FJ40 I call Shipwreck

[silver_bullet]

won't that also help lower the CG? Can't wait for this!

[Deaf Bob]

I'd go 18+. Always nice to use as a portable workbench.. Makes it easier totie down your load..

[SuperBuickGuy]

I've got a SAR meeting tonight, so not much work outside that going on... however, may I present axles


and as a bonus I got arms from the Ford donor... don't know what I'm going to do with them, but I figure lift arms have some value (maybe only scrap, but value, I guess)


this is wasted money, but sellable...




the front/rear axles didn't (obviously) come from the same rig... so the front gear ratio is 3.07 (or something equally worthless), but a 4.56 high pinion gear set came with it - to which I'll add some loc rite lockers (or cheaper)... as you can see, the rear diff came from a pre-71 truck, but, the rumor is 14 bolt axles can be made to work (35 spline).

maybe I should rename this to FJ40reliable... as the entire point of this build is to make the most reliable 4x4 I can build... good mpg, zombie proof, lockers... ah well, overland it is (though, ironically, I can't post this build on expedition forum because it's neither a FJ40 nor a Domestic)

[silver_bullet]

definitely something I'd approve...this is kind of how Sean is building High Expectations... He took your advise and is slowly but surely collecting the best S-10 parts available, either through parts trucks, of NOS parts!

[Deaf Bob]

So? Dana 60 front end, 14 bolt rear? ...

[SuperBuickGuy]

So? Dana 60 front end, 14 bolt rear? ...

44 front, 60 rear... the front will be as strong as a 60, just not as large as a 60... it's why I didn't go with a 14 rear, it's too big

[SuperBuickGuy]

today I called a shop about cutting the axles down - I figure if I get them to do the realignment I'll be money ahead since I won't have to buy or build bearing spacers to make sure it's straight... but to save money, I've been stripping the axles apart... the rear went easy, the front... 3 hours



this thing doesn't look like it was ever used... 45 11 (4.09) gears, so they're coming out for the 4:56s







now I simply need to decide how wide.. the rear axle is 62" wms to wms, the front is 67"... I'm thinking 58/59ish, but maybe I'll go as wide as 60" - stock is 56" the only reason to make it wider is a better turning circle

[Loren]

Those are some sweet axles, especially that high-pinion front. That's gonna help! Doing our own (low pinion) D44 front, I had to find some odd shafts to get ones with the meat in the right places for shortening/resplining but it wasn't too difficult. There's always custom ones too.

Any time I look under a "bad-ass" off-road rig and don't see bad-ass hardware under it, I have to chuckle. Common in town though.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I'm going with new axles because the metallurgy of the new ones is something like 50% stronger for the same diameter. For width, the narrowest, off-the-shelf axle shafts I can get 31" which is 2 1/2" shorter (per side) than what is in it now. That makes the narrowest I can make it as 57" .... the front will probably have custom splined shafts, I just don't see any way around that.

The issue I'm pondering today, though, is this - the pinion is offset towards the middle of the rig, so I need to bias the pumpkin towards the passenger wheel but that creates its own issues with frame clearance and space to weld the link bracket to the tube...

ah well, I've managed to irritate the mods on IH8MUD by saying I got a good deal on these axles; so I'll have more time as I won't be posting about this build there, either... why is it people can't be nice?

[STINEY]

Jealousy.

I'm feeling the urge to be mean all of a sudden too.

[Loren]

Yeah, go for it...make him stop, while we can still stand it...my next daydream 4x4 build is getting more involved all the time here 'cause of this mess....

So far what 44 parts we've broken has been a stub axle which went as I expected but not where I expected. Tougher ones are available.

Figuring width, no substitute for mocking up wheels/tires and letting them sit for a few days while you ponder. But then, that's where I go off the rails sometimes.

[DanStokes]

Not an offroad fan but it's fun to see what you guys come up with. Go get muddy and post pics - that's as close as I want to get!

Dan

[SuperBuickGuy]

the problem is finding 38s to use to mock I live in an automotive wasteland where people think Camrys are okay to drive and that Honda makes a pickup... I really don't want to buy used tires (that stupid budget thing) since everyone wants 50% of the price of new for 10% tread tires... I'm thinking I'm going to go with my best guess.... measure what's there and move the axle ends appropriately.

[Loren]

Do everything else (brkts, shafts, driveline operational, even body stuff) first, and leave axle width for when the for-real wheels/tires are ready? I know I like to buy wheels/tires last, but need them first to start with, it seems. Crap I hate it when you get it all together and the axle widths aren't right and I have to do that part over. Happened w/ Camaro and Chall both. W/ Jeeps I got the rolling stock at the outset but then hit the road with 5-year old tires. Oh well, what to do.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I'm not sure I can do that because everything fits off the axles... I think I'm going to edupunt - there's plenty of people who run 38s under FJ40s; I'll basically google how they did theirs... nice part about doing something that isn't terribly ground breaking is I get to follow others

so I got a bit to carry on





replace the shaft inside the t-case with the one sitting on it


27 spline


and I'll have plenty of room to adapt from one to the other... back to your regularly scheduled programming