William H

Homemade T-5 Snap Ring Pliers. Seems to be difficult to find a set of external eyeless snap ring pliers at a reasonable price. I was lucky enough to have 2 sets of Blue Point external ring pliers and was able to craft one of them to work. Just a few minutes with a Dremal tool. Used the new snap rings in the T-5 master kit for a pattern. Shorter distance from the pivot point takes advantage of thicker tool metal and better leverage on the larger snap rings. William

FYI Update Just received the Crown Master T5 rebuild kit. Main Shaft bearings are Timken USA. Front Countershaft bearing is KOYO USA. Rear Countershaft bearing has no visible marking. Radial thrust roller bearings have no visible markings. (really no room for markings) Front oil seal made in USA. Rear oil seal has no visible marking. Parts Count: as marketed Out of the box satisfaction: very good William

Moses, Thanks for your direction. I have been able to identify that the outer front axle shafts are the same as the 76 - 80 Scout Dana 44 with 27 splines, 5-760X U-Joint and 8.72" long. There maybe other matches out there, but the data is sketchy. Looks like the front axle housing may have come from a GM vehicle and may explain why both inner axle shafts are custom lengths. The picture (sorry about the bad lighting) shows the U-Bolt grooves are made into the axle housing and indicates to me that this axle housing was made for and a spring over axle configuration such as a 70's GM with Dana 44 front unit. The next picture shows the reinforcement gusset for the end "C" channel. They were even smart enough not to weld it all the way across and to leave enough room for a jack stand. The last picture show the steering gear reinforcement brace and part of the High Steer linkage. William

Moses, I am pressing forward with the reverse engineering and documentation of my 85 CJ7. I have run into a snag and hope you can shed some light. The front axle has been upgraded to a dana 44. The wheel base appears to be the stock wide track CJ of 56" WMS to WMS. Both Inner axles appear to be custom length (28 7/8" and 15 1/2") 30 spline. Now for the question. The outer axles do not appear to be customized and at first appearance seem to be "CJ" (8.72" 27 Spline) CJ spindle, 6 bolt locking hubs, 6 bolt brake caliper and rotor, and etc, however the outer axles have the larger 1.188" cup size yoke. (5-760X u-joint). Can you identify what vehicle class these outer axles are native too? Through my research, I found a few axles with the larger cup yokes and 27 splines, but I have been unable to positively identify one with the correct length. They are either too long or in most cases do not publish a length. The yoke casting markings are "Spicer", "F36616", and "M5 L866". Google does not hit on these numbers. Any insight you may have will be appreciated. William

Hi Guys Hope I can jump in. I am in the process of going through my D-300, T-5, and clutch on my 85 CJ. My background in this area consists of the Dana 20 T-case and T-150 transmission. I plan to address the following issues. 1. Infamous twin stick D-300 jumping out on down grades. 2. Fluid leak from the rear of the T-5. The T-5 otherwise shifts good and no unexpected sounds. Hope to find nothing that can't be fixed. 3. Clutch and flywheel replacement while I am down that far. This month I am in the process of gathering the parts. Hope to finalize the order by the end of the week. My list includes: Advance Adapters Dana 300 Master Kit. JB Conversions shift rail springs T-5 Master Kit. (so far I am looking at the Crown "T5MASKIT") Any Comments? Centerforce II clutch kit including cover, friction disk, release bearing, and pilot bushing. I am already using the AA chain linkage setup. AMS Flywheel. Next Month I will be gathering the specialty tools and starting the removal. I have plenty of documentation, including your books Moses, and have also viewed Paul Cangialosi's videos along with several D-300 videos. If I run into trouble, I hope you guys will jump in and help me work through it. Moses, any advise on parts selection or additional parts will be appreciated. William P.S. Bubba, how is you new transmission coming?

Bubba, Hope you have good luck with your T19. I will take a look at your transmission thread. Where is that T5 located you mentioned? If the cost and distance are right, I like to tinker. Will keep you in mind on the Dana 300 William

Moses, Thanks for the link for the square O-Rings. You may be correct about the minimum quantity. I have also experienced loose locking hub bolts. The Winter of 77-78 was especially tough for the eastern US. I exploded a set of locking hubs due to loose bolts. Not a good time for that to happen. I was 21, my only vehicle, making $4.50/hr, and no dry place to work. I bet you know what a CJ5 with 304 engine and front end disabled handles like in deep snow. You know the saying is "If it don't kill us, it will make us stronger". When JC Fab built the 85 CJ7 that I have now, they must have retrofitted it with 77-79 front wheel parts. I now have, in my opinion, one of the better front wheel setups that AMC ever released on a CJ. It has the 1 1/8" thick rotors, 6 bolt style calipers and 6 bolt hubs. My solution, good or bad, for loosening 6 bolt locking hub bolts has been as follows: 1. "Carefully" clean out the threads with a tap. 2. Install new grade 8 bolts and lock washers each time. You can buy them in bulk at Tractor Supply. 3. Retorque "one time" after break-in. Thanks William P.S. Heads up. I expect delivery of your book "Jeep CJ Rebuilders Manual" in a couple of days. My next project that I hope to finish before spring, will be a complete rebuild of the Dana 300 and T5. In addition to the rebuilds, I want to specifically address the common jumping out issue of a twin stick Dana 300 and leaking fluid from the rear of the T5. The T5 is loosing nearly a quart in about 4K miles, otherwise performs as expected. The Dana 300 has the 4:1 gear and rotation ring. At this time, I don't know who made the gear and rotation ring kits. Be prepared, I am sure their will be questions. I expect this project to be quite expensive as most likely it will cost me a Florida vacation in May by the time wife has her say.

60Bubba, Forgot to mention, but I already had purchased the rebuild kit from Warn (WAR7300) before I ever took them down. Correct kit, just doesn't have any parts I really need. I though the O-ring pictured in the kit would work, That was a waste of $30. Since my post, and a lot of digging, I found two part numbers. SE206 4000 (outer ring) SE206 4058 (inter ring) Still no source to purchase. Most threads indicate that Warn no longer lists them, Real bummer since I spent nearly 3 hours cleaning all the old gunk and RTV from the locking hub adapters and completely disassembled, cleaned, and repacked the Torention bearings without losing a single one of those tiny little needles before finding the bad O-rings. Must have been at least 40 of the little fellas in each hub adapter bearing. At least I have a nice set of locking hub bearings. Ha Ha Still hoping someone will have a source for the O-Rings, otherwise I am looking at new hubs. Wife will hit the roof, especially since this project has already cost spindles, bearings, and seals for both sides. Ha Ha Thanks William

Does anyone know where to source the 2 O-rings needed for the 6 bolt hub style shown in the attachment? The outer ring is broken and brittle. It is square with a small groove on the back side. The inner ring is round and pictured still attached to the selector knob. Thanks William

Really nice jeep!! William

Bubba, Nice looking jeep. I was real lucky with my find. Even though the chassis has 283K miles, it is a "10" on the rust free scale. Very few OEM CJ frames and bodies left in this end of the country without rust. I am continuing my reverse engineering and documentation project and discovered this week that I have a Bigelow CV joint in my front drive shaft. Nobody in this country has ever heard of one and there is very little chatter on the forums about them. They were touted as a long life high angle solution back about 10 years ago. Never found anybody in the forums that talked about actually having one however. Can't find any for sale today and further investigation revealed that their patent was terminated in 2012 due to failure to pay maintenance fees. It looks real heavy duty and very glad that it is still functional as my shaft angle is about 18 degrees, well beyond the recommended 12 degrees of a double cardan CV joint. Looks like they spared no expense on this build. The journals are permanently attached to their respective shaft tube end, knuckle, and end adapter. The bearing cups are removable via 3/16" cap screws and retainers. There is a center shaft with needle bearings that runs from the shaft tube end to the end adapter through the knuckle that actually rotates as the drive shaft end articulates. The end adapter (pictured with the loose bolts sticking out) mates with the normal dana 300 transfer case yoke. Maybe someone will see this post and comment on this driveshaft. Hope you get a chance to make a Jeep Jamboree real soon! At my age, my idea of fun has shifted and have little desire to play king of the hill anymore. Therefore I plan to take the more scenic, somewhat challenging but a little less destructive trails. William

Great news Moses! Finally made contact with JJUSA and through description and pictures they gave me a green light. Seems like I am not the only one having trouble with this parameter. JJUSA has all but abandoned the lift limitation. They are now placing nearly all the weight on tire size except for EXTREME and outrageous lifts. Your estimate of my lift concurs with mine. I knew I would be on the fence or slightly over. A DMV search of my jeep shows that it had 3 owners since JC FAB did the upgrades. It made its way from California to Texas to Colorado and now to Kentucky. I believe it has now found a home for many years to come. Being a 3rd generation family jeep owner and since I am now retired, reverse engineering and documenting all the modifications, TLC, and PM has become a labor of love for me. Thanks William

Moses, Thanks for your reply. It is my understanding from the JJ website the 6" lift refers only to suspension and body lifts. I have included a clip from their website. "Body lifts/suspension lifts up to six inches (combined) are permitted. Tires over 37 inches are not permitted. We recommend removing running board for higher rated trails. Snowplow frames are not permitted. Participants will be turned away at registration should they exceed these limits." My jeep was built by JC Fab in Sylmar, CA from 2003 to 2006. I understand they are now known as Higherground Fab & Offroad. It is a Spring Over Axle conversion. With the sway bar unpinned, this suspension setup articulates really well . I have most all the original invoices totaling nearly $40K from JC FAB, but they don't identify the suspension parts. It simply states "provide and install suspension lift and axle perches". The front spring hangers have "High Traction suspension" stamped on them. The big question is what are the stock parameters? I measured 29 1/8" from the ground to the lowest outside edge on the body tub directly below the door threshold. Measured axle centerline above ground including tire wear and tire pressure is 16 3/8" (285/75R17). This leaves 12 3/4" between axle centerline and lowest outside body tub edge. I guess without the stock parameters and without a response from JJUSA knowing how they will score this lift, I cannot risk $500 only to be turned away at registration without a chance for a refund. William Correction the spring hangers are stamped "Full Traction suspension". Appears to be 2" lift shackle reversal kit #FTS2500

Moses, I know this is a controversial topic, but this may be the place for discussion. I am interested in participating in a JJUSA event here in KY. One of the vehicle requirements is that the overall lift including any body lift not exceed 6". The lift on my 85 CJ7 will be real close to the limit. I have inquired JJUSA by phone and email trying to find out how and what parameters they will be using to determine vehicle lift. JJUSA has not responded, leading me to believe they don't have quantifiable parameters or are afraid to tell me in writing. I am concerned of showing up to the event after paying $500 and being disqualified and turned away without a refund. With all that being said, Is there a measurement that can be taken from axle centerline to a point on the fenders or body tub? My sheet metal and fender flares are pretty much stock, however not much stock underneath. SOA, Dana 44's front and back, reversed spring hangers, modified shock mounts, 1" body lift, etc. Thanks William

Moses, thanks for your rapid and very clear response. I now understand that my external mounted fuel regulator assembly consists of two parts. The upper half is the OEM regulator for a 97-up TJ. The lower half is a machined adapter that emulates the fuel tank receiver on a 97-up TJ. William

For all you electronic handy techs, here is a quite simple adapter allowing the factory CJ Fuel Gauge to use a Wrangler Sending Unit. Fuel tank needs to be well grounded for gauge accuracy. I added enough tank to frame strapping to reach a low level of 0.003V between the tank and frame when the fuel pump is running. See attached schematic. Jeep CJ Fuel Gauge Adapter.pdf

I recently purchased a 85 CJ7 equipped with the updated 4.2L MPI conversion with TJ style single fuel hose. I am trying to locate a replacement Fuel-Pressure Filter/Regulator as pictured below. As you know, this unit mounts on the outside of the fuel tank. Actually, my CJ has been upgraded with a 20G aftermarket fuel tank with a fuel pump/sender as shown in the picture by the previous owner. When looking up the Mopar Performance part# (04798301) supplied in the documentation that was left by the previous owner, I find the unit shown below. This unit mounts into the top of a fuel tank pump/sender assembly. Thanks for any help in locating a replacement fuel-pressure filter/regulator for my Mission Critical spare parts.