Dirty's Heeps

[greengc4x4]

haha i was really bored

[dirty]

haha i was really bored

That stuff is too funny, I have e-mailed all my friends...I expect to see it popping up else where on the 'net soon. Haha.


Anyways, back on track with the build. Finally took some time to start fixing things. Nate got me some new knuckles (Thank you! Nate...one of the caliper mounts is stripped though, but so was my old one, so all is well, lol) and installed those. New ball joints, don't ever get them from Advanced...go Napa, God...trust me. New wheel bearings and calipers. I probably could have re-used my old calipers, but the shafts that allow the calipers to slide were pretty tore up. Cleaned them up and painted them cause they were kinda rusty.




Gonna paint the axle in a month or so after I install my truss and relocate the track bar, and sway bar mounts...so it's kinda sloppy. Meh. I'm preparing to move...so Heep must roll before I can do all I want to do.

Killed my brake shields during the "Epic Fail". Does anyone think this will have a huge negative impact on a non daily driver?




Picked up some new fan-dangled yolks that allow the use of u-bolts instead of stock straps to retain the drive shafts. The idea being that the bolts are on the axle side (reversed from stock) and can't get hit with rocks. I needed a new front yolk anyways, so again I upgraded. Will do the 44 soon too, when I finish t-case. I picked these up from Inland Truck Parts in Overland Park KS, guy named Ron Istas, ronaldi@inlandtruck.com, 913-492-7559, great guy...real player in the Kansas Off road scene. Knows his shit. I'll get some more picks after I install my drive shafts so you can see what I'm talking about.






So, with most the front end done sans 1 ton OTK JCR steering and brake lines, it was time to tackle my T-case swap. This is why, lol! You are looking at an over extended, vibration happy slip yolk sticking out of a 242 (never should have gone higher that 4 inches. )



But, as I got around to removing the offending t-case, I realize the previous owner decided it would be cool to weld the t-case skid the the unibody...and tranny x-member. Why me?





So, I cut off the unibody weld...then pried the other one lose. Either he knew this was a BS fix...or he can't weld. I hope it's the first, because he welded some of the suspension, lol.




Anywho...removed the t-case. In case you haven't read up, get a 9/16ths racheting wrench...seriously. Other than that, it's pretty easy and can be done alone...unless you have the upper body strenth of a girl. I got my ass kicked, lol. Behold....new 231 on left, old 242 on right....motherf&^%$#r!!!!!!! Both are out of very similar, same year ZJs.




New 231.... (I put on sandals after opening a beer...after I saw this.)




Old 242...



So there you have it...."It's a Jeep thing, nobody understands." This is where I end today's work.


I'm a bit frustrated that I now have to break down the t-cases and swap inputs. Was really hoping to avoid that. I will have to break them down next weekend...and maybe install it then. Need to pull the seal on the front of my 44 too...and install the new fan-dangled yolk mentioned earlier. FYI, old D44 and HP30 use same yolk...who woulda thunk it. God willing, with my rebuilt front axle...pinion and all, new knuckles, new driveshafts...front and back, new ball jionts, 231 with SYE, and new yolks my pesky vibrations will be gone.

Soon I will be able to wheel it...again...only to realize I need 60s...and sell all this shit.

[Goosed76]

lol, isn't that part of life- selling the parts you just fixed, lol. lookin good man... make sure all the parts are in there this time!!

[dirty]

lol, isn't that part of life- selling the parts you just fixed, lol. lookin good man... make sure all the parts are in there this time!!

Cute.

[Goosed76]

lol, this one isn't going away for awhile man!! glad to see it going back together though...

[dp96zj]

Damn! you just cant catch a break huh

[nierace]

I bet you still have vibrations I know allll about chasing those down :P

[dirty]

Damn! you just cant catch a break huh

Ahh, it's not that bad. This Heep was someone's half finished project...instead of just finishing it, I'm having to re-do shit I think he boned up, rebuild things that weren't maintained, and then counter my own stupidity; see "Epic Fail" previous page.

Anyways, I turned a worn out 4.0 into a kick ass Stroker, have completely rebuilt axles with 4.88s and lockers, got wheels with enough backspacing to properly tuck 35s, acquired new driveshafts front and rear, finished a custom long arm lift into a 3-link beast, replaced CV axle shafts with u-joints, stabilized/lowered an overzealous lift, and now I'm preparing a rebuilt 231 with SYE...and I'm getting new brake lines! The tranny is pretty new also...let me replace rear brakes and upgrade steering....this bitch will be brand new, lol. (This is how I convince myself things are going well.)

I bet you still have vibrations I know allll about chasing those down :P

I had better not! Don't jinx me damnit!

[ELLLLLIOTTTTT]

Looks great, dude!

[dirty]

Looks great, dude!

Thank you, someday it will be finished...


Ok, well I swapped out the input shaft/gear from my 242 into my new 231, this can be seen here; http://www.mallcrawlin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17376

It really wasn't that bad, the 231 is completely simple...the 242, not so much. So we are ready to install the darn thing.



The backside of my AW4 waiting for me to start the t-case bench press.



Cant really take pictures when performing this operation by yourself, anyways, there it is! Nice, 231 is considerably smaller, I think it may have inproved clearance by as much as an inch and a half.


That wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. That said, it's me we are talking about...so something had to go wrong, and it did. I'm not sure what the hell kind of setup the guy I bought the t-case and driveshafts came out of. I'm told a '93 with about 6 inches of lift...but those driveshafts he gave me along with the t-case are WAY too short, and one of them is bent to hell. Shit. The front is fine, but I'm gonna have to call Tom and get a pair of rears custom made. Any advice on this fellas?



So, I have 4 driveshafts that I can't use. Two standard, and two double cardon. Yes! I guess it's not that bad, I was looking to move the whole rear axle back about an inch anyways...I just really didn't want to spend the money right now.



It's alive. New brake lines, knuckles, brakes, wheel bearings, 231 w/SYE, and both axles completely rebuilt. It's been an ok Saturday. My old 242 had a bent shaft inside, so that might be the cause of my unusual vibrations. Hopefully, with all of this done I can take it up to the shop once I get my new shafts and adjust the pinion angles and re-align it. Then it should be good to go. My one ton steering has had the brakes put on it in favor of a rear drive shaft, but thats ok I guess. There is always next month.

[dp96zj]

Thank you, someday it will be finished...

Now you KNOW that's a lie...



And I thought my white zj on bb pucks looked good

Sweet rig!

[dirty]

Now you KNOW that's a lie...



And I thought my white zj on bb pucks looked good

Sweet rig!

True, but I have a stopping point in mind...once I get 1 ton over the axle steering, relocate my trackbar, get my hp30 trussed (all pretty like Matt's), and some decent bumpers...I'm going to try to stop on this one, and actually wheel it for a year or two.

Don't fret about your BB...when I was your age I was driving a rusty 4 banger POS Mustang. At least you are starting out on the right track, lol. It will happen, learn to weld why you are young (unlike me, trying to learn now), that way you aren't depending on people to help you. Once you can weld, you can build almost anything.

[greengc4x4]

lol, isn't that part of life- selling the parts you just fixed, lol. lookin good man... make sure all the parts are in there this time!!

this is slowly becoming my favorite build thread!

[greengc4x4]

btw rig is looking sick

[Kirsch98ZJ]

If the input on our Tc was the same diameter and the splines ran all the way through the input shaft you could have just cut it to size instead of cracking open the case and swapping inputs. You probably have more peace of mind the way you did it though.

[BigDaveZJ]

So you bringin it to Moab??

[Goosed76]

lookin good man, mine might get done one day to, if I ever find that money tree....

[dirty]

If the input on our Tc was the same diameter and the splines ran all the way through the input shaft you could have just cut it to size instead of cracking open the case and swapping inputs. You probably have more peace of mind the way you did it though.

True...but I'm doing my best not to half ass this shit...most (not all) of the issues I'm working through are because the previous owner skimped on little things. I'm learning his lessons. You are right though, I just didn't want to go that route.

this is slowly becoming my favorite build thread!

Thanks, I think, lol! I'm new to 4x4s...not machines...I make lots of mistakes, learn from them, lol.

So you bringin it to Moab??

I'll bring clothes, beer, and beef jerky for you and the wife!

lookin good man, mine might get done one day to, if I ever find that money tree....

Good luck, I paid $250 for the 231 w/SYE, the wheel bearings were free, I got $60 in the new knuckles, $60 in the brake lines, and $75 dollars in random shit. Lord knows what Tom Woods is gonna run me for the new shafts (I always carry 2), lol.

[dirty]

Here are the u-joint strap conversions I was telling you all about. This may be old news to some of you guys...but it was new to me. The kit's are like $30 from what I remember, they included a new yolk and the strapping hardware. I'm pretty happy with them. I don't know if it is something I would have done just for the hell of it, but I needed new yolks anyways, mine were so worn they would leak at highway speeds...even with new seals. It's nice to use 1/2 inch nuts instead of stupid 8mm ones, it's stronger, and it will keep the heads off the rocks. You could probably make the things yourself by drilling out the yolk and finding some straps.





I put on my brake lines, this is how they turned out. Anyone see any issues with the way I did this? I'm not too proud to ask for second opinions when it comes to brakes. The only other way to go would be to turn the banjo over...it just seemed more logical to me to have them angled away from the tires.





For those of you who have ordered from Tom Woods before, I'm going to call him tommorow...any advice? What do I need to know other than...length yolk to yolk, both are standard spicer yolks, and I need a double cardon with a slip.





I took the big pig around the block once in front wheel drive, lol. Its real strange to drive with no steering stabilizer, no sway bar hooked up, and my locker doing it's thing. My inverted Y is inverted too much, lol.

[jfowlzj95]

For those of you who have ordered from Tom Woods before, I'm going to call him tommorow...any advice? What do I need to know other than...length yolk to yolk, both are standard spicer yolks, and I need a double cardon with a slip.

That's pretty much it, they'll ask if they need any other info. It's really easy to order from them.

[dirty]

That's pretty much it, they'll ask if they need any other info. It's really easy to order from them.

Thanks! Just ordered it, those guys at Tom Woods are really cool...I'll probably have the shaft by Friday!

I ordered a 2" diameter Double Cardon (duh), standard u-joints, booted 4" slip at 38 and 1/4 inches. $304 shipped!

The guy walked me through everything, but hope I got this right. Does that length sound normal?

[BigDaveZJ]

Sounds about right. My front is 36" and I know the rear is just a hair longer.

[Brad S]

Dude I thought I saw you on Friday night test driving down Kellogg. I saw this white lifted ZJ in my rear view mirror that suddenly got the worst case of DW at about 60mph.

Anyways, probably wasn't you cuz you said in an earlier post I think that you didn't get stuff put back together until Saturday or something.

[Derek33]

looking great.

I love the stenciled letters on the fenders.

[dirty]

...Dude I thought I saw you on Friday night test driving down Kellogg. I saw this white lifted ZJ in my rear view mirror...

Haha, no, not me. I got it mostly put back together on Sunday...and thats just front wheel drive. No way in hell I would test drive down Kellogg with front wheel drive only, locked, no sway bar, and no steering stabilizer, lol. I live at 11th & Meridian...took it to QT at 13th & West, then home early Sunday morning.

The good news....that means there are three of us 'tards with lifted unibody Heeps in the Dub-K (translation for the rest of you=Wichita).

looking great.

I love the stenciled letters on the fenders.

Thanks, I'm still debating them. I got bored one day waiting on other, more expensive parts. They will look much better in my opinion later on down the road. This Heep is my inspiration...



I love the way it looks. I was actually at a Army Surplus in Dodge City today scoping out "Duece and a Half" bumpers and tow points that I could cut down to fit. My idea is to build that same bumper, in all it's simplicity, except in the middle have it taper down and flatten out to house my winch. The rear would be almost identical to the one pictured though. I have "wood" for military things, guess that could be expected after spending 6 years surrounded by the stuff, lol.


EDIT: It's the J8 Sarge, built by Mopar Undergound, roughly based off actual J8 due for commision by the Egyption Army, from what I understand.
http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/fe..._j8/index.html