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So I headed out yesterday at 3:30 AM for Portland, 200 miles away, for a meeting. I left the meeting and got to our house in the Midcoast area at about 7:30PM. I scrounged through the parts jeeps and jeep parts, and found Carls E-brake assmebly. Great, one down, one to go. I already had the driveshaft for the BostonMangler, just had to cut it down. How hard could that be.
So I get to the shop and clean up the shaft, looks nice. I took apart the splines, are pretty worn, but still functional, after all it's only a spare and was on the Scrambler for it's life, worked fine. I measured twice so I could cut once, had to take 3.25" from the shaft. I cut on the upward side of the bottom weld, used a hacksaw to make sure the cut was true and not skewed. Marked both sides of the shaft first so I'd have proper realignment and no problems. So I cut the shaft, and cut, and cut. Looked at the end only to find out it was solid, or so I thought. So here's what's running through my mind. Holy cow, these stock shafts are awesome, maybe I'll find a couple more instead of the GW ones I installed (had a pro-shop cut and balance them). I'm also thinking the 110 mig just isn't heavy enough to weld it back together. So I cut the 3.25" off the other end to find it hollow, what gives? Come to find out, there is a stub on the yoke side that fits 1.25" in the tubing to make sure it's centered. After pounding it out, I realized the error of my ways. Luckily I cut on the "good" side of the weld, so I can grind it down, pound off the collar, and use it to center the shaft back on. Just thought I'd relay this experience to all of you planning to cut your own shafts.
BostonMangler, It'll be another weekend on the shaft. I'll grind everything down at the house here, then take it to the midcoast next weekend and weld it with a 220 mig, it'll be strong and aligned. It looks new now, shiny after cleaning it up, want it painted? I have some black Hammerite laying around. Sorry for the delay.
JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205/7" Lift/33" Swampers/D44's F&R 4.10's & Lockrights
So I get to the shop and clean up the shaft, looks nice. I took apart the splines, are pretty worn, but still functional, after all it's only a spare and was on the Scrambler for it's life, worked fine. I measured twice so I could cut once, had to take 3.25" from the shaft. I cut on the upward side of the bottom weld, used a hacksaw to make sure the cut was true and not skewed. Marked both sides of the shaft first so I'd have proper realignment and no problems. So I cut the shaft, and cut, and cut. Looked at the end only to find out it was solid, or so I thought. So here's what's running through my mind. Holy cow, these stock shafts are awesome, maybe I'll find a couple more instead of the GW ones I installed (had a pro-shop cut and balance them). I'm also thinking the 110 mig just isn't heavy enough to weld it back together. So I cut the 3.25" off the other end to find it hollow, what gives? Come to find out, there is a stub on the yoke side that fits 1.25" in the tubing to make sure it's centered. After pounding it out, I realized the error of my ways. Luckily I cut on the "good" side of the weld, so I can grind it down, pound off the collar, and use it to center the shaft back on. Just thought I'd relay this experience to all of you planning to cut your own shafts.
BostonMangler, It'll be another weekend on the shaft. I'll grind everything down at the house here, then take it to the midcoast next weekend and weld it with a 220 mig, it'll be strong and aligned. It looks new now, shiny after cleaning it up, want it painted? I have some black Hammerite laying around. Sorry for the delay.
JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205/7" Lift/33" Swampers/D44's F&R 4.10's & Lockrights
