#FabSpace

[zmotorsports]

How do they accomplish greater lift and duration? I was under the impression that the cam was simply advanced or retarded based on load, engine speed and throttle position.

Good call, I actually misspoke. In my thought process typing out the response I got carried away. The cam profile doesn't change, it is merely the phasing of the cam timing, advanced or retarded. If memory serves I believe the LS and LT engines have somewhere around the 60-degree range of total cam timing to play with and both do it with oil pressure although they utilize different oil pump designs.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Good call, I actually misspoke. In my thought process typing out the response I got carried away. The cam profile doesn't change, it is merely the phasing of the cam timing, advanced or retarded. If memory serves I believe the LS and LT engines have somewhere around the 60-degree range of total cam timing to play with and both do it with oil pressure although they utilize different oil pump designs.

Hey, I'm still learning, I do know the LZ4 in my wife's G6 has cam phasing but the physical limitations on what can be done with a cam in block are tough to work around. The advantages of a smaller, lighter, lower inertia, lower CG engine with fewer parts are many. That being said, I would love to have seen what would happen if GM ran with the DOHC LT5 design introduced in the 88' ZR1, it was essentially a Coyote that showed up 22 years earlier. That's alot of time for development!

 

[zmotorsports]

Hey, I'm still learning, I do know the LZ4 in my wife's G6 has cam phasing but the physical limitations on what can be done with a cam in block are tough to work around. The advantages of a smaller, lighter, lower inertia, lower CG engine with fewer parts are many. That being said, I would love to have seen what would happen if GM ran with the DOHC LT5 design introduced in the 88' ZR1, it was essentially a Coyote that showed up 22 years earlier. That's alot of time for development!

Trust me, even after wrenching for more than 30-years I don't know everything either but always eager to continue to learn.

 

[lilscorpion]

With the COVID-19 Stay at home order in place, Andrew has become really bored and is dying for something to occupy his time and mind. Andrew and I decided we’d use some of the time as “shop class”. More or less these time would be kinda like the shop class that schools used to have when we were kids. I give Andrew a task, explain how to do it, and then he goes for it. When he encounters a need for help, he comes to me with a problem and we walk through it together.

Class Day 1: Install Rear Fox 2.5” Shocks in LJ

Without any help he got the old shocks out. He was able to dry fit them in the shock mounts.



Of course he had interference issues. The reservoir hose fitting on the shock body came in contact with the relief so he had to extend it 3/8” with the devise burr and then polish it up with the flapper disc.



He had to trim down the bushing sleeves to fit the ID of the shock brackets and then he was able to bolt them in place.



With the shocks mounted, the last step was to locate, drill, and tap the frame for the reservoir mounting brackets themselves. We were able to tuck them nicely above the frame over the wheel well almost like they were designed to go there.



There’s just enough clearance for a hand twice the size of mine to easily turn the valve adjusters on the shocks...it is this very spot he’ll likely spend the rest of the day playing...

 

[Arclitgold]

Looks like a great use of time to me!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zmotorsports]

Lookin' good.

Also looks like you guys are staying busy while home.

 

[lilscorpion]

Today Andrew got in and did his first break job on the dynatrac axles which really shouldn’t have needed a break job... it they do. The damn pads that they ship with the axles squeak after a thousand or so axles. This didn’t surprise me at all, the axles did the same thing on the JK. Anyway, a new set of semi-metallic pads with some anti-squeak during assembly does the trick.



Andrew then decided to get out the camera and play a little.

Jeep on Jeep action.



And some Poser shots





He did learn a thing or two in that photography class he took in school.

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks great Matt. Oh and yours does too.

 

[lilscorpion]

Looks great Matt. Oh and yours does too.

His does look better. [emoji16]

 

[zmotorsports]

His does look better. [emoji16]

Better is subjective, I prefer different.

While I like the full-on custom look of his LJ, I also like the clean lines of your JKUR for a daily driver/weekend wheeler.

My tastes have changed over the years. When I was younger I wanted flashy and in your face bold changes, custom paint and accessories, which your son's LJ definitely displays and displays them well. Nowadays, however, I prefer the OE look yet capabilities increased, especially on Jeeps. Something that looks like it never leaves the pavement yet built to conquer the trails.

Again, that's just my take. Both of your Jeeps are bad *** but built differently.

 

[slodat]

His Jeep looks great!!! Nice work!

 

[lilscorpion]

Better is subjective, I prefer different.



While I like the full-on custom look of his LJ, I also like the clean lines of your JKUR for a daily driver/weekend wheeler.



My tastes have changed over the years. When I was younger I wanted flashy and in your face bold changes, custom paint and accessories, which your son's LJ definitely displays and displays them well. Nowadays, however, I prefer the OE look yet capabilities increased, especially on Jeeps. Something that looks like it never leaves the pavement yet built to conquer the trails.



Again, that's just my take. Both of your Jeeps are bad *** but built differently.

Man...we’re about to build my JK kinda like his LJ. Now I’m wondering if I’m going through a mid-life crisis. [emoji15]

 

[Clemson13]

Man...we’re about to build my JK kinda like his LJ. Now I’m wondering if I’m going through a mid-life crisis. [emoji15]

I'm stoked to keep watching this build thread on a second awesome Jeep! Maybe I need to buy an LJ to play with......

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[zmotorsports]

Man...we’re about to build my JK kinda like his LJ. Now I’m wondering if I’m going through a mid-life crisis. [emoji15]

I'm sorry Matt, don't pay any nevermind to what I'm saying. That's just my personal taste.

On a similar note though, I saw a sweet and clean TJ the other day that was lifted about 3-4 inches running 33" tires. All black with a black hardtop, paint was in immaculate condition as were the undercarriage and polished aluminum Mickey Thompson wheels. It was parked in the parking lot of a local pizza joint so I drove over by it and got out to take a gander. I must admit however that when I see tow bar connections on a Jeep I get interested real quick anyways because I feel we already have a connection based on RV's.

The owner came out carrying his pizza and I commented about what a nice clean TJ it was. He grinned and popped the hood to reveal a 5.3 LS engine backed by a 4L60 transmission and mildly built axles. We got talking back and forth about off-roading and types of trails we enjoy as well as our RV's and exchanged information for future off-roading trips.

As my wife and I drove away, with our somewhat cold pizza I might add, I commented to the wife that when my Jeep is older that is exactly the kind of reaction I want to get. Clean, immaculate and not overdone nor beat to hell.

I do look forward to your build because if anyone can build one right it's you Matt.

 

[rattle_snake]

Man...we’re about to build my JK kinda like his LJ. Now I’m wondering if I’m going through a mid-life crisis. [emoji15]

Embrace it. Go big or bigger.

But this is from a mid-lifer installing tons and 40s.

 

[zmotorsports]

Matt, will you be doing a long-arm suspension or keeping the mid-arms on your JKUR build? Changing axles or staying with the 44's. If memory serves you already have a ProRock 44 in the front, is that correct? Also are you staying with 37's or going to 40's?

 

[lilscorpion]

Matt, will you be doing a long-arm suspension or keeping the mid-arms on your JKUR build? Changing axles or staying with the 44's. If memory serves you already have a ProRock 44 in the front, is that correct? Also are you staying with 37's or going to 40's?

The JK already has Dynatrac 60's under it with 4.88's. We did that a couple of years ago. Next up will be a long-arm suspension and coil-overs. I like the ability to dial in the ride exactly how I want it to be and then fine-then the hight in the same way. Now that I've seen 40's on Andrew's LJ, I've gotta have them so that upgrade is a certainty...need tires anyway so the timing is perfect. Kinda messes with my final drive ratio once I go to LS though. Today I'm 4.88's which is fairly perfect on 37's with the transmission it has. one like you have may make those gears too deep unless I go to 42's...still thinking, planning, and pondering.

I was going to do the LS first but timing is bad. I'd rather have the cash in the bank as a safety net in this economy than make a frivolous purchase to replace a motor that isn't having problems. All elective surgery are cancelled anyway right?!

LS is where I'm headed and it will happen, just not now.

 

[zmotorsports]

The JK already has Dynatrac 60's under it with 4.88's. We did that a couple of years ago. Next up will be a long-arm suspension and coil-overs. I like the ability to dial in the ride exactly how I want it to be and then fine-then the hight in the same way. Now that I've seen 40's on Andrew's LJ, I've gotta have them so that upgrade is a certainty...need tires anyway so the timing is perfect. Kinda messes with my final drive ratio once I go to LS though. Today I'm 4.88's which is fairly perfect on 37's with the transmission it has. one like you have may make those gears too deep unless I go to 42's...still thinking, planning, and pondering.

I was going to do the LS first but timing is bad. I'd rather have the cash in the bank as a safety net in this economy than make a frivolous purchase to replace a motor that isn't having problems. All elective surgery are cancelled anyway right?!

LS is where I'm headed and it will happen, just not now.

Sounds great.

If you end up going with the 6L80 transmission when you put the LS in your gearing may be about right with 40's, maybe even still a little tall in your mountainous Colorado. Many with the LS/6L80 and 40's are going 5.13 gearing.

Looking forward to the build up.

 

[lilscorpion]

Sounds great.



If you end up going with the 6L80 transmission when you put the LS in your gearing may be about right with 40's, maybe even still a little tall in your mountainous Colorado. Many with the LS/6L80 and 40's are going 5.13 gearing.



Looking forward to the build up.

Really. Didn’t you go to 4.10’s? I thought the first year of the 6L80 was super low thus negating the need for the deeper gear.

 

[zmotorsports]

Really. Didn’t you go to 4.10’s? I thought the first year of the 6L80 was super low thus negating the need for the deeper gear.

I went from 5.38's with my 3.8 liter V6 on 35" tires to 4.56 gears now with the 6.2 liter LS and 37" tires. The LS likes to be in the 1900-2100 RPM range and I figured it would be better to be a bit mid to upper part of that compared to the lower seeing as how the Jeep has the aerodynamics of a phone booth and weighs 6k pounds. If I didn't travel to high elevations and was a bit lighter weight I think the 4.10's would work well but I love the 4.56's I have in it now. I think they are perfect as I generally don't travel much over 70 MPH. At 70 MPH I am right @ 2k RPM, right in the middle of the sweet spot.

The 6L80 has a 4.02:1 first gear which is low and gives the heavy Jeep almost a jackrabbit start but the two overdrives, ending with .67:1, really make cruising the highways/interstates smooth and quiet.

I don't know if you would be happy with the 4.88's once your build is done. It will push it down the road but I think it'll be hunting back and forth through the gears on the rolling highways as you're adding some serious weight and mass with those 40's. Combine that with the Dana 60's already under your Jeep and then a long arm suspension which will probably be at least .250" wall tubing and I'll bet your going to be 6400-6600 pounds when done.

That's just my thoughts but I definitely don't think that you'll be too low geared once done with 4.88's.

 

[lilscorpion]

Quick little project - with all the challenges at the grocery store getting basic things, we’ve been buying just a little more of the canned goods than we usually do. the problem that created is we don’t really have the storage for “just a little more” so it was becoming fairly difficult to find things. I went through my scrap material in the basement and found 3 boards that are 11.5” x 60” of pre-finished baltic birch which was just big enough fo make a quick cabinet. Back to the attic and found a piece of the 1/4 pre-finished scrap just big enough to be cut to fit the back of the cabinet.



Luckily we had just enough 1/2” pre-finished to make some shelves and get it hung. Now, much to my surprise, our over flow is...overflowing.



It’s good enough for now but later this summer we’ll make a face frame and maybe a door that mates the lower cabinet.

 

[lilscorpion]

Today kinda took it easy and gave the JK a deep cleaning inside and out, polished it, and then gave it a fresh set of wax.



Now it actually is bright while.

 

[lilscorpion]

We’ve since the pressure washer gave up the ghost, we have to wash at the local do-it-yourself spot. We spend between $8 and $10 each time we go which hurst a little. What’s worse, because it costs so much, I don’t wash the cars as much as I should
Which is just not my style...so we got a new pressure washer for the garage.

The unit is an electric motor driven plug that you solid mount to the wall or a shelf. We decided we’d set it in a dedicated shelf just inside the garage door. Andrew cut a few pieces of unistrut and got some practice in on welding.





Not bad for only welding a few times



He then added two legs and we attached it to the wall.



We tapped into a 3/4” cold water line in the basement using Pex and then ran it up along the wall to the just below the unit and then we used an 18” braided line to connect to the pump.



USPlastic makes these cool service tanks which were going to use for soap. This one is a 5 liter unit that has a built in bung on the bottom. We attached it to the wall just above the pump inlet.



Inline I installed this valve so we can turn off the soap and prevent it from bleeding in when the high pressure tips are on.



Cut the tube to length and had to let it sit in hot water for a minute before pushing it on.





2 oz of Car Guys car wash soap and toooed it off with water.



And gave it a try on the Camry. Now it’s kinda difficult to see in the picture but, when the low volume tip is inserted, it feeds a nice amount of soap on the car. Should be just enough for a maintenance wash. Still not sure it’s anywhere near as good as the foam cannon. Faster though and nice to have as an option.



Another plus side is that with the direct water, we use way less water than we used to with our other pressure washer and no more gas. Biggest perk is it takes up so little room.

 

[awdblazer]

did you remove the galvanizing on the unistrut before welding?

 

[lilscorpion]

did you remove the galvanizing on the unistrut before welding?

Yep. Always do. Weld’s better that way too.

 

[Chortler]

Idle question, which I bet you have the time and energy to respond to:

How do you have the time and energy to do (and document them here on GJ) all the awesome things you do? Like, do you have a job to support your Rock and Roll Garage Lifestyle? Does it take much of your time? How do you manage your work life? Do you sleep very much?

Asking for a friend, and everybody that aspires to achieve the level of work, and enthusiasm, that you do.

Thanks for all your efforts, to show us how its done!

 

[Dh3256]

Yep. Always do. Weld’s better that way too.

Do you grind the galvanizing off, or how do you remove it? How far back from the weld area do you have to remove it?

What was the pressure washer unit you installed?

Thanks.

 

[lilscorpion]

How do you have the time and energy to do (and document them here on GJ) all the awesome things you do?

• I can't sit still long enough to watch TV. Even during football season, I'd rather do something useful in the garage.
• My kids are older now - I don't coach Lacrosse anymore, my son drives himself to practices (and he doesn't really want me to watch until the games anyway), my daughter is in dance which is 5 hours a day where I can't watch, etc
• My shop time is my hobby - no Harley, no boat, no garden..
• Many of my projects in the shop are practice and/or R&D for projects in the house. Build a cabinet 10 times and you learn a bunch of tricks that help you make the 11th at the quality of a manufacturer.
• documenting is something I've learned to do - I like the picture timeline of things I've built and sharing here give me the additional motivation to keep plugging away. I used to have a goal to post once per week which forced me to generate content once per week which forced me to do something in the shop.

Like, do you have a job to support your Rock and Roll Garage Lifestyle?

I do in fact have a job. I'm a technology leader in the software industry. I used to be a software engineer. Once I moved into a leadership role I began to do less and less engineering. As a result, I needed an outlet for my creative juices so I started spending more time in the shop.

...but I also get stuck and/or lose motivation like anyone else so I've learned that I need to have multiple projects in flight at one time to maintain motivation and/or so I can walk away. To give you perspective, I have probably a dozen shop projects and half a dozen house projects going on at any one time at various stages in completion. Some are years old, some are higher priority and are completed very quickly.

Does it take much of your time?

I'd say that much of my time is spent working on projects but that's because shop time is my hobby time and I'm the general contractor, designer, and the laborer for all projects that happen in my household. I view it as developing or honing skills, not work. The more practice and experience I get, the more complicated the projects can be.

How do you manage your work life?

I'm to the point in my career where I work to live not live to work. 3 years ago I left an organization where work was 70-90 hours per week and I did that for years. Now I try not to let it be more than 50 hours per week. I get plenty of work in.

Now here's the big kicker - I've always viewed my shop skills as my plan C. I'm in technology which is fairly unstable across multiple industries (and maybe even more so now than ever). In the event that I lose my job, I will be able to find work doing something in the trades. I could work for myself or for someone else. Most importantly, I could put food on the table for my family. it has always been my plan C. Plan B, by the way, is to start another business making...stuff.

Do you sleep very much?

Yes and no. I have a very active brain. Many nights I can't fall asleep because I'm working something out in my head. Sometimes it's a project idea or working through a detail, others it's surfing looking for ideas. Same goes for morning. I struggle to sleep in. If I wake up early and don't immediately fall back asleep, I'll tool around on GJ, FestoolOwnersGroup, or other sites where people share projects and see what's shaking...or I'm thinking of my own and sourcing materials...but sometimes when I'm sourcing materials, I trip across new product driven ideas.

I have been known to fall asleep on the couch before dinner tho. Take a lot of heat from the wife for that - "you know, if you slept at night you'd probably stay awake during the day".

 

[zmotorsports]

I have been known to fall asleep on the couch before dinner tho. Take a lot of heat from the wife for that - "you know, if you slept at night you'd probably stay awake during the day".

^^This is funny Matt. I get the same **** from my wife. If I sit down on the couch to either watch some TV or a video after dinner I'm most likely asleep in minutes which is why I will usually go back out to the shop after dinner for a while.

When I go to bed I can't get to sleep because I can't quiet my mind down.

I don't watch a lot of TV either but the wife and I will generally try to sit down just to watch something before bedtime and I struggle to keep my eyes open, until I go to bed, then I can't sleep.

 

[lilscorpion]

Do you grind the galvanizing off, or how do you remove it? How far back from the weld area do you have to remove it?

What was the pressure washer unit you installed?

Thanks.

I use a flapper disk on a 4.5" grinder and sand (for lack of a better word) it off. I grind it back about 1/4" - 3/8" to ether side of where the weld is (and a spot elsewhere so I can clamp my ground to it). Goal is to remove it back beyond the heat affected area of the weld. Warming the galvanization isn't bad, it's burning it that is hard on your lungs.

Unit I purchased is made by Canpump - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JW6BVYY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Seems like a solid unit. Came a little banged up but I was able to put it all back together and it works fine.

 

[lilscorpion]

^^This is funny Matt. I get the same **** from my wife. If I sit down on the couch to either watch some TV or a video after dinner I'm most likely asleep in minutes which is why I will usually go back out to the shop after dinner for a while.

I mean come on!! Full tummy, long day, what's wrong with a little down time?!

When I go to bed I can't get to sleep because I can't quiet my mind down.

I don't watch a lot of TV either but the wife and I will generally try to sit down just to watch something before bedtime and I struggle to keep my eyes open, until I go to bed, then I can't sleep.

Seems we are the same my friend. We have a. few shows we typically watch together and a few that we watch separately. Those I only watch I tend to watch when I can't sleep until she gives me **** for cuddling with my cell-phone. Ha!

 

[Phreak480]

Got some info on the pressure washer, that might be awesome in my garage too?

 

[lilscorpion]

Got some info on the pressure washer, that might be awesome in my garage too?

It’s an electric pressure washer that runs on 110v power but needs a full 20 amp circuit to run. It’s max pressure is 1500 psi which is perfect for car washing and general cleaning. It flows 2.2 gallons wide open which really wants a 3/4” line in diameter. It’s a nice machine.

 

[lilscorpion]

And so it begins. Let’s call this day zero and the last time my JK will look like this after my son Andrew and I are done with it.



First phase is to test fit the new armor. We’ll be decorating it with Motobilt bumpers, fenders, and sliders. Off with the AEV front bumper..



And the the fenders which was so much easier than I thought it was going to be. Nothing but a few screws abs plastic clips. Without the fenders it looks totally different.



Ditch the rear fenders and from the side it looks incomplete. Kinda like it but only kinda.

.

Fenders were super easy to install. Other than cutting off a single metal support bracket, they were bolt-on.



Hopefully this helps paint the picture where we’re headed. Imagine 2” lower with 40’s. The fenders are more or less no-fenders which should leave it looking hella aggressive.



Next is to get the rear fenders and bumper installed. Thanks for stopping by.

 

[Arclitgold]

Yesssss!!! Moar builds!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zmotorsports]

She's gonna be bad *** Matt. No way I'd get away with those small fenders here in Utah. Hell I got popped for mudflaps and tire protrusion as soon as I went to 37's and mine don't stick out that far as I'm running a 4.5" backspacing.

I didn't realize that you went with the locking front hubs when you installed your ProRock44.

Will you be selling the 44 axles in place of the 60/80 upgrades or using them for another future project?

I also like the clean front bumper. I like my mid-width bumper, especially for flat towing behind the coach, but when I have to redo the powder coating on mine I think I will remove the 2" low-rise stinger. I prefer the clean look like yours.

 

[Balor]

Luv it.

 

[lilscorpion]

She's gonna be bad *** Matt. No way I'd get away with those small fenders here in Utah. Hell I got popped for mudflaps and tire protrusion as soon as I went to 37's and mine don't stick out that far as I'm running a 4.5" backspacing.

I didn't realize that you went with the locking front hubs when you installed your ProRock44.

Will you be selling the 44 axles in place of the 60/80 upgrades or using them for another future project?

I also like the clean front bumper. I like my mid-width bumper, especially for flat towing behind the coach, but when I have to redo the powder coating on mine I think I will remove the 2" low-rise stinger. I prefer the clean look like yours.

Thanks Mike. She’s already got twin Dynatrac 60’s in her. May have gone with the rear 80 if I did it all over again but unless I have to, I don’t want to make another diff purchase.

Front bumper - I had a REALLY hard time deciding on a bumper. I have historically liked having a hoop or short pre-runner like tube on my front bumper but it seems my tastes are changing. I could not find many bumpers that didn’t have one, fit the front of the Jeep proportionally, and had a recessed winch. This one spoke to me tho.

MotoBilt has the same owner as the old Blue Torch Fab (which just evaporated some years ago). They can build some cool stuff and this bumper is perfect. It fits perfectly and lines up perfectly. Yeah my Jeep is straight still but I was still surprised. I usually need to tweak something...super happy.

Yesssss!!! Moar builds!

My wife said it kinda like that. More like “honey, are ab$olutely $ure it need$ all tho$e new part$?!?” [emoji16]

 

[lilscorpion]

She's gonna be bad *** Matt. No way I'd get away with those small fenders here in Utah. Hell I got popped for mudflaps and tire protrusion as soon as I went to 37's and mine don't stick out that far as I'm running a 4.5" backspacing.

It has been a few years since I’ve been in Utah. I didn’t have problems I’m Moab but I’m hoping things haven’t changed...or have they? Colorado is indifferent so at home I’m good.

 

[zmotorsports]

It has been a few years since I’ve been in Utah. I didn’t have problems I’m Moab but I’m hoping things haven’t changed...or have they? Colorado is indifferent so at home I’m good.

They started cracking down up north here about a year or so ago.

With my 35's I never got hassled one bit but within a couple months of going to the 37's I was pulled over just about a mile from my house by a highway patrol. He got me for inadequate fender coverage, mudflaps, rear license plate because it was ever so slightly blocked by my toggle clamp on the carrier if you were looking at it from the right side of the vehicle and no front plate.

My son got nailed exactly a week later in his WJ within about a mile of where I got nailed on I-15 for fender coverage and mudflaps.

We did put mudflaps/transit flaps on both our Jeeps that are easily removable for off-road and then threw some stupid *** curbing up on the fenders attached with clips just to get the ticket abated and haven't had any issues since. We both pulled the makeshift fender extensions before we left the county building because they looked horrendous but kept the flaps for daily driving although they look like ****. I also relocated my license plate to the spare tire which isn't my favorite place but it turned out ok considering.

So far I haven't been hassled any more for no front plate nor fender extensions. Personally I think the flaps drew all of the attention and presented the excuse to pull us over and then he just started going crazy so by keeping the flaps on it I think they'll leave us alone.

I have had no issues anywhere in our travels when I remove the flaps but it just seems around the Salt Lake City through Ogden area they are cracking down as many in our local Jeep club have commented on getting popped.

The biggest problem I have is they seem to be targeting Jeeps in particular. I still see many lifted trucks with no flaps and tires sticking clear out past the body every day on the freeway but it seems the Jeeps are starting to have flaps and I'm starting to see those ugly Bushwacker wide flares more and more.

You will have NO issues in Moab as I feel they are a little more understanding on where their revenue comes from. When we travel I usually remove the flaps as soon as we enter the campground and never put them back on until we were hooking the Jeep up to the coach to return home and haven't had any issues in the past year and a half.