Barbara Sylvanas do it all build

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Classic>New

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I want to start this thread now so I can organize everything I want to do with Barbara;). While she does turn heads as she is being as close to stock as you can get without being stock I am going to give her the love and TLC she needs to turn her into an off-roading babe. I plan to be posting pictures and little guides to everything I do. I will also be posting any other things I do with Barbara like trips and questions. So this is what I am starting with:

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To give you the run down I'll start with my capability goals with Barbara.
  1. She will be able to rock crawl
  2. She will be able to overland
  3. She will also be my daily driver so comfortability is a must. (mostly an interior thing)
  4. Now here is the tall order... I want to keep her from looking crazy modded. The closer I can keep her to stock look the better.
From what I have read the first thing I should do before going nuts on making modifications is establish my capability goals which is where I got the list above from. I thought it would be good to let ya'll know as it will give insight as to why I am doing what I am doing. This leads me to how I am going to accomplish my goals:
  1. I want a full engine compartment rebuild/refresh. This is for peace of mind and the fact that she is 18 years old with 150k miles on her. I'm sure Barbara needs it.
  2. 1.25" body lift
  3. 1" engine lift
  4. Tummy Tuck
  5. 4" Short Arm Suspension Lift
  6. Going for a gear ration of 4.56 or 4.88.
  7. Change the fenders to accommodate bigger tires and more clearance.
  8. AR or ORO Sway-Loc (for better off - road handling)
  9. 35’s AT (If this is a daily driver or for better highway manners choose some good all terrains)​
  10. On 17” aluminum wheels - For bigger brakes and better tire selection than 16”​
  11. SYE - Required for lift and TT​
  12. Double Cardan DS - Again required​
  13. Dana 44 Rear - will work just fine with axles and a locked​
  14. Dana 30 Front - will work just fine with axles and a locker​
  15. 1” BL - required for TT or to run 35’s​
  16. MML - required for TT​
  17. TCase Cable shifter - required for TT​
For interior livability and comfort I am going to add the following:
  1. New sound system (I already have new sound bar and dash speakers but I want to add a subwoofer and amp still)
  2. Interior and exterior lights
  3. Winch/Recovery gear
  4. New rear bumper and tire rack. I want to keep the front bumper and just make adjustments to strengthen it up.
  5. CB and Ham Radio (maybe ham)
  6. Air Compressor
  7. Upgraded the Radio.
I am sure this will grow but for now I know this is what I want. My priorities for now is just refreshing all the crucial elements to making Barbara run better. If you have any suggestions or questions for me please let me know. This will take a while to fill out this build due to my job but I will post updates to my Jeep when I can.
 
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AEV's highline kit is pretty much the only thing out there that retains a stockish look.
 
Mike_H said:
Running a Dana 35 in front will severely limit your turning radius ;)
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So you would say just keep the Dana 30 up front then? I'll change the list thanks for the info!

bobthetj03 said:
AEV's highline kit is pretty much the only thing out there that retains a stockish look.
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Yea that's what I was looking at. I know that it will run me more but I think I am willing to pay that premium for what I want. We will see when it comes time to pull the trigger though.
 
Love the name.

Interior-wise I have found seat heaters, a gntx rear view mirror, and a dead pedal to be very comforting and enjoyable mods.
 
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Mike_H said:
Yeah, Keep the Dana 30. A Dana 35 is a rear only axle. They never made a version for a front end like they did with the Dana 44.
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Well then would it be worth doing both? The front axle really doesn't take as much abuse as the rear so putting upgraded shafts and regearing it should make it strong enough right?
 
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tworley said:
Love the name.

Interior-wise I have found seat heaters, a gntx rear view mirror, and a dead pedal to be very comforting and enjoyable mods.
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Thanks! I dig on it too. I will look into those. I can already tell what you mean by the dead pedal though. It's weird not having anything there like most other cars.
 
Classic>New said:
Well then would it be worth doing both? The front axle really doesn't take as much abuse as the rear so putting upgraded shafts and regearing it should make it strong enough right?
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For 35s, throw in a set of chromo shafts in your Dana 30. A high pinion dana 30 from an xj will bolt in if you want to get your driveshaft up and out of the rocks a couple of inches.
 
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tworley said:
For 35s, throw in a set of chromo shafts in your Dana 30. A high pinion dana 30 from an xj will bolt in if you want to get your driveshaft up and out of the rocks a couple of inches.
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the more clearance I can get the better as that's the goal isn't it? I'll look into that high pinion then, it sounds like a great idea. I was going to throw in chromo shafts in the 30 and 44 just for the peace of mind. The more I can do to achieve a less likely to break chance the better in my opinion.
 
Classic>New said:
Roger that! ORO Swaylock it is.


What makes it worth it out of curiosity?
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In the future, you might want to do a bit of research, questioning and decision-making on your own BEFORE you decide to buy a part. Deciding to buy it just because someone said so and then asking why it's worth buying "out of curiosity" is a near-certain method to fuck up your Jeep and spend the rest of your time on this Earth having no clue what's going on.
 
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Sundowner said:
In the future, you might want to do a bit of research, questioning and decision-making on your own BEFORE you decide to buy a part. Deciding to buy it just because someone said so and then asking why it's worth buying "out of curiosity" is a near-certain method to fuck up your Jeep and spend the rest of your time on this Earth having no clue what's going on.
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Yea I started reading about it last night. I just want their reasoning so I can compare it with all the other reasoning I get from outside sources. Thank you for reminding me not to jump the gun. I am going to learn a lot more into the plusses and minuses of each and make a final decision when the time comes.
 
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