CJ-3A Build of "The Yellow Jeep" w Auto Shop Help

Geez . . . you are right, we've put the shims in the wrong place. Speechless.
But the "hard spot" will still be an issue. Have "bit the bullet" this AM and have ordered a ring/pinion set for the Dana 44.
 
In hindsight, I'm thinking today that my single biggest mistake was in dismantling the rear axle and diff. last spring in haste to show progress before school got out and then having 6 months go by without any time to it, and then when picking it back up having little margin to give it the full attention it needed. Not the wisest way to tackle a task like this rebuild.
 
That hard spot might have been caused by unusual wear in the old gear set. Let’s hope it goes away with the new one. I don’t recall; have you verified that you have no axial or radial runout in the carrier? That’s one of first steps to verify you’re installing good parts.
 
All:
I am sad to say that I've had to put a pause on this rebuild - at least until the end of Spring Break. My business workload has left me with no margin for proper attention to the project. Mr. Thayer is understanding and supportive for which I'm thankful.

While taking this break (which hopefully will be brief), I"m going to see if I can find a rear-end shop to finish off the differentials. The new ring/pinion is due within a week or so, and it would be nice to move on to the next steps of the rebuild when I do return. If any NorCal guys who read this have any recommendations to make, I'd be grateful for them. A retired shop teacher who occasionally comes by the HS shop says he knows a guy in Fairfield who might be interested.
 
Hey Scott. Any pr
scottragee said:
All:
I am sad to say that I've had to put a pause on this rebuild - at least until the end of Spring Break. My business workload has left me with no margin for proper attention to the project. Mr. Thayer is understanding and supportive for which I'm thankful.

While taking this break (which hopefully will be brief), I"m going to see if I can find a rear-end shop to finish off the differentials. The new ring/pinion is due within a week or so, and it would be nice to move on to the next steps of the rebuild when I do return. If any NorCal guys who read this have any recommendations to make, I'd be grateful for them. A retired shop teacher who occasionally comes by the HS shop says he knows a guy in Fairfield who might be interest
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scottragee said:
All:
I am sad to say that I've had to put a pause on this rebuild - at least until the end of Spring Break. My business workload has left me with no margin for proper attention to the project. Mr. Thayer is understanding and supportive for which I'm thankful.

While taking this break (which hopefully will be brief), I"m going to see if I can find a rear-end shop to finish off the differentials. The new ring/pinion is due within a week or so, and it would be nice to move on to the next steps of the rebuild when I do return. If any NorCal guys who read this have any recommendations to make, I'd be grateful for them. A retired shop teacher who occasionally comes by the HS shop says he knows a guy in Fairfield who might be interested.
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Hey Scott. Did you get back on the Willy’s?
 
Bitzf4 said:
Hey Scott. Any pr


Hey Scott. Did you get back on the Willy’s?
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Unfortunately not. The work world workload has continued at too high a pace. As a result, Mr. Thayer, the shop teacher asked me to remove the parts and assemblies that I left in the shop of hoping to be able to resume after Spring Break. He is open to me coming back in the Fall if my workload allows me to be fully present and regular in attendance. Fair enough.
PS
This workload has averaged 33% higher than the pre-covid average number of billable hours per month. It has always been known that building design and construction is a "feast or famine" kind of industry, and the past 3 three years have proven that emphatically!
 
scottragee said:
Unfortunately not. The work world workload has continued at too high a pace. As a result, Mr. Thayer, the shop teacher asked me to remove the parts and assemblies that I left in the shop of hoping to be able to resume after Spring Break. He is open to me coming back in the Fall if my workload allows me to be fully present and regular in attendance. Fair enough.
PS
This workload has averaged 33% higher than the pre-covid average number of billable hours per month. It has always been known that building design and construction is a "feast or famine" kind of industry, and the past 3 three years have proven that emphatically!
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Sorry about the shop stuff. Good news/bad news on the work stuff I would guess. At least it might give you extra funds for the Willy’s.

Bitz
 
Make Hay when the sun shines, that's for sure.

We are seeing the same things, I've been in business 21 years and busier then ever by a large multipler.

And it's quality work, but alot less time for Willys.

Good luck getting back on track with your build. It's been a neat one to follow.
 
Hi guys,
Yes school has started and I’m still in the same mode of having too much work and not enough margin to be able to return to Auto Shop. Mr. Thayer says the door is wide open when I’m ready.

I am very tempted to start writing a “journal entry” about the re-thinking I’m going thru about work and my retirement time line but that would be outside the purpose and boundaries of this forum.

I’ll just say I miss going to the High School and interacting with the students.
 
For what it's worth, I use PB Blaster and either heat or a nut splitter if it comes down to that. I have had to use 1" drive breaker bar and impact sockets for old VW work for years. Far less flex than a 1/2" wrench/bar. Crusty rear axle nuts applied with something like 350 lbft torque. I later found the 1" breaker and sockets work pretty well for crusty lugs but use a bunch of penetrant and heat before I resort to cutting the nut. I hate to break bolts, studs or anything else that makes extra work. Finesse is the name of the game. Just my 2 cents.
 
scottragee said:
Good info Joe, thank you! I appreciate the heads-up of it could get uglier.

Question: Do you think an impact wrench would be better than the breaker bar? Am tempted to pick up a cordless one, but I see they come in all sorts of different torque capacities, and obviously, we don't know what it would take to unseize the nut (or break the stud!).

And do you have a favorite fluid in lieu of WD-40 that might be of benefit?
If heat needs to be applied, I'll have to wait until it goes to the shop - don't have any welding/torch-like equipment of any kind.

Engine running: It actually does run. Will upload a video in the near future. Of course, it hasn't had anything checked out on it yet like compression or timing.
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My go-to is a product called KROIL. The best I've found.
 
All:
Business workload is back to normal (maybe even a little slower than normal) - which means bandwidth is back to reconnect on this project!!

I've emailed the Auto Shop teacher, Mr. Thayer, letting him know I will be doing all I can to return to the shop class this Fall - if he'll have me back, and he replied, "Absolutely!". He told me of a student who graduated last year, who stopped in to visit and asked about the Jeep project. That warms my heart and ups the motivation to do my best to keep the business workload from getting out of hand so I can return in 5 months.

Meanwhile, I've just returned from Diamond Springs, CA (about an hour's drive away) and dropped off my front and rear axles with the Dana 44 and Dana 25 differentials at the Jimmy Strauss Jeeps shop (https://www.jimmystraussjeeps.com). They will do the rebuilding and get the backlash, shims, etc. all correct that we struggled with. Got a tour of their shop. Very impressive!
 
I've talked "jeep" with Jimmy a couple of times over the years but never met him in person. He seems to be a really nice guy and he has a great reputation for doing quality work. I think some of his restorations have won first place at some of the military vehicle conventions.
 
scottragee said:
All:
Business workload is back to normal (maybe even a little slower than normal) - which means bandwidth is back to reconnect on this project!!

I've emailed the Auto Shop teacher, Mr. Thayer, letting him know I will be doing all I can to return to the shop class this Fall - if he'll have me back, and he replied, "Absolutely!". He told me of a student who graduated last year, who stopped in to visit and asked about the Jeep project. That warms my heart and ups the motivation to do my best to keep the business workload from getting out of hand so I can return in 5 months.

Meanwhile, I've just returned from Diamond Springs, CA (about an hour's drive away) and dropped off my front and rear axles with the Dana 44 and Dana 25 differentials at the Jimmy Strauss Jeeps shop (https://www.jimmystraussjeeps.com). They will do the rebuilding and get the backlash, shims, etc. all correct that we struggled with. Got a tour of their shop. Very impressive!
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Welcome back Scott. Was just thinking about your project when looking thru an old post.
 
So you're in spittin' distance of several very active OWF members. Have you thought of reaching out to them for a little help? Never hurts to ask and the worst thing they can say is "no". If I were closer I'd love to spend a weekend foolin around with your CJ, I'm OK at wiring.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing progress on your project AND seeing you involved in a RFTH one of these days.
Best of luck from SoCal!
 
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