I agree, I love spending other people's money!
Help me put together a solid build plan
- Thread starter nathanotis
- Start date
Sometimes they don't know how to actually define the scope and need a nudge in the right direction. I also fully despise the logic of being stuck with a set of tires until you wear them out.
I'd have no problem selling my tires on a yearly basis used and buying new. I like a good set of tires.
I sold my last set of wheels and tires to a member here considering 35's. I think they got a fair deal and were able to try them without a huge investment.
Most will be amazed how far a stock Jeep on good set of tires will go.
In threads like this i typically tell people to take the Jeep out for the spin, figure out the shortcomings, build from there.
That is how you build SMART and STRONG.
You start with light wheeling and camping then proceed into capable offroader to wheel on fun stuff. ..
@nathanotis
This is a mess, 2 pages and it does not look like it is getting anywhere.
Gather your thought, figure out your wants or needs.
As a food for thought, Irun has made a great build thread, give it a read
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/built-not-bought.53097/#post-926433https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/a-lesson-learned—keep-it-light-and-nimble.44924/
The Jeep is stock, but it's not my first TJ. I bought an '03 of the showroom floor in '02 and wheeled the crap out of it for a decade. 33's, 1.25" BL, 1" MML, 33 Engineering (remember them?) t-case skid, some other sundries.
That rig was awesome. Went everywhere I pointed it and never let me down.
I sold it causeI married a girl with kids and they kept getting bigger and bigger I'm dumb. Bought a 4dr JK that I never modified (life stuff dictated the budget). Recently decided that I didn't want to build a JK. Sold it, bought this TJ.
I've been out of the game a while, but I'm not green. That said, I'm glad I found this forum. I've learned a lot of what was spouted as fact back in the day was garbage. So I'm being careful to build this one the way I want it, the first time. Correctly.
Maybe I should jump to 35's. There isn't much different that I've already planned for... At some point I'll be buying tires and hafta decide.
That rig was awesome. Went everywhere I pointed it and never let me down.
I sold it cause
I've been out of the game a while, but I'm not green. That said, I'm glad I found this forum. I've learned a lot of what was spouted as fact back in the day was garbage. So I'm being careful to build this one the way I want it, the first time. Correctly.
Maybe I should jump to 35's. There isn't much different that I've already planned for... At some point I'll be buying tires and hafta decide.
I disagree. I wanted discussion. That's what I'm seeing.
The 33 vs 35 discussion boils down to exactly that.
Thanks for this!
Pretty much everything has been said, but I’ll add my advice. Considering you’ll be making upgrades in incremental steps, and I assume wheeling in the process, I think a tummy tuck with full under armor is your first step in the right direction. I haven’t wheeled in Colorado, but you’d be wise to listen to rasband, jjvw, tworley, and the rest of the Team CoCo gang.
I think we all agree that I will need to decide on a tire size at some point and that it determines a lot of other items along the way. Frankly, 33s will accommodate my needs, til they don't. I'm following in the footsteps of other builds I've seen here. @Irun built for 31s, but moving to 33's won't be a big production. Similarly, @jjvw built for 33s and when he decided to rock the 35s, he just did it, cause the rig was already ready already. I'm not breaking new ground here. If I build it right, whether I ultimately decide to run 35s OR move up to 35s from 33s, it won't require huge, expensive changes.
Moving on... As I'm just starting out, and not buying tires tomorrow or anything, let's talk about The First Steps.
I'll start by armoring the underbelly. Since I want the flatest t-case skid possible, I need to do a 1.25" body lift and a 1" motor mount lift. If I do the tummy tuck at the same time, will it require control arms to adjust the pinion angle? Steering box, Diff covers, Engine and miniskids will follow. Budget dictates the Genright Boatsides I want someday will wait for someday. I'll run the stock rubi rocker guards til I can upgrade. They aren't the best, but they'll do for now. I've landed on them hard enough to shake my teeth loose and they stood up pretty well for stock parts.
What else should I be thinking about in this first stage?
Moving on... As I'm just starting out, and not buying tires tomorrow or anything, let's talk about The First Steps.
I'll start by armoring the underbelly. Since I want the flatest t-case skid possible, I need to do a 1.25" body lift and a 1" motor mount lift. If I do the tummy tuck at the same time, will it require control arms to adjust the pinion angle? Steering box, Diff covers, Engine and miniskids will follow. Budget dictates the Genright Boatsides I want someday will wait for someday. I'll run the stock rubi rocker guards til I can upgrade. They aren't the best, but they'll do for now. I've landed on them hard enough to shake my teeth loose and they stood up pretty well for stock parts.
What else should I be thinking about in this first stage?
Last edited:
If you're only doing a tummy tuck, then you should be good to just get the rear CAs. Some people get by with just the uppers, but rolling your axle back extends it (which may be fine temporarily). You'll also want a new drive shaft in the rear (double cardan), which could be extended later by Tom Woods (or your preferred DS shop).
Depending on how much you move your pinion you may need to address the rear track bar. There's a straight bracket from OME for the lower lifts (~2") - which a tuck emulates by itself, or the curved for the larger lifts and bump stops to keep it from contacting the tub.
Later when you do springs (I would say 4" if you want to build around 35s even if you run 33s) you'll need the rest of the CAs and to extend the rear drive shaft (and maybe replace the front eventually).
I would get the mini skids done before you fubar the control arm mounts. You can cheap out on your diffs by going to a junk yard and getting the Dana 44 covers off the late 90s/early 00s ram 1500s. It's a bit thicker and heavier than the TJs Dana 44 covers (I forget the numbers, it's buried somewhere in my thread). If my ramped cover ever ships I will have one to part with.
One thing to note with the boatsides is that these pretty much lock you into genright corners if you ever plan to go that way. Which also has implications on the rub rails if you do those (which are doable just fine, but it is a little work).
You'll also need to (or at least, should...) do raised body mounts (genrights seem to be the best, but some people prefer the boxed in alternatives from other brands) since they are otherwise very exposed with the added clearance on the boatsides.
If you want to check out the boatsides I am not far away.
You will either need to adjust the transfer case linkage or get a cable shifter - I went with the latter like many, it's pretty nice while you work through the build.
Good confirmation, thanks. So Upper Control arms will likely be required as part of the first stage. And a rear shaft. That's a surprise. I expected the MML would mitigate the driveline angle enough. Track bar relocation bracket could serve as an inexpensive and temporary bandaid. I know I'll end up with adjustable front and rear when all is said and done.
I like the Riddler/Poison Spyder style covers. Not for brand bling, but strength (and ok, looks too). Anyone have thoughts on those? I also saw the ramped steel options this evening. I wish (along with many others) that Alloy USA had covers for the Dana 44.
I'll check into that. Thanks.
That's part of the plan. That's also the 2nd time you've made that offer. Next time I make it up that way, I'll reach out.
The cable is part of the plan, too. Again, thanks for the confirmation. I guess I've done pretty good with my study and planning.
It may, I have an LJ so the TJ specifics are sometimes fuzzy to me. However the rear shaft is so short in the TJ that any changes there seem to be fairly big overall. You could buy time dropping the TC skid, but that's not a solution for any reasonable period for what you want to do. You may already know this, but here's Tom Woods' guide on driveshaft geometry (which I realize now ignores the transfer case
but changes nothing in the geometry beyond the visual):I don't have first hand experience, however I have read and heard of interference issues fairly regularly. The shape and depth play into that. As you dial things in more and more an eighth inch or quarter inch can really matter.
I don’t see that reply, but I have had several drafts to posts here so I may be overlooking it! I’m always up to talk Jeeps.
Last edited:
@rasband is offering some good tips. If you're doing the flattest TT you're absolutely going to need adjustable control arms, upper and lower, because you're likely going to be somewhere in the 18 degree range on the pinion angle. I ended up having to adjust my lower Savvy arms all the way in, to help the trackbar clear the rear crossmember. Even then I had to do a little grinding on the crossmember.
Also, having the Currie rear track bar, and Currie bracket, was a must for me. There are other alternatives, but I stuck with Currie front and rear.
If you're running a stock exhaust, you're likely going to run into some issues there. I've installed two of these recently. One on my Jeep and one on a buddies. You can look at the system diagram to see the other parts. In my case, I used band clamps to connect the pieces. This allows for very easy removal and adjustments.
More Information for WALKER 21456
This is the clamp to connect the muffler to the tailpipe.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015KUF5Y/?tag=wranglerorg-20
All that said, I think you're on the right track. Get your under side armor in place first and go from there. Just keep weight in mind for the bigger picture. FWIW, aluminum armor, top and bottom, is your friend. If you're weight conscious through the entire project, I mean everything, you won't regret what you install!
Also, having the Currie rear track bar, and Currie bracket, was a must for me. There are other alternatives, but I stuck with Currie front and rear.
If you're running a stock exhaust, you're likely going to run into some issues there. I've installed two of these recently. One on my Jeep and one on a buddies. You can look at the system diagram to see the other parts. In my case, I used band clamps to connect the pieces. This allows for very easy removal and adjustments.
More Information for WALKER 21456
This is the clamp to connect the muffler to the tailpipe.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015KUF5Y/?tag=wranglerorg-20
All that said, I think you're on the right track. Get your under side armor in place first and go from there. Just keep weight in mind for the bigger picture. FWIW, aluminum armor, top and bottom, is your friend. If you're weight conscious through the entire project, I mean everything, you won't regret what you install!
On later models the stock one is fairly strong. If the OP can cut and weld they could put this off a while and tuck it ~1” when they do the body lift.
Keep in mind that a rear angled track bar bracket will require an adjustable track bar at the same time. Just put it on your tab!
Yup. Thanks. Tank skid is on the list, just didn't make it to the post. It's another thing I go back and forth on because as @rasband pointed out, I can spend money on a product, or I can spend time on a modification. That'll come down to how I feel at the time and how the pocketbook looks. I'm not afraid to wait for a change in mood or til the pocketbook fills up again, either...
If you really want a new gas tank skid, you could always just wait. Chances are you're not going to want to pull the tank twice. Once to modify the stock skid, and once to install an aftermarket skid. Patience and a good plan will save you money, time, and frustration!
Similar threads
