Nimble9's Secondhand Parts Build

I'd prefer not to, buuuut it's a worst case scenario / I get to regear finally

 

I agree with Steve

You won’t

 

Shit or get off the pot boi!! This is probably how tim feels when you tell him you want it and days later you’re still playin

https://youtu.be/Ug88HO2mg44

 

This is spot on. Most of my emotions are closely tied to Backstreet Boys songs TBH.

 

IMHO, their best track is “Buy my diff or leave me alone Craigslist Dude”

It was big in the UK

 

your diff is my absolute last resort if I cant resolve the issue

 

Just put it in 4 lo and floor it. The problem will work itself out one way or another...

 

That’s really the only logical solution.

 

something will self clearance!

 

So after looking at it today, I figured out what it was!









So I cleaned the wheels up and they are fine and took the truck for a quick test drive with no issues. Only have to get the passenger side seal and axle in and I’m done with the truck besides serp belt for a bit.

 

The CV looks too clean

 

I think I heard my pulleys squeaking. Ugh. And i need to swap 1 axle. The outer boot is letting some grease out

 

that's why i'm swapping these axles. the neoprene ones failed so quickly lol.

I'm hoping pulleys and serp belt are less dramatic than my ECGS bushing, axle seals, and axles were. Good to know the spindle gussets and stock wheels don't work together lol

 

I started hearing squeaking a few days ago. Turns out I need new brake pads. So today I ordered EBC yellow stuff brake pads.

I also pulled the trigger on the RockAuto Gates Serp belt kit. Pulleys and Belt for a pretty decent price, so I can't complain. Once I'm done with this the only "maintenance" items are rear shocks and my leaky steering rack.

 

I need stuff too

 

I figure get it all done and out of the way, so if there is a summer camping season no work on the truck, just pack and go

 

Added some heli tape leftover from my bike to the lower rocker for paint protection



Also after like 2 years finally mounted my quickfists to my Molle panel

 

A little while ago I revisited the Premium Audio Upgrade thread HERE and decided it'd be a fun project while in quarantine. I've had an aftermarket HU for a few years that deserved better speakers.

I watched @boogie3478 's Youtube Video and it looked super easy.

I did a ton of research and settled on Rockford Fosgate's Prime series. The truck isn't my daily so I wanted an upgrade for as cheap as possible and the 6x9 punches were out of stock. It was cheaper to buy these from Crutchfield where the PNP wiring and mounts were included, than to buy them separately.

I also decided that if I had the doors open anyways, I should upgrade the tweeters and add some sound deadening.

So for $111 shipped I got the following:

• Rockford Fosgate R169X2
• Rockford Fosgate R1675X2

The tweeters were $95 when I originally purchased, but it looks like they dropped to $87

• $100 Subaru Genuine Tweeter Kit Kicker WRX STi Forester Crosstrek Impreza H631SFJ101
  Subaru Tweeters

The sound deadening I decided on after a bit or research was Noico 80 mil thick - 36 sqft which cost $67 at the time of ordering.

• Noico Black 80 Mil 36 Sq Ft Car Sound Deadening, Butyl Automotive Deadener Restoration mat and Noise dampening Insulation
  Sound Deadening

So for a grand total of $265 I was getting everything I needed.

Overall the install was very easy, and I didn't use any trim tools either because I was too lazy to make a trip to HF.

I decided to keep the vapor barrier, so I simply cut little access holes for the sound deadening to fit through.



It's wild how cheap the stock speakers are. This is from a 2006 sr5 so I'm glad to upgrade.



For the sound deadening, I started by making cardboard pieces for fitment. Then I just used the peeled paper as my template for the other side.



I used a very small screwdriver and pic to get the plastic out of the way of the connectors in order to flip them. It honestly was super easy and took me about 2 min per side.



I added some leftover fender trim where the wiring tucked back into the door so there weren't sharp edges to cut my wires.



To mount the speakers with the supplied screws, I just used one standard hole and drilled my own pilot holes for the rest. I angled them in a bit, as if you go straight the screws hit the door since they are longer than the mount.







I also went ahead and used the rolling tool over the vapor barrier seams to get it good and pressed down again.



Forgot to mention that if the door panels are off, clean them! Look at all that dog hair from our GSD!



I also painted the rear door brackets as they were a bit rusty.



And finally did the sound deadening behind my Molle Panel



When I was finished with the install, I had 1 sheet left of the 36 sqft.

This speaker upgrade was well worth every penny, and overall a very easy project that was fun to do.

The quality of the sound is fantastic, and the sound deadening makes the overall cabin much quieter. An added bonus is that my doors simply feel better when the close shut now!

Down the line I may upgrade the speakers, but for now i'm very happy!

 

Another project I did this past weekend was on the front end. I noticed my axle diff seal was leaking when I dropped the skid a few months ago, and at the same time both my Cv's neoprene outer boots were slinging grease everywhere.

I watched a few youtube videos, and threw the ECGS bushing in the freezer prior to install. I also have done axles with @MY50cal a few years ago and vaguely remember what we did.

So I dove right into the install, but there was a bit of drama along the way.

I was also never a fan of the neoprene outer boots since they really lacked clearance on the lower shock mount (passenger side shown at full droop)



So I jacked the truck up, pulled the wheels and spacers off, dropped the IFS skid, and started on the Driver's side.

As evident by the oil and location, my driver side diff seal is in fact leaking.



I broke the axle nut lose prior to loosening the LBJ 19mm bolts, then the castle nut on the TRE.



I tried to pry the CV out with my Harbor Freight prybar, and after 2 tries it gave up lol



So for my second attempt, I used some steel cable around the end of the CV attached to a D ring with a hammer through the D ring.. (the @EatSleepTacos method).



I learned that keeping the CV straight when attempting to pop out makes it way easier, so I propped it up on a jack stand and used a bungee to "catch" the CV when it would bust loose



Boom, 2 swings and it was out



Next I removed the Axle seal with my new HF seal puller (worth the like $4) and cleaned the area where it was.

I then put plastic behind the needle bearing and placed the nut behind the needle bearing. It didn't go in nicely, so I used 2 extensions and tapped it into place.

Then started pulling the needle bearing out!



Be careful if you tap the nut in, because A sliver of metal came off on my needle bearing and luckily rested where I could get to it.



Next I grabbed my ECGS bushing out of the freezer and new HF seal driver kit and started installing the bushing. You can see that I used the end of my jack handle over the seal driver to get a better spot at swinging the hammer. (I saw somewhere that there is a lip in the diff that the bushing will stop at, and you can feel it when hammering it on. That's what I did and while hammering it in you could in fact feel it was all the way in. I am not sure if this is correct, so do your own research and install at your own risk)



Next I used my home made Seal tool to pop the seal into place






Now it was time to install the new axle! Here's a side by side comparison



Threw the axle nut on the end of the axle, orientated the C clip with the open side down, and popped it into place.



Installed the spindle and everything looked great!





The install went super easy, and with light running out I decided to throw the wheels back on sans spacers to save time and go for a quick drive.

This is where I started to become super stressed.

I climbed in, started the truck and threw her in drive but no movement. I thought, duh, it's the E brake, so I let that out and still no movement. I give it some gas and all I hear is metal grinding.

My first thought, was that I messed up something royally. Maybe the bushing was in too far? Maybe the axle wasn't seated correctly? So jacked up the front and BOTH the front wheels won't move, like they're seized.

I text one of the best humans on earth (@EatSleepTacos ) and he helps me diagnose the issue and it seems like the bushing it pushed into the spider gears. So I started reading and planning to extract the bushing I installed, while he preps no overnight me one that he had.

One day passes because it rained that entire Sunday. So Monday I decided I should at least take everything apart to prep for a battle with the bushing.

Upon taking the wheels off, I spin the rotors freely with a screwdriver. So I thought that was really strange. I then notice marks on my Spindle gussets.



It turned out the inner barrel of the stock wheels contacts the Spindle gusset without the use of spacers!! That's all it was, the front diff was fine!!!

So I painted the marks on my spindle gussets, smoothed out the wheels where they contacted, and slapped the spacers on and wheels on to go for a drive. I went around the block and no issues at all!

So I progressed to swapping out my passenger side axle. Unfortunately this was not drama free either.

So after several failed attempts, I shoved my seal drive box to help straighten the axle out and boom it popped right out.



Then I proceeded to smack the new CVJ axle into place. Stupid me I threw the nut on the axle and hammered it in, but upon doing so (using the wrong hammer) I messed up the very fine threads on the axle nut.

I decided that since I didn't want to be down and couldn't find just the nut locally, it was a decent excuse to buy a spare axle.

The first one I bought was peculiar. I got home, threaded the nut on, and attempted to torque it down. But my 35mm socket didn't fit! So I measured my stock one vs the new one.





Turned out that it was bigger by a decent margin. I called up another auto store and had them make sure the axle nut fit a 35mm socket before I purchased it.

Got that one on, got the truck together, torqued everything down and finally done! I could have done without the annoying parts, but I did learn a lot.

Next on the list is serp belt / pulleys and brake pads