tworley

Auto club
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Joined
May 23, 2018
Messages
8,266
Location
Arvada, CO
I thought I would document my build thread here. I am a member over on WF and JF but was told this is a pretty active and technical place. I hope you dont mind seeing things twice.

As it is today (11/15/22):
4" Currie Coils
1.25" JKS Body Lift
Metalcloak control arms and trackbars
Savvy UA
Currie Currectlync (4340 version)
Currie Antirock
5.13s
ARB Air Lockers
Dana 44 rear axle with 3/16" axle brackets
High pinion Dana 30 with 3/16" axle brackets
Fox Remote Reservoir 12" travel shocks outboarded in the rear
10.7" Rancho shocks in the front
Sanden OBA
Custom Savvy/Genright-inspired Sliders

5C9C88F4-41B9-4B75-A9E4-014182C4BD3E (2).jpeg
 
Last edited:
There are quite a few smart and interested people over here.
 
I purchased this 97 Wrangler in July of 2014. I have always wanted a jeep and when I moved to CO several years ago I thought it would be the perfect place to start. I sold my 2011 Cummins due to sheer size and it being an inappropriate vehicle for downtown Denver. So far I think I made the right decision. This was a 2 owner vehicle. First being an older gentleman who only put 30k miles on. Second owner being a man in his late 40s who threw the 4" lift on and 35s. Purely for looks. When I looked at it there wasn't an ounce of rust anywhere nor a scratch to be found. It had 69k on the clock, a Dana 35 in the rear with 3.55 gearing, and a transfercase drop, not ideal but it was to clean to pass up.
Wrangler (1).JPG
 
First change was getting rid of the 35" tires. They were over 6 years old and clearly not meant to be on there just yet. I opted for 33" duratracs
Wrangler (6).JPG


I drove around like this for a few months, doing research and planning the next stages of my build. I figured if I wanted to do any rock crawling here in CO I would need to upgrade the dana 35. At that time I was looking for a Super 35 but they were pretty much non existent (RG&A hadnt come into the market yet, superior had been shut down for quite awhile already). I kept an eye on the forums, craigslist, ebay and scoured daily. I finally found a member on WF who mentioned he was selling his Rubi Dana 44 with OEM locker in a few weeks, it was a subtle comment that nobody really jumped at since it wasnt in a FS thread, or WTB. I messaged him, found out he was only 45 min from me, and made a deal. He even helped me out with the install.
IMG_2408.JPG


In order to lose the transfer case drop (I was more excited about that then the actual axle) I needed a set of control arms, track bar, and an SYE. He referred me to metalcloak and I made the jump for a set up uppers, lowers, and long travel track bar. I also had an Advance Adapters SYE Installed.
 
What happened to the rear disc brakes on the Rubicon Dana 44 axle? Did you swap them out for drums instead?

Good choice on the 33" Duratracs as well, that's what I've been running for years. I love them!
 
What happened to the rear disc brakes on the Rubicon Dana 44 axle? Did you swap them out for drums instead?

Good choice on the 33" Duratracs as well, that's what I've been running for years. I love them!

I swapped my drums over from my Dana 35 to lower the price on the axle as a whole, along with running the stock 44 shafts. He was building a new 44 with brackets clocked to accommodate a 241 tcase.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
I haven't had the courage to do the v-notch on Wheeler yet. My first time out, I watched Chad fall in and drive up it sideways.
 
Wheeler Lake trail finally did my current superlift shocks in. They had no rebound or resistance whatsoever. The bar pin bushings had disintegrated and the shocks were rattling around like crazy. I put in a set of Bilstien 5100s based on 4" lift. Had I known then what I know now I would have done that differently, I would have bought shocks based on my bumpstops, interference issues, coil bind, etc... But they work for now.. The purchase of new shocks motivated me to get the front axle dialed in. New goodies from Metalcloak

20150904_125543.jpg


For 2016 I made a big change and dove deeper into the world of modifications. I purchased the Savvy Under Armor and gas tank skid. The old OE skid had me hung up plenty of times and I decided to change that. With this came the UA, GTS, JKS 1.25 BL, and 1" JKS MML. This mod taught me how everything works in unison and how bumpstops play a major role in everything. This issue arose after the tuck:
20160521_164729.jpg


My axle was rotated so far back that my shocks were contacting my coil springs. My driveshaft was also binding at full droop
 
I made a few phone calls back and forth with Hosejockey (WF Member), we decided to shave the axle completely, and install 3/16" brackets clocked to accommodate the angles along with performing a rear spring perch relocation. Had help from Hosejockey, UnlimitedLJ04, jjvw, and CO_HOLLIDAY (all WF Members). A very very long weekend.
20160702_143053.jpg


20160702_123021.jpg


My favorite part, free labor.
IMG_20160702_122017700_HDR_zpspr0fqckt.jpg


No longer recognizable
IMG_20160702_155124478_zpsmbxkyfur.jpg
 
I went with Rubicon Express axle brackets as a replacement. 3/16". They werent the cheapest, but they fit the tubes well, and mounted to the CAs and trackbar perfectly (I lost that photo...)

After all this work the only issue that remained was my driveshaft was just barely binding still at full droop. The only way to resolve it was to opt for a JB conversions super short SYE and have my current DC shaft lengthened. That install was easy following the directions from Stu Offroad.

Advanced Adapters SYE on the left, JB Conversions Super Short on the right.

20160804_083727.jpg


20160804_102201.jpg


And my old DC shaft lengthened to 19"

20160831_180123.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMT
I was enjoying my new mods and glad to be back in action.

I was leaving work and shifted into 3rd, my thumb knocked the locker switch and I engaged the rubi locker around 35-40 mph. Since this was a transplant axle, I didnt have any sensors or protection other than the on/off switch to activate the locker. I quickly shut it back off but didnt hear anything that alarmed me. Later that night I started making slow maneuvers around the neighborhood and could feel and hear a hard jolt and pop. Something was binding inside. Cracked the cover and found this

IMG952016080595110901749.jpg


IMG952016080595110907595.jpg

Several teeth at the bottom of the case. We think it may have been the inner spider gears. Though I never confirmed it. Obviously it wasnt working.
 
Last edited: