Colorado Daily-Driven Trail Warrior V2 - 2006 LJ

[zachpeakee]

Thank you guys for the replies.

Realistically, it doesn't bug me too much.
But just the fact that I KNOW it could be fixed/made better bugs the hell out of me.

with what he paid for the LJ he can afford it.

This statement has been ringing my ears since I started this "project"...

Already have a set of Chromoly Revolution Axle Shafts in a Cart because I "might as well"...
My wife is probably ready to kill me.

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-

Is that simply a consequence of short arms at that lift height, or is the axle mounted too far back?

If I mount the axle any further forward, I'm going to be OFF the bumpstop entirely.
At full compression, I'm slightly further forwards than dead-center of bumpstop.

 

[jjvw]

Thank you guys for the replies.

Realistically, it doesn't bug me too much.
But just the fact that I KNOW it could be fixed/made better bugs the hell out of me.


This statement has been ringing my ears since I started this "project"...

Already have a set of Chromoly Revolution Axle Shafts in a Cart because I "might as well"...
My wife is probably ready to kill me.

-
-


If I mount the axle any further forward, I'm going to be OFF the bumpstop entirely.
At full compression, I'm slightly further forwards than dead-center of bumpstop.

View attachment 497804

Might as well change to Currie bump stops.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

Thank you guys for the replies.

Realistically, it doesn't bug me too much.
But just the fact that I KNOW it could be fixed/made better bugs the hell out of me.


This statement has been ringing my ears since I started this "project"...

Already have a set of Chromoly Revolution Axle Shafts in a Cart because I "might as well"...
My wife is probably ready to kill me.

-
-


If I mount the axle any further forward, I'm going to be OFF the bumpstop entirely.
At full compression, I'm slightly further forwards than dead-center of bumpstop.

View attachment 497804

have you mounted the frame end of your track bar since this photo was taken? You may have to pull the axle back even more.

I would definitely suggest something different with your bump stops...even if you don't go with Currie, you can put an extension on your lower bump stop pad and return the upper to stock, and that will help a lot with the cup plucking the coil. I have a pair each of 2" and 3" lower bump stop extensions that I'd love to get out of my parts bin for the price of the shipping label.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

have you mounted the frame end of your track bar since this photo was taken? You may have to pull the axle back even more.

I would definitely suggest something different with your bump stops...even if you don't go with Currie, you can put an extension on your lower bump stop pad and return the upper to stock, and that will help a lot with the cup plucking the coil. I have a pair each of 2" and 3" lower bump stop extensions that I'd love to get out of my parts bin for the price of the shipping label.

That's a great deal Zach - because a shipping label is like 2 cents!

 

[zachpeakee]

have you mounted the frame end of your track bar since this photo was taken? You may have to pull the axle back even more.

I would definitely suggest something different with your bump stops...even if you don't go with Currie, you can put an extension on your lower bump stop pad and return the upper to stock, and that will help a lot with the cup plucking the coil. I have a pair each of 2" and 3" lower bump stop extensions that I'd love to get out of my parts bin for the price of the shipping label.

I did mount the Frame-Side Track Bar lastnight, but only finger tight.
That's where I left off for the night.

I'm going to cycle the suspension today again with the shocks/TrackBar mounted to see what kind of contact I'm making.

I think I'll take you up on the offer for some of the lower-extensions.
In my mind I kept thinking "if this bump-stop was just at the bottom instead of the top, I wouldn't have this issue".

Let me get some measurements though, and figure out if I can squeeze down to the 2" , or whether I'll need the 3" set.

-
-

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I've had this goal in my head to have the LJ rolling by then.
I'm determined to make that happen, wonky bumpstop or not.

 

[rasband]

Another +++++ for different bump stops, hot damn on what you have there now. If you go curries, don't forget in the uppers to get some "spacer" washers to not crush the poly.

 

[JMT]

Thank you guys for the replies.

Realistically, it doesn't bug me too much.
But just the fact that I KNOW it could be fixed/made better bugs the hell out of me.


This statement has been ringing my ears since I started this "project"...

Already have a set of Chromoly Revolution Axle Shafts in a Cart because I "might as well"...
My wife is probably ready to kill me.

-
-


If I mount the axle any further forward, I'm going to be OFF the bumpstop entirely.
At full compression, I'm slightly further forwards than dead-center of bumpstop.

View attachment 497804

It is what it is. Line up the cup and the perch (or where your bumpstops should be) and then set your front pinion. You can drop the pinion as low as it will go without binding at full droop. That will give you your best caster and you should be golden. If you get vibes, raise it bit by bit till you don't.

 

[zachpeakee]

It is what it is. Line up the cup and the perch (or where your bumpstops should be) and then set your front pinion. You can drop the pinion as low as it will go without binding at full droop. That will give you your best caster and you should be golden. If you get vibes, raise it bit by bit till you don't.

This is the plan.

As soon as I can get it rolling, i'm going to swing by one of these Alignment shops, and at least get somewhat of a baseline printed alignment to go off of.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I did mount the Frame-Side Track Bar lastnight, but only finger tight.
That's where I left off for the night.

I'm going to cycle the suspension today again with the shocks/TrackBar mounted to see what kind of contact I'm making.

I think I'll take you up on the offer for some of the lower-extensions.
In my mind I kept thinking "if this bump-stop was just at the bottom instead of the top, I wouldn't have this issue".

Let me get some measurements though, and figure out if I can squeeze down to the 2" , or whether I'll need the 3" set.

-
-

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I've had this goal in my head to have the LJ rolling by then.
I'm determined to make that happen, wonky bumpstop or not.

I probably can't get them there tomorrow but when you figure it out, PM me with your address and we'll figure it out.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

This is the plan.

As soon as I can get it rolling, i'm going to swing by one of these Alignment shops, and at least get somewhat of a baseline printed alignment to go off of.

It'll tell you what measurements you don't even need to check, and I guess it'll set your toe, but they won't tell you anything you can't figure out with a tape measure. You got this.

 

[zachpeakee]

THE LJ LIVES AGAIN... Sorta...Almost...

My birthday is tomorrow (feb 6th) and I've told myself this entire time "I just want the LJ back on the road by my birthday. That's what I want."

So I spent some hours in the garage to make that happen.
Got everything else mounted/adjusted/tightened that needed to be.
Shocks, Tie Rods, Track Bar, Driveshaft installed, etc.

I put the LJ down on its own weight for the first time since I brought it home, and tightened all control arms to spec.
Then I bled the brakes. BUT, that's irrelevant.

The LJ is down on 4 wheels again!!

It's been oddly strange seeing the LJ on the same suspension/axles/arms that the TJ was.
To my eye, the LJ sits differently. Not necessarily in a bad way, it just seems a lot more "low" and "squatty".
I'm sure this is partly due to the wheelbase playing eye-tricks.

BUT, I couldn't shake the fact that it looked like the front was higher than the rear. So I broke out the Tape Measure on all 4 corners.
To my surprise, I was pretty much dead-on for all 4 corners.

Front wheel - fender gap measures about 1/4" shy of 7" , and Rear Wheel-Fender gap measures about 7 1/4". So about 1/2" higher in the rear.

The more I bounced/jumped on the front bumper, the more it started to settle down as I thought it should.
(I probably bounced on the front bumper for a good 5 minutes )

But the point is, the LJ is "DONE" !!
It's ready to roll out of the garage, and go on the maiden voyage.

Sort of...

See, I goofed, and am in another predicament.
When I swapped my axles, I ignorantly forgot to also swap the axle shafts.
(The retainer plate on the Dana 44 Disc Shaft is different than the Dana 44 Drum Shaft)

Because of this difference, the Drum Shaft WILL fit on the Disc Dana, without issue.
However, the Disc Shaft will NOT fit on the Drum Axle, without un-intentionally bending the Retainer Plate.

Long story short, I bent my Axle Shaft Retainer Plate.
It's not bent terribly, but it's enough that it's allowing 2-3mm of in/out movement of the shaft, and not pressing on the seals the way it's designed to do.

So I've got a pretty gnarly axle seal leak now, mixed with a little bit of shaft play.
As much as I enjoy some good "Shaft Play", i'm not willing to risk it under the axles that I just worked 4 days to swap.

(this photo is 24 hours of sitting in a garage)

It's a fairly straightforward/ "easy" fix, but killed my ideas of having the LJ out by my birthday.
Instead, I'll be figuring out some Axle Shaft options.


SO, I know you guys are itching to spend my money for me. Let's be real here.

I've got 2 options in the back of my head right now.

Option A)
- I called my 4x4/Offroad/Axle Shop and he told me I could bring him the shafts, and he would replace bearings/seals/retainer plate for $120 on the pair. This could happen tomorrow.

Option B)
- Revolution Gear sells their "Discovery" Series 4140 Chromoly Disc Brake Shafts for only $360.
(These come shipped with the bearings/seals/retainer already pressed on. Just pull them out the box, grease them up, and throw them on.)

From the research I've done, the $360 Discovery Series are similar quality/construction as the $641 USA Made Axles.
Just one is made in India, the other made in the USA.

This might sound bad of me to say, but I already get bent over enough by the "good ol' USA".
If I can save some money for essentially the same product, I could care less whether it comes from USA or freakin Jupiter, as long as it is a quality product...

I'm in the middle about this decision, as I know how much better Chromoly shafts are , especially with the ARB Lockers, but I also have the itch to swing them by my gear shop in the morning because that's the quick/cheap fix that'll get the LJ rolling.

But to be fair, both options are fairly cheap, and i'm not too concerned about spending money on quality parts.


ASIDE FROM THAT, The LJ SHOULD be ready to roll.

 

[zachpeakee]

It'll tell you what measurements you don't even need to check, and I guess it'll set your toe, but they won't tell you anything you can't figure out with a tape measure. You got this.

I'm mainly concerned about getting one of those "free alignment check" printouts.

So that I can bring it home and bust out the tape measure.

At least then I'll have some fancy computer/laser measurements to baseline with.

 

[chili_pepper]

I actually think it's going to be a pretty sharp looking Jeep, and someone is really going to be excited to buy it.
I think it will end up coming out of this looking like a nice daily-driver!

Personal opinion, I think many looking to buy a used TJ actually prefer something that is relatively unmolested in stock-ish configuration, as opposed to buying someone else's project and having to undo a bunch of stuff to make it what they want it to be. What you're doing is probably a good idea and may well help it sell faster. That said, the real reason I'm posting here...

Why you suck:

1. Getting that LJ deal in the first place
2. Having a two car garage large enough to work on both at the same time

That is all.

 

[zachpeakee]

Personal opinion, I think many looking to buy a used TJ actually prefer something that is relatively unmolested in stock-ish configuration, as opposed to buying someone else's project and having to undo a bunch of stuff to make it what they want it to be. What you're doing is probably a good idea and may well help it sell faster. That said, the real reason I'm posting here...

Why you suck:

1. Getting that LJ deal in the first place
2. Having a two car garage large enough to work on both at the same time

That is all.

HAHAHA.

The 2-Car garage was a MINIMUM requirement when we were house hunting.
I love working on my toys & hate running out of space.

We're only leasing for now, but looking to buy soon.
3-car garage is what we're REALLY after, so I can work on stuff AND my wife can keep her spot.

(or maybe just so I can buy more stuff to work on)

 

[zachpeakee]

It's a bit past midnight, and I'm done in the garage for the night.

BUT, I managed to wrestle the Factory/OEM LJ axle into the Sahara before I was satisfied enough to call it a night.

It's all starting to come together.
I will say however, it has been absolute HELL doing this to two TJ's.

I fully understand why some people just cut their losses, and build their "next" vehicle separately from their first.

 

[zachpeakee]

Welp.
My impulsiveness struck again.

On the bright side, not only will my issue be fixed, but I'll HOPEFULLY have a fairly bomb-proof rear axle in the LJ..
(which I don't mind, seeing that I plan to run 37's in the future...)

After giving it some thought, for the price it’s almost too good of a deal to pass up, ESPECIALLY since I am in actual need of it.

The 10-year Warranty seems more than fair, and the Chromoly will be significantly stronger than the OEM shafts, which will provide a lot of that “just get me home” peace of mind.

I’m a big “peace of mind” purchaser.

 

[Granite]

Welp.
My impulsiveness struck again.

On the bright side, not only will my issue be fixed, but I'll HOPEFULLY have a fairly bomb-proof rear axle in the LJ..
(which I don't mind, seeing that I plan to run 37's in the future...)

View attachment 497924

After giving it some thought, for the price it’s almost too good of a deal to pass up, ESPECIALLY since I am in actual need of it.

The 10-year Warranty seems more than fair, and the Chromoly will be significantly stronger than the OEM shafts, which will provide a lot of that “just get me home” peace of mind.

I’m a big “peace of mind” purchaser.

Happy birthday to you!

 

[rasband]

Welp.
My impulsiveness struck again.

On the bright side, not only will my issue be fixed, but I'll HOPEFULLY have a fairly bomb-proof rear axle in the LJ..
(which I don't mind, seeing that I plan to run 37's in the future...)

View attachment 497924

After giving it some thought, for the price it’s almost too good of a deal to pass up, ESPECIALLY since I am in actual need of it.

The 10-year Warranty seems more than fair, and the Chromoly will be significantly stronger than the OEM shafts, which will provide a lot of that “just get me home” peace of mind.

I’m a big “peace of mind” purchaser.

The discovery series is what you want for the rear, so good choice - Happy Birthday!

 

[freedom_in_4low]

Welp.
My impulsiveness struck again.

On the bright side, not only will my issue be fixed, but I'll HOPEFULLY have a fairly bomb-proof rear axle in the LJ..
(which I don't mind, seeing that I plan to run 37's in the future...)

View attachment 497924

After giving it some thought, for the price it’s almost too good of a deal to pass up, ESPECIALLY since I am in actual need of it.

The 10-year Warranty seems more than fair, and the Chromoly will be significantly stronger than the OEM shafts, which will provide a lot of that “just get me home” peace of mind.

I’m a big “peace of mind” purchaser.

I think that was the right call, given only a $240 price difference between new chromo vs new plates.

 

[JMT]

Welp.
My impulsiveness struck again.

On the bright side, not only will my issue be fixed, but I'll HOPEFULLY have a fairly bomb-proof rear axle in the LJ..
(which I don't mind, seeing that I plan to run 37's in the future...)

View attachment 497924

After giving it some thought, for the price it’s almost too good of a deal to pass up, ESPECIALLY since I am in actual need of it.

The 10-year Warranty seems more than fair, and the Chromoly will be significantly stronger than the OEM shafts, which will provide a lot of that “just get me home” peace of mind.

I’m a big “peace of mind” purchaser.

Happy Birthday!

You made the right choice. Just think, in a few days it will feel like your birthday again when you take the LJ on its maiden voyage.