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My CJ6 Frankenstein Build, Little Of Everything!

Discussion in 'Builds and Fabricators Forum' started by y2k-fxst, Jul 13, 2015.

  1. Nov 27, 2017
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2014
    Messages:
    293
    Been looking for a reasonably price NV4500 for the Jeep for the last 3 years. Rebuilt without a core they are going for around $2,500. Picked this one that was rebuilt 20,000 miles ago up off Craigslist today with a bunch of accessories that don't come with the rebuild that are out there. After adding up the accessories that came with it I'm into the transmission around $175, will have another $500-$600 in parts and labor turning it into a 4wd transmission.

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  2. Dec 15, 2017
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    Nov 17, 2014
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    So picked up up a 3/4" to 1/2" impact socket to use to make my 3/4" drive 29 spline socket. The 5th gear nut on a NV4500 is torqued to 300 ft/lbs. A lot of people will just engage the 3rd and 4th gear syncros to jamb the transmission to torque the nut, some just wrap a rag around the input shaft to hold it in 1st gear to tighten it. I'm not a fan of either as that 300 ft/lbs is transmitted to the output bearing as a side load, synchros, gears, etc. With the correct socket there is only about 1/2" between the end of the socket and the actual 5th gear nut.

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    Cut the 1/2" drive stub off and ground everything smooth. Hit the top edge with the grinder to remove oxide coating where my weld will go. Ready for the freezer to help shrink it a little. The chrome version of this adapter is a slip fit but, didn't want to mess with chrome messing with my welds.

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    Started with a cold 3/4" adapter and a warmed 29 spline coupler. Got it 3/4 of the way with a 2.5# press. But had to finish with my 8# press. Enough of a interference fit I can see where the splines inside the coupler gouged into the 3/4" adapter! Also got my last U-bolt skid plate welded up ready to drill.

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    All finished, my cost was 1/3 of a commercially made socket. And the commercially made sockets only engage about 1/2 the length of the splines one the output shaft, this one engages 100% of the splines. Might even put this in the blaster and then hit it with some flat black paint to make it look factory made!

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  3. Dec 22, 2017
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2014
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    293
    Got my U-bolt skid plates drilled last weekend. Then finished up the "machining" today and welded off. While I was "machining" them with a die grinder and angle grinder I was wishing I had a CNC mill. Later on I decided I would be happy with an analog one!

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    Ran out of carb cleaner cleaning the oil off the skid plates from drilling, so I finished up with brake clean, and yes I know you are not suppose to use brake clean because of the danger of making phosgene gas. I blew them off good and tried to make sure they were dry before welding, plus stood a couple of feet inside an open overhead door where if I passed out there was a possibility I'd fall into fresh air. Took this picture just to prove I lived!

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    Got the first front one done and had to try it.
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    Even the second one fit. Almost as though I measured it or something! Really hope the springs droop some when I get the power train in it. Right now with the axle set at the height it will be with 33" tires, I'm at 30" to the top of the frame!

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    Rear ones waiting for me to get my axle cut down.

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  4. Dec 25, 2017
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    Nov 17, 2014
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    Got my 9" rear end completely bare naked today. Little more cleaning and degreasing it will be ready to be cut down as soon as my new axles show up.

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  5. Jan 8, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2014
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    293
    Yukon axle shafts, bearings, studs, and retainers showed up today for my rear axle. Don't think the post office was really impressed with the weight of the box! So next time I've got a few days off I can start cutting down the axle housing. Just need to order Torino style retainers since the axles are meant for the old style large bearing 9" that's the retainers that came with them. Getting closer to have my 9" service stand done, that's it sitting above the axles.

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  6. Jan 11, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    With only 1 day off, didn't feel like starting any big project. So I finished up the repair stand for the Ford 9". Normally would have probably not spent so much time on one. But, since I'm running one in the CJ and my oldest son is running one in his dirt car figure it will be used more than once.

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  7. Jan 19, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2014
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    293
    Finally got the 9" cut down and placed under the back. Once the power train is in and the suspension in loaded I can set the pinion angle and weld on the spring mounts and the bearing housings. Hoping the springs droop a little when I get it loaded down. right now the way it sits, it will be 36" to the bottom of the door opening with 33" tires!

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    Draining the oil out of the next piece of this puzzle. Need to hit it with some degreaser and run it to the car wash Sunday. Then start tearing it apart to make it into a 4wd transmission.

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  8. Jan 21, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    Nov 17, 2014
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    Tore the NV4500 apart today to switch the main shaft. Was worried about getting the 5th gear nut off as it is suppose to be torqued to 300 ft/lbs. It was actually looser than the bolts holding the PTO covers on!

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    So, this is as far as I got. figured on running to Iowa City this afternoon for a main shaft rear bearing since I had to destroy the old one to get it off. But, when I was checking parts as they were going back together. Found that when this transmission was rebuilt, they forgot to install the reverse gear synchronizer inserts and springs! Knew something wasn't right when I tore it apart, just didn't dawn on me until I was assembling it. Everything else checked out good, had to figure it had issues jumping out of gear in reverse and 5th! Really wish I had asked the guy I got it off of what shop rebuilt it.

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  9. Jan 22, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    Since I have to wait on parts again. Decided to get the motor ready to set in.

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    Got the oil pan switched from front sump to rear sump. Nice that Cummins makes the pans symmetrical so you only have to change the oil pickup, and move the dip stick to the rear hole. Got my cut down 6bt manifold bolted on with the stock H1C turbo for mock up. Pulled the fan since I'll probably end up going electric, and bolted on TJ Legel's Farmstrong motor mounts. As soon as the transmission is back together I can bolt it and the transfer case on and start positioning it in the Jeep

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  10. Jan 28, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    Aggravating weekend doing nothing. Last weekend found missing parts in my transmission. So Sunday afternoon I ordered the inserts and springs from a distributer. Then decided to save a couple buck and order the Timken output bearing off Amazon. The inserts and springs were shipped out Monday, USPS tracking had them to be delivered on Thursday by 20:00. Thursday night their tracking stated that delivery was delayed. Now I get an email from the distributer sounding like he is shipping the parts out again. Sounds like USPS has lost another package, and they wonder why they are going under!

    As far as the bearing ordered from Amazon, they didn't even ship it till Thursday! Think they are trying to make a person get Amazon Prime now to get decent shipping times!
     
  11. Jan 28, 2018
    tarry99

    tarry99 Member

    Northern California
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    3,784
    My personal experiences are:
    USPS 2-day Priority mail & boxes is pretty hard to beat when the Weather is good.............UPS , FedX and others all cater to the commercial customers first while your freight will sometimes sit on a rail siding or terminal for days........and UPS only delivers to residential customers in the afternoon after they do all the commercial deliveries and pickups............here that sometimes is after 8:00 PM.

    Amazon right now has become a huge clearing house & supply chain for millions of products they either stock at there modern facilities everywhere or drop ship direct from the manufacture or ship from another source in the supply chain that might be a supplier right down the street.........They now have this incredible buying and logistics power that is unmatched anywhere where time , freight cost and warehousing can easily be minimized to the manufacture and end user , saving each money and thereby increasing there profits...........I've ordered parts from people in the East unrelated to Amazon in the morning and have them delivered the next day from a local source within a Amazon box and even delivered on Sundays by of all people USPS.......the only negative is you will pay sales tax on everything even if your money went to Florida.
     
  12. Jan 29, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    I've had way more problems with USPS than UPS and Fedex combined. USPS so far is the only one to lose items, and has done it on multiple occasions. Their tracking sucks, items only get scanned at the departure site and the delivery site. UPS and Fedex scans them at every stop, so it would be easier to track down lost items. I've had a lot of damaged packages from USPS, with packages and/or items destroyed of missing upon delivery. I've had damaged from UPS and Fedex but, so far all the items inside have been there and have not been damaged.
     
  13. Jan 31, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    So, the bearing from Amazon showed up yesterday. And, according to USPS tracking my inserts and springs have showed up at the post office today finally. This weekend hopefully will get everything back together and start positioning the power train to see what steel I'll need to order to finish up the motor mounts and build the trans mount/cross member. And yes even though I'm running Farmstrong mounts I have plans for a modification to them also. Can't seem to have any part on this build without at least some modification!
     
  14. Feb 2, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    NV4500 pretty much back together. Figured out I'm out of lock-tite so can't finish until I pick some up. the 4 out of the 4 forward gears that are on actually work and reverse works also. Put the 5th gear fix on to check clearance with my 29 spline adapter. Glad I did, heard of people having problems with the NV4500 and NP205 combination with them knocking bearings out due to pressure on them. Figured out I'm going to have to shorten the adapter by around 3/16" to have clearance for the 5th gear fix. Also carried the NP205 out of the basement. Should have waited till I had help. forgot how heavy that cast iron pig is!

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  15. Feb 2, 2018
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
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    That's gonna be a sweet rig.
     
  16. Feb 3, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    Hit another slow down. When I tore the transmission apart to switch the main shaft I had found the reverse/5th gear synchronizer inserts and springs were missing. So I ordered them and put them in yesterday. Even though it will shift through all gears, some thing didn't seem right.

    So did some more digging, found I'm missing yet still another part. Seems this transmission is suppose to have a reverse synchronizer which is MIA also. Some have them, some don't just knew something wasn't right. There are at least 4 different diagrams out there and you have to find the right one. I'm starting to wonder if even though this trans was rebuilt, if it was actually rebuilt by a shop.

    So, more parts ordered and I'll pull it apart again. Stuff like this is why I've been 3 years building this Jeep!
     
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  17. Feb 5, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    Once again, waiting on parts. Was hoping to have the motor, trans, and transfer case in mocking up mounts by now. Got my frame plates for my motor mounts completed, and the transmission mount figured out. Will finish up the mount once I figure out where the cross member is going to be.

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  18. Feb 18, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    So even going camping this weekend, I still got the transmission back together for hopefully the last time. Definitely shifts better on the table with all the parts in it than it did when the reverse synchro and inserts missing. Maybe in the next week or so I can actually have it along with the transfer case and motor between the frame rails. Got the final measurements on the 29 spline adapter, needs to be shortened by 0.120" to play nice between the trans and transfer case.

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  19. Mar 4, 2018
    y2k-fxst

    y2k-fxst Member

    North English,IA
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    All the pieces and parts for the drive train bolted together for the first time. Friends coming over this afternoon to stuff it between the frame rails.

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  20. Mar 4, 2018
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
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    That's a sweet drivetrain. I bet that's pushing the limits of that hoist!
     
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