Dauntless Drivetrain Change

JeepFever wrote: ....For those not aware,  using the centered D300 xfer results in a short driveshaft with excessive angles at u-joints.  (in my case it is 12 degrees,   not at the limit,  but getting close).    I will be using a CV driveshaft,  which requires cutting the spring perches on D44 and rotating the pinion yoke up.....

When I got my double cardan drive shaft from Tom Woods, I had him grind the yokes to give them more angular clearance:



... also whenever you are going down the road under load, the axle will want to wrap upward, at least a little bit. For this reason, I would recommend tilting your pumpkin so that the pinion is 1 degree below parallel to the driveshaft. 1 degree is within tolerance any way and this way, under acceleration, your hog's head can wrap 2 degrees and still only be 1 degree off of parallel. I actually went 2 degrees below center on mine but my springs are longer:



... it does make a difference on vibration in my case anyway. I would suggest using wedges for now to set your angle and then wheel the vehicle a bit to get the springs to settle in. Then when you are happy with your geometry, you can cut the perches and relocate them. I never did cut my perches. I made 3 degree steel shims. I actually welded them to the axle perch to make sure they would not come out. Through the 4 year project, I had them in, had them out, flipped them around, you name it. Currently, i don't need them with the last set of changes I made. MMV

The last time I got a drive shaft, I got the longer splines because I got tired of lengthening and shortening my drive shaft every time I made an engineering change:



The only other down side to the double cardan is that every time you make a simple engineering change, it throws all your angles off. If you move the axle, it throws everything off. If you add or remove lift, it changes your angles.... but, it's the only option with a centered diff and 80" wheelbase. You don't have these problems with a D18. This is why I recommend using wedges to get your geometry correct first.

Edited by jpet - 03 May 2018 at 6:44pm

jpet wrote:   ... also whenever you are going down the road under load, the axle will want to wrap upward, at least a little bit. For this reason, I would recommend tilting your pumpkin so that the pinion is 1 degree below parallel to the driveshaft. 1 degree is within tolerance any way and this way, under acceleration, your hog's head can wrap 2 degrees and still only be 1 degree off of parallel. I actually went 2 degrees below center on mine but my springs are longer:

Thanks Jeff,  that makes more sense now,  (that the perches were moved at one point)

The engine runs!!        Can't get too excited yet,  but at least it was not knocking or something obviously bad.

Excellent!  You are making great progress, must be working around the clock! 

Jeff,

I have not been on the forum much,   trying to spend as much time in garage as possible.   It has been a crazy 2-weeks.   Trying to keep up with mowing grass,  put a garden in,  family gathering each weekend,  AND work on Wilson.

Since the last report, 
 - got the exhaust fully welded, installed,  and put some heat wrap on in critical areas,  

Wow - that's fantastic.  I really didn't think you'd get it on the road this quickly.  Well done! 

Overall  I like the update so far.   The engine seems to be running fine,  it sounds so much better without all the exhaust leaks the other engine had before.

Edited by JeepFever - 22 May 2018 at 9:55pm