Congrats on the new job it sounds like!
CK5
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Back In the Saddle Again
- Thread starter K5Devil
- Start date
Yes, been a longtime coming. I have been trying to get back in the hangar ever since I left Boeing in 2020. Had to deal with a 5 year non-compete contract with them. Finally those got outlawed in 2024. But finding a place to work was difficult. I didn't want commercial airline. Didn’t want medivac. This outfit kinda found me.
That also means all my tools come home for the first time in a long time so more work is getting done on the truck.
That was the best when I went from a shop and supplying my own tools to a company that supplies them for me. Plus not having to buy them constantly.
And working at an offroad shop was a cool experience. I learned a ton about differentials, suspension geometry and tires.
I did the math and on any given day I would dead lift the weight equivalent of 2 metric tons. Taking 40”+ tires w/bead locks off these vehicles constantly to perform the modifications then putting them back on while the vehicle was on lifts. Moving tires, transmissions and transferases constantly. Dropping out diffs etc., I would most the time just bench press the jeep transmissions out to save time. Didn't realize many of them were 200+ lbs dry until I looked it up. Just glad I got out before I got majorly injured. Lol
Definitely a younger mans sport in a shop that lacks a lot of equipment for what it does. But it was fun and I made great friends there. Definitely a worthwhile experience.
I did the math and on any given day I would dead lift the weight equivalent of 2 metric tons. Taking 40”+ tires w/bead locks off these vehicles constantly to perform the modifications then putting them back on while the vehicle was on lifts. Moving tires, transmissions and transferases constantly. Dropping out diffs etc., I would most the time just bench press the jeep transmissions out to save time. Didn't realize many of them were 200+ lbs dry until I looked it up. Just glad I got out before I got majorly injured. Lol
Definitely a younger mans sport in a shop that lacks a lot of equipment for what it does. But it was fun and I made great friends there. Definitely a worthwhile experience.
I spent a couple of years work’n at a true Speed Shop in the mid-nineties and it was GREAT !
It was like taking a super long vacation between career jobs.
Ya’ learn things you didn’t even realize were things that needed to be learned and being able to be a part of uncountable engine builds of every kind and level was just priceless!
I enjoyed being a crane operator and heavy equipment/crane T-3 instructor at GE but turning wrenches and work’n at the Speed Shop for a living is what I really loved doing.
All gearheads should get a chance to work at a true Speed Shop at some point in their lives - it’s a training experience that has to be experienced to fully grasp and appreciate.
Been dealing with this horrendous leak from the trans for a while now. Thought I had fixed it about 4 times. But its time to go in. 
Decided to take a look inside. And change the fluid. Uh oh…..
Inspected end play and its perfect. .004 I set to .002 at rebuild to it landed perfectly in the middle of tolerance. No issues with the rotating assembly. Everything looks new.
Looking at the top cover. The pad for reverse is broken. Likley from the last time I installed the top cover in that rush before the long drive here. Then I look closely at the 3-4 fork.
Definitely getting work down. This is definitely from me holding the shifter while its in gear. God dang it. What else am I going to hold while im driving my truck.
Decided to take a look inside. And change the fluid. Uh oh…..
Inspected end play and its perfect. .004 I set to .002 at rebuild to it landed perfectly in the middle of tolerance. No issues with the rotating assembly. Everything looks new.
Looking at the top cover. The pad for reverse is broken. Likley from the last time I installed the top cover in that rush before the long drive here. Then I look closely at the 3-4 fork.
Definitely getting work down. This is definitely from me holding the shifter while its in gear. God dang it. What else am I going to hold while im driving my truck.
The leak is most likley coming out the breather tube on the top of the trans I forgot to hook up. Lol cant see it from underneath and I forgot it was there.
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well there is something you can hold, only if the the little women hasn't got hold of it first 
Prices on everything is out of control. They want $30-50 for a 4x4 indicator switch? Holy hell. Figured Id replace it while I was in there. The funny part is I bet I have one in a box somewhere!
I did finally adapt that dodge shifter to the square body transfer-case linkage. So I can hold that while driving instead of the trans shifter. Lol will post pics once its installed.
I still don't like the location of the transfer case shifter and its proximity to the trans shifter.
One of the last things I did at work was fabricate a dog house extension for a twin stick upgrade on a 1969 FJ40. Maybe I should build something like that for this situation. The problem is there is nowhere to bolt linkage too off this trans and tail housing.
I did finally adapt that dodge shifter to the square body transfer-case linkage. So I can hold that while driving instead of the trans shifter. Lol will post pics once its installed.
I still don't like the location of the transfer case shifter and its proximity to the trans shifter.
One of the last things I did at work was fabricate a dog house extension for a twin stick upgrade on a 1969 FJ40. Maybe I should build something like that for this situation. The problem is there is nowhere to bolt linkage too off this trans and tail housing.
