...well after 20 yrs of building big off-road Dodge trucks...I'm finally gonna build me a Jeep

This build has been going on since about Nov 23, and I'm catching it up through this morning (16 Feb 24)...

Nov 23. I've been loosely scanning the local ads for a derelict JKU with a blown engine or something which would actually make it affordable, and honestly wasn't expecting to find the right fit...but lo and behold I brought home this 2014 JKU Thanksgiving Eve 23 - it's bone stock, right-hand drive (mail route), and other than a hurt engine 100% complete. So...I'm pulling the plug on my big bad Dakota build...and taking all of its juicy bits of goodness and dropping all of it under this Jeep.

The plan. Magnum 360, tons, 40s. Gonna gut/sell/discard the Jeep's driveline and all electronics, drop in all of the driveline from the Dakota, and install a fresh yet primitive Painless Performance nervous system with stand-alone toggles and switches - except for the Holley Sniper there won't be a computer in sight. It all goes in - Magnum 360 with Sniper EFI, 46rh trans, Atlas 4-speed, D60 front, 14b rear - all of which have been tested and proven. Both axles are getting Artec trusses and the front will get a full-hydro kit with a 2.75x8 double ended ram, and Artec high-steer arms. A 4.5" long arm lift from Iron Rock Off Road will smooth out the bumps, and a full compliment of HD armor will protect the body...and wow - I don't have to fabricate 'everything' - I can buy every single bit of it - what a nice change. It'll be fully highway friendly, and a beast off-road, with lots of strategic armor to protect pretty much everyone and everything. It'll be about 10 times stronger than my Dad's M-38, so I'm calling it the M-380. Start jammin' on it Jan 24.

Here's what my daughter n me brought home Thanksgiving Eve 23; Other than the dash I'll keep the majority of the interior, but otherwise I'm gonna pretty much rip everything out of this -


...drop in all of the awesome 5.9 Magnum/46RH/Atlas4/1-tons/40" driveline from this -


...incorporate lots of the charm and dirt-simple simplicity of this -


...build it to feel and perform pretty much like this -


...and after brushing on Air Force Strata Blue oil-based paint it'll look more or less like this -


...and in the end it'll nicely compliment the wife's 08 JKU -


And like I said I'm going to completely remove the OE Jeep electrical harness and install a stand-alone, computer-less, dirt simple, primitive, and effective switch-to-component harness, mod the firewall and wiper system for left-hand drive, drop a nice aftermarket 4.5" suspension kit under it, weld on the Artec hardware to utilize the D60/14b, go full-hydro, and rock on.

In the meantime, if'n anyone is looking for a heavily upgraded 4-door Dakota with a legit SAS, on leaf springs, engineered for a Magnum v8 and 46RH trans, cocked and ready for your driveline of choice, including a fully reinforced frame, front/rear rock bumpers and sliders, full interior...lemme know.

- Sam

...Black Friday was particularly fun last year and parts have been piling up - the Iron Rock Off Road Pro 4.5" Long Arm kit arrived, and wow is this nice stuff. The lowers are 2" x 5/16 wall DOM, with rebuildable ends at the axle - the frame ends are rubber. A bunch of Artec hardware is getting glued onto the axles now.

The lowers are big n beefy -










I've also grabbed front and rear Poison Spyder Brawler bumpers and fenders used from Facebook, and Brawler rock sliders new from Poison Spyder via Super Shops. Painless Performance 21 circuit wiring harness and a hose of other items are just waiting their turn in multiple boxes.

I knew I would totally love the 'modular' aspect of the Wranglers...and I wasn't wrong. It's a Jeep thing, and I've always understood

Removed the doors...and I don't think they have ever been removed before. This Jeep is really 'fresh'. Also picked up a set of used JCR aluminum half doors (thanks again FB) including the uppers, and they fit just like they're supposed to 👍

...body off the Dak - pulling the driveline





LOVE this Harbor Freight crane -

All of the driveline came out easy enough from under the Dakota's frame, the 'roller' axles are bolted under, the cab is back on, and the Dak is back out of the shop looking for a new home...













...interesting view of the frame with the rock sliders and all - this whole thing is for sale, and any 4-door Dakota cab will bolt right onto it



- Sam

...swapped in a nice 'truck' Comp Cam, and since day-1 I've had what I consider excessive 'chatter' from the engine, and long story short the consensus was 'lifters'. I'd been calling around and getting several additional opinions from places including Hughes Engines and Scram Speed, and with a lot of unawesome lifters out there I had to dig for the good stuff, and that led me to Top Line Automotive/Hy-Lift Johnson. I was going to order a set of #5006 lifters from Hughes (who sells Hy-Lift Johnson lifters) but they had two versions, including a high-performance 'quiet' slow-leak down set #5006S, but they first recommended I call HLJ to ask about the differences and how well they would work for my 'truck' application. So I called HLJ, and they informed me that there is another lifter they sell - same as the 5006S but with an additional feature - an additional oil feed port direct onto the roller bearings (of which I thought 'yes, please'). These HLJ lifters, #2269SE, are direct replacement lifters for the Viper V10, which very conveniently also happen to be direct-fit lifters for the Magnum V6 and V8 engines...and yah I nicely asked them to put a set of 'em in a box for me . Granted, my 360 won't be turning the rpms of a Viper V10...but it will be spending a lot of time at very low rpms when rock crawling, and having that extra oil port lubricating the rollers can't never ever be a bad thing, like ever. They also offered a military discount and I got them for $34 each, which for anyone shopping around is really not bad at all. USA made, good reputation, and all the features of slow leak-down, and direct oiling - win-win.

One thing about Magnum engines is...it's almost impossible to get the lifters out unless you pull the heads (more specifically the head gaskets). There's a portion of the head gasket with alignment holes in it for the pushrods, which unfortunately makes it nearly impossible to get the lifters out - the lifters need about 1/8-1/4" more distance before they'll come out, and forcing them past the gasket would probably scratch the lifters - for sure would scratch the spendy brand-new ones trying to cram them in the bores....but I employed a very simple solution - got a fresh set of tin snips, cut away the head gasket material, and they pop right out! My new V10 lifters dropped right in 👍

This is the area of interference -




Cut this section of the head gasket out - problem solved, and no need to pull the heads 👍 . Yah you lose the alignment holes, but who really needs those anyway...

after dropping in the new V10 lifters I discovered the alleged cause of my 'chattery' engine - WAY too much lifter preload. I used digital calipers to measure how far the lifter plunger recesses into the lifter as the valvetrain is tightened up - from 'no slack' to 'tight' there appears to be about...wait for it... 167 thou (.167) of preload...which is about .137 too much (that's just over 1/8"). This alone is likely the reason the lifters have been so noisy, and only through the simple task of replacing the lifters did I discover it. I have an adjustable pushrod coming along with a set of 8" calipers, and I'll soon know exactly what length of pushrods I need - my prediction is 6.800 (6.941 is what was in it). The spec for these lifters is .030, so yah it was way off.

I 'restored' the engine - disassembled down to the rear main seal, and reassembled with fresh gaskets n seals, etc. In the process, the heads were inspected and surfaced - but I do not know by how much (maybe a lot more than I'd originally thought). Fel-Pro #519 HD head gaskets were used, but I've no idea how much thicker or thinner they are compared to OE.

A new cam (Comp Cams) was installed, which presumably had a lower base circle. The rockers and all are stock. Because of the cam swap, and because of the noisy chatter, on a professional recommendation I opted for .036-longer pushrods, which ultimately were even that much more too long.

It is possible the stock pushrods were already too long to begin with - even before I opened up the engine. Shaving the heads naturally brought them closer to the cam...but not normally by enough to make the pushrods too short - it's possible mine were milled more than usual - l'll never know. The fact is the pushrods appeared to be a lot longer than they're supposed to be.

Meanwhile the axles back from the blaster and ready for the trusses. The Artec truss kits are very impressive jigsaw puzzles - the attention to detail and fitment are the best I've ever seen 👍









And I'm using 'Steel-It' to pre-paint underneath the hardware in advance of welding it all up - it's a weldable HD stainless steel-infused polyurethane paint - neat stuff, and reeeeeally bad for you -

I'd been pondering how to mount my full-hydro ram for a very long time, and my solution came down to most pros outnumbering the least cons, and that meant mounting it 'straight-on'. I'm running my ram completely inline with the TREs, and the main reasons come down to this - when I'm wheeling the majority of my bonks and bangs to the front end are when the wheels are steered straight - not at max clock, so, I'm mounting my ram so that the stress of those impacts will transfer 'through' the ram and not 'against' it (the seals, mounts), etc. Any impacts to the tires will transfer straight through the TREs and ramrod right to the other end, and not at an angle which would hammer on the ram seals and mounts...at least that's how I figured it.

Plus, at max clock the outer knuckle does indeed turn less than the inner, so my street manners should should be...well pretty much about as good as possible. Tire scrub really isn't a major factor, but I wanted to prevent it as much as possible, and off road I think the impact-resistant nature of mounting the ram this way in my mind far surpasses having the ramrod in-line with the TRE at max clock, which until very recently was my plan.

Plus, there is more room to access the diff cover because the ram and linkage is mounted a little further away, bonus. Is it perfect, no, but it is good enough. Here's a schematic for how I did it -





To help me understand the nature of the linkage...I employed some of my favorite toys and built a scale model of my setup - when I saw how it was reacting I mocked up the real linkage the same way, and sure enough it was accurate. Lego's rule 😎

Think I have the pushrod mystery solved. My well-calculated eyeball math indicated a 6.800" pushrod would do the trick...and I think I was right. Got a pushrod checker (Speedmaster 401.1001 - https://www.summitracing.com/parts/SDM-PCE401-1001) and at zero lash my pushrods measured out between 6.759-6.763 , which with an additional .037-.041 will equal 6.800, and I am near certain that is within the preload spec for these magnum lifters (they said .030, and that was essentially an 'average'), and is also well below .075 preload which contacts the lifter snap ring clips. Soon as I get the e-mail back from the Top Line tech folks to confirm my math I'll be ordering a nice simple set of Comp Cams #7632-16 6.800 pushrods (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-7632-1), which should make my valvetrain a lot happier...and hopefully a lot quieter too.

Meanwhile, this morning (16 Feb 24) I got the front diff housing and most of the Artec truss kit glued together - definitely not my best looking work, but it's done, and done is good. On hindsight I think I would have run .035 instead of the .030 - I really had to crank up the wire speed to keep up with the heat, and I think .035 would have helped with that. But, it's done, and I didn't find any cracks, so now it's on to do the rear truss, and the last bits of the suspension brackets and such. Good day 👍







And with that posted this thread is up-to-date. More to follow

- Sam

alright - a week ago I thought I had the pushrod mystery solved.

First...is appears the problem the whole time was...wait for it...pushrods too long. The new V10 lifters went in just fine, but when I installed the valvetrain I noticed something very not awesome - the pushrods were 'contacting' the snap rings at the top of the lifters - the preload was so deep that the angle of the pushrods into the lifters was so far in that they contact the snap rings - even bent in a couple of the tabs (with the snap rings facing up - a pure coincidence - I'd never have noticed it if the horse shoe hadn't just happened to be facing up).


Well that's not awesome, so I contacted Dave at Top Line (and sent a couple pics of the 'contact'), and he and his tech folks indicated that there was way way too much preload. So, I put a fresh battery in my dial calipers and did my best to measure it, and if I measured correctly or even close to correctly...my lifter preload is .167 ...and my research indicates it's supposed to be in the .030 range, so it's about .137 too much preload - that over 1/8" too long.

As I understand, lifter preload is the distance the push rod socket depresses into the internal lifter bore before the rocker arm gets tight (pic below).


This is how I measured that distance: I started the rocker arm bolt, threaded it in until there was no slack between the pushrod and the lifter socket, and then measured how far the pushrod/socket 'travelled' before the rocker bolt got tight - it went .167 , which as I'm seeing is a whole lot.



My current pushrods measured out at 6.941 (which are the new rods that are .036 longer than stock (6.905 I think is the OE length)), which with the new Comp cam (and presumed lower base circle) I installed because we thought the rods would be too short. Apparently that was not the case, and was apparently an overcorrection. The original rods were 6.905, but, with .167 preload and a target of .030, I need to get rods that are .137 shorter, or 6.804.

I hoped my calculated eyeball math indicated a 6.800" pushrod would do the trick...and I think I was right. Got a pushrod checker (Speedmaster 401.1001 - https://www.summitracing.com/parts/SDM-PCE401-1001), and at zero lash on a couple different holes the checker measured out between 6.759-6.763 , which with an additional .037-.041 will equal 6.800, and I am near certain that is within the preload spec for these magnum lifters (they said .030, and that was essentially an 'average'), and is also well below .075 preload which is how far the preload has to be for the pushrods to contact the snap ring clips. Soon as I get the e-mail back from the Top Line tech folks to confirm my math I'll be ordering a nice simple set of off-the-shelf-in-stock Comp Cams #7632-16 6.800 pushrods (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-7632-1), which should make my valvetrain a lot happier...and hopefully a lot quieter too.

Bottom Line - get a pushrod checker and don't guess like I did - know.

Today's update:

well...the 'musical lifters' saga continues. It's always 'something' so I shouldn't be surprised...but this squarely falls into the 'well that's just strange' department...and I'm hoping it's a V10 vs V8 thing...

First off, I got the Comp Cams 6.800 pushrods, #7632 (289/302 Ford btw), and they installed just dandy - preload looks to be in the .030-.050 range, and in this hydraulic lifter equation I'm calling that 'good enough'.

But...(there's always a 'but'...)...I noticed there is a similar but less invasive 'interference' issue with the lifters' snap ring retainers and the pushrods...and I'll do my best to 'splain what I'm seeing, lifter functionality, and what I did.

BLUF: I'm using the V10 lifters, but with the V8 retainer clips - not the HD snap rings.

I am making the presumption that 'nothing should 'contact' anything else in the valve train equation. On the base circle everything is fine - the snap rings can rotate around in their grooves and no contact. But, with a lifter up on a cam lobe and the plunger all the way 'in' (engine not running/lifters 'bled down'/not filled with oil, etc), the angle is higher between the lifter and pushrod, and the snap ring cannot rotate all the way around without contacting the pushrod.

On a lobe, plunger all the way in, snap ring eyelets facing down - the arrow is where the interference happens when I rotate the snap rings around -


But rotate the snap ring up and around...and it runs smack into the pushrod...which can't be right...but again, these are Viper V10 lifters...


Now as I understand, with the engine running and the lifter(s) on the base circle, the lifters will fill with oil, filling the plunger area, and because the oil cannot bleed out quickly the resulting oil-filled lifter can overcome the valve spring pressure when ramping up, thus opening the valve, and repeats the process all the time (I don't really understand what the preload value is really for but one neuronal synapses at a time). But, when the engine is shut off...any lifter up on a lobe will initially hang the valve 'open'...and the lifter will very slowly lose oil prime within itself, allowing the valve spring to 'push' out the oil, allowing the valve to close all the way...which also pushes the plunger deeper into the lifter. If the snap rings end up with the eyelets facing 'down' then no problem, but, my concern is this - if a snap ring rotates in it's groove and ends up with the eyelets facing 'up', when the engine is shut off the pushrod will initially be fine...until the lifter bleeds down...and the pushrod will literally get wedged against the snap ring, like this -


In my mind that is simply unacceptable, and frankly I'm amazed the Mopar engineers allowed it to happen.

All I can figure is the Viper V10 engines (heads, rockers, valve train geometry, etc.) are different enough - something about the V10s have less of an angle difference between the centerline of the lifters and pushrods, that this is not an issue, but on a magnum V8, it obviously 'is'.

So - I removed the HD snap ring retainers and replaced them with the OE standard duty clips, and my assessment is that while the same interference issue can likely happen, the lighter retainer clips can flex a little and 'absorb' any intermittent interference issues that might happen, whereas the snap rings, cannot.

I don't know how else to do it, and I cannot see any way in which there can be 'zero interference'. It'd be great if there was a small ridge on the 'bottom' of the lifter snap ring groove to disable the snap rings from rotating in their grooves up and facing up - a 'stop' like that would prevent the snap rings from rotating more than a few degrees, but there isn't.

Out with the snap rings - didn't even unbolt everything - just popped 'em out and plyer'd 'em apart and into the trash -


...and installed the standard non-sexy clips -


Meantime, primed the engine and oil is soaking each rocker, so that's good -

Interesting. Do you think it is possible that the material around the eyelets on the snap rings adds enough weight that the eyelets are always resting at the bottom of the lifter, since they move freely in their groves?

The only contact is when the eyelets are at the top of the groove when the motor is not running, correct? As the lifter bleeds down, is it possible that the snap rings slide down around in the grooves so the eyelets are at the bottom every time the motor is shut down?

The next question would be: Does the snap ring actually rotate freely while the motor is running? If it actually pretty much stays where it was located once placed in the motor, and those snap rings are properly placed during assembly, what are the odds any actual damage occurs by any contact that may happen? Mopar has used this lifter arrangement for a very long time, it would seem unusual they would continue to use it if there was a problem with it.

it is entirely possible that my ignorance concerning this topic is showing up, but it sort of falls under the heading that if this has been a problem, I would have thought it would have been corrected by now.

I had that same thought, but I can't imagine the Mopar engineers use that as the stop gap from interference...but it surely is possible.



Correct - as best I can surmise is contact can only happen when 1) lifter is on a lobe, and 2) eyelets facing up, and 3) bleed-down allowing full plunger depth into the lifter



Dunno, but I do know that once everything is all assembled the snap rings/retainers are not even 'necessary' - the lifters don't need the snap rings/retainers for proper functionality - it's mostly to keep the lifters 'assembled' during packaging/shipping...and maybe for promotional considerations..."snap rings are way more awesomer" etc...



...oh mine too...but I am almost cursed with my attention to detail, and I know I have a very keen eye but it can't be that keen...

Plus...(and while I don't really think this is the source of the problem it's still a problem) - I just rechecked the pushrod length and zero lash = 6.764, plus .036 = 6.800, and I've been assuming my 6.8" pushrods were exactly 6.8", but I just measured 4 of them and they actually measure out to ~6.817-6.821....so my preload is apparently ~.057-.072.... - nice to know things aren't exactly as advertised . Melling sells a set of 6.792 rods...

Otherwise I'm at my wit's end. Nothing is that 'different' in this engine - no exotic voodoo or such. The only explanation is the rockers aren't the OE units and mine look just like OE units...good grief...

I'm going to return the Comp rods and try a set of Melling MPR-667 (6.792) - maybe they'll be the proper length...

the month-long axle weld-a-thon is complete

The Artec full-hydro mount isn't yet engineered to 'interface' with the Apex D60 truss, so that took a lot of time to trim the mount to mate up clean, and I made a top cover plate and internal bracing to reinforce the front edge from impacts -







once the ram is bled I'll rotate it back like this and install the cover plate for good -











rear 14b -



these mini-scalers are great at removing slag -

Also got the Artec high-steer arms installed, including bronze bushings and I cut small grooves into the adjuster plate to get just a little bit more grease in 'dere -







got this nifty luggage weigh scale to get 25 lbs of pull in the knuckles -



Now time to clean house, strip the Jeep, and bring it in

...come into my parlor...



a'rite - the tub is gutted, the busted up windshield is out, and the body should be off real soon -



I'm going to use the OE Jeep fuel pump/sending unit, and to do that I'll need a simple way to 'access/maintain' the unit without having to either drop the tank or lift the body. I found where the sending unit is below the rear floor, and once I cut away the proper area to get the sending unit out I'll make a simple access panel to cover it up - right 'here' -







Will probably do similar access panels for the same reasons above the tranny and t-case.

Meanwhile, the valvetrain is all back together and the engine is buttoned up. Ditched the 'torque-to-yield' intake bolts and got some good ones, and used new washers to allow things to 'slide' on assembly -

got a second chain hoist for my crane, which made pulling the body a breeze.  Used the pressure washer to remove about an inch of dirt off the chassis, and started dissecting the driveline this morning

booyah - it 'fits' . Got the suspension bolted up, engine hovering in place, and this morning lowered the body back on, and everything fits good - better than expected - the radiator has a quarter inch to spare, and there's room to adjust the engine/driveline placement 👍 . The extra room not occupied by the shorter V6 enables the placement of a V8 quite nicely...almost like they expected V8's to be in there 🤔😊 .

Interesting factoid - being a RHD chassis, the steering gearbox bolts up on the p-side, which means the geometry is all backwards, meaning the trackbars bolt up opposite of a normal LHD chassis, and so I need to buzz off the OE track bar brackets and glue on aftermarket units, probably from Artec - still researching lengths and such.

So - now to fab up engine/trans mount plates, bolt 'em in place, and connect everything back up 👍

The IRO frame mounts are designed to 'bolt' on, but I'm welding mine for extra insurance (just tacked in place for now) -




so the Iron Rock 4.5" long arm kit doesn't actually come with a d-side front upper control arm or mount - it's designed as a 3-link setup via the p-side upper only, which is ok, but the Artec truss kit includes the 4th link mount on the truss......and so being me I asked the guys at IRO to include a second p-side upper mount and arm, cut apart the mount, and grafted it onto the d-side lower mount in the kit, and welded it up with the other mounts - a mirror image of the entire p-side mount. Then attached the second p-side upper arm, and now I have a fully functional 4-link front just like I wanted -


this is the unaltered p-side




engine hovering in place...getting a wag at where to put it -


as expected, because of the longer trans and t-case, this crossmember had to be cut away - I'll reconnect it somehow later -


two chain hoists = good 👍


body back on -


radiator in place...and it all clears -

...there's more room around the firewall than I thought there'd be - have to bolt up the magnum manifolds first but I'm thinking I'll move the engine back another half inch and up at least 1 inch for more suspension clearance, maybe 2 -









the OE radiator coolant reservoir is right smack in the way of the power steering pump and serpentine setup, so that'll have to be relocated, but so far it's the only thing causing any 'interference' issues...and that ain't bad -

Exhaust is tack'd in place. Starting with the OE Magnum manifolds, used most of the OE Jeep system plus a couple sections of 2" and 2.5" tubing here and there, rerouted to go around the relocated trans crossmember etc, and will final weld after the rest of the chassis is done. Fuel system plumbing is next, the brake lines, then the body goes on for mods.

Gonna be neat to hear how the Mag 360 sounds with the Jeeps' muffler and resonator - bet it sounds good. Anyway, progress.







trans crossmember was moved back about 5 inches to line up with the longer unit (was at the blue arrow, now at the orange), and now everything clears 'clean' -






...eliminated a 'flattened' area here I think originally for track bar clearance -




also...if this is just not the kind of reading material enjoyed in here just let me know - doesn't seem to be much interest and I won't mind saving the time to post it...

Man, I like to watch you as you are working through the details of this project. Its not something that I personally would do, we don't have places around here where we can off road very much, but I have not missed one of your posts yet.
Your work is great, and has many details most build threads don't get into. I urge you to continue the process, there are many that are watching but are not commenting. What you are doing is well past anything I have experience doing, so other then a short suggestion or question, there isn't much I can do to assist in your progress past the point of watching. The best I can do is be a sideline cheerleader.

Keep at it, your doing great! Love your posts! I'm learning as I follow along. Gene

Most of what you are doing is way beyond my knowledge and skill level, but it is still worth watching. Maybe I'll learn something.

Another cool build thread by Mad Max.

i too, enjoy this build progress.
as with most things being modified, i like to watch, because i never know what kind of method i might be able to "steal" for use in the future.
please keep this going.

ok - just didn't need to clog up the forum if not really required - thanks for the responses

So in the spirit of making things easier to maintain, over the weekend I made three strategically-placed holes in the floor to give me full access to the gas tank, including removing the sending unit to replace the fuel pump - all without having to drop the tank (and cover, and armor, and and and), and I'll make three matching bolt-on trap door panels to cover things up -



First - sending unit. There's two braces that meet up under the floor, and I cut away as much panel as I could without cutting into the braces, just to have something to start with, and lucked out because I can juuuust squeeze out the sending unit as-is :thumbsup: - and I highly recommend the sending unit ring clamp tool - like $30 on Amazon and WELL worth the $ -





Next - the OE fuel level system uses whateverthehell ohms range (still don't know for certain), so I'm using a stand-alone 8" float assembly from ISSPRO that matches my gauges, with the respective 240-33 ohms rating; drilled the hole, and I can reach inside the tank and I'll use a nice ring clamp to secure the 5 bolts from the bottom -



here's a look inside the tank - there's about...I dunno...1/4" between the bottom of the float and the bottom of the tank...so I'll have a bit 'more' after the gauge reads empty



other side -



Next - return line. My Holley Sniper EFI needs a return line, and I got this nice return line kit from EFI Systems Pro - same place I got the Sniper from - great place and great tech support -



Float and return line installed - little heat and the OE plastic return line tubing slid right over the new fitting, and used an EFI clamp to make sure it stay's put -



Next - the main vent. Wanted to be able to access the main vent and fuel full/vent tubes, so out came the deathwheel and another hole in the floor is made -

throttle, brake, and e-brake pedals, hydrobooster/m-cylinder, and inner fender liner all fitted in place. Brake and fuel lines can now be installed. Also have a mind's eye of my dash. Progress (y)

This big hole had to be filled in - it's a cowl vent that I don't want, so I covered it with 3/16 plate which also serves as the brake pedal mount - works great. The Jeep had a throttle 'sensor' pedal so I'm using the Dakota's throttle pedal, and e-brake mechanism, but using the Jeep's brake pedal, all three of which were altered for better placement -









and with the brake pedal located, so then can be the hydrobooster and m-cylinder, and brake lines to the frame -



trimmed the inner liner to clear the brakes -



fits great -



and one of my favorite parts, the dash - this is a basic minds' eye of how it's gonna look -

fan shroud is essentially done. Chopped out the entire electric fan section and...using the same good ole' water tank as before...fabbed a steel shroud which bolts to the plastic so it fits like OE, and then separated it into upper/lower sections that bolt together for easy access to the clutch fan. Working on my favorite part now - the dash...

I have a radiator that I remember it coming out of a 70's truck but am unsure of its application. Part number is 3736949. Any idea what it is out of, I did a search but couldn't find anything. Thanks

in a M38 or M35 deuce...and this is what I came up with -



this is what an actual M35 and M38 dash looks like -

M35


M38


This is the actual dash 'frame', which will bolt to the interior -



add a set of simple 2" heater vents -







I'm finishing up some of the details and should have it bolted in place soon. After that...I crack open the box with the Painless wiring harness and then things'll really get sporty

It appears you have moved the instrument cluster over in line with the steering column, I'm sure you have already considered the following questions, but I feel the need to ask them anyway.

Will the moved cluster clear the steering column?
And, will the steering wheel block the view of some of the gauges?

yep considered the column, and no there won't be any physical or visual interference issues...at least none that'll be any issue. I'll still be cutting a channel into the bottom of the panel(s) for the column (the two lower/inner gauges (oil press and oil temp) are 2" apart to accommodate the 1.5" column - this is just the initial glean on how it is going to all fit together.

...woot! - the dash frame now officially bolts in 👍

Used duck tape to 'locate' the main panel in mid air, then fabbed the sides to fit just inside the a-pillar tubing and have it all bolt to the firewall, and here's how it all turned out. I'm diggin' it

...one of the nicer perks of making my own dash is I can locate in the a-pillar cage cross bar under the dash instead of over top of it ...


...and with the cross bar in place...and thanks to an extra 1.75" clamp from my Rogue Fab tubing bender...the column now has something to mount to ...






...and now...I've cracked the seal on the next major part of the build (emotions are TBD on this one)...

one thing that kind of bothers me on your build, is the "splice" [for lack of a better description] on the A-pillar down bars of your cage.
did you insert any kind of sleeve inside the tubes before this splice was done ? i can't see any evidence of plug welds a sleeve would require.

yep it was fully sleeved and welded - the joints are likely stronger than they were before being cut - I thought about plug welding it too but it didn't seem necessary. If after a few years of wheeling I find I want something stronger I'll do a full 'moly cage, but I'm not there yet - unlikely I'll ever need it.

that makes me feel better !

...working on mounting the center console and Atlas shifter levers, and made another access hatch to get to the t-case side of things -

...Atlas triple sticks, center console, Winters shifter, and heater all figured out -

Used Allstar suspension links (#64305) to thread onto the Atlas shift rods (1/2-20, 3/8 pin), heims, and homemade rods, then 3/8 yoke ends at the bottom of the shifters, then 1/4 heims for the doubler box - works awesome - SO much better than using Morse cables etc. Mounting the fuse block is next...







Generic Summit Racing heater, #991108 - should work great -

did you use the nylon bushed heims ?

...no I don't think so (honestly not entirely sure) - they're just heims I had in a bin

found a fun way to mount the fuse block - made a hinged panel that tucks up to the roll bar, then just loosen a thumb screw to release it to swing down and towards the driver for easy access/mnx -

cool - my local metal supplier also has large metal-working equipment, and was able to brake a perfect 3/4" lip across the front of my dash cover panel, and it turned out great - just some edge work and it'll basically be done.  Now there's tons of storage for any/all small gear, the radio, gloves, etc...and hey like 300 ducks - ha! (...no...)...

nice fab work on the dash.

thanks - I'm really diggin' how it's turning out -

Couple more with the defroster vents and GMR-25 in place - I'll have a couple dividers to keep items from sliding around, and of course end caps, but this is pretty much it -







...and here's my wheel, along with a simple way to re-center it after some full-hydro 'drift'

orbital valve and column linkage - tried to get the o.v. as far away from the exhaust manifold as possible -

Got the glove box lid figured out, made another access port for the t-case linkage, pulled the body back off, and now am going front to back finishing everything I figured out over the last couple months, the first of which is taking the tranny to a local shop to be 're-sealed' - it's leaking many places and I'm going to have my tranny guy make those pesky problems go away once and for all.
Also, just before deciding to ditch the Dakota and build a Jeep, I started noticing a significant engine oil leak at the back of the block, and the good news is...as far as I can tell anyway...the oil leak was actually coming from the intake seal, and not the rear main...I think -

Ok - time to make stuff purty before final assembly -

Manifolds are sandblasted, and coated with POR-15 high-temp grey -








Frame/axle priming in work -

looks good !
however, i have been meaning to ask you for quite a while, how do you post more than four pictures at a time, when i was under the impression four was the limit ?

Thanks, and regarding the pic count...hell I dunno - I didn't know there was a limit. All of my pics are hosted on Imgur...if that helps...

...got a lot of prep/priming/painting done (using good ole' rustoleum rusty metal primer and satin black paint), including the frame n hardware, gas tank cover, Barnes 3/16 shield, and front axle. Gas tank, front axle & suspension are bolted in -

...think I read there needs to be just a smidge of toe-in, so I measured right at 3/16 -







was able to utilize the 4th (d-side) ram mount by welding half of it to the removable plate for diff cover access - worked great -

great progress !

360, 46rh, Atlas, and front shaft are in for good - rear 14b gets sprayed today.

We're heading to Moab in October and I'm gunnin' to have it ready (at a 'minimum' capacity) for that gig...but it's cool if it doesn't make it cuz I can still take the wife's big 08 JKU on 37s, and either way I'll just keep jammin' until it's ready.

Goal dates are always good, they keep you moving towards them.

I am impressed with the amount of planning and the great craftsmanship you are putting into this project.

Keep posting, I'll keep following. Gene

me too !

alright - after a month of measuring/marking/cutting/grinding/drilling/welding/sanding...I have both sections of the belly armor ready for paint. The main core section 'interfaces' with the Barnes gas tank shield and carries the shield to the other side, and completely protects the t-case, and trans cooler, which I'm mounting behind the t-case. It's all 3/16" steel, including 20 feet of 2" strap to reinforce the long panels against 'caving in'.

The engine/trans shield 'interfaces' with the core shield, all connecting up on the trans crossmember. The entire thing is completely 'smooth' - no bolt heads or edges to catch on stuff - just the drain holes...if those really count.

Next, the exhaust goes right along the d-side along with a corresponding heat shield. I'll be tacking the exhaust together for good once I have some other hardware in place. Ok - pics -

Core Shield -

Engine/Trans shield (about 1" of gap between the shield and oil pan(s)) -

...one thing I neglected to fully evaluate was how to drop the belly shield without inducing undue stress to the trans cooler lines, so I decided to mount the cooler and lines to the chassis and have them 'hover' above the shield, making it much easier and less messy when I have to pull the shield. The main bracket is welded to the big rear support bracket, which is removable/bolts to the crossmember, which makes the whole bracket removable, making it possible to pull/service the t-case, etc. Still some finish work to do, but here it all is -







line clamps attached to a plate welded to the trans mount bracket -

...ahhhh - love the smell of oil-based paint - always takes me back to my early days helping Dad and my bro-in-law paint the Jeep . Belly armor is primed and painted - should be ready to bolt it all up tomorrow -







...and if I ever flop on my side this will be the view 😁



ISSPRO fuel level float/sending unit installed - sanded the tank at the seal to smooth it out/help eliminate leaks - put Gasoila E-Seal on the threads and cranked the bolts tight into the collar, and it acts like studs and won't fall out if I ever need to service the float unit -

Just an assembly tip - for those doing full hydro or any other application with a very shiny and perfect rod like shocks, etc., use a piece of leftover radiator or fuel line hose to protect the surface area from dirt, debris, and for sure welding slag -







Lastly, here's an interesting view under the 2bbl throttle body -

Man, your doing some really nice work.

The stuff I do is down and dirty get the job done stuff. You make my stuff look really crude. Keep going, its inspiring me to improve what I do.

...thanks, and yah I'll definitely keep going - I've wanted a bigger silly abusable 4-door version of my dad's 52 Willys M-38 for years, and this is it, both in form and primitive function, and to achieve that goal I'm trying really hard to have the custom parts look more like decent fabrication and less like fabricobble...fortunately thick paint helps a lot

...high pressure fuel filter is mounted in place on a removable bracket allowing it to hover just above the sending unit while also being neatly under the trap door, which I will raise up just about half inch to give plenty of clearance, both easily accessible from the floor hatch - just remove the right-rear seat and the hatch is right 'there' -






removable bracket to allow for removing the sending unit - works great -




removed a bit more from the floor -



and will clearance this lower part just a bit more -


Then mocked up the fuel lines and set the body on to check things out - pic from under the center console - sure is nice to be able to set the body on for fitment - noticed 'interference' between the projected fuel line route and outboard Atlas shift rod and cut yet another access port to enable me to maintain things that much easier -

...made a couple adjustments, and here's the layout. Both the feed and return are 5/16 EFI fuel hose from the tank to the throttle body, double wrapped first with DEI Vapor Block (pics) and then an outer heat shield from wherethehellever...




...and in the meantime...we have to have a new leach field put in...and they needed fill dirt...and we just happened to have a little project out back we wanted to do...so they helped us out by digging our giant hole...and we saved a bunch of $ on fill dirt - so now we have this to play in next to the rock pile



look close - there's a JKU on 37s in there...

pretty cool updates !
and you even get a "playground" in your back yard. now just how cool is that ?
i have been meaning to ask, how much weight do you think was added when you armored the underside ?

...oh I dunno - maybe 150-200 lbs or so - I still have to bolt up the rock sliders, armored fenders, and corner armor. And yah the playground out back is way more funerer now

so...the factory gas tank sending unit has a smooth (not barbed) output port, which has a connector fitting with an internal o-ring...but when attached it just didn't seem to be very 'tight'...so I deleted the fitting and slipped the 5/16 hose directly over the port, which went on pretty tight, and then an EFI clamp to seal the deal - should work fine





I'm confident this will hold up to 50-60 psi just fine...and simplifies 'everything' -


with that done, attached all the fuel lines for good, and might even fill the tank all the way up and check the seals for the 'add-ons' - the float and return line - make sure they don't leak. Now is the time ...

I wouldn't count on the clamp holding that hose onto the smooth plastic nipple. It didn't work out well for me. The hose would stay on the plastic nipple for about 3-4 days, then blow off, and the electric fuel pump just keeps on pumping a lot of gas, real fast as long as the key is on, until the electric safeties shut off the pump (it will dump a gallon of gas before that happens). That was on a street use vehicle that didn't see any of the vibrations your truck will see. What ever you put there has to have some kind of locking ring to keep it connected.

Back then (3-4 years ago) Orilley's had a replacement fitting with the locking ring. It had a short piece of ribbed steel tubing for the hose to clamp onto, with the other end that fit over the plastic nipple complete with O rings to seal it, and a new factory style locking clamp to hold it there. That replacement end was only about 3" long, and was around $10-$12 back then.

yep understand, and that's why I post up my progress - to get second opinions and/or other recommendations, and based on another thread the build is on I ordered the two below fittings - I'll know soon how well it fits on a JK sending unit -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GB2R77C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09494FV4N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

...so again, one of the main reasons I post up the many steps of what I'm doing is to enable the opportunity for others to provide feedback on better ways to do a thing, a perfect example being this really slick aluminum fuel fitting that replaces (in this case) the OE plastic wrangler gas tank sending unit fitting the gas tank sending unit. A guy on Irate made me aware of these and I already have it installed. This is an aluminum, internal double o-ring fuel fitting which appears to be a specific replacement for the weak OE plastic fittings -

Evil Energy 6an - 3/8 fuel fitting - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GB2R77C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Evil Energy 6an - 5/16 hose fitting - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09494FV4N?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

As far as I can tell this fitting attaches to the plastic output tube on my 2014 Wrangler gas tank perfectly - secures nice and tight to the stop lip -










and with these upgraded fittings in place the fuel system is 'done'. I did slightly 'scar' the plastic output tube with my exacto knife trying to get the 5/16 rubber hose off (that didn't make me happy) so I had to lightly sand the edge down for the o-ring to seal up clean; I was planning to fill the tank completely to make sure the float and return line seals don't leak, and while I'm at it I'll energize the pump and pressurize the lines and check for leaks.

I like that a lot better.

that IS a slick piece !
i'll bet that will fit other mopar vehicles as well.

I finally got the coils mounted. It took forever because I wanted upper and lower isolators for both the front and rear coils to the axles...but to my continued disbelief I could not find a source for a Wrangler JK/U rear coil spring lower isolator...at least not for the Iron rock coils in my kit that fit flat on the 14b perch. The coils have a 2" i.d. at the base, and I needed a polyurethane bushing that would both fit the 2" hole just a bit tight and have an i.d. that would allow for a decently thick post to center on. After several rounds on Amazon of buy/return I finally found bushings that fit the bill perfectly...in the form of Kenworth motor mounts .

Get the mounts, pound out the sleeves, shave off the dome (that rests on the axle perch), cut about 1/2" off the length. Then a friend machined me a set of 1" x 1.5" steel posts with 1/2-13 internal thread, welded the posts to the perches...and the bushings fits my rear coils perfectly -






I used a wood rasp on my drill press to make a perfect chamfer to clear the welds -


Fits the coil base perfectly -




steel alignment posts -




After I bolted them in place I noticed the coils have a bit of 'bend' to them - due to the angle I have my 14b at to center the pinion joint - not really awesome, so I'm likely going to modify the coil base to zero out the bend...

...the front coils were much simpler - a set of bushings from Energy Suspension did the trick with no mods, #9.6120G -

Built a bracket to angle up the rear coil base mount - works great - squares up the coil nicely -






before...


...after -


And thanks to a big beefy Artec bracket the rear track bar is in -



Front is in work, long with shock mount adjustments...

So I'm really happy with my Iron Rock lift kit...but the bump stops left a bit to be deisred, so I opted to go with DV8 hydraulic/nitro bump stops. Easy installation in the front, the rear needed more custom work, including a set of machined sleeves I frenched into the frame - so far looking and working great. Finishing shock mounts now.

pic of the extensions in the kit - they'd work...but I can do better -


DV8 nitrogen charged hydraulic bumps - should soften the impacts nicely -


...hidden inside the front coil -


My neighbor Ben machined the ends of the sleeves to accommodate the threaded inserts -










Go 'Merica!!

ok - after 4 (I think) iterations I think I have the exhaust figured out...at least the Y-pipe. To recap, 2" primary pipes into a single 2.5" all the way out the back, using the OE Wrangler 2.5" muffler (same configuration as the 02 Dakota had with the 360). There were many factors in the overall calculus, and in the end retaining a flat belly (no exhaust plumbing peaking out) was paramount, while also avoiding heating things up as much as possible, and ultimately I am bringing the p-side exhaust straight down and under the bellhousing and up to join the d-side. Might send the y-pipe to JetHot to gain maximum heat retention and limit radiation. Here is the y-pipe - working on connecting the dots out the back next.













this pic is at max compression - there will be a bunch more room at regular ride height...

Looks great, but its going to be a pain if you ever have to drop that transmission. Might have to lift the body off it get it out.

Nice job on fitting the exhaust into very tight areas. That piece must be a bear to get in and out of there!
Nice fabrication skills BTW...

thanks. Far as I can tell to drop the y-pipe all I'll have to do is drop the engine/trans shield and front driveshaft - easy squeazy - fortunately I shouldn't have to drop it out...like...ever.

But also...if I ever do have to pull the tranny...I probably will go ahead and pull the body off - I'm designing things so that will be pretty easy too

another example of the excellent fabrication skills you possess !
job well done sir !

IDK...I don't see cutting and replacing a piece of exhaust being a problem for you....should the need ever arise. I appreciate you posting your builds.

thanks - happy to do it, especially if it helps someone on their build

Exhaust is tacked in place - ordered fresh rubber isolators and it all seems to have just enough 'give' to handle the shaking and jarring while also keeping it located in place - should work good. Opted for a Cheery Bomb 'salute' straight-through perforated muffler for my resonator, and re-utilizing the OE Wrangler muffler. Taking a page from past builds I'm using the awesome Walker multi-layer band clamps to hold it all together. Now to weld the seams, send the y-pipe to Jet-Hot, fab the front heat shield, and bolt it all in for good.

...would like to avoid having excessive heat soaking into the trans bellhousing and surrounding linkage etc. so I fabbed up this simple heat shield - it'll have DEI Tunnel Shield II on the inside to reflect heat away - should work good.