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I decided it was probably time to start prepping the rear axle.
I dragged it out and began the teardown. I scrapped everything except the housing and gears.
Those drum brakes aren’t going back on, either!
The original 8.25 rear from this Jeep. It had been leaning against the wall, untouched for over a year.
A peek into the garage! I’ve gotten so used to the sight of random parts scattered everywhere.
Last edited by mikecorrell; May 16, 2022 at 07:09 PM.
You have me thinking I should start on my front axle swap. I was going to give the vehicle a good cleaning and work the paint over with various compounds to get it looking as good as I can. However, April is here and that usually means 40 days and 40 nights of rain.
I may as well park it in the garage and start the swap.
You have me thinking I should start on my front axle swap. I was going to give the vehicle a good cleaning and work the paint over with various compounds to get it looking as good as I can. However, April is here and that usually means 40 days and 40 nights of rain.
I may as well park it in the garage and start the swap.
Sounds like a fun thing to chip away at! Get ready for that nice weather coming.
The original oil pan had some damage on the mating surface, so I decided not to reuse it. I considered pulling one from the junkyard but decided it would suck a lot less to just order one and have it shipped to my door.
I found this one on eBay for about 50 bucks. Used eBay oil pan
Ready for installation
What a mess..
Pulled my cowl off to vacuum up some of the sand and dust, only to break a piece off. I pulled one from the junkyard only to get home and realized I had pulled one from a right-hand drive Jeep and it would not work on a LHD.
I also snagged some rear caliper bracket assemblies from a Liberty while I was at the junkyard. There is not much useable here besides the cast bracket. I plan to sandblast these of course.
Jeep Liberty rear caliper brackets
Last edited by mikecorrell; Jul 6, 2022 at 08:18 PM.
Prepping for the transmission install, I found only one thing in the way: the dipstick tube.
Apparently, the tube is supposed to come apart in two pieces. After a can of penetrating oil, heat from a propane torch and some twisting, I managed to get it off in one piece.
Neat. Guess I’ll have to grab a pan and dipstick on the next junkyard trip.
Transmission is ready to go in!
I researched some before attempting to install the transmission. Each source I read had mentioned the same thing when aligning the engine and transmission:
Be absolutely sure the torque converter is fully seated.
When I installed the torque converter, I slid it on and gave it a firm shove, thinking that was enough.
After struggling to align the engine and transmission for over an hour with help from a friend, we realized I actually hadn’t fully seated it. Gave it a turn and it pressed in another inch or so. Problem solved!
A view of my incorrectly seated torque converter
Last edited by mikecorrell; Mar 27, 2023 at 10:58 PM.
The wiring is wonderfully easy to connect on this swap. These are two of the three electrical connectors involved.
Transfer case installed.
The third connector is the speed sensor, which was just about a foot too short to reach the end of the transfer case.
A couple years back, I chopped a ten foot long piece of wiring harness from a cargo van at the junkyard. They only charged me 5 bucks for it. I now have more spare wire than I’ll use in a lifetime, in a wide variety of colors.
I find soldering to be the most satisfying way to connect wires.
Wires lengthened
Last edited by mikecorrell; May 16, 2022 at 07:10 PM.
I decided to go with Iron Rock Off-road for a long arm kit and suspension lift. I went with a 4” lift with their 3-link Rock Link long arm setup.
The design and build quality of the long arm kit is excellent.
Iron Rock Off-road Rock Link 4” lift
Very impressed with the ruggedness of the control arm flex joints.
My first issue in installing the kit arose when I realized I was given 2 passenger side control arm mounts instead of a driver and passenger. I emailed Iron Rock and they resolved the issue by sending me the correct mount. I received it in just two days.
While I was waiting for the part to arrive, I began sandblasting the rear axle to prep for paint.
I am impressed with Iron Rock’s product quality and customer service!
Rock Link crossmember installed.
I had to trim some more of the control arm mount to clear the upper control arm
I also had to drill larger clearance holes for my axle-end control arm mounts.
Iron Rock’s adjustable track bar
Front axle and control arms installed
First coat of POR-15 on the rear axle
Replacing rear axle bearings and seals
Last edited by mikecorrell; Apr 12, 2024 at 09:17 AM.
Bit the bullet and got some Bilsteins. A flag nut kit came in handy for the rear shocks.
Nice detail on the IRO shackles
Went to the junkyard fully prepared to have a miserable day pulling a transmission pan, turns out it was my lucky day! Someone already did the work for me!
Prepping the pan for sandblasting
Painted and installed! The transmission is ready for fluid now.
Last edited by mikecorrell; Oct 31, 2022 at 10:51 PM.
I attempted to save money by flaring my own piece of brake line for the driver's side rear caliper. I rented a double flaring kit to use with some brake line I had saved. I ended up shearing the bolts on the flaring bar after trying to tighten them enough to keep the brake line from sliding through when I attempted to press in the flaring insert. After ruining 2 more rental kits the same way, I decided to buy a 20" long piece of pre-flared line. Perfect fit. This is one of those "simple" tasks that eats up an entire day when things don't go as planned.
The brake hoses used here are for a stock Jeep Liberty KJ. I modified the bracket by drilling out the mounting hole to 1/2" so I could slide it over one of the U-bolts. I will add a nut here to secure the hose later.
I am also skipping the installation of a parking brake for the time being.
Brakeline setup
Proportioning valve and spring from a ZJ Grand Cherokee. This is important for sending the right proportion of brake fluid to the rear discs.
