Wrench’n

By Gary Miller

Ya know, it’s funny how much you don’t know about Jeeps until you’re forced to! My last project Jeep rolled out the garage door (just in time for Brooke to drive off in it) with out too much of a hitch. New motor, wheels and tires, lift kit, fiberglass tub and some other odds and ends. Sweat equity is always hard to measure, but it feels good. Anyway, off she drives. Around town the Jeep runs like no tomorrow. This last week she wanted to take it down to school in Normal at ISU. After a couple of tears, I said sure, so off she went on Easter weekend. About 30 minutes later a phone call informed me that "some tube thing" came off the back of the Jeep as she drove down I-94 at hopefully subsonic speeds. After a couple of defining questions, I figured out it was the rear drive shaft. Time to hook up the trailer and retrieve the daughter and the Jeep.

Remember the lift kit I mentioned? Well it’s not a good idea to lift up your Jeep unless you refigure the "angle of the differential and the drive shaft." Okay, I can handle this; after all, I used to work on helicopters! Yeah right! After a call to Don’s auto in Kenosha, and some measurements of lengths and angles, I’m told that the rear differential (rear axle) has to be tipped up 10 degrees. This is usually done with shims or wedges, but most shims only go to 8 degrees and you should NEVER stack them up! The right way is to cut off the axle tube saddles (where the springs attach to the axle tubes) and re-weld them to get the right angle. Well, those of you who know me know that I like to do stuff cheaply and quickly, neither of which is associated with re-welding rear axles.

Plan 2 - Make your own wedges or shims. How? Contact you’re local metal shop owner that knows you by name now because you own a Jeep! These wedges are steel so they can be welded to the saddles and won’t pop out! Of course this still leaves the trip to Don’s to have a new drive shaft built.

The point of this story is you can learn all kinds of new terms and meet all kinds of new friends (that own shops) when you attempt to work on your Jeep! Oh, by the way, could you pass me that big hammer!?!