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jordan89oak
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Posts
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Well, I finally got the front suspension and all new brakes installed in the front. Thank you for the advise on the pitman arm, I managed to get it off thanks to your advise. It’s standing on its own now, and I still have to torque the suspension components. I noticed that the passage side tire Rod is not straight, so I’ll have to assist that, but the suspension is on. Next things after torquing the suspension is the fuel tank. I had it up last time, but hasn’t noticed that the steel tub is dented in the bottom, pushing the plastic tank up, so I’ll have to pull the tank out of the tub and straighten it out. The electric fuel pump is mounted and wired. I purchased a power brake conversion booster and master, so that’ll be going in too. I also installed a dual stick setup for the Dana 300. -
Great information here Moses. I was also asking because the Rugged Ridge heavy duty tie rod/drag link instructions mention something about it not working with some stock Jeep wheels. I've read about some folks flipping the tie rods to remedy the issue. I placed an order for three inserts, but will try fitting them in the original location with the wheels on. If that works, I will just go that route and install the 4" drop pitman arm that came with the lift kit. If that doesn't work, I will probably flip them. I just finished installing both knuckles and painted the driveshafts. I will put the brakes and everything back together tomorrow. I'm converting it over to power brakes, but the booster and master don't get here until next week, so I will work with what I have. I hope to get done with the suspension work this week (fingers crossed). As for actually getting the Jeep started, I have to finish the fuel system and do the exhaust. I will update my other thread with this information when I get all of that information gathered. Thanks Moses!
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Hey Moses, What is your opinion on doing a "tie rod flip" modification? I've read through a number of forums on the subject, and seems like you would gain some clearance, and some even say gaining back steering radius, on lifted Jeeps. I ask because I will be installing the Rugged Ridge heavy duty tie rod and drag link, and thought that it might be something to look into. I know that some choose to go with reaming the top, and some go with inserts.
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Thank you for this great advise Moses! I have the puller on the left and slightly bent one of the prongs trying to get the pitman arm off. I am going to try it again, along with the pry bar, and if that doesn't work, I'll try the conical type puller.
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Hey Moses, Thank you for the clarification on the gap issue. That’s a relief, and good to know! As for the pitman arm, the lift kit came with the correct pitman arm. I haven’t gotten to installing the new one because the old one is on there good. I might have to apply some heat to it. I left it soaking with PB Blaster. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try something else. I’ve got upgraded heavy duty steering linkage to go with it, as well as a dual steering stabilizer system from Skyjacker. Hopefully it’s smooth sailing from here because I really want to take this Jeep out for a drive with the family. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks Moses!
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Hi Moses, I am back with an update on this situation. This is the original Dana 30 axle for this Jeep. After comparing ball-joints and purchasing a new set of Moog ball-joints, I was left with little hope. I had been looking for a replacement knuckle, but they are hard to come by. I finally came across a used knuckle on e-bay and purchased it. I got a feeling that the knuckle that came out of my Jeep was bent. Lo and behold, it was! It was a struggle to get the new knuckle in because I was sent the wrong one at first, and had to return it and wait for the correct one. But after I received the correct one, I got to measuring and comparing, and immediately noticed a big difference. I took the ball-joints off of the old knuckle and pressed them onto the new one. The knuckle dropped in! The knuckle, as measured in the picture, came in at 6 15/16" (For future reference, as this information was hard to come by), and the old knuckle was around 6". As for the next headache/head-scratcher, There seems to be a small gap between the axle shaft seal and the tube, as seen in the third picture. I have checked to make sure that the bearings are properly seated and that everything else is in the right place, but I am not sure what is going on there. Any thoughts? For now, I have proceeded with finishing off the suspension work and added a heavy duty steering gear box to the Jeep.
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Hi CJChris, I am glad that you were able to find this information useful. That was my purpose for creating this thread, as there was very little, to none, information that I could find on the subject. I think that the Grand Cherokee 4.0 is the only block that needs to be cut where the driver's side motor mount goes to, so hopefully you won't need to do that on the Wrangler block.
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Hey Moses, I actually have a copy of the manual and the tool. I followed the directions, minus using the specialty tool to pull the knuckle up. I even tried installing the old split ring to see if that was the issue, but I still got the same result. Somehow, the upper ball joint does not want to budge and go all the way in. Honestly, all of the issues that I have been having with this Jeep have made me regret ever getting it. The issues just will not stop. I haven't updated the old thread about the engine, but I haven't even gotten that running because the fuel tank had a crack in the front and a hole on the upper corner of the tank. I think someone drilled a hole straight through the tub and into the tank. Being that this is the 20 gallon plastic tank, I welded the crack and the hole. After the fuel tank issue, I decided to just go to what I thought was going to be an easy suspension job that has turned out to be a nightmare. There were SO MANY missing bolts throughout the suspension components. I will have to give the ball joints another try to see if I can get this issue resolved.
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Well, I decided to change the ball joints on my ‘82 CJ7 a few weeks ago and am stuck now. I have tried to install the knuckle to the axle, but the top ball joint has a pretty big gap. I’ve attached pictures for reference. I initially installed Alloy USA heavy duty ball joints and thought that was the issue, but it wasn’t. I tried a set of Moog ball joints and have the same issue. Any thoughts or suggestions?
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Hey Moses, I’m back for a quick update. Unfortunately, I still haven’t fired the Jeep up, but I am close to it. Midterms have kept me busy, so very little time for the Jeep. Thank you for the tip on where to get the power for cranking and hot at when on. I will definitely be running a relay (Painless# 50102), and that will require a switched power source. The painless fuel pump relay kit is great, as the wires are clearly labeled as to where they go. There will be a switch that will allow me to prime the fuel system before starting. I read in a Hot Rod article that a reading of 6 psi should be enough to get the pump going. I spent some time working on the wiring this weekend. I got the alternator and distributor wired. The only thing that is left is wiring the fuel pump. That’s going to be some work because I want to drop the tank and replace all hoses up there. As you can see in the pictures, I’ve only painted half of the firewall. I have a YJ booster and master coming in, so I will paint the other half when that comes in. I know, I should’ve painted it while the engine was out, but I would have never got the engine and tranny in, had I waited. The carb adapter that I purchased was for a 32/36 Weber, and I have a 38DGES, so I had to port the adapter out for it. This was my first time doing something like this, and I am happy with the results. I mocked up the carb to see how I’ll have to route the throttle cable and that shouldn’t take too long to work on. I will have to make a bracket for that using the OE 4.0 throttle cable bracket. There is still some work to the harness that needs to be done, as I am going for a clean look. I was also stuck trying to figure out where some of the wires went, but that’s all figured out. I’m replacing the original plastic wiring loom with a braided loom. My goal is to get the Jeep running by the end of this week. I will keep updating my progress here for anyone that takes on a project like this in the future.
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Hey Moses, I'm back with an update. I was hoping to have the Jeep up and running this passed weekend, but I wasn't able to make it happen. I did work on the Jeep, but I did not get to the wiring part of things. I did some research on the wiring, and have prepped the wiring for the fuel pump and the external voltage regulator. I picked up information from Hot Rod Magazine to wire the fuel pump off of an oil pressure switch (Part# PS64), which is pictured bellow. As for the voltage regulator, alternatorman has good videos on YouTube on how to wire this system up. The attached picture (from the backyardmechanic website) is pretty much the same as wiring instructions from the video. As you can see in the engine picture, I still haven't installed the crank pulley due to me not having an install tool, so I'll have to go and rent one this week. The carb is not mounted yet, but that is not a big issue. Another thing I will have to worry about is the throttle linkage. I'll work that out as I go. The pigtails for the fuel pump relay and voltage regulator have all been marked to make installation easier. I still have to figure out where I will get my hot in crank and hot in start power for the oil pressure switch/fuel pump wiring. I need to look for a good wiring schematic to figure this out. I have a few days off of school this week, so hopefully I can really get the Jeep running by this weekend. I'll keep things updated here for future reference. Hopefully it will be of help to someone later on down the road.
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Quick update, I just got the alternator and the Durango 160amp alternator drops right into place (4.0 Grand Cherokee bracket). I’m hoping to install the new timing cover gasket, oil pan gasket, water pump, etc. this weekend. I’ll hopefully get the wiring done as well. I’ve already mounted the new HEI distributor into place. For the oil pan, I was planning on using the 4.2 pan, but I’m going to stick with the 4.0 pan instead. I’m trying to figure out the wiring for the alternator. These newer alternators use a 4 gauge cable directly to the battery, I believe. The original CJ7 uses a wimpy 10 gauge wire. I’ll have to look at the wiring diagram to see if this is where the cj7 fuse panel gets its power from. If not, I’m thinking about running a 4 gauge cable from the lug of the alternator to the battery.
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I’ll definitely be going with the FelPro gasket. I’ll keep things updated here for future reference. Thanks Moses!
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I'm not sure if anyone has successfully adapted an earlier HESCO EFI conversion kit on a newer engine like this. I read about folks adding the newer style intake manifolds on their older 4.0 engines and making it work with their existing engine management systems, so it might work. Most of the electronic components and sensors are on the intake itself. I still haven't picked up the alternator for the Jeep, but I am going to try to get the other things mounted up while I get that. I will be using the CJ7 oil pan, so I have to swap the pickup tube and oil pan as well. I know, I should have done that while on the engine stand, but I wanted to get the engine and transmission into the Jeep already. I made this same mistake with my '74 Corvette. I'll also be doing a new exhaust (new catalytic converter as well) system. Hopefully, I can get this Jeep running so I can finally move on to the suspension that includes a 4" lift, heavy duty ball joints, etc.
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By the way, if you plan on using ARP head bolts like I did, the metal valve cover will not work. You may be able to grind a bit off of the valve cover to clear, but the plastic valve cover from the older 4.0 will work.
