Daily Driver, Go Where I Want To Build
- Thread starter jjvw
- Start date
OP
OP
OP
I would like to give it a try!
You got this. I just learned (with a master mechanics supervision) how to install gears on an old dana 25. It just takes a lot of patience and some specialized tools. If I can do it, literally anyone can.
If his gear setting ability is like his welding skills he won't make it to the end of the driveway
OP
If his gear setting ability is like his welding skills he won't make it to the end of the driveway
I'll need to practice a bit more before I weld on the ring gear.
OP
After who knows how long after putting together my tires and beadlocks, I finally got them balanced today. 4WheelParts did an excellent job. Probably the best tire balance I have ever had. Now after making a point of not spending much time on the highway due to the barely adequate tire balance, they are incredibly smooth.
80mph darting through traffic feels as calm, precise and predictable as any other speed. All the little pieces of the shocks, brakes, SwayLoc, steering-- all Blaine concoctions, come together into something very special. It is really quite amazing that I can drive this way in a vehicle like this.
80mph darting through traffic feels as calm, precise and predictable as any other speed. All the little pieces of the shocks, brakes, SwayLoc, steering-- all Blaine concoctions, come together into something very special. It is really quite amazing that I can drive this way in a vehicle like this.
Last edited:
wow what a transformation start to finish! so many great builds on here, naturally ones that started similar to where I sit are the most interesting personally. The manual to Auto thing is one that seems so daunting, but resources here its possible. Its on the list now for sure! Wife agreed happily to add Moab as a vacation trip next year so these builds are great for sanity checking what is going thru my mind versus what is most practical to build a fun capable rig, that like this one is still capable of being driven on the street. Awesome stuff! will continue to follow, eventually with some questions specifically on the manual to Auto conversion.
OP
Finally found the time to put the flares back on! They are ugly, but it's a bit more finished looking than before.
New nutserts went in the existing factory flare holes.
And attached.
New nutserts went in the existing factory flare holes.
And attached.
Last edited:
OP
And after stripping the one from Currie, one of Blaine's nice BMB ARP track bar bolts and flag nut is installed.
OP
For the nutserts, here is how I centered the rotabroach in the Savvy factory flare bolt holes. It's a washer with the same outside diameter as the Savvy holes that I drilled out to match the rotabroach diameter.
OP
We ran Wheeler Lake today. It's been a slow start to our season this year. This was my first outing with the new steering and second with the automatic, Coyote beadlocks and 17s. The Jeep is a completely different experience from anything it has been in the past and all for the better.
Being aired down to my usual 8psi with the larger wheel and the internal sidewall support of the Coyotes is much more stable and controlled than the 15" wheels ever were. If there is any loss of performance from the shorter sidewall, I can't perceive it. The mushy wallowing during off camber steering that I frequently noticed in places like Moab isn't there now.
Blaine's steering with hydro assist is completely transformative. The stiffness at the steering wheel from the front diff being locked completely disappears. Steering in the rocks feels as easy and nuanced as driving on the street. There is plenty of feedback from the ground. The difference is that I no longer have any struggle against the terrain. Now I can just turn where I need to go.
And again the automatic transmission. The amount of control, modulation, and nuance I have is completely unlike anything the manual can provide. Being able to hang on a rock face mid climb to hold a position and evaluate is an exhilarating experience. Being able to make very small movements forward and backwards only through throttle control is amazing. This is all without any concern with stalling the engine.
When descending an obstacle, using the idle speed with the brakes is again a very different experience of control.
The automatic is not easier, as many like to claim. There is much more going on in the driving experience. It makes you aware of many more things interacting with the Jeep that you can react to. The ways I am relearning to drive off-road with the auto has no comparison to a manual.
The auto is far more involved and is much more enjoyable in ways I did not expect. And when combined with the steering and tires that work, the driving becomes less about forcing the Jeep behave and more about moving it through the terrain like a dance.
Being aired down to my usual 8psi with the larger wheel and the internal sidewall support of the Coyotes is much more stable and controlled than the 15" wheels ever were. If there is any loss of performance from the shorter sidewall, I can't perceive it. The mushy wallowing during off camber steering that I frequently noticed in places like Moab isn't there now.
Blaine's steering with hydro assist is completely transformative. The stiffness at the steering wheel from the front diff being locked completely disappears. Steering in the rocks feels as easy and nuanced as driving on the street. There is plenty of feedback from the ground. The difference is that I no longer have any struggle against the terrain. Now I can just turn where I need to go.
And again the automatic transmission. The amount of control, modulation, and nuance I have is completely unlike anything the manual can provide. Being able to hang on a rock face mid climb to hold a position and evaluate is an exhilarating experience. Being able to make very small movements forward and backwards only through throttle control is amazing. This is all without any concern with stalling the engine.
When descending an obstacle, using the idle speed with the brakes is again a very different experience of control.
The automatic is not easier, as many like to claim. There is much more going on in the driving experience. It makes you aware of many more things interacting with the Jeep that you can react to. The ways I am relearning to drive off-road with the auto has no comparison to a manual.
The auto is far more involved and is much more enjoyable in ways I did not expect. And when combined with the steering and tires that work, the driving becomes less about forcing the Jeep behave and more about moving it through the terrain like a dance.
Last edited:
As far as crawling goes, the auto and steering are the most transformative mods I’ve done. The auto made wheeling much more fun. For all around jeeping on the street and off-roading the shocks were the most transformative. Glad you’re enjoying them!
OP
For on-road travel, I need to get the regear to 5.38 done. 4.88 is disappointing every time I drive on the highway. With the lower gearing, I'm very curious about what that will do in 4L/1st. I expect the nuance in modulation to widen allowing for even more subtle movements.