Well, I got my front axle together again. After Harlan I broke a ring and pinion. I'd be interested in knowing what actually broke but by the time I got back to the trailer both were so trashed it was pretty hard to tell what the heck happened in there. I put in a spool just for uwharriecross but that is not the permanent solution I was looking for.
I pulled out the longs again. Man these things are amazing, they still look like new.
Three of my wheels were badly bent from the last 2 years of wheeling and especially the uwharriecross race and preruns. In one case I was able to beat it back but I decided to spring for a pair of new wheels. At $50 a piece I can replace a lot of steel wheels before I'd have bought my first set of beadlocks. Also, in theory the lighter weight should make for less carnage.
This is the damage on my spare 3rd. There are 6 chipped teeth in this pic alone. I wonder why it keeps breaking in this way? I didn't check the pattern but I was there when it was installed and I know it was very good. I'll probably post on pirate to see what those guys say.
I didn't realize how much beefier the FJ80 hi-pinion gears would be. Here are a few shots.
Hi pinion teeth are thick.
The entire gear is thicker but I'm not sure that makes much of a difference. The bigger difference is the thick teeth vs. the pointy teeth.
I tried to get a closeup of the pinion. The low pinion teeth seem thinner too but the difference isn't as dramatic.
Hi-pinion
Low pinion
This is a heavy duty marlin crawler inner axle seal. For as long as I've had this buggy it's always leaked. The dana 44 leaked so much strangers felt compelled to bring me back to my rig and show it to me. The FJ80 leaks enough around the ends that strangers feel compelled to point it out and laugh at me.
Hopefully these things solve the problem, they are supposed to work miracles.
Oh man, the interior wiring for the e-lockers got crazy. It's all tight and kind of well done but it looks like a rats nest.
Ahh, front and rear selectable lockers.
With the hi-pinion locker I had to raise full squat between 1/2" and 3/4" because the drive shaft hit the auto transmission. It's a bummer but I thought of it in advance and bought some brackets just in case. This is me cutting off the old shock mounts.
My connection from the inchworm kit to the factory wiring harness (the stock plastic clip thing is cut off). It's wrapped up on electrical tape too.
It's not a perfect weld but I trust it.
Well, that's all the pictures I have. I'm still waiting to get the new rear axle housing. I also have some odds and ends like putting a new toolbox on the rig, cleaning it up, etc. However, the front end is done and that feels good.
BTW, I thought I took a pic of the axle housing modifications I had to make to fit the e-locker but it doesn't seem to be on my website. That was probably the biggest part of the job.
I pulled out the longs again. Man these things are amazing, they still look like new.
Three of my wheels were badly bent from the last 2 years of wheeling and especially the uwharriecross race and preruns. In one case I was able to beat it back but I decided to spring for a pair of new wheels. At $50 a piece I can replace a lot of steel wheels before I'd have bought my first set of beadlocks. Also, in theory the lighter weight should make for less carnage.
This is the damage on my spare 3rd. There are 6 chipped teeth in this pic alone. I wonder why it keeps breaking in this way? I didn't check the pattern but I was there when it was installed and I know it was very good. I'll probably post on pirate to see what those guys say.
I didn't realize how much beefier the FJ80 hi-pinion gears would be. Here are a few shots.
Hi pinion teeth are thick.
The entire gear is thicker but I'm not sure that makes much of a difference. The bigger difference is the thick teeth vs. the pointy teeth.
I tried to get a closeup of the pinion. The low pinion teeth seem thinner too but the difference isn't as dramatic.
Hi-pinion
Low pinion
This is a heavy duty marlin crawler inner axle seal. For as long as I've had this buggy it's always leaked. The dana 44 leaked so much strangers felt compelled to bring me back to my rig and show it to me. The FJ80 leaks enough around the ends that strangers feel compelled to point it out and laugh at me.
Hopefully these things solve the problem, they are supposed to work miracles.
Oh man, the interior wiring for the e-lockers got crazy. It's all tight and kind of well done but it looks like a rats nest.
Ahh, front and rear selectable lockers.
With the hi-pinion locker I had to raise full squat between 1/2" and 3/4" because the drive shaft hit the auto transmission. It's a bummer but I thought of it in advance and bought some brackets just in case. This is me cutting off the old shock mounts.
My connection from the inchworm kit to the factory wiring harness (the stock plastic clip thing is cut off). It's wrapped up on electrical tape too.
It's not a perfect weld but I trust it.
Well, that's all the pictures I have. I'm still waiting to get the new rear axle housing. I also have some odds and ends like putting a new toolbox on the rig, cleaning it up, etc. However, the front end is done and that feels good.
BTW, I thought I took a pic of the axle housing modifications I had to make to fit the e-locker but it doesn't seem to be on my website. That was probably the biggest part of the job.
