2005 LJ Rubicon Build Log - His

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dogfoodboy

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
May 10, 2021
Messages
184
Location
Washoe Valley, NV
Not really a true build log, but more of a history log for fun. Just got it home from Pacific NW and had some time to tinker today.

Previous Owner Build Log

2005 LJ Rubicon Manual - Hard Top,Soft Top, very heavy custom bumpers, non-oem wheels, skyjacker (I think) spring lift no body lift, no serious rust,runs nice, Steering is sloppy and needs to be addressed immediately

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The steering was scary with a good wobble at speed. I suspected the front tires were not loaded due to weight on back and rear tire hung far back. Decided to remove tire, jerry cans, high lift and see. Night and day diff - its still abit sloppy, so will do tie rods and front end bushings asap.

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congrats on best Jeep 🍻


this is, of course, personal preference but that 8274 is ridiculously huge and heavy
 
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The current lift is a 4" Skyjacker with a transfer case drop, skyjacker fixed length control arms, extended front sway disconnects and probably a drop pitman since the current Skyjacker kit has one. The ride is ok, but saucy and I would like to improve the on road manners. The heavy rear bumper squatted it alot - really should have done a before / after measurement.
 
Ordered the Hyline Bumper / Carrier, since I really want a one movement tailgate/carrier solution. The ARB looked nice, but was more than the LJ cost and the Chinese version was too stylish for me. My son's TJ has the Hooke (Chinese) version and it actually looks pretty well made.

The weight of the new bumper / carrier will drive me into suspension change debate, as I hate vehicles with poor steering caused by weight hanging off the back and the current bumper removal made an amazing difference in how it drives. I suppose this is an invite for opinions/suggestions
 
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dogfoodboy said:
The steering was scary with a good wobble at speed. I suspected the front tires were not loaded due to weight on back and rear tire hung far back. Decided to remove tire, jerry cans, high lift and see. Night and day diff - its still abit sloppy, so will do tie rods and front end bushings asap.

View attachment 254516
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I had a rear bumper setup similar to your's. I got out the plasma cutter and started hacking away. Got rid of the swing out tire carrier, hi-lift jack, and Jerry cans. Then reinforced the tailgate and hinges, found a used OE tire carrier (reinforced the welds) and added hinge braces attached to the rollbar. Much better look actually looks and feels better.

Before
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After
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rjinaz86323 said:
I had a rear bumper setup similar to your's. I got out the plasma cutter and started hacking away. Got rid of the swing out tire carrier, hi-lift jack, and Jerry cans. Then reinforced the tailgate and hinges, found a used OE tire carrier (reinforced the welds) and added hinge braces attached to the rollbar. Much better look actually looks and feels better.

Before View attachment 255176

AfterView attachment 255177
Click to expand...
Looks clean...good color too. My son has a similar looking Sahara
 
Pulled off the winch to see how the bumper looks solo, as I really like the classic bare grille of the lj/tj. I'm thinking I'll get the bumper blasted and powder coated.

I also test fit some oem wheels that I plan to powder coat matte black.

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Also put on the ZJ HD Steering kit from Crown and really need an alignment. The quick test drive showed significant improvement to the steering, but the steering wheel is not centered at all. I may tinker tomorrow to get the alignment to be less bad
 
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Lots of work done in the last couple weeks - OME Springs/Shocks in and ride height is less, but drives better. Got the original bumper powder coated and new rear bumper mostly on. The wheels will get powder coated black after the other parts $$ burn slows bown

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I may add another spacer up front to level a bit if it doesn't settle with a tire on the back. I added an adjustable front track bar and the alignment was easy for the shop. It took some tinkering hours to get the axle centered. It is really driving nice, but the sway bars seem to be not engaging much, as there is body roll. I am thinking about tossing the skyjacker removable tubes and using a disconnectable/adjustable sway link. I can't use a antirock since the frame tube is blocked by the bumper and i kinda like it now thats its painted

Any opinions on the Steinjager ones?

These look like they would do what I need: Link

Their rear swaybar with disconnects looks interesting:
 
I am onto a clunk diagnosis - pls let me know if you think im on the right path. The easiest description is that it clunks when I put the clutch all the way in and it completely disengages the trans. It happens while shifting, but i don't have the description perfect yet. The suspension work done has made big improvements, but not perfect yet. I inspected the driveshafts and front rear have identical amounts of slop.

The trans has a drop kit and i plan to remove it someday

I also plan to remove the drop pitman and replace with stock

I have a rear adjustable track bar to install - will do this weekend

I was going to do the following maintenance since its probably a good idea anyway...
motor mounts
tranny mount
body mounts - yes-will use rubber

The lower control bars are skyjacker with urethane bushings - uppers are stock. Should I consider these suspect?

I suppose I need to pop my pumkin cherry and look at the spider...
 
I just got done replacing everything steering componant on my lj. Death wobbled like crazy at about 50 mph.

During disassembly i found my upper ball joints were beyond sloppy, and i am pretty sure were the culprit.
Maybe give them a cood wiggle and make sure they are sound.

Jeep looks good. Mines green too
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Nice Jeep - I really like the color & I wonder if I like my top color or black better. I check the outer ball joints and was surprised that they are in nice condition. I am replacing most parts like that as part of the 16 Year old car maintenance plan
 
New wheels from the wife's lj are on...got lucky and found some cl tires for cheap with tons of tread. Also got the spare on the hyline bumper...no rattles

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I removed the track bar bolt for the adjustable track bar that I regret buying...the mr blane bolt is rather nice and easy to tighten up nicely. The one that came with the bar was almost impossible to properly tighten.
 
Huge progress in drive-ability today! I changed out the Trans Mount (Poly) and removed the tcase drop - WOW - It drives much better, shifts better and the shifting clunk is 90% gone. The rubber mount looked newer and was stiff/intact.

I wonder if it was the drop, mount or combo that fixed it?

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