Hot mess, a 1967 CJ-5 restoration

[gmwillys]

That's what happens when one responds without fully thinking it through.... Thank you Bmorgil for setting me straight. It's been a few years, but I should have remembered how it went together or at least looked through my pictures to refresh the file cabinet.

[davide]

I really, really appreciate Bob's exactness, but I knew what you meant GM.
The puller came in late last night, so I will get to work this afternoon to determine the gremlin(s).

[davide]

There was nothing that really stood out to me, so I will list some of the possibilities.
1. The backing plate at the 11 o'clock position is slightly flattened. There was no sign of this even coming close to interfering with the shoes or drum.
2. The output shaft seal may not be fully seated and is causing a minor bind against the felt seal. Note that the felt seal was brand new when I put this back together and now it appears very compressed.
3. The output shaft nut washer has seen much better days. Both sides of it are buggered up. I will probably get a new one.
4. The shoes showed no sign of wear where the drum could have been rubbing upon them. My hand rotations probably wouldn't have been enough to show that kind of wear anyways.

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Washer on order...

[bmorgil]

David, I would not use the felt. It was a good idea back in the day, and it is very original, but it just didn't work that well. It was intended to allow the military to run through deep muck, and "protect" the seal from that excess. It ended up trapping the muck and making the situation worse. It is very possible it is getting smashed in there and creating the issue. I would give it a shot without the felt.

gm you have it right, something about bringing it up to full torque is causing interference somewhere.

[davide]

Mystery solved and resolved. It did end up being the felt seal. There was enough compression against the shaft seal that it created extra drag when turning the drum.
I removed it, retorqued using the old washer and presto, no more drag. I did remove the nut again, took old washer out and new one on. Torqued to 130 now.

Yesterday I made my first attempt at getting the t-case bolted up. That was an epic failure. Discovered that the crossmember was in the way. Started to shore up the transmission and had to stop due to dinner plans.

Today I got the crossmember out and eventually got the t-case in. All was going great until I was on my last bolt. The one on the side of the case that the clutch cable bracket goes on to. Turns out, it is stripped. Aargh!! I really said something much worse.

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I do not want to take the t-case back out to drill and tap it/heli-coil it. Other than holding the bracket on, it serves no other purpose. My only concern is with excessive gear oil leaking out. Are there products (not JB Weld) that can be used for this specific situation? If I were to drill/tap that thread, I am concerned about shavings that I may miss when cleaning the case. I don't even know if I can get a drill in that area.

[56willys]

Just throwing out a random idea, what if you got something that could snuggly fit in as a plug (maybe even the bolt, lightly torqued with the existing threads) Coat it all in a really good gasket maker, and shove it in. I believe the oil level is below that point in the case when resting, but it will get a lot of splashing. Not sure how good of an idea that is, but it's an idea.

Once the crossmember is back in you could run a support up from it to that bracket.

[bmorgil]

David, I fear you already know the way. I didn't realize that was a "through hole" into the case. I agree, I cant see how you would drill it without getting shavings in the box. That particulate bolt is holding the motion more side to side than a direct pull. For that reason and the fact there is another bolt holding it, you might get away with your first thought. A good industrial epoxy on extremely clean surfaces and lightly threading the bolt back in will probably hold for a long time. Disassembly on epoxy is performed easily with heat. I have accomplished some great saves with good epoxy. You know how to do it right though, unfortunately!

[davide]

Yes, I have been mulling my options.
I thought about removing the PTO cover and laying some rags down to collect shavings. There will be a good amount and I would have to use mirrors and magnets to inspect and collect. It's risky, but doable provided I can get a 90 degree drill in there.
Our epoxy idea is much easier and safer. You and 56 brought up points that I had considered too. So now I have to decide on an epoxy. Even though I dismissed JB Weld, it may be one of my better options. There is also Loctite Locweld and Permatex Steel Weld. They are all going to work similarly, but does anyone have a favorite that has worked for them in this situation?

[bmorgil]

No question David, I would choose the JB two part 24 hour cure over all of them. It will hold golf club heads on and I have used it on extensively ported cylinder heads.

[davide]

I feel rather stupid about this but found that the bolt is a 7/16-14. Every other bolt on the t-case is 3/8, so I never thought to check it out. I had one and have the clutch cable bracket fully installed now.
Then I proceeded to waste 4 hours of my life trying to get the crossmember and mounts back in. It dawned on me that I have the small bracket between the trans mount and the block on upside down. It just wasn't my day today!