Stan's 98 TJ build from start through axle, regear and beyond

[stan98tj]

Those of you who know what that is will recognize it as a Ford 8.8 real axle. That's what's going on in my world right now. I'd like to take a min though to try and chronicle my jeep build and show how I got her and how she got to where she is now.

This is how I first got her: 31x10.5 Definity Dakota MTs on Gambler wheels. I added those diamond plates on the rockers and flares shortly after since there was a good deal going on at the time.


4 days after purchase, she leaves me stranded on the side of the road. I had noticed a problem starting the jeep right after i bought it. I would have to mash the gas to get it to start. I did a complete tune up and changed the plugs to E3 plugs. Turns out I had a decent crack in my cylinder head (thanks for letting me know, prior owner!) and due to the crack, i needed more fuel for combustion (hence mashing the gas at start up) combine that with the hotter E3 plugs and a mere 4 days after purchase I detonate the #2 piston leaving a 45 caliber sized perfect hole dead center of the piston.

I purchased a cylinder head from Clearwater Cylinder Heads in FL. They have EXCELLENT serivce and GREAT prices. I swapped it out and thought i was good to go. However, 80 miles later...wait for it...in a snow storm on the way back from school the engine detonates. Turns out the first piston detonation cracked the block as well. Somehow coolant leaked through and went through the oil pump as the oil pressure bottomed out to zero right before it blew. When the head came off, 2 pistons were completely blown apart and a 3rd was patrially broken and chunks all through the oil pan. CLearwater took back my cylinder head and refunded me even though they knew their head was not faulty.

So, on a college student budget I scraped together enough cash to purchase a remanufactured 2.5 as I didnt have enough $$ to go for a 4.0 swap or V8.

[egodfrey]

Hey man those 2.5's are good engines.

[stan98tj]

first time off roading. Upstate NY. Jeep basically stock except for the 31s. Had a fantastic time.


Shortly after, I installed an AEM Cold Air Intake unit and that actually helped a bit in the power department and gained me 1-2 mpg. I also swapped in a 62mm throttle body and spacer at that time too.


At this point I was headed down a road that as I look back I wish I hadn't gone down. I was inexperienced and wanted to believe in these magic gizmos and doodads to net power, torque and mpgs. Hence the throttle body, cold air tube and then my next purchase the Dynomax Turbo exhaust. Although the cold air helped a bit and the TB did as well (maybe? wasnt very noticable, but i think the spacer positioned the tube at a better angle to pull air in cause you can hear it). The Dynomax ended up being a complete waste of money. Firstly it was LOUD, real LOUD. It sounded nice at first, but within a few months sounded like complete garbage. It also rusted within a year of install. I got no gains what so ever from that exhaust.
Video of the Dynomax set-up:



After my first wheeling trip to LI with that set up I decided I needed to lift the vehicle. I spent a lot of time looking for the right kit and I was still under a college budget so that meant no Currie, no Clayton etc. I knew i didnt want Skyjacker and I didnt want to budget boost and that I wanted a full spring and shock lift. With some research I came across Rough Country. With a little more research I became aware of their less than stellar reputation in the past. But, a good amount of people were satisfied with their current kits. So decided on a RC 2.5" kit with the 2.2 shocks and the progressive coils. I also did a bar pin eliminator for the rear shocks as the stock "dog-bone" pin had broken on the rear passenger side. The same side bar pin eliminator bracket broke a few years later and I had to get it welded back together. Hasn't been a problem since.

Myself next to another wrangler without a lift. The two of us were sporting 31s and I had picked up this nifty brush guard for a good price, later I placed 2 fog lights behind it.


Pic of the bar pin eliminator:


Very cold start up with Dynomax exhaust and Lift:


Decided it was time to get rid of the Dynomax exhaust in exchange for a Banks Monster exhaust cat back and header. People seemed to have been pretty happy with the Banks setup. I did later find there to be a handful of folks who complained of the header cracking. Mine has recently cracked, but is still covered by warranty. If I had to do it again, I probably wouldn't have bought it as the power (gains?) were minimal (if any) from the header. The Banks exhaust is noticably quieter than the previous Dynomax, but with age has gotten a little bit louder, but even at that point still quieter than the Dynomax.





Video of the Banks exhaust:

[stan98tj]

Now fast fwd a few years. The jeep was my daily driver (still is) and had seen a good amount of the LI trails. I finally got out of college and when I came home from my first contract I decided it was time to upgrade the tires. I was really satisfied with the Dakotas and actually wanted to grab another pair, but this time at the 33 size. I spent a lot of time thinking over what size exactly I wanted to run. For a while I had really considered 33x10.5" tires in order to save on weight. I just couldnt get over the sight of a tire that skinny. So I set out to see if I could find a 33x11 or 33x11.50" tire. Turns out if you look through the metric size tires you can get those or very close to them. Pepboys was out of stock of their Dakotas in 33x11.50 so I began looking for a different brand. The tire guy at Town Fair Tire in CT talked my ear off about the new model Toyo Open Country MTs and how they had just won the Baha and beaten out BFG which had apparently held the title for a few years. So I decided to research it a bit and wouldn't you know, the reviews were real good. They boast a quiet ride for an MT, great tread pattern and side lugs for better traction. I still didn't want a standard size 33x12.50 but unfortunately they were also backordered on the 33x11.50 (metric) so I settled for a set of 5 16" wheels and tires at 33x12" (though I'm actually a little bit closer to 33.5").
New Tires:


gave those worn fender flares a spray paint job and they came out pretty good.

I also upgraded the steering stabilizer to Rough Country's beefy stabiizer AND also decided to get an aftermarket diff cover as well. I searched for a while and came across Solid Axle works Dana 30 cover. Had good reviews and was far cheaper than the other covers. At 64 bucks I really couldnt pass it up. I also decided to give it a black and red paint job. I've had nothing but good things to say about my Solid. It has taken a couple good shots and stood up to it no problem. I did purchase a "reusable" Lube Locker (i think that was the name) gasket for the cover. Waste of money. RTV for me next time. It's not that it leaks or anything, it's just the fact that it's expensive AND I dont think very reusable.
New front stabilizer and Solid Diff cover:



In order to get some better clearance for the 33s I decided to upgrade to the RC 3.25" kit. The kit basically is the 2.5" but with coil spacers at the top and a rear track bar relocator bracket. The kit also provides quick discos which are actually pretty good.

Trackbar relocator:


At this point I decided I wanted to protect my rockers. We had just found a nice and challenging trail local to me where rock contact was a good possibility if you weren't careful. I researched a bunch of different ones and for a while had settled on the A to Z Fab rocker and others styled that way. Basically they have a guard that covers the entire rocker panel (where my diamond plate panel is) and have a tube coming off from there. I decided I def wanted a tube so as to act as a step (my gf is short) but not lose clearance. Further research advised me to make sure I didnt cheap out with this style rocker guard as cheaper versions were known to bend at the rail/tube and fold up and into the tub thereby causing damage. A to Z was a bit out of my price range and for a bit I considered the Rough COuntry sliders but their rail was stucked too close to the body not providing enough area for one to use it as a step. I setlled on the BodyArmor Rails i found through research. I think they were $220. First time back out on the trail I actually came down on them coming off a rock and they held up beautifully. I like how they work and like the way they look.

BodyArmor Rock Rails:

[stan98tj]

My trip on the trail proved that the 3.25" kit wasn't quite tall enough for the tires. I ordered a Terraflex 1" Body lift. Around this time my gf offered me a winch of my chosing (under a grand) for my bday. I chose the Warn VR 10,000 and have been very satisfied (see my article and product review for more info). The winch i knew would weigh down my front end. So I decided to go with RC's 6cyl springs and a leveler spacer. Now, the RC kit has stood up to daily driving and a good amount of off road time. It doesn't give you a Caddy ride on the road like the much more expensive kits do, but it gets the job done and doesnt feel too bad either, certainly better than many other kits. THe price is what is great about these kits. That being said, the fact i'm running all those spacers above my coils does bother me a bit. I do plan on changing out the RC kit COMPLETELY later for Bilstein or OME shocks and whatever the top end coils on the market would be. Also, while I run an RC kit, the 2.5" kit is what they do brilliantly, I wouldn't however trust them too much for anything more complicated than that such as a 4" Long Arm or 6". They do seem to improve their stuff as time rolls on, so by the time you are reading this they may have made some really good improvements to those long arm and 6" kits.

Spacers and 6cyl springs:


Winch:


Before and after profile of Jeep with and without the 1" Body lift:
Before:

After: Notice the gap between the body and rai. It did bother me for a bit but now I've gotten used to it:


I recently relined my tub with Herculiner. THe first bedliner I ever put down was a few years back and I used Rustoleum's roll-on EZ Bed liner. That was not good for the application. Way too thin. Im not even sure how they get away calling it a bed liner. it's more like thick paint. So I rolled on a coat of Herculiner right over it. My lack of mats, however allow my feet to contact the Herculiner directly, and if I've tracked in any dirt or sand, my foot's movement gradually grinds/sands the herculiner down useing the dirt as a makeshift sandpaper. So I lined it again and am looking for a good set of rubber mats.




More to come. Next uprepping the Ford 8.8 for the swap, regear to 4.56, front EATON locker.

[stan98tj]

can't wait to feel the difference when I regear! I almost want to convince myself that i won't feel a thing and then it will be like a huge surprise when I first drive it.

Finished ordering the parts for the regear and all the bracketry for the 8.8.
Got all of it from a place called East Coast Gear Supply, called them directly and the guy started knocking down the price on pretty much everything I bought. So far I'm satisfied.
Here is what I have coming to me:
Quadratec:
Eaton e-locker for the D-30

East Coast Gear Supply:
Dana 30 4.56 gears (Motive) and master overhaul kit
Ford 8.8 4.56 gears (Motive) and master overhaul kit
8.8 braket kit for conversion to TJ
Crossover flange 8.8
8.8 axle seals.
SOLID Axle works diff cover for the 8.8 (to match the Dana 30)

What i have left is to pick up some rear upper control arms (adjustable) which i think I will pick up from Ironman 4x4.

[v7guy]

its come a long way, looks good

[BermB1026]

classic looking Jeep...be proud

[HuLuD44]

nice back log man. Im sure there plenty more to look forward to.

[stan98tj]

Ordered rear upper and lower adjustable control arms from Ironman 4x4 Fab. They came highly recommended from our own Founder, Dominic who runs front and rear control arms from this shop. Each arm gets custom made, so it won't be until next week that he will be getting it shipped to me.
Judging by the arms i saw on his jeep, it will be worth the wait.
here is a link for those interested:
IRONMAN FABRICATION & 4X4
Also going back to the junkyard to perhaps pick up a v8 ZJ front tie rod. They seem thicker than the TJ's and was wondering if this would substitute as a cheap upgrade for beefier steering.