Transmission Swap Fiasco, I Got Distracted...

My water pumper dune buggy has been sitting on the lift waiting for a transmission for a long time. I bought a replacement a while back, but I have not gotten around to installing it. I really need my lift freed up, so in this video I'm going to get to that transmission swap. It did not go as planned.
I ended up working on my 5-speed V-8 Grand Cherokee, and swapping that transmission. Then I kept working on that Jeep, and never got back to the buggy I was supposed to be working on. Oh well, it was fun anyway! While I was finishing up this video, I realized how much work I've done on this ZJ. I have a lot of videos on it, from back when I first started making videos. Here's the playlist with them all if you're interested:
• V-8 ZJ Manual Trans Sw...
Also, I have a couple of videos on the '51 Ford sand buggy if you're interested:
• Mystery Water Pumper D...
• New Subscriber Intro

[@htownblue11]

“Those only came behind 6 cylinders, not V8’s, but I got a really good deal. And It looks like it will fit.” 🤣😂🤣😂 This man is a gem.

[@mark3863]

Every episode of Low-Buck Garage is a classic,thank you so much you make my day.

[@ruben_balea]

I think those u-joints are reaching a magic point where they'll actually last longer if you don't re-grease them anymore, maintenance free! 🙄😂

[@corywillbanks6348]

There are two kinds of u joints in this world. Those that are so new they don’t need grease and those that are so old they don’t deserve grease.

[@andrewjoyce7789]

You got me motivated to make my 1942 Jeep less wrong, it now drives which is nice! Thanks James!

[@dustcommander100]

That boat rack is an amazing piece of engineering!! And all that knowledge about the transmission swaps was impressive!

[@craigbowley6783]

I love that you're putting a manual in the buggy that's the way it should be 👌

[@motorv8N]

Best dune buggy-tranny-swap-boat-lifting-dry-lake-launching-and-retrieving video I’ve seen in a long long while!

[@user-xl5np5dp8n]

You're now the King of DeadPan Humor, along with the McGyver certification.

[@SeanMacLennan]

"Less wrong" is my new motto.

[@RobertFay]

*- At first, James, the wandering from one step to the next diversion was aggravating for me, and then in the end it all turned into what became a brilliant comic routine that made itself out of nowhere.*

[@Guillotines_For_Globalists]

That ZJ rear axle sure twists a lot under torque for having a 4 link.

[@Guillotines_For_Globalists]

​@@sheepwolf1st The stock ZJ suspension has coils at all 4 corners though. Front and rear axles have a 4 link plus a trackbar (maybe that's a 5 link front and rear? correct me if I am wrong.) It's the XJ that had rear leaf springs and no rear 4 link nor trackbar. The ZJ has a stock 4 link front and rear with albeit relatively thin and hollow stamped control arms from the factory.

[@leximatic]

Always take care of ideal lighting conditions and proper masking when painting. This here is a great example. Made my day. 😆

[@johnnyzander1466]

This whole thing.. Starting something and then accidentally looking at something else and starting that instead, only to then accidentally look at a third object feels way too familiar.. 😂😂👍

[@remko1238]

I keep being amazed… again and again and again and again and (etc.)

[@robertholcomb6200]

Awesome! That's how my projects go! Two steps forward in one to make one in another that i was trying to complete! It's the life of a mechanic......

[@jackrichards1863]

That roof rack has turned into an invention. Seems to work pretty well. Just need a way to keep the crank handle closer to you.

[@danpags7023]

I've not seen a boat rack that operates like this. You may have a million dollar idea. Awesome video. Great that the trans worked out! 👍👍

[@harrygreen6935]

😂🤣😭😂 laughed until it hurt. Your dry humor is amazing sir. Love the never quit attitude. Thanks for sharing.

[@daviddaw999]

I love your sense of humor; watching your videos always makes me laugh.

[@bondvagabond42]

Great episode, it's so nice to see someone besides myself take 10x as long on a project, to save a few bucks, hah. But I am disappointed I have to ASK for some footage of you jumping the grand Cherokee with the boat on top. You're a pro KZbinr now, you should be able to anticipate that your audience would want that, har har.

[@gertraba9806]

You are the modern day rube goldberg

[@laramiefields9938]

I love the boat loader. Such a good idea. So instead of fighting the boat to stand it up put a little fold down leg on the loader then take the straps off of the roof rack and run em over the next pipe up on the loader and down to the middle of the boat and you can use your winch there to stand it up and hold it while you put your bolts in. Just an idea.

[@GeneralPurpose9]

The level of seriously dry humor is hilarious. When have gut busting kackles, you know it's good stuff...

[@gregdrmax]

When you get a few minutes rig up an electric winch for that boat loader contraption. Get one with fwd and reverse. Maybe wireless remote. That sounds fun!

[@baxojayz]

Well that took an unexpected turn! Nice work though !

[@carlosg1165]

Loved all your videos with your comedic tooo 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👋👋👋👋

[@johnd169]

You’re a very crafty fellow! I love the junk to boat lift

[@LeapingBlackman]

The nut on a stick is definitely gonna help me someday

[@aaronmcconnell7358]

A few interchangeable attachments the boat loader would work great for a couple sheets of plywood or drywall.

[@LeifES]

"I’m just gonna completely ignore that.” 😂

[@HODGEPODGEDODGEGARAGE]

I truly admire how you take *what you have and make what you need!* So refreshing to see a channel like yours that doesn't just hemorrhage money on tools or parts. Enjoyed the video very much James! 😁👍 That boat handler is a handy invention. I know how you feel, go to work on one ting and next you know it there's 4 projects tore apart! 😂 Take care, be safe and happy wrenching. 🔧🔩

[@StewartPaton]

That bridge over the Rio Grande reminded me of the time the Rubber Duck's Mack went over the side.

[@JimFinlayson]

Nice video. Your dry humor cracks me up.

[@chrissmith7655]

Hi, love your presentation, very informative, entertaining and often very amusing sense of humour thrown in. Many thanks from Nr Liverpool UK.

[@professorfalken4600]

Lots of halfassery here, I like it 😂

[@GeneralPurpose9]

As a transmission guy I have an actual 4ft extension and 5ft extension. Makes life wonderful.

[@andrew5792]

We have the Henley-On-Todd regatta boat race here in Australia, which started in 1962, and is held annually in the dry bed of the Todd river near Alice Springs (a town roughly in the center of Australia). In 1993 the regatta had to be cancelled for the first time as there was actually water in the river. Oh and by the way, the buggy's looking great!

[@andrewjoyce7789]

Sounds great fun Andrew, I'm from central Victoria, is it true what we are hearing on the news re youth crime in The Alice?

[@andrew5792]

@@andrewjoyce7789 I'm not from Alice, but lived in the NT between 2000 and 2008 so don't have current personal knowledge. While there I did work with some of the communities and will say that they have specific issues that are not fully understood by those that have never spent time with them. Some are self inflicted and others are environmental. Unfortunately they are not very fairly portrayed in the mainstream media, who as we all know is only interested in sensationalising issues to sell copy!

[@andrewjoyce7789]

@@andrew5792 I believe you mate they are there to make $$$ for the shareholders, might be traveling through to Katherine for work soon cheers!

[@mfrsr]

a suggestion for the crank handle - you could weld a loop onto the end of the shaft at the gear, and a longer crank handle with another loop welded through the first. or two links of large diameter chain. so you could wind it thru the full arc without needing to reach up for it. basically a simple u-joint. a loop and hook design would make for an easily removable crank handle if needs be, though with a risk of slipping out when you don't want it to.

[@johnsmart3587]

You SIR, are a national TREASURE!

[@jeffforre5475]

Gotta love the sarcasm !

[@moefuggerr2970]

I remember some parts of the Rio being ankle deep when I was a kid.

[@benjaminreinhardt259]

A bicycle chain, couple sprockets, and another shaft can relocate that crank handle further back where you can reach it.

[@patricksjeeps]

Hey, I just ran across your channel a few weeks ago. I really enjoy your content. I also have an "affliction" for older vehicles, mostly Jeeps. I also live in New Mexico, in the north central part. Keep up the cool videos!

[@mikeconner5119]

that is one respectcal jeep looks like alot of fun and that is a sweet boat loader i wish i had a set up like that awsome build this guy is so creative and funny to watch this channel is one of my favorites

[@Freedbird]

I love this video's wild ride. Your adaptation skills are awesome ! You make me laugh so hard, I go to the bathroom before watching, so there are no accidents.

[@dannystubblefield5478]

Watching from Mississippi- great video thanks

[@jerryb1234]

Great project, and good-job, thanks for sharing.

[@dirk4926]

That is a sweet rig! Love your videos, you're one of the few creators I actually watch at regular speed so I don't miss anything, most channels I watch at 1.5 x

[@alangordon3283]

Always look forward to the entertainment as ever in your videos .

[@shakyhandpictures2185]

One of the very best on KZbin

[@BurnerJones]

I'm seriously considering replicating that boat loader on mine, I love it. Looks like it would be great for transporting 4x8 sheets of plywood and stuff too.

[@BurnerJones]

6 months later, just finished welding and painting the rear bumper. I've got some beefy inch thick eyelets on both sides for some shackle mounts and remembered this video, they would be perfect for pivot points for this loader. Time to find some steel rod that fits.

[@mitchellpinnick5109]

28:00 - 30:00 is the epitome of DIY. And this entire video is what it's like owning a jeep. Haven't laughed like that in a while.

[@craigbowley6783]

Great progress on the buggy. It's coming along nicely 👌

[@markvisconti4507]

Just an ol' boathand from the Rio Grande?...Apologies for not putting enough water in the drink, from your northern neighbor. The tap must be stuck. It must be time to pull out two nuts, a welder, steering wheel puller, a swing press, soapstone, multi-meter, and a ratchet strap...;-)) As always, great information, well presented. Thank you.

[@grassrat4506]

On reaching your crank, there's nothing like a couple 5 gallon buckets can't fix. Just make sure you have good balance while jumping bucket too bucket.

[@DangerousSportsForSeniors]

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing

[@_zzpza]

"Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand Just like that river twisting through a dusty land And when she shines, she really shows you all she can Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande" The river being dry is fitting. :)

[@AndrewHCann]

Excellent video Low Buck Garage :) yes that gear in transmission so bad broken up and newer transmission looks lots safe to and jeep work very good too!

[@kevineleven5610]

Showing some serious skills 😃👍

[@printer1105]

Very sporty rig , I like it for what it is.

[@purdueguy681]

The ax15 will work fine. We are running one behind an AMC 360 and towing our camper with it.

[@oleukeman]

I’ve gotta admire your creativity. 👍

[@Dave-ty2qp]

Looks like you launched your boat near Dry Water Texas. Loved the video, and looking forward to the next one.

[@richardphelan8414]

Always entertaining If it doesn't fit he will make it fit ,U joints Their Fine , he does things the factory should have done awesome entertainment ,And yet he's a great Teacher at the same time

[@marvicty]

It's official, you are freakin AWESOME!!!!!!

[@dogpotter]

Great content. Thanks for the hard work you put into making these videos. Really enjoy watching your videos

[@StarlightCipher]

i am really happy to see you are making great progress on the buggy. long time coming lol

[@markc5593]

Really enjoyed that, thanks.

[@oneproudchump8457]

Please be safe and check the muffler bearings before taking that gem out again!😂

[@oneproudchump8457]

@TaylorRay. Scam 🖕🖕🖕

[@pyzze]

Love it Thanks for a fantastic start of the weekend

[@Kyle-ev4fk]

Nice work. I don't know if I am becoming more easily entertained or your videos are getting better. There are definitely some T-shirt worthy quotes in this episode.

[@craigbowley6783]

I always get a big smile on my face when I see that you've posted a new video. Your channel is my favorite and I love the diversity of the projects you work on and the way you present them with your sense of humor and your extensive knowledge of everything. I subscribed when you had less than 200 subs and told everyone I know to watch and still tell other KZbinrs to check out your channel. It's been awesome to watch your channel grow. Congrats to you 👍

[@Fatamus]

I detected a slight accent ... Scottish but with a made in America label ? Anyway love the channel. Humor is spot on.👍 Dry river raphting, I did not know that was a thing. Next thing is boat launching . ... see how far they'll fly, and then tubing down White Sand Rio Grande behind the dune buggy, that you were working on .🤣😂🤣 Great video 👍👍

[@jeepindave5464]

Ax15s will hold up fine to a mild v8. They were used in cargo trucks in Japan.

[@hunbun101]

🎉🎉🎉new low buck garage

[@johnsmart3587]

Oops! Outstanding! Thanks...

[@MsJon52]

enjoyed the vids content, as usual, you are a gem you really are, you cheered up what was at the start of a miserable day, I am actually going to work on something now if it needs it or not, lol

[@bdg77]

As usual - very enjoyable!!❤

[@lsnowy7758]

When you said it started to rain I imagined a flash flood would have been the icing on the cake

[@philipcullen4300]

Still the best KZbinr

[@Porkhammer]

Haha. You're a crafty fella. 10/10 video. :D

[@MrJanaRobi]

I have thrown my outboard motor on the tailgate .Maybe you a bracket for a spare tire if you need to mount a motor ?

[@arthurbach9016]

I guess it's a common problem in Dodge.Transmissions for the reverse to go out by 727 has been sitting on the shelf waiting for parts 3 months

[@R.Sole88109]

32:00 would putting another similar handle opposite keep one within reach as it gets to the arc apex? Either way another mint episode of vehicle fingering👍🏻😄

[@LowBuckGarage]

Thanks! Another handle would help. In hindsight if I had drilled the hole another foot or so to the rear, it would have been much lower to reach when tilted up, and probably would have worked fine.

[@R.Sole88109]

@@LowBuckGarage Yeah, the trouble with hindsight is it's like most friends, it turns up when the job is finished😆

[@whatwasthat3269]

what I would give for a zj with no rust like that.... wow what a nice zj.

[@kingtut5923]

Wow that 's great , now probably a small 12 volt winch is better

[@hamzamakki6884]

Good job

[@billcahill3196]

ha ha wife and I love manual transmission vehicles, I said only one I blew up was in a new 1994 Plymouth Duster, 2 minutes later you said chrysler had a problem filling them at factory, my new car had only only one quart of gear oil from factory.

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

I haven't much played with an AX-15, but I've worked with a couple of R-151s: their Toyota cousins. They handle the output of a 1UZ-FE V8 just fine. I can't imagine whatever LA block adjacent V8 that will fit into an XJ being too much different than an UZ. The swap should be just fine.

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

Derp. ZJ. My bad. At least I didn't slander it by calling it a WJ.

[@MrMopardude1988]

Thank you for the awesome content!

[@nameless502]

Well done, another good video!

[@GraemeRobinson]

great project. So jealous of you.

[@ianplute7033]

In case anyone sees this in the future, the NV3550 from 2000 to 2001 sourced gears from overseas. You cannot buy the gears nor swap the gears from other years. Metal quality was inferior and had nothing to do with the fluids used. If sourcing one from before or after those model years fthere is no risk of bad metal quality. Long story on how I (and an excellent freind who ran a trans shop) figured that out.

[@Americanpirate1776]

I think I am going to put a rack like that on my f250 maybe it well stop people from asking if I can help them move

[@5.9manualzj]

Yeah my 5.9 ZJ is really starting to make my NV3500 sweat. 😭 I'm getting scared cause they are NOT easy to find for the 94 dakota. Also the oil seal in mine is not present, so I'm just rawdogging my transfer case cavity. Seems to be holding up okay, but when it's cold it has to pop into gear, or will sometimes grind. Using MT85 fluid

[@LowBuckGarage]

That's one reason I figured it was worth trying the AX15, those are everywhere, and they're still making brand new ones. It was easy to switch from the NV3500, so as long as it holds up its a viable replacement. I'll have to do some "scientific" testing... Was your transmission supposed to have a seal, and it's just missing?

[@5.9manualzj]

@@LowBuckGarage Nah, it leaked transmission fluid between the t-case & the output side, cause when I installed, I'd read that's a metal to metal seal. When I pulled off the case, I was gonna replace the output shaft seal, which turns out wasn't that. That was just a dust cover or something. it got messed up a little when removing it, and since i had no idea where I was gonna find another I just figured i'd seal the whole thing back where the two mate, with black RTV, and rawdog it. :/ probably not smart, but idk. it only just started popping out of gear when its bone cold, and i takeoff using 2nd, or reverse from a stop. I think that's the MT-85 maybe being just different from the valvoline synchromesh or whatever i was using before.

[@MarksGarageChannel]

👍👍👍

[@mitchmurrell753]

Great channel. I usually make lifelong friends out of guys with àfros as big as his.

[@stephransley4371]

Hilarious thanks for posting

[@4x4ManiacBadTimeGarage]

awesome as usual

[@Shaw.77]

Nuts on a stick! Ha I love it😂