Jeep Wrangler "Saharacon" build

[saharacon87]

I finally found some time to start my Jeep build write up.

I bought my Jeep in late 2006 for $8,000. It was a 97 with 64k miles, didn't leak and came with a snow plow. Here's the picture from the ad in bargain news.

http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/189936_8626340011_592625011_59526_7007_n.jpg

(http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/189936_8626340011_592625011_59526_7007_n.jpg)It wasn't long before I started wandering off the road and playing in mud. The stock 30 inch all terrains were not going to cut it so I bought some 31x11.5 swampers from a friend and the obsession began. My friend at a jeep that was almost identical but with a 2 inch lift so that got the gears turning a bit.
[IMG]http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/5393/78862640501159262501166.jpg


As soon as I bought the tires I knew I needed a lift. I bought some 2 inch spacers and some skyjacker shocks. I always loved cars but I had never actually turned a wrench. The install was pretty straight forward but removing the old steering stabilizer was pita. Sorry no pics of the install but heres the finished product.
(http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/140_14368730011_592625011_1404379_5583_n.jpg)http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/140_14368740011_592625011_1404381_6113_n.jpg
(http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/140_14368740011_592625011_1404381_6113_n.jpg)http://[IMG]http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/272_65098245011_592625011_3674334_1376_n.jpg
(http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/272_65098245011_592625011_3674334_1376_n.jpg)http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/140_14368710011_592625011_1404375_4560_n.jpg
The 31 inch TSLs were amazing offroad but they were horrible on road. Because they were bias ply I had a really hard time balancing them and the jeep rode like garbage. I did like the unmistakable hum though. They wore really fast so while they still had a little tred i sold them to a girl with a stock wrangler. I wanted to go a little bigger so I bought a set of 33x12.5 bfg km1s and squeezed them under my jeep with the 2 inch lift. Obviously this was temporary.

http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/272_60942125011_592625011_3549395_8240_n.jpg

(http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/140_14368710011_592625011_1404375_4560_n.jpg)I began researching lift kits. My friend had a 4 inch rough country lift and his jeep was HUGE compared to mine. It was a bit of a competition but I didn't really like the idea of having that tall of a jeep. I decided that a 3 inch kit was more my style. There were a few different options but after some research I opted for the 3 inch full traction economy lift. It came with springs, a adjustable track bar and bumpstops. I used my skyjacker shocks from my former lift. Heres a few install and comparison pictures
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/272_65098260011_592625011_3674336_2811_n.jpgold lift and springs
http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/272_65098245011_592625011_3674334_1376_n.jpg
new lift springs
http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/272_65098255011_592625011_3674335_2096_n.jpg
(http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/272_65098255011_592625011_3674335_2096_n.jpg)2 inch on 33s
http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/272_60942125011_592625011_3549395_8240_n.jpg
(http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/272_60942125011_592625011_3549395_8240_n.jpg)3 inch on 33s
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/9379/img00303g.jpg (http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/216_64401560011_592625011_3651701_1335_n.jpg)

[saharacon87]

http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/216_64401560011_592625011_3651701_1335_n.jpg

[saharacon87]

More to come.

[saharacon87]

When I went to 33s I lost a lot of power on the highway. I decided I was going to need gears. I bought a Dana 35 out of a 4 cylinder wrangler that had 4:10s. Soon after my friend blew his dana 35 so we made a deal where I would give him my dana 35 and he would buy me 4:10 gears to match the rear of the 35 I had just bought.
http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/7727_290034765011_592625011_9161425_3874742_n.jpg

(http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/7727_290034765011_592625011_9161425_3874742_n.jpg) This was the first time I had taken the axle out of my jeep but it wouldn't be the last...

[saharacon87]

I didnt regear the front right away so essentially I had a 2 wheel drive wrangler. Just when I was getting ready to Regear the front, I blew R&P of the dana 35 I bought... soooo I went on craigslist and got another dana 35 with 4:10 gears for practically nothing. Blew that one too.. I decided that it was time for me to upgrade my axle lol. I started hunting at salvage yards and pricing 8.8s out online. I went to a salvage yard in new milford to get an alternator or something for a different project and saw they had a few wranglers there. I made my way over to them and looked under each one. Dana 35.. dana 35 ..dana 35 then the clouds parted and a light shined down on bright yellow 97 wrangler. I looked under it and there was a dana 44. I ran over to the owner of the salvage yard and started chatting with him. I didnt want to seem to interested because I'm sure if he knew i wanted it he would jack up the price. The price he gave me was 350. I would of course have to take it out myself and I didnt have any tools with me. I told him I would return the next day with tools and take it out. Of course it rained the next day and I had to keep telling myself someone wasn't going to go there in the rain and steal my find. I went the day after and had it out of the donor in 30 min flat. Anyways heres a few pictures of the 44

http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG00298.jpg
(http://http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG00298.jpg)http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/4341/img00295m.jpg

[saharacon87]

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/9096/img00340n.jpg

[Goonies.nsd]

MMMMMMMMMM Dana 44.

[BermB1026]

a D35 for 410s? deal of the century right there good for you!

[stan98tj]

Hurry up and catch us up to present day, and then update it as time goes on so I can keep up with your builds while I'm away.

[HuLuD44]

Nice. Keep it up. Like the back log so far!

[saharacon87]

Thanks Guys.
The Dana 44 came with 3:73 gears and I was still running 3:07s up front but because I needed to drive something I Just Swapped in the 44 till I was going to regear.
My old skyjacker shocks were pretty much shot so I decided to replace them with some Bilstein 5100 shocks. Let me tell you, this was probably the best modification Ive made to my Jeep.
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG-20110413-00913.jpg
I took the Jeep 2wd wheeling a few times. Nothing too difficult but the jeep did surprisingly well. I received all the parts in the mail for my regear. I decide to use YUKON 4:10 gears went with an aussie locker for my dana 30. I also ordered a new carrier for my dana 30 to fit my YUKON 4:10 gears.
A friend of mine recommended one of his jeep buddies to do my gears swap. He charged 150 per axle. Only catch is he requests that both axle are out of the jeep and are striped of brakes, shafts, spider gears and linkage so all he had to do was set up the gears. This wasn't too bad considering now I was a pro at removing axles because of all the dana 35's that I broke. I did have a few setbacks though. On one of the front lower control arms I somehow managed to cut my lower arm when trying to cut out a bolt. Sooooo I ordered some curry arms with jjs to replace it.
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG-20110420-00941.jpg
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG-20110420-00942.jpg
When I removed the 44 and started stripping it I found out 2 things. First, the reason the jeep did so well 2wd wheeling is because it came with posi. Second when I opened the Diff to remove the spider gears I found a nice Dana 44 surprise. Say goodbye posi :(
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/199346_10150409217295012_592625011_17315435_105645 0_n.jpg
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG-20110320-00719.jpg
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG-20110320-00720.jpg

[saharacon87]

For some reason i'm having a problem posting images. Let me know if it works when you click the links

[565matt]

yea it works if you click on them.. I find that posting from imageshack works better tho

[HuLuD44]

yea try imageshack. use the second url down that says "direct link" then past int button on tool bar.

[stan98tj]

photobucket always works for me, you have to make sure you click on the IMG code

[saharacon87]

Finally got some time to continue my build log. After I got my axles back from the guy who did the gear swap I started putting them back together. I got my currie arms in the mail and installed them on the front where I had previously cut thru the old arm.
http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8040/img2011042000942.jpg

(http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8040/img2011042000942.jpg)

[saharacon87]

I dont know if its something wrong with my computer or something but it wont let me click free the pictures even when I use imageshack. Anyway.. after I installed the axles I took it on its test drive and everything seemed smooth. Until I got on the highway and experienced a severe vibration followed by a horrible smell of gear oil. I Pulled over and had it towed home from a friend and the drum brakes in the rear were drenched in gear oil.
I took the brakes apart and found that I had blown my newly pressed on bearings on the passenger side.
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6669/southbury2011042600960.jpg
(http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6669/southbury2011042600960.jpg)I figured it must have been a bad bearing so I took the axle shaft down to my buddies at car quest and had them press a new bearing onto my axle shaft free of charge. I put my jeep back together and drove it around a bit and after about 20 min I started smelling the all too familiar smell of burning gear oil. I gingerly drove my jeep back home and started taking it apart again.
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/7765/southbury2011043000977.jpg
By now I was worrying that the Guy who did my gear swap had messed up somehow and had caused some sort of catastrophic failure to my Newish dana 44. I gave him a call and he told me that he had no idea what was wrong. After some deep thought he remembered that one of his friends had a dana 44 and when he put his axle shafts in he reversed the, and they weren't seating all the way. upon further investigation this is what I found.
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/Southbury-20110428-00961.jpg
(http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/5342/southbury2011042800961.jpg)The retaining plate on the axle shaft was bent from not being seated all the way. I quickly took the other side apart and compared axle lengths. Turns out the drivers side is about 3/4 of an inch longer than the passenger. Or vise versa. Long story short always check to see which one your taking out and label them right away! I took the shaft down to car quest again and had them press on my final bearing. I put my jeep back together, checked my fluids and took her for a test drive. NO leaking success!!!!



(http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6669/southbury2011042600960.jpg)

[HuLuD44]

Def one of those kick yourself in the ass moments ahahaha but at least you figured it out before anything real bad happened...

[saharacon87]

Haha I know right. Now Everytime I take something apart I have parts baggies and I label everything. There's nothing like having spare nuts and bolts after an install lol. Wonder where this went?? Prolly just extra hardware :-x

[stan98tj]

anything new since i left?

[saharacon87]

I took my tranny out to have the flywheel turned and replace the throwout bearing. Plan is to put it back in Saturday afternoon. Gonna be interesting putting it in by myself but My friend lent me his tranny jack so it shouldnt be too bad. Also a friend of mine has a full set of RE control arms for 180 bucks so I'm gonna pick those up and throw them on hopefully in time for the rausch creek trip late july. I found some rocker guards from BTF I wanna buy before the trip too.

[HuLuD44]

If I was free id head up and give you a hand man. Get it done! The CA will be nice but the rockers are a necessity for Rausch...

[stan98tj]

James, you are HANDS DOWN worse than me when choosing parts to install. This has got to be the 7th or 8th time you've changed your mind on rockers, pretty much feel like you have wanted to install any one of the major brands offering guards at some point or another not to mention the period of time when you wanted to just go ahead and fab up a pair yourself lol. Pick a damn one and order it haha! By the way, i think I'm gonna win our 100 dollar bet. Looks like your hard earned cash is going towards my diesel swap, you should feel honored :boink:

[HuLuD44]

ahahahah Rockers are rockers as long as they cover what needs to be covered. Go cheap. Yea what happen to making a pair like I did?

[stan98tj]

I like rockers with steps welded to the side (not under) them They provide a good way to get in and out and a little platform if you ever lean over enough and need a few buddies to hang off the side as counter-weight. If the rail/step is strong enough it provides a little extra protection too as it will contact first before the rest of the jeep does. Of course the argument against them would be that they do exactly that-contact things first and may reduce your ability to squeeze throught tight passes.

[HuLuD44]

Of course the argument against them would be that they do exactly that-contact things first and may reduce your ability to squeeze throught tight passes.

correct. When you play in big rocks it makes all the difference...

[saharacon87]

Dom I was going to fab some up but I legit have no time at all. I've been working like 75 hour weeks and my girlfriend take up any other time which doesnt leave much time for my jeep or sleep for that matter. I dont want to get frame mounted rocker guards for 2 reasons...First you lose ground clearance. Its only an inch or 2 but its still losing. 2nd if you come down hard on a rock theres a chance you could twist ur frame rails. My Jeeps got enough issues I dont need anymore.

I got the tranny in yesterday, today I installed the Driveshafts, shifter, transfer case linkage, slave cylinder and crank sensor. All I have left is my starter and skid plate. When I was installing my Transmission I discovered that when I was taking it out I broke the two bolts that go from the bell housing to the engine block so I had to take the transmission out and drill out the old bolts and make a tap to retap the holes. Not too much fun. It went fine but it was extremely time consuming. Tomorrow is my sisters 21st birthday so I'm going to try to finish it up after work then its time for some Grilling. I hope the weather Holds up. I plan to order the BTF rocker guards on friday.
http://www.bluetorchfab.com/Product/705/BTF-Jeep-TJ-Rocker-Guards.aspx
Stan, the 100 bucks I'm gonna win will go towards my 35s :)

[HuLuD44]

Ure correct about the frame mount rockers. Having them hang down like that will only get you hung up on things. BTF makes some really nice stuff but keep in mind if you can find some time my rockers only cost me about $100 to make and I have a additional reinforcment plate on the inside the tub... Took me about an hr and a half to make the template and cut the steel. Find a guy to fold them for you and install is nothing.... just saying...ahahaha

[saharacon87]

This is why Stan says that I keep going back and forth lol I convince myself that I can make time to make them and then I don't have time! I have to buy the BTF rockers because they match my BTF front bumper. I do want to make a steering box skid eventually.

[saharacon87]

Dom, I do plan on using a piece of steel inside the tub for reinforcement though. That was an awesome idea. I cant wait for rausch. Just out of curiosity what do you carry as far as spare parts?

[stan98tj]

Dom carries no spare parts. He does however, carry a box filled with "balls" and attitude and resupplies as needed while on the trail.

[saharacon87]

Dom carries no spare parts. He does however, carry a box filled with "balls" and attitude and resupplies as needed while on the trail.
You're helpful Stan. I'll remember that when you need a garage for your motor swap.
But seriously, I've never been to Rausch. I'm not really sure what to expect.

[stan98tj]

You're helpful Stan. I'll remember that when you need a garage for your motor swap.
But seriously, I've never been to Rausch. I'm not really sure what to expect.

I think i'd like to focus on what to build up first before going out. Like build up the parts more likely to bust.

[HuLuD44]

If you d like to take spare parts, spare shafts are always a good idea. I have 3 sets, ill bring one for u guys. Or maybe a U joint, hub bearing, a drive shaft. In all actuality we will be with a large group and worse comes to worse there are auto parts stores and huge JYs just down the road. Tools and fluids are far more important that parts. If there is a weak spot or joint that is about to go Rausch will find it. You can "build up" all you want but no one is ever ready. The most important thing is knowing the limits of ure rig and ure driving. There are obstetrical there that pro crawlers on 49"s get humbled on. My first time I was on nothing but an old 3" lift and bald ass 31" ATs and had a blast.

[saharacon87]

So I got a few things done over the weekend, mainly I finished putting my transmission and ordered some rocker guards from 4wd. My skid plate is a messss. It looks like it was put in front of a firing squad. I put it in for now but a TT is definitely on the to do list. Can't wait till the rockers get here. They ship bare steel so I'm debating what color I want to paint them.

[stan98tj]

. They ship bare steel so I'm debating what color I want to paint them.
Pink

Rough them a bit, use sealant-marine spec is best-prime and then herculine them.

[saharacon87]

Won't be easy finding pink herculine

[saharacon87]

My girlfriend was rear ended over the weekend. She was lucky and walked away with a little bit of whiplash. The other lady left in an ambulance but didn't have any serious injuries. Heres a picture of the minivan that hit her.
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/3100/phototft.jpg
and heres a picture of my girlfriends jeep with the 1/4 inch steel bumper I put on there
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/7892/photoqxf.jpg

[saharacon87]

Her Gas tank is crushed and her exhaust isn't in great shape. Other than that she got away pretty lucky. The ladys bumper was wedged between the tire and wheel well of the jeep. Most importantly everyone was ok.

[HuLuD44]

So what rockers did you go with??? BTF?

[saharacon87]

So what rockers did you go with??? BTF?

Yeah, I got free shipping and he knocked the price down for me. Can't wait till they get here. I've been checking the order status constantly lol

[stan98tj]

My girlfriend was rear ended over the weekend. She was lucky and walked away with a little bit of whiplash. The other lady left in an ambulance but didn't have any serious injuries. Heres a picture of the minivan that hit her.
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/3100/phototft.jpg
and heres a picture of my girlfriends jeep with the 1/4 inch steel bumper I put on there
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/7892/photoqxf.jpg

Lucky Nat has a 4cyl, if it was the 6cyl it would have probably exploded...just saying. Lucky

[saharacon87]

I had some time to work on the jeep tonight. After washing it I still felt ambitious and still had some beer left so I decided to Hurculine the back.
I took the ratty carpet out and sanded it down...
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4489/photoels.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1838/photoenz.jpg

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/9936/photoceo.jpg

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/6562/photowdq.jpg
It said to to then add some kind of prep stuff that I didnt have and could pronounce so I just used whatever I had around the Garage to prep it. Then I started to apply it
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/592/photopgs.jpg
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4577/photoje.jpg
I didn't go too crazy with it just a couple coats. Better than that shitty 14 year old carpet

[stan98tj]

I had some time to work on the jeep tonight. After washing it I still felt ambitious and still had some beer left so I decided to Hurculine the back.
I took the ratty carpet out and sanded it down...
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4489/photoels.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1838/photoenz.jpg

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/9936/photoceo.jpg

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/6562/photowdq.jpg
It said to to then add some kind of prep stuff that I didnt have and could pronounce so I just used whatever I had around the Garage to prep it. Then I started to apply it
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/592/photopgs.jpg
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4577/photoje.jpg
I didn't go too crazy with it just a couple coats. Better than that shitty 14 year old carpet
That little can may not have been enough. We'll do a proper job when I come home, get the gallon and do the entire tub nice and thick. Then we'll do your seats, steering wheel and tires with what's left over...real tough Jeep status.

[HuLuD44]

The Gal will do the entire interior with about a 1/2 Qt to spare... Def finish it as soon as possible.

[saharacon87]

I plan on it but first priority is rocker guards. I called today and they said they would be here in 3 days
http://www.4wd.com/Armor-Protection/Rocker-Guards.aspx?t_c=79&t_s=466&t_pt=5129&t_pn=BTFBTF01035

[stan98tj]

I plan on it but first priority is rocker guards. I called today and they said they would be here in 3 days
http://www.4wd.com/Armor-Protection/Rocker-Guards.aspx?t_c=79&t_s=466&t_pt=5129&t_pn=BTFBTF01035

Did you give them your terribly sad sob story?

[saharacon87]

Did you give them your terribly sad sob story?
No I just sent her a picture of what my rockers look like now... She gasped and said Sweet baby jesus..you'll have them in 2 days.

[stan98tj]

Did they come in yet? More importantly, are they on yet?

[saharacon87]

Did they come in yet? More importantly, are they on yet?
They are in Maryland... I don't know what is taking so long.

[saharacon87]

So I drove my jeep for a bit over the weekend and overall its running pretty good but I noticed that I'm getting a whining noise from my transmission/transfer case. I crawled under there today and noticed that the front driveshaft seemed to be lose. At first I thought it was coming from the u-joints at the transfer case end but its actually coming from the yoke.... the output shaft has some play in it. I pulled my driveshaft out to see if the whining would go away but no luck. Im pretty sure thats coming from my transmission. I think a rebuild is in my foreseeable future. God dammit.

[HuLuD44]

Just make it threw rausch....

[saharacon87]

Just make it threw rausch....
Hahahaha. thats the only thing going through my head when I was under there. I found an ol' timer that rebuilds trannys for 350 bucks. When I get back.. assuming I don't have to pay a tow truck driver i'll have it rebuilt

[saharacon87]

My rocker guards came today! Holy crap those things are heavy. They're like 65 lbs! I was a little surprised they shipped them without any packaging but I guess they figure its not like you can really damage them.

They ship bare metal so I did a couple coats of primer before I ran out of time. Hopefully get them on tomorrow. Here are some pictures. Man these things are beefy!!
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5502/img1479bq.jpg
http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/3765/img1480bo.jpg

And one for giggles
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/5213/img1481rd.jpg

I also picked up my new speedo sensor today so ill be installing that tomorrow as well. Got a lot to do before Rausch Creek.
Btw for anyone that loves staring at their jeep as much as wheeling it check out Scratch out. I was amazed..

[HuLuD44]

Beef! Coming down hard on a fully protected rocker and not caring is the best feeling! ahahah And when doing ure speedo be sure you mark the spot the old one is in to match with the new or youll have to do a whole lotta trial and error...

[saharacon87]

Beef! Coming down hard on a fully protected rocker and not caring is the best feeling! ahahah And when doing ure speedo be sure you mark the spot the old one is in to match with the new or youll have to do a whole lotta trial and error...

HAHA beef is the only way to describe them. I already bought some flat black paint but i'm tempted to do crinkle finish.. I know I'm just gonna bash them up. Thanks for the speedo tip. Trial and error is the story of my life lol

[HuLuD44]

I use the rustolium etching primer on all my bare steel followed by Rustolium spray on bed liner. Tough and cheap...

[stan98tj]

textured finish would be great! No reason parts that will take a beating can't look good. Once it's worn down, take a wire wheel to it and re-finish. They look good by the way. Too bad your tranny is going to explode on the first obstacle at RC and those rockers will never really be tested......
love busting your balls, buddy! If you want. wait till i get home and we'll coat it together, i also wanna finish the herculine job you started.

[565matt]

Looking good. Get it all buttoned up for rousch

[orangecrush4u]

Those look heavy duty, mount them well so they hold up to a good bashing.

[saharacon87]

Those look heavy duty, mount them well so they hold up to a good bashing.
Im gonna put them on today. I wanted to yesterday but the paint was still wet. I was a little surprised that they only mount on the tub...they wrap all the way under the jeep but they go right around the body mount. I called them up to ask them if they bolt underneath and they're tech support told me they just mount on the tub. He said they've never had a problem with it... Im thinking I might put a bolt or 2 thru the floor. What do you guys think?

[HuLuD44]

The tub will be just fine. Be sure to use some jacks to press them up firm before drilling ure bolt holes. But adding interior reiforcments are always a good idea down the road. I wouldnt add and hardware though the floor. It will sheer right off first time it snags a rock and could rip the tub. Unless you go through the hassle of flush mounting them...

[saharacon87]

Ok cool. Im installing them now. So far so good. Ill post some pictures a little later

[saharacon87]

I got a lot done yesterday. I put my new speedo sensor in and bolted my rockers in. Heres some pics.
Heres the old sensor
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/7529/img1518id.jpg

Heres the new one installed on the back of the t-case.. after I took the jeep out of course..
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/4889/img1517ll.jpg

Heres some pics of the rocker install
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/3001/img1502xh.jpg
http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/4016/img1500u.jpg
http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/4967/img1499k.jpg
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/9752/img1504h.jpg
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/6540/img1506h.jpg

[stan98tj]

SWEET. where's the rail? I like the finish too.

[saharacon87]

I tried to test the rockers out but I couldn't find any rocks big enough
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/9310/img1514z.jpg

[stan98tj]

and i like the boo-boo pic with the speedo sensor

[saharacon87]

sorry for the iphone pics. I have some better ones with my camera that show the underbody coverage. ill try to post them soon

[saharacon87]

"and i like the boo-boo pic with the speedo sensor"


I stabbed myself with a razor trying to cut the tape off the old sensor that was on there. Took 33 staples and a bottle of gin to close it up.

[stan98tj]

I stabbed myself with a razor trying to cut the tape off the old sensor that was on there. Took 33 staples and a bottle of gin to close it up.

what a terrible embelishment. Your Jeep is too soft and weak to cause that sort of injury

[saharacon87]

SWEET. where's the rail? I like the finish too.
I used rustoleum hammer finish because nobody around sold the rattle can bed liner. Oh well at least it will be easy to touch up

[saharacon87]

So I found a set of 35x12.5 r15 bfgs with 80% for $600. I really want to get them before Rausch but I don't really have the money. I think i'm gonna sell my guitar and amp. I just need to find a spare.

[HuLuD44]

Get them and run 5" bumpstops to clear. Other wise youll be leaving ure fenders at Rausch ahahahah

[saharacon87]

This is some pretty sweet footage of a guy I know wheeling at Rausch Creek on a comp course. He did the regear on my jeep and Stans jeep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLsnNySHMnY

[saharacon87]

I picked up a receiver mounted rack from harbor freight tools the other day for the Rausch Creek trip. Build quality seems decent but I doubt the paint is gonna hold up. It says its rated at 500 lbs but my bumper with receiver definitely is not. I stood on it and you can see my whole bumper flex and I only weigh 180. It should be ok for holding a cooler or whatever but I wouldn't go much past that...
http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-deluxe-cargo-carrier-66983.html

[saharacon87]

1277
Not a lot of ground clearance there haha

[HuLuD44]

I have the same one. Works just fine

[Cybergrunt]

I picked up a receiver mounted rack from harbor freight tools the other day for the Rausch Creek trip. Build quality seems decent but I doubt the paint is gonna hold up. It says its rated at 500 lbs but my bumper with receiver definitely is not. I stood on it and you can see my whole bumper flex and I only weigh 180. It should be ok for holding a cooler or whatever but I wouldn't go much past that...
http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-deluxe-cargo-carrier-66983.html

I picked up the same rack from HF back in May. Holding up well, using it with my fishing cooler for the most part. Paints holding up on the rack but the bolts are starting to rust. If anyone is gonna pick one up let me know, I have a HF coupon for $49 good til August. Maybe I should put in the product review area.

Enjoyed reading your build! Looks like you all set for Rausch! I still have to bedline the XJ, would you recommend Herculiner? I wasn't able to track down the stuff Bandit told about from Walmart.

[saharacon87]

I picked up the same rack from HF back in May. Holding up well, using it with my fishing cooler for the most part. Paints holding up on the rack but the bolts are starting to rust. If anyone is gonna pick one up let me know, I have a HF coupon for $49 good til August. Maybe I should put in the product review area.

Enjoyed reading your build! Looks like you all set for Rausch! I still have to bedline the XJ, would you recommend Herculiner? I wasn't able to track down the stuff Bandit told about from Walmart.
Thanks man, more to come
So far the hurc liner is working fine but havent really had it long enough to know for sure. Stan98tj did his whole interior with it and swears by it...but if I had the coin I would definitely do Rhinoliner. We have a truck here that has it and overall theres a big difference.

[Cybergrunt]

Thanks man, more to come
So far the hurc liner is working fine but havent really had it long enough to know for sure. Stan98tj did his whole interior with it and swears by it...but if I had the coin I would definitely do Rhinoliner. We have a truck here that has it and overall theres a big difference.
Yeah, I had the bed of my Dodge Rhino lined. It's insane how much abuse that stuff can take. Hose it down and it looks great again. I think the Hurc will be fine for the XJ interior. Just as long as water doesn't get through it I'm fine.

[saharacon87]

Yeah, I had the bed of my Dodge Rhino lined. It's insane how much abuse that stuff can take. Hose it down and it looks great again. I think the Hurc will be fine for the XJ interior. Just as long as water doesn't get through it I'm fine.

Yea it should be more than enough, I plan to do the whole interior pretty soon. Are you going to make it to Rausch creek later this month?

[saharacon87]

Looking through some old wheeling pictures and I found this. Stan's face makes the picture.

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/9115/40769953250178178510741.jpg

[saharacon87]

So I finally had an opportunity to take the jeep for a ride yesterday... It was really nice until my jeep got stuck at a stop sign and couldn't get it to shift into first. My transmission is shot. Idk if its my syncros or what but it won't go in. 2 weeks before rausch. Figures. Now I have to take my tire money and get my tranny rebuilt. I found a guy that rebuilds for pretty cheap but it's gotta be out of the jeep. God damnit story of my life. Do I pay more and have a shop do it for me or do I pull it and have him rebuild it????? Why now.

[HuLuD44]

If it needs to be done it needs to be done. Rubber can always wait. Urs are just fine. Just get it running. 2 weeks

[saharacon87]

My concern is that If i take it to this guy and he has to order parts and bla bla bla it might not be ready for rausch. But if I take it to a shop I'll probably have a better chance at getting it done in time. Anyone know around what a shop would charge for a rebuild on an ax-15 ?

[saharacon87]

Called around a bit for some guesstimates and nobody could give me a ball park because it could be so many things. The guy was leaning towards syncros and bearings. I knew the bearings were wearing out because of the wining noise I get when I shift into 4th gear. I hate my jeep. Feel free to chime in with any input!!

[saharacon87]

Sooo turned out it wasn't a tranny issue but an issue with the clutch not fully disengaging. The tranny guy I took it to suggested I wait a little while before I take the tranny out AGAIN. It might go away. The pilot bearing or the clutch itself may be the copret. He did point out that my u joints on my rear driveshaft were shot so I replaced those today.
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3967/img1598y.jpg
Also I changed my transmission fluid and oh my god. It shifts so much smoother. I used royal purple and man what a difference. Also I was getting a popping noise when I turned my wheel and it seems that the adjuster sleeve bolts on my tie rod is coming into contact with my control arm mount. No biggie. I ran out of motivation. I'll get to that tomorrow after work. Overall a good day.

[Goonies.nsd]

Glad to hear it should be a simple "cheap" problem.

[HuLuD44]

very cool! Good thing you found those bad joints. If that guy didnt Rausch would have...

[saharacon87]

Freakin poured while I was at work and my top was down. Guess I'm plastic bagging it for the drive home.

[saharacon87]

http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG-20110420-00947.jpg


http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/8026/img1127fg.jpg

[Bandit1]

I hate my jeep. Feel free to chime in with any input!!

I love your Jeep, I'll take if off your hands if you want... LOL

glad your prob is something simple and easy to fix.

[stan98tj]

robot rides shotgun with me

[saharacon87]

I took my garbage HID headlights out tonight. Put in my stock halogens that don't go out every time I hit a bump. Tried and true. Also tightened a bunch of shit in prep for Rausch. I cant remember the last time I was this excited about anything. The only thing I have left is some greasing and have a new valve stem put in one of my tires.

[HuLuD44]

Nothing really to be excited over, Prob not gonna be that fun. Everyones just gonna go break everything and we ll all be stranded in PA....

[saharacon87]

PA is probably the last place i'd wanna be stuck. I've driven thru it twice in the past year. You drive for 3 hours, look at a map and it looks like you just passed the Welcome to PA sign, its so big.

I'm hoping my steering box skid gets here in time. I talked to them friday and they said it was shipping out that day. Fingers crossed..

[HuLuD44]

Nice didnt know u ordered one. What make? Def one of the best skid you can get. Mine takes a beating with all the tall rock ledges...

[saharacon87]

Nice didnt know u ordered one. What make? Def one of the best skid you can get. Mine takes a beating with all the tall rock ledges...
Extreme Metal Products. They're prices are awesome but the shipping was a little pricey.

[HuLuD44]

Thats what I have. Also their Radiator skid and oil pan. Good cheap simple armor. They did take a while to ship my oil pan skid though. got the other 2 from steve when he got rid of his TJ...

[saharacon87]

My skid is in NJ so I guess thats a good thing.. Today I took my tire to the local garage to get a new valve stem put in so I can air down for rausch. Don't ever put aluminum valve stem covers on ur valve stems because they look "cool" I had to cut the fuckers off and messed up one of my stems. Also put all my fluids that i'm bringing to rausch together. Amost ready!

[saharacon87]

Here's a pic I found on my camera of the underside of the BTF Rocker Guards. Sorry for all the mud.
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5633/img0832rv.jpg

[saharacon87]

I thought it'd be kinda cool to do a write up on cleaning up your bashed in rocker guards and removing your side moulding. I have a sahara so I have a bunch of useless plastic moulding that holds tons of dirt mud and water.
First here is my moulding
Its hard to tell from the picture but its taken some pretty nasty hits and was dented in pretty bad.
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/1666/img0416po.jpg
Then I just pried the moulding off with my hands. It sits on a track that is riveted to the body of the jeep. Also it has little tabs that I ground off.
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/6466/img0431fq.jpg
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4776/img0428he.jpg
Then you can really see how gross it as under there. Wait till you see underneath that channel..
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1369/img0432kve.jpg
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/3779/img0417oj.jpg
I cleaned everything up so I had a better idea of what I was dealing with.
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2276/img0435ne.jpg
I took a grinder and ground off the rivets so I could remove the track
http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/9480/img0421cx.jpg
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/4517/img0436y.jpg
After I pulled the track off it exposed an even worse sight than before.
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5008/img0423zy.jpg

[saharacon87]

After I pulled the channel off I found the rest of the mess. It was worse than I had thought.
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7562/img0438ik.jpg
I took a punch and knocked the rest of the rivets out.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/4696/img0424ua.jpg
Now it was time to clean up the rust and start over.

[saharacon87]

This was the first time I had taken a grinder to my jeeps paint. It was a little scary at first but I got it done.
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/5849/img0043ozu.jpg
After I ground off the entire rocker panel I covered everything in plastic and put down a few layers of primer
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2083/img0044ro.jpg
After a few layers of primer I decided to do some flat black.
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/5413/img0047mc.jpg
And here the end product.
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/4424/img0050fm.jpg
These are pretty old Ive since put 3/16 steel rocker guards on there but this is definitely something you want to do before putting rocker guards on your jeep if you have any rust like I did.
Enjoy

[HuLuD44]

After the first time cutting something off a Jeep its all down hill from there.... I barely have any Jeep left.... ahahahahha

[saharacon87]

After the first time cutting something off a Jeep its all down hill from there.... I barely have any Jeep left.... ahahahahha
Barely any "jeep" left after that FORD 8.8 Swap hahaha. Traitor!!

[saharacon87]

My buddy just picked up at 2012 wrangler. Its really nice but I think the wrangler lost a lot of its heritage... I mean its got a roll back feature so when your on a hill the jeep doesn't roll back when you let off the brake and feather the clutch lol. I'd be afraid to take it offroad.
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/4513/img1577o.jpg
http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/1948/img1579o.jpg

[saharacon87]

Steering box skid came in today... Finally. I mocked it up real quick to see how it looks and it looks pretty stout.
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/2241/img1662jp.jpg
One step closer to being ready for Rausch.

[HuLuD44]

So whats the plan for the front bolt? Also I utilized the hole on the little tab on the passenger side of the skid as well. Some beefy self taps should work fine.

[stan98tj]

i really like that box. Had you only told me about it early enough i too would be rocking one.

[saharacon87]

So whats the plan for the front bolt? Also I utilized the hole on the little tab on the passenger side of the skid as well. Some beefy self taps should work fine.
Yea... I kinda fucked that one up haha. I was rushing before work and drilled that hole a little too big so i'm going to have to use a bigger bolt than the one supplied. I'm honestly considering welding the thing to the bumper. Im not sure if drilling that bolt that broke in the frame is worth it or not. When I get home i'll take a good look at reANALyze the situation. Stan's coming over tomorrow and we're basically installing an entire suspension before rausch. I'm a little pressed for time.

[saharacon87]

i really like that box. Had you only told me about it early enough i too would be rocking one.
Thanks Stan, I really like your 2k dollars worth the jeep shit on my garage floor tempting me every time I look in the garage . :spy:

[HuLuD44]

you guys are cutting it close. Just make sure pinion angles and alignment is good..

[saharacon87]

you guys are cutting it close. Just make sure pinion angles and alignment is good..
It is cutting it close, I might TRY talking Stan into waiting on the springs and shocks and just do front track bar and steering. Im sure his current springs and shocks will suffice.

[stan98tj]

It is cutting it close, I might TRY talking Stan into waiting on the springs and shocks and just do front track bar and steering. Im sure his current springs and shocks will suffice.
You're not talking me out of anything

[stan98tj]

Really James? The most epic of off roading trails in the North East and you want me to roll up there on a crappy suspension set up? Fuck that, I went up in attic and got down my nice hat for this...she'll be showing up on the OME set up.

[mygrayzj]

So I drove my jeep for a bit over the weekend and overall its running pretty good but I noticed that I'm getting a whining noise from my transmission/transfer case. I crawled under there today and noticed that the front driveshaft seemed to be lose. At first I thought it was coming from the u-joints at the transfer case end but its actually coming from the yoke.... the output shaft has some play in it. I pulled my driveshaft out to see if the whining would go away but no luck. Im pretty sure thats coming from my transmission. I think a rebuild is in my foreseeable future. God dammit.

However did you know that...


Just make it threw rausch....

Does that include the ride home?


Hahahaha. thats the only thing going through my head when I was under there. I found an ol' timer that rebuilds trannys for 350 bucks. When I get back.. assuming I don't have to pay a tow truck driver i'll have it rebuilt

How much was the tow home?



textured finish would be great! No reason parts that will take a beating can't look good. Once it's worn down, take a wire wheel to it and re-finish. They look good by the way. Too bad your tranny is going to explode on the first obstacle at RC and those rockers will never really be tested......
love busting your balls, buddy! If you want. wait till i get home and we'll coat it together, i also wanna finish the herculine job you started.

Look who got fucked with that one, 15 min on the comp course and boom goes your tranny (sort of)



Nothing really to be excited over, Prob not gonna be that fun. Everyones just gonna go break everything and we ll all be stranded in PA....

You had to say it?

Sorry for all the comments, nice build. Just read through it and saw all the foreshadowing of the trip and figured it was necessary to comment on it all.

[saharacon87]

However did you know that...



Does that include the ride home?



How much was the tow home?




Look who got fucked with that one, 15 min on the comp course and boom goes your tranny (sort of)




You had to say it?

Sorry for all the comments, nice build. Just read through it and saw all the foreshadowing of the trip and figured it was necessary to comment on it all.

All I can say is the only one that got towed home was Preems.
As for me.. I called my local transmission guy and he told me to pull it out when I get a chance and bring it to his place and we'll take it apart together and see whats what. While it's out, I'm gonna do an sye/cv driveshaft and TT. As for steering... gonna get CURRECTLYNC. Prob no more Rausch trips this year for me. I'm not going back until my foundation is good.
Dom said it, If your rig has any weaknesses, Rausch will find them.

[mygrayzj]

Oh... I saw you guys post a pic of your rig and stans rig on tow trucks.. Guess they were pics from a different time lol

[saharacon87]

Oh... I saw you guys post a pic of your rig and stans rig on tow trucks.. Guess they were pics from a different time lol

Mine did get towed on saturday, but only to napa and the tow drivers shop so I could install some new wheel joints. I drove it home.

[mygrayzj]

Oh ok then that's good. How did you guys fare out getting home, did anything explode or go super wrong lol

[saharacon87]

Oh ok then that's good. How did you guys fare out getting home, did anything explode or go super wrong lol
I had no issues. Stan had to pull over a few times to put tranny fluid in.

[stan98tj]

I had no issues. Stan had to pull over a few times to put tranny fluid in.
james left me in the dust to fend for myself, it was scary. Luckily i had my safari hat and therefore was ready to get into survival mode.... Jeep goes to the doctor's on friday.

[saharacon87]

Soooo a tractor trailer merged into my newish VW gti on the highway yesterday and fucked up my fender and door and took of my mirror :Cry: so Stan98tj bought me a gallon of bedlner for my jeep to turn my day around. Thanks Stan!!! After a quick trip to NY to get some yuengling we lined my whole interior. Looks pretty bad ass.

[stan98tj]

post the pics

[saharacon87]

http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG_1792.jpg
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG_1794.jpg
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG_1795.jpg
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG_1796.jpghttp://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG_1797.jpg
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/saharacon87/IMG_1798.jpg

[saharacon87]

There was some pretty brutal rust in my passenger floor pan. I was able to grind it down and put some self etching primer on there to stop the rust but man it was ugly. Stan and I decided that jeep should offer rinoliner option from the factory

[orangecrush4u]

Looks like one of my many floor jobs, looks good!!!

[saharacon87]

Anyone wanna donate an ax-15 for a good cause?

[mygrayzj]

Anyone wanna donate an ax-15 for a good cause?

http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s364/mygrayzj/ax15.png\

Any time man, MS Paint is very generous

[saharacon87]

Wow I havent updated this thing in a while. I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on the jeep.. But I have somehow managed to break a bunch of shit lol. While at the Great American Jeep Rally I decided to take my jeep over the rock garden. I made it though the first one pretty easily but the second one was significantly more difficult and the spotters were some kind of awful. I decided to back out of the second rock garden but not before landing on my factory skid plate HARD! I pushed the center of the skid where the cross member is up at least 2-3 inches. That drove my entire transmission and transfer case up as well. I drove the jeep home with some serious driveline vibs and first gear was basically in the ashtray. I was planning on doing a tummy tuck anyways but I guess its gonna be sooner rather than later. I picked out the skid i'm gonna order. Its the undercover fabworks high clearance skid.(thanks HULU) And heres where the fun starts....Im not sure if I can get away with running it without an SYE. I don't want an SYE because I may end up upgrading to a rubi NP241 in the future. My 3 inch lift has sagged a bit so i'm thinkin i'm at like 2.5-2.75 inches of lift right now... So i might get away with doing the skid without the SYE. If need be I can run a MML to get rid of any slight vibs.
On a side note for my Birthday my girlfriend made me a cake and I'm sure you guys would appreciate it
http://imageshack.us/a/img836/2774/29931910152092130105012.jpg

[saharacon87]

I'll try to post some pics of the skid a little later if sunday night football permits

[HuLuD44]

It's about time!!! I don't know how much more that stock belly can take...haha. andI just so happen to have a UFC lowpro tranny mount for a manual tj never installed at my house. It negates the lift of the belly and helps drive line angles. It should hold u off for a while if u can't do the sye right away... Goes for$130 before shipping. $100 and its urs

[saharacon87]

It's about time!!! I don't know how much more that stock belly can take...haha. andI just so happen to have a UFC lowpro tranny mount for a manual tj never installed at my house. It negates the lift of the belly and helps drive line angles. It should hold u off for a while if u can't do the sye right away... Goes for$130 before shipping. $100 and its urs

Ill take it! You have the most random stuff lol. I'll grab it when I come to help Sean with his axles. Do I have to relocate any exhaust components?

[HuLuD44]

It's urs. May have too... What muffler u running? And u may be sayin gbye to ur tail pipe

[saharacon87]

Banks cat back. I could do stacks if I have to.. Bad ass right?
Do you know which bracket it is? Im looking on their site and I see two different ones. One of them is for 97-02 and the other is for later models.
http://undercoverfab.com/brackets-and-tabs/78-ucf-lopro-transmission-mount-97-02.html

http://undercoverfab.com/brackets-and-tabs/59-ucf-lopro-transmission-mount-03-06.html

[HuLuD44]

97-02. I got it for myself not knowing it was manual only. And they wouldn't take it back.... Should fit u

[saharacon87]

Sweet deal man, Thanks. Description says I just have to relocate Cat. Maybe i'll just run a down pipe or something. I'll be nice wheeling and not dragging my shovel everywhere. Stan thought I should bring my compressor over for when we do Sean's axle swap. Thoughts?

[HuLuD44]

I got everything

[saharacon87]

I pulled the jeep in the garage today to get a better look at the skid plate and boy was it mangled. It looked like a pringle. Not one part of the skid was untouched. I might hang it on my wall. I also noticed that one of my exhaust clamps was shot so I cut it off. Tomorrows another day.
http://imageshack.us/a/img32/2450/img0964rpf.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img585/2987/img0969w.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img201/3886/photohqr.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img13/6854/photoipu.jpg

[mygrayzj]

I see the skid did it's job somewhat well lol

[HuLuD44]

Saw this, figured Id share.....

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/standard-automatic-1420404/

[saharacon87]

Saw this, figured Id share.....

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/standard-automatic-1420404/

Hmmmmmm sure would make playing in the rocks a whole lot easier. Plus I prolly wouldn't have to run a 4:1 case. Are you selling yours!?

[saharacon87]

After some research...Seriously considering.....

[stan98tj]

If the cat is going to be too wide to run with the new skid, consider running a Random tech cat like mine, or their super slim model.

[HuLuD44]

Screw the cat. Run straight pipe!

[saharacon87]

Not sure if I can run straight pipe. I have a California jeep which has stricter emissions. Pretty sure that means if I lose the cat ill throw codes.

[565matt]

Yep and it will run like shit. I've got the Cali emissions too. Annoying.

[HuLuD44]

What is this cali shit? Never heard of it

[565matt]

California emission conform to a stricter code to keep the air even cleaner. But it's a pain to work around sometimes. On my xj I have 2 cats on my exhaust manifold and 4 O2 sensors.

[HuLuD44]

Yea that does suck....haha

[saharacon87]

I only have 1 cat and two O2 sensors. I may be able to push my cat back or forward to fit it. Still waiting to order the skid. I can't wait to actually get some real cash flowing.... I hate this window shopping shit.

[stan98tj]

Cats are the automotive world's biggest scam. They actually put out more harmful exhaust than without and are worse for the environment because they force the engine to run less than efficiently and use more fuel. Many European countries have moved to ban them in new models.

[HuLuD44]

Where are your o2 sensors??? mine are way forward of the cat. You should have the same set up as me I would assume...

[saharacon87]

I think I have one on either side of the cat. I thought they were all like that to measure before and after cat.

[565matt]

Yea you should have 1 before and 1 below the cat. Upstream and downstream

[HuLuD44]

Both mine are just after the manifold. That sucks. Gonna make it a lot harder to tuck that up out of the way. There isnt much room ontop that skid at all... ahhaah

[saharacon87]

Ill get it in there. I might have to move it forward or backwards. Do you think I should get a mml to minimize vibrations?

[HuLuD44]

Yes u should. I'm only running .25" from ironman. No vibes

[565matt]

Dom if you have 2 cats just below your exhaust manifold then you also have Cali emissions

[HuLuD44]

oh well then I do. Theres no reason to mess with those. I was referring to the one just in front of the muffler. Rip that shit out and put in about 18" of straight pipe. Has no ill effect on engine performance and the clearance really helps when doing the TT.

[saharacon87]

So I've been doing a lot of research for the new Tummy Tuck and it seems there are a lot of "hidden" costs. The skid itself is the cheap part but then you have to get BL, MML, cable shifter, new skid bolts, adjustable rear upper and lower CAs to adjust pinion angle after the TT, the transmission adapter that i'm getting from Dom, and shock relocators so my shock can wont come into contact with my spring perch. Now I'm thinking it might be a good idea to outboard the rear shock rather than just relocating it with an adaptor. Also exhaust modifications. I really need my jeep to be ready for winter because my gti on summer performance tires is beyond horrible in the snow.

I was planning on doing a lot of these things anyways but it sucks that I'm going to have to do everything at once lol. I ran the numbers and its gonna be somewhere around 1500 bucks after shipping. I can't drive the jeep till I get a new skid because the old one is so mangled. I thought about getting another stocker for 40 bucks at a junk yard to so that at least I'll be able to drive the jeep just in case. Also forgot to mention that I have to pull the tranny again and figure out what i'm gonna do with that. I have to pull it apart and see if all it needs is new bearings or if I should just have mine completely rebuilt.

Why out of all the hobbies in the world did I have to pick such an expensive one. Anyone wanna buy a wrangler. Handymans special lol

[HuLuD44]

Why do u need shock relocator??? You may need upper ca's but that's not a def if u use the lowpro mount. And are u sure u need new nutserts? If they're spinning just cut the bolt heads and buy new 3/4 hardware and tack the stocks back in... And the shifter is nice but again not ness.

[saharacon87]

I read that the shock can hits the coil bucket if you don't use a relocator bracket and those bilstein a were too expensive to take any chances. Also the control arms are needed because when you move the transmission up it changes the pinion angle and you have to realign. And I've already had my nutserts battle. I ground them out and tacked new ones in place. That was a bitch btw. The old skid bolts have little wedges in them to align the stock skid so I'm definitely gonna need new bolts. And as far as the shifter cable goes...my old linkage is a rusty mess and idk if I'm gonna be able to salvage it. I just got done doing my tranny pull. All I have left is 3 bolts. I have to borrow my friends tranny jack so I can pull it off the shaft and lower it down. Gonna call my tranny guy tomorrow so we can tear it apart and see what it needs. 3rd transmission pull in a year. I think I'm a pro

[saharacon87]

I'm thinking I might go with iron man control arms because they're so adjustable.

[stan98tj]

Welcome to the IronMan world, James. While you're shopping, please take notice of the "tie rod" tab on the main page. I think a Currie correctlink/IronMan aluminum tie rod would be a nice little packaged deal along with the control arms. :)

[stan98tj]

On second thought, I don't think you're ready for IronMan arms. They are the beefiest and most adjustable on the market, that sort of upgrade takes discipline, education and prep to handle. Figure we should start you out small. We can cut up sections of my old stock arms and weld them into your stock arms, thereby progressively lengthening the arm. Run like that for a few months, then maybe we'll introduce you to a Skyjacker arm, followed by a Rough Country arm with an x-joint. I figure within 10 months we can have you at an IronMan arm. Gotta ride with training wheels first.

[HuLuD44]

Hahahahahahhahha.......

[HuLuD44]

U prob should at least get uppers. It may be fine on stock as long ad u have the lowpro mount. That's what its made for

[saharacon87]

Stan while I do find your comments amusing I think you should attempt to belittle someone that hasn't built your entire jeep for you...
Dom I was thinking I could get away with just uppers as well. My lowers are still good and the bushings are relatively new.

[HuLuD44]

Oooh snap!!!!!! Bought not built..... Idk if I'd be bragging about that though, ure craftsmanship made it all of 5 minutes on the comp course once it finally got to rausch......hahahahahahhah

[saharacon87]

In my defense I never touched his transmission hahhahha

[stan98tj]

OH SNAP indeed :)
and i had the RC lift on before i knew ya...nothing to brag about..or is it?

[saharacon87]

So tonight Stan me and another buddy of mine got my transmission out again for the third time and I found that the horrible noise I heard that I thought was coming from the transmission was actually coming from a bolt that holds the bell housing to the transmission that worked itself loose. It was tumbling around coming into contact with the pressure plate. Other than a few small gouges in the bellhousing doesn't seem like It caused any real damage. I still want to have the bearings done while its out but I'm glad that its nothing major. Saturday ill be riding bitch with Stan and Dom and wishing my jeep was ready to wheel. But still glad I don't have to have my whole trans rebuilt. Overall a good night.

[HuLuD44]

Fuck that! IF the tranny was fine and it was only a loose exterior bolt then save the cash, slap that thing back it and beat on it!!!! Shit if we knew it was only a bolt coming loose we could have finished a full day at Rausch....

[saharacon87]

I havent really had the time to update this but I have a few things in the work as of now. I sold my bald tires and Sean (rockthe40oz) gave me his old 33 trxus mts. Theyre quite a bit bigger than my old tires. They measured about 34"
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/photo-2.jpg


I demolished my old stock skid at the great american jeep rally so I bought a new one on craigslist for 40 bucks. It had a lot of scale and rust on it so sanded and painted it up so it looks decent. It will get me by till I get the high clearance skid. Heres the old pringle skid.
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/photo-6.jpg
Heres the 40 dollar craigslist one
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/image-9.jpeg

[saharacon87]

I also bought a undercover fabworks transmission mount from Dom a while back. I guess he bought it and couldn't use it and they wouldn't take it back. My plan is to run this mount and that will allow me to drop the transmission into the stock skid enough to negate the transfercase drop kit. I may have to run a MML to get rid of vibs but ill cross that bridge when I come to it. I had to grind off the side of the mount to accommodate the new bracket
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/image-7.jpeg
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/image-6.jpeg

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/image-2.jpeg
I cleaned it up and painted it.

[saharacon87]

I was having some issues with the transmission so I took it to a local transmission guy and him and I took it apart. He was nice enough to let me get a hands on education on manual transmission. I thought the bearings were going so we took them out and it turned out they werent that bad. unfortunately the only way to see if they're bad is to ruin the seal and check them So even though they weren't too bad I ended up replacing them. The noise I was hearing was actually coming from some play in one off the gears. The noise was actually a vibration that was resinating inside of the case. He ordered the parts and we put the transmission back together. I have a new found respect for transmissions now.
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/photo-5.jpg
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/image-8.jpeg
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/photo-4.jpg

All back together
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/image-5.jpeg
I bolted the transmission back to the transfer case. All that was left was to put the bell housing on but first I had to address the hole where the starter bolt goes it. A while back I broke a starter bolt inside and ended up having to drill it out. I destroyed the threads so I drilled the hole a little bigger, retapped it and put a 3/8 helicoil in there to remedy the problem.
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/image-3.jpeg

[saharacon87]

All I have left now is to bolt the transmission back in and order up some wheel adaptors so I can run the jk bolt pattern on Seans wheels. Spidertrax makes them and they run 99 bucks a pair. With the holiday season coming and the transmission work Im a little tapped out but hopefully my holiday bonus will help out. Just Empty Every Pocket
oh and pieced together a new shift knob ;)
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/image-4.jpeg
More to come.

[HuLuD44]

hurry up so we can go break everything again!!!!

[saharacon87]

you are the definition of a bad influence

[mygrayzj]

Those trans pictures are sick, nice upgrades/fixes can't wait to see it in action again.

[saharacon87]

Transmission is in. Just need some new skid bolts and order wheel spacers and I should be good to go. Anyone have any recommendations for what to use for those cone shaped spacers that fit in the stock skid?

[HuLuD44]

If you order from Chrysler they ll run you like $8 a pop. They have the tapered head to fit the stock skid. I would recommend finding some grade 8 washers that fit the outer diameter of the skid hole and some reg grade 8 3/4 hardware. it may deform the washer a little into the hole but it should hold fine and save the hassle of dealing with the dealership.

[saharacon87]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I know the stealership is a ripoff. When I did my nutserts it was like 75 bucks for bolts and nutserts. Unbelievable.

[saharacon87]

Today was productive. I got new transfer case skid bolts and washers, new tie rod ends to replace the ones I welded at rausch, new starter bolts and new fluid for my tranny, transfer case and diffs. Also ordered my adaptors/spacers to run my new jk bolt pattern wheels. Expensive day but it will be worth it. Ct wheeling anyone?

[orangecrush4u]

Don't ya love when you get a lot done in a day!!

[HuLuD44]

Let's wheel!!!!!!!

[565matt]

Ct wheelin !!!! I'm in. Lets go

[saharacon87]

Picked up some new ball joints. My lower was about ready to fall off. Also picked up my replacement axle shaft from Stan's new pad. All I'm waiting on is those wheel adaptors. My jeep has officially been in the garage for 3 months and I'm starting to get antsy. It will be worth it though. I'm almost afraid to wheel it now... Hahaha

[HuLuD44]

if you dont wheel it im coming up there and taking it away from you...

[mygrayzj]

C'mon look at that beautiful picture of it on a tow truck, don't you want to do that again? Lmfao

[saharacon87]

Happy about the warm weather the garage wasn't too cold. Another productive night. Filled up the tranny, tcase and the diff. Bolted the tcase skid up, bolted the shifter in and got my zj steering in. Waiting on my wheel adaptors and my hub then she's ready.

[HuLuD44]

how did that lowpro mount work out for ya?

[saharacon87]

It fit good except for only being able to fit 2 of the 4 bolts that hold the tranny to the skid. I have to make a few tweaks but I think I'll get the other 2 bolts in. Hoping I get a good bonus so I can order the high clearance skid to go with it.

[HuLuD44]

Any noticeable difference in drive line angles?

[saharacon87]

Actually they don't look too bad. I'm hoping to have it all buttoned up and ready for a test drive on Saturday.

[saharacon87]

Today was interesting. I bought a new timken hub. Put everything back together. Greased everything and did a front end alignment. Tightened all my bolts to get her ready for her maiden voyage which consisted of 2 exits down 84 to go to my girlfriends house. I started her up everything was good. I drove down the road and noticed a slight vibration I figured was my pinion angle... no biggie. Hopped on the highway and noticed my speedometer wasnt working... WTF I just took care of this... All of a sudden I hear a Loud BANG followed by a bad vibration. I slowed down and got off the next exit and pulled into a gas station. I inspected my jeep and found that the front driveshaft U joint blew a cap. Good thing its 37 degrees and raining... awesome. I had to pull my front driveshaft out. God dammit. I guess at least it was only a U joint. All in all a fun night.

[mygrayzj]

Hey, at least it's nothing super expensive.. Just think now we both have no front DS's, I am sure that will comfort you later when you're crying over it in bed. Glad the tranny and what not all work good though..

[HuLuD44]

That u joint was probably worn at a more inclined angle and due to the new low pro mount it was a different rotational pattern and blew it.

[saharacon87]

Heres how she sits now all buttoned up. I definitely have some kinks to work out but she looks purdy. No more Shovel spacers! Thanks again for that lo-pro mount Dom
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/saharacon/photo.jpg

[orangecrush4u]

looks good, love it with the tan soft top great contrast!!

[HuLuD44]

saw this and immediately thought of you.... ahahaha


http://www.genright.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=ENG0400

[stan98tj]

saw this and immediately thought of you.... ahahaha


http://www.genright.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=ENG0400

LOL! Then James can really have one of those "Don't push this button" Jeeps.

[saharacon87]

By the grace of the jeep gods my jeeps still running.. Although my speedometer doesn't work, some nasty driveline vibrations and a "clicking" sound when slowing to a stop which got me thinking. Stan came to a New Years party at my girlfriends and on his way home at 2:30am he GRENADED his tcase. And when I say grenaded I mean the only thing keeping the front driveshaft from hitting the ground was the chain in the tcase. The consensus was that the cv joints on the front driveshaft were shot causing vibrations transferring to the tcase. Now I'm paranoid so I'm gonna buy some spicer u joints and a rebuild kit so this doesn't happen to me.

[saharacon87]

Finally got around to rebuilding the front driveshaft. Getting it apart was a pain in the ass so I had a friend of mine press the joints out with a press.. Stan stopped over and we put it all back together and painted it. Came out good! Also picked up a full set of RE arms with joints and front track bar for real cheap. Selling some of the arms and the track bar to buy a currie or jks front track bar to replace the full traction one that came with my kit. My full traction/currie/ironman/rubicon express Frankenstein suspension is almost complete.

[HuLuD44]

better come get these arms or im cutting them in half...

[saharacon87]

better come get these arms or im cutting them in half...

Trying to find the time to get over there. You can try to cut thru the arms but word on the street is that ironman arms are too tough for even You Dom. Sweet skid btw

[saharacon87]

Blew my power steering pump. D'oh! Was going to fix it yesterday but stan showed up with his new ford ranger and asked if I'd help him paint racing stripes on it. That sounded more appealing.

[HuLuD44]

might as well go PSC so you can run hydo assist down the road....