Please Critique My Build List

A

AdalinesDad

Guest
Here is what I have done thus far:
  • K&N 33-2114 Air Filter
  • Replaced Transfer Case Fluid with Valvoline ATF+4 Synthetic
  • NGK ZFR5N Spark Plugs
  • Crankcase Breather Hose Mopar 53030615
  • Clean/Adjust Rear Brakes and Parking Lever
  • Replaced Hood Latches with Crown Auto 13104-32
  • Replaced weeping radiator with Mopar 55037652AA Radiator
  • Proactively replaced water pump with Mopar 68382492AA
  • Proactively replaced belt tensioner with Mopar 4854089AB
  • Proactively replaced idler pulley with Mopar 4854092AC
  • Proactively replaced serpentine belt with Mopar 53013209AC
  • Proactively replaced heater hoses with Gates Premium 19038 & 19039
  • Trucklite 27270C LED Headlights
What I plan on doing:
  • Detroit Truetrac LSD front in Dana 30 with chromoly axle shafts & Spicer U-Joints at the same time (4.10 Gears?)
  • Detroit Truetrac LSD rear in Dana 35 with chromoly axle shafts & Spicer U-Joints at the same time
  • Replace awful Kenwood radio with a restored factory radio from 1FactoryRadio, possibly with bluetooth
  • Mild 2" lift so I can get the max suspension travel out of the 31x10.5R15 that the PO put on there (I like that size and would like to stick with it) NEED OPINIONS ON THE KIT
  • New Shocks (Bilstein? Rancho? Teraflex 9500?)
  • Teraflex SYE
  • 20" Rear Driveshaft
  • Metalcloak Adjustable Control Arms
  • JKS Sway-Bar disconnects
  • Bosch 4 hole injectors from KSuspension
  • BBK 62MM Throttle Body
  • Exhaust of some-sort
  • Source an OEM hardtop
  • A/C Kit from JeepAir
  • Quadratec LED rear tailights
  • Extreme Terrain LED 3rd Brake Light
  • GR8Tops Heavy Duty Hinge Kit
  • Teraflex CB antennae bracket
  • Rugged Ridge CB bracket
  • Midland MXT500 GMRS Radio
  • Timken or SKF Hubs
  • Centric Rotors
  • Black Magic brake pads
  • Wix 1515 oil filter
  • Rotella T4 oil
  • Front bumper that can take a winch (Warn?)
  • Winch (Warn or Badlands)
  • New tires soon before I leave
Thank you so much for looking this over and saving me trouble or giving your suggestions. I really enjoy this jeep but probably not as much as my 2 year old girl does!

- Brian
 
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  • Replace awful Kenwood radio with a restored factory radio from 1FactoryRadio, possibly with bluetooth

Looks are better, but sound quality is not.

  • Teraflex SYE

As an option, JB Conversions SSYE is the best and one that you can grow into if you decide to change your build later on.

  • 20" Rear Driveshaft

Wait until you lift and can measure for a driveshaft.

  • JKS Sway-Bar disconnects

Look into a swayloc instead.

  • BBK 62MM Throttle Body

Not sure what you're trying to do here, but you won't make any more power with this.

  • Teraflex CB antennae bracket

Check if everyone else in your group uses CB. Lately, I've just been handing out radios because nobody has a cb or has it tuned.

  • Rotella T4 oil

I've done quite a bit of testing and I can't find any difference between brands of oil. Use 5w30 synthetic in the winter, 10w30 in the summer. Use the 51515 oil filter and change every 5-8k miles if you aren't operating in extreme dust.
 
I believe I have to change the axles in the 35 because they don’t make a Truetrac in the stock spline number so might as well upgrade while in there? Also I tend to overbuild because I don’t like getting stuck out in the desert while it’s 115 at midnight like it was while I lived in Southern Colorado.
 
For what you're planning to put into it, you could have bought a Rubicon and been done.
Probably even an LJR. ;)

Could have purchased anything I wanted to, But I like working on rigs and making them my own. I’m interested in buying something and leaving it be. I also prefer the shorter wheelbase for the tight slot canyons we have explored before. I would have been happy with a CJ but wife wanted airbags. Also want LSD instead of e-locker or air lockers so wife can operate it.
 
Also want LSD instead of e-locker or air lockers so wife can operate it.
She is a doctor, that means she is very capable of learning things. 10 minutes off road and some patient instruction will have her knowing when to use the selectables plus you don't need to teach her to drive LSDs in the snow and ice should that ever happen.
 
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She is a doctor, that means she is very capable of learning things. 10 minutes off road and some patient instruction will have her knowing when to use the selectables plus you don't need to teach her to drive LSDs in the snow and ice should that ever happen.

I understand and get the sentiment but I want this to be as transparent to drive as her brand new crosstrek.
 
Have you researched much the possibilities that a 1.25” body lift opens up? I ask for two reasons…
One—for your purposes it would work very well with 31” tires. Before I did any serious mods I drove my lj for years with 31” ko2s and only had a 1.25” body lift. I later added some .75” coil spacers to bring it to 2” total and give me a little more suspension up-travel.
Two—you can do a tummy tuck and raise your gas tank skid which are some of the best gains in ground clearance you’ll ever experience as a tj owner.
 
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K&N air filters have a bad reputation on this forum. For the long-term, you might want to remove that.
 
I believe I have to change the axles in the 35 because they don’t make a Truetrac in the stock spline number so might as well upgrade while in there? Also I tend to overbuild because I don’t like getting stuck out in the desert while it’s 115 at midnight like it was while I lived in Southern Colorado.

The Dana 35 Truetrac is only available in the stock 27 spline: 912A569. They do not make one for the upgraded Super35 30 spline.
 
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K&N air filters have a bad reputation on this forum. For the long-term, you might want to remove that.

X2

K&N filters are great for street performance cars, but for off-road vehicles that kick up dust, the oil in those filters mixed with that dust clogs real easy. Stick to paper filters.

EDIT - It looks like I only supplied partial information. It seems like there are a couple reasons K&N doesn't work great on a Jeep. Not only do they clog more easily, but they also let more dirt into the engine. See Blain's and Jerry's posts further down.
 
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Could have purchased anything I wanted to, But I like working on rigs and making them my own. I’m interested in buying something and leaving it be. I also prefer the shorter wheelbase for the tight slot canyons we have explored before. I would have been happy with a CJ but wife wanted airbags. Also want LSD instead of e-locker or air lockers so wife can operate it.

Buying a Rubicon or LJR wouldn't have precluded you from making a big list of mods and making it your own. Many if not most folks in here end up making their rig their own regardless of how it arrives to them.

Generally speaking, I don't mind what you do to your Jeep because it's yours. However, you specifically asked for critiques so that's what you are receiving. Rather than defending your decisions, I'd consider asking folks for their reasoning because their opinion might have more value to you than you initially realize. Best of luck with the build.
 
X2

K&N filters are great for street performance cars, but for off-road vehicles that kick up dust, the oil in those filters mixed with that dust clog real easy. Stick to paper filters.

I specifically purchased the oil-free (synthetic) filter from Banks and then put a pre-filter over it to replace the cheap no-name K/N that came with it. I'd like to get a stock airbox in good shape.
 
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K&N air filters have a bad reputation on this forum. For the long-term, you might want to remove that.

I really wish folks would stop doing that. This forum is not unique in the ability to figure out why something is fucked up and recommend against it. It has nothing to do with the filters but rather the understanding of why they don't.

Stop blaming the forum for folks pointing out if you run one on a TJ in dusty conditions, it is more than prudent to pull the air intake tube off of the throttle body once in awhile and see if you really like that much dust inside the tube and that much dust caked on the throttle body butterfly. If you don't have any of that happening, then keep running it, if you do, now you know how to find out what works and what doesn't. That has nothing to do with K&N's reputation on the forum, just some basic knowledge to figure it out for yourself.