Build Chicago builds a 40

[Fast Eddy]

I ground down that flange at the VERY END of the gear box. It wouldnt fit any other way. Its tight and NO, it does NOT go to the end of the x member sleeve/ tube. It really doesnt NEED to. You can see in the pic above all the stay bolts are exposed on the back side of the x member off of the u joint.

I didn't want to grind on the gearbox for fear I wouldn't get a future core charge. Small potatoes I guess.

Not sure if they're all the same, but the flange on my box had three or four slots, not sure how to refer to them. Cutouts? I opened a hole as big as I could without going over the top or under the bottom of the x-member, then used one of the slots to get enough clearance to get the end of the flange into the hole. Crappy description I suppose. The bottom edge of the flange touched the bottom of the x-member. I clearanced it with a drift and a BFH. It's definitely a tight fit, but it does fit.

 

[chicago]

I didn't want to grind on the gearbox for fear I wouldn't get a future core charge. Small potatoes I guess.

Not sure if they're all the same, but the flange on my box had three or four slots, not sure how to refer to them. Cutouts? I opened a hole as big as I could without going over the top or under the bottom of the x-member, then used one of the slots to get enough clearance to get the end of the flange into the hole. Crappy description I suppose. The bottom edge of the flange touched the bottom of the x-member. I clearanced it with a drift and a BFH. It's definitely a tight fit, but it does fit.

Did it fit i the sleeve that way?
That was what I ground off was that slotted over hang stuff.
If it fit, I cant see a problem with it. It not like it will see a lot of movement on the box itself.

 

[chappysfj40]

not sure if your using these flapper discs, but they are the BEES KNEES for finial touches before paint, especially if you start at 120 grit and work up to 220.
just my 2 cents.

 

[CruisinFJ60]

I was gonna ask a non tech related question about your 40 but now I have forgotten what the question was going to be so now i am just making a non tech post to continue in the place of where my non tech question would have normally resided.

 

[Fast Eddy]

Did it fit i the sleeve that way?

I don't have a sleeve. I'm calling it good without. I could do with some more work at the back side of the x-member where the PO or her mechanic butchered it; maybe a partial sleeve...

 

[chicago]

not sure if your using these flapper discs, but they are the BEES KNEES for finial touches before paint, especially if you start at 120 grit and work up to 220.
just my 2 cents.

That is a HUGE part of my shop arsenal!
LOVE those things!

 

[chicago]

I don't have a sleeve. I'm calling it good without. I could do with some more work at the back side of the x-member where the PO or her mechanic butchered it; maybe a partial sleeve...

Are you planning on re enforcing at all on the x member main?
Maybe a plate or something just for a little extra?
Ive seen pics of that x member failing with flex around it. Just a thought.

 

[chicago]

I was gonna ask a non tech related question about your 40 but now I have forgotten what the question was going to be so now i am just making a non tech post to continue in the place of where my non tech question would have normally resided.

LIKE IT!

 

[Fast Eddy]

Are you planning on re enforcing at all on the x member main?
Maybe a plate or something just for a little extra?
Ive seen pics of that x member failing with flex around it. Just a thought.

I'd be more motivated if I saw a picture of a failure instead of just hearing a rumor. There's another x-member just a foot away (bumper) and the frame is tied together by the engine a foot or so in the other direction. Boring through it for the box doesn't change the strength (much) in the direction the steering torque is trying to tweak it. I do have the piece of axle tube we cut out as well as a long section of driveshaft tubing. Maybe I'll spend a few minutes looking at how much of a PITA it would be to make it stronger.

Put it this way: if it cracked, I'd be surprised. If it failed bad enough to require welding to get off the trail, I'd be very surprised.

 

[CruisinFJ60]

A buddy of mine had a saginaw pump pull its self off of the frame and needed to be welded back to the frame to get off the trail but it wasnt as nice and chicagho's set up not even a little.

 

[CruisinFJ60]

OH so I remembered my non tech comment... but it actually a tech comment, weird I know. anyhow, why were you re drilling the main leaf?

 

[rusty_tlc]

The purpose of welding is to (permanently) attache 2 peaces of metal together, looking good is beneficial but not part of its job discription.
If my welds ever look as good as yours I might reconcider my position but untill then I'm with Rusty on this.

Im in that camp as well. Rusty's rig gets it done. There's no arguing success.

I have to say the quality and appearance of the welds on my rig have improved in recent times. It' almost like Chicago did them.

 

[waiting for time]

I have to say the quality and appearance of the welds on my rig have improved in recent times. It' almost like Chicago did them.

pictures, where?

 

[rusty_tlc]

pictures, where?

It's a joke, Chicago lives about 1/2 mile from me. Most times if I need something welded I take it over to his house, before we met I did my own welding.

 

[waiting for time]

It's a joke, Chicago lives about 1/2 mile from me. Most times if I need something welded I take it over to his house, before we met I did my own welding.

I don't have that luxury in my suroundings, so I actualy have to learn to weld.

 

[Fast Eddy]

A buddy of mine had a saginaw pump pull its self off of the frame and needed to be welded back to the frame to get off the trail but it wasnt as nice and chicagho's set up not even a little.

I have a new, very similar mount to his that is MiG welded. It's not going anywhere. It's stronger than the frame, for sure. He's talking about bracing the cross member that goes under the radiator where the steering box goes through.

I've seen a bunch of versions of bracing, with the tube, which I don't think is a bad idea. I've also seen guys weld up the PTO hole. I don't see any reason to do that.

I'm paying for my welding and I'm ridiculously over my original budget. I still have no roll cage or any rock protection.

Once I'm on the road, my welder can work in his shop instead of at my house, so his rate is cheaper.

 

[chicago]

I'd be more motivated if I saw a picture of a failure instead of just hearing a rumor. There's another x-member just a foot away (bumper) and the frame is tied together by the engine a foot or so in the other direction. Boring through it for the box doesn't change the strength (much) in the direction the steering torque is trying to tweak it. I do have the piece of axle tube we cut out as well as a long section of driveshaft tubing. Maybe I'll spend a few minutes looking at how much of a PITA it would be to make it stronger.

Put it this way: if it cracked, I'd be surprised. If it failed bad enough to require welding to get off the trail, I'd be very surprised.

Couple years back, in toyota trails, Mark W had done a write up of sort on THIS topic re. the sleeving / re enforcing of the x member when doing a sag conversion. There were a few pics in that. The cracks had occurred off of where the hole was drilled through the x member. Life and death....probably not. Seems more like a progressive fatigue around that weakness in the steel in conjunction with the flex of the frame at those end points on the x member. Ive still got the TT in my "office" (the shatter). When I find it Ill refer it to you.
Keep in mind that Im not trying to sway you one way of the other. Im all for doing your OWN build and realizing over kill for something that MIGHT happen in the "perfect storm" of variables vs. this will be fine just the way it is.
I did that on the sag box...I was gonna sleeve the bolts through, but decided....plating the frame under that outside bolt would be ALMOST as effective as doing the sleeve and I wouldnt have to track down the appropriate size tube to do it. In either case its ME who has to deal with the failure and no one else.

 

[chicago]

OH so I remembered my non tech comment... but it actually a tech comment, weird I know. anyhow, why were you re drilling the main leaf?

To get the military wrap back to the NON shackle end.
This is one of those things that I dont QUITE fully understand, but did it JUST IN CASE they are right....
SO...apparently the mil. wrap on the spring packs is sort of a safety feature that if in the event the MAIN leaf fails the mil. wrap is there to keep the pack of springs from coming totally free. The appropriate placement for the mil wrap is on the NON SHACKLE end of the pack. Since I had done the SR and the orientation of the springs I have, the wrap needed to be reversed.
Drilling springs SUCKS ASS!!!!!!!! I used a set of masonry bits with hardened tips to get through the HARDENED spring material and its a BITCH. I had to do this on the rear springs as well for the same reason. I had gone through THREE, 5 bit sets of these bits for 4 holes. NOT FUN! the sets are 15 bucks a piece. Im DONE with that and NEVER wanna do it again. It took about 10 min just to get the pilot hole drilled. That is the hardest part. Once that is done, the rest arent AS bad, but you CHEW UP the bits...BAD doing it. So the second hole in the next set of springs is far worse than the first,unless you have a fresh second set of bits.

 

[chicago]

I have to say the quality and appearance of the welds on my rig have improved in recent times. It' almost like Chicago did them.

LOL!

 

[CruisinFJ60]

Oh ok Yea I had forgot about the SR you did.

and your exactly right about the military wrap being beneficial in the even of a busted main leaf.