1993 Splash in SC

[MagicMexican]

Just a helpful tip in case any of you ever need it. When removing the fan clutch from my water pump the other day,I used this technique to hold the hub so I could break the clutch free.

I removed 2 of the pulley screws. Then inserted 2 pins from the rear of the hub. ( I had some brake caliper pins from my father-in-law's Tacoma that were the perfect diameter). I then used a vice-grips chain wrench to hold the pins against the water pump housing. It worked great.

Hmm this is a good tip. The fan clutch tool from Autozone kinda sucks. And it always seems to be flared out.

 

[ericbphoto]

Since my last post, I have completed a 2-speed electric radiator fan install. There is a thread in the electrical forum with wiring diagram and schematic.
Click here I rounded up all the parts to renovate the air conditioning system, but that got delayed by the E-fan install and locked up brake caliper on front left. Fortunately, we have a family friend with roll-back, so getting home only cost $100 for the brake issue. Turns out the brake hose was swollen. New hose, caliper and pads fixed it. replaced hose and pads on the other side, too.

Anyway, I am hoping to get the air conditioning done this coming weekend. Everything will be new except the evaporator. 134A going in the new system.

 

[ericbphoto]

Finally got the A/C finished this past weekend - now that the weather is cooling off. It's blowing nice cold air.

I will check the pressures again in a few weeks.

 

[ericbphoto]

I am finally getting ready to order parts for my lift and axle upgrades. Going to be putting lunchbox lockers and new gears in both ends. Front axle is Dana 35, Rear will be Ford 8.8" 31-spline from 2002 FX4. I have decided on 4.56 gears.

Any particular recommendations on manufacturers?

for gears, is USA Standard OK? How about Yukon?

Lockers, I'm considering Aussie, due to price. But Lock-Rite or Spartan are on my radar, too.

Where's the best place to get longer brake hoses?

I would like to do c-clip eliminators, also. But I'm having trouble finding the kit for the 31-spline rear axle. I didn't want to have to pay for new axles.

 

[prerunner]

For gears, Yukon is preferred over USA Standard.
For lunchbox lockers, any of the three you've listed will do nicely.
Note that only the FX4 Level II had the 31 spline axles with a Torsen (gear driven) differential and the FX4 Off Road had a limited slip (clutch) differential. All FX4's I'm aware of used a 4.11:1 ratio.
I have a 2007 FX4 Off Road diff under my 93 but its a 28 spline.

I'm pretty sure the earliest FX4's (2003) were all Level II spec. But you should check before you order the locker, just in case. If the axle tag has 4L11 its a limited slip. Also probably a 28 spline...

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Ford-8_8-axle.shtml
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/ReplacementBrakeLine_Front.shtml

 

[ericbphoto]

Prerunner,
Thanks. The axle is from an '02. PO had the torsen replaced with an open carrier. I have taken a spider gear out and counted the splines. So I feel pretty confident about that.

I did some more reading this afternoon and I am really leaning toward Yukon gears.

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[ericbphoto]

Thus weekend, I put in my "new/used" dash. That gave me the opportunity to replace the heater/A/C controls that had a broken cable connection pin. I also cleaned up all the wiring I have added and routed it with the factory looms. It was a good time for general cleaning.

Just a few details left. I'll post photos in a day or two.

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[ericbphoto]

In case anyone wants to see what it looks like behind the dash, here it is, followed by the finished job. It's much better than before.

And the US driver has started getting his workout.[emoji1]

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[ericbphoto]

The fun has begun! I started rebuilding my new rear axle the other day. It seems like projects like this go much faster in my head. It took quite a while to get everything cleaned up. The PO had a bad brake cylinder and bad axle seal on one side. So everything was really gooped up. Lots of sludge in the axle tubes, too. I'm wrestling with adjusting carrier shims. the new gears weren't happy at all with the original shims.

 

[hoosier1104]

This looks like it is going to be a well thought out build. Keep up the good work.

 

[ericbphoto]

Finally got the rear axle ready. Today I started the rear part of the lift kit install.

 

[ericbphoto]

I slid the axle under it today and found out that the F150 U-bolts I got at the junk yard are too short. I also found out that the brake lines that I got with the 8.8" axle would not work. Between damaged places and wrong size nuts, neither those or the brake lines from my 7.5" could be used reliably. So I went to Advance and got brake lines to install. I then went to a spring shop and had new U-bolts made. Got home, bolted the axle up to the new springs and shocks. Then I got impatient and wanted to see how the new tires are going to look. So I stuck them on. Photo below with truck sitting on new 35" tires and 6" lift. Front is still stock.

I also have found that the driver side shackle and shackle bolt are really worn. The hangar is fine. So, new shackles and bolts will get ordered.

That's all I felt like doing today. I live near Greenville, SC and we are getting a good bit of smoke from the wildfires in western north and south carolinas. Headache and sinus problems all day. I hope everyone out there is safe.

 

[ericbphoto]

I think the width is going to look good.

 

[ericbphoto]

I have the front end almost completely torn out now for lift kit installation and differential rebuild/modify.

I also knew that the OEM wrap-around front bumper would not work well with 35" tires. So building a bumper has been on my list. Well, I found a good starting point on Craigslist the other day. I got this bumper for $50. The guy bought it to put on a Jeep, but decided not to use it. All I have to do is cut it to width, make a couple brackets and maybe reinforce it a bit in the middle since I want to put a receiver hitch under it. I would have spent more than $50 just buying steel to scratch-build a bumper.

 

[ericbphoto]

Looks pretty lonely under there.

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