!New Improved! "Last Minute" buildup thread
Figured I'd go ahead and start tossing around ideas for the FJ.
Right now the plans are:
Finish power steering swap
new trans and tcase
new wiring harness
Steering:
I'm doing some side work to trade for a new steering box. Gonna go with the standard saginaw setup. Since my column was part of the old box i'm building a new one like a dirt track setup with a quick detach steering wheel. I've also got to build a new tierod to adapt the standard/metric tie rod ends, or build one using heims.
Trans and Tcase:
I'm going with a short powerglide tranny and a Dana 300 tcase. This should give me a short enough drivetrain that I can move the engine all the way back in the engine compartment and still have a decent rear driveshaft without moving the rear axle back.
Wiring:
Gonna start working on a new homemade chassis wiring harness. I need to find a good weather resistant fuse block to start from, should all be fairly easy after that. Gonna finally wire in my ALDL so I can figure out what up with my sometimes crazy idle.
If anyone knows someone looking to get rid a Glide for core, let me know. It needs to be a short tailshaft. Also, does it matter wether I look for a scout or jeep dana 300? I don't know much about them except that I always seem to hear people talking about the Scout one. Is it stronger than the jeep? Are the replacement gear sets the same?
Same Thread, Different Verse
Thought I would post up some progress I made today. Yes, I actually worked on it :gigem:
Plans have changed slightly since I originally started this thread. I've decided now I want to use Scout power steering, because it keeps the steering box out of harms way, and routing the steering shaft is slightly easier. The powerglide idea is not totally scrapped, but i am a lot less enthusiastic about it. I've been crunching some numbers, and if I ran a powerglide instead of a TH350, I'd be paying a couple of grand extra for only 3-5/8" shorter drivetrain, and it would still be a worse crawl ratio.
So on with the progress. Here it is as pulled out of the garage. It's gotten a little dusty. First order of business was to remove the fenders. The passenger side got pretty crunched at TCC a couple years ago.
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/9940/dscn1148xs5.jpg
http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/2938/dscn1150ra0.jpg
One fender!...Aaah, Aaah, Aaaaah!
http://img474.imageshack.us/img474/1581/dscn1151wv1.jpg
Two fender!...Aaah, Aaah, Aaaaah!
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/6055/dscn1152ax5.jpg