I made my ears ring today

Kinja'd!!! "gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
10/30/2017 at 01:22 • Filed to: None

Kinja'd!!!1 Kinja'd!!! 10

At the beginning of August I finally pulled the Niva’s transmission to replace the input shaft seal that failed at the end of January. I make slow progress sometimes.

I think I got the seal into the trans maybe in mid-September. I’ve also been doing some other stuff, with the goal of passing an Alberta out-of-province inspection so I can register it here. That other stuff includes new headlight and taillight lenses, new ball joints on the driver’s side, new shocks all around, a new blower motor, and new heater controls. Oh, and a new super motor too. And I’m probably forgetting some stuff. Like the vent-window latch. Maybe that’s it. Maybe.

I also decided to weld up the somewhat crude exhaust system I assembled in a side-of-the-road sorta situation. I had it clamped, but I’m hoping by welding it I’ll be cutting down on the volume some, as there were inevitably a few small leaks at the connections.

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I won’t pretend I’m a superb welder, and I only have a cheap flux-core welder, but I’d say that’ll get the job done. I also moved the glasspack right to the end of the downpipe instead of chilling under the rear bumper. I think that should make a pretty big difference on the volume too. I frankly don’t expect the glasspack-only exhaust to pass the inspection hence, but then it is Alberta and trucks will pass that way so why not a Niva? But this has mostly just been a playing-with-the-welder exercise.

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It’s not quite done yet, but getting there. Ran out of flux-core wire.

I got through the pile of hardware on the bench from when I pulled the trans out, with only the tcase and driveshafts left to do underneath, and button up the interior, and put the front wheels back on. I need to change the engine oil too at some point. And I guess the exhaust needs to go back on too.

And I just got interrupted writing this post by some Mother Nature happening in my front yard. I’d heard the sounds of grazing elk outside my window but then some different noises. Grunts, and sounds almost like they were in distress. I got to the window just in time to watch the bull dismount. Right.

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Once he was done this guy got some serious munchies.

Goodnight, Oppo.


DISCUSSION (10)


Kinja'd!!! Birddog > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
10/30/2017 at 02:02

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“I won’t pretend I’m a superb welder”

Even goober welds can be good welds.

For a while.

Elk in the front yard? I’m jealous.


Kinja'd!!! gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Birddog
10/30/2017 at 02:29

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When I first bought the Niva the kid I got it from talked about the “fully welded exhaust”. My only standard really is better than that pile of poop was. That’s not saying much though... It fell off on the highway and pretzeled itself under the car. I picked up 3mpg after that and there was a noticeable increase in power. Needless to say something a little more free-flowing went back on.


Kinja'd!!! shop-teacher > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
10/30/2017 at 05:18

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It may be slow progress, but that’s a lot of progress.


Kinja'd!!! SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
10/30/2017 at 06:54

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Don’t be making me miss my old Niva...that will not do.


Kinja'd!!! Birddog > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/03/2017 at 04:05

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Yikes! That’s ugly.


Kinja'd!!! gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Birddog
11/03/2017 at 16:43

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That’s what the system looked like, after I mostly un-pretzelled it to see what I needed. What’s laying beside it was the preliminary roadside repair before I discovered the axle needed a couple extra bends for clearance.


Kinja'd!!! Birddog > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/04/2017 at 03:27

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Cheez Whiz!

Someone got a Horror Fright “My First Welder” for their birthday. The new system is a work of art in comparison.


Kinja'd!!! gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Birddog
11/04/2017 at 12:43

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Oh yeah. Looked like it was put together just from scrap laying around too. I’m frankly amazed I didn’t die driving that around, there were so many leaks.


Kinja'd!!! Birddog > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/04/2017 at 16:58

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No joke! I’ve pulled some bodges in my time but nothing like that.


Kinja'd!!! gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Birddog
11/04/2017 at 22:35

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I’m not convinced the fat bit in the middle was even an exhaust part.