I've been driving the truck to work all this week. It does not want to start in the mornings and takes twenty or thirty tries before it will run. After it's warm, and even after sitting for hours it starts right away (it sits in the sun).

I think the vibration I'm getting so much of is from the lack of proper transmission or transfer case mounts. The engine itself is pretty smooth, but it has a resonant vibration all through the vehicle while driving. I know there is currently only the one mount under the transmission and no roll stopper or other mount anywhere else. Not sure how I will be able to adapt from the body and frame that had the old three speed with different mount points to where the KM-148 now lives, but it apparently needs something.

I'm heading to Auto Zone to see if their assortment of cable stops has a size that will allow me to finish up the transmission kick-down. I also need to adjust the linkage slightly.

Since there haven't been any wiring connections made to the transmission or transfer case, this transmission will not shift into O/D, but it works just fine otherwise. No apparent damage from having water in it in the past.

And I still can't move the transfer case shifter, so I've just left that alone. Can't figure out how to get center consoles in place yet. They just don't fit, but I haven't really looked at it yet.

I forgot how different it is driving a SWB. Parking, u-turns and backing up are so easy. Of course the short wheelbase makes for a hobby-horse ride, but that's part of the fun...right?

LordTrunks, you left your multimeter in the truck, in case you were looking for it.

John B.

Johnny, I can't do the Gen 1 bumpers right now, since I don't have a gen 1 anymore to use as a jig...If you ever want to bring it over though, or if I come up that way I can get the dimensions and make one easy..The gen 1 SWB rear is the easiest to make. The place I work at now, we do custom medical air systems and we fab all the frame work, now that I've been there for a while I can go in on the weekends to work on personal stuff.

I will be making a (bad<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" />) Gen 2/2.5 one real soon though. Looking forward to getting back into fabbing stuff.

Justice, I'd say you hit a home run with the Gen 2 rear bumper I got off the truck you sold me. That thing is solid.

John B.

After further examination, my thinking on the vibration issues the '86 is having are a result of the oil pan modification we had to do to get the 2.4 to fit. It appears that the oil pan is resting on the front differential. My guess is that the only way to minimize this at this point is to jack the engine up a little and try to get some cushioning between the two, like some rubber sheeting or something.

The oil pan "should" have been sectioned and welded properly, I guess. I don't think it would be proper to actually try to raise the mounting position of the engine by modifying the mounts themselves.

I'll be trying to get this through emissions soon, even though I still haven't been able to set the timing.

John B.

If the oil pan is touching, you need to make some sort of permanent modification to fix it, or you're going to end up with a hole worn through your oil pan. Some shims under the engine mounts might give you just enough clearance. Is there enough room to hammer some clearance into the pan if you jack the engine up?

I suppose you could always just leave it as-is and wait for it to wear through, then pull the oil pan off and section it properly.

I spaced my 2.4 under the motor mounts, gave me a little better driveshaft angle too.

This is good to know.

John B.

So the next question is what to use under the motor mounts to space them. Washers? And how far? 1/4"? 1/2"?

John B.

once i used a bandsaw to cut the bottom plates off an old motor mount, hack saw would work if you had a vice to hold the mount. another two times i made an "engine adapter" plate with spacer built in. all different swaps though, i don't know how much rise you need.

Good news, the 'Shaker Bucket' has passed emissions. It failed the first time through by being a touch high on NOX, so I drove it back home and pulled some timing, then it sailed right through. I renewed the registration and ordered a historic vehicle plate (+$25) just for the heck of it.

LT, if you need a second vehicle, you can keep the '86 for a while...

Now the focus can shift...to the Type R...it's coming up on turbo time.

John B.