Snowball: the build that just keeps getting larger!!

[unkamonkey]

I hate to put it quite this way but you are about as crazed as the kid across the street. At least you are going with the right motor.
He's working on a YJ, full coil overs, extended the wheel base, D60 and a 14 bolt. Still running the 4 cyl, a hemi next year. I suspect I will have to go somewhere to winch him him back on his wheels with the old '61 3B.

 

[twiisted71]

I hate to put it quite this way but you are about as crazed as the kid across the street. I suspect I will have to go somewhere to winch him him back on his wheels.

LOL, well I hope I'm not in that category. This isn't to be a rock toy. In fact, its most extreme angle I can foresee will be encountered while riding around levees back in La. This is to be my DD/exploring rig. With my axle choices and over all track width, I'd be surprised if my stability is much different than your 3B's. I intend to run sway bars front and rear as well. Just having a time finding a front bar that will fit above the axle. The coilovers were installed for comfort/tunability not articulation.
I've been building/tinkering with my own mods for over 25 yrs now. This is to be a culmination of all the design changes I can remember wanting (with in reason) on my string of 4x4s. My '76 Bronco came closest to perfection and you can see parts of it in the front suspension design. This only has a Jeep body because I couldn't find an early Bronco in decent shape for a project price. Mine was too nice to chop up like this rig is being done anyway. My "Stand on it, and see what happens!" days are over. Hence the 4BT instead of hopped up 351W this go around.

 

[twiisted71]

Dropped the powertrain in! My hoist's ram chose to begin leaking down almost the instant the oilpan cleared the crossmember:Wow1: What a PITA. Fiddling to get alignment just right will have to be done another day. I was surprised at how much the rear suspension dropped after moving the front axle forward. But that was one of the reasons for doing it.

 

[unkamonkey]

LOL, well I hope I'm not in that category. This isn't to be a rock toy. In fact, its most extreme angle I can foresee will be encountered while riding around levees back in La. This is to be my DD/exploring rig. With my axle choices and over all track width, I'd be surprised if my stability is much different than your 3B's. I intend to run sway bars front and rear as well. Just having a time finding a front bar that will fit above the axle. The coilovers were installed for comfort/tunability not articulation.
I've been building/tinkering with my own mods for over 25 yrs now. This is to be a culmination of all the design changes I can remember wanting (with in reason) on my string of 4x4s. My '76 Bronco came closest to perfection and you can see parts of it in the front suspension design. This only has a Jeep body because I couldn't find an early Bronco in decent shape for a project price. Mine was too nice to chop up like this rig is being done anyway. My "Stand on it, and see what happens!" days are over. Hence the 4BT instead of hopped up 351W this go around.

Not really a Ford guy, just never owned one but that is my favorite style for a Bronco.

 

[twiisted71]

Eh, I don't really have a brand loyalty. I just like the rugged simplicity of the '60-'70s Ford radius arm setup. It just didn't get much better from a strength/equipment standpoint than those Broncos. The only things they needed IMHO was a 5 speed like an NV4500 or ZF S5 with granny gear and OD. Thats why the '78-79 Broncos have the most potential in my view. Just big enough to easily add a 6.9/7.3/DT360 IH or 5.9 Cummins mech diesel with 5 speed and they have proper sized fuel tank for distance traveling.
Chevy came PDC to the ultimate expedition rigs with their diesel Blazers and Suburbans. If only the 6.2 had been a more robust engine and they'd have offered them with their NV4500. Then there is the Chalet Blazer.


http://www.blazerchalet.com/ownersbar.jpg

 

[twiisted71]

Got around to welding up some nut plates so I could mount the CJ tailgate that has been getting kicked around my garage for a couple years. I didn't take a picture of them but all I did was notch a piece of 3/4 x 1/4" steel to the proper length and welded a stock flanged nut on each end. Looked kind of like a dogbone when done. I've seen everyone cutting large access holes in the boxed channel to install a large threaded plate or to get to the nuts with a socket, and then they weld the channel back up.. There are approx. 1" holes all along the bottom of that channel for drainage. I made my nutplates small enough to fit through them. So if in the future I have an issue and have to drill out the star drive bolts (not that it ever happens, right), I can just fish the plates back out the holes and make more.

 

[twiisted71]

Got around to tweaking the engine placement. I know these are a pretty popular swap but there is very little in the way of specifics. Here are some pics and measurements of what I've done. The rear of the block is approx 3.75" from the firewall. With the way my mid engine motor mounts are, there is plenty of room around the bellhousing for clearance as well as being able to R&R the powertrain without massive headaches. As with most everything, there are a myriad of methods to go about this.

 

[Darkrider]

Definitely gonna be ************ when its done!

 

[twiisted71]

Glad I didn't burn the engine mounts in and build a trans support yet! Finally got around to the hydroboost. Everyone makes out like the Astro van unit is a bolt-on. Well let me disabuse everyone of that notion. I could have cut and rethreaded the pushrod, but I'm trying to engineer the vehicle so part replacement down the road is simple. I modded the factory Jeep bracket that spaces it to the firewall. Only to find out I have less than a 1/16th inch clearance from the nitrogen canister to the top of the injection pump. So I cut 8 of the most difficult to reach tack welds on earth:yikes: and moved the engine forward an inch.

-Also another FYI: If using a 6BT exh manifold and not flipping it the turbo outlet will be directly inline with the heater ports coming out of the firewall on a YJ heater.

 

[big a]

Cool build!

 

[twiisted71]

Thanks

Here is a shot of my Hydroboost (Astro van), Brake Mastercylinder ('78 Corvette), CPP Adjustable Proportioning Valve, and Clutch Mastercyinder (Wilwood 7/8 bore large reservoir).

These show the relationship of the fender to the shock towers I made. Hopefully I've trimmed enough to clear the coilovers during articulation. I"ve read that the TJ's hoods are both taller and wider than the YJ. Can't find any info about the CJ vs TJs (or CJ vs YJ for that matter). I have only a hair of clearance between my f'glass hood and the towers now. I may have to bulge the hood a little to clear. I've already trimmed and ground the corners of the towers.

 

[twiisted71]

Here's a couple shots showing the location of the turbo with different exhaust manifolds/orientations. Not really done for any performance gains, these offer options for turbo placement. This can be a make or break point when doing engine swaps as the turbo and its associated plumbing really require lots of room.

stock:

6BT manifold with end ports removed in stock (down facing outlet) profile.

6BT manifold with end ports removed and capped, and entire manifold flipped (outlet facing up) profile.

 

[twiisted71]

As I was showing above, anytime you think about building a rig with one of these 4BTs it can be a challenge. There are also tons of options to help you cater the engine to work in your project better. These have become "the norm" and there are many to look at online and just copy what others have done-----if you want exactly what they have. When you start deviating from the well worn road things can begin to get...um more interesting.
My custom engine mounts were designed to be used with a Dodge adapter, driver's side starter, and horizontal oil filter. Since I'm using a Ford adapter the starter is on the pass side. I want air conditioning so that means that a standard horizontal filter won't work, I installed a vertical oil filter off a 6BT. It won't clear the engine mount to R&R a filter and it get pretty close to my turbo intake. Also my engine is the P7100 inline pump version as opposed to the rotary injection pump that the engine mounts were designed for. So I've had to do loads of tweaking to the mounts to clear bolt heads and plumbing bosses on the block. And now I've had to install a remote oil filter plate to free up some real estate for A/C and turbo plumbing.

Luckily these were used on a multitude of applications and they share most external architecture with the 6BT which was used in even more situations so there are bits and pieces from one thing or another to allow you to come up with a solution to most any dilemmas. Don't get me wrong, though. If all you wish to do is a diesel power conversion, they can pretty easily be adapted to one of the "big 3's" transmissions, and dropped into anything from a mini-truck on up with minimal effort. The complexity quickly ramps up when you start adding in an intercooler and adding air conditioning to both an engine that never came with it as well as a vehicle that would have been considered a "stripper" today. The problem can be chasing down the particular item (and then affording it!). I had to order my filter mount from China a few years back. It was the only place that readily used them. I could see the space I was quickly running out of and bought it "just in case". The A/C compressor mount is from a Ford F600/F700. My radiator and intercooler are both custom aftermarket pieces. I haven't even looked into a condenser yet!

Here are a few shots of what you may run into with one of these engines.

As configured by the factory the day I brought her home

vertical oil filter mount

Newly installed remote filter adapter plate.

 

[94Discovery]

If you have space go top mount intercooler with hood scoop ,less turbo lag no heat soak to the air condition and engine radiator ,plus add a electrick fan for the crowling hot days .less piping and head ach , win win situation that if you have 3 inch between the hood and enjine :drool:

 

[twiisted71]

I think there is a reason you never see a top mounted IC on a diesel truck. (not counting the high rpm mini-truck/suv imports). Low rpm grunt motors can be making serious boost by 14-1500 rpm at speeds way below any appreciable ram effect "offered" by a hood scoop. My space issues aren't to do with the intercooler anyway. No matter where the IC is located, I'd still have had issues getting air into my turbo (even with a cobra head elbow) with the vertical oil filter and A/C line clearance problems with anything but a remote oil filter.
I could have gone with a factory water:air IC but then you only have a chance to come down to 180-200* (if 100% efficient) depending on t-stat. In summer that may be about all the air:air unit could manage, but in winter....... You need all the niggles you can muster to overcome the crappy winter blend fuels. Besides, the way these things shake it'd probably shred a top mount IC unless I made some kind of frame mount to suspend it off the engine. I've gone back and forth between mech vs elec radiator fan. I think I'm going to try to run my mech fan initially as I don't intend to be doing deep water crossings. If I decide to start getting more "rambunctious" with this rig converting to elec fan would be relatively easy.