Midnight LJR Build

Midnight LJR said:
Long day.

Got a lot of things almost done. Not too many big problems. Just lots of stubborn bolts, which is to be expected. The 5/8 hole we had to drill for the new trac bar was rough. Other than that slow progress is being made. I suppose this is the down side of doing all this at once is the task feels much larger than when doing individual modifications.

More work to do tomorrow. :)View attachment 108195View attachment 108196View attachment 108197
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Two pairs of jackstands should’ve come with every TJ when sold new. Good job you’ve done a lot of work so far still got more to do chop chop got to get it done so you can be ready for the run 😀
 
Midnight LJR said:
Yeah, little toasty. :)

I probably should've finished the garage insulation project before starting this. That’s for sure.
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when mods go beyond just the Jeep they are no longer collateral mods, they are symbiotic mods, i.e. I need to insulate the garage so I can work on my Jeep, I need AC in the garage so I can work on my Jeep, I need heat in the garage so I can work on my Jeep, I need a refrigerator in the garage to keep my beer cold when I work on my Jeep...
 
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DrDmoney said:
.......I need a refrigerator in the garage to keep my beer cold when I work on my Jeep...
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:)
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On another note how is everyone installing there Johnny joints. If I mount the grease fitting pointing down I could rip it off on a rock. However I don’t think I can get to it with it mounted up. My current theory is the tabs will provide some protection.

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Midnight LJR said:
:)
View attachment 108262



On another note how is everyone installing there Johnny joints. If I mount the grease fitting pointing down I could rip it off on a rock. However I don’t think I can get to it with it mounted up. My current theory is the tabs will provide some protection.

View attachment 108263
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On my RE's I mounted them up, the bottom of that joint will see lots of abuse.
 
DrDmoney said:
On my RE's I mounted them up, the bottom of that joint will see lots of abuse.
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bobthetj03 said:
Can you install them up and put a 90* zerk on there?
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I flipped them over, that’s a good idea to look for a 90 degree fitting.

Nearly got the back finished up this afternoon. Did a test cycle of the suspension before setting pinion angle. Just to see what I am looking at. With the arm lengths recommended by Currie. I am getting a tiny kiss of the tire to the rear fender opening. And have about 1/2” of exposed shock at full bump when the axle goes straight up. And about 1” when flexed at a angle.

For now the back should be good I will have to cycle it again once pinion angle is set and after the tummy again.

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I am happy right now the tire seems to stay out of the fender flare, as well.

I guess if it works with the pinion angle I may be able to shorten one of the arms to remove the tire touching in the back of the fender? Hmmmm I guess I will need to look at it after I set the pinion. Not sure there is that much adjustability.
 
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Midnight LJR said:
I flipped them over, that’s a good idea to look for a 90 degree fitting.

Nearly got the back finished up this afternoon. Did a test cycle of the suspension before setting pinion angle. Just to see what I am looking at. With the arm lengths recommended by Currie. I am getting a tiny kiss of the tire to the rear fender opening. And have about 1/2” of exposed shock at full bump when the axle goes straight up. And about 1” when flexed at a angle.

For now the back should be good I will have to cycle it again once pinion angle is set and after the tummy again.

View attachment 108346
View attachment 108347

I am happy right now the tire seems to stay out of the fender flare, as well.

I guess if it works with the pinion angle I may be able to shorten one of the arms to remove the tire touching in the back of the fender? Hmmmm I guess I will need to look at it after I set the pinion. Not sure there is that much adjustability.
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All those will change unless your pinion just happens to be perfect where it’s at (no one’s that lucky) I’ve almost always had to rotate the pinion up by shortening the LCA’s which will give you slightly more shock travel by rotating the lower shock mount down also moving your axle center forward.
 
DrDmoney said:
All those will change unless your pinion just happens to be perfect where it’s at (no one’s that lucky) I’ve almost always had to rotate the pinion up by shortening the LCA’s which will give you slightly more shock travel by rotating the lower shock mount down also moving your axle center forward.
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Thanks I was trying to get a rough idea. While it was easy before I put the springs in.

Crossing my fingers I am the one lucky one with a exact pinion angle.
 
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Back on the road again! And a bit dusty from exploring in the mountains. Probably should have gotten a photo in the mountains instead of a boring drive way shot.
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Lift, shocks, brakes, axle shafts, sway bar, bumpers, gears, steering, diff covers, ball joints, unit bearings, etc. INSTALLED. Woot!

Still to do of parts I have in the garage.
Under armor and engine skid
Gas tank skid
Adjust master cylinder.

Still waiting to be delivered.
Rear bumper
Corner armor
Sliders

I am very happy with the lift it rides and drives great with zero vibrations on stock shafts for now.
 
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Looks great. While you have the tank dropped for the skid it wouldn't be a bad idea to do a bit of preventative maintenance by sanding a bit off material off the plastic valve in the gas tank. That way you'll never need to worry about dropping the tank if you start having a splashback issue.
 
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Alex01 said:
Looks great. While you have the tank dropped for the skid it wouldn't be a bad idea to do a bit of preventative maintenance by sanding a bit off material off the plastic valve in the gas tank. That way you'll never need to worry about dropping the tank if you start having a splashback issue.
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Thanks for all the help Alex. I have been reading about. I will research some guides and get it done.

Right now I am gonna take a much needed brake until Sunday or so.

That was A LOT of wrenching. :)
 
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Midnight LJR said:
Thanks for all the help Alex. I have been reading about. I will research some guides and get it done.

Right now I am gonna take a much needed brake until Sunday or so.

That was A LOT of wrenching. :)
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I think you deserve a bit of rest after that round of upgrades. Tom and I worked on the splashback issue a few weeks ago. The collar that holds the fuel pump on was a bit of a pain to get off and so was the plastic piece inside. I think the collar would have been easier if we would have applied some downward force while trying to spin the collar. We ended up using a small flathead to pry 2 of the tabs that hold the plastic valve inside the tank then it popped right off. It wasn't really difficult but it was unnerving putting so much pressure on the plastic piece in the tank.
 
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Alex01 said:
I think you deserve a bit of rest after that round of upgrades. Tom and I worked on the splashback issue a few weeks ago. The collar that holds the fuel pump on was a bit of a pain to get off and so was the plastic piece inside. I think the collar would have been easier if we would have applied some downward force while trying to spin the collar. We ended up using a small flathead to pry 2 of the tabs that hold the plastic valve inside the tank then it popped right off. It wasn't really difficult but it was unnerving putting so much pressure on the plastic piece in the tank.
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Is this the thread describing what you guys did?
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/wrangler-tj-gas-overflow-fix.244/
Or is there another thing you were referring to?

Mine does splash out at the end when I top off the tank. Just figured it was a “Jeep thing”.
 
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