I think I am going to invest in a winch and a lockright locker for the rear Dana 30 I know a lot of you would not, but these are a start. I am not a huge lift fan. after wheeling the willys I just don't see the point of making something higher and bigger to go into places that get smaller and tighter....
TJ advice on where to start....
- Thread starter Jeep9748
- Start date
The 30 is a front diff. The rear is either a 35 or 44. A locker in a stock 35 is a bad idea due to weak axle shafts. Many will also say a lunchbox locker is a bad idea in the rear. I ran one in my past XJ and it was great. The XJ is a longer wheelbase and was an auto so that does change things vs the TJ.
Yes sorry for the typo, having ton two screens is something I am not quit used to yet. I will wait on the lockright then. I am going to invest in the winch. The trail TJ has not gotten stuck YET but I figure I will be doing more off road with both and the Sahara will become the safety rig on certain trails and I can use the winch to retrieve the Ammo Can (trail tj name) from the stuck spot.
I'll throw my two cents worth back into the discussion again. Take it for what it's worth.
Most of my available free Jeep money goes into upgrading and replacing stock and worn out parts on my SE right now. It's my trail rig and my DD. Where I off road, getting stranded is not an option. If I get stuck, it's a long walk to anywhere. The trails are tight horizontally and vertically, so I'm keeping the TJ as small as it can reasonably be. They are also steep, choppy and slick most of the time. Lifting a tire is a regular occurrence. So is bending my CB antenna mount and scratching my windshield frame. I used to bang my gas tank skid on a regular basis, but 31's and a short, inch and a half, lift reduced that. With all of that being said, here's my observations.
Probably the most bang for the buck with the least disruption is adding a decent winch, proper gearing and a few mods and upgrades like the ZJ tie rod conversion. A little thoughtful improvement here and there can reap huge benefits. You probably don't really need to add a locker, but it sure makes life simpler. You may need to add gearing and alloy axle shafts. A winch is super handy, but a good snatch strap is cheaper and may do what you need done. I guess what I'm trying to say is, address each known problem in the least intrusive and / or expensive way that is reasonable. The further we deviate from stock the more knock-on problems we create. And there is no use, really, in fixing a problem that doesn't exist. If you pay attention to your TJ, it will tell you what it needs. TJ's are good like that.
I wheeled with an acquaintance a few times that has a TJ that looks pretty stock but the mods were where they needed to be. He had zero reliability issues and zero drive-ability issues. He also hung with the big dogs around here with almost no drama. His setup really got me to thinking about a more minimalist approach. While he did have some mad driving skills and was really cagey about picking his lines and only going where he knew he would make it, it isn't unreasonable to substitute skill and judgement for hardware and skinny pedal. TJ's truly rock off road, even in stock form.
I hope that this may give you a little different perspective on the whole mod thing.
Most of my available free Jeep money goes into upgrading and replacing stock and worn out parts on my SE right now. It's my trail rig and my DD. Where I off road, getting stranded is not an option. If I get stuck, it's a long walk to anywhere. The trails are tight horizontally and vertically, so I'm keeping the TJ as small as it can reasonably be. They are also steep, choppy and slick most of the time. Lifting a tire is a regular occurrence. So is bending my CB antenna mount and scratching my windshield frame. I used to bang my gas tank skid on a regular basis, but 31's and a short, inch and a half, lift reduced that. With all of that being said, here's my observations.
Probably the most bang for the buck with the least disruption is adding a decent winch, proper gearing and a few mods and upgrades like the ZJ tie rod conversion. A little thoughtful improvement here and there can reap huge benefits. You probably don't really need to add a locker, but it sure makes life simpler. You may need to add gearing and alloy axle shafts. A winch is super handy, but a good snatch strap is cheaper and may do what you need done. I guess what I'm trying to say is, address each known problem in the least intrusive and / or expensive way that is reasonable. The further we deviate from stock the more knock-on problems we create. And there is no use, really, in fixing a problem that doesn't exist. If you pay attention to your TJ, it will tell you what it needs. TJ's are good like that.
I wheeled with an acquaintance a few times that has a TJ that looks pretty stock but the mods were where they needed to be. He had zero reliability issues and zero drive-ability issues. He also hung with the big dogs around here with almost no drama. His setup really got me to thinking about a more minimalist approach. While he did have some mad driving skills and was really cagey about picking his lines and only going where he knew he would make it, it isn't unreasonable to substitute skill and judgement for hardware and skinny pedal. TJ's truly rock off road, even in stock form.
I hope that this may give you a little different perspective on the whole mod thing.
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AtlWrangler99
TJ Enthusiast
I do. My '99 TJ SE is the best $7,000 I've ever invested. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought one new and skipped all the hassles that come from the previous owners and trying to wheel a Suburban through the tight places. My whole point to owning a TJ is to get to places that are hard to get to and to enjoy the ride along the way. Well, that's not strictly true either. A lot of times it's the journey and the destination is unknown. I spend a lot of time on "roads" that no one has been on in ages. And see things no one else has seen in the same amount of time.
StG58 I couldn't agree with you more. I think I am going to go with a winch. As far as the lift and lockers, I am in the same boat as you and your friend with minimalism. I have wheeled in a lot of vehicles, four wheeler all the way to a 6x6 M816 wrecker and every HMMWV variant available. But in all my years of watching and wheeling, I remember my Willys, in all its original 1948 glory, going every where I asked it too. And my most memorable event I watched was when there was a fairly extreme off road course. I watched everyone get stuck on the log pass, resulting in either going a different route or just giving up, to the tight turns where JK's fail. Then came an all original willys, no winch, no lift, no enourmous tires and WOW it just blew through everything like it was walking in the park. I concur with easiest approach. Light and Tight is somewhat better than Heavy and Hard.
So change in plans.....the Sahara is not getting any thing done to it. Ammo can will be receiving all the upgrades. that way I have a reliable DD and a trail rig....ugh hate when the wife just has to put her million dollar ideas in there.....
4speedhandler
TJ Enthusiast
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2016
- Messages
- 172
if you have the rear 35 i'd look at an 8.8 swap. if done right a budget 8.8 swap can be done for $1k
No it can't be. The only way to get this done under $1,000.00 is if you do all of the fabrication work yourself, which includes hundreds of dollars worth of equipment. Here are the numbers my peer came up with, take them for what they are worth:
TJ Ford 8.8 Swap
- Axle Purchase: Local Georgia/Alabama pick & pull, 3 different places quoted the same amount - $250.00.
- Used Brakes: Used Ford 8.8 Brake with Backing Plates - $100.00.
- Axle Bracket Kit: The cheapest bracket kit he could find was from Ballistic Fabrication (Although most people do a $349.99 Artec/Barnes Truss) - $149.99.
- E-brake Cables: TJ E-brake cables can be picked up from a junkyard or purchased new from ECGS - $60.00.
- Ford 8.8 Adapter Flange: 1310 Adapter Plate to use Stock Driveshaft - $34.00.
When I did my 8.8 rear end (In my YJ), I was lucky enough to find a rear end out of a Mountaineer which is the same as a Explorer, I bought it at a 4x4 swap meet came complete with disk brakes for100 dollars score! The disk brakes integrated nicely with no other mods.
I didn't have to worry about 4link pad purchase because it was a leaf spring set up, but I did have the new pads welded on the top for a spring over lift. The real killer of the project was re-gearing and ARBing. That cost the most, and I did that myself. It was close to a thousand dollars just for the gears and the locker and the setup kit.
Anyway, if you look hard enough you may be able to find a good deal on the axle.
I didn't have to worry about 4link pad purchase because it was a leaf spring set up, but I did have the new pads welded on the top for a spring over lift. The real killer of the project was re-gearing and ARBing. That cost the most, and I did that myself. It was close to a thousand dollars just for the gears and the locker and the setup kit.
Anyway, if you look hard enough you may be able to find a good deal on the axle.
This statement alone puts you ahead of a lot of owners already. If there's anything I've learned about owning a Jeep, it's that you get what you pay for.
I'll admit that I've returned a few orders in the past after thinking I've saved some money only to find UPS delivered a piece of crap.
4speedhandler
TJ Enthusiast
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2016
- Messages
- 172
When i originally priced it out i had access to all the equipment so i guess i never thought about those variables as well as i found a posi 4.11 8.8 for $120 at the local junk yard so it worked for everything i wanted at the time and would have been $500 or so for me to do. i since changed the plan and am using a 9".
look at http://www.billhughes.com/dana35c/ if you're thinking about working with the dana 35. its not worth the money to build a dana 35 when the money could be put towards an all around better axle with more potential. a fully built 35 can support maybe 35's if not driven hard as far as i've seen, i broke mine on 31's with an open diff. if nothing aftermarket look for a bolt in factory take out dana 44.
Depending on your budget and whatnot if you dont have fab equipment look at east coast gear supply for an 8.8 bolt in they start at $859, add $200 for better shafts or $500 for the c-clip elim kit with shafts and you can configure it from there with even more options if wanted.
TJ2
TJ Expert
Lift it properly though. Do not take a short cut. Use quality shocks and springs. It maybe more expensive upfront but in the long run....
As with everything else on the Jeep, it's basically what can you afford to do? I built mine as though I was going to install and use it. However, once installed, I didn't want to go back to working on it - even for brakes. Turns out, I'm not going to use it anymore.
Expensive, but like EVERYTHING else, you get what you pay for. This is a retail version of a 8.8 build - since I pretty much paid cash for everything listed, even having the gears installed professionally. I've had a LOT of "tire kickers", and have given out my number, but when it comes down to it, it's a lot of cash to drop...
Everything is debatable. The c-clip elim kit is roughly the cost of a Detroit Locker and ALMOST the cost of a selectable. What's in your wallet?
And lets NOT forget the front axle.... Geeez....
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/pts/d/jeep-hp-dana-30-and-ford-88/6438905456.html
Roll Tide!
Expensive, but like EVERYTHING else, you get what you pay for. This is a retail version of a 8.8 build - since I pretty much paid cash for everything listed, even having the gears installed professionally. I've had a LOT of "tire kickers", and have given out my number, but when it comes down to it, it's a lot of cash to drop...
Everything is debatable. The c-clip elim kit is roughly the cost of a Detroit Locker and ALMOST the cost of a selectable. What's in your wallet?
And lets NOT forget the front axle.... Geeez....
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/pts/d/jeep-hp-dana-30-and-ford-88/6438905456.html
Roll Tide!
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