson4010]

thanks for the encouragement guys this kinda stuff is just to fun to not be enthusiastic, that's why I volunteered my labor at the local offroad shop free of charge, It was a stellar opportunity for me to get knowledge and skills that i would have maybe learned but taken a lot longer to get. like setting up gears, ive got that on lock now, when i get some cash together the bII won't be a challenge to regear at all.

yeah with regards to the steering im leaving the dana 30 steering in there for now, it lines right up with the pitman arm and it appears that they have the same taper as well, or it also appears the tre's are the same size and thread pitch so i can just put a bII tre in the end of the dana 30 steering shaft. Its not ideal and I will use either chebby tre's or just some ruffstuff heims but that will wait for the waggy 44 that im going to start building probably this winter for it. I gotta put something in there that can handle a front locker haha and maybe a little more skinny pedal lol.

still waiting on my buddy eric to get the die for 1 3/4 tube that he loaned out so i can start building my coil buckets, although i guess i can go out there and start making some templates for the control arm mounting locations at the frame, im thinking im going to integrate the body mount into my control arm mount, that should give me a good solid mount for the body and a good length for the control arm, like so,

ill just cut the mount all the way out on both sides and mount the rubber bushing right to the top of the control arm bracket, just an idea im kicking around in my head.

anyway before i can do all that i gotta go get the front gears done in the JK we have in the shop right now, this is the 3rd JK we have done in the last 2 months, i don't know why these things are popular, i just think they are ugly lol

 

[janderson4010]

nope scratch that idea, thats not long enough at all, i need to go further back maybe even right up to the trans crossmember. Ill have to eliminate the body mount but thats ok because im going to boatside it with a peice of 2x4 rectangle and mount the body solid to the frame, looks like i need to make a trip to the steel place again

 

[janderson4010]

ive got a stellar buy on a set of tires im thinking about getting 400$ for a set of tsl sx super swampers in 35x15.50 15, ill have to get different rims though, thems some wide ole tires, anyone got an inside line on where to get black steel wheels?

 

[broncobra22]

ive got a stellar buy on a set of tires im thinking about getting 400$ for a set of tsl sx super swampers in 35x15.50 15, ill have to get different rims though, thems some wide ole tires, anyone got an inside line on where to get black steel wheels?

That's a great price on the tires, finding good wheel deals has always seemed to be easier for me than finding a full set of specialty tires. Since your Broncs down for the suspension/engine rebuild anyway seems a good time to latch on to the super wides so you can fit up and build around the big rubber. Course it does tie up $400. + wheels & it's always easier for me to help spend your money than make $$ of my own just sayin' lol!

 

[janderson4010]

Bummer story I couldn't get the part for the doubler true in the lathe, I was using the 3 jaw chuck and I just couldn't get it straight enough, gonna have to run down and see what the local machine shop and see what it will cost to bore a 3/4 hole in one piece and turn the other down to 3/4, hope its not much, this thing is a budget builders

 

[janderson4010]

35x15.50 15's. all for one yugoslavian SKS, that i bought for 180 bucks, score

 

[janderson4010]