Project Hippo

[Ted_Z]

I pulled the ABS module long ago. I added a tee and new ends/re-flared the brake lines after the proportional valve.

The new master cylinder came with 2 clear tubes so you can "bench bleed" the master to fill it with fluid initially. Just take the 2 outlets off the MC back into the reservoir and push the plunger an bunch of times.

[Tuzmaster]

Day 11. Welp photobucket is being a retard. Was suggested to go to imgur. Will see if that works. Anyway, the rear axle is out. Started with unbolting shocks and the sway bar links. Unbolted the sway bar at the end of the link cause for some reason the body side is stuck. Will deal with it later. probably just needs some love from a breaker bar. Then removed the brake calipers and unbolting all of the brackets that hold the brake lines (those are 10mm) removed the ABS sensor on the axle side. then found the reterdidness of Chrysler (one of many im sure). The brake lines for the calipers come into a T connector that is located on the axle tube. from there, there is a line going to the body's hard line and back to the front. Well that T connector is part of the axle. There is no way to remove it short of cutting it
[IMG][/IMG]

So as a temporary solution I put in the new extended brake line with the old calipers.
[IMG][/IMG]
Once the new axle is under it, the calipers will be swapped in that are with the new axle.
Next moved onto the ebrake. this is where Chrysler made it a little bit easier. The ebrake, when you trace it goes inside the body. Its located int he middle and there is a carpet cutout for an easy reach
[IMG][/IMG]
To easily remove it, I used a cresent wrench over part that retains the ebrake line (1/2 inch)
[IMG][/IMG]
The ABS sensors go in there as well, but I do not wish to fiddle with that. Ill just splice into the ones that hang off of the body. Those sensors will be destroyed but oh well. I set the jeep on Jack stands at about 42" high (new rear ride height). So after drooping the axle, the springs came right out. The budget boost that I put on awhile ago seems to be stuck to the spring cups XD will figure how to take those out later. Here is the pic between old and new spring
[IMG][/IMG]

Now its time to remove the control arm stuff. For those that will be doing this later, do yourself a favor and remove the 3 bolts that are on top of the pumpkin (21mm or 13/16ths) that hold the A-arm to the axle. Don't try to remove it all as one. the A-arm will be caught on something and will be a PITA and stuck. The lower control arm bolts are 21mm. I saved all 4 of them cause I think Clayton uses those to mount control arms. Then removed the A-arm body side bolts (15mm I think which is weird. Thought they would be bigger). Then just pulled it out. The gas tank sits really low and while it cleared the old axle coming out, the new one will have to go through the side. Not yet of course, I want to paint it in some rust areas before putting it under. Surprised that the rear has that much more surface rust than the front
[IMG][/IMG]

So hopefully the paint part will be sunday and I can start locating the axle on Monday. Its a holiday and Im off work so definitely want to take an advantage of that. the location will be far enough back so that I don't have to trim any of the front part of the rear wheelwell where the weld is

[Yjsaabman717]

That t-block does come off the axle. Remove the breather hose from the nipple and unscrew the nipple and the block/hose will come free from the axle.

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[Tuzmaster]

Well I feel stupid

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[Yjsaabman717]

Hey, if you've never done it before...we're all here to help each other.

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[Tuzmaster]

Thanks for the heads up on that. At least the new brake line is installed lol. Saves that work

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[Tuzmaster]

Hey guys, need your advice. Is there a "bend your own brake line" kit anywhere? While doing some work on the new axle i tinked the line. Its not broken or anoything or has a hole, but there is a slight cut in it. Is there something that I can use to make my own line?

[Ken L]

Short answer is yes there is. The auto parts stores have a double flaring kit that you'll need to flare the line, and they also sell a hand bender dealy thing. Looks like a small pizza wheel with a handle with a tab to hold the line while you bend it around the circle thing to the angle you need. Not a kit per se but it's pretty simple.

[Ken L]

Oh, and they sell brake line too. Just guestimate how long you need and they'll help you find it.

[Tuzmaster]

Awesome, thanks! will see what I can find tonight

[Yjsaabman717]

Measure the length and you might be able to get a piece with the flares and ends already on it, which can save time and energy. Double flaring can take a bit of practice, so if you do end up having to flare the line practice on the old piece before you do the final piece.

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[Tuzmaster]

Okay so Ill call it day 12 but its really 2 days. Sunday my gf and i sanded and painted the axle. Masked of the pumpkin and brakes. pumpkin looked okay so didnt want to mess with that

That took all day yesterday. Today started off with cutting off the old control arm mounts. Here I also want to mention something that is always on the back of my mind which is safety.
1) make sure you are hydrated and full on energy. Especially in Colorado it is very important to stay hydrated. You can sweat a lot of water and not even notice it
2) make sure you are up to the task physically. If you have low strength, dont try to lift the axle. ask someone for help
3) wear proper clothing. I have found that a backlava, motorcycle helmet and an old military jacket make excellent protection. the helmet even deaphens the sound and protects the face. Wear gloves also.
4) when using the grinder, take it easy. Take breaks if you need to. last thing you want is the cutoff wheel in your chest because you couldn't hold it or it slipped. Get in the comfortable and safe position that such that if it drops, it drops on the floor and not you. This will help making nice clean cuts.
So thats what i did and the lower control arm mounts were cut and painted over the exposed metal. The passenger side turned out nicer cutting wise. Not sure why lol

Then removed the plastic trim and saw this. I officiallty hate plastic on the outside



So hopefully I can just cut the rust out and seal this. I have rock sliders that will go under that to protect it further on. Although looks like a patch of some sort is in order. None the less, can't stop now. Over half way through the install. The lower control arms were set to max (32") to push axle as far back as possible. Looks like it the tire will clear that pinch weld

So then I went to set the pinion angle to about 2 degrees per instructions. The measurement came out to 30.5 bot both upper control arms. The minimum is 32 7/8s. welp crap. I dont think the jeep is sitting at ride height, but there is another issue. the upper control arm bracket is hitting the tank while the upper control arms are at the shortest distance
There are 2 more holes for the lower control arms on the lower control arm brakcet. Next I will try to push the axle back on the bottom a little more to straighten up the axle and make the axle clear the tank. Another option is to trim the gas tank skid plate, but it looks like it will not be enough. worse comes to worse I will have to have the upper control arm brackets shortned but at least an inch. probably 2. Which means a shop will be involved. What do you guys think?

[Tuzmaster]

So I am getting tired of having someone to come in and do my welding. Looking around, one of the guys who does welding suggested a MigMax 215 Vulcan. After doing some research, It looks like a really good starter welder. Especially since I wont be doing welding 8 hours a day for 5 days straight. What do you guys think? The reviews look good also

[BigDaveZJ]

It probably is a good starter welder, but you're halfway to buying a Miller at that point too. Before buying a welder, I'd take one of General Air's classes down there. I know a couple of the guys over there and they always recommend the classes down in the Springs over the ones up here. I've had my blue box for 12 years now and even though I only use it a few times a year it's nice knowing that it will work when I need it to. Harbor Freight has gotten better recently, but I'd still be wary of spending that much money on something at HF that depends on motors and electronics.

Also, going to kick this over to Jeep Journals, I thought that's where it was already but that forum is a much better fit for a build thread like this.

[Ted_Z]

Despite being made of 100% chinesium, it does seem to perform. I don't know that it would stand up to production work, but should work fine for a hobbyist. Can you get wear and tear parts for them?

I'd get some quality wire and some C25 gas.

Nice review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH36yKtj9Mk

[Tuzmaster]

It does seem like the parts are easily avaliable and I think are based on some Lincoln models. I won't ever do anything crazy and if I do, I'll invest into a miller or something. Until then it'll be my 25th bday present for myself haha

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[Yjsaabman717]

I have the Hobart Handler 210 MVP, which I upgraded to after my Handler 140 was stolen from a buddy's garage while he was borrowing it. (The price to upgrade over what his homeowners covered made it a no brainer.) Anyways, it's a comparable machine to the Migmax, only a few bucks more, and from a very reputable company in the welding industry. I ended up ordering mine online for right around $800, though I picked up my initial Handler 140 from Tractor Supply, so parts availability is good. The Hobart has been a great machine for me, and we have a Hanlder 140 at work, so it helps me keep the feel and setup between both work and home.

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[fluxcap]

Hobart is owned by Miller. My Handler 210 came with a Miller torch. I sold an old Weldpak 100 and wish I had started with the bigger machine. Buy a good one and don't look back. It will last you the rest of your life.

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[Tuzmaster]

Okay, thanks guys, Ill look at Hobart also. Meantime onto day 13. Welp sh**. I need your help guys. So as mentioned I have a clearance issue. The upper control arm brackets on the new axle are higher than on the stock axle. After setting the bottom of the axle to the furthest point on the lower control arms:
[IMG][/IMG]

And setting the upper control arms to the shortest possible length the results looked promising. Approximate ride height:
[IMG][/IMG]

Under compression
[IMG][/IMG]

However the results were short lived. After putting the springs under to see how it would sit, the axle came flush against the tank before the jeep started lifting off of the jack stands that support the bod. Also the spring angle and pinion angle looked pretty bad
[IMG][/IMG]

There is no way around it, the upper control arms have to be shortened. But by how much? This is where I need your help. The control arms can be anywhere between 32 7/8 and 35 1/4. So there is 3 5/8 adjustability in the Johny Joints. Now as a stating ball park I took moms jeep (04 WJ with 4.0 laredo. the weights are not the same in the front, but back should be pretty close) and measured from the center of the axle to the bottom of the outside of the fender well. That came out to be ~19.25". The new spring is a 6" lift. Add that to the original height we get 25.25". So I set the axle that far from the jeep body. There is a million ways to do this, but is this way one of the correct ones?

Now onto the second part, the pinion angle. How does one set it in the back? some say point the pinion up towards the tcase output shaft. That comes to be ~ 12 degrees and not even possible cause once again the upper control arm bracket hits the gas tank. Clayton says to set it between 1 and 2 degrees. In that case everything seems to clear and be happy, except for the spring angle at the bottom, but I am not too worried about that. I have been told that those are forgiving
[IMG][/IMG]
In that case, the upper control arm length is 30.5" and the upper control arms are almost parallel to the ground so the ride should be nice. That also means the control arms need to be shortened by 3.5" assuming the 30.5 is the new recommended length. Clayton's original recommended length is 34".

So the questions remain:
1) Is the way of finding the measurement to shorten the upper control arm a good one?
2) which is the proper way to set up the pinion angle? parallel to the ground like Clayton say or point towards the output of the tcase?

[fluxcap]

If you have a double cardine shaft, you should have 1-2 degrees down at the pinion. If you don't have a double cardine shaft, get one.

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[Tuzmaster]

If you have a double cardine shaft, you should have 1-2 degrees down at the pinion. If you don't have a double cardine shaft, get one.

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So the pinion is pointing up 1 to 2 degrees? I haven't ordered rear shaft yet. We are not talking about multiple double cardine shaft. Just a single double cardan is fine? Imma wind up using that on the front also, but that one I pulled from an XJ and will just have it lengthened

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[fluxcap]

Double cardine at the transfer case, single joint at the axle. 1-2* deflection at the axle joint. Basically the double cardine soaks up the angle and the joint at the axle is deflected just enough that the needle bearings move.

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[fluxcap]

There are posts illustrating this

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[Tuzmaster]

There are posts illustrating this

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Okay thanks. What about the control arm problem. Am I approaching that problem properly?

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[JohnBoulderCO]

Here is a pic of what your drive shaft should look like.




As far as your rear control arms, looking at your pics, your axle truss was welded at the wrong angle. You should have your truss vertical when your pinion angle is correct. The truss was welded on with your pinion "horizontal". When you tilt it "back" to set the pinion angle, it is no longer vertical and hits your gas tank skid plate.

You either need to pull your rear axle forward, by shortening your LCA's, trim your gas tank skid plate a little or re-position your UCA truss.

The correct option is to get your rear tires centered in the wheel wheels, then set your pinion angle, then weld your truss vertical and your spring perches horizontal. Yes you are re-doing things, but it will be put everything in the the correct location.