Suspension ideas for a V8 swap, 37"+ tires, and Dana 60s

Jeepaholic said:
I gotta say that green jeep on 40's is totally useless, it's practically rubbing the tires on the body sitting still. Also looks dumb in my opinion. That's exactly what pops into my mind when somebody mentions a mall crawler...
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He actually wheels the Jeep pretty hard. Its different for sure, but up travel isn't necessary in some types of wheeling.
Here is his instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/theracingjeep/

I'd say it works pretty well. Goes to show what can be done when you build a suspension right.



jeep_boss said:
This build wouldn't just be for looks, the thought of that makes be vomit in my mouth a little. I want to build something that would be inspired partially by a Baja racer (minus the double wishbone suspension), with some of the DNA of a Ford Raptor maybe. The flip side would be the capability to crawl.

I'd want it to be capable of higher speeds on the trail and overlanding than what my current long arm TJR on 35s is capable of, not having to worry as much about bending spilnes / knuckles / axle tubes / lift joints.

@Fouledplugs I REALLY dig that kit with the King coil overs! Pretty amazing :cool:

@jodomcfrodo I hear you on the low and stable thing, I would want a wider track thoufh for this build regardless. I have a few things that I would need to decide before figuring out how high of a lift to aim for.
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Getting a short wheelbase TJ to run fast through terrain is going to be very difficult but can be done. I believe @mrblaine knows a good amount about racing TJ's, so his knowledge in terms of speed would be very useful.
 
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jeep_boss said:
I have come a long way with my TJR since I bought it last September, and figured out that there are certain things that for me would be very nice to have items. I'm struggling with the idea of dumping even more time and money into it (vs starting from scratch), but I like the form factor very much for a wheeing machine.

That said, I'm thinking about a doing a few things if I decide to keep it for an extended period of time:
  • V8 swap
  • ~37 to 40" tires
  • Dana 60's
I'd need to start somewhere for planning this build. If I decide to commit to Dana 60's (e.g. Currie RJ), I would logically start thinking about a new lift. I REALLY dig LA suspensions, but I can sacrifice them if it makes sense to do so.

What sort if lift would y'all put on a TJ to support Dana 60's and big tires?
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If I'm not mistaken I think @balfred recently did a V8 swap. He might be a good one to consult?
 
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I used a 99 Vortec 5.7 from a GMC Yukon and had it rebuilt. An LS based conversion would have cost at least 2-4 thousand more depending on a rebuild. I love it. Runs great
 
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jeep_boss said:
This build wouldn't just be for looks, the thought of that makes be vomit in my mouth a little. I want to build something that would be inspired partially by a Baja racer (minus the double wishbone suspension), with some of the DNA of a Ford Raptor maybe. The flip side would be the capability to crawl.

I'd want it to be capable of higher speeds on the trail and overlanding than what my current long arm TJR on 35s is capable of, not having to worry as much about bending spilnes / knuckles / axle tubes / lift joints.

@Fouledplugs I REALLY dig that kit with the King coil overs! Pretty amazing :cool:

@jodomcfrodo I hear you on the low and stable thing, I would want a wider track thoufh for this build regardless. I have a few things that I would need to decide before figuring out how high of a lift to aim for.
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Again, think about what you truly want and look at what works well in those situations. 40s and desert aren't going to work well together on a Jeep.
 
What kind of stuff are you doing trail wise where you think you need 40s over 35s? Are you currently getting hung up on a lot of stuff?
 
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mrblaine said:
When you get ready to discuss function instead of form, we may chat a bit. Until then, I've not seen anything from you about this that says you want it for anything other than appearance or how it looks. We don't do that.
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Careful. This kind of talk is what gets you on the ignore list! :) :)
 
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I recently wheeled in a Jeep with 37s. It was much easier than wheeling with 31s obviously. The TJ with 31s is driven daily and is fun to wheel. The JKU with 37s was also fun. I’d love to have 1 of each. There’s tons of JKUs around here with 37” or 38” tires that are DDs. It’s crazy to me but we are all different. I would love to have a trail rig with 37” + tires and an old CJ7 in pristine condition that I could hot rod out and cruise around while the TJ is still in the garage getting fine tuned for wheeling and continuing to be a DD. Just saying we all want what we want and nobody can change our minds. I also see JKs with 20” plus wheels that are ultra deep and wide that just look ridiculous to me but it’s not my money so whatever.


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Jay P said:
I recently wheeled in a Jeep with 37s. It was much easier than wheeling with 31s obviously. The TJ with 31s is driven daily and is fun to wheel. The JKU with 37s was also fun. I’d love to have 1 of each. There’s tons of JKUs around here with 37” or 38” tires that are DDs. It’s crazy to me but we are all different. I would love to have a trail rig with 37” + tires and an old CJ7 in pristine condition that I could hot rod out and cruise around while the TJ is still in the garage getting fine tuned for wheeling and continuing to be a DD. Just saying we all want what we want and nobody can change our minds. I also see JKs with 20” plus wheels that are ultra deep and wide that just look ridiculous to me but it’s not my money so whatever.


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Keep in mind that the TJ and JK platforms are very different from each other. What might result in a balanced build on a JKU will not translate much at all to the TJ.
 
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jjvw said:
Keep in mind that the TJ and JK platforms are very different from each other. What might result in a balanced build on a JKU will not translate much at all to the TJ.
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Very true, I’ll clear it up by saying that I’d rather build an LJ than a JKU which I know hardly anything about.


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I have been thinking about this for a few days, and in my mind - the build motovation comes down to a short list:

Stronger, complete axle assemblies
I get kind of worried that I am going to destroy one of my axles on the trail (an I paranoid? Yes). Although I'm running RCVs in the front and G2s in the rear, I need better piece of mind knowing that a pothole won't disable my Jeep as easily.

Larger tires for higher clearance
Again, I'm usually out there solo. I have taken some risks negotiating some sketchy (but fun) trails, but I have also run i to several trails where I would have been a lot more comfortable with 37+ tires

I also tend to drive with more weight in the back when I venture out into the remote areas of the wilderness. I bring a complete set of tools with me, plus any gear that I need for camping and whatnot (fortunately, I have spent the $$$$$ on ultralight gear, but I'll also load up some "luxury" items on multiday trips).

Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy my long arm and 35s with the stock motor. It's a fun little vehicle when everything is dialed in. I just do not trust the axle assemblies with my tire size, and I would like to get a couple/few more inches of clearance, and I'm REALLY starting to dig the idea of a GenRight with RJ60s or 70s. In my mind, it would step up the caliber closer to what I am looking for in my Jeep.
 
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jeep_boss said:
I have been thinking about this for a few days, and in my mind - the build motovation comes down to a short list:

Stronger, complete axle assemblies
I get kind of worried that I am going to destroy one of my axles on the trail (an I paranoid? Yes). Although I'm running RCVs in the front and G2s in the rear, I need better piece of mind knowing that a pothole won't disable my Jeep as easily.

Larger tires for higher clearance
Again, I'm usually out there solo. I have taken some risks negotiating some sketchy (but fun) trails, but I have also run i to several trails where I would have been a lot more comfortable with 37+ tires

I also tend to drive with more weight in the back when I venture out into the remote areas of the wilderness. I bring a complete set of tools with me, plus any gear that I need for camping and whatnot (fortunately, I have spent the $$$$$ on ultralight gear, but I'll also load up some "luxury" items on multiday trips).

Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy my long arm and 35s with the stock motor. It's a fun little vehicle when everything is dialed in. I just do not trust the axle assemblies with my tire size, and I would like to get a couple/few more inches of clearance, and I'm REALLY starting to dig the idea of a GenRight with RJ60s or 70s. In my mind, it would step up the caliber closer to what I am looking for in my Jeep.
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the GenRight builds are some of the best looking TJ/LJ's out there. Coils is where its at.
 
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Fouledplugs said:
the GenRight builds are some of the best looking TJ/LJ's out there. Coils is where its at.
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They are definitely growing on me.

I would like to keep my TJ for this build if possible, but I don't think that I can put a new lift on it, since it already has a Rubicon Express long arm. I would probably need to find a new base vehicle to build off of, but I would prefer it to be a TJ vs an LJ.

There also seems to be a significant difference in requirements for running 37" tires vs. 38", especially in terms of the front axle housing. The RJ44 appears to max out at 37". If I were to go with Dana 60's, I would undoubtedly want at least 38" tires, but I would want the overall height of the vehicle to be no more than what it is right now with my RE 5.5" lift (measures around 6" right now).

That said, I don't really see it being worth while to just beef up what I have now on 35's. I am sure there would be a way to drop in new axle housings, but after all is said and done - it wouldn't be cheap and I would not gain anything for the breakaway angle. I haven't been hung up yet, but I would like the capability of slightly higher clearance on certain trails and wash outs, where I'd be a lot more comfortable with a few extra inches of clearance.
 
jeep_boss said:
I just do not care for the repeated insults, Jerry. It seems to be natural from you, and I highly doubt you realize it.
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I don't know if you can see this or not, but you can always just ignore the guy... :)
 
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jjvw said:
I don't know if you can see this or not, but you can always just ignore the guy... :)
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I'm going to stress this one too. The ignore feature on this website works fantastic. Use it, and you'll never have to hear from ________ ever again.

I'm only throwing that out there because it's an often overlooked feature.
 
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