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- #21
I'm not OCD. I just like everything to be perfect.
I really like the birddogs. They offer the right width and offset for 315s to 345s. I've aired down to as low as 10 psi a few times. no issues.
Builds Another FJ80 Build Thread (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter bryanb
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I'm not OCD. I just like everything to be perfect.
I really like the birddogs. They offer the right width and offset for 315s to 345s. I've aired down to as low as 10 psi a few times. no issues.
- Thread starter
- #22
Finally got everything together and back up and running. I missed the John Bull trip we had planned to help motivate me to get the job done. The night before, I realized I couldn't shift into low range. I'll explain more in my forthcoming thread titled, "How NOT to install 3.1 crawler gears".
When we finally fired up the freshly rebuilt engine and got the timing set, it idled and revved very smoothly. It starts up almost instantly now. No more exhaust smells (most likely due to the fresh valve seals). It passed smog by a VERY wide margin, even with stock catalytic converters with 175k on them. Generally, it's much smoother and feels more eager than ever. I'm hoping to get some video of it running to post up here.
Anyhow, the transfer case shifts perfectly now. The 3.1 gears make a nice difference. Most notably, compression braking down steep grades is much improved, more so than I would have expected from just a 25% ratio change. With stock low range gears, in first gear, the truck would still pickup speed down very steep descents, requiring the brakes to be applied. So far, I haven't come across a descent steep enough to require the brakes in first gear. The compression braking is adequate to hold it to a crawl.
While the engine was out, I installed one inch body spacers that I made from UHMWPE, the same material used in the "Premium" body lift kits. I purchased extended metric bolts so that I could reuse the nuts. Everything cost around $50 and a little of my time. This made installation of the engine, trans and transfer case even easier... which is good, since I installed and uninstalled and reinstalled the xfer case MULTIPLE times.
The body lift dialed in the 4x4 Labs bumper perfectly IMO, sitting it just below the turn signals. A number of benefits of the body lift: clear 345s without having to limit suspension travel, more room to tuck sliders up, run exhaust over frame rail easily, tuck entire exhaust system up, raises gas tank up above the bottom of the frame, makes working on trans and xfer case easier.
I also got the 345s put on. They look much more fitting for the amount of lift I'm currently running. I'm excited to see how they perform.
When we finally fired up the freshly rebuilt engine and got the timing set, it idled and revved very smoothly. It starts up almost instantly now. No more exhaust smells (most likely due to the fresh valve seals). It passed smog by a VERY wide margin, even with stock catalytic converters with 175k on them. Generally, it's much smoother and feels more eager than ever. I'm hoping to get some video of it running to post up here.
Anyhow, the transfer case shifts perfectly now. The 3.1 gears make a nice difference. Most notably, compression braking down steep grades is much improved, more so than I would have expected from just a 25% ratio change. With stock low range gears, in first gear, the truck would still pickup speed down very steep descents, requiring the brakes to be applied. So far, I haven't come across a descent steep enough to require the brakes in first gear. The compression braking is adequate to hold it to a crawl.
While the engine was out, I installed one inch body spacers that I made from UHMWPE, the same material used in the "Premium" body lift kits. I purchased extended metric bolts so that I could reuse the nuts. Everything cost around $50 and a little of my time. This made installation of the engine, trans and transfer case even easier... which is good, since I installed and uninstalled and reinstalled the xfer case MULTIPLE times.
The body lift dialed in the 4x4 Labs bumper perfectly IMO, sitting it just below the turn signals. A number of benefits of the body lift: clear 345s without having to limit suspension travel, more room to tuck sliders up, run exhaust over frame rail easily, tuck entire exhaust system up, raises gas tank up above the bottom of the frame, makes working on trans and xfer case easier.I also got the 345s put on. They look much more fitting for the amount of lift I'm currently running. I'm excited to see how they perform.
