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Project Unicorn - a light duty trail rig

I have a welder. :twak:

That will work great!

I'll install a button with a light by my axles. When its on, weld them up. When it goes out, suck that weld back out so I can go around corners.

Of course, you'll have to fabricate some carriers to weld up, but this way its easy to go 35 spline..
 
As you get older, there are things you decide just have to be certain ways, period.

In my case, there need to be always hot USB ports everywhere. There are about 10 in my house. 4 in my tow rig. 6 in my camper.

After a lot of trial and error, my favorite USB port is the Blue Sea 1039 dual 2.4 amp charger.

https://amzn.com/B01AHYC88A


There wasn't an awesome place for it, so I tracked down WizardPC over on ShapeWays and we put our heads together.

He built me a custom 3D printed switch bezel that has Blue Sea twistlock 12v outlet, 1 Blue Sea dual usb charger, and 5 jeep style switch ports.

IMG_20160801_161417300_zpsviicgn0z.jpg

I think these are so neat. I'm ordering the one with jeep switches and contra switches tomorrow.
 
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Re: Project Unicorn:

So driving the rig for a couple of months, I had a slowly increasing vibration in the rear end. I had been operating under the assumption the rear end (8.25) was going out, but I started noticing puddles of ATF when I parked. Not cool.

It turned out the bushing the rear yoke rides in was totaly shot. I could move the yoke .120-.180 side to side in the housing. Did some reading here, found the part numbers, ordered a bushing and seal and tore into it.

IMG_20160702_142937286_zpshon1ikja.jpg


IMG_20160702_143745328_zpslsng2nyu.jpg


After draining the fluid, the tailcone is 6 bolts and slides off pretty easy.

IMG_20160702_144612165_zpsrxzlahpc.jpg


Drive the old bushing and seal out of the tail housing.

IMG_20160702_145150892_HDR_zpssid6tli9.jpg


IMG_20160702_145200244_zpsoievsfe5.jpg


IMG_20160702_145517388_zpsgqrnorsa.jpg



Reverse the process

IMG_20160702_145556518_zps2sty6bti.jpg


IMG_20160702_145707016_zps7glxab4k.jpg


IMG_20160702_145821983_zps42x7vopm.jpg


IMG_20160702_145846132_zpsbtvfgm5u.jpg


If you do this, watch for this oil line, which apparently likes to fall out and not be noticed, causing you to pull the housing back off and install it again. :)

IMG_20160702_150655755_zps8kgqtzzf.jpg


IMG_20160702_150705750_zpsufskdc1d.jpg



If anyone needs to do this, the parts came from transmission parts USA:

760-000076635 76635 A340 AW4 A40 Transmission extension housing bushing. (38 MM) 1 $2.94 $2.94
940-000094401 94401 Jeep AW4 Transmission extension housing seal 1987-on. 1 $3.70 $3.70

Hi Cal, how did you removed the old bushing? I took the extension housing out of the tranny but having a hard time taking the bushing out.

Thanks
 
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Re: Project Unicorn:

Hi Cal, how did you removed the old bushing? I took the extension housing out of the tranny but having a hard time taking the bushing out.

Thanks


If you see these two grooves that run along side of the bushing:

IMG_20160702_145707016_zps7glxab4k.jpg


I used a long rod where the tip just squeeze into those grooves, and a big hammer

IMG_20160702_145150892_HDR_zpssid6tli9.jpg


You can see the dimples where i beat the hell out of the bushing removing it

IMG_20160702_145200244_zpsoievsfe5.jpg



I let the bushing drive the old seal out. Its been in there for a long time, so you're going to have to hit it pretty good. IIRC I did two swings on each side, back and forth.

Pounding the new one in, I used a socket barely bigger than the new bushing as a driver, with some spray lube around the outside of the new bushing to make it go easier. Make sure you clock the lubrication hole correctly when you put the new one in.
 
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Not 100% sure at this point, but somewhere in the ballpark;

4" lift (4" deaver leafs, shackle relocators, 4" pac coils)
JK Rubicon 44's front and rear
4.88 gears, 35 spline rear, 32 spline inner/outer front
33" AT's
Atlas 3.8

I'll let Russ whisper to the motor and see what happens there, but we can be sure something will go down.

As far as bumpers, sliders, etc - what's available has changed so much that I really have no idea what is out there anymore. As much as it sounds contradictory to say when you're talking about 300 horsepower and an atlas on JK axles, I mean this to be more of a commuting and camping rig - just built to where it won't break or wear things out quickly.

I do really want a Genrite gas tank for it, but I can't see myself paying the price.


If I were doing sliders/Armor again I think it would be these

http://www.jcroffroad.com/product/XJ/XJSL-CR.html

http://www.jcroffroad.com/product/XJ/XJQU-RR.html
 
Since doing the atlas swap, I've had some driveline vibes at highway speeds.

I assumed it was pinion angle, since I'm running a CV driveshaft but have the rear end in the stock location; so i grabbed some shims and set out to adjust it.

Once I got it up on jacks and pulled the tires though, the pinion angle looked pretty good to me (I remember looking at it when I did the install and thinking it should be fine..?). So I tossed the jeep in gear and let it run. There was *massive* run-out on the driveshaft.

OOPS.

Pulled it hoping that maybe Ray at OC Driveline can balance it out for me, as I really don't want to drop $350 on a new driveshaft right now.


Ray chucked it up and found it was bent, with just under 3/8" runout. crap crap. I don't want to have to retube it but it seemed inevitable

Ray looks at me and says "no problem, i'll straiten and balance it. $55."

..what?

i guess once i thought about it, its no difference from straitening an axle housing; i just never considered it before. He was nice enough to let me take some video for you guys.


Heating it up and quenching to move the tube.



He did that 4 times in 4 places on the tube, but I only shot video once.

The machine is basically a cradle with a dial indicator on both ends. This was after the last straiten, during the balance process.



Here he's spinning it up to 3500 RPM's to check the balance after welding the weights on.




I can run the jeep up to 85 and there are no driveline vibes at all; before it was pretty apparently after about 45.


.... now my rear end appears to be going out - probably from the vibes. :) Need to find myself an XJ44.
 
I do really want a Genrite gas tank for it, but I can't see myself paying the price.

A ZJ gas tank will plug right in to replace the XJ tank and will get you a hair over 25gal. Not quite the +10gal that the GenRight will give you, but getting an extra 5gal capacity for about $40 or so let me put some $$$ elsewhere.

XJ on the left, ZJ on the right. I threw in a new fuel pump while I was doing the swap since the old one was on the way out. Part #s on both the old pumps were the same, so I bought a Bosch 67658 on Amazon (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C6023G).

2lu747a.jpg


I threw 2.5gal in the empty ZJ tank to get me to the gas station down the road from my house, then pumped a hair over 23gal to fill it up.

2jchsad.jpg
 
Which gas tank skid did you run?

Haven't put a skid plate on there yet, been looking for an OEM one from a junkyard or someone parting out so I can test fit (on the cheap) to see if there are any issues clearing the ZJ tank. From reading thru the original thread where RedJeep2.0 did the swap, it looks like they both hang down the same amount. So hopefully the XJ skid "should" bolt right on.


Unfortunately all my $$$ lately is going into a custody fight over my daughter instead of into the XJ. :flamemad:
 
Haven't put a skid plate on there yet, been looking for an OEM one from a junkyard or someone parting out so I can test fit (on the cheap) to see if there are any issues clearing the ZJ tank. From reading thru the original thread where RedJeep2.0 did the swap, it looks like they both hang down the same amount. So hopefully the XJ skid "should" bolt right on.


Unfortunately all my $$$ lately is going into a custody fight over my daughter instead of into the XJ. :flamemad:

Do you have a link to that RedJeep2.0 thread?
 
I'd love to know if the factory XJ fuel tank skid will fit over the ZJ tank.....I see this in my future, as I'd love to extend my range by 5 gals.
 
I imagine the factory ZJ tank skid would. I have seen a few people run the ZJ skids with an XJ tank, seemed to bolt in with minimal work.
 
For as long as I've had this jeep, its always run cool.

Now that its getting cold out, I also discovered I had no heat. Which isn't a big deal in SoCal, but no defroster really is a problem.

Pulled under the carport and drained some coolant.

IMG_20161127_111553350_zps3uogtm8e.jpg


Pulled the thermostat. It doesn't close all the way.

IMG_20161127_115801112_HDR_zpsd3hlt1pl.jpg


New 195* thermostat. New housing. Flushed the heater core backward while it was apart.

Everything works great now.

Boring update, but I've been working on other projects. ;)
 
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I imagine the factory ZJ tank skid would. I have seen a few people run the ZJ skids with an XJ tank, seemed to bolt in with minimal work.

I have a zj gas tank in my Jeep. I used the stock zj skid as well and everything fits just fine. The tank fills most of the additional space in its width, just fits between the rails.

The tank mounts just like the stock zj tank and the zj skid just needed new mounting holes drilled. I don't see why an aftermarket xj skid wouldn't fit either
 
14 gauge into the cab, up under the dash, and feeding both the 12v port and the usb ports. The extra switches are just filling holes for the moment, I'm not even sure what they will end up being in the long run.

Any particular reason you ran wiring to the battery for the USB and 12v rather than just running them off the wiring for the stock lighters? Got my switch panel last week but haven't wired anything yet
 
Cool build. Strongly considering the ZJ tank swap since my pump seems to be on its last leg and I'll be swapping it soon anyway.
 
Subscribing. I really like that switch panel. looks so much better than the typical switch panels most people run. IMHO

Never knew those switches existed.
 
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