Jump to content

51 B3B build thread - after all these years


bkahler

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, Los_Control said:

My worthless opinion, pictures can be deceiving. Imagine if you had chrome acorn nuts for your mag wheels, threads are not going to protrude out the end.

You could put a cap on yours and have acorn nuts .... imhwo, what I see is not really uncommon and has been done for years.

 

With that said, Looks like in the photo there is only a few threads engaging the nut. Maybe that is because of the magic of photography? 

We can not see how deep/wide the existing nuts are, possible there is plenty of contact surface, all we see is the threads left over.

Just use common sense, would be real easy to change them now then fix broken pieces later.

 

Looks awesome!

 

That's why I asked about thread engagement.  If only a few threads def a NO, but if you are over the bolt diameter in engagement then not such a big deal.  BUT threading to the end of a bolt is a general engineering no-no w/o some serious considerations.  Safety FIRST! instead of just going with it.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, JBNeal said:

Call it good and move forward to figuring out what's the deal with the axle shaft length discrepancy cuz that needs to be solved...

Pretty obvious in the photos of the rear axle, pinion is offset and one shorter then the other, swapping them to right side seems fixed to me  :)

 

Is a common way to narrow a rear end, use two short axles and cut down the axle tube to fit .... I suppose in this case, a guy could use 2 of the longer tubes and axles and widen the rear end, not needing spacers.

Nobody is going to care about using the spacers though .... carry on  :)

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lug nuts and thread engagement are always a hot topic when brought up :)

 

I appreciate all of the various points of view.  Knowing that you can't believe everything you read on the internet I still found as many sites stating 1/2" engagement on 1/2" studs is sufficient and others stated 1.5 times the thread diameter.  The wheel adapter manufacturer states that 1/2" engagement is sufficient.  Wheel Adapters USA appears to be a reputable US based company and I would think they would error on the conservative side with their specifications.

 

I did some measuring today and thread engagement is 9/16".  There is about 1/4" of thread exposed inside the nuts.  I'm going to think on this for a day or two but as the saying goes, I'll probably "run what ya brung".... 

 

I need to keep in mind this is not a work truck, it's not a race car and it's not going to get driven that often.  

 

Anyway, whether or not I replace the studs I need to figure out how to torque the wheel adapter nuts.  I'm not a fan of using a tire iron between two wheel studs to keep the hub from turning while I torque the nuts.  Anyone use those torque sticks?  Are they all they're made out to be?

 

Thanks!

 

Brad

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. For the brake caliper/pad installation you need to ensure the piston if fully retracted into the caliper, install pads into caliper and slide into position.  It's a bit of a juggling act but it can be done. Then the fun of getting caliper slide bolts lined up.  Keep us posted. 

 

2. The wheel spacers, I know a few have chime in on this in the past few comments.  I've been running 1.5" wheel spacers on my daily driver for 5-6 years with a 100k in that time.  I haven't had any issues with them and like yours the spacer nut is longer than the stud.  Unfortunately torquing the spacers did require putting the long pry bar between 2 studs and leveraging against the floor to get em tight. I just made sure to keep it as close to mounting surface as possible.  

 

The torque stick you mentioned are color coded and "set" to a certain torque spec to be used with the heavy duty air impacts.  Personally not a fan after seeing em used and then checking it with a torque wrench to find it either too high, or too less. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, CO54 said:

1. For the brake caliper/pad installation you need to ensure the piston if fully retracted into the caliper, install pads into caliper and slide into position.  It's a bit of a juggling act but it can be done. Then the fun of getting caliper slide bolts lined up.  Keep us posted. 

 

The calipers are new and I believe the pistons are retracted but I will verify before continuing.

 

14 hours ago, CO54 said:

2. The wheel spacers, I know a few have chime in on this in the past few comments.  I've been running 1.5" wheel spacers on my daily driver for 5-6 years with a 100k in that time.  I haven't had any issues with them and like yours the spacer nut is longer than the stud.  Unfortunately torquing the spacers did require putting the long pry bar between 2 studs and leveraging against the floor to get em tight. I just made sure to keep it as close to mounting surface as possible.  

 

I kinda figured this would be the logical way to torque the nuts.  I'll do what I've done in the past which is put nuts on the studs so the threads won't get dinged.

 

14 hours ago, CO54 said:

The torque stick you mentioned are color coded and "set" to a certain torque spec to be used with the heavy duty air impacts.  Personally not a fan after seeing em used and then checking it with a torque wrench to find it either too high, or too less. 

 

I've read good and bad about them and didn't want to spend $50 just to find out they weren't consistent in torque.  

 

Thanks :)

 

Brad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the one pic you show of the pads and caliper assembled to the rotor, try starting with the pad side with the full notch first onto the bracket then rolling the other side down.   You'll notice the pads have a full notch on one side and only one tab on the other.   You started with the wrong side over the bracket.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Dave72dt said:

From the one pic you show of the pads and caliper assembled to the rotor, try starting with the pad side with the full notch first onto the bracket then rolling the other side down.   You'll notice the pads have a full notch on one side and only one tab on the other.   You started with the wrong side over the bracket.

 

Actually I've tried various angles of attack with no success.  I haven't tried for a couple of days as I came down with a really potent sinus infection that's pretty much sidelined me for a few days.  When I went to the doctor last Tuesday I got a taste of what it's like in this new Coronavirus world we live in.  They took cultures for flu and Coronavirus testing and I have to wait until early this coming week for results.  

 

Worse, for the doctors and nurses at my local office are out of masks and can't get any.  It was pretty obvious they were a little on edge.  Not good....

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That notch in the pad has to straddle the caliper.  Once that's in, the other side should drop right in.  The only other thing that might hold it up is the slides on the caliper itself that may need to be pushed in to clear the bracket.  You got the pads to go over the rotor in that pic so that indicates the piston is retracted enough.  Check your inner pad to make sure the notches and tabs are aligned with the outer pad.  I'm pretty sure those pads are specific to left side or right side and might even be marked, ie., left outer and right inner won't work.

 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Dave72dt said:

That notch in the pad has to straddle the caliper.  Once that's in, the other side should drop right in.  The only other thing that might hold it up is the slides on the caliper itself that may need to be pushed in to clear the bracket.  You got the pads to go over the rotor in that pic so that indicates the piston is retracted enough.  Check your inner pad to make sure the notches and tabs are aligned with the outer pad.  I'm pretty sure those pads are specific to left side or right side and might even be marked, ie., left outer and right inner won't work.

 

Dave, 

Good point I forgot about that,  considering I'll always lay old ones on the  floor to match new ones up, and you are right that they can be side specific but I don't remember them ever being marked. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/14/2020 at 6:54 PM, Dave72dt said:

That notch in the pad has to straddle the caliper.  Once that's in, the other side should drop right in.  The only other thing that might hold it up is the slides on the caliper itself that may need to be pushed in to clear the bracket.  You got the pads to go over the rotor in that pic so that indicates the piston is retracted enough.  Check your inner pad to make sure the notches and tabs are aligned with the outer pad.  I'm pretty sure those pads are specific to left side or right side and might even be marked, ie., left outer and right inner won't work.

 

 

23 hours ago, CO54 said:

Dave, 

Good point I forgot about that,  considering I'll always lay old ones on the  floor to match new ones up, and you are right that they can be side specific but I don't remember them ever being marked. 

 

 

Later today or possibly tomorrow I'm going to fiddle with the calipers again.  First I'm going to install the c-clips so when I do get the calipers/pads installed I don't have to take them back out just to install the c-clips.

 

I think I've tried all of the suggestions mentioned but there is obviously something I'm missing.  I'm usually pretty good at figuring out things like this so I will admit it's a little annoying that I haven't gotten it so far!

 

Where's my BFH......... :)

 

Brad

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess my attention to detail is not what it used to be, either that or I never had attention to detail :)

 

As mentioned by Dave and Eric the notches have to be in the right configuration.  I actually thought I had placed the pads such that the notches were down but for whatever reason I had the two inner pads swapped.  The right was on the left and vise versa.  Once I flipped those two pads the calipers just about fell into place.  

 

I now have the c-clips installed along with the rear rotors and pads along with the wheel adapters.  What I didn't get done was replace the threaded pin that holds the spider gear shaft in place.  I had ordered a replacement but as luck would have it the one I received is 1/2" to short.  Once I can source the pin I'll get it installed and will finally be able to install the pumpkin cover.  

 

Thanks for all the helpful replies!

 

Onward......

 

Brad

 

20200317_150015x.jpg

20200317_150008x.jpg

20200317_150118x.jpg

20200317_145255x.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This has certainly been a strange couple of weeks.  I took all of last week off for a stay at home and work but instead I got sick with a nasty sinus infection.  It wasn't until this past weekend that I started to feel better.  The doctor suggested I take this past Monday off and then return to work but my boss said stay home and come to work later in the week (tomorrow).  So I've used a whole bunch of vacation hours and didn't really accomplish squat around the house or any of my projects ☹️  

 

I did manage to get a few things done, mostly yesterday and now today.  Today's achievement was to install the plastic liners between the leaves in the front suspension and start the cleanup and installation of the front king pins.  As I had mentioned previously, when I removed the front steering knuckles so I could drill/tap the holes for the disc brake kit I found that the king pins and bushings were brand new but had never been greased.  A while back I sourced a NOS king pin kit and I can definitely confirm that the new king pins are a perfect slip fit inside the knuckles.  Sometime this coming weekend I hope to get the knuckles reinstalled so I can mount the front axle.  

 

Now COVID-19 is playing havoc with everything and needless to say I'm not looking forward to returning to work tomorrow.  Oh well.....

 

Brad

 

Edited by bkahler
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My return to work lasted two days and then we were all told to work from home.  That old Chinese curse which says "May he live in interesting times" sure has new meaning in this day and age.  I haven't had time to work on the king pins yet but I did take care of one small job last night.  I needed to figure out something for the new rear brake hoses and how to fasten them so they didn't just flop in the breeze.

 

The Cherokee axle has a casting flange on each side that is used for the parking brake cable.  Since I'm using the original transmission drum brake these two flanges were now available for use as mounting points for the brake hoses.  This was actually a pretty simple mod and didn't take all that much time and effort to complete.  

 

20200324_164926x.jpg.2e0284b40daecdf7bb841ce89b049c49.jpg

 

20200324_164949x.jpg.535757332307e4c99a21f34948681b5a.jpg

 

20200324_165314x.jpg.9261f1b88098130db31370b7e16d62c2.jpg

 

20200324_165319x.jpg.ccfcf8f42bfeb673470594b1ee4dd245.jpg

 

20200324_165403x.jpg.89952a82101b1c9f5082c8c3f02e2711.jpg

 

The right and left side hose mounting were mirror images of each other.  I'll route the brake tubing down below the leaf spring and along side the axle housing over to the brake hose Tee.  

 

Brad

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, BobK said:

Brad, did you give any thought to using the Cherokee parking brakes instead of the original setup?

 

Hi Bob,

 

I thought about it for maybe 2 seconds and opted to stick with my freshly rebuilt transmission drum parking brake.  I spent a lot of effort and time refurbishing and installing the original system.  Plus, after looking at the drum brakes that were on the jeep axle I decided they were pretty much junk.  To me they sorta looked like a cheap afterthought.

 

Brad

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, bkahler said:

 

Hi Bob,

 

I thought about it for maybe 2 seconds and opted to stick with my freshly rebuilt transmission drum parking brake.  I spent a lot of effort and time refurbishing and installing the original system.  Plus, after looking at the drum brakes that were on the jeep axle I decided they were pretty much junk.  To me they sorta looked like a cheap afterthought.

 

Brad

 

I recall reading somewhere on the forum, that the original pull handle was difficult to get the leverage needed to set the jeep parking brake really good.  I could be wrong, and if so hopefully someone will chime in.  I'm still back and forth on which parking brake system I'll be using.  I had a couple broken springs in mine when it came apart, but otherwise it looked good. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, CO54 said:

 

I recall reading somewhere on the forum, that the original pull handle was difficult to get the leverage needed to set the jeep parking brake really good.  I could be wrong, and if so hopefully someone will chime in.  I'm still back and forth on which parking brake system I'll be using.  I had a couple broken springs in mine when it came apart, but otherwise it looked good. 

 

 

 

Personally I like the drum parking brake on the transmission if for no other reason than the cool factor :)

 

I really wasn't impressed with the e-brakes that were on the Cherokee axle.  They looked really flimsy.  Granted they are only meant to keep the vehicle from rolling but still....

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, bkahler said:

 

Personally I like the drum parking brake on the transmission if for no other reason than the cool factor :)

 

I really wasn't impressed with the e-brakes that were on the Cherokee axle.  They looked really flimsy.  Granted they are only meant to keep the vehicle from rolling but still....

 

 

 

You are right about the cool factor with the transmission e-brake. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

I think I have a small delima on my hands.  While gathering up all the bits and pieces to assemble the steering box and column I seem to be missing the spacer that goes in the top part of the column.  It's part number 19-14-15.  I've got the spring and the bearing is still in the tube but the spacer for some reason is absent.  I thought I had found it earlier but if I did, it's come up missing again.  Could someone provide me with a picture or two and possibly some dimensions of what the part is supposed to look like?

 

19-14-15.JPG.0425b35a5d97d38ce658de26609a5232.JPG

 

Thanks,

 

Brad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/7/2020 at 9:38 PM, Brent B3B said:

Does this help?

 

 

Yes it does, thanks!

 

While I couldn't make out the exact dimensions I think I saw enough to know what needs to be made.  I took my steering column apart 20+ years ago and I don't remember seeing anything like that spacer.  What that really means is I don't remember what I did with the one that was in the truck :).  

 

The original spacer looks like a cheap alternative to making a proper tapered spacer.  I've got a hunk of bronze bar I should be able to make one out of.

 

Thanks!

 

Brad

 

Edited by bkahler
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I'm slowly starting to get time to work on the truck again.  I'm close to the point of being able to install the steering gearbox.  If you haven't already seen the steering gearbox rebuild thread you can read about and see what all I encountered during the rebuild.

 

Years ago I bought all new FLAGG brand shackles but they either didn't come with grease zerks or I lost them in the various moves that I've made over the years.  Today I finally figured out they require 3/8-24 straight zerks except for the very front pins which use 1/4-28.  Go figure.  So the grease zerks are now on order and should be here tomorrow.

 

I have a question about installing the steering column vs installing the windshield glass.  Would it make more sense to install the glass first before installing the steering column?  I'm guessing glass first :)

 

I also sandblasted the Rusty Hope intake manifold and will be doing the exhaust manifolds this weekend.  Now if I could just find the can of paint that I stashed away for them.......

 

Brad

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I installed windshield glass with steering wheel in place with no problems. And this was on a 49 that has the steering wheel a LOT closer to the windshield than my '52. I guess I am not sure if the 51 is the same as the 49 but worked anyway with worse case scenario. Pretty sure the 51 has the dropped steering column with the newer dash layout.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, dcotant said:

I installed windshield glass with steering wheel in place with no problems. And this was on a 49 that has the steering wheel a LOT closer to the windshield than my '52. I guess I am not sure if the 51 is the same as the 49 but worked anyway with worse case scenario. Pretty sure the 51 has the dropped steering column with the newer dash layout.

 

1951 was the first year for the newer style dash like the 52.   If I have all of the windshield installation stuff on hand I might give it a shot, if not then the steering column will be installed anyway.

 

Thanks!

 

Brad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use