Big Bad Wolf
New member
Thanks, it's been some heavy work on my own but it's slowly getting done.
BIG BAD WOLF Build ~~~~
- Thread starter Big Bad Wolf
- Start date
Thanks, it's been some heavy work on my own but it's slowly getting done.
JK Pleepleus
New member
Truly amazing... don't give up you have come along way on an excellent build up and write up!!
JKbrick
Active Member
Luckily I do not have to drive mine much, it's an 09 with 13,200 miles and sits in my garage so I have no rust. But I want to coat the inside so when I finally get time to start using it someday I won't worry about it quite so much. Hadn't thought about coating the outside of the frame but I probably should
Big Bad Wolf
New member
Ripping apart the Dana 44's
From here it was time to get the chassis out of it's current location and into the next stall (under the body). I'm doing this to have room to work on everything else until I need to cut off the control arm mounts on the frame.
I need to gather any parts that I can sell. Some of it can be refurbished and some not.
Starting with the front Dana 44 which I suspect is bent. Either one of the C's or the housing itself. My jeep was sitting smiling for ages and the axle seals went twice on the same side. This would be the second Dana 44 that bent on me. With this one I welded up gussets etc but It just seems bent. I may be mistaken, I need to look into figuring out for certain. If it's not I will refurbish it. Regardless the R&P and locker will be removed, along with the shafts. Heck, the knuckles are still good too.
I have Dynatrac Pro Steer ball joints. One thing is certain, they are shot. I will look into purchasing rebuild kits if I feel they can be refurbished. I was always greasing them but I guess it was time for them to give out.
The only issue I ran into was a major seized bolt on the wheel bearing assembly. Even with serious heat the head stripped off. My Milwaukee 1/2" would not budge it and my 3ft breaker bar was bending. Luckily I had some bolt head extractors, it worked with serious force and heat.
My Synergy Tie Rod needs refinishing but otherwise it's in good shape. I replaced both rod ends and didn't use it after so those are good.
My Tera Flex trackbar may need new bushings and serious restoring.. It's in solid shape otherwise, I may sell this and replace with another.
The Teraflex steering Stabilizer is shot, leaking and corroded.. This is my third one. I will be converting to hydro assist for this build.
Moving along, I removed the shafts from each side. For reference it took a 35mm socket to remove the big axle nuts. It took a 13mm socket to remove the wheel bearing assembly. I would recommend you replace these with bolts with larger heads if you are prone to corrosion, see image below. I had replaced the wheel bearing on one side and used the different bolts, it was so much easier to remove them.
The shafts came out easy and they are in good shape. The U-Joints will most likely be hard to get off.
I now drained the oil via the drain plug. Once the flow slowed down I removed the bolts around the Teraflex diff cover. To my surprise I discovered the dealer had broken off a bolt and not repaired it. I had the Jeep in under warranty to fix a locker wire issue... Talk about a lazy ass and dishonest. My warranty is over, I will NEVER allow Chrystler to touch my Jeep again.. haha. We all make mistakes but this mechanic tried to hide it using extra RTV sealant over the empty hole.
It was now time to remove the carrier assembly. I used a 19mm socket to remove the 4 bolts holding it in. Make sure to mark the locations of the retainers and shims, use a punch if possible. I now pulled out the assembly carefully with a pry bar and a block of wood. Just place the pry bar under a bolt head and with little effort it will free itself. Note, the tolerances are tight so unless you are superman pulling it out by hand is not so easy.
After pulling out the carrier I cleaned it up with a rag and brake cleaner. It looks like new with no metal shavings or odd marks to be seen.
Today I removed the Pinion and bearings/races etc. To do this I held the Yoke from spinning using a monkey wrench. Once the large nut was removed the Pinion came right out. I used a screw driver and a long punch to get the rest out. Note, I will not be reusing the seal etc so I didn't mind tearing it apart.
I then popped the internal seals out with a long rod from both ends, they popped out wit little force.
All that is left is the ball joints and I didn't have a press today so I tried to improvise. I cut some pipe from a house support and tried using a Hi-Jack. To my surprise will full force it would not budge the ball joints. I did not want to heat them as I want to rebuild them so I will try picking up a press and see if it works. I won't be surprised if they are seized. I used Antiseize on them when I installed them but it may not help. If they won't come out with the press I may be forced to heat them, I will contact Dynatrac first as I don't want to damage them.
I will come back to the rear after I pick up a Slide Hammer.
From here it was time to get the chassis out of it's current location and into the next stall (under the body). I'm doing this to have room to work on everything else until I need to cut off the control arm mounts on the frame.
I need to gather any parts that I can sell. Some of it can be refurbished and some not.
Starting with the front Dana 44 which I suspect is bent. Either one of the C's or the housing itself. My jeep was sitting smiling for ages and the axle seals went twice on the same side. This would be the second Dana 44 that bent on me. With this one I welded up gussets etc but It just seems bent. I may be mistaken, I need to look into figuring out for certain. If it's not I will refurbish it. Regardless the R&P and locker will be removed, along with the shafts. Heck, the knuckles are still good too.
I have Dynatrac Pro Steer ball joints. One thing is certain, they are shot. I will look into purchasing rebuild kits if I feel they can be refurbished. I was always greasing them but I guess it was time for them to give out.
The only issue I ran into was a major seized bolt on the wheel bearing assembly. Even with serious heat the head stripped off. My Milwaukee 1/2" would not budge it and my 3ft breaker bar was bending. Luckily I had some bolt head extractors, it worked with serious force and heat.
My Synergy Tie Rod needs refinishing but otherwise it's in good shape. I replaced both rod ends and didn't use it after so those are good.
My Tera Flex trackbar may need new bushings and serious restoring.. It's in solid shape otherwise, I may sell this and replace with another.
The Teraflex steering Stabilizer is shot, leaking and corroded.. This is my third one. I will be converting to hydro assist for this build.
Moving along, I removed the shafts from each side. For reference it took a 35mm socket to remove the big axle nuts. It took a 13mm socket to remove the wheel bearing assembly. I would recommend you replace these with bolts with larger heads if you are prone to corrosion, see image below. I had replaced the wheel bearing on one side and used the different bolts, it was so much easier to remove them.
The shafts came out easy and they are in good shape. The U-Joints will most likely be hard to get off.
I now drained the oil via the drain plug. Once the flow slowed down I removed the bolts around the Teraflex diff cover. To my surprise I discovered the dealer had broken off a bolt and not repaired it. I had the Jeep in under warranty to fix a locker wire issue... Talk about a lazy ass and dishonest. My warranty is over, I will NEVER allow Chrystler to touch my Jeep again.. haha. We all make mistakes but this mechanic tried to hide it using extra RTV sealant over the empty hole.
It was now time to remove the carrier assembly. I used a 19mm socket to remove the 4 bolts holding it in. Make sure to mark the locations of the retainers and shims, use a punch if possible. I now pulled out the assembly carefully with a pry bar and a block of wood. Just place the pry bar under a bolt head and with little effort it will free itself. Note, the tolerances are tight so unless you are superman pulling it out by hand is not so easy.
After pulling out the carrier I cleaned it up with a rag and brake cleaner. It looks like new with no metal shavings or odd marks to be seen.
Today I removed the Pinion and bearings/races etc. To do this I held the Yoke from spinning using a monkey wrench. Once the large nut was removed the Pinion came right out. I used a screw driver and a long punch to get the rest out. Note, I will not be reusing the seal etc so I didn't mind tearing it apart.
I then popped the internal seals out with a long rod from both ends, they popped out wit little force.
All that is left is the ball joints and I didn't have a press today so I tried to improvise. I cut some pipe from a house support and tried using a Hi-Jack. To my surprise will full force it would not budge the ball joints. I did not want to heat them as I want to rebuild them so I will try picking up a press and see if it works. I won't be surprised if they are seized. I used Antiseize on them when I installed them but it may not help. If they won't come out with the press I may be forced to heat them, I will contact Dynatrac first as I don't want to damage them.
I will come back to the rear after I pick up a Slide Hammer.
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Big Bad Wolf
New member
Thanks! No matter how long it takes I am determined. It's the 60's/80 that is going to hurt... And the motor swap.
Big Bad Wolf
New member
Thanks for stopping by Tree Frog! It's one day at a time. Yes it's beyond fun, a little tough at times but well worth the blood, sweat and possible tears.
Big Bad Wolf
New member
Draining fluids & splitting the Transmission & Transfer Case
I rolled into the empty stall and am ready to drain all the fluids.
I removed the engine with tranny attached, although it went well if I were to do it again I would separate it first to make an easier lift. The hoist can handle the weight but it's awkward as the Tranny and T-Case stick out like a tail dragging low.
Notice my tranny and oil pan were weeping, I will put new gaskets on and perhaps replace the pan as I dented it bad wheeling. Lesson, buy a skid plate for your oil pan!! I did it years ago, my bad.
Starting with the transmission I placed a large fluid pan underneath. I started by removing the bolts on the cover on one side only. From here I used a large screw driver to pry the pan to allow fluid to drain. Once the flow stopped I removed all the bolts but kept a good hold of the pan with my hands. It will be full so be careful not to spill. I managed to only spill a few drops. I only got one blurry photo, this is a messy job. Why they don't include a fluid drain plug I have no idea. Also note there is 2 Hex screws holding in the filter. The photo shows with filter removed.
I cleaned the tranny case and removed the filter. Take note there is an O-Ring that is removed with the filter, make sure to replace this.
I now drained the oil from the drain plug behind the oil pan. This was a much easier process.
It was time to separate the transmission from the engine. A couple of the bolts on the bottom were tricky but it all worked out well. It took a bit of force to pull them apart but not too much.
Please note the starter is held on by the bolts that hold the Tranny on. I didn't think the seal would break lose but unfortunately my starter fell and hit the ground resulting in some damage. I may be able to fix it but I can not trust it any longer so I will need a new one. Shit happens.
Now it was time to drain the Transfer Case. There is a large drain plug with a 22mm nut. Take note there is a sleeve and spring inside and it will pop the plug out with a bit of force.. Just don't lose the parts in your drain pan.
To separate the T-Case there are 6 nuts to remove. To access the two bottom ones the tranny mounting plate needing to be removed, 4 bolts here.
It separates quite easy, just take note the bolts are a little strange as they have threads on both ends with no solid head (see picture).
It is nice to have it all separated!
I rolled into the empty stall and am ready to drain all the fluids.
I removed the engine with tranny attached, although it went well if I were to do it again I would separate it first to make an easier lift. The hoist can handle the weight but it's awkward as the Tranny and T-Case stick out like a tail dragging low.
Notice my tranny and oil pan were weeping, I will put new gaskets on and perhaps replace the pan as I dented it bad wheeling. Lesson, buy a skid plate for your oil pan!! I did it years ago, my bad.
Starting with the transmission I placed a large fluid pan underneath. I started by removing the bolts on the cover on one side only. From here I used a large screw driver to pry the pan to allow fluid to drain. Once the flow stopped I removed all the bolts but kept a good hold of the pan with my hands. It will be full so be careful not to spill. I managed to only spill a few drops. I only got one blurry photo, this is a messy job. Why they don't include a fluid drain plug I have no idea. Also note there is 2 Hex screws holding in the filter. The photo shows with filter removed.
I cleaned the tranny case and removed the filter. Take note there is an O-Ring that is removed with the filter, make sure to replace this.
I now drained the oil from the drain plug behind the oil pan. This was a much easier process.
It was time to separate the transmission from the engine. A couple of the bolts on the bottom were tricky but it all worked out well. It took a bit of force to pull them apart but not too much.
Please note the starter is held on by the bolts that hold the Tranny on. I didn't think the seal would break lose but unfortunately my starter fell and hit the ground resulting in some damage. I may be able to fix it but I can not trust it any longer so I will need a new one. Shit happens.
Now it was time to drain the Transfer Case. There is a large drain plug with a 22mm nut. Take note there is a sleeve and spring inside and it will pop the plug out with a bit of force.. Just don't lose the parts in your drain pan.
To separate the T-Case there are 6 nuts to remove. To access the two bottom ones the tranny mounting plate needing to be removed, 4 bolts here.
It separates quite easy, just take note the bolts are a little strange as they have threads on both ends with no solid head (see picture).
It is nice to have it all separated!
Last edited:
Big Bad Wolf
New member
Not sure if I reached a limit for a post but here is an image that would not post. 
Big Bad Wolf
New member
Removing Rust from Hardware
For this I am using a product called Metal Rescue. I picked this up at my local store saving some shipping.
There is around 50 bags of labeled hardware, all must be cleaned.
After using a wire brush and a rag I feel the product did a great job. I let the parts soak fully submerged for 24+ hours. Make sure to cover the bath to stop evaporation.
The bottle says it will remove 1 half LB of rust total. I hope to pick up a few more bottles and soak some larger parts. The original plan was to to Electrolysis but thus far I have not needed to. I feel buying the right sized containers may go a long way. For huge panels one could use a water pump with some PVC pipe with holes drilled, almost like a fountain/sprinkler... But this is another story.
For this I am using a product called Metal Rescue. I picked this up at my local store saving some shipping.
There is around 50 bags of labeled hardware, all must be cleaned.
After using a wire brush and a rag I feel the product did a great job. I let the parts soak fully submerged for 24+ hours. Make sure to cover the bath to stop evaporation.
The bottle says it will remove 1 half LB of rust total. I hope to pick up a few more bottles and soak some larger parts. The original plan was to to Electrolysis but thus far I have not needed to. I feel buying the right sized containers may go a long way. For huge panels one could use a water pump with some PVC pipe with holes drilled, almost like a fountain/sprinkler... But this is another story.
Tree Frog
Member
I am learning so much from reading this thread. Excellent write up and photos.
Just can not believe how much rust is on everything. My 40 year old pickup does not have anywhere near this much rust. That climate must be brutal up there.
Note: Nick our Napa auto parts store used to sell a drain plug that you could punch through your tranny pan and put it on. From then on you would have a drain plug.
Just can not believe how much rust is on everything. My 40 year old pickup does not have anywhere near this much rust. That climate must be brutal up there.
Note: Nick our Napa auto parts store used to sell a drain plug that you could punch through your tranny pan and put it on. From then on you would have a drain plug.
Big Bad Wolf
New member
Glad to hear you find the thread useful!
I will certainly look into the drain plug, thanks.
The rust issue is not like this everywhere in the country, my province just likes to use salt on the roads in the winter time. My new Jeep will NEVER be winter driven.
A couple other factors that would certainly play a role in my access rust, I drove in the salty ocean water a bunch of times.. I will never do this again, I honestly knew no better. Secondly I can see the ocean from my living room window and the Jeep sat for a couple years. I'm sure the salt in the air did not help. And lastly, I failed to do any rust proventive coating for like 3-4 years. I have learned my lessons and my Jeep will never have rust again.
I took more photos today, I will continue later.
Cheers.
GraniteCrystal
New member
Wow, you're freaking crazy but good for you. Keep at it! This is one bold project.
NecessaryEvil
Caught the Bug
Wow, you are going all out! Pretty awesome. Keep up the awesome work bro. You can definitely use a good welder around that garage.
Big Bad Wolf
New member
Thanks guys!
I have slowed down with the build as I'm working on a truck I obtained which is my DD right now.
I have Poison Spyder rear corners and my long arm kit on the way.
The plan was to tackle the body first but when the cold weather hits painting goes out the window in my garage. I was thinking of building an enclosure around the body and heating it but that may be a bit much.
I was thinking if I get a welder I could weld all winter and be good enough (maybe) to do real fab work next season. I just cringe at the throught of not having a pipe bender etc.
As much as I want this build complete I don't have 45k to slam down at the moment.
I have a PDF file of all the parts I want. I may see if I can post details somehow.
This build WILL happen!! One dollar at a time, I don't care... I am determined!
Cheers.
I have slowed down with the build as I'm working on a truck I obtained which is my DD right now.
I have Poison Spyder rear corners and my long arm kit on the way.
The plan was to tackle the body first but when the cold weather hits painting goes out the window in my garage. I was thinking of building an enclosure around the body and heating it but that may be a bit much.
I was thinking if I get a welder I could weld all winter and be good enough (maybe) to do real fab work next season. I just cringe at the throught of not having a pipe bender etc.
As much as I want this build complete I don't have 45k to slam down at the moment.
I have a PDF file of all the parts I want. I may see if I can post details somehow.
This build WILL happen!! One dollar at a time, I don't care... I am determined!
Cheers.
Draconianwinter
New member
Dude that's absolutely crazy. Definitely going to be one hell of a jeep though. Will definitely be following this. One thing is a fact. No one can ever say you even remotely half assed this build. Madu take a bit to get her all back together but I can't wait to see how she turns out.
Big Bad Wolf
New member
Thanks!
This may sound lame but I have put my heart and soul into this build so far.
For those of us that don't have fat stacks of $$ laying around I'm sure you can understand the sacrifice in this area too.
Draconianwinter
New member
Oh I definitely do understand. I wish I had the room to do something like this. If I had I would never have sold my old cj7