Sucks it's not going well, but once you've got the Jeep back on the road, imagine how happy you'll be!
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James & The Sahara Build Thread
- Thread starter JamesAndTheSahara
- Start date
OP
OP
Another update! Got the MC Relocation bracket today, 17 days after the order eh? Nevertheless I gave Eric at MetalCloak another call and they said they can sell me the MC rear track bar without the bracket for $140 + 1/2 of shipping (They said they would cover 1/2 of shipping because of the inconvenience). I'll be calling back tomorrow to place my order for that! (I guess this makes me the best candidate with regards to reporting the longevity on the JJ up front vs a Heim in the rear eh?). At least I will be able to center my rear axle. I drove back up from Florida today so hopefully the TJ will be ready tomorrow and I'll snag some better photos of her. I did also want to take this time to talk a bit about where this build is going and what my 6 month plan is (I figured 10 pages in I better not leave you guys laying around). So here goes in the order I'd like to approach the mods in:
This is just a starting point on my sporadic thoughts on planning for the Jeep. If you have any input/recommendations/comments they are more than valued at this time of bleeding my heart out.
- MetalCloak Adjustable Rear Track Bar
- Dirtworx Rear Bumper (Not the Tire Carrier) + MetalCloak Frame Tie-In (Surprising this is the only one that will work with the Gobi's frame tie-in w/o cutting) - Undecided about paint finish, probably a Rustoleum hammered or satin/semi gloss
- Warn Winch - I'm loving the Zeon 10 with TRE's Safety rope & thimble, but not loving it won't work with my ARB Front bumper. In the event I go this way I will probably go with something simple like Savvy's front Aluminum bumper.
- External & Internal Rust Treatment - My Jeep being a jeep that lived in Maine nearly its whole life has some very light rust on the frame and some more aggressive rust on the inside of the tub from salt+water rubbing through the old carpet. My goal will be to drill drain holes in the frame appropriately, clean out the frame (which is not dirty at all) and coat it well with Eastwood Internal Frame Coating (I'll POR15 more than likely the entire exterior frame). I do plan on removing the interior floor rust with a wire wheel and POR-15ing the spots that will be bare metal. This leaves the big question about what to do with the clean tub, I am very much considering monstalining it Desert Sand, but in the event I do this the next mod will have to occur at the same time.
- A fully Welded Replacement Roll cage: I have been to the junkyard enough to see how TJ's do in roll overs - some better than others. Considering I will be stepping outside my comfort zone of gravel and going to more serious offroad parts I'd like to eliminate the crumple technology in my roll cage. I thought about doing a trail kit, but I decided it may be more cost efficient to get an entire cage (At this point the fully welded Poison Spyder cage is winning me over as Genright's is nearly twice as much after shipping/welding). Being in this particular part in the south, good welders are hard to come by. I really want a completely welded drop in cage and only one company fits that bill. I have a peer who works in a body shop and does fantastic work paint wise so will probably match it with my Stone White TJ and figure out so type of padding to do so (I imagine doing this mod early may be questionable but putting anyone in this Jeep I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to the passenger compartment that could have been prevented. Don't worry I was the same way on my motorcycle with my girlfriend on the back, fully geared).
- Final goal - Re-gear Possibly Lockers: You think choosing lockers would be easy? I do plan on re-gearing my TJ to 4.88 gearing ASAP, however the dilemma I am running into is I am considering swapping an axle or two. I am currently trying to source an unmolested Dana 44 from a TJ for something other than 1k (What the hell). In the event I get close to December and haven't found one I will travel way up north to North Carolina and pay my buddie to help me build a Ford 8.8 & put a super 8.8 in there (I don't think Revolution makes a Super 8.8, only Yukon) & sourcing a HP Dana 30. As much as you can put into a Dana 35 and Dana 30 I'd rather go a different way axle wise as WAY far in the future I have an engine swap planned. Lockers are still up in the air as I want to still be able to travel through several inches of snow without ending off the side of the mountain. I like the idea of a truetrac and an ARB in some axle combination (TruTrac up front and ARB in rear, at this moment I don't know if the LSD would be better in the rear for daily driving).
This is just a starting point on my sporadic thoughts on planning for the Jeep. If you have any input/recommendations/comments they are more than valued at this time of bleeding my heart out.
Gerund
Member
I think it's well thought out.
If you want me to spend your money, I'd look at doing a tummy tuck as #7.
If you want me to spend your money, I'd look at doing a tummy tuck as #7.
OP
It technically will be number 7, but that starts the issue of upgrading all the control arms to double adjustable, SSYE/driveshaft. Somewhere inbetween those numbers I'm sure I'll get some small armor upgrades here and there so the TT I buy won't be way too expensive up front and spread out reasonably (As you guys can tell, going to go with the Savvy UA/Control Arms). I don't want to do any driveline related things until I get both axles swapped and working so I won't have to mess with driveline stuff after the TT.
My suggestion; play the lottery 
Seriously, sounds like a solid plan.
Seriously, sounds like a solid plan.
Maybe do a little wheelin' with what you have now and go from there. That can give you some ideas for direction...it did me...
Sounds solid. The cage early on is a sound idea. You don't think a Super 35 and upgraded axles will survive long term?
OP
Its not that I don't think they will survive long term because they may, but if I dump a ton of money into an axle (specifically the dana 35) I want it to be strong enough after the axle swap to prevent breakage. I know any axle can be broken if you abuse it, but I just don't like the sound of a 5.7 Hemi with a Dana 35 rear end, even if it has been beefed up.
Oh, I must have missed the hemi swap in the translation. With V8 power I would agree, beefier is better. Jeep buddy of mine did an LS swap in his TJ. He's rolling on a beefied up HP30/Dana 44 combo. He busted the ring gear to pieces on the HP30 trying to pull someone out of the sand in reverse. Must of found the weak link to a HP30.
OP
Gezzz yeah its going to take some long hours on the interwebs to find out what I need to reinforce in each axle.
OP
Another update: Ordered the MC rear track bar & picked up the TJ. The clutch is significantly lighter so its going to take a bit to get used to eliminate all jerkyness. The Jeep rides like a dream though getting her home. Glad to have her back and hoping to hit some light trails to get used to her pretty soon (Some heavier trails when I actually get some recovery points & take a journey with the mates). I took a couple more photos on the way home:
4speedhandler
TJ Enthusiast
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2016
- Messages
- 172
hey man if you're still searching for a tj 44 last i checked davey's jeeps had a few as well as factory tj air lockers for the 44, and even if the housing or brackets are damaged i bet you could get one and get it all squared away for less than $1k
OP
I really appreciate you sharing this! I'm pretty far from daveys and shipping wouldn't make this a cheaper option than sourcing axles locally. I'm sure I'll find something here in the SE. I do think another member may jump on this though as it seems like a quality deal.
OP
OP
Well just drove up from Florida to Tennessee/North Carolina border for a white water competition and wow. 3.07's on the interstate are much worse than I initially thought for very long trips. Also, I always try taking out the carpet to see if I can live with it in the front seats and Its always a wash, man these things heat up after 8 hours of driving. The tires at full tread really don't make that much noise with the soft top/hard top on, however I am sure as soon as they start wearing they will whine & drone. After math I averaged about 10MPG traveling 60-65 mph in 4 gear nearly lugging the engine. Let me just say after I buy this rear bumper & a winch for the ARB bumper, I am solely dedicating my time finding a proper 8.8 & hp30. Going to try to find both of them at 4.10 gears for the 8.8 and 4.11 gears for the HP30 so I can immediately get the brackets welded on and installed. The HP30 is a fairly straight forward with the 8.8 requiring more fabrication. Will probably run both stock driveshafts with an adapter until I can properly do my SYE/CV. I am anticipating needing to buy the control arms the before I swap the axles so my measurements are correct and its easier to line up. Soooooooo going to need a job when I get back to the university to finance these. Once the axles have been installed I will work on regearing 4.10-4.88/lockers/driveshafts/tt/brakes/steering upgrades. In the mean time I will do some group rides on some local trails once I have proper rear recovery points & some solo trips once I have the winch installed (You know some photos of a jeep doing jeep things not just driving around ). More to come, but heres a photo from todays haul:
Nantahala here we come!
). More to come, but heres a photo from todays haul:Nantahala here we come!