TacoSTIG: PNW MT Build

Good call, I'm sure it'll be pretty darn clear what needs to get trimmed once I cycle her with the new shoes.

Sooooon!!!!

 

Heck yeah!! When do those bad boys go on? And I'm stoked for you to throw those new gears in tomorrow! Better get some sleep so you're fresh and on your game for the install haha!!

 

Dude I'm beyond stoked, I wish I could say tomorrow but I'll be holding out a tad longer. It's a double edged sword. I'd either be screaming down the freeway in the slow lane on 265's, or endure gnarly axle wrap on 35's. I'll be limping her around regardless and feel the latter is going to cause more damage to the drivetrain than cruising around town with higher rpms. So the wait continues... Next up, shackle flip install and shock mount welding.

 

Right on bro! Good for you for remaining patient! Hard when you got a big mod like that sittin at home waiting to be installed!! That's how it is with my winch right now. Ready to be installed sitting in my garage for a few months now but gotta build my new front bumper with a winch mount first haha!!

 

Wait why would the 35s cause gnarly axle wrap?

 

Heavy tires + no rear shocks = axle wrap. (it takes less effort to twist the axle than it does to turn the tires)
The only thing holding the axle in place are my leaf springs. I get it bad enough on light 265's so it would be much worse on 35's.

 

Also more torque is needed to spin a 35 than 33. Torque causes axle wrap

 

Build update: Gears went in over the weekend.

Overall things went smooth, especially given the fact I had just went under the knife and had a back full of stitches. The only slowdowns were scraping the 3rd gasket off, dealing with the darn breathers on the clamshell, and underestimating how long it takes to pump 85w-140 oil. Many thanks to @Greddy for tag teaming the front end and to @JDAM for the extra hand getting the new clamshell in place.
Special thanks to @ECGS for the kickass support getting me setup.

 

Awesome!!!!!!!! Woooooo! How many hours did it take you guys? The front was a bit of a pain for me as well but it's worth it to save the thousand dollars on the install.

 

Yeah we made those gears our bitch! Now its on to the next step!

 

Thanks man! Got most of everything done on Saturday but dipped into sunday to finish things up. Lost count of hours but glad to have put in the time. I have a much better idea of how everything works, especially the elocker which is way simpler than I had imagined.

Hell yeah bro, was a kickass weekend. 420 more miles till they're broken in and then back to pumpin

 

I'm stoked for you dude!!! That's awesome. When you do it yourself you definitely gain a better understanding of how everything works. Now if anything breaks you have a better chance of knowing how to replace or fix things.

 

Nice! That front diff was a pain in the ass. It was nice having an extra set of hands available.

 

Nice dude on the gears!

And holy crap I forgot you still don't have rear shocks. Fix that already!

 

Thanks Nate! No kidding, can't beat good help. How would you compare it to the FJ+Tacobox install?

Thanks Dakota, just a few more things on the hitlist before she's ready to go under the torch. It's going on 7 months of now... trust me, I'm ready for rebound in my life.

 

Looks great! Glad you got it done!

Just an FYI....pick up something similar to these https://www.jbtoolsales.com/3m-007529-1-roloc-3-bristle-disc-120-grit#oid=1002_1 to make gasket cleanup super quick and easy. Plastic bristles so it wont damage anything.

I have one that chucks into my drill but cant remember where i picked it up. But they are super convenient for removing any gasket!

 

Thanks Nick, I wouldnt have thought of using one of those, that's a great idea! After 110k miles the paper gasket was literally petrified to the housing, if only it came off attached to the 3rd it would have been an easy scrape with the razer. Working between all the studs was a tedious process and I may have been a tad too ocd getting it perfect, but leaks suck so it was time well spent.

 

Yo, don't you have an AccessRac?

 

Not yet... I want one though. There was guy selling one that I inquired upon but I could have bought a new one shipped to my doorstep for the price he wanted. Pretty sure you're recalling that.

 

Yeah that's what I'm recalling too.