Here's some shots of the gap, you can also see the frame doubler.

 

Holy big pictures

 

1000 words

 

Yes folks that is in fact a Rubicon Express Boomerang shackle, I know that this build is taking a long time but this Jeep was in need of some serious attention.

So far I have installed a new PS pump and lines and I have also replaced the coolant reservoir and upper and lower radiator hoses and installed a new fan clutch. The forward leaf spring bolts are big time stuck and must be cut out, I already have new grade 10.9 replacement bolts, I just need to find the time to get down to the base auto hobby shop. But first I need to replace the rear axle bearings and rebuild the breaks as well.


This is what happens when the breather tube is left open to the elements.


but in spite of the gear oil looking like mud this is what my axle gears look like


I want to replace the inner seals as well, and this is the first time I have ever messed around with the internals of an axle, my question is can I remove the carrier and inner seals, clean out the axle tubes and install new seals and simply bolt the carrier and I presume shims the same way they came out with out messing things up? Or is this job more involved than that?

 

I also need to replace the left wheel U-joint and I want to permanently lock the 4wd axle disconnect. Any advice on doing the latter would be greatly appreciated.

 

Here's the mod I was looking for for what is probably the thousandth time here, f-ing brilliant.
http://emeraldgreen97.wordpress.com/...isconnect-mod/

 

http://comancheclub.com/topic/17377-cad-fix-1/

 

The hold up right now is the forward leaf spring bolts/rust hole in the floor under the right hand side of the rear seat storage area. This is the only real rust issue in the entire vehicle, I've seen far worse on here.



Near as I can tell the best solution seems to be this
http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/...t-p-20685.html

After I get the hole in the floor repaired

 

I finally solved the stuck forward leaf spring bolt issue, all I had to do was cut the spring wrap twice, the bushing sleve twice, cut out the rubber and then cut the rusted on bolt bushing in order to open it up and free the bolts, on both sides. The right side nut had broken loose and was spinning but I cut a hole below the nut big enough to slip in a 24mm wrench, the left side stayed put. The good news is that I was able to reuse the stock frame nuts on both sides because the bolt hole into the frame is larger then the bolt and the stock nut is designed to center the bolt in the hole, otherwise a regular nut would have to rely only on compression to keep the bolt centered, bad idea.

The important thing is that, minus the shocks (minor detail), the lift is completely installed! I will be posting picts later on this afternoon

 

Its sitting a little high in the front, presumably due to not having a heavy bumper and winch. Oh, and I painted the rims black.








If you have never removed a stuck leaf spring bolt, this is what you have to do to gain access to the 24mm nut welded to the frame, I used a dremel tool and reinforced cutting wheels to cut the access hole, as well as removing the lower control arm mounts, which actually worked reasonably well, especially in tight spots. I used about 50 cutoff wheels in total, but considering the amount of cutting, as well as the thickness and strength of the metal I cut, not too bad imo.






Unfortunately due to the budget sequestration my pay has been cut which has made this project very challenging financially, that is to say that I am looking into creative solutions to extending the stock shocks in order to at least make this thing driveable on the street in order to finish cutting off the lower control arm mounts at the base auto hobby shop, get an alignment, ect.
I still plan on getting the Bilstein 5100 shocks, it just depends on when I can get the money together, I have 8 hockey pucks for extending the bump stops, I like metal cloaks design with the flat head bolt and 1/4" thick plate, I really don't like the idea of using any sort of adhesive, but using a regular bolt would be the simplest option.