Sprinter 4WD Conversion Idea, GMT-800 IFS.

[Buddha.]

I was putting all the spare trans parts together to reduce the storage space. I discovered I have one extra clutch stack... ?

Not sure how it happened, but There are no B3 discs in the trans. So it has to come back down, and apart. Really pissed for not noticing. Honestly I don't know when I will have the motivation to do all that over

Those little mistakes suck.
I once rebuilt a 700r4 transmission for a friend. We got it back in the truck and forgot to set that pesky TV cable. The trans burnt itself up in a week. I didn't like rebuilding the trans a second time but I was starting to get pretty good at it by that point.

 

[Stevemo]

It's always better to know. I told my boss I had lost a bolt on an engine with a blower and we searched for quite a while until it turned up. He wasn't going to start the engine until the bolt was located.

 

[shade]

I was putting all the spare trans parts together to reduce the storage space. I discovered I have one extra clutch stack... ?

Not sure how it happened, but There are no B3 discs in the trans. So it has to come back down, and apart. Really pissed for not noticing. Honestly I don't know when I will have the motivation to do all that over

Lucky find. You're starting with clean, fresh parts, and you were just in there. It won't be nearly as bad as it could've been.

 

[luthj]

Yeah, I am getting pretty good at tearing these things down now. The annoying bit is the b3 is on the output shaft, so I have to remove the tcase, and the peened nut. I figure I can have the trans down in about 2 hours, and the clutch pack installed in another 2. Assuming nothing is stuck... I used loctite on some of the tcase fasteners, so I need to dig out my torch... So many bolts that need a torque wrench!

According to the service manual, the B3 clutch is only used in reverse! If I had parked the other way, I may not have noticed for some time....

If the weather is good I am going junkyard hopping tomorrow for a driveshaft. Depending on my level of trans rage, I may opt to fab the trans mount and dipstick before I remove the trans. That will give me some time to paint and weld them while the trans is out.

I hope to have the final choices on the subframe made this week. And I can send for a few laser quotes before the end of the month.

 

[shade]

Depending on my level of trans rage

I thought you were more tolerant. ?‍♀️

 

[Len.Barron]

Yeah, I am getting pretty good at tearing these things down now. The annoying bit is the b3 is on the output shaft, so I have to remove the tcase, and the peened nut. I figure I can have the trans down in about 2 hours, and the clutch pack installed in another 2. Assuming nothing is stuck... I used loctite on some of the tcase fasteners, so I need to dig out my torch... So many bolts that need a torque wrench!

According to the service manual, the B3 clutch is only used in reverse! If I had parked the other way, I may not have noticed for some time....

If the weather is good I am going junkyard hopping tomorrow for a driveshaft. Depending on my level of trans rage, I may opt to fab the trans mount and dipstick before I remove the trans. That will give me some time to paint and weld them while the trans is out.

I hope to have the final choices on the subframe made this week. And I can send for a few laser quotes before the end of the month.

a few versions of silverados have 70-80" long aluminum driveshafts, they might be good donors for you

 

[luthj]

Wandered around the yard for an hour. As expected the gorillas with forklifts have bent 99% of the longer shafts. I found a handful over 75" (too long) and just one that was roughly the right length. It was a 97 F250 2wd 139" WB. Nothing nearby, so the search continues... I need about 74.25" center-center length. A bit shorter is okay, and maybe 74.5" would work. I sent a couple quotes to places within an hours drive, I will see what comes back.

 

[Mwilliamshs]

Driveshafts under rigs with IRS usually survive the forklift. Think the aluminum one under my half ton dodge was from a v8 ford explorer. 2004ish i think

 

[luthj]

Driveshafts under rigs with IRS usually survive the forklift. Think the aluminum one under my half ton dodge was from a v8 ford explorer. 2004ish i think

I looked at a few explorers with the IRS. The ones on the lot were too short. I will do a google to see what shakes out.

Trans support is coming together. I wont post a photo of the welds, too embarrassing. I really need to get a new welder, I think the feed motor is starting to glitch a bit on my ultra-cheap refurb unit.

 

[mountainhick]

LOL, for me it comes down to mediocre welding skills!

 

[luthj]

Got it bolted up. Still need to drill clearance holes for tightening the nuts. I had to slot the outer holes a bit, not too bad for hand drill on a bench I guess. The trans/engine final position is about 1-1.5 degrees lower than stock. Its possible I won't need to shim the rear axle, but I will wait for the first test drive to tell.

 

[luthj]

LOL, for me it comes down to mediocre welding skills!

Do you have an auto dimming adjustable helmet? I found my welds improved markedly when I switched to one. Apparently being able to see is a big deal!

 

[mountainhick]

Do you have an auto dimming adjustable helmet? I found my welds improved markedly when I switched to one. Apparently being able to see is a big deal!

Yes I do, but my old eyes don't adjust well to the immediate change when the arc strikes. Especially can't see well when doing inside corners.

 

[shade]

Got it bolted up. Still need to drill clearance holes for tightening the nuts. I had to slot the outer holes a bit, not too bad for hand drill on a bench I guess. The trans/engine final position is about 1-1.5 degrees lower than stock. Its possible I won't need to shim the rear axle, but I will wait for the first test drive to tell.

? - Any neighbors shooting you the evil eye yet?

You'll have to keep an eye out for someone trying to use that as a jack point for the whole van. I know you're usually going to be the one doing any work on it, but I can see someone at a tire shop deciding to save some time lifting from that crossmember.

I recently tried Corroseal latex rust converter & primer on some scabby bed bars I sold with my RTT. That stuff works great, and is very easy to apply with a foam applicator.

 

[luthj]

? - Any neighbors shooting you the evil eye yet?

You'll have to keep an eye out for someone trying to use that as a jack point for the whole van. I know you're usually going to be the one doing any work on it, but I can see someone at a tire shop deciding to save some time lifting from that crossmember.

I recently tried Corroseal latex rust converter & primer on some scabby bed bars I sold with my RTT. That stuff works great, and is very easy to apply with a foam applicator.

Yeah, my old trans support was already bent from a previous encounter with dumb person. With some reinforcement the new one might handle 4,000lbs, but I don't trust the vans structure it attaches too... I have been meaning to paint the jack points bright red or yellow for years now, not sure it would help, but can't hurt.

I may put some of that rust converter in the cart. The mill scale has historically caused issues with those products in my experience. I picked up a gallon of "Chassis Saver" coating, which is a urethane based raw metal primer/topcoat. Hopefully it does a good job.