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71 Wheeling Rig

Discussion in 'Builds and Fabricators Forum' started by Fireball, Jan 18, 2021.

  1. Apr 8, 2022
    Andrew Theros

    Andrew Theros Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Los Osos, CA
    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2021
    Messages:
    393
    Thank you both!
     
  2. Apr 10, 2022
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
    Messages:
    5,625
    Made some actual progress on things tonight.

    Transfer case flange installed on new Tom Woods driveshaft. I opted for non-greasable U-joints. Cripes, those splines are beefy:
    [​IMG]

    Installed!:
    [​IMG]

    Puny V6 1210 flange swapped for 1310 flange on the front axle:
    [​IMG]

    I did it quick enough I only lost this much oil. It still showed as full when I checked the level:
    [​IMG]

    Front driveline installed. The splinse are extended a little past the center of travel because I ordered the length for the future front D44. Plenty of travel left in the long spline slip joint in the meanwhile:
    [​IMG]

    I was installing the skid plate and found yet another thing to mod. It firmly hit the transmission:
    [​IMG]

    A bit of upper-body workout at the vice and it clears now:
    [​IMG]

    Parking brake hooked up:
    [​IMG]

    Brake pedal return spring installed:
    [​IMG]

    It's not running yet, but with the driveshafts in I could test the clutch. Seems to work. In gear you can't push the Jeep. Push in the clutch and you can push it.

    Tomorrow I get to install the compact starter (thanks to NorCal69's recommendation thread). It feels like it weighs less than half the old one:
    [​IMG]

    Things are getting checked off!
    • Bend, paint, and install new Novak T18 shift lever
    • Hook up clutch cable, return springs, and adjust
    • Reinstall brake pedal return spring
    • Make mounting bracket for parking brake cable (since the crossframe is about four inches further back than it was), hook up cable, hook up return springs and adjust
    • Install bellhousing front plate and new compact starter. Shim starter if needed
    • Replace battery cables while installing starter
    • Install new fuel lines and securely route a new path around transmission/transfer case
    • Change front axle yoke to 1310 style and refill diff
    • Clean rear transfer case flange and install on new rear driveshaft
    • Install new driveshafts
    • Install all the floorboards with Mortite
    • Install steering column clamp
    • Install shift boots and retaining rings
    • Reinstall brake pedal
    • Reinstall throttle pedal and reconnect throttle linkage
    • Clean, paint and install skid plate
    • Reinstall passenger seat
    On a separate note. Here's what I've come up with for thermostat housings from e-bay:
    [​IMG]

    Very nice used original Buick part in aluminum on the left. The next one over is an NOS Stant replacement part that is a very good match the original but is cast iron rather than aluminum. The next one past that is another vintage replacement part in cast iron. Not as nice as the Stant part but no bad. It has a slightly different angle to the hose. The one on the far right is a garbage aluminum Dorman part that looks like it's molded fom the one to it's left. The photo doesn't do justice to how bad the casting is.

    Between all of those, I should get something to work. I'll probably use the cast iron Stant part.
     
    fhoehle, Ol Fogie, Rubicloak and 8 others like this.
  3. Apr 10, 2022
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2015
    Messages:
    6,656
    Denver Creek is calling….
     
    Rich M., tomasinator and Fireball like this.
  4. Apr 12, 2022
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
    Messages:
    5,625
    Was too tired from yard projects yesterday to do anything on the Jeep except clean the work area and put tools away. It was getting to be such a mess it was an impediment to getting work done.

    I started out well tonight and then everything went to crap.

    First I made a crude tool to tighten the speedometer cable. I couldn't get any wrenches or pliers on the stupid thing. It's in a hole and if you can grab it there is no place to swing a tool without hitting something

    I wrapped some strap stock around a similar sized nut in the vice and welded a chunk of scrap rod to it for a handle:
    [​IMG]

    Worked like a charm and it looks like the leak has finally stopped:
    [​IMG]

    Then I replaced the battery cables and routed them with some P-clips:
    [​IMG]

    I also added a ground cable from the engine to the body. I went from the back of the head to the mounting screw for the (currently bypassed) ballast resistor:
    [​IMG]

    And then things started to go downhill.

    I was all excited to put the compact starter in the Jeep. I hooked up the wires and went to bolt it in place but the wires were too short to reach. I really want to get this thing running again and didn't feel like extending the wires a measly inch so I bolted the old starter back in.

    Then I went install the bellhousing front cover and discovered it won't slide into place with the starter or the front driveshaft both installed. One or the other needs to come out. Since I just finished fiting with the starter, I decided to drop the driveshaft:
    [​IMG]

    That let me put the plate place in to realize I had the clutch fork return spring hooked into one of it's bolt holes. So there's another small project; making a tab to go under the bolt with a hole for the spring to hook to.

    While I was doing this, I noticed the starter I just installed is cracked:
    [​IMG]

    It's not surprising. One of the bolts fell out and the other was loose shortly after I got the Jeep. It probably cracked then and I didn't notice when I tightened it back in. A have a spare standard starter, but I'll probably use it as an omen to stretch my wires and use the compact starter after all.

    Worse than all that, I noticed the pinion moving when I was undoing the U-joint. Hmm, that's odd. So I went and looked at the old small V6 yoke and sure enough, the spline area is longer than the D30/D44 26-spline yoke I installed.

    Sigh. I didn't do my research. There are plenty of threads about it on the forum like this one: Need Measurements On Dana 27 1310 Yoke Spline Depth. The D27 needs a rare and special yoke for 1310 U-joints that is no longer made by Spicer. I ordered the correct 2-4-2291 yoke from Northern Driveline so it's a few days out before the driveshaft can be hooked back up.

    What a pain keeping with the D27 so I can drive the Jeep while working on the D44. It's compounded by not wanting to make a temporary front driveline for the D27.

    D30/D44 spline depth (about 1.5"):
    [​IMG]

    D27 spline depth (about 1.8"):
    [​IMG]

    So now the list has actually grown some:
    • Bend, paint, and install new Novak T18 shift lever
    • Hook up clutch cable, return springs, and adjust
    • Reinstall brake pedal return spring
    • Make mounting bracket for parking brake cable (since the crossframe is about four inches further back than it was), hook up cable, hook up return springs and adjust
    • Install bellhousing front plate and new compact starter. Shim starter if needed, make clutch return spring tab, lengthen alternator and starter start wires.
    • Replace battery cables while installing starter
    • Install new fuel lines and securely route a new path around transmission/transfer case
    • Change front axle yoke to 1310 style and refill diff *with the proper yoke this time*
    • Clean rear transfer case flange and install on new rear driveshaft
    • Install new driveshafts
    • Install all the floorboards with Mortite
    • Install steering column clamp
    • Install shift boots and retaining rings
    • Reinstall brake pedal
    • Reinstall throttle pedal and reconnect throttle linkage
    • Clean, paint and install skid plate
    • Reinstall passenger seat
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2022
    Rubicloak, Ol Fogie, ITLKSEZ and 2 others like this.
  5. Apr 12, 2022
    3b a runnin

    3b a runnin Active Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    virginia
    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2015
    Messages:
    1,290
    One step forward and two steps back.
    Gonna be a good one though.
     
    ITLKSEZ and Fireball like this.
  6. Apr 12, 2022
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2015
    Messages:
    6,656
    You’re a better man than me, I woulda been stacking washers… :whistle:
     
    Ol Fogie, Fireball and garage gnome like this.
  7. Apr 12, 2022
    homersdog

    homersdog Tulsa, Ok 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Tulsa, OK
    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2012
    Messages:
    2,352
    Frustrating, but with all the much bigger problems and obstacles you've already overcome these seem pretty easy.

    I don't know what you paid for the D27/1310 yoke, but I got mine from Herm a few years back. It wasn't very expensive.
     
  8. Apr 12, 2022
    Jw60

    Jw60 Sitting up n buckled down. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Sedalia MO.
    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    4,716
    Rubicloak, Ol Fogie and Fireball like this.
  9. Apr 13, 2022
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
    Messages:
    5,625
    Some forward progress tonight.

    Extended the starter wires with some heat shrink crimp connectors:
    [​IMG]

    Fancy new start installed. Technology is amazing. Half the weight, half the size and cranks over faster than the old one:
    [​IMG]

    Making a dumb little bracket for the clutch fork return spring:
    [​IMG]

    Dumb little bracket:
    [​IMG]

    Dumb little bracket in use:
    [​IMG]

    Front plate installed. This took a lot longer than you would think because I forgot to chase the treads when I had it on the bench. The upper hole the clutch spring is hooked to needed threads cleaned and there was only access to turn the tap 1/8th turn at a time:
    [​IMG]

    Next was the shifter. You can see how worn out the groove is in the old shifter making it sloppy:
    [​IMG]

    The new one, however, needs some shaping to fit:
    [​IMG]

    With some heat from the torch, it's a pretty close match to the pattern:
    [​IMG]

    It clears everything in the Jeep and is a lot tigher than the old one. There is still slop from the pin being loose in the tower, but it's not bad. I'll keep my eyes open for better tower to swap out some day.

    Painted:
    [​IMG]

    Checking some stuff off:
    • Bend, paint, and install new Novak T18 shift lever
    • Hook up clutch cable, return springs, and adjust
    • Reinstall brake pedal return spring
    • Make mounting bracket for parking brake cable (since the crossframe is about four inches further back than it was), hook up cable, hook up return springs and adjust
    • Install bellhousing front plate and new compact starter. Shim starter if needed, make clutch return spring tab, lengthen alternator and starter start wires.
    • Replace battery cables while installing starter
    • Install new fuel lines and securely route a new path around transmission/transfer case
    • Change front axle yoke to 1310 style and refill diff *with the proper yoke this time*
    • Clean rear transfer case flange and install on new rear driveshaft
    • Install new front and rear driveshafts
    • Install all the floorboards with Mortite
    • Install steering column clamp
    • Install shift boots and retaining rings
    • Reinstall brake pedal
    • Reinstall throttle pedal and reconnect throttle linkage
    • Clean, paint and install skid plate
    • Reinstall passenger seat
    The new yoke is supposed to be here on Thursday, so hopefully I'll have it running this weekend. I'll drive it for a bit before tackling the thermostat housing leak.
     
  10. Apr 13, 2022
    47v6

    47v6 junk wrecker! 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    USA
    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2006
    Messages:
    5,798
    On my sm420, the pins were worn out, so I cut them out and made new ones that are threaded and not riveted. It took care of most of my issue. Not sure if that’s applicable to a t-18.

    dumb little bracket is brilliant. Small stuff like that takes a lot of time.
     
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  11. Apr 13, 2022
    duffer

    duffer Rodent Power

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2009
    Messages:
    4,459
    I've made a few similar ones. I know I saw those available on Summit someplace. Allstar? But then you get to wait a few days.
     
    Fireball likes this.
  12. Apr 13, 2022
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
    Messages:
    5,625
    I like that ides. It's probably similar. I think you could drill out the hole in the tower and use a stepped pin to solve the problem. I have not way to make a hardened stepped pin. Another thing you could do is drill a new pin hole in the other side of the tower and bend the shift lever so it works with the slot on the other side instead.
     
  13. Apr 13, 2022
    47v6

    47v6 junk wrecker! 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    USA
    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2006
    Messages:
    5,798
    I didn't harden them, don't have a torch. I figured they were so easy to make, I could just replace them whenever I wanted. I suppose you could find a socket head screw, flap disk off the serrations and use that? They are hardened.
     
  14. Apr 14, 2022
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
    Messages:
    5,625
    Quite a bit more done tonight and one minor setback.

    I had an unusual flash of brilliance and found a great solution to this with stuff already in the shop. I remembered inheriting a bunch of hardened drill guides from my grandpa and dug through them. The pin is 1/4" dia and I found a guide that is 1/4" id and 5/16" od. Perfect. I cut a chunk to length for the shift tower. The pin is a perfect fit:
    [​IMG]

    I dipped a 5/16" drill in grease to catch shavings, stuffed a grease covered rag in the tower and drilled it out:
    [​IMG]

    The pin/sleeve had a slight interference fit so I tapped it in with a brass punch:
    [​IMG]

    Now it feels like a brand new transmission. Thanks for bouncing ideas off me because I wouldn't have thought of this without.

    Pepper the cat helped:
    [​IMG]

    I cleaned up up all the mating surfaces for some Mortite:
    [​IMG]

    Main floor bolted down:
    [​IMG]

    Cat shift change:
    [​IMG]

    All the floorboards bolted in and ready for boots:
    [​IMG]

    After I got the boots in I was playing with the shifters and the overdrive shifter didn't feel right. Crawling underneath, the problem is pretty obvious. The rod is rubbing on the bottom of the transmission cover. No idea how I missed this during the full mockup but I certainly did:
    [​IMG]

    There is room to make a dropped tab where it hooks to the shifter handle. That should solve the issue without much effort and rework.

    So now the list is:
    • Bend, paint, and install new Novak T18 shift lever
    • Hook up clutch cable, return springs, and adjust
    • Reinstall brake pedal return spring
    • Make mounting bracket for parking brake cable (since the crossframe is about four inches further back than it was), hook up cable, hook up return springs and adjust
    • Install bellhousing front plate and new compact starter. Shim starter if needed, make clutch return spring tab, lengthen alternator and starter start wires.
    • Replace battery cables while installing starter
    • Install new fuel lines and securely route a new path around transmission/transfer case
    • Change front axle yoke to 1310 style and refill diff *with the proper yoke this time*
    • Clean rear transfer case flange and install on new rear driveshaft
    • Install new front and rear driveshafts
    • Install all the floorboards with Mortite
    • Install steering column clamp
    • Install shift boots and retaining rings
    • Reinstall brake pedal
    • Reinstall throttle pedal and reconnect throttle linkage
    • Clean, paint and install skid plate
    • Reinstall passenger seat
    • Reshape OD shift rod again
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2022
  15. Apr 15, 2022
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
    Messages:
    5,625
    Pulled the transmission cover and yanked the overdrive rod again.

    In the process of fitting it to the Jeep, it's now gone from this initial guess:
    [​IMG]

    To this:
    [​IMG]

    To this thing with the fiddly end on it:
    [​IMG]

    It's been cut and welded so many times I should use it as a pattern to make a new one next time I have things apart.

    With that done, I could finish up the interior. I think it turned out OK. Of course, you can see all the welds on the transmission cover. Adds character I suppose:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Now I'm waiting on the D27 yoke so I can finish this up. I ponied up for 2 day shipping only to have FedEx leave it in Memphis for an extra day. That was wasted money. Thanks FedEx. Latest estimate is tomorrow. Hopefully is shows up so I can drive it this weekend.

    Not much left:
    • Bend, paint, and install new Novak T18 shift lever
    • Hook up clutch cable, return springs, and adjust
    • Reinstall brake pedal return spring
    • Make mounting bracket for parking brake cable (since the crossframe is about four inches further back than it was), hook up cable, hook up return springs and adjust
    • Install bellhousing front plate and new compact starter. Shim starter if needed, make clutch return spring tab, lengthen alternator and starter start wires.
    • Replace battery cables while installing starter
    • Install new fuel lines and securely route a new path around transmission/transfer case
    • Change front axle yoke to 1310 style and refill diff *with the proper yoke this time*
    • Clean rear transfer case flange and install on new rear driveshaft
    • Install new front and rear driveshafts
    • Install all the floorboards with Mortite
    • Install steering column clamp
    • Install shift boots and retaining rings
    • Reinstall brake pedal
    • Reinstall throttle pedal and reconnect throttle linkage
    • Clean, paint and install skid plate
    • Reinstall passenger seat
    • Reshape OD shift rod again
    Soo close.
     
    Muzikp, jeepstar, Ol Fogie and 11 others like this.
  16. Apr 15, 2022
    Buildflycrash

    Buildflycrash More or Less in Line. 2024 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Gulf Breeze FL...
    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2007
    Messages:
    3,559
    :poke:easy fix - spray on bed liner. :p
     
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  17. Apr 15, 2022
    Rubicloak

    Rubicloak Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Nevada
    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2018
    Messages:
    305
    ***Envy*** well done my friend :beer:
     
    Fireball likes this.
  18. Apr 15, 2022
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
    Messages:
    5,625
    [​IMG]
     
  19. Apr 15, 2022
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2015
    Messages:
    6,656
    Forgot one…
    • Fix radio face that ITLKSEZ ripped off like an animal
    :rofl:
     
  20. Apr 15, 2022
    Renegade ll

    Renegade ll Member

    Thayne Wyoming
    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2013
    Messages:
    772
    Fireball are we going to see you in Colorado this year?
     
    Rich M. and Jw60 like this.
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