Aerostar 4X4

[Rulebreaker]

Can you just use a piece of regular pipe or does it have to be a certain kind? I have to redo my front driveshaft to work with my new manual t-case.

Every driveshaft I've cut open has been regular pipe. I always thought it was something special or DOM but NOT. The local steel provider had tons of pipe for my front shaft. Are you needing to lengthen it? RB

 

[91exploreron37]

Yea people were telling me that its square on the inside or something. Well actually since I cant find a manual 1354 T-case anywhere I have to use a 1350 and the driveshaft that goes with it but its too long so I was going to cut the required amount out of the middle and then slide a small piece of pipe over the two halves and weld it on both sides. Do you think that is sufficient? I figured it doesnt have to balanced since im never in 4 wheel drive on the street.

 

[Rulebreaker]

Yea people were telling me that its square on the inside or something. Well actually since I cant find a manual 1354 T-case anywhere I have to use a 1350 and the driveshaft that goes with it but its too long so I was going to cut the required amount out of the middle and then slide a small piece of pipe over the two halves and weld it on both sides. Do you think that is sufficient? I figured it doesnt have to balanced since im never in 4 wheel drive on the street.

If you look where the tube meets the yoke you will see a weld. I would take a grinder and put a 1/16" cut off wheel in it and cut into the weld and threw the pipe. You can cut into the yoke a little with no harm. Then pull the yoke out and cut the pipe to length. Slide the yoke back in and re weld it. you may need to put a slit in the pipe in order to pull the yoke out. The yoke is only in the pipe only like a 1/2 inch.RB

 

[Loanranger]

Like RB said, it's really easy to shorten this way. What I did is carefully grind the weld smooth down to the surface of the yolk, then cut the weld with a cutoff wheel till you see a crack in the bottom of the grind. Once you're all the way around, smack it with a hammer and the yolk should fall right out.
If it's got a slipyoke, and you're shortening it, take your extra out of the end.

For lengthening, use the same procedure, and I used some DOM tube for the new piece, cost me $40 for the tube.

extended on top, stock on bottom.

One important thing is to make sure your ends are in phase, or completely parallel to each other. If you have a semi flat floor in the garage, you can set them both on the floor flat and press it together. For a halfass balance job, I took and raised the front tires off the ground, put the transfercase in neutral, and bolted the driveline in before welding. This way I could spin the tires, and watch for any wobble. Just use a chunk of wood to smack the ends till it doesn't wobble, then tack it. Take the shaft out, put it on a couple blocks of wood, so you can roll it for the final weld, and you should be good to go.

 

[91exploreron37]

Thanks for all of your help thats looks like a better way than what I was originally going to do.

 

[Rulebreaker]

I got all my parts from the Graveyard and from Vally truck yesterday! I've got the shocks in and am working on the front axle now. RB

 

[Rulebreaker]

Man this front axle is fighting me every step of the way. I put the ring gear back on the carrier and then thought it would be easier to install the Aussie locker on the bench so I tried to install it and i couldn't get it in there. I had to remove the ring gear and then use a soft hammer just to get it in there. I was able to install the last one(My 75 Bronco) without even removing the carrier so i'm not sure why this one is so tight. The front pinion race went in like a virgin. Took me almost two hours to get that in. I've put every shim I've got for the pinion in and it's still just a tad tighter than I like. Then i went to install my axle shaft seals and they are too small. I didn't realize the 78 & 79 D44's took different seals and I must have told them the wrong year. So I'll get after her again Sat. RB

 

[Rulebreaker]

Man this front axle is fighting me every step of the way. I put the ring gear back on the carrier and then thought it would be easier to install the Aussie locker on the bench so I tried to install it and i couldn't get it in there. I had to remove the ring gear and then use a soft hammer just to get it in there. I was able to install the last one(My 75 Bronco) without even removing the carrier so i'm not sure why this one is so tight. The front pinion race went in like a virgin. Took me almost two hours to get that in. I've put every shim I've got for the pinion in and it's still just a tad tighter than I like. Then i went to install my axle shaft seals and they are too small. I didn't realize the 78 & 79 D44's took different seals and I must have told them the wrong year. So I'll get after her again Sat. RB

I had to order the seals so i'm going to start on the drive shafts Sat morning. Hopefully I'll have her mostly wrapped up Sat. RB

 

[Rulebreaker]

Drive shafts are done and in. RB

Do you think i need to move the exhaust up?

 

[Rulebreaker]

Front pig is in with the Aussie. RB

 

[Rulebreaker]

Anyone here know what I need to do to wire the TK4 to the A4LD wiring? I'm assuming there is a neutral start switch and reverse lights. RB

 

[Loanranger]

Hey this thing is really coming along, you'll be out on the trail in no time.
As for the wiring, I'm not sure about tieing the tk4 to the A4LD wiring, but when I put the 2.3 and tk4 in the LJ, I simplified the wiring quite a bit. All I did for the neutral start switch was to jump the two wires together. The main reason I did this was the switch stuck out too far, and I would have had to make a small box in the side of the trans tunnel for it. So I just took it out and put a plug in it. A bonus to doing it this way is if you are ever out on the trail and in a bad situation, you can creep the rig forward with the starter. I know it's not good for it, but in some dire emergencies, it may come in handy. The reverse lights, you may be better off running a new circuit, not sure. Something I haven't worried about on the LJ, as it's just a trail rig, and when it's coming at you backwards, that means it's in reverse.

 

[Rulebreaker]

Hey this thing is really coming along, you'll be out on the trail in no time.
As for the wiring, I'm not sure about tieing the tk4 to the A4LD wiring, but when I put the 2.3 and tk4 in the LJ, I simplified the wiring quite a bit. All I did for the neutral start switch was to jump the two wires together. The main reason I did this was the switch stuck out too far, and I would have had to make a small box in the side of the trans tunnel for it. So I just took it out and put a plug in it. A bonus to doing it this way is if you are ever out on the trail and in a bad situation, you can creep the rig forward with the starter. I know it's not good for it, but in some dire emergencies, it may come in handy. The reverse lights, you may be better off running a new circuit, not sure. Something I haven't worried about on the LJ, as it's just a trail rig, and when it's coming at you backwards, that means it's in reverse.

Ready or not I'm going wheeling with this thing in 2 weeks. I might walk home but that's ok. RB

 

[Rulebreaker]

I thought I would have the drivers side done last night but at 10 o'clock I broke the caliper bolt off flush. Why can't we get good American bolts anymore? I'm so tired of the China crap. I got the front pig cover on and the oil put in it. Hope fully I'll be loading her on the trailer in the next day or so and going to get my front bumper. RB

 

[fordwheelinman]

i feel your pain, i did the same exact thing on my 78. Kinda pissed me off a little bit.