'65 Rubicon Rig

Sunday morning comes quick, and we're ready to drive out after not moving since Wednesday night. Grab a breakfast burrito and some camp coffee in main camp and head for Cadillac Hill.

Observation Point, the obligatory group photo, and the lunch stop, even though it's only 9 AM. And the 72nd Jeepers Jamboree is successfully behind us.

On the last 70 degree day of fall, I got the top on, so we can use the tux over the winter.

We were having problems with the power steering puking out the vent on the stock GM pump. This didn't hurt anything, it just makes a mess. It only happens on a hot day of rock crawling, and it was hot for both trips through the Rubicon, it did not happen on the Deer Valley Poker Run, because it was cooler, and the trail is not as hard on the steering. I'm looking at a remote reservoir. This will give some more volume, and get the reservoir up where it can stay cooler. I'm thinking right about here.

 

Worked on mounting the remote reservoir after work. I think a simple welded angle iron bracket will be fine.

This will pick up the 2 radiator mount bolts through the grill.

The Speedway reservoir is inexpensive, and will ride here fine.

Pulled the stock GM pump off the V6. This thing probably came out of the wrecking yard 15 years ago, has no problems, so I am going to keep it and change the can to a remote reservoir style. First step is to pull the 2 studs out of the back, and the high pressure port.

 

Nice. I like that Speedway remote reservoir. Might consider a cooler on the return line also. Doesn’t have to be elaborate, just something air can circulate around. Even coiled tube works. GM and Ford trucks (old ones) had extra hard line that ran under the radiator behind, and sometimes inside the crossmember.

 

What's that white crap all over the ground?

 

I have a cooler on the 3B, works fine, with no puking problems. Thought I would try the reservoir first, then I can do a cooler in the grille if needed. @nickmil , if you have used this before, I have a question-how does it vent?

 

I know, summer goes fast.

 

They vent through the cap.
While they look like they seal… they don’t….

 

The old reservoir comes off with a little prying.

The new reservoir comes with new O-rings for the pressure port, mounting bolts and outer can.


With the O-rings installed, the new can goes on. I got this PSC unit from Summit, it has a -12 (3/4") fitting on top. The hose and fittings are arriving tomorrow.

 

The pump goes back in, it's not as close to the steering shaft as the photo looks. This is the 231 bracket you used to be able to find in wrecking yards.

The reservoir is in, I think I will raise it and spin it some. I'm hoping the return 3/8" line will face forward.

I got the fittings from Summit, but the -12 line isn't coming for a few more days. This is the (really nice) -6 elbow for the return line. Maybe my first AN fitting on this jeep.

The -12 fittings are really large, aand I'm worried about getting that short line in there. It may have to have a loop.

 

Wrapping up the remote reservoir job. Finally got all the AN fittings and hose, so I made up a -12 pump intake hose, and decided to give it a U-turn, for flexibility. I used 2-90 degree fitting to make this work.

The outlet of the reservoir 90's forward out the bottom, then loops back to the pump.

I had to lengthen the return line, so i replaced it with some 3/8" oil cooler line and routed it from the box. It comes in up top to the AN -6 elbow. I filled it with 4 pints of Royal Purple, then jacked up the front end and cycled the steering about 10 times to get the air out. Fired it up, topped it off, went for a test drive.

No leaks yet. I think Sierra is ready for KOH, and I can now move on to Woodstock projects.

 

With ECJ5 Rubicon Run coming in a week, I need to get the tux ready. I have a long checklist of maintenance items, but it goes pretty fast on a fine Father's Day, if I don't find anything to fix. So I got a wild hair and decided to install the Premier Power Welder from Woodstock. We are running solo in this jeep this summer, and I really don't want to go without a welder. I'm thinking it can go right about here.

This is on the opposite side as I had on Woody, so the wiring is plenty long. The long alternator bolt fought a little, interfering with the fan shroud, but the Premier 160 amp alternator is in. I fabbed a mount off the radiator support to hold it steady, in a convenient spot. This can probably stay, as I bought a new alternator from Premier for the serpentine drive LS in Woody.

Now just a little wiring, and I need to fab an under-hood throttle control. This is easy insurance, and gives us a plan B. Murphy's Law says we won't need it if we have it.

 

Nice!
Happy Father’s day Tim!

 

A little late for the PS comment, but I used an expansion overflow "can" with my PS remote reservoir, plumbed in similar to a coolant version but I used a bellows on the vent so it remains a sealed system. TIGed in a fitting for the reservoir overflow line. The red CSI can is the overflow. The hydraulic filter is plumbed into the return line from the PS cooler, just upstream from the pump. That has all worked exceptionally well for almost 2 decades.

 

Before work, I found the online wiring diagram. Of course I didn't document it when I tore down Woodstock.

After work, I made a little mount for the throttle control that was previously on the dash. I figure I have to open the hood any time I weld, so might as well leave it under the hood. This is off the side of the battery box, and I used all the length to get there.

 

1 beer's worth of wiring, and it works! First tried the power tool.

Then I ran a few test beads with some 6011. To make this authentic, it would need to be 125 degrees outside, or snowing, and laying upside down in the mud under the jeep, while drunk. But you get the idea.

 

I look forward to seeing the snow, upside down, overhead, drunk test.

 

Well, the Rubicon trip came and went, and it was a ton of fun. I was glad we had the welder, as we fixed a broken frame and a ripped off spring hanger, on 2 different jeeps. The tux also had some issues, all trail-fixable, but I need to address them before the Jamboree. First, at gatekeeper at Loon, Nick dropped the passenger front tire into a perfect hole, that swallowed the 37" tire perfectly, bound up, and snapped the front axle u joint on the Dana 44. It made the telltale bang noise, followed by the sounds of bearing cap ricochet on rocks.

I didn't get any photos, but we got out of the way, let the group keep moving, jumped in and banged in a new u joint. Thanks to all that helped. The bad part is that it spread the ears of the inner (custom length) shaft, and the repaired unit looked a little iffy. It did hold for the rest of the trip, and in retrospect, I probably should have tacked the caps to the shaft, but oh well, it got us home. Now, at home, it's a lot easier to work on, not in a pile of rocks.

When I bought this axle, it came with spare shafts, I just need to find it, which I did. It was even labeled, that's not like me. Anyway, I'm going to use this for the next trip in a few weeks.

Assembled and ready for paint. I reused the new u joint that we put in on the trail, and bought 2 new Spicer joints to have with us. This has actually never happened to me, but glad I had the stuff to not ruin our trip, I have been carrying it around forever.

Painted and ready to go, except I stripped one of the spindle studs using Ryan's impact gun, so I need to get one of those.

 

The trail fix wasn't too bad, I just didn't want to hold up the group. We got it pretty quickly, thanks to teamwork.

So I guess the u joint is the weak link. I would have thought the locking hub would be, and I carry a spare one of those too. We actually have an ammo box dedicated to hubs and u joints, and everything we should need to fix one. There was no doubt when we broke this one. You can see our Rubicon workbench and anvil in the background. Thanks @supertrooper for the photos.

Next problem was the power steering was still puking and making a mess. Turns out the El Cheapo reservoir was not the answer. So like I always say, why do it once? I ordered up a nicer (10 times the price) PSC reservoir with a filter that keeps the fluid from aerating.

I am hoping this will mount in the same location, and maybe the hoses will work too.

 

Tim I feel your pain about not wanting to hold up the group. You had that fixed in no time, it was done before our last JEEP was through the gate keeper.
You just reminded me that mine was pucking power steering fluid, hopefully it’s only because the cap was missing.