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1960 Cj6 Pep's Project

Discussion in 'Builds and Fabricators Forum' started by PeppyCJ6, Feb 15, 2021.

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  1. Mar 22, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    brennan metcalf sells a 1/4" spacer, that might work?
    what does the tag on the axle say?
    yo0u can get longer studs too
     
    PeppyCJ6 likes this.
  2. Mar 22, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    I finished off Saturday evening replacing the motor, transmission, an transfer case mounts in the dark.

    Now I have a bunch of old greasy parts:
     
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  3. Mar 22, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    Here is the Tag! I went to the garage and grabbed it out of the bag of nuts and bolts and touched it with the wire wheel. Once I cleaned it off, It is obviously an ID tag with the gear ratio. (43-8 5.38)
     
  4. Mar 22, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    that makes sense. there's one on my front axle, i should look at that
     
  5. Mar 22, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    On Sunday I was able to get the front seals replaced, rebuilt the front spindles, and did the disk brake swap.

    I now have fresh bearings seals, and disk brakes on all four wheels. :D


    Next job is to continue cleaning up the frame, get my fuel tank installed, and run my brake and fuel lines.
     
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  6. Mar 22, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    Today, I will be going to the parts store to get a long fine thread bolt for the turn-stop, and then to the local "house of wheels" to see if they have something that will fit over my new brakes while also fitting my tires.
     
  7. Mar 22, 2021
    Rich M.

    Rich M. Shoe salesman 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Maryland
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    #23 used on setting endplay on tapered axles. No longer needed.
    Rear-Axle-44-service-diagnosis~2.jpg
    Everything looks great!
     
  8. Mar 31, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    Finished up another week of work on the CJ6.
    March is over, So I now have to drive back to DC and let it sit for a while.
    The following posts will sum up the accomplishments over the past week -> With Pictures!!!

    :bananatool::bananatool::bananatool:
     
  9. Mar 31, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    First for the week,

    I managed to spend about 12 solid hours with a grinder, wire wheel, sandpaper, and pressure washer to get the frame ready for paint. The final finish is not perfect, but definitely much better than it was before! I did the frame in two halves, Back first, then the front.

    Back of the frame cleaned and painted:

    Front Battery Box area after wire brushing (this was a pain):

    Also pulled out the sand blaster and started work on the rims:

    Cleaned up the shift levers and ran a tap over the ends so I can put new knobs on them:

    It is fun to think that the frame on this vehicle is narrower than a baseball bat!
     
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  10. Mar 31, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    My solution for getting the wheels to fit was to just utilize my current rims with some spacers. I want to get new wheels eventually, but finding the right rims with the proper bolt pattern, backspacing, AND the 4.25" hub cutout is not something I could not get done quickly.
    I found some spacers on amazon from Titan Wheel Accessories that were a perfect fit (1" thick 5x5.5 with a 108mm center bore).

    When they arrived I was very impressed with how well they did the job; plus 2 Day shipping!!!
     
  11. Mar 31, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    Next on the agenda was setting up Peppy's Paint Shop for all the rear end and suspension parts that needed to be bolted on. Two options for the color of the day Flat Black or Satin Black.
    The Gas Tank Straps, Springs, Spring Plates, Tank Skid, and my custom rear cross member all got sprayed with primer and paint.

    I also needed to cut another slot in my cross member right at the middle for the gas tank strap to slide through and bolt to the skid. I have the cross member drilled and tapped and everything clears so I can drop the tank if needed (although the fit is very very tight!)
     
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  12. Mar 31, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    I worked on fitting the rear suspension followed by the tank and cross member:

    The suspension is a 2.5" ProComp lift kit (springs and shocks) and Daystar greaseable shackles. Installing the springs was actually easier than I expected. The hardest part was removing the original bushings from the spring hangers. The bushings would not budge, so I made a "press" out of a pair of sockets, and a big bolt and some nuts. The big socket forms a cup to pull the bushing into, small socket matches the size of the bushing, tighten the nuts with a breaker bar until something gives.... The thing that gives is the small socket!!! Cracked it right along the stress riser at the corner of the hex!!!

    :cry:

    So, instead you get a hack saw and put the blade through the middle of the bushing and start sawing until you cut through the bushing but not into the frame. Then you rotate the saw about 15* in the hole and cut another groove. Then you use a screwdriver to bend up the tab you just cut. Once you have the screwdriver in there, you twist the screwdriver and start chasing around the edge of the hole, peeling the bushing away. once it is bent enough, you go back to the socket contraption and the whole bushing will push right through (or just pound on the screwdriver with a hammer until the bushing pops out). Once you have the first one done, the next three are easy!!! Don't pound anything, just do really accurate grooves with the hacksaw and the soft bushing metal will peel away like a banana. I wish I had pictures or a video. They really were easy once I had the right strategy.
    :beer:

    Here is the rear suspension mid installation (I had the frame on blocks, and we had not yet changed the spring pack on the other side. using a wood block to keep the axle near level while we worked):
     
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  13. Mar 31, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    The Rear tank is a very - very - very - very - very tight fit. You can almost see some air in there if you squint with one eye closed.

    The skid plate that crown sent me seemed to be insufficiently pressed in the mold. The shape was less "U" and more "\_/"
    The surfaces where it would bolt to the bottom of the frame were about 10 degrees off parallel and the whole plate from bolt surfact to bolt surface was about 2-1/4 inches too long. I needed to heat up the plate with a torch and bend the front side of the skid plate until it was vertical again. That project required a set of steel C-Channels bolted together, lots of clamps, 4 Foot cheater pipes, and a propane torch to heat the whole thing until we could get the proper bend into the plate. It is made of some tough metal that did not want to bend. So far nothing I have ordered for this jeep has fit without some type of modification.

    I previously ground off the corners and tabs of the skid plate, drilled some extra holes to have four mounting points on the front (bolt through the skid and frame) and four mounting points on the rear (bolt into threaded hole in frame crossmember). Test fit everything and squeezed it in there and bolted it in place.



     
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  14. Mar 31, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    Next up is the front suspension. The springs, shocks, shackles and everything else bolted right on after we got the old bushings out. The wheels bolt right on with the 1" spacers and don't rub anything (also the spacers let me torque down my rotor/hub sandwich without the wheels on and I can take the wheels on and off without risking something coming loose between my hubs and rotors!). I am now on four wheels with fresh bearings, hubs, disk brakes, springs, and shocks)


    With the new spring lift and shackles, the tie rod rubs on the springs (really just the spring clamp.)
    The obvious solution here is to do a tie rod end flip and move the steering controls to the top of the knuckle control arms. This also means I don't really need to do anything with my pitman arm or steering box location.

    Does anyone have the reamer required to do the flip? Willing to let me rent it?
    Is it the 1.5in/ft taper for standard Jeep tie rod ends?
     
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  15. Mar 31, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

    Maryland
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    After all this work, I had to call it quits for a while and pack everything back into the garage. I built a table from 2x4s to clear the frame and lifted the tub up there with ratchet straps. Then I rolled the frame in underneath the table. This will allow me to roll out the frame and keep working on some of the next pieces without messing with the tub.



    So far I have spent 21 consecutive days working on this project about 8-10 hours a day: ~190 labor hours
    My father has also spent 21 days working about 4-8 hours a a day = ~150 labor hours
    For a total of 340 hours spent on the CJ6 to this point.

    The next big projects include:
    Installing the MC
    Running the brake and fuel lines (and rear wiring harness)
    Tie Rod Flip
    Routing the steering rods / U-Joints
    Upgrading the Transfer Case Parking Brake
    Installing the Front Bumper

    The next few weeks for me include a vacation to the beach and shifting my attention to the drywall portion of my bathroom renovation.
    As I complete Jeep things, I will post them here!
     
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  16. Apr 1, 2021
    Bigdaddy13

    Bigdaddy13 Member

    So.Cal
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    Great work so far!

    Question, who’s disc brake kits did you go with? Herm’s or?
     
  17. Apr 1, 2021
    Buildflycrash

    Buildflycrash More or Less in Line. 2024 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

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    Tie rod flip is a good solution. I don’t know why Jeep didn’t put them on from the top in the first place. Another thing to consider is you will likely need caster shims and they will help improve that gap.
     
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  18. Apr 22, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

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    I used Herm's kit. I almost bought a collection of parts to piece together myself, but I figured it was worth the extra cash for me to know that it would fit. and it bolted right on. no issues, no problems, everything where it belongs.

    The only pain was getting the studs pressed into the rotor/hub without a press. My breaker bars and biceps got a workout wrenching them into place. The aftermarket wheel spacers have also helped to ensure that my Rotor/Hub/Spacer sandwich is tight and true, with the added benefit of making sure the weld flange on the inside of my wheel doesn't rub.
     
  19. Apr 22, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    i really don't like the systems that require you to put the studs through the rotor. the one that brennan metcalf sells (just the bracket, you get the lines, pads, calipers, and rotors at a parts store) is simple, cheap, and puts the rotors in front of the hubs.
    Trackick Disc Brake Conversion Bracket, Two Pair
     
  20. Apr 23, 2021
    PeppyCJ6

    PeppyCJ6 New Member

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    I plan to do the tie rod flip. I already have a small shim in there and it doesn't do much to help the situation. The caster angles look correct.

    The Tie Rod holes in the knuckle currently look like this:


    Would the following combo of parts be appropriate for the flip?

    TIE ROD
    Moog ES2233L
    Moog ES2234R

    DRAG LINK
    Moog ES2027L
    Moog ES2026R

    TOOLS
    7deg reamer (~1.5"/1ft)
    7/8-18L Tap
    7/8-18R Tap
    1.25 OD DOM Tubing

    If anyone is looking for a good resource for tie rods, the following chart of tie rod ends by dimension is very helpful:
    Outer Tie Rod Ends by Dimension - Moog Suspension Parts
     
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