Lifting 6" is there a Monster Front Suspension

[Clubbs]

I just picked up a np205 from behind a TH400 today for $200.  Its all clean and just been gone through too which could be good or bad depending on who went through it.  Anyway I just need the doubler kit now and some way to shift everything = $900 from ORD... YIKES!  I guess this won't happen immediately but when I saw the 205 for $200 I just couldn't let it get away.  I have another 203 laying around in the backyard so I may start trying to mock up my own adapter plate, and just make one myself, then I’ll just have to order the coupling shaft from ORD and source some gaskets or just use permatex goo.  This is one of those wait and see projects that will likely be included in the next may as well while I’m at it wrench fest since the 203 case in the truck doesn’t like to stay in hi range.  That sort of thing usually provokes me to do major mods instead of just fixing the little things and moving on.

Last time I updated I think I had just got the 440 in the truck but not the trans or t-case.  I had to rebuild the trans and took two bad trannys and made one good one.  Or so I hope since this is my first time past the valve body in an auto trans.  I had a trailride date and a huge list of things to do before I was ready.  My list in summary was to install the 440 with the rebuilt trans, stick the np203 on the back of it and raise the back of the engine trans t-case assembly up so that the bottom of the 203 was flush with the frame rails. 

Sounded pretty easy but issues man… issues.  Believe it or not I had everything bolted up and done except I had to bleed the brakes.  We called it off at about 12:30 the night before because my test drive would have been driving on the trailer at 3 am, and one of the kids that was going came down with the flu the day before.  Here’s the saga:

Once I got the 440 in I could take some measurements and figure out how high the trans and t-case where going to stick inside the cab.  I pulled the passenger seat out and the center console too and cut the tunnel out removing as little material as I thought I could get away with.  I bolted my personally rebuilt trans to the questionable looking 203 together and lowered them on a piano dolly.  Slid the assembly under the truck and put the engine lift boom through the door in the truck and passed the chain through the hole in the floor.  Jacked her up slide my cross member underneath and bolted it to the engine.  It took a few more clips of sheet metal to get it all the way in but overall this was pretty easy, and went according to plan, which is surprising for me.  Then I sighted the driveshaft angles and sure enough with the 6” lift the front shaft was going to have to go through the fwd flange of my groovey new “C” channel cross member.  So I had to cut out a section of that but I don’t think I lost must “I value” as we say in the engineering field.  My rear drive shaft not only was now about 2” two long I also had to swap the output flange on the 203 to accept the 4 bolt CV flange I’m using.  This required some severe research and development and a few calls to Timken seals (who are very helpful with this sort of thing, I think they must be Dodge guys and understand the harships we go through as opposed to our chevy and ford friends).  Anyway with the right part number seal you can use an NP 208 front flange style output on the back of an np 203.  This just so happens to be the same autozone part number for the rear 208 output, which I suppose makes sense which is strange because on Dodge stuff if it makes sense then that’s not the way it is in reality.  So after I get my driveshafts bolted up I decide I need to fix the front driver’s side u-joint that grenaded on my last ride.  Well this was a mess because it wiped out the hub too and I couldn’t unlock it so I was yoke to yoke for about half a day of rock climbing, which as you can imagine obliterated the yokes.  I had to take the knuckle off so I could grind the flanges down enough to get them to pass through the hole in the knuckle.  I didn’t have time to part my spare dana 44 that night so I pounded and ground the things back into submission to be left with a scary thin section in some places and not enough meet to hold the c-clip for the u-joint.  But I tossed it back in there with a mental note to not try to backup anything steep because the “reverse side” of the yokes was really thin.  I thought I salvaged the hub but it still has not unlocked, my new ones arrived last week…  Once the front end was back together although not ideal it was together I decided I would start trying to connect the linkages on the trans.  The column shifter linkage uses a frame mounted bracket for a pivot point that had to unbolted and moved up.  I moved it up as far as I could in order to not have to modify the rod that goes up to the column.  I even managed to use an existing hole in the frame.  The kickdown linkage didn’t go so well, I soon realized that there was no hope of using anything similar to the factory linkage from either the 77 era or the 85 era or the motor home parts.  So I tried to make my own lokar shift cable from miscellaneous parts around the shop.  This went pretty well all things considered but it took about 4 hours, to get the throttle linkage and trans linkage to work right with the gas pedal.  I made it a point to use the slotted bar that comes on the carb side of the kick down linkage that is designed so that if the trans end binds up the throttle can still return to idle.  Like I said it works but you have to have a cinder block on your foot to move the pedal because of all the springs, that and the kickdown needs some adjustment, which is not very easy with my homemade design.  Lastly I had to deal with the booster issue so I bought a new dual diaphragm booster and a new master cylinder.  This was supposed to be an easy one hour swap, but the stud on the brake pedal is too short in my 85 to go through the 77 booster rod hole.  I had to take the brake pedal out (1.5 hours) and drill out the stud and put a bolt in to hold the booster.  Then something weird happened with the brake lines.  The front and rear lines use different size fittings, and both the 85 master and the 77 master have the same size fittings but they’re position is swapped.  I first changed the rear fitting and re-flared it before I realized this.  So I changed it back and put the front brake line to the aft hole of the master and the rear brake line to the front hole… not sure if this is right or not yet but it seems to stop ok aside from some air in the line still.  Anyway I dove into my parts shelf and found enough clamps and flexible exhaust tubing (I use that junk to extend my tailpipes for the emission inspection) to rig a leaky but better than nothing exhaust system together.  I managed to get my MSD ignition stuff to hook up to the single pickup distributor I stole from the RV motor and from what I could tell was ready to go.

Well all of that happened over a week where I started work at about 8:30 after my son went to bed and worked until about 12:30 at night by myself, I didn’t have any help after the motor went in the weekend I started.  Friday night I did the booster and had everything finished except for bleeding the brakes.  I had the trailer hooked to the ram, but couldn’t fire the RC up since I didn’t want to wake the neighborhood and still had to top everything off with fluids.  That was when we called it off.

The next day I bled the brakes and connected the battery, moved the pile of parts out of the drivers seat into the passenger side floor, climbed in, hit the key, and VROOM!!  It was too easy its like it had been run the day before.  Oil pressure came up right away I was stoked until I saw some fluid shooting all over under the hood.  Well that was a minor fuel leak but obviously could have been a deal breaker in more ways than one.  A quick fix and I was happily idling again.  But with the swampers flat spotted severely after about 3 months of sitting I couldn’t get it to move.  I was hoping the trans was low on fluid so I shut it off, and towed it out of the garage with the Ram.  Once on the driveway I started it again and let it idle in neutral while I added what seemed like another gallon of trans fluid.  I climb back in after checking the rest of the fluids slip it into reverse and the familiar Chrysler clunk of the rear end is just barely audible over the monster motor.  Again my confidence level rises and I head out for the nerve racking trip around the neighborhood.  I didn’t know what range the t-case was in as I didn’t know the shift pattern, the front driverside hub would not unlock still so I was 3 wheel driving with a locker up front on the pavement with the differential locked out on the t-case so that was a lot of driveline binding.  Now you have to picture this quaint little neighborhood with kids all over and people out in their yards who know I am “that guy”.  I come rumbling ( more like clammering and banging) my way around with this huge hole in the floor with these two meat grinder potential grenades of CV joints spinning at a gazillion rpm it seems, massive exhaust leaks that of course are dumping into the cab with enough btu’s of by-product heat as well.  And I never even got out of first gear, it was too scary with the three wheel drive pulling it around, the meat grinder CV’s, the extremely loud exhaust resonating in the cab, and watching the t-case move much more than I think it should.  Then it happened; I was about 7 houses away from home and something shredded and parts where flying in the cab, but I was still moving.  I stopped the truck and got out looked around, the neighbors are watching of course with who knows what going through their heads.  But it was only the 12V air compressor that I had just previously tossed into the passenger floor had got its cord wrapped in the front CV joint, which pulled it in and imploded it on the t-case.  I shrugged got backing and proceded the 7 house distance back home.  I tried again and managed to get to 2nd gear but the shift points are pretty high, so I decided I need to invest in the lokar stuff before I do anymore testing, as well as some sheet metal to keep any of the CV grenades from finding me when they let go.  I had to grind all the stops and really open these things up and they are well over their design angles now, so they will become my spares and I’ll get a set of custom shafts made up eventually.  Since about 3 weekends ago its been parked back in the garage, and hasn’t moved and other than pulling the lockright out tomorrow to sell to someone and putting the spool in that’s probably all the attention it will get until after the holidays.

Dave

[hilton8r]

I bought a 205 awhile back in hopes of doing a doubler. I'm glad I already have it on hand for whenever the funds are there to do it. That air compressor implosion would have scared the bejeesus out of me! Enjoy your holidays Dave. I spent most of Sunday dealing with a flooded back yard. I picked up another dog Friday evenening. He is a handful! I'm hoping to play musical cars to make space in the garage and driveway by the end of the year. I haven't even started shopping for Christmas yet! Time for some New Years Resolutions...

John

[Bill Cooke]

Never a dull moment with you is there Dave? Dodge, sounds more Duck to me... haha.

Thanks for the update. It was fun reading all that.

I did the "test drive on the way there" thing once. I did end of making it home but just barely. Now I try to make sure there is a litle test time set planned in any project.
You should get John to take a few pics of his exhaust for you. It was cheap and easy, two days worth of easy. We still need to put the "smog" pipe on it so they can stick the probe up her tailpipe but like you say, it's temporary so it's not a big deal.

Bill Cooke

[hilton8r]

I will take some pictures of the exhaust this weekend. Sooner if I'm able, but it's always dark by the time I get home.

You made the right choice Dave! I too did the trailer load shake down test run. Hauled the beast all the way to Moab from SoCal, and didn't get more than 20 minutes on the rig. I had driven the truck several times prior. It truly sucked that I had problems over heating, because it only manifested itself while climbing around on all of those rocks. It never once even came close to overheating on the street/hiway. Lesson learned. Not worth taking the chance without a legitimate trial trail run.


I want to check out Brandon's dual tcase set up. I heard it turned out real nice. I'm sure he has a ton of pictures and information. I just never seem to run into him any more.

John

[Clubbs]

Yes my exhaust definately needs work, so any pics would be appreciated.  I tried to think it through and left room btw my new crossmembers and such its just that my old 360 headers and the 440 headers aren't even close.  These 440 headers are really in rough shape, I even went so far as to jb-weld a hole where the tube connects to the flange because it was way to thin to weld.  They dont' have any means of attaching a collector really because the metal has been booger welded by someone in the past.  I think investing in a set of decent hedmans might be coming up in the near future.  There just so darn hard to get out of there. 

I forgot to mention that I ended up in the ER on one of these wrench fest too:  Since my driverside front hub was trashed and my new ones where not hear yet I figured that instead of taking the driveshaft out I would get that pesy vacuuum thing to work so I could disconnect the front end sort of and drive the thing.  I even started thinking about using a switch to direct the vacuum so I could engage and disenguage whenever I wanted to from the cab, so I could sort of have a selectable locker, but I tossed that plan while I was getting stiched up.  See that vacuum motor was rusted slam up because I engested water through teh bad seal caused by the trashd u-joint.  And I was using one of those small hook tools to get it out, you know those yellow protools that have about a 1/2" diameter hook that makes about a 3/4 circle... Well I was pulling on a rusted c-clip with it and holding the housing on the shop floor wiht my left hand being careful not to line up said hook wiht my left hand, but in the aggravation of it not coming out I must have repositioned and when it did come off the hook went into that meaty part of your palm that is really the base of your thumb.  Went in about 3/8" deep at the deepest point and pulled a gash about 1-1/2" long until it came out the top of my hand.  I looked at that and thought huh that looks like chicken I could eat that...then thought to myslef what am i thinking I need stiches.  So I went in the house got the wife to wake the kid up from his nap ( all my wrenching on the weekends takes place during ap time) and I proceeded to stain the sink red while trying to get the grease, rust, metal shavings, dirt, mostly the bearing greaseout before I went to the hospital.  All my fingers still worked so I wasn't too worried and they still do so surprsingly no nerve damage... Divine Intervention...  Things where going well until the doc said he was going to use saltwater to clean it out.  I said, " doc do you realize what wheel bearing grease is?, I can't clean my truck with saltwater, why dont you get some acetone..."  He didn't let me make any more decisions after that.   
Dave

[hilton8r]

A little acetone never killed nobody... I don't think   That injury sounds painful.

I'm on conference calls from home pretty much every morning, but I might be able to snap some pics during the week. Worse case, I'll take some this weekend.

John

[Sten]

I just say I do like to read your writings Clubbs. After I came home from some forrest work with my chainsaw at 15 deg. F  below zero it just feels so nice to take some time off and read your stories. Must say that I doesn't feel for so much work on my RC just now but later... Keep us updated and why not some pics too, it could inspire some others too  . /Sten

[Clubbs]

I'm glad my rambles aren't too boring, it seems as though they are rather long, but that usually because I don't have much time to give updates so alot happens in btw.  I'm on a few other boards, but I only use them for classified searches this is the sight I go to for insight and tech... so most of my online truck time is spent searching for deals....

AND


I just found another one

I just bought a set of CUCV axles ( know Chevy stuff) with 16.5" wheels with 36" RVT tires at about %50 tread, for $400.  And yes of course there is a down side other than the 8 hour round trip ride I'll be taking to pick them up.  It appears that the lockouts are shot, and atleast one hub and bearing assembly is trashed so I'll be dumping some coin into the front end outers before I'm operational.  But the 4.56:1 ratio is nice and the detriot out back is hard to beat, and to think I just finished re-fabbing my driveshafts to work with the 1/2 ton stuff.  Not only that but I just tore the front 44 apart again to put my 4.56:1's in and the spool...  I guess at least I'm not just getting done with the gear install this time.

More to follow

Dave

[Sten]

Nope, they are not boring at all.
Now you're going serious. CUCV axles did I search for a while ago and did found em too but was too far away, they was in TX. Ok, I think we need some pics of your progress sometimes...

/Sten

 

[hilton8r]

I love reading your posts Dave! You are a real do'er!!!

I've been running myself ragged visiting family etc.. But I've actually been able to spend time on at least one of my projects... I will get pics of the RC exhaust this weekend now that I'm finally home.

[KurtfromLaQuinta]

I'm glad my rambles aren't too boring, it seems as though they are rather long, but that usually because I don't have much time to give updates so alot happens in btw. 
Dave

I find them interesting also.
You should write a book.
Oh wait.
I think you did.   

[Clubbs]

glad my rants are good entertainment so far...

My latest adventure is not so exciting as it is confusing.  So my ram started eating the front right tire and I didn't feel any play in the bearing or ball joints so I take it to get it aligned against all logic since the other tire isn't really wearing or atleast not as quick.  Of course they say the whole steering system is trashed and needs to be replaced to the tune of $1100.  Thanks but no thanks I say and hit the road, but they where right it was shot, and only after 155k of Dave miles I mean its not like I'm jumping this thing every weekend, its mostly my pavement pounder and abused tow rig since I'm too cheap to buy a diesel.  So I look up autozone replacement parts which will cost about $275 thanks to the infinite wisdom of the dodge folks you can't just do tie rod ends anymore.  So I price out the enfamous chevy 1-ton tie rod and drag link ends and the 4130 chromoly from online metals (great place by the way) and of course the jam nuts and rh and lh inserts... And what do you know its a whole $10 cheaper.  So obviously I go with the custom fabrication route because thats more fun and I have this parts run pickup for a deadline, and we all know that if there is a deadline it always gets done faster so hear we go.  After battling the logistical nightmare of aquiring said parts in this far corner of the country (can you say UPS) I break out my reamer and go to town.  As usual the best laid plans go ary on the small detail snafus like forgetting to center the steering wheel good thing those where just tacked together and I had enough tube, otherwise I would have nascard my way on the part pick up since hardover right was just about straight before I remebered to check the wheel centered thing.... issues man.  But it was all worth it to see the look on the guys face that I took it back to align it. 

So once I got that back together at around 8:00 sat night I began the next logistical planning... See I bought these 1-tons: dana 60 kingpin 4.56 missing lockouts and one hub, and of course the 14bolt with the detroit and 4.56, and tires (junky no-name muds 35x12.5R16.5) and tires (nice shiny alloy ones..OOOOH never had such blingers) for a grand total of $400 .  So I no longer needed my 36x12.50R15 tsls i just bought for $400 so I sold those for $475.  I also didn't need the 4.56 gears and install kit (didn't get a front somehow) which I just bought for $175... sold those for $280 shipped (netted about $250), and I didn't need the spool I just bought for the 44 for $85 so I sold that for $70 (not as good of an investment).  So this all happened in about two weeks time.  The guy I bought the axle from lives in west palm beach fl but the axles where about 4 hours west of me.  So I plan to make the haul right after I get my Ram steering fixed as discussed above.  But during that time all the stuff I sold seems to be logistically falling along my route to the axles.  Here's how it went:  I pick up my buddy and his trailer at 12:30 Sunday afternoon, scoot west for about 2 hours drop the spool off at the guys friends shop because he is actually in Tennesee, I also had the guy who bought my swampers meet me here because he was heading north through this town, and we timed it perfect.  I left there and ran 2 more hours to grab the axles, tires, and wheels with a fresh $470 in my pocket from selling the swampers (easy come easy go).  We then headed another hour west to meet my buddies "deals" which consisted of a riding lawnmower who's previous owner was kind enough to pick up a set of yj springs for my buddy on his way to meet us, and we had another fellow wheeler meet us with a set of tires for my buddy's wife's expedition.  We then promplty headed back to the coast on our 4.5 hour drive freshly loaded with more junk at great deals thinking, boy did this work out nicely. 

Now I have to figure out interchangability btw d60 hubs and try and score some cheap parts, then get them under the truck, figure out steering again, driveshaft, hook up brakes, etc etc etc.  Still not sure why we do this but it sure it fun... most of the time.

Dave

[hilton8r]

That's awesome that you've found a way to make additional money with the economy and stock market in the dumper. A young kid who lives a few doors down paid for most of his Impala project with money he made off buying/selling part on ebay and craigslist. It sounds like quite the road trip! I've got D-60's and a 205 tcase. I hope to install a gear doubler and upgrade axles, but probably not until I redo the wiring.

But first things first. A lot of carb tweaking in store for CA smog. First things first. Keep on keepin' on!

John

[Clubbs]

I hear ya about first things first.  I'm so buried with stuff that needs to be done on this thing its hard to figure out what to do first.  I don't really have a deadline at the moment so thats not helping things go any faster. 

I also have a 205 32 spline input, etc. that I plan to do a doubler with the 203 thats in the truck now.  I was going to wait on this but since my 203 doesn't seem to stay in gear I'll probably pull it out, take it apart, figure out whats going on (hopefully) and see if I can understand enough about the bearing basket boss thing, the coupling length, etc and draw up my own adapter and have it cut locally, instead of buying the adapter from ORD.  But on the other hand, it may be cheaper to just buy the ORD kit since I'll have to buy the coupling, gaskets, etc from someone and plus I doubt I'll find a 1.5" thick hunk of aluminum or steel the right size and will probably have to buy a huge chunk of it.  $770 just seems a bit high for the parts they supply.  I think NWFab is cheaper but I've heard bad things about durability with heavy high power rigs, Jed's machine seems to have a good product but its 5.75" longer than the ORD gen 2 doubler (i think). 

I'm about to start parting out my two dana 44s and trying to sell two complete 9.25's, 3 sets of 5 lug wheels, my old np 208 and the small block 727.  I still have the other 440 but I'm trying to convince myself to keep that to build later...

The smog thing is a real pain with these trucks too.  I have currently found a loop hole in the NC system that I'm working through, but if that ever falls through I suppose I'll give it my best shot and if I don't pass then I'll just have to drive in the ditch everywhere I go... if I'm not on the road I shouldn't need a license plate right 

[KurtfromLaQuinta]

glad my rants are good entertainment so far...

  But it was all worth it to see the look on the guys face that I took it back to align it. 

 
Here's how it went: 

Dave

I just love to show the "experts" up!
And then get compliments from them!

Great job on the logistics nightmare!
That rarely happens.

[Clubbs]

"experts" they are indeed.  I went back in there the next weekend to have them balance my rear tires too.  Now this was exactly a week later, and the clerk person comes over while I'm waiting and tells me that their technician feels that I need four new tires and an alignment... here's how that played out

  I said "really? that's weird"

 "why is that so weird"

 "because you just aligned it last weekend"

"oh uh well you got alot of weight in the back so maybe thats why he said alignment"

"how about you just balance the rear tires like I asked you to do please"

"right, ok"

I was going to mention that since its a solid front axle truck the weight in the bed does not have any effect on the front end alignment, but I didn't want to go into that dissertation at 7:30 in the morning just so I could confuse the person.

Silly sales people always trying to make a buck... in there defense I do need two new tires and the back ones aren't great but they do pass inspection, but the "need an alignment" comment sort of turned me from doing $1000 woth of tire business there.  For my DD truck and wife's grand, and all my previous vehicles I have always used SEARS.  It sounds strange but I always get good (not the lowest) prices and the service has always been great, no scamming attempts, just plane honest work and I've had that service in Florida, Texas, and now North Carolina; so props to SEARS, to bad they don't carry SWAMPERS .

Dave

[Clubbs]

Don't know how the budget works for the rest of you, but for me the Ramcharger must be completely self supporting.  In that I can't tap into any family funds, which is all the better because I get to "invest" in other stuff to keep my project going.  The only downside is that I am usually at a standstill while I wait for things to sell.  So lately the RC fund has grown a bit since some of Dave's surplus mopar parts have been selling and I had to make the hard decision to invest it for long term gains or dump it over to ORD and buy a doubler.  But if I bought the doubler I'd be broke with little capital to sell to refill the RC fund. 

So off I went on the hunt for an investment.  And while I would like to invest in what I know ie Mopars, I find that the re-sale value is pretty lousy for our fine machines.  But on the other hand its common knowledge that a rotted out CJ will pull 3grand all day long especially in the summer.  Yes I know, its not really a mopar and its the iconic 4x4 that in my mind is the poser wheeler rig because there so easy to mod you just buy the parts and bolt them on and go wheel it... where as us mopar heads can really fab up a rig thats different, mostly out of neccessity and we probably hold a grudge to against the bolt on guys hence the negative conotation of the cj.  Albiet even still I've always had a soft spot for the old CJ5's.  So there it is on craiglist "CJ5 PROJECT $500"  to make a long story a touch shorter; I'm now the anxious owner of a 1980 CJ5 that I'll be picking up in about a week from Virginia.  The story is its a 4 banger 4sp with 53k miles and it sat in the first owner barn for 10 years before the 2nd owner found it bought and drove it home 3 years.  He has told me its rot free with no rust, has a metal hardtop, he replaced the driver's floor pan and the tail gate area and primed the tub.  He has the front clip of to get primed as well, but its all there and in great shape.  I'll find out for myself in a week, but he seems like an honest person.  Knowing that I'm going to buy it put it back together, clean it up try my hand at painting and then put it up for sale I keep trying to not mod it.  But its a 4cylinder I mean really... what am I supposed to do with that little hamster of a motor.  So I bought a 304 with the T150 and dana 20 for $150 and its even on the way home from picking up the jeep. 

The plan is to get the thing on the road immediately with the 4 banger so I can play with it a bit and see what shape the rest of the thing is in from a drivetrain perspective.  And at the same time clean up the 304 splash some paint on it, and maybe look at a top end gasket set.  Then take the body off yank the 4 banger out, clean and paint the frame, paint the body, put the 304 in it, put the body back on and sell it...So far I think I'll have about $1000 in it before I get to sell it.  Now my only trouble is to make certain I don't get attached to this thing, because its only an investment to fluff the RC fund.  I'll keep ya'll posted on the investment project, hopefully I can wrap this up in about 6 months and then get the RC on tons, with a 440 and a doubler back on the trail...
Dave

[hilton8r]

Nothing wrong with having a spare Jeep in the driveway! It's more Mopar that having a Toyota or Ford Courier in the garage!

[Clubbs]

its been a  long time since I've been on here, I even forgot my password.  We'll Im sitting here typing and rocking my 2 month old on her 4th nap of the day, and my only time to get on-line... but can't complain.  I love my kids and thank God for them and pray that I'm a good dad.  So as you can guess my wrenching time is very limited and not much progress has been made on the RC.  The jeep got home and I have since torn it down to the frame.  I fixed all the rot in the frame with new metal and just slapped on some high gloss black to the axles springs adn frame this morning.  I hope to get that heep on the trail this fall, but the plan of using it for an investment in the RC is dismal at best since my 3.5 year old has become attached to it and I found myself starting to like it which wasn't unexpected since everytime I worke on something I get a sentimental attachment to it ( except my riding mower, that thing I hate!).  Even my wife said she liked it better than the RC that is currently a perched carcus in the garage with cucv axles laying under it but not attached.  Its filled with jeep parts and surrounded with my extra 440 the 251 garbage jeep motor, trans and d300 and the 304 trans and dana 20 that will go in the jeep, the doubler 205 for the RC and several oil catch cans to capture all the leaks in that heap of parts under the hood.  So once I get the jeep runing and all purdy I'll have a light duty wheeler driver that I can play with, but that opens a whole other window or oportunity for the RC.  I mean why should I have two light weights??  I've been looking to trade my cucv's for rockwells, and my two 440's for a 12v cummins.  ofcourse i have no time and no money to do this with but I'm keeping my ears open for deals.  This is all in the planning stages of course but I just can't think of one good reason why I don't need a 2.5 ton diesel trail rig.

On another note my 3.5 year old little man has two power wheels one was a free truck the other is his john deer tractor complete with trailer.  Well the tractor was faster so the truck got ignored until we "juiced" it yesterday.  Boy did he have fun kicking up mud in that thing today.  I need to figure out posting pics for that one..

Dave

[hilton8r]

Yeah, kids definitely require a lot of attention! Especially at 2 months. Congratulations Dave!

My Dad will be in town in the next few days. When I visit him, I will bring down my Chevy C-10 that's stored at his place and put it up for sale. I'll use that money to fund the completion of something I hope!

John