My Scrambler, Page 5

If you own a Scrambler, make sure you hit my Scrambler Registry page before you go!

Status update on Project Scramboneer:

(note - the V-8 swap notes are here, had to make a new page for it )

Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

15 Jan 01 - We have a plan that will have the Scramboneer set for the Rubicon in late August. Here's how it looks at this point:

Revolvers installed on the rear, same collapsed size and my aftermarket 3/4" lift Summit shackles

My custom dual exhaust hit the left rear revolver, seen here:

Close up of the fully extended revolver.

Little spacer action, all is well. It looks like the bracket's hitting but it's not. Bad angle, I guess.

I went from 27" ground to bumper with the old shackles to 31 1/2" with the revolvers.

29 Dec 00 - Went 'wheeling and it finally got hot. Put the fan back on and the needle hit the "C" - guess I need an electric fan.

6 Dec 00 - tuned up, runs like a mad scientist. Took the fan off. Still barely gets off the cold peg on a 20 minute city driving route, 45 deg F.

13 Nov 00 - New booster is on, stops great, but engine's way out of tune now! :)

I ramped it again, to try to illustrate the driveshaft/transmission interference issue. Check out the V-8 swap page linked above for all the info and pics.

10 NOV 00 - Well check this out! While trying to figure out why the brakes were terrible, I trouble-shot the power booster with a vacuum pump, no vac. So I've got a new one, this should help the low vacuum in the manifold and the timing adjustment (slight pinging when it's cold at 50%+ throttle). This thing must have been bad when I bought my baby back in '98. who knew? I should have! Look at this thing. Rusted from a master cylinder that leaked brake fluid onto it.

Wondering if it's worth $100 to change the "strap-style" yokes to "u-bolt" style? Here's what happened when the rear driveshaft broke out of the straps at 50 MPH:

"Strap style" yoke - note how the strap only contacts <50% of the u-joint cap. The strap is fairly pliable metal that fatigues, the bolts are allen head and can only be tightened so much before you flatten one side of the cap destroying the u-joint:

U-bolt style: the bolt is much stronger and contains the entire cap. They are replaced with the u-joint, so no fatigue. You can tighten these much more before distortion becomes an issue.

Here's what the straps looked like after we bounced the rear driveshaft out on to the ground.

High torque situations twist the driveshaft right out of the pockets that those straps are supposed to keep it in. The most common high torque situations are: slipping the clutch at high-rev, high gear ratios - usually axles, huge motor (that's me:)

Another note: my wife was driving at the time. The one parts upgrade that was automatically approved!

Cherrybomb muffler took one for the team - driveshaft spinning at about 1500 RPM came loose, swung around and hit it. If I hadn't run the dual exhaust inside the frame rail, the Holley electric fuel pump on the frame rail would've been done for - pressurized gasoline all over the ground. not good.

The front of the driveshaft put a couple good dents in the body pan after it came loose from that end.

I hear they like to go 'wheelin at night, so I got me some cheap foglights.

CJ weak spot - rust on the frame behind the rear spring hanger. Time to buy a welder.

20 Oct 00 I met with another Scrambler owner at Evan's Creek, we're going to start an actual Scrambler club in NW WA. Wheeling at Evan's Creek was a blast! it's really tight, lotsa crossups and a tank trap that put my fenders in the drink :) When you have mud collected on top of your intake manifold, you were in deep.

29 Sep 00. Went to the Pacific Northwest 4wheel drive association's Operation Shore Patrol. Very fun. Thanks to the Timber Tamers club for letting us follow them around. To prepare for this, I fabricated a light mount for the KC lights on the front bumper, and mounted two driving lights under the body, all wired through 30a relays. Shown here while I replace the windshield gasket. Cardboard on the hood so I don't booger the paint. I also mounted my CB antenna between the lights so it won't get broken. The yellow strap is helping hold the top up, didn't want to put all the weight on the seatbelt bolts in back. New mirrors from Quadratec too.

15 Aug 00 - We're at the new house. Scrambler towed just fine until we hit I-80 in Wyoming, then the ruts in the road started tossing us around a bit. Off comes the towing bar, and the Scramboneer ran 65-75 MPH for just over 1000 miles like it didn't even care! What a great machine! (we only got 11 MPG, but I guess that's what I get for building such a monster :)

So here we are, next is to pull the engine and rebuild the lower half (it's got over 140,000 miles on it). After that, we'll probably turn our attention to the XJ, it's looking entirely too stock!