Cheetokps learning as I go build thread

Unfortunately pulling my front driveshaft did not get rid of the vibrations, they got worse. My guess is the rear driveshaft u joints are bad and causing it because I'm only on about 1" of lift so I wouldn't think the pinion angle would be an issue at all. Luckily I do not drive on the highway much so it is not much of an issue but I will replace the rear shaft u joints, I'll do the front while it is out too but not sure if I should just replace the u joints or get the whole denny's driveshaft rebuild kit.

The good news however is that my transmission shifts a lot easier into first and second after I removed the skid plate drop which I was not expecting. It does still grind downshifting into second something but if I am slow with it it's fine. When I install the body lift it will probably change again but I'll enjoy the easy shifting for now
 
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Am I correct that the circled part of the spring tower is a bump stop extension that must have been installed by the previous owner with the spring spacers?
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The rear one does not look extended, not sure why they would have only extended the front
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My zone lift also came with the extensions that go on top, but I plan on instead putting hockey pucks at the bottom of the spring perch in front
 
Cheetokps said:
Am I correct that the circled part of the spring tower is a bump stop extension?
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Yep. Factory setup has the cup where that spacer is. If you have a rear trackbar relocation bracket and no extended bumps, be careful not to smash the trackbar into the tub or the fuel lines that run right above it.
 
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SecondChanceTJ said:
Yep. Factory setup has the cup where that spacer is. If you have a rear trackbar relocation bracket and no extended bumps, be careful not to smash the trackbar into the tub or the fuel lines that run right above it.
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Sometime in the next few weeks I'll hopefully be installing my lift anyway so I'll put the new extensions in. I was waiting until I got my wheels/tires so it didn't look unproportional, but I pulled the trigger and bought them today from discount tire. They'll be here in about 2 weeks hopefully
 
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Glad I have been regularly checking Facebook marketplace, found these brand new for $50 instead of the $170 on Amazon. They say for 2.5"-6" so I'll wait to put them in until I'm doing the rest of my lift
IMG_0358.jpg
 
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Wheels and tires from discount tire finally showed up today finally, I'm very excited. I will be starting my lift install in the morning, praying I don't break any body mount bolts (I've pretty much accepted the rear shock bolts will likely break, even with a ton of penetrating oil)
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Vasq said:
That is a killer look!
and don't pay someone to do your alignment 😁

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-align-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.85/
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Thanks, and yeah I have read through those threads but I wanted to get it done precisely and also get a printout of all the caster numbers and all that too. I think I should be fine without adjustable control arms at 3” suspension lift but it would just be nice to have the numbers.

My toe in was way too high when I measured it (I just measured at the center seam of the tires) so I might adjust it a little before I get it done professionally
 
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Is this an acceptable amount of wheel weights? I counted 19 on this wheel, the others had a lot too but not as many. It seems excessive to me, was balanced by discount tire and shipped to me
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I just did the diy alignment according to the guide, I still plan on getting it done professionally but I got it close enough until then. It was pretty easy except getting the track bar to budge, I had to use a lot of kroil and mapp gas with a cheater bar on my vice grip to get it to move
 
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Great Job on your TJ! I picked up a TJ for fun and are correcting a bunch of items from the previous owners. read thru your thread and proud of how you are figuring out things yourself!

great work!
 
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6E3EC3E7-2854-4476-ABFE-C04078535021.jpeg

Got my alignment done yesterday. Do my caster angles seem okay to stick with stock control arms? I recall seeing @Jerry Bransford saying around 6 degrees is ideal with 33’s

I plan on replacing my arms because the bushings look really cracked and am debating between a set of stock arms or some cheap adjustable arms like the core 4x4 tier ones. I am tempted to buy the savvy double adjustable, but they are way more expensive than what my uses
require
 
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Great transformation. It's even better because you're doing the work yourself! (y)
 
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I'd suggest the tier 2, so you have at least one flex joint. Caster is a bit low, but if it's not wandering at speed, run it.
 
bobthetj03 said:
I'd suggest the tier 2, so you have at least one flex joint. Caster is a bit low, but if it's not wandering at speed, run it.
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The tier 2 is $300 more, and if I'm spending that much I'd probably rather spend another few hundred for the savvy

It does seem to be wandering a bit, but my steering box has a lot of slop so it's hard to get a feel for it. I think I'll first swap in a reman box from napa and then get more of a feel for it before deciding on arms, if I can stick with the stock ones I can get a full crown set from summit for $192
 
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Cheetokps said:
View attachment 255744
Got my alignment done yesterday. Do my caster angles seem okay to stick with stock control arms? I recall seeing @Jerry Bransford saying around 6 degrees is ideal with 33’s

I plan on replacing my arms because the bushings look really cracked and am debating between a set of stock arms or some cheap adjustable arms like the core 4x4 tier ones. I am tempted to buy the savvy double adjustable, but they are way more expensive than what my uses
require
Click to expand...
That caster is a tad low for 33's, it's time for adjustable front control arms. As above, how quickly they're needed depends on how well your Jeep is tracking on the highway and if you have sufficient steering return to center after completing a turn.
 
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