Jeep upgrade complete (mostly)

[craig333]

Feel free to move this to a more appropriate forum. Why in WTW? Well the Jeep tows behind the camper and if it weren't for member Camelracer and two WTW rallies this project wouldn't have happened.

Fifi is undergeared and the Tera Low transfer case conversion has been on mind for a long time. Lets me keep reasonable length driveshafts and all my spare parts. Its also time for a new clutch and it makes sense to do that at the same time. At the Carrizo plains rally Dick mentioned he had a converted TC sitting on the garage floor and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. At the Randsburg rally I picked it up and brought it home. I waited until after the Winter Fun Festival and the arrival of more funds to start this project. Ordered up the pricey bowl gear from Advance Adapters and the bearing adapter from Novak and the clutch. Then it sits. Partly because it rained every weekend and partly because I was just lazy.

Finally I decide its time to get it done. My brother has offered up his garage for one day. Try and get it ready to go. Order up the wrong gasket set. Set about getting the Jeep ready, spending an hour after work for a couple weeks disconnecting the driveshafts, starter and everything but four bolts holding it in. Pull the overdrive and take it over to my buddies house (art, my friend with a 3B and our technical support guy at work and the guy the other mechanics come to when they're stumped) expecting to just swap in the new bowl gear. Nope, I need to order these bearings this here bearing kit plus a couple other parts. More money goes off to Advance Adapters. I'll give AA a plug, they have the best instructions and sharp color photos for everything.

Okay, finally tow it over to my brothers house.

I wasn't expecting much help but apparently my brother wants this done. He's a forklift mechanic and had his work truck in the driveway.

Getting it out was easy.

Separating the transmission and transfer case was bit more iffy. Almost pulled the transmission apart. Lots of little parts to drop inside so I stop at that point and await Arts arrival and when he does get his lecture on how bad this could be. I know thats why I stopped. He grabs the shaft and quick clunk and it slides back together. Whew.
In the meantime I get the clutch in.

We separate the trans and tc and procede to figure how the adapter is supposed to go. Where's the instructions Art asks. Ummm, Novak just says it supposed to be easy. He studies it a few minutes and goes, must go like this and

Some cutting and grinding and its done. I'll leave off the Novak and the bad bearing story for later.

Take a break to watch the Kentucky Derby and back out to get it in. Much easier with three people. I had hoped to drive the Jeep home but I would have been happy just to have the transmission and transfer case in and do the rest later. My helpers were about helped out by then anyway. So after a lot of garage cleanup I tow it home with four bolts yet again.

I spend another week after work putting her back together.


Including the cover plates with all forty, yes forty bolts for the three cover plates.
Oops, looks like I forgot a finished pic. Anyway, after modifying the clutch shaft and few other things (deliberately left off the driveline brake) its time for a test drive.

 

[Bad Habit]

looks like way too much fun

 

[cwdtmmrs]

Not sure what Jeep you have. What year? What T-case, 18? What main box? What rear end ratio? What is your final drive ratio going to be in 1srt/ What are you calling a "bowl gear"?

Thanks,
cwd

 

[camelracer]

Craig,

I'm glad to see that blue hunk of iron has found a good home with someone who will use it. Get it out on the rocks and you'll love it. I may be doing the Rubicon this season so I might see you there. Good report.

Dick

 

[ntsqd]

Looks to me like it is a T-90 3 speed & Dana 18 t/c.

It's been a long time since I had mine, but as I recall the Warn/Saturn OD requires a special gear on the trans output shaft (with an odd but effective locking method for the retaining nut). It is more of a coupler than a gear since all power first goes thru the OD unit out the back (regardless of in direct or OD) before going back into the t/c. With the change in low range ratio the OD may need a different output gear and that may be the 'bowl gear'.

I think the drive-shaft parking brakes are a great idea whose design's lack of ability to funnel leaking oil away from the friction surface failed it.

 

[cwdtmmrs]

Craig333, I love that set up! You are going to be very happy.

.ntsqd, Yeah that's what it looks like to me, but I don't remember the reverse light switch on the T-90 tower. The T-90 was famous for popping out of 2nd gear going down hill. There was a shim kit fix to keep that gear in place from the Jeep dealers. I have been running Warn/Saturn OD's for 40 years. I have had a dozen of them apart. I forgot the drive gear was called the bowl gear. FWIW there is a guy in Washington called "Herm the overdrive guy that sells and repairs these types of OD's, including the old Husky. He has much better internal parts available.

I have a 1952 Willy's Wagon with an Model 18 TC, original Warn OD plus a Borg Warner OD mated to a T-98 transmission. Gives me 32 fwd gears with something like 65:1 crawl and in high gear I can get to 1600 rpm @70 mph.

cwd

 

[craig333]

T-90 C which came out of a truck and has a slightly lower first gear (and the reverse light switch). Dana 18 small hole now upgrade to the large hole "super 18" TC.

Fifi is a 1960 CJ5. 5.38 gears in the diffs which were "optional" back in the day. Optional? I've never seen one of that vintage that didn't have 5.38s.

My buddy has a T-98 in his 3B. Scary short driveshaft.

I refer to it as a bowl gear since thats the terminology that Advance Adapters uses. PN911098 1 TERA LOW BOWL GEAR

Way too much fun I looked for a walkthrough, youtube video and found nada. While you can't call it uncommon its not all that common either. I figure they assume anyone keeping the old iron alive must already be above average mechanically. The few people I found that did the conversion were like Novak, "its easy".

The Novak story. They sell the adapter and bearing and snap ring separately so I was bit surprised to get one assembled. The bearing had a bad spot so I planned on replacing it. Got the one in the adapter out and on the other side it was full of metal shavings. So I assume someone attempted an install, returned it and Novak just tossed it back on the shelf. Thanks Novak. They were very good about answering all my email questions though. Reassembling it was fun too. I assumed my brother would some snap ring pliers on the work truck. Just one little teeny pair that was way too small. Sent them off Sears to get one. They came back empty handed so we did it the old fashioned way. Hammers, screwdrivers and a lot of cussing.

Okay, its all together and I run through the gears with the TC in neutral to make sure everything got good and lubed. We (me and art) run a street L on the TC to allow the overfilling of the OD. Seems to be a good idea as they really hate running out of oil. Start shifting everything. Trans shifts smoothly but not the OD or the TC. Almost acts like the brake is on just driving back and forth in the driveway. Something wrong I wonder? Feels and sounds okay so I drive it a bit and soon its all shifting and otherwise acting normally. Yay.

Rubicon sounds like fun, haven't done it in years.

 

[craig333]

A nearly done pic. Rest of the bolts need another set of hands. The other thing that goes along with project is a good cleaning, tossing of unnecessary stuff, a little paint, wax and few other things I've been meaning to do but kept putting off.

 

[cwdtmmrs]

Nice job! You will be able to climb a telephone pole if you can get traction! I think you are correct about the 5.38 gears. I have never seen a vintage Wiily's/Jeep without them, including Wagons and Pickups.

As tcases go, the Model 18 is pretty easy to work on. Mine is a small hole 1 1/4' intermediate shaft unit (kinda rare) with the tapered bearings installed along with quite a few other internal upgrades. If you think the rear drive shaft gets short with a T98, try installing a Rancho OD on the back output of the 18 case as well. Good thing my wagon had a long driveshaft to start with. You are correct about the Warn/Saturn OD's not liking to run short of oil. I actually run my vent line into the engine compartment to a mini air filter so I can fill the case almost completely with oil. I also have the PTO adapter and transmission on the back of the Warn unit which has to be included in the oil circulation loop as well.

Anyway, I love these old Jeeps! Have fun with yours!

cwd