still coming down hard in north Dallas. I tried to amazon prime a sled so I could tow the kids behind the TJ, but even on Monday the earliest I could get it was tomorrow. Even amazon knew snowmageddon was inbound.
PRNDL's Green One
- Thread starter PRNDL
- Start date
OP
Tire install scheduled for Wednesday. I am excite.
Shake down run at the end of the month. I made a list of everything on my radar at the moment.
Have parts waiting to install:
Other items on my list in some other category are as follows
Investigate:
Shake down run at the end of the month. I made a list of everything on my radar at the moment.
Have parts waiting to install:
- Savvy cable shifter
- Savvy body lift
- UCF Skid (needs paint)
- BMB replacement nutserts
- Bumpstop extensions
- Rear jounce bumpers
- Tom Woods CV driveshaft
- Angled trackbar bracket
- MORE steering riser
- Adjustable rear track bar
- Motor mount lift
- Install rear trackbar and angle bracket
- Position rear axle, check alignment at full bump
- Install rear jounce bumpers and bumpstops
- Install DS and set pinion angle, check axle position
- Cycle the suspension for clearance and check bumps and rear shock length
- Adjust, adjust, adjust until I'm happy
Other items on my list in some other category are as follows
Investigate:
- Subwoofer doesnt work
- Rattling noises behind drivers side dash?
- Steering "bump" felt through the steering wheel
- Front locker slow air leak
- Oil pan/gasket and RMS (have parts on hand)
- Clutch (throw out bearing is making a ton of noise at times)
- Flip door handles
- Diff covers or armor?
- Mild surface rust in drivers footwell
- Loctite seat mounting bolts
OP
LJRubicon
TJ Enthusiast
Looks great bud. Your attention to detail is fantastic. I just show the big stuff in my build. I don't stop to take pics often enough.
Vtx531
TJ Addict
OP
Thanks! And uhhh, if you ever get sick of those green half doors....
How are you liking the baja boss tires?
OP
OP
Yep, the guys at my local discount are TJ guys, no problem when I requested the stick on weights. On the other hand, they had the tires inflated to 38psi....
OP
Track bar and bracket, jounce bumpers, bumpstops and driveshaft are all in. Stupid JKS track bar is just grazing the gas skid, as expected. I'll take a 1/4" out of the lower CAs, reset everything and see where it is. Right now, lowers are at ~16", pinion angle is 15.5*, DS is at 16.2*. Also, my rear shocks are definitely too short. Confirmed, I've only got about 2" of down travel with the 55241s.
Haha doubt that happens.Thanks! And uhhh, if you ever get sick of those green half doors....
How are you liking the baja boss tires?
Sadly, I haven't had them offroad yet to build an opinion of them yet. But we do have big plans for it this year.
OP
Finished up the rear this evening. Shortened the lower links to ~15.75" and squared the axle to the frame. Pinion is 15.4*, driveshaft is 16.2*. JKS track bar has clearance around the gas skid. I have not cycled everything again so more tweaks to come. I replaced the lower shock and track bar bolts with replacements from Bolt Depot. I got her up to 70mph on a late night joy ride with the top down. Zero issues, zero vibes. Noticeably smoother with the CV DS.
Until I get the body lift on, the spare wont clear the bumper on the stock mount. I know there are spacers, but I want to see how far off it is after the body lift before going the spacer route.
This week, I'll paint the UCF skid to be ready to tackle the body lift next weekend. Should have everything done in plenty of time. The extra 75+ lbs spare on the back and the tucked skid will affect the pinion/DS angle. Add that to the list to adjust. Until then, the forecast is 70 and sunny the next two days and I plan to enjoy it.
Until I get the body lift on, the spare wont clear the bumper on the stock mount. I know there are spacers, but I want to see how far off it is after the body lift before going the spacer route.
This week, I'll paint the UCF skid to be ready to tackle the body lift next weekend. Should have everything done in plenty of time. The extra 75+ lbs spare on the back and the tucked skid will affect the pinion/DS angle. Add that to the list to adjust. Until then, the forecast is 70 and sunny the next two days and I plan to enjoy it.
OP
Lots of progress and lots of new problems. It was a very busy weekend in the garage.
First, the progress. Body lift, motor mount lift, MORE steering riser and UCF extra-clearance skid plate are all installed. I love/hate the body lift. The butt crack looks like ass, but the belly clearance is worth it. Plus, the spare now fits and clears the bumper on the stock carrier with the lower snubber trimmed down. I'll black out the exposed green at some point and it will look better. No fan shroud modifications were required either which was nice.
I think my steering pillow is shot and that's where some of the steering "clunk" noises are coming from. One more thing to look into.
I ordered the 241 savvy shifter cable kit, but was shipped the 231 version. They quickly responded and mailed the 241 conversion parts which should arrive today. As it sits now, the t-case linkage is not happy and I'm permanently in 2wd.
Now the problems.
There's resistance in shifting to 1-3-5. I'm assuming its just the lower shift boot binding and/or the shifter bezel. Driveable, but it needs pressure to get in gear in 1st or 3rd.
Exhaust clearance: on startup and at low RPMs, the exhaust hanger rattles against the tub. I knew this might be an issue since did not modify the exhaust or hangers in any way. Not a huge deal, but annoying and I'll have to get to it eventually. There's plenty of space between the muffler and the skid plate to move it down. Just need time to get to it. The 241 clears the tub without issue.
Rear axle... fun. I had to further shorten the lower CAs to close to their minimum and extend the uppers. the angles are 22* on the DS and 21* on the pinion. Seems really steep, but I'm only at a 3" spring lift with the extra clearance skid, and I know there are others with 4" and the extra or ultra (or savvy) skids out there. No "vibes" to speak of, but the butt-dyno says its not as smooth as it was pre-tuck. We shall see.
The driveshaft may need to be lengthened. I ordered it as a best guess not knowing when I'd install the tuck. I should have known better that I wouldn't wait to get the tuck done. I'll call up Tom Wood's this week and get their input.
After the tuck, the additional pinion rotation caused more (predictable) issues. The track bar is unhappy again, making contact with the edge of the gas skid. Just need to clearance the lip of the skid plate or (eventually) get a correctly bent rock jock track bar.
Rear shocks (55241) were too short to begin with, but the additional rotation moving the lower mounts further away from the frame has reduced my down travel to even less than the ~2" I had. I have the longer Rancho 55256s in the garage to be installed this week. The additional rotation also showed me I didn't remove enough of the spring perches the first time around to clear the shock bodies. A quick fix with the angle grinder and all is well.
First, the progress. Body lift, motor mount lift, MORE steering riser and UCF extra-clearance skid plate are all installed. I love/hate the body lift. The butt crack looks like ass, but the belly clearance is worth it. Plus, the spare now fits and clears the bumper on the stock carrier with the lower snubber trimmed down. I'll black out the exposed green at some point and it will look better. No fan shroud modifications were required either which was nice.
I think my steering pillow is shot and that's where some of the steering "clunk" noises are coming from. One more thing to look into.
I ordered the 241 savvy shifter cable kit, but was shipped the 231 version. They quickly responded and mailed the 241 conversion parts which should arrive today. As it sits now, the t-case linkage is not happy and I'm permanently in 2wd.
Now the problems.
There's resistance in shifting to 1-3-5. I'm assuming its just the lower shift boot binding and/or the shifter bezel. Driveable, but it needs pressure to get in gear in 1st or 3rd.
Exhaust clearance: on startup and at low RPMs, the exhaust hanger rattles against the tub. I knew this might be an issue since did not modify the exhaust or hangers in any way. Not a huge deal, but annoying and I'll have to get to it eventually. There's plenty of space between the muffler and the skid plate to move it down. Just need time to get to it. The 241 clears the tub without issue.
Rear axle... fun. I had to further shorten the lower CAs to close to their minimum and extend the uppers. the angles are 22* on the DS and 21* on the pinion. Seems really steep, but I'm only at a 3" spring lift with the extra clearance skid, and I know there are others with 4" and the extra or ultra (or savvy) skids out there. No "vibes" to speak of, but the butt-dyno says its not as smooth as it was pre-tuck. We shall see.
The driveshaft may need to be lengthened. I ordered it as a best guess not knowing when I'd install the tuck. I should have known better that I wouldn't wait to get the tuck done. I'll call up Tom Wood's this week and get their input.
After the tuck, the additional pinion rotation caused more (predictable) issues. The track bar is unhappy again, making contact with the edge of the gas skid. Just need to clearance the lip of the skid plate or (eventually) get a correctly bent rock jock track bar.
Rear shocks (55241) were too short to begin with, but the additional rotation moving the lower mounts further away from the frame has reduced my down travel to even less than the ~2" I had. I have the longer Rancho 55256s in the garage to be installed this week. The additional rotation also showed me I didn't remove enough of the spring perches the first time around to clear the shock bodies. A quick fix with the angle grinder and all is well.
Be sure to check your double cardan for clearance at full droop. Hard to tell, but it looks close to binding sitting at ride height.
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OP
Yep, I share that concern.
What are the options if there is bind before the shocks bottom out? Like I mentioned, there are more severe combinations of lift and tuck out there. Are the only options after that swapping the gas skid for a higher clearance option and moving the axle back?
Check and see if it is a problem first before looking for a solution. If it binds, it could be as simple as clearencing the cardan housing, but you don't know until you test it.
OP
Swapped the shocks. More shock math. All of this is theoretical until I cycle, set bumps. In other words, largely meaningless.
Up potential is the exposed shock shaft length at ride height. I doubt i get the 4.75 up with other clearance issues. I'm going to hang on to the 241s for now.
| Compressed | Extended | Travel | Up (Potential) | Down | Bias | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rancho RS55239 (Front) | 14.43 | 23.84 | 9.41 | 5.25 | 4.16 | 56/44 |
Rancho RS55241 (Rear) Pre-Tuck | 13.69 | 21.69 | 8 | 5.75 | 2.25 | 72/28 |
Rancho RS55241 (Rear) Post-Tuck | 13.69 | 21.69 | 8 | 6.15 | 1.85 | 77/23 |
Rancho RS55256 (Rear) | 15.06 | 24.68 | 9.62 | 4.75 | 4.87 | 49/51 |
Up potential is the exposed shock shaft length at ride height. I doubt i get the 4.75 up with other clearance issues. I'm going to hang on to the 241s for now.