Rear diff and swing arm

flatbed · October 26, 2008

I have the rear diff out, have cut all the brakets off the frame. I am lowering the diff 2". This is something that romoc and i have talked about. I have 29 inch tires all the way around so this should give me some good ground clearance. I also have the fuel tank out, it is going to work to get a sump to draw from in the midle of the tank.

rocmoc · October 26, 2008

Very koool Flatbed! Keep track of how much time it takes to do each part of the mod if you would please. Also any little tricks or tips! This is great!

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

Kinarfi · October 27, 2008

Sounds good, Don't forget to take lots of photos, I assume you're have some welding done on your tank and I would really like to see what you do so that when I get my new tank, I have some ideas on how the modify it before I install it. I did see that it can be mounted higher than it is giving it more room underneath it for what ever mods we make.

Jeff

flatbed · October 27, 2008

On the rear diff, the brackets to hold the diff have been built and welded in, (4 tabs and 2 pieces of 1 1/2 seemless tubing 180 wall). I cut both the stock brackets and tube off plus the reciever hitch. You can only lower the diff to about the bottom of the frame. The key is you have to be able to get the bolt out of the diff on the front mount by the drive line. when installing the rear-end you want the driveline hooked up before you start tabing it in. I have it so that the bolt will just miss the frame.

P S I recomend not doing this when your better half is around, This is a fairley new car and they might not understand the whole ass-end of the car being cut off. I had some explaining to do.

rocmoc · October 27, 2008

Fortunately, my better 3/4s is use to me modifying anything and everything we have. It is like Tool Time around here, more power. She does not even ask what I am doing, waits tell the end and provides her opinion. 99% of the time she is pleased. The purple walls in my Man Cave is in that 1%, three years and she still tells me she doesn't like it.

Thanks for the details,

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

Kinarfi · October 28, 2008

Fortunately, my better 3/4s is use to me modifying anything and everything we have. It is like Tool Time around here, more power. She does not even ask what I am doing, waits tell the end and provides her opinion. 99% of the time she is pleased. The purple walls in my Man Cave is in that 1%, three years and she still tells me she doesn't like it.
Thanks for the details,

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

The purple walls in my Man Cave -- makes me think of the movie Failure to Launch and Terry Bradshaw's "special" room.

You don't do any thing like that do you? and I don't want to know!!

rocmoc · October 28, 2008

Nah, special in OTHER ways!

brostar · October 28, 2008

Hopefully because you like Deep Purple or Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze, but hopefully not because of Prince's Purple Rain.

Cheers Mike.

flatbed · October 28, 2008

I am trying to figure out if i want to put the extra baracing on the rear diff mounts, the new tubing i used was some good stuff and i made the tabs shorter so there is not as much leverage on them. I think what i am going to do is run a 3rd mount so the diff is suported in 3 spots instead of 2 like they are stock, I will also save weight this way. My fuel tank that is under the seat had a bracket cracked on it. The brackets should be re-inforced with a strut on the top side of the bracket, I will also put some rubber inbetween the mounts for fibration.

rocmoc · October 28, 2008

I agree with three mounts. Spread the weight & any impacts hopefully reducing any chance of cracking or damaging the diff in the future. I even thought about adding a rubber washer in between the diff and mount something like you would find on a motorcycle gas tank.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

flatbed · October 29, 2008

I have modified the fuel tank under the seat, what i did was put a new sump in the middle of the tank, it is 1 1/2 inch lower with the suction and return line returning to it. Drilled 6 3/4" holes in the tank where the sump is, the sump is 8" x 8". One thing that i noticed is that the two rear mounts hold all the weigth of the tank so i moved those mounts rearward as far back on the tank as i could. I will take some pictures and figure out how to show them to you guys. Has anybody had a rear-end apart, it is no problem doing it since i have it out, just wondering if i should take it apart and have a look.

Kinarfi · October 29, 2008

When my locker wouldn't engage, I took it in for repair and I got to see what was inside the locker and how it worked, pretty interesting, but if you look, it'll probably cost you a gasket and oil which you'll probably want to change anyway. If you do, take photos. If you (you and all of us) are interested, I will create a site under the name of Trooper folks and share the pass word so we all can upload photos to OUR site. Heck I'M going to just do it, I'll PM the pass word to each of you who want it. Just let me know if you do.

Jeff

brostar · October 29, 2008

When my locker wouldn't engage, I took it in for repair and I got to see what was inside the locker and how it worked, pretty interesting, but if you look, it'll probably cost you a gasket and oil which you'll probably want to change anyway. If you do, take photos. If you (you and all of us) are interested, I will create a site under the name of Trooper folks and share the pass word so we all can upload photos to OUR site. Heck I'M going to just do it, I'll PM the pass word to each of you who want it. Just let me know if you do.
Jeff

Good idea Kinarfi, count me in.

Cheers Mike.

brostar · October 29, 2008

Nah, special in OTHER ways!

rocmoc, it was not Purple Rain was it. Maybe Royal Purple Oil?

Cheers Mike.

Detbohica · October 29, 2008

When my locker wouldn't engage, I took it in for repair and I got to see what was inside the locker and how it worked, pretty interesting, but if you look, it'll probably cost you a gasket and oil which you'll probably want to change anyway. If you do, take photos. If you (you and all of us) are interested, I will create a site under the name of Trooper folks and share the pass word so we all can upload photos to OUR site. Heck I'M going to just do it, I'll PM the pass word to each of you who want it. Just let me know if you do.
Jeff

I like this idea also, one day I will get brave to make some mods and such. After a year or so with the quad my wife would find me in the back patio with parts everywhere, and ask what are you doing. Good question because I really didn't know, but after enough times you kind of get the hang of it. I hope to make some with the Trooper, and I definently can provide pics of what not to do the first time.

rocmoc · October 29, 2008

Count me in also. Maybe the password could be purple!?

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

4x4x454 · October 29, 2008

I think its a great idea count me in.

flatbed · November 3, 2008

Finished relocating the rear diff. the diff is now even withthe bottom of the frame. I removed the lower shock mount and put a suport across so that the shock mount was leval. (my shock mounts where giving up) I put them back in the same spot, but raised them about 3/8 of a inch.

Took the rear diff apart to see the inside, i was surprised to see that it is actually a pretty good part. The pion gear has alot of teeth so you are ingageing more that one tooth into the ring geaar. It has roller bearing on both sides of the ring gear carrier. The locker works with a slide colar. There are no gaskets, they use o-rings in the case halfs. The outer seals on the axle shafts could be replaced with out taking the case out of the car.

The fuel tank is also back in the trooper. It has a new sump in the middle of the tank on the bottom. Both suction and return are mounted there. It is in a baffled area so that the return is feeding the suction when you are in a bad spot. One thing i noticed after i got everything back together on the fuel system is that it would not prime its self untill i bleed the suction line, then it picked the fuel right up. My pump is laying flat and i am wondering if it needs to be stood up so the air gets out.

I have pictures of all of this and will get it mounted.

Kinarfi · November 5, 2008

Fuel tanks, When the brackets on my fuel tank broke, I floated on styrofoam, blocked it with wood, padded it with plastic and in general lost it's ground (electrical) so I ran a clip from frame to to the filter clamp, this corrected some problems I was having with my gas gauge and also drains off any static charges that may develop. Still waiting for my new tank.

Flatbed, did you take any photos of your fuel tank modifications?

Thanks

Jeff

4x4x454 · November 5, 2008

Are you changing the angle on the shock? I was thinking of standing more up right this if my thinking is right will increase the spring rate a little.