Maiden voyage today and now I have some questions

Cool, so I'm adding to the authenticity. 8)

 

Nice looking job!
I think you should check your caster angle on the front axle. With different springs, you may have the caster to close to 0°, or even negative caster. Negative caster would cause exactly what you describe. You have any angle shims in this thing? you may need some to get to the 5° - 7° I have seen other folks use.

On your rear axle leak, which type of outer seal did you use? There are 2 different designs, one seals onto the axle itself while the other seal mates to the hub. Is the leak gear lube or grease? If it is gear lube you may need to replace the inner seals as well.

Don

 

Not using any angle shims, there weren't any on it originally so I didn't put them in. I can, though.

What I thought was a rear bearing leak turned out to be the u-joint spitting. I replaced both outer seals but did not replace inners. Probably a dumb mistake on my part but the machine shop guy said everything inside the housing looked brand new.

 

One thing I discovered is the shackle bolts were not tight enough. The FSM is a little confusing on the torque specs for these but I believe it calls for around 30 lbs so I torqued them to 30, they were definitely loose (well not loose, but not tight.) I'll see if that makes any difference. U-bolts were definitely torqued and I double check them. I can't try it out now because it is raining -- I know chuck123wapati thinks it needs mud on it but I don't want to get it dirty

 

Was the sway and "seasick" feeling because of the loose shackle or are the springs in need of replacement? Great restoration. Where did you get the stencil for the 4WH logo on the rear gate?

 

I hope the loose shackles was responsible for at least most of it but I have not been able to test drive it since. The springs are brand new.

The stencils on the tailgate are really decals (shhhhh, don't tell anybody) and I don't remember where I got them but I kept all my receipts so I can find out.

 

Thanks, I was thinking of taking a close up picture of the logo and using it to cut out a stencil

 

Imadoughball was having the decals made. Might be worth sending him a pm. Word is he was thinking about t-shirts with that on the back......


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-- I know chuck123wapati thinks it needs mud on it but I don't want to get it dirty [/QUOTE]

snick snick you forgot the YET at the end of yer sentence.

 

I took it to a garage today to have it aligned, state inspection, and overall checkup and I have some answers.

#1 - the groan was indeed the exhaust pipe rattling against the brake/clutch pedal shaft. Once they re-bent that pipe to clear everything, it sounds great.

#2 - still leaking and I am pretty sure it is the rear seal. Some folks have told me it might break in after a while and stop leaking. I hope so but I try not to be too optimistic.

#3 - I don't think there is a simple answer to this one. It is definitely leaking around that seal and the housing was pretty beaten up when I put the seal in so I will either have to live with it or replace the transfer case.

#4 and #5 were the u-joints spitting grease and that problem has subsided a little, I guess it just need to get rid of its excess grease.

#6 - After tightening the spring shackles and having the front end aligned, it handles much better. Still not perfect but I don't have anything to compare it against. I would really like for someone who has been around these things a while to drive it and tell me if everything feels normal. I had a '50 when I was a teenager but that was a long time ago and my tolerance was probably much greater then (when you're young and eager to drive, you don't really care how safe it feels.) The steering wheel is very tight and it still seems to react somewhat harshly to steering wheel movements. Again, this may be par for the course but somebody with some experience will need to tell me for sure.

 

Took it for another drive, got brave and drove it through town. I have 50 miles on it now. After the alignment, it handles MUCH better and I think the swaying I am experiencing is coming mostly from the tires. I went with radials that are taller than the original tires and they seem to have a lot of give in the sidewalls. In retrospect, I should have gone with a bias tire that would have stiffer sidewalls.

There is a loud banging sound coming from the rear when I turn sharp corners. It might be the exhaust, not sure.

Another annoying problem is a lot of rattle coming from the transmission shifter (not the transfer case sticks, the main shifter.) It's not a problem, just annoying. Anybody know a cure for this?

All in all, it is doing very well and as I get braver I will drive it further from the house. This has been a dream of mine for years ever since I got rid of my '50 CJ3A as a teenager. I can't say enough nice things about the people on this forum, such an invaluable resource!

 

I don't know what radials you have but some have polyester sidewalls that are 1 ply or 2 ply. Some have 2 steel and 2 polyester in the sidewall. The less plys will give greater flex.

Also you could run your air pressure up a little since you only run on the street. I suspect your tires have a max pressurethat is much greater than you would expect. You can read on the side of the tire/ You might get a slightly harsher ride but it might take the sway out. It will also steer easier. I don't think tire wear caused by greater tire pressure will bother you since you don't expect to drive it too much.

 

Stiff steering wheel? Jack up the front and you should be able to turn the wheel lock to lock with one finger. If it takes some effort then maybe someone has tightened the adjusting screw too tight (Ross steering)?