C4x4.com

I guess a good place to start is from the ground up. We decided to find some axles that Nana wouldn’t break. We choose to go with the Rockwell 2 ½ ton axle, like what would run on a Duece and a Half military truck. With a 2 ½ in the front and a 2 ½ in the rear, that should equal her height of 5’. Yes, that was a sorry “SHORT” joke, I know.

Brad located a set of Rockwells about 5 miles up the road from a friend that had started to build them for his own rig and then decided to stay with his 1 ton set up. The front already had the bottom shaved and the long side shaft and housing shortened. So we just pulled the chunk and put in the Detroit locker and replaced the bearings. The great thing about the Rockwells is they are already good to go with the 6:72 gears that come stock. Phil had already built the brackets for the high steering and the steering cylinder, so the front was not too much work.

Then we moved to the rear axle. Now the military sure makes some tough paint as it took several times with the paint stripper, putty knife and the pressure washer to get to the metal. Once the chunk was pulled and the bearings removed and taken to the solvent tank, Brad flipped the housing over and fired up the torch. This housing had not yet been shaved and we wanted to get as much ground clearance as we could. That is one of the negatives of the Rockwells, lack of ground clearance.

Once Brad had taken the torch to the bottom and cut out around the marks, it was cleaned up and a patch was prepared using ¼" plate. We cut another hole on the side of the pan and welded in a drain plug. Next the patch plate was welded into place and the weld cleaned up so it would be puurrty. Then the bearings that were found to be in good shape were re-packed, replaced on the chunk, and the chunk was re-installed back into the housing. Man, them Rockwells are sure heavy. They have to help with keeping the center of gravity low on your rig.

Then it was time to get the old body ready to start prepping. We rolled the old 95 YJ into the shop and quickly unbolted the body and lifted it up off of the frame. Then Nana road herd on the old YJ frame and axles which were rolled back out of the shop and onto the trailer to depart for their new homes.

Now things have been a little slow on the build this month as parts are continuing to come in. So remember not to drift too far away as things are fixin' to start happening faster as the pile of parts continues to grow.

Judy is sure getting impatient now that her new PRP seats have arrived and she is a wantin' that new ride to put them in. She is really starting to crack the whip. And you think your boss is hard to work for! Try building your wife a Jeep.

God Bless You and Yours
David Austin--WheelsUP