#FabSpace

[lilscorpion]

Quality work as always Matt! Happy New Year!

Thanks Mike, Happy New Year to you and your family as well!

 

[lilscorpion]

With the upper shock mounts now frenched into the frame, I have what I need to finalize the rear suspension. More or less, everything has been eye-ball mocked up so I could get the necessary reference measurements but now it’s time to work the final numbers and lock things in.



We start with the rear coil buckets. The ones here were the ones supplied with the Dynatrac axle. Though they’re nice units, the coil locator is set back further than it needs to be so it can come off. Just a few tac welds held it in place anyway.



After a little clean up, the new coils drop in place. Andrew starts jacking up the rear diff so we can set ride-height. This will be critical as all measurements require using ride-height as the baseline. If the suspension has a reasonable geometry, We should be able to set the coil buckets in a way that allows the spring and bump stop to stay mostly straight and square to each other during full cycle, full extension, and full compression.

Now if you’ve never set a rear double triangulated suspension on a creeper (essentially your back) before, then you may not really get how much what we’re about to do *****. I’ve decided to call “Jack-a-thon 2020”. Throughout the course of this process of finalizing the coil bucket locations, adjusting the upper and lower control arms, and deciding on the angle in which the truss must sit on the housing, Andrew and I will likely jack the diff up and down somewhere between 20 and 100 times (no kidding). I don’t actually know because I usually start cracking open beers about the time I think I can’t take it anymore and that’s usually between 20 and 40 (up and downs, not beers).



Experience tells me that I’ll need to have the coil buckets about 2-4 degrees tilted forward at ride height in order to have the bumps square up to the coil buckets at full compression which is what the goal should be if you want your springs to load correctly. Of course this depends on your suspension geometry. In this case the uppers are longer than the lowers which means to me that the pinion will climb as the suspension cycles. Here’s the moment in time where the devil part comes into the saying “devil’s in the details”. Here’s what we should do - we *should* cut the control arm mounts off the truss and move them forward the 1/2” that they could move forward. We *should* cut the upper control arm brackets off of the rear frame-side cross-member and move them forward about 1”. Those to adjustments would make the suspension track almost perfectly in the rear of the jeep causing the pinion to remain almost neutral across the entire cycle of the suspension which is what you want. But, in this case, we’re not going to do it. The rear cross-member is powder coated. Making the necessary adjustments would cost us weeks in time to get back to where we are with much re-work. The rear upper control arm mounts on the truss have been welded all the way around (inside too). Cutting them off would likely ruin them. Getting new ones would also likely take us weeks. At this point, we just don’t have the time to let perfect be the enemy of good. Given we’re in acceptable range, and we ain’t desert racing this jeep, we’ll press forward.

So finalizing the coil buckets. With the coil buckets set at my starting point, I tac them in place.



Cant dis-regard the pinion angle this early in the game. If I get it set kinda close, I’ll be able to get an initial idea where the tires fit within the wheel wells. Now to be clear, I did not zero the angle finder mostly because the angle itself doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I net between 1 and 3 degrees difference between the driveshaft and pinion angle.



Not bad for a starting point. Looks like the driveshaft is just over 1 degree down. We’re targeting somewhere between 2 and 3 degrees down.



Upper control arms are removed from the truss side and lengthened one full rotation (they’re 1” x 12tpi so one rotation is about 80-some thousands) which should get me about a degree. And it does.



Visual reference shows that the coil bucket is located perfectly under the bump stop. That’s promising.



visual reference shows the truss sitting just forward of the gas tank/rear cross-member. It’s really really close but a few degrees forward of where we want it. My preference is to be perpendicular to the ground at ride-height but I’ll settle for whatever the angle is such that it just barely (read so just barely) clears the cross-member.



Quick check on the driver’s side shows the coil buckets is just forward of the bump so something isn’t square. Since the arms are the same length and the rear cross-member is located by the bump stops and squared to the frame, it’s most likely that one of the two upper coil buckets is off a fraction. No matter, we’ll center the tire in the wheel well and get to square, the coil can move around some.



With reference points, I can now cycle the suspension and see where the tires sit within the wheel wells. This is the fun (wicked repetitive) part.



Visually, and at a distance, they look very close however on inspection, the passenger’s side is almost perfect. In front of the passenger’s side tire >>



To the rear of the passenger’s side tire >>



I’ll spare you all of the gory details but I assure you, the next few hours likely looked no different from those watching from the street. Garage door opens, the jeep gets jacked up, we take a measurement, the jack gets lowered, the garage door closes. Now the reason why it’s so difficult all has to do with how a double triangulated suspension works. The lowers set the distance of the diff but as one or the other changes length, the diff shifts in both of the wheel well housings in the process. We’re probably doing it the hard way. e.g. we know we want to move the diff back 1/4” in the wheel well. The threaded assemblies on the arms are 1 1/4” x 12tpi. The flex joint on the end of the arm has a grease fitting on one side which has to go up so we can only rotate the flex end full turns. One full rotation = 1/12 = .083. So ever time I rotate the end a full rotation, the arm gets longer by .083”. To figure out the number of rotations I need, just divide .250 by .083 = 3.012…or 3 full rotations.

As I get close, I need a better way to measure the difference (in front compared to back). My eyes ain’t as good as they used to be so I’ve started using inanimate objects to help compensate. Here’s where we ended up on both sides. In front of the tire >>



Behind >>



In regards to the differential being centered in the Jeep side to side, I’m just short if 1/32” biased to the passengers side. Pinion angle ended up down 2.5 degrees and the truss is tilted forward at 4.7 degrees which just barely clears the upper crossmember now by maybe 3/16”.



We’re incredibly happy (read: kinda shocked) that we were able to get the rear end centered in all ways almost perfectly. To be completely transparent, I did have to hear Andrew say things like “how many more times do we need to do this?” and “Isn’t it close enough?” more than 2 dozen times during the process but (to me) it was worth taking the extra time to get it right. Should help me sleep at night (seriously). Now that we like where it is, I take a moment to tighten up all the jam nuts on the control arms. You can lean into it with everything you have an it’s not enough but I’m confident they’re not going anywhere.



After all of that, now we an set the final location of the lower coil buckets. We start by picking a side, any side and focus just on it. We install the bump stops again (yes, the factory height bumps is the right length amazingly) and jack up the diff until it’s into the bumps.



Here, no math is necessary but that doesn’t mean it’s not somewhat of a science. If the suspension had perfect geometry, it the bump could be centered at this step and we’d be good. Problem is, the arms aren’t perfectly proportional through the full differential range of motion so the bumps hit differently when we cycle the suspension side to side. Based on my calculations the uppers need to be more than 1” shorter in order to be considered “ideal”. Since we’re really past the point of diminished return (we’d wreck powder coating and have to re-do countless hours of cycling and adjusting), we’re going to avoid letting good be the enemy of perfect and move forward. I decide to make things a little easier by using some tech.



I use this leveling laser most frequently for installing cabinets and to help the wife hang pictures but it works fabulously in situations like this too.



I can now cycle the suspension left to right, up and down until I get the buckets exactly where they need to be. Probably half a dozen times total on the driver’s side and I have a good grasp on how the differential moves during flat and articulated cycling. I’ll set them nearly perfectly aligned at ride-height but bias them a little to ensure full contact when cycled.



We settle with .7 degrees tilted forward at full stuff and the puck biased towards the middle .5”. This placement gives the bump full contact at all angles. A few tax welds saves things for finish welding.



Originally we thought the factory bumps were perfect but we found that they squish just a little and, when they do, the truss hat comes in contact with the floor. The sound is interesting. Kinda like a slow motion car crash. Since I didn’t expect it, I pumped the jack 2 more times before I connected the dots. When I said “oh”, Andrew got all freaked out…



Now honestly. For this to even happen, Andrew would need to “land hard” such that the suspension travels perfectly square up 5 total inches. We may only need about half an inch space but we’ll come back for it later. Checking other clearances, this is the only other spot that anything comes even close - the upper arms still have about 3/8” where the tub steps up at the bed. Though this makes the exhaust a little challenging, there’s plenty of room.



And now full extension. With the jack at its lowest point, we get an idea of just how much travel we’ll get unloaded. We may get more than this (obviously the jack bottoming out doesn’t prove anything) but the driveshaft angle indicates that maybe that should be the bottom no mater what.



Though I suspect this much travel will be too much for the shocks and driveshaft, it’s probably close to where max will be. Once we get the shocks we’ll come back and do this again and measure for (down travel) limit straps.



The next hour or so is spent burning things home and time is taken for cooking between welds as to not taco the diff.



Bag it, time for painting the frame and undercoating the wheel wells.



Now because we didn’t plan well, we have to clean the wheel wells by hand so we can undercoat them. Fortunately for us they weren’t very dirty. Still it’s a dumb task that just has to be done. During the process were reminded how clean this tub was…’twas a good choice.



’Tis the season to be undercoating, fa la la la la, la la la la.



Undercoating may just be the cheapest and easiest way to make a significant visual difference in the finish of a vehicle. The 3M stuff costs maybe $20 a can but, when layered correctly, leaves a beautiful finish…the feeling of new.



With all of the brackets welded on now, we give all bare metal surfaces a coat of self etching primer, the final step in finishing the rear-end. With this step behind us, now we’re looking forward to getting the gas tank re-installed.



Happy New Year!

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Beautiful work! Definitely enjoying your write ups.

 

[jhn9840]

Your work is absolutely fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to share the detail.

jhn9840
John

 

[Southern83]

Awesome job. It's a very well thought out build.

 

[lilscorpion]

The Jeep project is nearing completion but we have a few larger mechanical tasks that have to be done before it’ll see it’s first trip around the block - today we finally got around to pulling the TCase and installing the Slip Yolk Eliminator.

The OEM solution in the Jeep TJ/LJ format has a rear slip yoke style which has a long splined output on the transfer case and the driveshaft changes lengths as the suspension cycles by sliding along it. This is the tcase that came in the Jeep which we need to install the SYE and then swap into the Jeep so I can give back the one I borrowed from a friend for setting up the suspension.



With 4” of lift in the rear the Jeep will have a fairly short rear driveshaft so any additional length we can get is a good thing. One way to accomplish additional driveshaft length is a Slip Yolk Eliminator which converts to TCase to a much stubbier fixed rear yolk. The SYE replaces the rear output shaft and hat on the tcase to accomplish that and to do so, we have to open her up to remove the shaft.



Since we’ve not pulled the speedo gear yet, we need to take note of the color.



This is how we’ll adjust the speedo to be accurate with the larger tire-size and new gear ratio. Speedo comp isn’t complicated conceptually. There are charts published which can tell you exactly which gear to get but there is a trick - you need to figure out your tire’s actual size and use that instead of it’s marked size. In our case we’re running 40” tires. If we plugged the tire-size and our differential gear ratio into the charge below (green), we’d see we need a 35 tooth gear. But if we measure our tires loaded with vehicle weight at the tire pressure we intend to run (on the road), we end up with a 38.5” tall tire. When entering it into the chart below we find we need a 36 tooth gear.



Knowing we need a 36 tooth gear, we now cross-reference it in the Chrysler Speedo parts list and find we need Chrysler part # 52067636 for correct calibration.



This guy...though hardly “red”.



Andrew starts by removing the rear output shaft hat. We knocked off the seal and removed a few stubborn clips before he got into splitting the case. Since the clips were stubborn even when you have the right tools, we opted to not take pictures since there’s a good chance you’d be able to read lips and know exactly what we were saying in the moment.



With the hat off, we expose the oiler ring which we disconnect from the pickup tube and remove.



Andrew then zips out all of the case bolts one at a time. It’s fun watching him enjoy the process.



A little tap tap and the case split easily. I have a bench (I’d been posting up about on my other Tooling Reorganization thread) that I’ve not yet gotten around to building which was designed with the intent of doing work like this and now I’m bummed it’s not done. This bench has dog holes in it so I can clamp fixtures down (mostly for woodworking). These holes are PEFECT for letting fluids drip through the bench and make a huge mess. We use the blue shop towels to create somewhat of a catch for the fluid but it only kinda worked…we pressed on.



After removing the chain we had 2 more clips to remove before we could move the gears to the new shaft. The new shaft snown balancing on the shorter output is now ready to go in with minimal handling.



A little “Right Stuff’ and it flys back together. We did have a few moments where it took both of us to get the fluid pickup dropped nicely in it’s slot while maintaining it’s connection into the slinger but with 4 hands instead of two, we figured it out fairly quickly.



All that’s left is to slam in the yoke and it’s ready to install.



I thought I’d grab a few shots with the phone and while doing so I also used the camera to see the head of the nut instead of having to do it like I used to - by feel. That was kinda cool.



There it is installed and (mostly) ready to go. Kinda ***** it has ****** fluid all over it but it’s too cold outside to wash it of before re-installing it so we’ll leave that for a warmer day.



With the tcase re-installed we reinstalled the driveshaft and checked to make sure that the driveshaft angle is the same. Should be since this tcase is the same model as the previous one.

With that done, we look forward to the next step -
The gas tank.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

It's funny you documented the SYE process as I was just thinking about it the other day. When I was 16, basically your son's age, this was so intimidating, but every lifted Jeep guy had to deal with the NP231 at one point or another. My dad isn't mechanical, so all I had to go off of was the black and white photo instructions. It's funny to look back at now as this is such an easy process, especially with the various guides people have put together online. No doubt you've been teaching your son mechanics his whole life, but I guarantee he will remember this SYE kit install and he will be more comfortable taking on driveline projects in the future as a result.

 

[lilscorpion]

It's funny you documented the SYE process as I was just thinking about it the other day. When I was 16, basically your son's age, this was so intimidating, but every lifted Jeep guy had to deal with the NP231 at one point or another. My dad isn't mechanical, so all I had to go off of was the black and white photo instructions. It's funny to look back at now as this is such an easy process, especially with the various guides people have put together online. No doubt you've been teaching your son mechanics his whole life, but I guarantee he will remember this SYE kit install and he will be more comfortable taking on driveline projects in the future as a result.

I’m completely with you. The world has changed. I actually had Andrew research the SYE install online before we did it. As a result I think the process was clearer in his mind than mine and he just walked through the steps only asking questions a few times. His confidence is certainly building though he’s in sore need of experience but time solves that for those who remain interested. When we were kids it took schooling, a mentor, or trial and error to get it done.

He wasn’t really very interested in coming out into the shop until he was the direct benefactor of the project. A few years ago he came out and together we made him a bed. I’d say he was half engaged. This time is totally different. His friends all drive jeeps now and understanding how they work has giving him an advantage over most of those in his group and others who collect at the local hangouts. He processes things that are said and then asks me questions so he can fill in his knowledge gaps. The more he understands, the more confident he feels in the crowd he hangs with. There’s now a reward that motivates him beyond just driving a cool Jeep.

 

[zmotorsports]

She's coming along fantastic Matt.

I hear ya on good (within spec) vs. perfect. Sometimes that's a tough call.

I noticed the snow on the ground in the background and Andrew in shorts and that alone made me chilled.

 

[4 FN 27]

Awesome craftsmanship!!!

 

[lilscorpion]

She's coming along fantastic Matt.

I hear ya on good (within spec) vs. perfect. Sometimes that's a tough call.

I noticed the snow on the ground in the background and Andrew in shorts and that alone made me chilled.

Thanks Mike. Truth he told, Andrew wears shorts mostly because the garage stays a mild 68* while we’re working in there. On those days where we keep opening the garage though he pays for it. That day was as cold as you were guessing, he was freezing his *** off while the door was open.

 

[rattle_snake]

Nice work on all the Jeep mods. Quite a project. Keep up the good work.

 

[gearhead1960]

Thanks Mike. Truth he told, Andrew wears shorts mostly because the garage stays a mild 68* while we’re working in there. On those days where we keep opening the garage though he pays for it. That day was as cold as you were guessing, he was freezing his *** off while the door was open.

A little discomfort will make him appreciate what he has or doesn't have. I remember having to do a clutch on the ground in sub-freezing temps when I was in college. To this day, I hate working in cold weather.

 

[zmotorsports]

A little discomfort will make him appreciate what he has or doesn't have. I remember having to do a clutch on the ground in sub-freezing temps when I was in college. To this day, I hate working in cold weather.

I know what you mean Mark. I started working in my parent's carport on their house with my little Craftsman toolbox in the back of my SUV back in the early 80's. In my dad's workshop I had two 55-gallon drums with a piece of plywood as a work bench and in the cold months I was bundled up in my insulated coveralls. I told my son he doesn't have a clue how easy and nice he has it to be able to work in a climate controlled shop even if it's sub-zero temps outside.

I think I'm definitely spoiled nowadays.

 

[rattle_snake]

..I think I'm definitely spoiled nowadays.

Uh, ya, just a little bit
but you earned it.

I did a 231 SYE mod outside in my driveway for a buddy. Good times!

 

[gearhead1960]

I know what you mean Mark. I started working in my parent's carport on their house with my little Craftsman toolbox in the back of my SUV back in the early 80's. In my dad's workshop I had two 55-gallon drums with a piece of plywood as a work bench and in the cold months I was bundled up in my insulated coveralls. I told my son he doesn't have a clue how easy and nice he has it to be able to work in a climate controlled shop even if it's sub-zero temps outside.

I think I'm definitely spoiled nowadays.

Ha Ha Mike, early 80's was when I was doing that clutch and my tools were Made in Japan metric tools from K-Mart. I still have some of them today and looking at them, they were surprisingly well made..... Those were the days when we didn't give a sh*t about where we worked on cars, we loved it anyway and it saved us money we didn't have....

Matt, sorry to hijack your thread.....

 

[lilscorpion]

A few weeks ago, after getting the read suspension dialed in, we attempted to quickly get the tank back in at the end of the day only to learn that a stock tank would not, could not, and likely should not fit in a stretched LJ that also has 1-ton axles. It was a design oversight on my part hook line and sinker.



In the middle of the holiday bustle, we got an aftermarket tank ordered from GenRight and it arrived just after we returned home from our Christmas Trip. It’s one of those boxes that the fedex guy leaves in the truck until he’s sure you’re home.



They seriously package these tanks. Multiple extreme duty plastic bags taped meticulously as though it was vacuum sealed.



These tanks aren’t cheap but they are works of art. Everything is setup ready to install (or as far as they could get it.



A picture of the rear of the tank.



Andrew and I couldn’t stop looking at the welds. There is someone, somewhere, who can weld like a boss. Dimes every time spaced almost perfectly. A skill I wish to have someday.



Inside the tank there are baffles. Wish I could watch one go together.



Side by side comparison of the two tanks. The new one is a full 4 1/2” narrower and only 1/2 gallon smaller. Weight-wise the aluminum tank is about the same weight...maybe just a little heavier. GenRight did a good job simplifying the manufactures way too complicated design. Notable differences that I’ll need to work through: (green) I’ll need to re-use the return/evap system line. The new take has no provisions for it. (Red arrows above) the clocking of the fitting is about 12 minutes out of phase with how the factory one is. Since I have to re-use the hose, and the factory hoes is rigid, it will need to be reconfigured. (Red arrows below) The filler neck breather runs on the right side on the old tank and on the left side on the new tank. A slightly longer hose will save that problem. I’m not sure why they ran the filler neck so far back on the tank. Though I know it will fit inside the tub, there’s no fitment issues if it were to move forward a few inches so that the breather could be where it is on the stock tank. There’s probably a reason for placement I’m not aware of.



2005 - 2006 Jeep TJ/LJ’s have a different style fuel pump assembly than the older jeeps which I’m more familiar with. Benefit of having this later-model tank is that the aftermarket tanks are more expensive as a result (my perspective). The GenRight tank re-uses the green o-ring and internal pump assembly. Good thing, looks like something out of the matrix on contrast to the older stuff (internal pump with pickup tube and fuel sock).



Thought this part was interesting. The factory tank has a molded in sump and the pump assembly has this little cup-like thing which itself is a sump and large object filter (of sorts). Once out of the tank it took about 30 seconds to fully drain.



Since it’s going to take us a few evenings to get the tank in, we decided to transfer the fuel from the tank into a can so we can work on and with tanks that are completely empty. We only got about 4 gallons out of the tank but doing so made it much more manageable. When we tried to install it with only 4 gallons it made it significantly more difficult to balance and shift it around on the jack.



As we worked through swapping the rest of the parts, we found that we only needed to re-use the line that goes to the evaporative canister. To remove it from the tank we needed to use one of these (not so) fancy fuel line removal tools. I’ve had this kit for about 18 years and I think I’ve used it one time.



The tool slips around the tubing and relates the dual prongs of the quick-connect.



Little o-ring inside the coupler makes it kinda hard to push off but with a little persistence, it does eventually come off.



First stab at re-configuring the line. I’ve run the return line behind the pump assembly and switched the T to re-orient the connector to be in approximately in the same location. Knowing I’ve moved the Evap Canister back in the wheel well 4” (or so) I’ll need as much leash as I can get. Without having it in the vehicle, this is as good a starting place as any.



We finished swapping over all fo the other hoses and installed the new filler neck hose. This is something I purchased for the Jeep some time ago as a fix for the check valve that has seized in the factory tank. The factory in-tank check valve seizing is a common failure caused by modern gas. Once the valve seizes, the tank burps and blows back into you when you fill up. *****.



This GM filler hose has a check valve mid-hose which would fix that.



We cut the new filler hose to the same length as the factory fill tube and leave the new breather hose uncut. Since we had so much extra, it didn’t make sense to guess here so we’ll wait until it’s in to ensure it’s long enough.



Andrew then tightened the fuel pump retention ring while I held it index correctly. We had left ourselves two red markings earlier on to ensure alignment. My job was nothing more than to keep the red arrow on the pump assembly pointing at the little red dot on the tank.



Here it is finalized and ready to go in the jeep.



Next up is to drill the mounting holes in the frame. GenRight no longer uses the suspended mounting system that Jeep has used forever like on our factory tank.



Now the use through-bolts which mount to ears they added to the tank.



Last time in and out. We’ll get it mounted where we want it, I’ll mark the frame, we’ll remove the tank, and drill the mounting holes.



Previously we had about 2” of interference. Now I think we have about 3” of room. There’s no way the differential cover will come in contact with the gas tank skid. We might even be able to use the space for other things in the future. Not sure what yet but having the option open is kinda cool.



After marking the holes, Andrew removed the tank so I could crawl under, center punch, and drill the holes.



The inside of the frame rail gets a hole the size of the frame sleeve (9/16”) and the outside gets a hole 7/16” in diameter.



This kinda *****. Given I had no choice where the tank would mount, there was no way I could prevent a hole in the rear shock mounts. The bolt will be behind the shock so no one will likely see it anyway.



Crush sleeve concept is exactly like we did with the side plates in the front suspension side-plates - they allow the bolt to crush inside the frame without the frame con-caving and the bolt becoming loose down the road.



The sleeves provided are long enough to go through a full width frame so I’ll have to mark them and then narrow them to the length we need.



As luck would have it, I can make both sides out of one of the sleeves they provided. When this happens it makes me really happy because it leaves me with material I can save for future project OR if I screw up, I have extra to make another. When the tank is right where we want it, the sleeve on the driver’s side needs to be 1 1/4 and the sleeve on the passenger’s side needs to be 1” exactly. To make it easy on us, I’ll make the driver’s side just a hair shorter and let bolts put the mounting tabs under a little tension.



I parted the tube in the right spot leaving me one piece at exactly 1” and the other just under 1 1/4”.



I gave each a slight chamfer to break the edge. No facing was necessary.



Andrew puts the tank back in for the final time and the forward mounting bolts are installed.



After getting all of the lines and evaporative canister hooked up, Andrew starts working on the filler neck assembly. Unfortunately we managed to lose the screws so it took us almost an hour of looking for some that would suffice. As we got the neck installed, we learned that our fancy no blow-back hose wasn’t going to work. The lack of a formed curve in the tube combined with the internal check valve made the hose too straight and made it impossible to attach the bezel to the corner. Dang it, we need to use the factory filler hose.



No normally I take the extra time to remove the factory parts carefully so that I have them should I find I need them later (ya know, like right now). Unfortunately, when we took out the factory tank, I chose to cut the hose when attempting to get it to release from the filler neck leaving it with about 1” of unusable hose so I cut it off in hopes it was just long enough to get the job done.



Unfortunately it’s now too short by an inch so we uninstalled the filler assembly and set it aside until I can locate a new filler hose hopefully tomorrow. This has to be a dealer stocked part. Hopefully.

 

[Boosted1]

Enjoying the updates.
Your tank install seems to be going like most of my projects...
"This should bolt right in" after overcoming half a dozen obstacles.

 

[zmotorsports]

That Genright tank is down right ****!!!!

 

[lilscorpion]

Enjoying the updates.
Your tank install seems to be going like most of my projects...
"This should bolt right in" after overcoming half a dozen obstacles.

We’ve had quite a few roadblocks on this project. At one point Andrew got frustrated when we learned that where we relocated the factory washer tank was exactly where the PSC power steering reservoir needed to be. He said “I wish we would have just done a simple 4-inch lift and been done with it. I’d be driving it already”.

To that I replied - “dude, we’re building a custom rig using a mountain of products that are designed to be used universally on many different model years all of which require tweaks and adjustments to work with the other parts we’ve used the specific way you and undecided to use them. ”

 

[zmotorsports]

We’ve had quite a few roadblocks on this project. At one point Andrew got frustrated when we learned that where we relocated the factory washer tank was exactly where the PSC power steering reservoir needed to be. He said “I wish we would have just done a simple 4-inch lift and been done with it. I’d be driving it already”.

To that I replied - “dude, we’re building a custom rig using a mountain of products that are designed to be used universally on many different model years all of which require tweaks and adjustments to work with the other parts we’ve used the specific way you and undecided to use them. ”

Funny you mentioned that Matt. My son and I had the exact same discussion but it was the other way around.

Last year when we cut the entire undercarriage out from under his WJ and started building his long-arm suspension and then again when we were trying to build the bumper and do the tank tuck I was getting frustrated because it didn't fit into "my" schedule. I questioned why he sold a perfectly fine LJ that was lifted and done and ready to drive for one that we would have to build from scratch nearly everything. He simply replied "because the LJ looked liked every else's LJ and I wanted something completely unique that I could call my own". That's when I got it.

 

[gearhead1960]

He simply replied "because the LJ looked liked every else's LJ and I wanted something completely unique that I could call my own". That's when I got it.

Mike,
Our kids all have their own unique perspective on the world and that includes the vehicles we drive. It reminds me of my own thoughts as a younger man about why my parents couldn't understand my choices. I guess the shoe is now on the other foot.....

 

[lilscorpion]

Funny you mentioned that Matt. My son and I had the exact same discussion but it was the other way around.

Last year when we cut the entire undercarriage out from under his WJ and started building his long-arm suspension and then again when we were trying to build the bumper and do the tank tuck I was getting frustrated because it didn't fit into "my" schedule. I questioned why he sold a perfectly fine LJ that was lifted and done and ready to drive for one that we would have to build from scratch nearly everything. He simply replied "because the LJ looked liked every else's LJ and I wanted something completely unique that I could call my own". That's when I got it.

I’d feel the same way as you Mike. Even though I do enjoy the process, if you already got one done and paid for, building another does seem wasteful and more like work that the first...even if you’re starting a family.

 

[lilscorpion]

After getting the rear-end completely dialed in, we started working on the steering by getting the new power steering pump and reservoir installed. During the pump install we had to remove the serpentine belt and when we removed the belt we found that the fan was hard into the lower fan shroud. Glad we caught it, had we fired the jeep with the fan like this we might have made a mess.

Before we get into the fix, let’s rewind 2 months so it’s clear how we got here - one of the features of the long arm suspension were running is that it had an extremely high belly pan. A consequence of the additional clearance is the transmission mount gets raised in the chassis. The drivetrain is attached to the chassis in only 2 places, with motor mounts on either side of the motor and just under the transfer case.



In the case of our lift, if we change the height of the transfer case (green rectangle) the motor mounts (red circle) serve as the fulcrum and any effective change is reversed on the front of the motor.



Typically suspension kits come with a motor mount lift to compensate. If you raise it an inch at the belly pan, you should be able to raise it an inch at the motor mounts. This should result in no net change.



When we put the lift kit on, and went to install the motor mount lift, we found that the previous owner had already done one using a different kit made by a different manufacture so we left it alone. (Mistake #1 - if the motor needed a 1-inch engine lift with a stock belly pan, I should have figured out why)



We know that whatever the PO has going on here isn’t going to work for us so we might as well get the motor mounts out and on the bench. To me this is **** wrenching. In order to see I have to be directly under the motor mount…which is where all of the grease is. Any time I bump anything, grease falls in my face. If the timing is right, I’m mid-cussword, mouth open, and I get to taste it. To make it more fun, this one bolt is perfectly positioned such that you can’t get a socket or a wrench on it. I do have crowfoot wrenches so I put one on the end of an extension to get it up in there.



Even with my longer ratchet I can’t seem to break the nut loose. Ok, I’ll hit it once with my medium cordless impact. Nope, I’ll try my large cordless impact. Nope…Andrew, get me my Ingersoll Rand 1/2 air impact. Air compressor is empty. . Once the air compressor has had a few minutes to catch up, I hit it. Thud, thud, thud…click. At first I thought I broke the crows foot but it turned out that the bolt loosened and the crow foot had just hit the side of the motor mount. Now 1/16th of a turn at a time, I work the nut out. Couldn’t have taken longer. For the record, the other side came of in like 2 seconds.



Jumped out from under the Jeep and zipped out the upper bolts on either side. Locking extensions are the ****.



Ok, now we can put everything in front of us and come up with a plan. Our lift kit came with a set of taller motor mounts which were supposed to be 1-inch taller than stock. This set is made by M.O.R.E. and measures just under 3.2-inches tall..



Factory mounts measure in at just under 2-inches tall. Interesting, the M.O.R.E units are actually 1.2” taller.



Let’s look at the motor mount lift that was installed in the jeep already. The concept of this kit is to reuse the stock motor mounts and stack them on a 1” spacer. The problem they encountered was that the bolt on the factory motor mount wasn’t long enough to make it through their spacer so they machined a stub/extender to handle it.



Net result should (conceptually) be the same.



For us to be hard into the radiator, something else must be off. I didn’t really get a good look at the belly pan that we pulled off of the jeep before we threw it out (Mistake #2 - keep the stock parts until you’re done done) so I don’t know if there was some kind of correction built into it or not. What I do know is that there’s about 2-inches of clearance at the top of the fan shroud and 0 at the bottom so the fan needs to come up approximately 1-inch (mistake #3 - should have done the math, a 1” correction would only work if the transferase had been raised 2” as well).

Armed with the notion that 1-inch of correction should work, the most obvious solution was to make sure the motor has enough clearance around it to move up 1 more inch and stack the two motor mount lift kits. Noticed that on the passenger’s side block, it was actually in interference with the block and that’s why it was so hard to get the nut off. We’ll need to fix that.



Quick operation with a 1/2-inch end mill took off maybe .120 more than the damage.



Looks something like this now.



Should just fly together now…or no, the “extender” gizmo isn’t deep enough for the bolt on the new motor mounts.



Ok, let’s make it 1/4-inch shorter.



There, better



Screws together beautifully.





With the extender on, we can now ad the 1-inch spacer block.



With it all together, I now realize why I needed to clearance the 1-inch spacer block. Look here, M.O.R.E. actually has this clearance built into their motor mounts. Mine looks exactly same too. #NotInventedHere



Andrew and I dove under the Jeep, jacked up the motor, and slipped the mounts in place. Wouldn’t you know it, stacking two 1-inch motor mount lifts was too tall!! (Damn it). So what the hell...if we needed it to rise 1” to get it back to center, why did a 1” lift move it almost 1 3/4?!? It only took a second of standing there in disbelief before it hit me - oh hell, the whole drivetrain is attached at 2 points (tcase and motor mounts) and is pivoting at the t-case when I lift the motor.

We don’t know what has been modified so we don’t have a starting point of reference. We do know that a 1-inch motor mount lift isn’t enough and that a 2-inch motor mount lift is too much. We need to slow down and do the math. First I need to figure out where everything is. I measured “as the crow flies” from fan to motor mounts, motor mount to tcase mount, and tcase mount to rear yoke/output (17, 41, and 15 respectively).



Then I measured from the floor to the motor mounts and then floor to tcase. Subtracting the two numbers allows me to figure out the difference in elevation between the tcase and the motor mounts (in my case, 5.5-inches). Using these measurements, I”m able to create two triangles which I can use to figure out angles. Calculator.net has a really cool triangle calculator which makes solving for the necessary angles extremely easy - https://www.calculator.net/triangle-calculator.html.

Using these three triangles, I can figure out how much motor mount lift we need to get the fan re-centered in the fan shroud (needs to come up .8” with the new M.O.R.E. motor mounts to be centered) and how that will impact our rear driveshaft angle (which we had set perfectly last weekend). I ran through the math using Calculator.net and Andrew did the math on paper in parallel checking my work. What we ended up with is the following:

- To center the fan in the shroud, we need a spacer .57” under the M.O.R.E. motor mounts.

- After adding that spacer, our output yolk will drop .84*. To compensate we’d need to shorten our control arms. Since we learned previously that adjusting 1 1/4” x 12TPI arms one revolution yields 1* driveshaft angle change, we now know we need to shorten our upper rear control arms each by one full revolution.

Andrew and I now switched to the debate of perfectly centering the fan or getting really damn close. We agreed that we’d go the direction the wind blows us. If I have some 1/2-inch aluminum, we’ll settle for .5-inch adjustment. If I don’t, and all I have is thicker, we’d make them exactly .57-inches. Man did I try to not find 1/2-inch plate but low and behold, I just happened to have a piece left over from a previous project that was perfect to make 2.



Got the pieces rough cut on the bandsaw.



First op on the mill is to square one side of each of the pieces, flip end for end against the stop, and square the second side to 4.5” long.



Followed by a .430 hole centered 1/2-inch in and then another 3.5-inches past the first one.



Just like the 1” spacers, only a little narrower.



After test fitting I noticed that the motor mounts themselves actually have a slot on one side. Huh, wonder what that’s for?! So we dove back under the Jeep and mounted them up again. Turns out that the mounts actually mount a little catty whompus (meaning angled) on either side and the bolts didn’t end up centered.



Back to the mill to turn one of the holes into a slot. If you don’t use stops to make parts, you should. Little tweaks and adjustments are stupid simple if you can get it back into the vise the same way every time. Saves time indicating every time which can be time consuming. Slots are .430” wide and 1” long so a quick slotting operation and we’re back in business.



Since we didn’t wreck the previous motor mount kit, I’ll save it for a rainy day (next build, don’t tell the wife).



With the spacer these bolts now aren’t long enough. Thankfully they weren’t long enough before we cut them either to go through a 1/2-inch spacer so we didn’t really hurt ourselves in the failed first attempt. As much as I liked the idea of using an extension, there’s really no way to make a bolt only 1/2” longer so the only fix is to replace the bolt itself.



A little precision cutting has the bolt free from the assembly process that confined it.



Need a metric bolt 1/2 (or 15mm) longer. Off to the store..

…back from the store. One thing about Murdoch’s here in Denver is they have a good selection of the grade 8.8 metric bolts so I knew I’d end up with one. The “drop” cut out of the slot gets beveled along with the slot and I use vise grips to ensure that they’re all aligned to each other and the gaps are equal.



After burning in the two grooves super hot, I grind down the weld so it’s flush. Ain’t gotta be pretty (no one will ever see them) but they can’t protrude or the motor mount won’t sit level.



The new bolt is now set in the motor mount just like it came from M.O.R.E.. Not sure anyone could tell.



Taped off the weld section and gave them a spray of POR 15. The welded area is the most rust resistant part of the motor mounts now.



Took us a little futsing around to get them back in but once we got the motor to sit right, everything more or less just fell in place.



So how did we do on centering the fan? Well we learned that Andrew likely mis-measured before I did the math. He said there was 1.6” above the fan when the bottom was touching (I didn’t verify). If I add up my new measurements, he should have measured 2”. I suspect it was maybe 1 7/8” and he misread the rule...but the mistake worked to our advantage leaving us with perfect results.

Top is just less than 1.2” blade to shroud.



Bottom is .8” blade to shroud.



Motor mounts/fan adjustment = DONE!!

 

[Growlertdi]

Nice process of elimination and figuring out your problems. its nice to have the tools to be able to just fab up new mounts and spacers as you need them. Andrew is getting quite the education on this project.

 

[Southern83]

Installing the motor mount lift was the most aggravating part of my TJ build. You described it perfectly. One side came apart easily, the other was a battle. My Jeep was bone stock and easier than what you went through.

 

[lilscorpion]

Nice process of elimination and figuring out your problems. its nice to have the tools to be able to just fab up new mounts and spacers as you need them. Andrew is getting quite the education on this project.

A couple of the machines I’ve collected over the years make a big difference when tackling projects as big as this. I’m grateful that my wife tolerates me taking up the garage space to keep them.

Initially I had hoped Andrew would learn a thing or two about vehicles in the process especially since the trade classes are no longer offered in public schools. It’s turned into quite a bit more throughout the build. I came home from work the other day and found him finishing up his first self-directed fab project. He’d found that the air box was interfering with a headlight ballast and decided to solve it himself. He used the cut-off wheel, trimmed the interfering piece off, shifted it forward to fill a void, and welded it back on. To do so he had to figure out how to set the voltage and wire speed on the welder...I was half relieved he didn’t hurt himself with the cutoff wheel and half impressed he did it all himself.

Installing the motor mount lift was the most aggravating part of my TJ build. You described it perfectly. One side came apart easily, the other was a battle. My Jeep was bone stock and easier than what you went through.

What really makes them so damn aggravating is the fact that you can clearly see them and the 3 bolts that hold them on, they’re easily accessible, (usually) no fabrication required, and you don’t need a manual to figure out how to remove them...easy. Not.

 

[zmotorsports]

Initially I had hoped Andrew would learn a thing or two about vehicles in the process especially since the trade classes are no longer offered in public schools. It’s turned into quite a bit more throughout the build. I came home from work the other day and found him finishing up his first self-directed fab project. He’d found that the air box was interfering with a headlight ballast and decided to solve it himself. He used the cut-off wheel, trimmed the interfering piece off, shifted it forward to fill a void, and welded it back on. To do so he had to figure out how to set the voltage and wire speed on the welder...I was half relieved he didn’t hurt himself with the cutoff wheel and half impressed he did it all himself.

Great job on the mod Matt. When we did my son's LJ it was virgin other than a bolt on Rough Country lift which we quickly eliminated. When we did the long-arm and tummy tuck I was trying to reinvent the wheel with the motor mount when I realized it was already thought out. We also used the M.O.R.E taller motor mounts but we didn't have the previous owner's mess to have to contend with like you did. Once we got it close we did still have to alter the fan shroud slightly but I ended up elongating the holes in the shroud and adjusting as needed and everything worked perfectly.

As for your teaching Andrew and wanting him to learn the skills necessary for a project like this, I can relate. ALL of the years of my son growing up while we were racing and building street rods, race cars, sand quads, sand rails and snowmobiles he was always at my side but I guess I just "assumed" he was taking it all in and I was teaching him. I later found out I may have been assuming wrong. While he did learn a lot it was no where near what I thought I was teaching. I came to the conclusion that as I was asking him to perform various tasks on all of these projects that maybe I wasn't actually teaching him and he was just completing the tasks that he was assigned.

It wasn't until he was out of high school and we were building his LJ that he took it serious and really wanted to learn not only the building aspect but also the machining and the welding portion. That knowledge really exploded into his future plans of being an engineer and his thirst for this knowledge really took off.

I watch him work now and I am so proud of not only how his mind works but also how safe he goes about using the shop equipment. I also see that there are glimpses of past projects that flash into his mind and he remembers how to do something from a project many, many years ago and now is able to apply it to something of his.

I sometimes wish I could go back and do a better job of teaching him by giving him more of the "why" behind various tasks rather than just telling him what needed to be done but at this point I just have to realize that we all learn things at different paces as well as different times in our lives when our interests align.

It's still a great experience working with our kids in the shop and creating memories.

 

[lilscorpion]

We also used the M.O.R.E taller motor mounts but we didn't have the previous owner's mess to have to contend with like you did. Once we got it close we did still have to alter the fan shroud slightly but I ended up elongating the holes in the shroud and adjusting as needed and everything worked perfectly.

This got me thinking Mike. Maybe I got it wrong - if you also had to modify/drop the lower part of the fan shroud, then maybe the 1.2” motor mount lift from MORE isn’t enough.

This reminds me of a gripe. For the first half of this build Andrew and I operated under the belief that parts that we were buying should fit out of the box. What we’ve learned is they rarely fit and frequently require modification to fit right. Right around half way through we stopped assuming they’d fit out of the box and instead “do the math” first and develop some educated guesses before we tried to install/follow the instructions. It almost eliminated hours of fighting the part while attempting to fit it the first time.

Which brings me to my second gripe - instructions from manufacturers in the off road industry almost always ****! They’re incomplete or they document an early version of the part or they document a different model of vehicle or they reference pieces or parts that no longer come in the kit.

We end up figuring these things out but sheesh...

 

[lilscorpion]

Friday Andrew got down to the Jeep dealership and picked up the filler hose. $41 of goodness it was. Bet it would be $16 at an autocrats store if I could have located it…oh well, we’re not messin’ around now, it’s a get ‘er done mode. What’s $15 anyways…



Slipped the filler neck up into the cavity from the bottom and connected the hose. This is the crapy view we had to work with from the filler neck hole looking in down at the tank.



Got it hooked up and the clamps tightened on both ends of the hose.



We then fastened the filler neck to the gas filler bezel and the bezel to the quarter panel.



Feels like big progress even after such little work. Fuel system done.

 

[lilscorpion]

I’m trying to crank out as many of these remaining fab-tasks as quickly as a I can so Andrew and I can keep rolling when we have time in the shop together. He’s not up yet so I thought I’d tackle fabricating the remaining steering parts. The drag link is one of those parts we need to get made before we can finish dialing in the front differential. It’s a fairly easy part once you have all the pieces, parts, and necessary tools. I start by removing driver’s side steering arm off of the Dynatrac front axle and (pre)drill. This allows for an easy final cut with the correct size drill.



And finish drill to the minor diameter of the GM 3/4-ton drag link ends we’re using.



Then the hole is tapered and test fit until I get the correct depth on the castle nut.



Same steps are needed on the pitman arm except some pre-work is needed. This is a PartsMike flat pitman arm that’s designed to be drilled by the customer to their length needs. In our case we need the shortest pitman arm they ever put on a Jeep to get the correct steering ratio with the steering arm on the Dana 60. We also can’t have the arm any longer than it absolutely has to be since we’re really really tight on space so here I’m machining off the extra.



The cast cuts nicely with a roughing end mill but I’m only bold enough to go about .200 per pass.



The tapering process is then repeated just like we did with the steering arm. The stuff cuts like butter compared to the steering arm. I step up the bit size to final just like before but I probably didn’t need to.



After cutting the taper to depth, the pitman and steering arm are re-installed in their respective locations. The pitman on the steering box is TIGHT. Think there’s less than .100 between it and the trac-bar. A little tight for my taste so I’ll have to take a little off before final install.



With both drag link ends installed in the arms, and the wheel straight, I’m able get a measurement for the Drag Link itself. In this case, it needs to be 24” long.



Now the actual fabrication part. I start by getting my indexing head set up on the mill.



I’ll cut just deep enough to define a hex but shallow enough that I leave about .100 of tube between. This gives a substantial profile to get a wrench on without compromising the integrity of the tubing (too much). 6 divisions gives me a nice hex.



Can’t sacrifice the finish work for speed so I program and cut in a bevel on the edges. It’s extremely unnecessary but it is that finishing touch that makes a nice part into a really nice part.



These are my “special taps” that I only use for Drag Links and Tie Rods. They’re both 7/8-18tpi but one left and one right. I’ve had them resharpened more than a few times and I don’t think they have any cuts on them since the last sharpening.



Beautiful thing about this tube (it’s 1 5/8 x .250 DOM) is that the ID is perfect for direct tapping to 7/8-18 so I don’t need to pre-drill at all, I just tap it. I oil up the tap and let the lathe do the work at about 50 RPM. Slowly it peels away beautiful chips leaving perfect threads behind.



A flip of the tubing end for end, a mark at 24”, and I part off the tube exactly to length. Some use the bandsaw for this step but I find it unnecessary and very imprecise.



With a parting tool I can get absolutely precision and then take a few thou off, and slight chamfer to perfect the finish.



After then tapping the end to the reverse thread, I assemble the tie-rod to the measured length and set it aside for install later.

 

[zmotorsports]

Beautiful work as always Matt.

The drag link and pitman arm turned out very nice.

Is it close to being a driver?

 

[lilscorpion]

Beautiful work as always Matt.



The drag link and pitman arm turned out very nice.



Is it close to being a driver?

Thanks Mike. Yes! For the past couple of weeks we’ve been chasing parts and wrapping up all of the various fab tasks. I was thinking just yesterday that if the final parts on order come in this week, we should be able to get it on the road this weekend. Those little parts but you don’t realize you need until you get there.

Andrew is now beyond ready..

 

[lilscorpion]

We’re in the home stretch now but have quite a few little tasks to complete before we’re ready to drive it. I’d planned to go a little deeper on some of the things we’ve done over the last few weekends but am running out of energy so I’ll skim..

Rear shocks are on order so we needed a set of shocks to run in the meantime. I had this old set on the shelf which I pulled off of my JK which are the correct length but have a mis-match for upper mount/bushing type.



We used the vise to press out the upper bar-pin style busing. Initially we thought we could remove the bar-pin itself from the bushing and just make a sleeve but it just didn’t want to come out without destroying the bushing in the progress.



I happened to have a set of energy suspension bushings on the shelf which are probably about 15 years old now (no kidding)



They fit perfectly and a little lathe work on some DOM tubing turned out a few sleeves sized just perfectly for the shock mounts.



Andrew go them installed. It was moderately entertaining watching him attempt to compress them while laying under the jeep but in the end he won.



The shocks cleaned up nicely.



Moving to the front axle - we needed to re-set the lower coil mounts to align the coils now that we have the front diff exactly where want it. I used a cut-off wheel to release the welds in prep.



And re-welded them back after shifting them back 1/2”. We also did a little clearancing on the casting just to the left of the housing to give extra clearance to the upper trac-bar mount.



And finish-welded the upper trac-bar mount to the frame.



Andrew worked on getting the front JK take-off shocks installed.



And then re-installed both wheels and tires.



ALL HAULT!! - the wife dropped one of her diamond earrings into the couch when attempting to re-attach the the back. When I say in the couch, I mean INSIDE the couch. We started by rooting around in the crack for about half an hour without luck. After flipping over the chair and searching from the underside, I resorted to dis-assembling the couch. I removed the arm, the base, and pulled back all of the fabric. In the end I found it between two pieces of cushion. With my wife smiling from ear to ear, I worked on putting it all back together. As luck would have it, I happen to have just enough upholstery tools to return it to like it was.



Back to the jeep - since we moved the front differential forward by 3 1/2” we also moved the steering box forward (and rotated) the steering box at the same time. The previous shaft was not only too short, but it couldn’t twist and make the angle necessary with only one u-joint. Instead, it needed to zig and zag like below.



The kit is designed to bolt on to the existing shaft but you need to measure and cut it down to fit. The lower steering shaft is fairly simple.



We removed about 2” up from the U-Joint with a cut-off wheel.



It took a little dry-fitting and trimming to get it to the perfect length. Not a complicated mod but an effective one. We were able to get it to sit right between the frame rail and the lower radiator hose and leave enough space so that the collapsing component still functions correctly.



We lost track of where the steering wheel was at some point a few months ago and that failure resulted in us needs to take a few additional steps to protect the clock-spring (the assembly that allows the steering wheel wires to spin within the steering wheel). To accomplish this Andrew needed to pull the steering wheel. As it turns out, we didn’t need to use the old-school wheel puller, we instead needed a 2 jaw puller. Kinda surprised me.



A simple procedure helped us re-center the clock spring. When grabbing the spring itself, you spin it lightly one direction until you feel resistance, then you spent it back 2 1/2” turns. That should be centered but you can test that by going back the other direction by 2 1/2 turns…if you meet resistance, you were centered. Easy.



While the steering wheel was off, Andrew decided to try his hand at vinyl wrapping two of the steering wheel pieces that are essentially covers for where the factory would have had the cruise control (and maybe the radio controls).



Even though I’m not really into the whole vinyl scene, I was impressed at how well it turned out given it was his first time.



Final step in the steering install is to get the cooler mounted. This is a dual cooler bracket designed to replace the radiator support bracing. One cooler for the trans, one for the power steering.



This was a really really fun upgrade. We needed to release the radiator and the AC condenser. Here’s Andrew working at releasing one of the hard to reach bolts that attached the radiator to the grill. It was entertaining watching him do it all by feel. That’s the last step in his training.



We routed the hoses through the air flaps into the headlight housings and then down and out through an opening to the rear of the grill. Driver’s side fed the hoses back into the steering system. We’re going to hold off on the trans cooler for now and come back to it once I can locate an adapter for the ****** line quick connect.



With the hoses run, we finalized where the feeding return lines will route, cut them to length, and installed the AN fittings on both end.



Last step was to install the brake lines. The Dynatrac’s came plumbed however we kinda tweaked them to the point of being ugly while trying to run them around the truss. We agreed that it was worth the extra effort to bend and flare new lines…then installed and bled the front and rear brakes. We use the Motive power bleeder which makes what used to be kind of a crappy process into one that’s easy, fast, and always with great results.



One last step was to run through the entire vehicle checking and (re)tightening all bolts again. With that done…there weren’t many excuses left as to why Andrew couldn’t start the jeep and give it a run around the block. Backed it out under it’s own power.



Gave it a spin around the block (the long long long way I guess).

We ended up with about 5” of usable up-travel front and rear. For my liking, that’s a little excessive. We have plenty (almost too much) wheel well so we’re considering swapping out the springs for the ones that we had on it originally with hopes of lowering it about 2” in hopes of getting the stance to be more rock-rob in nature. To put things into perspective, here’s a side-by-side with the JK which I think is just about perfect. Part of it though is due to it’s wider and bigger stance. Height-wise, they’re just about identical. Fender opening/clearance the LJ is 1” more in the rear and ~2” more in the front due to the additional clearance the high-fenders yield. The most obvious difference is the tire height on the LJ. Them are some meats…



What a milestone but not without work left to do. The brakes don’t work as well as I expected. While searching I realized that I was supposed to remove an o-ring from the proportioning valve and install a manual proportioning valve inline between the rear brakes. We’ll address that next weekend.

On the positive side - no leaks. All brake lines, fuel lines, diffs, tcase, and steering connections appear to have been good enough. First time in like forever.



Though we’ve got a little more work to go, the end is now in sight. Thanks for everyone’s words of encouragement and support during the project!

 

[Boosted1]

Congrats!
Looks great.
That had to be a very satisfying test drive for both of you.

 

[gearhead1960]

Awesome! Nice work on the Jeep and Andrews skills!

 

[lilscorpion]

Congrats!
Looks great.
That had to be a very satisfying test drive for both of you.

Thank you. I didn’t get to go on the first ride. Andrew’s best friend came by and the two of them did the glory lap. I did take it for a test drive a few hours later though and it was satisfying.

 

[zmotorsports]

Damn Matt, that thing turned out freaking AWESOME! You and Andrew should be very proud and pleased with that build.

It has a great stance and yes, those 40" tires make your 37's look small. As for uptravel, 5" is pretty respectable but for rocks might be a little much. Lift height is a balancing act between enough to clear the belly yet not too much as to induce that tippy feeling when off-camber.

In my current configuration on my JKUR I am sitting right at about 4.25" of total lift height over stock and have 4.5" of uptravel in the front with 5.25" of droop for just under 10" of total travel. In the rear I have a balance of 4.5" uptravel and droop, 9 inches of total travel. So far with the two trips off-road in this configuration I feel it is about perfect for my style of wheeling. I'm not into the bumpstops hard in the front like I was with the ACOS spacers and the rear is much more controlled in both drop-offs and climbing ledges. All in all I feel it is performing perfectly and seems to flex enough for the trails that we hit and still keep things planted.

I have a question Matt, in the picture where you are machining the raidus on the pitman arm I don't see that you are using a rotary table for this, is your mill a CNC? For some reason I thought it was a manual milling machine.

Thanks and keep the great pictures coming.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Turned out awesome! Drive that thing out to Johnson Valley next weekend and break her in proper!

 

[rattle_snake]

Congrats, maiden voyage is a big milestone. Impressive attention to detail, high quality work throughout. Well done.