60Patrol

Beautiful paint job. Like the color chosen a lot. You've set a new standard.

Finally had a few minutes to post some more pics and progress (actually stuff done last Sunday)

I finally broke down and bought a replacement angle guage, so I went ahead and began setting the rear end up.

I started by adjusting the jack stands so that each brake backing plate was exactly 10 inches off the driveway, then I measured the frame to ground at all four corners to make sure the vehicle was sitting on a nice flat plane of reference.



I simulated the operatonal weight of the Patrol by throwing the spare tire, and 15 gallons of water up in the back to put some weight on the springs.



Then I measured the angle of the transfer case output shaft - the hand brake mount makes a perfect flat spot to take this angle



Now, the ideal set up is for the output angle from the T-Case to be parallel to the pinion angle, but setting the pinion angle at 3 degrees was too flat - the U-Joints would take a beating, so I kept nosing the pinion up until I reached 6 degrees:



Then I measured the driveshaft angle, but it was still too steep at almost 17 degrees from level



This was still too steep (in my opinion) for this short little driveshaft. 15 degrees from level is the commonly accepted upper limit for a driveshaft, so I decided to set the pinion at 7 degrees, which yielded 14 degrees from level on the driveshaft.



This angle looked right, and allowed the driveshaft to spin freely; but since the Tcase is at 3 degrees, Setting the pinion at 7 will mean I will have to adjust the the angle of the TCase output downward an additional 4 degrees to match the relative angles back up, so I will build some spacers to accomplish this while I have the engine and tranny out out of the Patrol.

Once the angles were all set, I went ahead and tacked the spring perches in



Then out came the axle so that everything could be welded up- I also went ahead and cut the stock shock mounts off.



Then the axle went back under the Patrol so i could start thinking about (and measuring) for the shocks.

Remember those goofy "shock shackles" that were on the rear? and the bolts that were welded to the spring plates acting as the lower shock mounts?



yeah, well.... all that is history



My design will use the factory upper shock mounts, so I went out and bought a pair of ProComp ES3000's with post tops



and I took some 1/8 inch C-channel and fabbed up these new lower mounts



and here they are mocked up in place as I tacked them to the axle tube



Then the axle came back out yet again and I finish welded everything up; and that's where it stands now.

The axle needs a date with a scrub brush, a bucket of degreaser and the pressure washer, and after that it will get a fresh coat of paint before going back under the Patrol for the final time...

Nice work! I'm anxious to see the finished product!

John

Rob! Mate things are coming along nicely, well done

Very detailed process with the corresponding pictures that tell a lot (they look like an add for the angle gauge )

Can't wait for the next installment.

Esteban wrote:Very detailed process with the corresponding pictures that tell a lot (they look like an add for the angle gauge )

hahahah yeah- the angle guage is a fabricator's best friend.

and thanks for the comment about the color on the backing plates, I know it's not factory (neither is anything else on this Patrol ), and gloss white offers two advantages:

1) White shows everything- leaky cylinders should be easy to diagnose in the future.
2) It's what I already had in the paint cabinet - so no trips to the hardware store were necessary

Faux40 sent me a PM with an important question/observation regarding my angles, and it is relevant enough to include here:

your pictures show the transfer case at 3-degrees from level; the diff angle at 6 degrees from level; and the drive shaft 17 degrees from level. This means that the drive shaft is only 14 degrees relative to the transfer case and 11 degrees relative to the differential as you've positioned it in the picture.

Which is 100% correct, and this 3 degree difference would probably result in driveshaft harmonic vibration as it currently sits.

My reply:

yup, you're right. I plan to shift the angle of the engine/trans down in order to match the relative angles with the driveshaft back up at +/-7 degrees on either side... This should result in the driveshaft being roughly 13-14 from level, and 6-7 degrees relative to each end.

I want the pinion angle as steep as possible (and the driveshaft as shallow as possible) to minimize Ujoint stress on the short driveshaft, without creating any pinion lubrication issues, and 7 degrees for the pinion was the number I settled on as the best balance.

so, I decided that the pinion angle will have to dictate a shift to the T-Case output angle, and I'll have more work to do on that when I pull the engine and trans out

Oh, and there is one other angle that we have not even discussed here at all, and that is the UJoint working angle-

This is the difference in the angles between the u joint caps on the driveshaft yoke, versus the pinion or TCase yoke
I have not even checked this yet on my Project- Once I knew I had to alter the TCase output angle, I figured I'd confirm the working angle on the U Joints at that point.

Wow you have some skills sir. Nice work.

I got the rear end all cleaned up, painted, bolted in, and the shocks mounted



And I decided I wanted to see how it looks on the ground, so I finished up the front hubs, packed and adjusted the wheel bearings



Then I threw the wheels and tires on, and dropped it off the jack stands. I also decided to swap roll bars with the red Patrol (this roll bar will work better with the bikini top)



I'm really liking it... Those 33x12.50-15's on the 15x10 wheels are bomber



Now it's back up on the jack stands, ready for whatever I decide to do next... brakes, front end, driveshafts, powertrain, interior This project is still a long way from done...