John’s Consistently Inconsistent LJ Build

Is this a repair? When I was pondering the front pinion angle I realized this piece of metal is on the driver side but not the passenger side. The frame had only very light surface rust and no coatings hiding anything when I bought it and the carfax showed no accidents (which I know means no REPORTED accidents). I know the frame is sound becuase I wire brushed every bit of it I could reach before I used rust encapsulator, chassis black, and internal frame coating everywhere.
View attachment 586711

My 06 LJ has it.
 
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DC Drive shaft is supposed to be delivered today.

This morning, I removed the RC trackbar relocation bracket and installed the JKS version. The JKS compensates for pointing the pinion up whereas the RC only raised the trackbar. You can see the differences in the picture, below.

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When I initially installed the JKS rear trackbar, I left the RC bracket in place as I was not adjusting for the tummy tuck and DC DS yet. As I mentioned earlier, I used the upper control arms to help center the axle and keep everything from binding. This proved beneficial when I removed the trackbar axle connection today as nothing was under tension. The bolt came out with just a little tug.

I removed the RC bracket and installed the JKS bracket. I wanted to use all of the JKS hardware but did not. The RC spacer was held in place pretty well, so I decided to leave it. The JKS bracket came with a 1/2" hex head bolt, flat washers, and a nylock nut whereas the RC bracket appeared to reuse the OE 12mm torx pan head bolt and a tab nut that held the OE trackbar in the original location. It looked like a nightmare to try and get the washer and nut on the RKS bolt in the limited space, so I reused the OE hardware instead. It helps to jack up the rear driver corner of the frame a few inches so there is room to put the bolt in straight (or remove the bolt) so the fuel tank will not be in the way; return it to ride height as soon as the bolt is in place. I really don't like torx head bolts except as a replacement for a Phillips head (like it has to be countersunk and/or look pretty). I do not understand why they're used in some locations.

Once the bracket was installed, I went to re-secure the track bar. I checked my axle centering again and tweaked the upper control arm lengths, so the axle was centered. I then adjusted the track bar length and orientation so it was turned away from the fuel tank as much as possible and centered in the bracket hole so the bolt slid in. I had to fine tune the control arm length a smidge to get it centered but was still within 1/16 an inch of having the axle centered without binding in any connections. I torqued all the bracket bolts and the track bar bolt to spec. I then rotated the fixed portion of the track bar as forward as possible, centered the track bar joint in the bracket, and tightened the lock nut. It took a little bit of back and forth with a pipe wrench on the fixed and adjustable ends of the track bar and a big wrench on the lock nut to get everything in the right place.

My pinion angle should already be pretty close based on my earlier measurements, so I should not have to tweak too much when I install the DS. Since I already lengthened the uppers significantly, If I have to increase the pinion angle, I will probably start with shortening the lowers a smidge to maybe gain a little more clearance between the trackbar and fuel tank skid. I have plenty of adjustment in both directions on all the control arms, so I should be good if I need to dial in more clearance later.
 
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My Driveshaft arrived yesterday. Really well packaged. Here's an unboxing.

Came wrapped in several layers of plastic.

20250122_060211.jpg


Plastic apparently not only helped keep everything together but also kept grease from getting on other packages. Everything inside was easy to slide out and still well packed. I like that there is a label on the inner packaging telling the carrier to return the DS to Tom Wood if it becomes separated from the box.

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Came with this swag and instructions.

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Here is the new DC DS next to the OE DS. The pencil indicates where the drive shaft actually ended under the boot.

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Install was pretty easy, I placed the TC in neutral (so easy thanks to the cable shifter) and connected the DC side of the DS to the TC - much easier to do this first so you're not working against gravity and the spring of the boot. Also, becuase these bolts are much harder to get to than the differential end, I was able to use a 5/16 ratcheting wrench (actual ratchet would not fit) to tighten the bolts, and then get them to what felt like 20 Ft Lbs by using the flex in the DC to get enough leverage to tighten them. I could not get even my smallest torque wrench to fit behind the yoke, not even the tiny one made for bicycles that maxed out just shy of 20 ft lbs (stopped at 24 NM) mostly due to the length of the sockets. My smallest crowfoot is 3/8. so that was not an option. Connecting the differential end was pretty uneventful and I was able to use a regular torque wrench to get the bolts to 14 ft lbs.

I then went and tweaked the control arms to get the pinion angle set. My estimate from when I adjusted it earlier to measure for the drive shaft was pretty close. I only had to adjust it about 1.5 degrees. I wanted to shorten the lowers a smidge to see if I could get a little more clearance between the track bar and fuel tank skid. I ended up only adjusting the lowers about 1 and 3/4 of a turn to get the numbers below with the pinon set to 0.8 degrees lower than the DS. I have at least 3/8" between the track bar and fuel skid, which is about where it was when I cycled the suspension, so I think I will be good. I then added a little blue threadlocker to each control arm and tightened the lock nuts.

angles.jpg


Here are shots of the finished install. First from the driver side:

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Passenger side:

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Shot from directly below the TC to show the clearance with the transmission cooler. Before I connected the DS to the Diff, I flexed and rotated the DS in every possible direction and it is definitely not going to touch the cooler. I have an extra long flex funnel coming tomorrow I will use to fill the TC. I will use a combination of the clearance I need to be able to comfortably service the TC fluid and the clearance required by the Skid and cross brace to determine ho far forward I can mount the cooler before I run the lines. If I had the fab skills, I'd modify the mount so the cooler sat up an inch higher (since it's made to be used without a body lift) so I could rotate it a little so it is angled to the back without being below the frame. You can see how the cooler is maybe 1/8" proud of the frame in the previous picture.

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Finally, here is a photo of a very rare snowfall in Fayetteville, NC. Shot through the garage door window.

20250122_072037.jpg
 
My Driveshaft arrived yesterday. Really well packaged. Here's an unboxing.

Came wrapped in several layers of plastic.

View attachment 587371

Plastic apparently not only helped keep everything together but also kept grease from getting on other packages. Everything inside was easy to slide out and still well packed. I like that there is a label on the inner packaging telling the carrier to return the DS to Tom Wood if it becomes separated from the box.

View attachment 587372

Came with this swag and instructions.

View attachment 587373
Here is the new DC DS next to the OE DS. The pencil indicates where the drive shaft actually ended under the boot.

View attachment 587374

Install was pretty easy, I placed the TC in neutral (so easy thanks to the cable shifter) and connected the DC side of the DS to the TC - much easier to do this first so you're not working against gravity and the spring of the boot. Also, becuase these bolts are much harder to get to than the differential end, I was able to use a 5/16 ratcheting wrench (actual ratchet would not fit) to tighten the bolts, and then get them to what felt like 20 Ft Lbs by using the flex in the DC to get enough leverage to tighten them. I could not get even my smallest torque wrench to fit behind the yoke, not even the tiny one made for bicycles that maxed out just shy of 20 ft lbs (stopped at 24 NM) mostly due to the length of the sockets. My smallest crowfoot is 3/8. so that was not an option. Connecting the differential end was pretty uneventful and I was able to use a regular torque wrench to get the bolts to 14 ft lbs.

I then went and tweaked the control arms to get the pinion angle set. My estimate from when I adjusted it earlier to measure for the drive shaft was pretty close. I only had to adjust it about 1.5 degrees. I wanted to shorten the lowers a smidge to see if I could get a little more clearance between the track bar and fuel tank skid. I ended up only adjusting the lowers about 1 and 3/4 of a turn to get the numbers below with the pinon set to 0.8 degrees lower than the DS. I have at least 3/8" between the track bar and fuel skid, which is about where it was when I cycled the suspension, so I think I will be good. I then added a little blue threadlocker to each control arm and tightened the lock nuts.

View attachment 587390

Here are shots of the finished install. First from the driver side:

View attachment 587391

Passenger side:

View attachment 587392


Shot from directly below the TC to show the clearance with the transmission cooler. Before I connected the DS to the Diff, I flexed and rotated the DS in every possible direction and it is definitely not going to touch the cooler. I have an extra long flex funnel coming tomorrow I will use to fill the TC. I will use a combination of the clearance I need to be able to comfortably service the TC fluid and the clearance required by the Skid and cross brace to determine ho far forward I can mount the cooler before I run the lines. If I had the fab skills, I'd modify the mount so the cooler sat up an inch higher (since it's made to be used without a body lift) so I could rotate it a little so it is angled to the back without being below the frame. You can see how the cooler is maybe 1/8" proud of the frame in the previous picture.

View attachment 587393

Finally, here is a photo of a very rare snowfall in Fayetteville, NC. Shot through the garage door window.

View attachment 587394
I would recommend extending your tummy tuck plate to cover that fluid cooler. I know a guy who has a nice dent in his LJ floor in that area from a stick.

I've been in Charlotte the last couple of days. I was hoping for warmer weather...
 
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I did not have time to post anything yesterday, but did get a little work done.

I pulled my old leaky transmission oil pan to replace it with a Dorman pan with a drain plug. I will replace the filter and use a LubeLocker gasket. I am not doing a full fluid flush as according to the PO and confirmed by CarFax, all the fluids were changed in 2022 (at 68K according to CarFax and the Jeep has just over 73K now). The transmission fluid looked very new when it drained. One of the corners of the old pan looks like it may have been warped by someone trying to pry it off at some point. The pan was sealed with RTV. I did not know at this point, but one of the bolt holes was stripped as well.

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Here is the new filter mounted. I cleaned all of the RTV off and buffed the surface out with some non-woven abrasive (fancy scotch brite pad). I cleaned the new pan and the transmission with acetone and quickly placed the gasket on the pan and the gasket/pan assembly on the transmission before any ATF could drizzle on to the mating surface. I hand threaded all the bolts, placing RTV on the one that needed it, while holding the pan in place, then gradually tightened them all to 14 ft lbs. Well not all of them. The actual last one I went to tighten just spun. I will use a M8x1.25 helicoil to repair it so I can keep the same bolt size. I do not have any yet, so I ordered two sets that have the most popular metric and SAE sizes and all installation tools for this and any future issues.

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Here is the pan mounted, which I will have to remove again when I install the helicoil. I guess it’s good that I used the LubeLocker so I’m not cleaning RTV off again or tossing a single-use gasket (though, I assume the gasket that came with the filter would have survived since I did not fill the pan).

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Since I still had some time left, I decided to work on making a switched busbar to power the transmission cooler and other accessories I want switched with the ignition. I am going to use a fuse tap on the cluster circuit and run it to a relay which will power the busbar. Here is the busbar and relay bolted to the inner fender on the driver side.

That’s all the progress for the next several days. We’re heading to West Virginia for skiing this weekend and I used most of this morning before work to finish packing and left early to fill up the truck for the drive.

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I got a little done this morning.

I removed the transmission oil pan again and cleaned everything up. There was about a cup full of ATF in the new pan from slow drainage over the weekend. I cleaned the pan and gasket and put them to the side. I then cleaned the mating surface on the transmission.
Now I needed to install the helicoil. I’ve drilled and tapped a couple of holes before, but never installed a helicoil. A video and the instructions made the process pretty clear.

I marked the depth of the screw on the provided drill bit with some tape and drilled the hole, which was very easy since it was aluminum. I then installed the helicoil per instructions.

20250127_051455.jpg


I cleaned everything again and reinstalled the pan, remembering the RTV on the one bolt that needed it. It took more than 14 ft lbs to get the bolt in the helicoil repair to seat properly. Is this typical? All the other bolts torqued properly.

I then went ahead and filled the TC with ATF+4 since I wanted to finish installing the transmission fluid cooler and test fit the Savvy UA skid. I used a pump that mounts to a gallon bottle (have one for quarts too) instead of a funnel.

20250127_055137.jpg


Once I replaced TC fill plug, I loosely assembled the rear crossmember/stiffener to the Savvy US skid. I then lifted the skid into place with my floor jack and installed just the two center skid bolts on either side to see how everything fit. Everything looked good and the transmission cooler was in a good position, so I decided not to move it.

Now for a question: I’ve ready on the forums that one of the “great things” about the Savvy UA is that you “only have to remove 6 bolts to change your TC fluid or transmission fluid”. I assume this means that these folks leave the rear crossmember/stiffener attached to the skid and DO NOT install the bolts holding the skid to the main crossmember, using only the six bolts holding the skid to the frame. Is that the case? Maybe I need to post this question in its own thread…
 
Now for a question: I’ve ready on the forums that one of the “great things” about the Savvy UA is that you “only have to remove 6 bolts to change your TC fluid or transmission fluid”. I assume this means that these folks leave the rear crossmember/stiffener attached to the skid and DO NOT install the bolts holding the skid to the main crossmember, using only the six bolts holding the skid to the frame. Is that the case? Maybe I need to post this question in its own thread…

Maybe I need to use speed nuts for the main crossmember/transmission support like @jjvw posted here: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/savvy-under-armour.77798/post-1524841
 
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Another light day in the garage. I finished connecting the Derale transmission cooler. I believe I stated earlier that the instructions were updated for the later model TJs, but I was mistaken. Fortunately, I had @Jerry Bransford 's thread here https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...-transmission-cooler-on-your-wrangler-tj.590/ for clarification. I tidied everything up and connected the ground to the tub. I still have to finish connecting my switched power busbar before the cooler will have power.

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Next, I refilled the transmission. My 5-gallon bucket, by my estimate, had a little over 2 gallons of old ATF+4 in it from draining the TC and transmission. I already filled the TC, so if I put the remainder of that gallon and another gallon in the transmission, I should be close, actually a little low because of the added volume requirement because of the transmission cooler. I could not crank the engine and measure transmission fluid level yet because I did not want to run the engine without the muffler and exhaust on.

I ordered a length of flexible exhaust pipe and some additional clamps to make an s-curve between the muffler and remainder of the exhaust to get the pipes back in line so nothing will hit and I can use the existing hangers. I will eventually take it to a shop to get a pipe fabbed, but this should work for a while. I saw some pre-bent pieces too that looked like they would work but will start with the bendable pipe.

I also ordered a 20-pack of 5/16-18 long-extruded speed nuts for the skid install.
 
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I removed the tailpipe from my muffler and remounted it to the CAT so I could crank the engine peacefully. With the engine running I could now measure ATF levels. I had to add about 2 more quarts of ATF+4 to get the levels right. So far, no leaks. I also mounted the tailpipe, not connected to the muffler, to see how much I'd have to modify it to accommodate the tummy tuck. It looks doable with the bendable pipe I ordered - but will definitely need a permanent solution when I have a chance to get it to an exhaust shop.

I finished wiring my switched power busbar. Tested and everything worked as it should.

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I also wired a quick connector to my battery for charging.

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I had already installed a backup camera when I upgraded the sound system, but did not like how I routed the wiring, which I had removed anyway when I cleaned and painted the frame. I reran it today down the passenger side. I drilled some holes and used push mount zip ties to secure the wires, now covered with split loom.

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I had previously wired the camera power to the revers power on the passenger taillight. It it connected with a DT connector, so I do not have to open the taillights if I want to disconnect it.

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I drilled a hole between the passenger taillight and the MORryde tailgate reinforcement to fit a grommet that would hold the split loom tightly and routed the camera lines through it and into the hinge. I originally wanted to run the wire behind the hinge bolt, but I think it may be too tight. This way does not look too bad with the split loom blending into the MORryde hardware. I may add a grommet to the hole in the hinge.

20250129_070802.jpg
 
I hit a couple of silly but time-consuming roadblocks today and did not get much done.

The third brake light, which was changed from the OE over-the-tire type to a round behind-the-wheel type by the PO needed to be reconnected since I never did it after installing the MORryde tailgate reinforcement kit. It was connected with bullet connectors, and I wanted to change it to DT. I got the new connector assembled pretty fast as I've become familiar with assembly since I've done a few now. Well, that was true until the very last step. I could not get the green wedge lock in to save my life. I spent nearly 30 minutes on the thing. I even disassembled it and tried a new connector. I guess my brain was just misfiring. I scrounged around and found the smallest needle nose pliers I could find, and I was finally able to get the wedge in. I needed a more extreme angle than usual for some reason... maybe the gauge of the wire through the angle of the female pins off. In the past I was able to use a small screwdriver or some rather stubby needle nose pliers to set the wedge. Here's the completed DT connection for the brakes.

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I went to test the brakes and the third light would not light up. I jammed some 2x4s on the brake pedal so I could trouble shoot.

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The first thing I noticed was the installation of the MORryde tailgate reinforcement kit changed the geometry of the door swing enough that the two brake light contacts on the tailgate were getting hung on the tub when I opened the tailgate. I bent the bracket just enough to clear the tub. This did not help with the lights coming on. Because I have the Diabolical security enclosure installed, I cannot see the brake light contact with the door closed, so I could not initially tell if that was the issue.

I decided to start troubleshooting from the DT connector down, which was a waste of time. Continuity between the connector and the tailgate contactors was good. I used a 9V battery to test the light. It worked from the tailgate contacts. I then placed some cutoff bits of zip tie under the contacts on the tub to get them to protrude a bit more. Nothing. I then tested the polarity of the contacts on the tub. The polarity was the opposite of what I expected. The tailgate contacts had a black wire and a white/red wire. I assumed black (-) and white/red (+), but the corresponding contacts on the tub were the opposite. I swapped the contacts on the tailgate (the contacts are just mushroom-shaped bullet connectors) and tried again, and it worked.

I did not want to rely on bits of zip tie holding the tub contacts in place. At first, I considered not using the contacts at all and just hard wiring the third light, running the wires through the same loom as the camera wires, but decided to try something else. I realized if I ground a little but away from the tub I could bend the tailgate contact bracket enough to ensure contact with the tub contacts. I ground just enough away, following the contour of tailgate contacts, removed the zip ties, and everything worked. I then masked everything off an used some Stone White DupliColor to touch up where I ground metal away.

20250130_070902.jpg


I had a little time left, so I decided to dry fit the KC spots on my bull bar using the new brackets that replaced the welded-on brackets I ground off. Placement looks good and will be even better once I replace the current inch-thick fairlead with the thinner (maybe 1/2") BMB Safety Thimble fairlead (fairlead and ST resting on top of winch in the pic). Once I decide on final position, I'll need to drill the bull bar in a couple of spots to accommodate the push mount zip ties I'll use to secure the wiring. I also need to drill the bumper for the fog lights since the base of the bull bar covers the OE mounting area. The fog lights are virtually identical in appearance to the spots, just a different light pattern.

20250130_071357.jpg



My piece of bendable exhaust should arrive today, so I will hopefully tackle that Friday and maybe road test this weekend. This will be a big deal as I'll see if I actually cleared the tub for vibrations when I did the tummy tuck, if my pinion angles are good, and if I have enough caster. I need to dial-in steering wheel centering too as it's just eyeballed at the moment.
 
I went to patch the exhaust today using some flexible pipe, intending for that to hold me until I could get to the exhaust shop. It was a no-go. The pipe was nice, but it could only be bent to a large radius, too large to meet my needs.

Now I need to decide how I want the exhaust repaired. There are three pictures below.

The first shows the relationship between the muffler and the tailpipe after the tummy tuck. I removed the missing section, which was originally u-bolted on with the pipes flared and tapered as needed. This section was originally straight.

The second picture shows what I was trying to do with the flexible pipe and may also be an option for the exhaust shop, just replacing the missing portion with an "S"-shaped pipe.

The third picture shows replacing all of the pipe behind the muffler. Is it wise to do this or will it get too hot above the pipe? I assume this would allow some tweaking as well. The pipe clears the axle, track bar, and shock great as it is, but the end could be a little tighter to the frame, so this is an opportunity to address that.

What do y'all think?

exhaust options.jpg


Since I was no longer messing with the exhaust, I went a messed with the front bumper again. I removed the old fairlead and installed a BMB ST fairlead. I then installed a TRE safety thimble on my winch line. Installing the ST was easier than I thought. The HF Badlands synthetic winch line was easy to disconnect from their thimble. I compressed the line length-wise so I could pull the inner line out and then pulled it through two Brummel-like openings in the line. I do not think it was an actual locking Brummel, but rather just bisecting the line in two places in a zig-zag. The tail was only buried maybe 12 inches, but it was tapered.

oldthimble.jpg


I laced the line through the new TRE ST and made the tail 27 inches. I used the FID that came with the ST and some masking tape to bury the tail and pulled everything tight. I then whipped end to make sure it did not come undone under no or light load.

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And here it is locked into the BMB ST Fairlead.

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I then spent the next 30+ minutes messing with light placement. I think I am going to mount the spots on top of the bull bar instead of in front of the winch. While I prefer the look of it in front of the winch, I realized that the winch line would likely hit the lights in anything but a straight-on pull if I put them there. I could rotate them out of the way before I use the winch, but that would be a couple of minutes of finding tools and loosening stuff that could be spent recovering, which would be bad if it is an emergency.

Maybe I will try a road test in the morning, even though the exhaust does not go all the way to the back, so I can make sure there are no vibes and it tracks straight. Then I can get back to all the little this and that stuff I have left until I can get to the exhaust shop... though I still have a couple of big things left to install. I will likely only get the rest of the lights, switches, outlets, and the ORO York Mini kit installed before I take a break. I have all the regear parts on hand but will probably wait until next winter so I can enjoy the Jeep this spring, summer, and fall and get back on the list of chores that actually NEED to be done. It'll still be a good couple of months before I reach this point, I'm sure.
 
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Road test went really well.

I drove up and down about 150 feet of our paved driveway probably 30 times to get the steering wheel properly centered. I was very happy with the results and it is much better than before.

I then went out on the highway and took it up to 76 and did not have vibrations. It tracked well with the tiny bit of caster I snuck in. I stopped at the halfway point and set the speedohealer based on my observations during the drive. I was lazy and used their app, wich made it pretty much idiot proof. You put in your GPS speed and speedometer speed and the app spits out your percent (11.7 for me on 33s) and then gives you step-by-step instructions on how to program, ensuring you put the appropriate number of leading zeros. Speedometer was spot-on for the drive home.

The only issue I noticed was slightly more vibration at idle. Goes away if you give it even the tiniest amount of gas and does not happen at all while driving. It does not change much from from park, reverse, neutral or drive. I think I read about a dozen threads on this and it appears for most it was unsolvable, but a few fixed it with new motor mounts or transmission mount. Transmission mount is a no-go for me since I have a Savvy UA, but I did skip changing the motor mounts when I did my MML, so that may have been a mistake - or may not have made a difference. It's really not a big deal.

This was the first real drive since I changed out the steering, suspension (except for coil springs), and track bars. It is night and day how much smoother it is with the new components. I used to bounce like crazy when I exited the driveway onto the road, now it is almost as smooth as my F150, and the ride down the road is so much better.

Now I can go back to working on all the little things to finish up for the spring and find time to take it to an exhaust shop. I have not accrued much paid time off since I just started at my new job after retiring from the military, so I do not have much opportunity to get things done on weekdays when the exhaust shops are open. I'm thinking maybe presidents' day things might line up where I'm off and the shops are open.
 
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I did not get much done Sunday and Monday, mostly messing with the lights.

Today I started installing a York Mini using the Off Road Only kit.

I disconnected the battery and removed the airbox to have room to work. I then proceeded to remove the alternator and tensioner pully. I also removed the old alternator bracket (not pictured) and had to clean the two unused mounting bosses for the ORO bracket. It took several times back and forth with a small probe, compressed air, kroil, and a thread chaser before the mounting bosses would easily accept the 10mm bolts ORO provided. I used some brake cleaner as a last step to ensure there was no residue left in the holes. The other four bolts that held the original alternator bracket were 3/8-16; those mounting bosses will be reused with new bolts provided with the kit.

Removal.jpg


Next, I installed the tensioner pully on the ORO bracket using hardware they provided. They also recommended testing the fit of the alternator in the bracket to ensure the fork was wide enough and to also place the alternator in the bracket before trying to mount the bracket since there is barely enough clearance to get the alternator in once the bracket is installed. They point out this is even more of an issue with aftermarket fenders (which I have). The bracket fit very nicely using the provided bolts and spacers, however, the bottom-most bolt, which is 65mm long, should be 70mm or maybe 75mm to really seat well into the mounting boss. I think other folks pointed this out as an issue. I am either going to buy a bolt or shorten the long 10mm bolt they provided to use to mount the alternator. They provide a long 10mm bolt for this purpose but also say you can reuse the OEM bolt. This is probably what I will do.

Dry Fit.jpg


Finally, I installed the compressor onto the top of the bracket. I had to gently bend the hard AC lines to get enough clearance. I also had to rotate (clockwise, maybe 2 degrees) the hard line coming out of the thermostat housing to get a little clearance there as well. I still need to install the idler pulley (they provide two different sizes) and a new belt. I then need to add oil and connect the electrical, airlines, and everything else.

Comp Profiles.jpg
 
Made a little more progress on my York Mini OBA install.

I finished reinstalling the starter and added a boot over the cable where it attaches for good measure.

Next, I installed the idler pulley included with the ORO kit. I tried the larger one first, but – when I went to install the belt they provided – there was no way it would fit. I then changed to the smaller pulley. I still struggled to get the belt on. I ended up zip tying my ½” drive ratchet to the frame with the tensioner pulley at minimum tension and spent about 30 minutes manipulating the belt onto the OE idler. My forearms got a workout. I released the tensioner pulley and made sure everything was still lined up.

Next, I added oil to the compressor. I originally planned on swapping out the flat sight glass for a domed site glass and ordered one, but I never ordered the adapter (domed site glass has larger threads), so I decided to skip it since I could see the site glass well enough if I tried, just not “at a glance” like I would if I installed the domed glass. ORO included ten ounces of oil, a syringe and some tubing to facilitate filling the compressor. It took maybe five cycles of filling and emptying the syringe to get all ten ounces in. I only spilled a couple of drops thanks to the syringe setup and had a towel placed over the alternator to catch any drips.

I reconnected the battery and cranked the engine. Everything ran smoothly.

I reinstalled the airbox. Back when I installed the fenders, the original airbox bolts were reused, but two of the three bolts that originally went through the fender now went through the L-brackets pictured below. This made it a bit of a challenge to get the nuts on the bolts and hold them while the bolts were tightened when the airbox was in place. Taking inspiration from using speednuts to hold the Savvy UA skid to the crossmember, I decided to try that here. The speednuts lined up perfectly and made reinstalling the airbox super easy. Here are the speednuts installed on the L-brackets.

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Here is how the install looks so far (forgot to connect one of the vent hoses).

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One concern I have is this vent hose (now connected) making contact with heatsink on top of the compressor. It is the only hose I could not manipulate to not make contact. I’ve read the compressor can get pretty hot during long use (like filling tires). Will it get hot enough to be of concern? I can probably splice an elbow into somewhere to make it clear the heatsink.

20250205_072347.jpg


Next, I will start on wiring and plumbing. I’m going to try and do all the wiring and plumbing at once, even for things I may not install for a while (like the ARB lockers I have that I will install when I regear).
 
For my curiosity, why do the York OBA vs a dual ARB or Rough Country compressor?

My main motivation was for rapid inflation of tires, having read the York is faster than the dual compressors. I have a VIAIR compressor I keep in my F150, which has been a blessing several times when I had a flat, needed to help someone, or just needed air where I did not feel like dragging a big compressor too. It is painfully slow to fill a tire, though. I assume a dual compressor would be a big improvement and the York even more so.

I was also intrigued by the way the York installed. I've read that several folks that have Yorks still run the little locker-only ARB for the lockers. For now, my plan is to use the York for everything. The Rube Goldberg nature of using the York to do everything (tires, lockers, SwayLOC actuation) is appealing to the tinkerer in me as well.

That said, my brother-in-law recently purchased a used Toyota Land Cruiser that had several mods including an ARB dual compressor. This was the first time I'd seen one in person and was impressed by its size. I did not get to see how fast it inflates tires, though. It is almost half the price compared to the York and pretty much comes with everything, whereas I still need to spend more money to buy a manifold, regulator, and other items to get the York to work with three solenoids and my planned two tire filling ports (front and rear or inside the doors, I've not decided).
 
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My main motivation was for rapid inflation of tires, having read the York is faster than the dual compressors. I have a VIAIR compressor I keep in my F150, which has been a blessing several times when I had a flat, needed to help someone, or just needed air where I did not feel like dragging a big compressor too. It is painfully slow to fill a tire, though. I assume a dual compressor would be a big improvement and the York even more so.

I was also intrigued by the way the York installed. I've read that several folks that have Yorks still run the little locker-only ARB for the lockers. For now, my plan is to use the York for everything. The Rube Goldberg nature of using the York to do everything (tires, lockers, SwayLOC actuation) is appealing to the tinkerer in me as well.

That said, my brother-in-law recently purchased a used Toyota Land Cruiser that had several mods including an ARB dual compressor. This was the first time I'd seen one in person and was impressed by its size. I did not get to see how fast it inflates tires, though. It is almost half the price compared to the York and pretty much comes with everything, whereas I still need to spend more money to buy a manifold, regulator, and other items to get the York to work with three solenoids and my planned two tire filling ports (front and rear or inside the doors, I've not decided).
What is the CFM of the York?

Just an FYI, the ARB locker solenoids are 1/8 British Standand Pipe thread and NOT NPT. You will need an adapter if you are not going to run the ARB manifold.
 
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What is the CFM of the York?

York delivers 10CFM at 1000 RPM, does not specify what pressure that is, though. ARB is 6.16 CFM at 0PSI and 4.68CFM at 29PSI. I've read on the forums that folks will have someone give the engine a little gas to get even more CFM out of the York for really fast tire fills and that they can even run air tools off of it. I'm thinking in real-world use at the pressures we run our tires the York at idle should be close to twice as fast as the ARB dual (assuming 10CFM is at 0PSI and the York drops the same percent as the ARB to 76% of its 0PSI CFM, that will have it delivering 7.6 CFM at 29PSI). I'm no engineer though, so those numbers may not mean squat. I'm not sure how engine RPM translates to RPM at the compressor either.
 
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Just an FYI, the ARB locker solenoids are 1/8 British Standard Pipe thread and NOT NPT. You will need an adapter if you are not going to run the ARB manifold.

I've got my eyes on some inexpensive manifolds on Amazon that I will probably have to adapt.

I also have a little 1/2 gallon tank made for an airhorn that I may use mostly as a water/oil remover, understanding it really wont add any capacity. It has two taps on top and a tap on the bottom. If I use it, I'll use one of the top taps for input from the compressor and the other for output to a regulator and manifold, assuming some oil and water will condense and drop to the bottom to be drained later using a manual valve on the bottom tap, pretty much like my big home compressor.
 
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