OP
I made some simple brackets for the sway bar and the steering stabilizer and got a off the shelf track bracket and got that welded in.
Lonewolf's 1998 Jeep Wrangler Sport
- Thread starter Lonewolf
- Start date
OP
after everything was welded I pressure washed it and painted it
Nice work. Are you planning on gusseting the sway bar mount?
OP
Thanks, I didn’t add any. I had a plan too but then got sidetracked and painted it. I made them from 3/8 so I’ll see how they hold up and probably add some later, probably about time I regret not doing it in the first place
OP
Everything went together pretty easily, had a small hiccup with the RCV boot and ball joint eliminator clearances but I got that resolved.
I added longer bump stops because the track bar hits the diff at full compression but other than that my first impressions are good
I don’t notice any driving difference with the ball joint eliminators but the gear change to 5.38 is Night and day. The lower gearing is great around town. I need to set the toe and then I’ll take it on the freeway
I added longer bump stops because the track bar hits the diff at full compression but other than that my first impressions are good
I don’t notice any driving difference with the ball joint eliminators but the gear change to 5.38 is Night and day. The lower gearing is great around town. I need to set the toe and then I’ll take it on the freeway
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OP
Since all my favorite trails are still covered in snow I did a shakedown run at Hollister.I brought by buddy in his TJ and my other buddy with his new to him 4runner.
my new crawl ratio with the gear change was amazing. The E-locker worked seamlessly. Coming from a ARB and not hearing the air solenoid I was worried it was not working, but it worked flawlessly all day. With my new found confidence I immediately tried a hard line and got myself in trouble.
my new crawl ratio with the gear change was amazing. The E-locker worked seamlessly. Coming from a ARB and not hearing the air solenoid I was worried it was not working, but it worked flawlessly all day. With my new found confidence I immediately tried a hard line and got myself in trouble.
It's been years since I've been there but even now some of those spots looks familiar. Looks like you all had a GREAT time.
OP
Yea it’s a great place to test stuff out because worst case you can get a trailer pretty close for a rescue. like we found out with my buddies 4 runner when the previous owners welds didn’t hold and ripped the top link off the housing
So needless to say the forerunner got a ride home on my trailer and he got a nice Jeep ride home with no top or doors.
My damage wasn’t too terrible From flopping it over onto its side, Slight a pillar denting but my door still lines up and scraped my fenders. But the half doors were saved from any damage.
OP
Since the snow is still too deep to see the rocks I’ve been doing my second favorite hobby and that is looking for used Jeep parts on marketplace.
I scored a brand new PSC steering box and also a set of Currie 4 inch coils.
The psc box went in without issues. I found out the previous owner had put in a remanned box and it was probably a cheap one because I had a lot of play. I found during the test drive that it is much better and doesn’t wander as much.
I installed the new to me coils with a new set of Rancho shocks. Im super happy with the outcome. There is definitely more body roll but the ride is significantly better. I tested it at my private Home Depot RTI ramp and the new shocks definitely give more drop out, I can’t wait to see how it does on the trail this summer
I also found a bent rear shock which could have been contributing to my rough ride.
I scored a brand new PSC steering box and also a set of Currie 4 inch coils.
The psc box went in without issues. I found out the previous owner had put in a remanned box and it was probably a cheap one because I had a lot of play. I found during the test drive that it is much better and doesn’t wander as much.
I installed the new to me coils with a new set of Rancho shocks. Im super happy with the outcome. There is definitely more body roll but the ride is significantly better. I tested it at my private Home Depot RTI ramp and the new shocks definitely give more drop out, I can’t wait to see how it does on the trail this summer
I also found a bent rear shock which could have been contributing to my rough ride.
Any clue what caused the rear shock to bend? Does it look like an impact?
I’m in the process of reading your build (page 3 or 4), but had to jump ahead to see what happened today. Is there enough weld on that sway bar bracket? I assume it relates to a TR flip to clearance the TR. I know the BMB Brackets are welded to the C and have a ~90* gusset. Fun build. You do lots with axles.
Looking forward to hitting trails with you at Moab.
OP
Yea it was to good of a deal to pass up, now I’ll start getting the parts for Hydro assist!
No idea, there are a few small nicks where the bend is so im thinking I might have backed into something? It’s hard To know when it happened because I actually have never remove the shocks since I owned the Jeep, and I actually didn’t even notice the bend when I pulled it out until later so it could’ve been like that for a year or two
OP
I’m in the process of reading your build (page 3 or 4), but had to jump ahead to see what happened today. Is there enough weld on that sway bar bracket? I assume it relates to a TR flip to clearance the TR. I know the BMB Brackets are welded to the C and have a ~90* gusset. Fun build. You do lots with axles.
Yeah it hasn’t bent yet, but I have only been on one trip with it I was hoping because they are 3/8 they should hold up but if it looks like they start to bend I’ll have to rebuild the coil buckets because the previous owner chopped them And then make a gusset, Or go to the BMB brackets. Yeah I am constantly searching marketplace for good deals and then found all these axle projects, I think I’m done now for awhile, I don’t think I have to worry about breaking anything for a while
It was a game changer for me. When I first installed it I was still running 35" tires so the only real difference was a V-8 instead of a 4 cyl. Turning the steering wheel with one finger is nice. Make sure to measure how much steering travel you have and get the ram shimmed if needed.
I forgot when I ordered my new ram and need mine shimmed an inch.
OP
Nice rig! I really need to quit reading these builds on 35s or I'll start getting ideas
Do you ever feel like the split between the 5:1 low and hi range is too far in sloppy stuff that needs wheel speed? Or just grab 4th and 5th gear and stand on it?
Thanks! Yea the road to 35s is expensive! But worth it.
When I had the 5:1 and 4.88 I felt like it was too low in the sand and snow I was shifting a lot between 4hi first gear and 4L third or fourth gear depending on the condition. But now with the 5.38 gears 4H first gear seems about perfect for starting in the snow and sand
Thanks man,the first hand experience is worth its weight in gold. An atlas is looking pretty sexy these days!
