Project: Unicorn

[SASXA]

It's been a little while and I've been super busy with a few things. Got a few things in the works. Next axle is going to be a non-cut down axle this time around so I can just head to the junkyard and pick up a set of axle shafts. By the end of march I'll have another dana 60 rear, hopefully 60 front also if I can find one, new 37x13.50r17 Toyo M/T tires. If I can find a cheap one I may just spool the rear axle and throw my arb air locker up front. 35 spline arb lockers are expensive. That or a spartan is coming my way dunno what I want to do yet. Gonna hopefully have everything done by summer when I head up to my uncle's in Santa Rosa Beach in the panhandle of FL. From there I may head up to a buddy's place in charlotte NC to go to URE to hopefully get in some more out of state wheeling done. Big plans, little time..

 

[TheFauxFox]

Did I just see that you were trying to sell this?

 

[Xado89]

He's been toying with the idea. I'm not sure if he'll actually go through with it though.

 

[SASXA]

So went out wheeling like a month ago. (I'm having withdrawls) Kind of broke something important going a little harder than I should with only 3wd.

Yes this is a dana 60 axle shaft. No I'm not happy but I am using it for bragging rights that nissan's are awesome.

Weeeeeeell I picked this big boy up

73, good year little old but it's fine. Everything up to 87 will work besides pinion seals 73-84 on those.

14 Bolt on left. Dana 60 on right.

14 bolt carrier and ring gear on left. Ford 8.8 on right.

So I picked this up on 4/7. Took everything apart minus taking drums off and spindle out due to having the wrong socket on 4/8. Tomorrow I should have disc brakes already put on it if I can find new brackets since mine won't work off the dana 60. Still debating on welding the spiders up solid or just getting a detroit since they're only $350 each.

 

[bigjim247365]

good lord thats a big axle!

whats the gears on that monster?

 

[SASXA]

Right now 3.73 but I'll be ordering up some 5.38's soon so I can go play again.

 

[Timrich]

Nice find! Looking forward to seeing you get her back on the road/trails. I need to get out an wheel with ya'll soon.

 

[Roadwarrior]

Wow. Just wow. That's a massive axle

 

[SASXA]

Drum brakes off.

Hubs seperated from drums.


Ready to bring Anna into the backyard to disassemble her for the 14 bolt. Still waiting for my perches, gears and tires to come in.

Where should I put these? I was thinking one on each side of the stock roof rack.

 

[Timrich]

Nice! Yeah slap them up on the roof rack. That's where i got mine.

Sent from my Galaxy S III

 

[NismoFire]

My, what a large axle you have.

 

[TN4x4Xterra]

My, what a large axle you have.

That's what she said.

Sent from Avalanche Tactical Response Command.

 

[Prime]

That's what she said.

How did you find out what she said?!?!?

Srsly tho, that's a diesel axle. I guess something made for a 2-ton truck would hold up pretty good on our trucks.

/I guess

 

[SASXA]

Came out of a 3/4 k20 with like a 6.2 or something. It should hold up. If it doesn't I still havn't bought a locker in anticipation of 40 spline shafts.

 

[SASXA]

So. This isn't cool at all, I need to take both of these nuts off so I can get my disc brakes off.


The old 5.38's and arb ready to sell.

Oh yeah and my accident, found my air leak.


This is how she'll sit till tomorrow when I can start working on it again tomorrow, knocking off that tack.

 

[SASXA]

Got the nuts off. That was 3 hours of work for one nut, an hour of driving only to be disapointed that the socket would cost $35 and only one place carries it. Then 30 minutes taking the other 3.


Brackets are off and ready to go after sand blasting and paint.


The hubs and discs together. Still thinking on getting new lug studs or not.

 

[Jmac289gt]

Crazy stuff man but I like it.

 

[SASXA]

While waiting for my package to arrive with the perches I decided to pick up a can of white plastidip!



Apparently I'm not that good at painting with plastidip yet. I shall become better though!

 

[Xado89]

It's not your painting, blame it on your bad picture taking =P

 

[SASXA]

Tire. up against the blue.


This is where I want to stretch it to. So amazing looking.

 

[Prime]

So that'll give you a killer departure angle, but will it be worth the sheet metal work?

 

[SASXA]

I was thinking about just cutting the rear section off like a comp cut. I can patch it up if need be cause I've done quite a bit of sheet metal work on jeeps. But it doesn't look like that big of a deal. Although I'm not that far into this project enough to do that much work. For now I want to get the 14 bolt under it and back in the trails.

 

[SASXA]

Almost ready! Lug studs in and ready to go back on once I find the correct seal.

 

[SASXA]

So far, I got my spring perches in today, need to get everything lined up and burned on tomorrow if it's nice out. Today it turned crappy real fast. Gears should be in monday along with my disc brake brackets for the 14 bolt.


And they sent me a goodie to bolt or weld on.


Anybody that wants some brackets or anything from ruffstuff specialties. I recommend them, great customer service when helping me order the right thing and they had it shipped out a day later and to my house in 2 days.

 

[Timrich]

Nice!

Sent from my Galaxy S III

 

[SASXA]

Best part is, is I have 0 help from anyone cause most people won't do their own regears, or know what axle I even have. My dad won't even help cause I'm a better welder and he hasn't done anything like this before. Woohoo for being 18 and swapping axles with no help! <- sorry venting kind of bad day today with the x. Almost trashed the door with the canopy it's sitting under and my plastidip came out horribly. ):

 

[Xado89]

Well, I'd help but I can't weld. I can paint however. =P Oh also you're like 2 hours away, I still need to get a couple hours of free time to do my trans fluid flushing and diff fluid, I might even do the breather extension while I'm at it. Doesn't seem that hard.

 

[SASXA]

Small update.
How she sat for a day.


37" MT/R's


Mounted, can't wait to stretch the front.


These babies came in this week, it was like xmas but in april!




Final crunch to get it done so I can be the stand out at jeepbeach!

 

[Xado89]

Sweet, those MTR's are nice. We might have to take you back to the pilot so you can conquer that curb, finally. Ahahaha.

 

[Roadwarrior]

Those MTRs are so sweet. Mirage runs a smaller version of them and they are unstoppable. IMHO

 

[dhyde79]

Kelly has em on her X too...as well as a couple of (jeep) guys I know, everyone I've talked to loves em to death, they just wouldn't have survived on road very long or I'd have a set too...

 

[Prime]

I had a set in 32" before I went to my current DuraTracs. Let me tell you. I don't think there's a better off road tire out there.............however...........if you're going to so much as TOUCH pavement, forget about it. Mine wouldn't balance worth a damn, always flat spotted when the truck sat for more than 8 hours, and after about 20k they were all but trashed including one blown out sidewall. I had one of the huge bubbles from a rupture on the inside of the tire.

/MTR Story

 

[SASXA]

Back to working on Belle. Took a week break to work Jeepbeach here in Daytona beach, FL over 1500 jeeps inside the speedway. If she was finished Belle would of been there pulling jeeps off when they needed it. But she wasn't, oh well! Did some work on it today, started raining on me when I got some time so I put the hubs and tires on to get it sitting under it's own weight so I could properly adjust the axle angle.


May need to trim the rear a bit. It's now fully streched out 3"

I've also added 1 3/4" inches to the width on each side. May need some 1.5" spacers to make it look better till I can get the front 60 in.

 

[Xado89]

The rate you're going, you will be back on the road before me, haha.




That's so sad...because i have like 1/32 of the work to do...
*Cry

 

[SASXA]

Monday I get the last of my parts in. U joint straps, spring plates and an axle shaft. So it should all be done pretty soon.

 

[SASXA]

The days go by so fast and I barely get to work on the axle.. So Can anyone guess what axles these 3 ring gears are from?


Series of axle swaps!

Onto the real tech stuff. Seals and bearings out, time to hit up miller bearing tomorrow and get some nice new pretty ones to have a fully rebuilt axle.



My work space was crowded before I closed up shop!


14 Bolt adjustable shims and bearing caps.


14 bolt carrier and pinion complete and ready to go in tomorrow morning. Let me tell you.. A 20 ton press could barely crush that crush sleeve. That was fun.. Pinion bearing preload is at like 33 in/lbs with gear oil for anyone that wants to know.


Can anyone guess what this is? It's a $1200 paper weight till I buy new spiders!

 

[Timrich]

Dang! That's some serious hardware!

Sent from my Galaxy S III

 

[SASXA]

Working on making this rig indestructible. Still looking for a detroit for the rear. Hoping to find something before tomorrow, buddy wants to learn how to regear so I set it off a day so I can help teach him.

 

[SASXA]

So, I got the carrier in then a buddy texts me and goes "Hey you regear the 14 bolt yet? I want to learn but I'm not free till tomorrow" So I'm like "I'll wait since letting you learn means less work for me when we regear your axles" So I got this far..


Then I hit a tiny road block.. This is a picture of where my seal is supposed to ride.. Not exactly smooth right? Well they make something called a Speedi-Sleeve. Luckily a place here in town sells them, hopefully they have the one that will fit. If not I'll be waiting till wednesday or thursday to get a set in.


Just so you guys know, the spiders in an arb locker are TINY! They're like the size of dana 30 spiders gears, no wonder I broke 2..

 

[SASXA]

Pre pinion install. Look down inside at the pinion support.

Doing backlash, ended up at .0045


All done!


Not many pictures today, Hopefully it'll be done and in by wednesday for a weekly meet n greet.