[jeeposaurus]

Master fabricator at work, very nice work. I have done tig and mig (very small amounts) and those are some fine looking welds you have there...I understand the therapeutic part.

The only prob I see with your exhaust turn down is the carbon monoxide and cabin. I think they put the tips out past the ends of the vehical to prevent exhaust from making its way into the cab...mine is just tucked in close enuff to my rear hitch to avoid getting smacked, and still fires exhaust clear of the vehical...I dont know if there is any fact to my exhaust in the cab myth...I guess you'll figure it out once you fire it up.

Very nice.

[EricsXJ]

Thats a valid point but I actually had the tip of my old exhaust cut off well before the rear bumper. It was routed to the stock location on the side of the gas tank but because I cut it off, it just shot straight back and didn't even have a turndown. So I think I'm okay in that regard. Unless the fumes have been making me stupider by the day and I don't know it...

[badassr1]

No adjustable spring plates?

[EricsXJ]

Originally Posted by badassr1

No adjustable spring plates?

I'm sorry I don't know what you are talking about.

[jersey_jim]

maybe he is asking about adjustable rear bump stops.

did you dump it right near the gas tank because you have a extended rear shackle that would hit the tail pipe? i had to cut mine down when installing my boomerang shackles, and now its almost time to redo my entire exhaust from header to tailpipe, and i like the idea you have.

[badassr1]

No I am talking about front adjustable spring mounts. It allows you to adjust for spring sag or more hieght.

[EricsXJ]

No. I was happy with the ride height and I didn't have a case where one side was sagging more than another.

[RWKXJ]

Exhaust looks great Eric! I wish I had taken my new setup off before I welded it all up...but it turned out good. You need to watch the exhaust by the gas tank though, I had mine cut and turned to go out between the corner of the gas tank and toward the passenger leaf and I had exhaust heating up my gas tank on long trips causing it to expand and vent through the gas cap and back up thru the evap canister, giving a strong gas smell in the cabin. Once I put the new exhaust on and turned it down before the axle it took care of those problems....just something to think about. I used a 90* mandrel elbow from summit to do the turndown. Also I used a summit welded muffler that has quite a drone on the highway, It'll be interesting to see how loud yours is!

[HeavyMetal]

man that exhaust clearancing is annoying huh? my TNT arm on the passenger side is in full contact with the exhaust pipe at all times, just rubs up against it as it moves

[Timo_90xj]

Very nice Eric I'm sure you'll gonna love the T&T kit! ..and yes, I ran to a couple similar problems than you did with the bellypan and exhaust. My exhaust pipe was bent as well, so I had to cut it off too

What I should've done with the new exhaust was side exit (tip behind pass. rear tire and as high as possible). Now I have to do some modifications, I'm just installing my gas tank skid and there's not enough room for the exhaust pipe

[EricsXJ]

Okay I got the suspension on and did some testing. The exhaust is not abnoxiously loud but it can be heard at all speeds when you are on the gas. I think I like it. I've also been checking the gas tank skid and it isn't getting hot at all so I think its good. Worse case I could cut it off and do the turn down before the axle as RWK suggested.

And because someone asked, I got a sound clip for you. I rev'd it to 3000rpm. Keep in mind this is in the driveway, the exhaust was already warm, and it was a bit windy today. I think it sounds a whole lot better in person.
http://www.ericsxj.com/unibody/exhaustclip.avi

[XJLI]

Originally Posted by EricsXJ

And because someone asked, I got a sound clip for you. I rev'd it to 3000rpm. Keep in mind this is in the driveway, the exhaust was already warm, and it was a bit windy today. I think it sounds a whole lot better in person.
http://www.ericsxj.com/unibody/exhaustclip.avi

sounds throaty, I like it.

And yeah, listen to that auto volume level clip with the wind

[EricsXJ]

The big benefit of the T&T Customs Y-Link is clearance. The mounts are tucked up inboard of the frame rails and the bend in the lower arms gives awesome clearance. Heres the pic I posted on page one of my old setup with the drop brackets:


The clearance I had with the drop brackets was 15.5" from the ground. With the Y-Link I have 19" measured at the same place. So for the mathematically challenged, I gained 3.5" of clearance!


As far as the ride is concerned, it is slightly better than my old arms with the drop brackets. It does seem to absorb road imperfections (both on-road and off) better.

I also tested the flex to check for clearance and to make sure everything was working properly. I also took measurements for limiting straps. I'm using the same shocks as before so with those as my limiting factor, the amount of droop I have is the same.


I did adjust the arms to move the axle a little more forward than I had it before. It looks like it put the wheel right in the center of the wheelwell. I'm happy with that. Pointed straight I have no rubbing and my bumpstops are making contact. If I turn while flexing it will rub parts of the inner fenderwell but I am used to that.

[EricsXJ]

More pics, flexing the other side now.


Also I will say the stiffeners have made a HUGE difference. There is only a miniscule amount of body flex even when maxing out the suspension. I got out to take the pics and the doors open and shut just like it does on level ground.









So that is pretty much where I am with this project so far. There is much more to come but I probably won't be doing daily updates - more like weekly since I get most of the work done on the weekends. What you've seen so far has taken me several weeks, not just a few days.

[XJ2000]

Eric, everything looks great!

Thanks for posting up this "update" of sorts, it really complements what you've written in your book.

Keep up the good work!