The Frankenstein Build! LT/Expo/Trail rig..and BS

Front diff is in!

Gonna do passenger side cv and wheel tonight.

But


Yukon...once again...fucked me over..wrong seals for the cvs. So I don't have one for the driver side

Gonna get one from napa tomorrow. Button it up. Start driving the crap out of it

 

And thank you sir for the small tid bits of advice!

 

So been dead in here...

but! diffs are done! just waiting on my driver side seal which will be here tomorrow. Ill get to drive it tomorrow! and i got most the day off due to bad weather so no work.

I also have been preoccupied helping my dad with his beast

FRV-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


but anyways, two things..well..three!


1) here is my final pattern for the front. Almost perfect. pinion is a touch deep but changing it affected the backlash too much so this is where i ended up at.

Cool tool we had that just needed tweak to help tighten pinion

Front diff.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

and wear pattern.

Front diff.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Front diff-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Done!..minus the seal..

Front diff-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr



i got pulled over in Igor a few weeks ago for having my plate in the wind shield..only took 3 years of doing that to finally get caught. So i asked him about Frankenstein and he said to figure something out.

Lucky for me my dad had a bunch of little magnets, these lil fuckers are intense. Had to use pliers to take em a part. Took a lot of effort. Epoxied to the back and let it sit on a metal table to keep set. Fits perfect under the lightforces and above the fair lead.

Front diff-4.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr



And now a cool install/writeup. I needed a new washer fluid reservoir. This is an easy mod to do but figured what the hell, might as well make it detailed as most write ups aren't at all.

Here is all the PVC you need.

All 2''

Front diff.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

-1 18.75'' straight piece
-1 17.75'' straight piece
-1 T
-1 End cap
-1 2'' to 1/2'' end
- 2'' female thread
- threaded end cap


The reducer

Front diff-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Water resi.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Female thread end

Water resi-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Threaded cap

Water resi-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


end cap

Water resi-4.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Basic layout

Water resi-5.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Get yourself some PVC cleaner and PVC cement.

Water resi-6.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Its very easy to use. First apply cleaner to the two areas you are going to attach. Then cement. Push them together very fast and hard to get them to go all the way in. The cement bonds VERY fast so you need to not fiddle fart around. Make sure you like what your about to connect cause it is not coming apart once you put them together. Here is a vid that does a good job on how to use it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zirp8vqApQc

Start putting it together!

First joint for me is the part that is the filler neck essentially.

Water resi-7.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

then the bottom tube that runs along the radiator.

Water resi-8.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

The normal solid end cap goes on the lower pipe

Water resi-9.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Water resi-10.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

The reducer goes in the bottom of the T fitting. Its where there pump goes

Water resi-11.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Water resi-12.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

The female threaded end goes on the top of the filler neck, only place left

Water resi-13.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

which is where the threaded cap goes. Easy to fill

Water resi-14.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

One last thing, find the smallest drill bit you have and drill a hole in the threaded cap. So air can get in to allow flow. I did mine on the threads so nothing can fall in. Doing it high enough up is fine as you won't ever screw it ALL the way down anyways. Tightens up half way easily.

Water resi-16.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Done!

Water resi-15.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Now to mount it. You need to take your skid off. Then just shove it up so the filler is on the passenger side. Mine turned out so it was behind the AC lines by the frame. Just shove it up and boom!

Now you have to get the wire down to the pump and the feed line for the water. Pull it out like so

Water resi-17.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Water resi-18.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

i found running it behind the airbox allowed it to reach..barely. At least the electric plug reached. Like so

Water resi-19.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Water resi-20.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

then just drop it down by the frame like so..

Water resi-21.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

but on the other side of course and install the pump in the reducer and connect the connectors!

Water resi-22.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Now you'll need about 8'' of tubing. Needs to be 1/8'' inner diameter or so. Pretty easy to get at a parts store.

Water resi-23.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Take off the old piece that was on the pump and swap in the new longer one that runs to the connector and your good!

Water resi-24.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

I put a zip tie around the pump NOT TIGHT! just there in case it decided to fall out on a bump. Won't with this in place.

Water resi-25.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Two more attached to my hard lines for the PS

Water resi-26.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Then two zip ties around the frame and the bottom piece in an X fashion.

Water resi-27.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Water resi-28.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Water resi.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

where the cap ends up

Water resi-29.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Fill it up and your good to go! Should hold about a gallon or so.



Hope that helps a few people out!

 

Awesome write up man! I haven't had an issue yet but when i do ill. Be doing this!

 

Nice write up.

Two questions:

No low fluid sensor?

Hard to tell in the pictures but is the pump prone to getting rock bashed?

 

Some people pull the resi for tire clearance or rock clearance, or in the case of my old truck, a cracked resi.

Looks good Monte.

 

thanks!

Its a good way to hide it so the stock on isn't so ugly behind that tube bumper

i don't have a low fluid sensor. Think its a new thing. Didn't have on on the stock one anyways. so not an issue for me.

Not at all. The skid covers it completely. When i mount it back up ill take a photo for you.

my 33s hit my stock one and no way could i fit the 35s with the stock one.

Also it always hangs low and is ugly with an offroad bumper..least i always noticed it.

But i mostly did it so i could have one again. Of course its been disconnected for few year really so haven't used one in forever. Nice to have it back.

thanks!


going back to consolidate all the diff stuff..god damn, had to go back 30 pages...lol

 

xray vision yo

 

Doesn't look too bad

 

Just putting all the gear's stuff in one spot to link in OP.

 

yea usually not too bad. If i had a tube bumper it would drive me nuts i think.

 

Holy differentials Batman!

 

That washer reservoir looks good. And holding a gallon isn't much less than stock. Not too bad. No splicing of any wire extensions it looks like. You concerned with the wires being so tight?

This would definitely look much nicer than having the reservoir and wiring sticking out like a sore thumb for anyone with a tube bumper. Maybe also keep the fluid a little warmer in the winter being right against the rad.

Thanks for the write-up. This has been added to my to do list.

 

It drives me nuts, and for anyone who lives/ wheels in the woods it would be pretty easy to catch a branch with the exposed wiring and tear it out.

 

Oh yeah... forgot about the skid plate.

This.

 

I like the flange tool, I'll have to make one of those.

 

Yea 30 pages haha

The wires are tight but not super tight. Is handy you don't have to do anything special.

Yea man it was an old tool my dad made for a Chevy fan clutch haha was 1/4" and about 2' long. Just had to flare it out. Worked great.

Do you have to set your own gears?

 

Do I have to?

I could roll my axles a 1/4 mile to a local guy who could install gears for me. I'd like to try doing it myself though. Just because.

And Monte, you should take a page or two from this guy's build. I know you're