Build Project - The Excessive Closet Juggy

[blueguy]

Back in September, while testing out my rig, I managed to break one of the TCI transmission shifter cables I rigged up to shift my STaK. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

It helped me realize that perhaps a shifter cable with a #10 threaded end was not beefy enough for t-case shifting duty. So I placed a call to NorthWestFab back in March for one of their cable shifter set-ups. The kit NWF manufactures comes with 3' cables, and I needed 5' ones which cost a little extra as well as required a bit more lead time, but were no issue.

I got the kit in May shortly after arriving home. Needless to say that I was pretty impressed with the quality of the kit, as well as the beefiness of the cables I didn't actually measure the ends before installing them, but it looks like they're in the vicinity of 1/4".

Shifters and base plate assembly:

The rest of the hardware the kit comes with:

The bottom of the shifter after putting the shifters together:

After removing the shifter setup that I had fabbed, I started putting the case end of the shifter assembly in first:

The guys at NWF came up with a pretty simple method of securing the case end of the cables. The cables attach to the shift rods by simple threaded adapters. The bracket consists of 2 lengths of ready rod, 2 pieces of tubing and a small bracket that all bolts to the case:

In all, I think it took about 3 hours to install, and that included disassembly of my fabbed shifters.

So far, I've shifted the front and rear outputs a few times without the rig moving, and it feels pretty good. Definitely much more robust than what I replaced. Due to my shifter positioning in the centre console, I'll have to set the axles on jackstands so I can put power to the wheels during my final shifter adjustment before I can re-install my seats:

 

[mucovich]

can't wait to see the rig! WELCOME HOME!

 

[blueguy]

I started working on the pillow block mount of my two piece front driveshaft today. When I put the front upper link mounts in, I didn't realize they would interfere with the front driveshaft mounting:banghead:

This pic is taken from the front output of the t-case towards to the front pinion:

And from the pinion back to the case:

I had originally bought a Rockwell driveshaft to use, but it ended up being far too fat to use for my setup. I ended up getting a two piece front shaft from Jesse at High Angle Driveline that would enable me to get my front shaft around that left upper link mount. The shaft is made from 2" tubing to keep from hitting that mount, with 1350 joints and flange to mate up with the flange on the case:

I put the shaft in place and used a bottle jack to put the pillow block where I wanted:

After a little bit of research, I decided on attaching the mount to the tranny crossmember so that it will flex and move in conjuction with the transfer case. A few pieces of scrap 1.75" .120 wall tube and some 1.75" X 0.25" angle stock makes for an easily fabricated mount:

And the pillow block hooks right up:

 

[blueguy]

Welcome Home!! What's left? Let me know when you need that tank. I am home alot these days working on the house.

:beer::beer::beer:

Awsome work!!

Thanks man

I'm definitely on the home stretch now. Only have a few more things left to sort out, then it's "done" (well at least till winter - I have a few things I need to change plus a few additions I wanna make, but I'll keep that under wraps for now .) I figure I'll be ready to sort those coilovers out in the next two weeks or so after the shakedown...

 

[Dirk]

diggin' the center console :smokin:

 

[blueguy]

Last summer I used my cherry picker to flex the suspension out a bit to check for binding. It would seem that as high as the suspension sits, it has just enough up-travel before anything hits:

 

[Farm Boy]

Keep an eye on the Stak case, apparently there are some issues with the middle shifter (Med & Low) staying in gear.
I don't know if it's an internal problem or a shifter adjustment but it can be a PITA, just ask Bill.

 

[blueguy]

Keep an eye on the Stak case, apparently there are some issues with the middle shifter (Med & Low) staying in gear.
I don't know if it's an internal problem or a shifter adjustment but it can be a PITA, just ask Bill.

Thanks man. I'll be definitely keeping an eye on it. I've been hearing quite a few complaints about them popping out of gear, so I will have to see how mine reacts - and I'm hoping mine is one of the few that don't....


Took the weekend off from finishing this up to spend some time with family; more updates tomorrow

 

[blueguy]

Spent a few more days working on finishing this up.

I got my front driveshaft fully installed. When I built the pillow block mount, I was able to fully rotate the driveshaft with no binding whatsoever at the output flange. Somehow, when I tacked and then fully welded the mount in, I welded it too far over towards the tranny, and the shaft would not do a complete rotation without the u-joint and flange binding up :banghead: Instead of cutting the whole mount out and rewelding it farther out from the tranny, I found that a couple of 9/16" tall spacers placed the shaft in the proper position to allow the front output to rotate with no binding:

I also took the time to rebuild my HEI distributor. I picked up the distributor for cheap from a local junkyard when I sold off the TBI stuff from my motor, and by the looks of things, other than the new cap and rotor I put on, this was an all-original unit when it was removed from the 1977 Chevy van at the yard:

I picked up an HEI rebuild kit from Summit to freshen up the distributor for $69, which includes a new coil, cap and rotor, ignition control module, adjustable vacuum advance can, wiring harness and capacitor, and an advance spring and weight set.

When I got the rotor removed, I really noticed how bad a shape the electronics and advance mechanisms were in:

The instructions that came with the kit were pretty detailed and made the disassembly and reassembly very easy. In all, I think it took me about 45 mins to completely strip and reinstall the new components:

In addition to rebuilding the distributor, I also replaced the vacuum operated propane base plate that came with my setup with a fully mechanical unit from Proform.

The vacuum operated base plate I started with:

The blinging Proform base plate:

And all installed onto the intake:

The last thing I was looking at today was the exhaust. The "Y" pipe that came with the motor when I bought it was pretty beat up and the welding done on it is less than stellar - not that my bubble gum welding is much better :lmao: :

I'd ideally like to find a weld together kit, but so far my searching is not turning up a whole lot If all else fails, I'll get it into town and get one of the local exhaust-meisters to work their magic :smokin:

The only major thing left now is a proper belly skid. In order to be able to hopefully wheel it this weekend, I just slapped the stock TJ skid back on. It ain't perty, but oh well :flipoff:

 

[Root Moose]

Maybe I'm being anal but...

With the amount of power your engine will be making and the way you have your pillow mount cantilevered on the end of those pieces of tube... are you worried about that moving when under full power? Is there any way you can brace it against the frame somehow?

Just a thought.

 

[blueguy]

Maybe I'm being anal but...

With the amount of power your engine will be making and the way you have your pillow mount cantilevered on the end of those pieces of tube... are you worried about that moving when under full power? Is there any way you can brace it against the frame somehow?

Just a thought.

Originally, I was going to build the pillow block mount off the frame. I ended up mounting it the way I did both due to space constraints and so that the mount could flex at the same rate as the case / tranny (it's all mounted to a crossmember with poly bushings at either end). I'm not sure how much cantilever action there will be, but if it does end up not working out, I'll re-do it.

No worries on being anal - constructive criticism is always accepted :beer:

 

[petermartin]

That's good car...nice look up ans and very heavy CC..I like it specially it's used for long tour travelling and and for goods transportation..

 

[dwcjwerfner]

So is petermartin some kind of bot then? It seems to pull info from the thread and post a response literally?

 

[Root Moose]

LOL

I've been wondering the same thing. The only thing missing is a URL. Maybe a mod could check the signature for the user - screwed up link to porn?

 

[Cochise]

Maybe he came over from NAXJA.

 

[Twinkie]

LOL

I've been wondering the same thing. The only thing missing is a URL. Maybe a mod could check the signature for the user - screwed up link to porn?

Nope, not a screwed up link, just "webcam". LoL I deleted the account, obvious it isn't a person. It is someone I did approve though. Actually, I shouldn't say it isn't a person, it is a person...from India...with a very bad command of the English language.

 

[blueguy]

On the semi-maiden voyage out to Crag Lake on the 6th of Dec, I managed to bend my rear x-member. We think it probably happened when my rig slid back down a moss covered slab I was trying to climb diagonally and my right rear tire hit a rather large tree:

The crossmember bent far enough to push into my t-case brake and cause some strange groaning noises and apparently quite the light show of sparks for the guys behind my on the whoops on the way back out to the dam :flipoff: What I didn't know and couldn't see, was that the x-member actually bent the rotor in towards the case

I guess that's what I get for using .120 wall tubing for a cross member :banghead: The original plan was to tie the skid into the x-member, but I never got around to it. The damage to the cross member actually is a bit of a blessing in disguise - it's kind of pushing me to finish off the skid - so today I started cutting. I cut the original crossmember out and tacked in what will be not only the new x-member, but the rear portion of the skid plate frame:

The x-member is made from 2" X 2" X .188" wall square tubing. I decided to re-use the tabs from the original x-member, and they will get trimmed once I get the final burning in done tomorrow :smokin:

 

[mucovich]

looks good nick, well not that rotor - that's pretty crazy what that x-member did, the new one looks beefy

 

[Root Moose]

Square tube FTW!

 

[dwcjwerfner]

Looks good Nick, I thought the rotor was looking odd but it was so hard to get a good line of sight under there. It might of been the bump of the tree that started it all but as soon as that tube had a bend in it the torque and traction you had just get moving that tube as far as it could, and apparently a solid steel rotor was no match either.

Dwayne
:beer: