Any Jeepers in here?

[Jackson]

I'm trying to decide between a dedicated propane setup and dual fuel. Propane only sounds very simple and I like that. Finding fuel might be a pain though. It would probably cut out my ability to drive to the trail without carrying 4 extra propane tanks. My brother has a truck and trailer I could probably use though. I have heard its harder to get it running well on both the gas and the propane in a dual fuel.

My Jeep is not a buggy or hard core. So it would be nice to maintain easy street driveability. Dual fuel gets points there. I have had my fill of complicated, half-assed fuel delivery setups though. So dual fuel loses points for being more complicated and harder to tune for both fuels at the same time.

 

[eldirector]

A friend of mine runs propane in his old Bronco. Runs fantastic, has been very reliable, and is at least as good as fuel injection off-road. He has two 40# tanks in a cradle in the rear. When he goes to Moab, he can run pretty much the whole week before he refills. The 40# tanks are still small/light enough to lift out to get refilled about anywhere. No need to find a station equipped to refill vehicles.

Not sure of the details, but I know it was a nearly complete kit.

 

[Jackson]

It is encouraging he can go for a whole week on two 43lb tanks. I assume those are the 10gal forklift tanks. I have a line on some 33lb (7.5 To 8 gal) from Craig's list. Two are full. I'd like to go propane only but I'm apprehensive about giving up gas altogether.

 

[eldirector]

Yeah, I think they are about double the size of what would go in a gas grill.

I like the simplicity of propane, but it still has a few too many negatives for me. Not as easy to refill as gas/diesel, and I've seen them freeze up too easily. Duel fuel would be cool (hey, that rhymes). Pretty complex, though.

Next engine for me will be a small non-electric turbo diesel of some sort.

 

[Jackson]

More Axle Progress and a Minor Setback

So, I finally got back over to my parent's house to play with my axle a bit. I really only get over there for a little while after work on week days. I set it up a couple more times and came out with a backlash of .008 (spec is .006 to .010, I believe) and this drive side pattern which I'm happy with:

Closer to the toe than the heel, well centered between the flank and the face, and a wide tooth contact pattern. I've read that it's difficult to impossible to change the position of the pattern between the heel and toe, but some of my adjustments did seem to make a difference there. I've also read from a few sources that one should disregard that aspect of the pattern and only look to center between the face and the flank of the tooth.

The coast side looks even better, and on a front axle is probably more important:

This is all still on setup bearings. I went to assemble the carrier with the Aussie locker and ran in to a minor setback. The carrier machine work was not well-finished and I could not get the pin through the hole in the new carrier. I had to disassemble the Aussie and take the Dremel to the inside of the hole to de-burr it. I was a little disappointed with that. Also, one of the setup bearings will slide right on to one end of the carrier, but is a very firm fit on the other side. This leads me to believe there is a slight difference in the OD of the two ends. This is a Yukon carrier. If I were smarter I'd have test fit the pin before assembling the Aussie inside.

Then another minor setback... I was driving in the axle tube oil seals and I noticed the below defect in the seal spring. I'm not sure if I somehow squished the spring while I was handling the seal, or if it came this way out of the box. Either way, I will pick up a new seal tomorrow.

Anyway, I just need to get a new seal and slam it all together on the new bearings now. No problem. I set it up a total of 8 times on the setup bearings looking for the perfect pinion depth and backlash. I documented shim sizes, backlash measurements, and pattern notes on each in a notebook as I went along. I passed up two pinion depth patters that would probably have been perfectly fine, but I wanted it to be as good as I could get it. I probably should have stopped at the fourth one and called it a day. It would have worked just fine (but the pattern didn't look quite this good).

I'm probably picking up four propane tanks (two with fuel in them) from a guy tomorrow night. Now I just need to decide on which fuel setup I want to go with. I will probably go straight propane because the switch to dual (as far as propane goes) is cheaper than going dual and switching the other way. If I really miss being able to run gasoline I can always slap a carb back on it.

 

[eldirector]

That pattern looks pretty darned good! Well done.

Looking forward to following your propane conversion.

 

[Lee11b]

Thanks Lovemachine and Jackson for the rocker info!!! I have never heard of Saavy or Currie products, will be checking them out!!!

 

[Lee11b]

I've got a line on a 1984 CJ7 from a friend's friend. Not sure on mileage, has suspension lift, newer 33x12.5 swampers, front and rear disk brakes, ARB lockers, 4:11 gears, soft and hard tops, and its white rhino lined on the inside... all for 8k, but that is negotiable. Thoughts???

 

[Jackson]

I've got a line on a 1984 CJ7 from a friend's friend. Not sure on mileage, has suspension lift, newer 33x12.5 swampers, front and rear disk brakes, ARB lockers, 4:11 gears, soft and hard tops, and its white rhino lined on the inside... all for 8k, but that is negotiable. Thoughts???

Totally depends on the condition of the body and frame. If they look solid its probably typical ask for that. It is not hard to paint or rhino line over poorly prepared rust and make it look good for a couple years. It can be hard to identify that. Sounds like they regeared for the tires which is good, as long as they installed the gears and ARB properly.

Does it have stock axles? What engine, tranny, t-case?

While it's typical ask, I'm not sure I'd want to pay that. On the other hand, a CJ with solid frame and tub can be hard to find. So they are hard to price.

 

[Jackson]

Rear disc brakes would indicate either a different rear axle or modification to the M20.

 

[Lee11b]

legendary I-6 with a 2 barrel Holley carb, 4 speed manual transmission / Frame and tub are solid, came from out west when he bought it

 

[Lee11b]

the 1984 CJ7 is definitely not his daily driver with 4:11 gears

 

[Jackson]

the 1984 CJ7 is definitely not his daily driver with 4:11 gears

4.11 With 33" tires comes back pretty close to stock final drive for a CJ with a manual tranny. If he hadn't changed to 4.11, the 33's would make the ratio on pavement effectively higher. Is it a Borg Warner T4 4 speed or a T18? I was thinking the T18 wasn't available stock after 81 or so, but I'm not sure. Probably a T4 and a Dana 300. So sounds like the stock drive train maybe.

 

[Jackson]

Looking forward to following your propane conversion.

Well, I took a small step toward propane today by picking these up from a guy on Craigslist.

Two aluminum and two steel. All are 33 lb tanks. So the smaller of the two versions of forklift tanks. One is full and a second is partially filled. Both aluminum thanks are empty.

 

[Lee11b]

Awesome!!! and you said 2 were full? as my wife would say "BONUS!!!"

 

[Jackson]

One is full. One has a little left over in it. Still a bonus.

 

[Lee11b]

What type of rig is the propane conversion going on?

 

[Jackson]

A rusty old 84 CJ7. There are some pics a few pages back.

 

[Lee11b]

How long have you owned the 1984?

 

[Jackson]

Probably since1999 or 2000. About 15 years. My dad has an 85 that he's had since 86. When I first started driving I loved it and had to have one.