2008-06-14 10:47:46
By: YJ Nate

OK, this project is officially taking way too long.  It's my own fault.  I don't have the time to devote to it that i'd like.  But, it's getting there.  I sent my rear driveshaft off to Tom Woods to have it lengthened.  Once they got it, they quickly realized that it wasn't their work.  i had bought the shaft second hand, and the seller told me it was a Tom Woods, guess i got lied to.  Anyway, they were still happy to do the work.  I got it back a little over a week ago.  I installed it yesterday, and it fit's perfectly.

My front shaft, which is almost brand new, seems to be slightly too short.  I reconnected it yesterday, and it's showing a little more spline than I'd like it to.  But it's functional, and at least i can use it until i can get it lengthened.  That one's a JE Reel, and i know its legitimate, because i bought that one new.

I replcaed one of the front shock towers with a Ford F150 shock tower, and then i ran out of welding wire.  So I'll have to finish welding that one, and start the other one once i get some more wire.  I knew i was running low, but i kept putting it off, you know how that goes. 

The shocks i wanted to use in the front are too short for the new towers.  I bought them when i was still SUA, and the plan was to install the shock towers while SUA.  The shocks would have been long enough in that configuration. SOA, theyre just not.  The good news is that once i relocate the upper shock mounts in the rear, i'm about positive i can use these shocks in the rear.  So i need new front shocks, and new upper mounts in the rear.  They'll probably end up coming through the tub in the back, but that;s ok.

On the shock tower thats partially installed, i put the fender in place to make sure it was going to fit, and it looks like it's going to be ok.  It's resting in place now, and the tower is just at the top of the fender.  So i think i'm good here.

So as it sits now, the list is:

• Get welding wire


• Finish welding DS Shock tower


• Install PS shock tower


• figure out steering


• Get longer front shocks


• Figure out rear shocks


• Drink


• Reinstall fenders/hood


• get longer rear brake line/parking brake cables


• Replace misc. bolt's/mounting hardware that were cut during suspension removal


• Pray it all works.



 

2008-06-14 10:23:39
By: YJ Nate

The new site is live!  I'm not 100% sure yet if i love the layout, but i've re-written it in a manner that makes it easier to re-organize, and re-code.  So i'm sure i'll be tweaking and tuning it over the next few months.  I wanted to get the new "blog" up and running, as it's nicer, and easier to use.  The Comments feature is gone for now, but i'll bring it back once i code it. 

Enjoy the new layout!

2008-04-14 21:25:47
By: YJ Nate

Snapped some pics of the rear of the jeep on it's new springs/soa. It's tall.. Definitely going to need to replace the 33's when funds allow.  Which is going to be a while unfortunatly...  I'll be lucky if i can get my rear driveshaft taken care of before this year's JAOCMJ...  Sigh.. Just emtpy every pocket i guess. 

I started dismantling the front end tonight.  I have the tires off, and the shocks disconnected.  I'm going to be replacing the front shock towers with Ford pickup towers.  It's a cheap way to convert away from those silly post style shocks.  I do hate those posts.. 

2008-04-11 17:21:17
By: YJ Nate

It;s been a while since i've been able to really work on the Jeep.  I'd come to the point where i needed to remove the rear axle, clean it up, weld on the perches, and paint it.   I dont know if you've ever tried to lift a D44 before, but they're not exactly light.  I'm not a big guy, so I enlisted a long time friend of mine, who also happens to be into jeeps, to give me a hand.  While he did a lot of complaining, Jay did just what he came to do, and that's help.  We rolled the axle out from under the jeep, and then i welded the perches on.  Once they were welded, we lugged it out into the yard, so i could clean the housing up (it was covered in various jeep fluids) and then paint it.  I ended up with a pretty nasty bucket of crud by the time i was done, but the axle definitely looks better.  Almost new!  We also pounded the drums free, and cleaned up the brakes a little bit.  I discovered that my rear brakes haven't been doing much work.. Something i'll hjave to re-visit.

We also managed to get the old bushings out of the springs, and press new ones in.  The old (and new) bushings are stock jeep busings.  I'm talking about the frame end bushings.  We tried everything to get the old bushings out.  We ended up lighting them on fire with a propane torch, and letting the rubber melt.  Once that was done, we used a chisel and a 3lb sledge to get the metal sleeve out of there.  It was an interesting procedure, but it worked out in the end.  I have the springs mounted again, and the axle in place under the jeep.  It's actually sitting on it's own tires again!

Once it was back in place, i checked on my driveshaft.. Yep.. it's gonna have to be lengthened.  I knew it really, i was just hoping i could get away with it.... My parking brake cables are also too short.  I needed to replace them anyway.  My brake line MIGHT work out.  We'll see. once i reconnect it. In the meantime, i'm a little short of funds.  So i may just get started tearing apart the front end, and getting the perches in place.

Expect a write-up in Tech when i'm finished!

 

2007-10-15 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

I've started to prepare the springs I'll be using for my SOA. They started out as 2.5L YJ springs, the previous owner had some leaves added to them by a spring shop, and later installed a lift. I grabbed the springs from him for a fair price planning to use them when I went SOA. Each pack has 2 leaves added. Making a total of 6 in the front, and 7 in the back. Theyre all a bit rusted and dirty, so i'm cleaning them up before the install. Follow along as I tear each pack apart, clean it up, and paint them.

2007-09-12 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

Spent the better part of 5 hours the other day fixing my exhaust. What a job. I probably fixed up about 6 years of neglect. The hanger on the tailpipe had broken off years ago. After 5 years of no support, it finaly broke the exit pipe on the muffler off. On top of that the pipe from my borla header to the cat has been hit by one too many rocks. I ended up borrowing an exhaust spreader from my dad, expanding the pipe back to something similar to circular, then reconnecting the joint with a plain old muffler clamp. I was also able to reconnect my tailpipe using a muffler clamp. There was just enough pipe left on the muffler to allow for the clamp. I also took an old clamp, and used it as a new exhaust hanger.... Welded it to the tailpipe to replace the one that'd broken off so long ago. I still have an exhaust leak, but it's much better than it was when i started. :)

2007-07-03 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

What a weekend! My dad and I got down to the campsite at Rausch Creek at about 21:30 on friday night. Setup camp, drank a little, got to bed around 1:00. Saturday, we wheeled for a few hours in the morning, then came back to camp for lunch. Then back out for the afternoon. Then Sunday, we spent the whole day in the park (brough our food with us instead). I ended up having to cut the day a little short due to some stuff i had to get done at home.

Pictures here.

2007-06-29 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

Well, in approximately half an hour, I'll be out of work, and on my way home to get ready for this years JAOCMJ Event.

Stoked!

2007-06-15 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

Here it comes! Another year, another Jeepaholics Anonymous Other Coaster's Makeshift Jamboree!! It's been 6 years since the first JAOCMJ, this is getting to be a real tradition! You might even call it an event! We're planning on hitting Rausch Creek Off-Road park this year. We just arent sure if Paragon (where 5 of the 6 previous JAOCMJ's have been held) is going to be open for our run this year. A change of venue is welcome anyway. Click here for all the details!

2007-05-18 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

So i went out last weekend and tested out the suspension after I replaced my buggy springs in the rear with Currie Boomerang shackles.

I have to say i'm pleased. The Buggy springs allowed for more droop, but the boomerangs are working pretty well for what they are. The jeep still flexes well for a YJ on 33's with only 3.5" of suspension lift.

I think that once my SOA is complete, I'll have a pretty capable Jeep.

2007-05-11 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

This picture was taken a little over a year ago, up on Mount Pisgah at the Blue Pond. I was going through my photo gallery and came across this picture. I remembered how much i liked it, and decided to post it. :P

2007-05-03 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

I made JP magazine again. I guess my Jeep isn't outstanding enough to get its own feature, but this is the second time I've been in the magazine. once in Jeep Shots, and now this. The above picture spans pages 42 and 43 of the most current JP (June, I believe). The actual article is about buying a used YJ, but it's still cool to be in such a prominent photo. :)

2007-04-21 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

Ive wanted a tattoo for a long time... A very long time, so i finaly decided it was time to suck it up and actually go get one. So yesterday i stopped in at this tattoo shop that recently opened up in Jim Thorpe, PA (my hometown, about 10 minutes from where I live) on my way home from work. Got an estimate on what it was gonna cost me, and made an appointment. 4 hours later, my wife and I stopped in to get the work done. What an experience. I'd definately recommend this guy to anyone in the area looking to get some Ink. He was laid back, yet very professional. When it came to clenliness and sterilization he was top notch, and the work is pretty darn good too. Mine is fairly simple, but he had some art done on himself that was just amazing. Tattoo Isalnd, if anyone wants more info, let me know.

2007-04-17 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

You may have noticed some changes around here. The biggest would be the name change. We're now known as swbcrawler.com.
Ive been working on some changes to bring the site into the 90's (at least.. heh, maybe even 2001 or so). Some more changes are on the way, but for now i've added a mesage forum! Once i'm all done, the login you use on the mesage forum will also let you login to the site, and let you do things like post comments on news and project entries. For now i'm working on the back end, so i can manage the site more easily.

Pardon the dust, and thanks for checking out the site!

-YJ Nate

2007-03-27 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

For those who are unaware, Paragon Adventure Park is in a bit of a bind. In short, they are being forced off of the land that they lease so that the owner can sell the land to a developer who is planning to build a cargo air port in Hazleton, PA. Visit Paragon's Website and view their message forums, or check out SaveParagonAP.com for more information.

2006-01-01 00:00:00
By: YJ Nate

My wife, knowing the state of my addiction and its effect on our finances, bought me this cool RC Crawler from Wal Mart for Christmas! Ohh.. is it cool! So I set up a nice obstacle course in the living room out of excercise equipment and boxes. This thing performs very well for such an inexpensive RC!