Re: Vinnie's Uplifting experience

[Tom Mandera <tsm1@domain.elided>]

Vinnie Moscaritolo wrote:
> 
> I recently got educated (or at least my wallet did) on the
> process of lifting a Scout. So I figured I would share my
> story with the list, lest someone else be aware of lay lay
> in store.

Ouch.. bad luck!

> So a month or so ago I picked up an 80 Scout II cheap. It
> had a 304, T19 wide and a Dana 20. Somehow I convinced
> myself that it would be a much better deal to rebuild it
> forbid a P**J.

Good thinking!  For what it would've cost me to just touch a base Jeep
($3k) I have a Scout II with a V8, 4spd, locker, LS, 33s, 4" lift.. Dana
44s w/ 4.09s and all.

> 4" due to springs and about 1 1/2 with the mounts plus a
> little bit more from the front shackle. So the entire op put
> me up about 6"..

You put longer shackles up front?  And the "1.5" is just from new body
mounts, or from a body lift in combination with the new mounts?

A 1" body lift and new mounts should be "OK" on the steering joint...
but IMO, I'd rather have the Borgeson.. or cut the firewall.

> And as expected, the clutch rod was too short, no problem,

Sounds more like a bonafide body lift went in..

> sooner than I expected). I was able to bend the brake lines
> back a bit for now, so they wouldn't pull out on the first
> bump. I figured that this January/Feb I would update the
> entire brake system with Stainless steel.

Jim Maulis sells new 4"+ lines for around $74.. it's easy to lengthen
the rear using something like an 80s Ford E350 Van rear line.. but the
fronts are a whole 'nother item.. since the ONLY THING to use 7/16"
fittings on both ends up front was the Scout II..

> and got some shafts made, I did a regular one for the front,
> and a CV setup for the rear.  Of course the rear was so big

Actually, the rear would've been OK with the lift.. but, as you found
out, the front is the one to CV..

> it turns out that those wonderful lock-o-matic (or whatever
> they were called ) hubs are continuously locking, and so my

Don't chuck 'em in the trash.. rebuild parts are non-existant any more..
so there are some (John Landry is one) folks that collect everyone
else's "junk" and make a decent set out of three or so..

> bigger problem. The front shaft is way to steep an angle. I
> am concerned about shimming it any more than the 3 degrees
> rotate  and we weld the pumpkin to a better angle. It also
> turns out that Jim (Anything Scout) happens to have a rig
> for doing just that.

FWIW, I have the 4" Skyjacker Softride springs on my '77.  I have stock
shackles up front, and NO shims (I also do not have your +2 deg caster
1980 front axle, mine is 0 deg).  My front driveshaft binds
occasionally.. not "at-rest".. I can freely spin it by hand, but by
looking at the U-joint yolks, I noticed that it has been rubbing some..
there are a few shiny spots.

I'm near the limit, but it works.

In 2wd with the front hubs locked, I do get a lot more vibration coming
through the transfer case than I do w/ the hubs unlocked.

> good time to replace the tires..

Which size did you opt for?

> The moral of the story, Lifts are now way as simple as just
> changing the springs, in fact maybe I should write a FAQ
> entry about what's involved and what to expect.

Well.. lifts over 4" are.  4" is fine with the stock driveshafts.. it's
just when you go a little bit more that you run into trouble.

I have around $1,000 into my lift.. lift springs, bushings, longer rear
shackles, longer brake lines.. but still stock driveshafts.

> Oh and yes It was an expensive month, but the Scout looks
> and rides better.. way better than the silly Land Rover my
> bought for three times the price my Scout will end up
> costing me..

I totaled things up once.. I figured, when I'm done, I'd have roughly
$15,000 into each of the two Scouts I'm building.. that'd $30k for TWO
restored and built Scout IIs... vs $30k for a new stock SUV.  And the
stock SUV would still need lift, lockers, tires, stereo, radio, lights,
on-board air, 'cage, etc..

> Stay tuned for next few months adventure with drive shafts,
> locking hubs, brakes and lines, body repairs, gas tanks and
> re-wiring fun.
> Vinnie Moscaritolo
> http://www.vmeng.com/vinnie/

I hope you have a little better luck with the next go-round!

-Tom Mandera, Helena MT
http://www.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout
'77 Scout II - swapped in V8, swapped in 4spd, added locker, 4" lift....
'72 Scout II - the other one.. some day I'll get it started & done..