Pertneer's Blog

I attached my Gopro camera to the under side of my Jeep so I could see how much deflection I could see with this new set up.
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So after a failed trip to the local Napa store I resorted to searching the internet for some more ideas. After not finding what I was looking for I remembered an old set of Stainless steel brake lines that I has on the Jeep at one time.

You can also get the line from Advance Adapters to mate directly to the slave too. You can get it in a 42″ or a 60″ length.

I had purchased then ten years ago and changed them because I heard of them failing at unpredictable times while off-road. I had to take off the brake collar to attach one to the Advance Adapters clutch adapter, but I will have an extra to keep in the spare parts bag for trail side fixes. They did end up a little short to reach the slave cylinder but I needed a rigid line to mate it to the slave cylinder anyway.

After getting the line hooked up I found that the material I used to make the mount was a little thin. But with using the CNC Plasma to make the mount I just whipped out two more pieces and welded them together to create a 1/2 inch thick piece. This really helped stiffen the whole setup. On to the next project…Steering

So I worked some more on the Clutch today. The uncomfortable portion up under the dash. This would have been easier if I didn’t have a full cage, The dash was out, and the front seat was not in the way. I pressed through to get this thing done.

First I bolted the YJ master cylinder to the firewall in its original location on the YJ tub. Then the first obstacle presented itself. Seams they changed the mounting location that attaches the clutch rod through the fire wall when they went to the hydraulic setup. Easy enough to fix, just drill a new hole. Ya, easier said than done. After doing a little research on how the pedal is held into the mount. It was easier to search on the internet than try to see up under the dash while standing on my head! Looked easy enough, Just needed to take off an external snap ring. Keep in mind I am still standing on my head, hanging on with one hand and trying to pry it off with a screw driver. No snap ring pliers. once the snap ring came flying off and I found it in the tall grass. Ya I need to mow. Where are the neighborhood kids when you need them (LOL). Got the hole drilled and put the pedal back into place only to have to try to put on that stupid snap ring with my bare hands. After fifteen minutes and a bloody finger I took a trip to Farm and Fleet to get a set of 927 Retaining ring Pliers. Well worth the money. I have had cheaper brands that just barely allow you to get a snap ring on before they break, yes I said “A” snap ring. It took me like one try to get the snap ring on while upside down under the dash.

Now that I have this attached to the pedal all I have left to do is get the line hooked up. With the YJ cylinder I will need a hydraulic fitting to couple the stock master cylinder to 7/16 X 24 inv -3 hose.

This fitting will allow the use of a standard brake line to connect the master to the slave. We shall see.

I made quite a bit of progress this weekend. I picked up my new slave cylinder this morning from Napa (Part number: NCF 73173). First I spent the time to draw up this slave cylinder to make sure I could make an accurate mount without any issues.  It is not a perfect solid model by any means, but the critical dimension are accurate enough that my bracket came out fine.
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During my recent trip off-road I encountered an issue that I did not have since my last fix. The clutch linkage started to come apart during extreme twisting of the frame. At least four times during the day, at the most inopportune times I might add, it fell apart where the linkage attaches to the side of the motor. You can see in the image that the setup is mostly custom. I utilized the original CJ7 linkage but had to move it forward enough to go around the exhaust to gain a straight shot to the clutch release arm. The stock plastic bushing and c-clip seam to be the issue and the weak point as it always was when stock. I debated on making a shaft to eliminate this type of connection but without access to the necessary machines anymore I had to go another route. So currently I am gathering parts to replace it with a hydraulic setup. I am planning to utilize the stock YJ master cylinder that I acquired when I purchased to get my body tub years ago and mate it to a CJ slave cylinder. I will determine how to get them connected when I have the slave cylinder in hand. From what I have read it is an easy thing to do, we shall see.