Just out of curiosity about how much did it cost for the SS exhaust?
Since I've built all my exhaust systems out of SS I'm curious.
4-cylinder cross country crawler build
- Thread starter The4bangertj
- Start date
Just out of curiosity about how much did it cost for the SS exhaust?
Since I've built all my exhaust systems out of SS I'm curious.
Out the door price was 1456. 330 for the tubing, 250 for the muffler, 400 for the cat, 450 labor and then the hangers and bolts. 5year warranty. No sales tax in New Hampshire.
I never take the jeep to a shop bc I try and do it my self but for the labor to bend and weld everything properly around the tuck, I couldn’t compete.
Thanks. That's not that bad considering what you got. I have spent close to that on parts also. And then buying the Tri-Mix gas for welding SS and the time to get it all to fit good
. I used pre-bent tubing and pie cut pieces to fit mine. And I don't have the room to go out the back so I've got a turn down after the muffler.
Been while so I’ll try and catch things up. Last 2 days I welded up my rear track bar/ upper control arm bracket that had a crack (I used a stock track bar with no misalignment on my set up causing more pressure than it could handle) then added the Currie bracket since it adds more support on the tube so with 3 weld passes on the crack and the Currie bar I hope this is good enough. I was able to get rasbands old curie track bar which is cut down an inch for outboards one day as I don’t intent to do a mid arm and it went in perfectly.
I also have been informed that people prefer the stock rubber bushings in the front upper axle side over the Johny joints. So in fear of bending the passanger tower I also welded in a Barnes 4x4 bracket to help with strength but mostly for better support around the bushing. After it was burned in I pushed new rubber bushings in and then swapped the uppers to savvy uppers (the old 6061 with jj)
A few weeks ago I also replaced my stereo and speakers. I went with the Sony Dsx-m80 stereo which is a marine Bluetooth head unit with a built in 45watt rms amp for the speakers.
I swapped the front speakers to be 5.25inch power bass xl 52ss which are 50watt rms marine speakers which I put inside the select increments dash pods to help. The rears were also upgraded in size to 6.5inch kicker 45km654 which are 65watt rms marine rated speakers. Water proof crimps all the way around and this now gives me Bluetooth which I haven't had as well as a huge improvement in sound quality and volume. So loud it makes my ears ring.
I also added the new 67designs ledge MagSafe mount which makes the new set up completely cable free while I have charging and music control.
The music is so good I want an amp but the only place I am willing to put it is in my center console so I got my buddy to print me an insert so I can custom fit a marine sub in the stock console and then the insert will sit on top allowing for some storage of sunglasses and stuff. To match the rest of the system and get a marine rated sub and amp does makes section limiting and expensive so that will be done later down the road.
I will also add the photos of my old speaker wiring that I am ashamed of but want to show the wrong way of doing it.
I swapped the front speakers to be 5.25inch power bass xl 52ss which are 50watt rms marine speakers which I put inside the select increments dash pods to help. The rears were also upgraded in size to 6.5inch kicker 45km654 which are 65watt rms marine rated speakers. Water proof crimps all the way around and this now gives me Bluetooth which I haven't had as well as a huge improvement in sound quality and volume. So loud it makes my ears ring.
I also added the new 67designs ledge MagSafe mount which makes the new set up completely cable free while I have charging and music control.
The music is so good I want an amp but the only place I am willing to put it is in my center console so I got my buddy to print me an insert so I can custom fit a marine sub in the stock console and then the insert will sit on top allowing for some storage of sunglasses and stuff. To match the rest of the system and get a marine rated sub and amp does makes section limiting and expensive so that will be done later down the road.
I will also add the photos of my old speaker wiring that I am ashamed of but want to show the wrong way of doing it.
I also got an amazing deal on an antirock from the forum which on the stiffest setting is shockingly stable with the soft top on it’s totally acceptable for on road. I feel I can say that since I'm picky on sway since i cant stand driving without a swaybar on. Plus I got to push the winch all the way back which looks so much better.
Lastly i also installed a midland radio which will one day get a ghost antenna and have it bridged on the flux pod light mount when i get pod lights to put there.
Lastly i also installed a midland radio which will one day get a ghost antenna and have it bridged on the flux pod light mount when i get pod lights to put there.
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Next on the list are coils (mine are rusty, have a lean to them, and are giving me 5in of lift now with the soft top on) I was exploring the idea of Currie 3 or 3.5in but the new sky jacker 2.5in lift double rate claim to give 12in of travel while also being a softer rate. Yes the double rate will be a taller solid coil but I’m hoping the 2.5in coil gives me close to 3.5in of lift setting me up for the standard Currie set up of 6in up 6in down rather than more down like I’d assume is originally intended.
I’d also like to do corner armor and flux carrier to get my spare tire back on then finally get genright fenders since my stock ones are ripped in half and rusting now.
I’d also like to do corner armor and flux carrier to get my spare tire back on then finally get genright fenders since my stock ones are ripped in half and rusting now.
Loving all the work you're doing! As someone who also has a 4cyl TJ I'm taking notes! Getting parts up to Canada really sucks though and makes things quite a bit more expensive..
I have a 4.5" BDS long arm kit coming soon to finally replace the clapped "Great Value" (rough country) 2" lift.
Might also ditch the hard top eventually and invest in a new soft top to cut back a few pounds. It's challenging to keep the weight down on these things.
I have a 4.5" BDS long arm kit coming soon to finally replace the clapped "Great Value" (rough country) 2" lift.
Might also ditch the hard top eventually and invest in a new soft top to cut back a few pounds. It's challenging to keep the weight down on these things.
Aluminum is expensive but the weight savings is a lot when you start adding it up. The flux front bumper alone saved me 40lb. I’m a soft top lover so the added weight savings is another nice thing. Gearing and weight can make it feel either super slow or can keep up with normal speeds.
The flux bumper, is that from GenRight?
I opted for 4.88's almost 2 years ago, been very happy with the decision for turning 33's. I ditched the factory rear bumper in favor of a low profile one, we have a lot of deep road deactivations here so departure clearance is nice. still rocking the factory front bumper but wouldn't mind changing it out for something more visually pleasing haha
@Fluxor or fluxoffroad.com I’ll be going with all armor from him and will soon do his corner, tire carrier, rear bumper, and sliders to cut weight and also I hate rust.
Short overview, 3 things happened. Flux hinges, flux stainless steel front bumper corners, and skyjacker 2.5in coils.
Flux hinges were fun. Broke 3 torque bits but only had to drill out 2 bolts. Just like Blaine said once drilled out they can be unthreaded by hand. I also have a sunny side tailgate skin to install but need to drill and tap holes for the license plate then do a color match paint job.
My previous coils were 3.5inch metalcloak duel rates which were netting me 5in of suspension lift front and back. That was too tall for me as the caster was past the point of being stable for me at like 3 degrees of caster before the drive shaft wasn’t happy.
I ended up going with the skyjacker coils because they’re the longest rate coil I could find while being softer to give me a better ride height than metal cloak or Currie 4in coils would. These coils measure out to be 21.5inches for the front and 17.5 for the rear for free lengths. I havnt gotten them fully collapsed but these are less coils than the metal cloaks which I was running 3inch extended bump stop. I removed an inch of bump to be 2inch extended. With that these get 11.5inch of travel with my ride height of 3inches. That gets me 5 inch up and 6.5inch down travel with outboards but stock mounted shocks with 10inch travel will loose that extra 1.5inch of down travel.
Overall I’m very happy with where this is sitting. It’s not a perfect 6in up and 6in down but I wasn’t even expecting to be this close with the difference in weight I have.
Flux hinges were fun. Broke 3 torque bits but only had to drill out 2 bolts. Just like Blaine said once drilled out they can be unthreaded by hand. I also have a sunny side tailgate skin to install but need to drill and tap holes for the license plate then do a color match paint job.
My previous coils were 3.5inch metalcloak duel rates which were netting me 5in of suspension lift front and back. That was too tall for me as the caster was past the point of being stable for me at like 3 degrees of caster before the drive shaft wasn’t happy.
I ended up going with the skyjacker coils because they’re the longest rate coil I could find while being softer to give me a better ride height than metal cloak or Currie 4in coils would. These coils measure out to be 21.5inches for the front and 17.5 for the rear for free lengths. I havnt gotten them fully collapsed but these are less coils than the metal cloaks which I was running 3inch extended bump stop. I removed an inch of bump to be 2inch extended. With that these get 11.5inch of travel with my ride height of 3inches. That gets me 5 inch up and 6.5inch down travel with outboards but stock mounted shocks with 10inch travel will loose that extra 1.5inch of down travel.
Overall I’m very happy with where this is sitting. It’s not a perfect 6in up and 6in down but I wasn’t even expecting to be this close with the difference in weight I have.
I look like @jjvw now with the 17in jk Moab’s. My ko2s were too old and had too many scratches in them from wheeling for any shops to re balance them and they really needed a balance. So looking at new tires I ended up going 285/70r17 since they're basically a 33/11.5r17. Keeps the same gearing since this is still my daily but also sets me up for a big brake. I also got the jk wheels with no rock rash for 75 bucks and then I got the Mickey Thompson Baja boss at for 225 a tire which I think for this size and quality of tire is a good deal. Right now I have the front with 2inch adapters, the rear with 1.25inches. I just ordered matching 2inch adapters so all 4 will be set at 4inch backspacing. Tested steering and nothing rubs (didn’t flex it out but I think I’ll be good still since I know people running 12.5 wides and touch stuff but not enough to cause issues) driving feels much smoother now with no wobble. No difference in acceleration or stability going to a narrow tire. I think they might sound a little louder than a ko2 and might be softer with a std load rating and 28psi.
Edit: scrub radius is noticeably better too tho not game changing.
Edit: scrub radius is noticeably better too tho not game changing.
The Vanco BBK kits are one of those transformative modifications that alters how you drive the Jeep. The brakes work and behave so well that you no longer think about them.
Every little bit that makes things work well adds up to a better Jeep.
Some quick thoughts of the change. Previous set up was 5inch of lift (higher roll center, 3 degrees of caster, 1/16 toe out) and tires were 33x12.5r15 with an offset of -38 if I remember correctly for a reference of scrub radius.
New set up drops it to 3inch of lift(lower roll center, 6degrees of caster, 1/8 toe in) and new tires are 285/70r17 with an offset of -6. The bad things I’m about to say havnt been forever either. It’s just been more obvious this past summer when I dropped a lot of weight.
The roll center dropped some though it wasn’t as obvious as the other detail but the feeling changed from being very quick to lean to very slow, smooth, and consistent. Before it felt like the weight was on a sea saw and the moment I leaned it immediately had a large sway then stiffened up as the antirock held it. Now it’s more like the sea saw is on a rounded rock where it’ll can sit flat if need be and not have lean to lean to one side. Hope that makes sense.
The accumulation of caster, toe and scrub radius has infact changed how this thing drives. Before it was unstable, easily moved, and darty. On flat smooth highways it never could hold a line without me bouncing the steering back and forth to keep it contained in the lane. In rut in the road made for a bobsled track that was difficult to get out if I was turning or if going straight still had more steering wheel feedback than I’d like.
Now the caster and toe makes for a super stable straight line highway drive a single finger job and the caster makes the ruts in the road feel more like tiny cracks in the road that you can feel but doesn’t change your course rather than a bobsled track. Both of them combined the steering and handling of the jeep feels more like a normal sedan than any truck I’ve driven.
The only downsides I can see are visually. First the width (I am still running 1.25in spacers in the rear which is making the width even less visualized but that’s coming). Coming from a 12.5 on a 10in rim and 3.65in backspacing, these are super skinny which also means wheel poke is almost non with stock flares. I plan on going genright 4in flared highlines too which will increase the width by .75in making it full coverage. Good thing for the road, non so great for looks, I like a little poke especially with a fender that doesn’t come down like a stock fender.
Secondly is height. These are only 33s so highline fenders aren’t needed fully. I originally did it because the backspacing on my old set was go little the flare would hit under articulation very early. Rather than remove the flare I just raised the fender. I’ve always liked the look of highlines matching the body line. Now with a skinnier and better offset wheel I don’t fully need the highlines so I’ll have some extra room in the wheel well. It’ll look goofy but hopefully not too much.
That was long winded but wanted to put down my thoughts as I wasn’t expecting such a big change from it all.
New set up drops it to 3inch of lift(lower roll center, 6degrees of caster, 1/8 toe in) and new tires are 285/70r17 with an offset of -6. The bad things I’m about to say havnt been forever either. It’s just been more obvious this past summer when I dropped a lot of weight.
The roll center dropped some though it wasn’t as obvious as the other detail but the feeling changed from being very quick to lean to very slow, smooth, and consistent. Before it felt like the weight was on a sea saw and the moment I leaned it immediately had a large sway then stiffened up as the antirock held it. Now it’s more like the sea saw is on a rounded rock where it’ll can sit flat if need be and not have lean to lean to one side. Hope that makes sense.
The accumulation of caster, toe and scrub radius has infact changed how this thing drives. Before it was unstable, easily moved, and darty. On flat smooth highways it never could hold a line without me bouncing the steering back and forth to keep it contained in the lane. In rut in the road made for a bobsled track that was difficult to get out if I was turning or if going straight still had more steering wheel feedback than I’d like.
Now the caster and toe makes for a super stable straight line highway drive a single finger job and the caster makes the ruts in the road feel more like tiny cracks in the road that you can feel but doesn’t change your course rather than a bobsled track. Both of them combined the steering and handling of the jeep feels more like a normal sedan than any truck I’ve driven.
The only downsides I can see are visually. First the width (I am still running 1.25in spacers in the rear which is making the width even less visualized but that’s coming). Coming from a 12.5 on a 10in rim and 3.65in backspacing, these are super skinny which also means wheel poke is almost non with stock flares. I plan on going genright 4in flared highlines too which will increase the width by .75in making it full coverage. Good thing for the road, non so great for looks, I like a little poke especially with a fender that doesn’t come down like a stock fender.
Secondly is height. These are only 33s so highline fenders aren’t needed fully. I originally did it because the backspacing on my old set was go little the flare would hit under articulation very early. Rather than remove the flare I just raised the fender. I’ve always liked the look of highlines matching the body line. Now with a skinnier and better offset wheel I don’t fully need the highlines so I’ll have some extra room in the wheel well. It’ll look goofy but hopefully not too much.
That was long winded but wanted to put down my thoughts as I wasn’t expecting such a big change from it all.
You described what i noticed on my own jeep once I had my toe dialed in, a rebuilt trackbar and hydro-assist.
A well behaved jeep is nice to drive
Got to do a little flex test with the new antirock, bump stop length, coils, and tires. With the lower bump stops the front has 2 fingers before hitting the fender which is I’d assume is just under 2inches which is great since that makes the high lines not totally useless despite the space else where and making the tires look tiny. The rear still has about 1.5-2inches of up travel available. Has the shock travel and not touching bumps yet but i was picking up the front driver tire. I’m assuming it’s because I still have stock lower tj control arms that are at the limit of their flexibility since I have a Currie track bar and savvy uppers that are definitely not at their limit. The front antirock is amazing. On the stiffest setting I’m getting all up travel with no arms hitting anything and I think limiting down by half to maybe one inch. New 2inch adapters come today so that might help get a little more leverage but not expect any difference.
Got a ucf 2in deep 1/4inch 6061 t6 skid that replaced my current skid which is the ucf 2in deep 3/16 carbon steel so direct swap and probably around 50pounds of weight savings. Doing that also stripped out one of my skid nutserts so ordered some bmb nut serts and having all fresh 6 skid bolts feels great. A lot of dirt and stuff in my frame that I need to get out but the frame thickness from rust looks very thick still which is good to see.
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