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20K views 146 replies 23 participants last post by  vstre 
#1 ·
:DFigured I'd start one of these. Had the Jeep now for 4 years. Hasn't gotten as much love as it deserves, but my other hobbies are boating and mountain biking, and I'm a full time M.E. major, so the budget isn't huge.

It all started here:

1999 Wrangler SE
2.5 Liter Low Output
AX-5 Transmission
Dana 30/35 combo...not off to a good start :rofl:
 

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#30 ·
Some pictures and observations from wheeling this past weekend.

Getting there:





Getting to the trail:



Only poser shots on the trail:








The buggies got up so I figured I could :rofl::


Think its time to rebuild my power steering pump :laugh:

Overall, everything performed better than I expected. The rear johnny joints, although in stock orientation, seemed to limit wheel hop substantially. The front will get them as soon as funds allow.

The truetrac never struggled even a bit. It provided ample amounts of traction and didn't decide to assist either of the rear Superior Discovery axle shafts in failing.

I was more than impressed with the Kelly TSRs. On the street they were quiet and handled in the corners just fine. On the trail, they stick to everything. They were good in the dirt, in the Northeast mud, on the rocks, and on the roots. I could see them struggling in southern mud. They do take a little revving to clean out. Others got a little wary when I told them I aired down to 12 psi on the 16" rims, but no issues. They allowed for a 20 mpg average throughout the weekend to top it off.

Front traction, front wheel hop, and breakover were the Jeep's downfalls. I expected this. An aussie will be added soon to improve traction and johnny joint control arms and an antirock to keep unsprung weight in better control than simply pulling the disconnects will be a huge improvement.

As mentioned before, an aluminum TC skid will be added as well as a genright crossmember to keep driveline angles in check. If necessary I will add a SYE and CV driveshaft, but at the moment the pinion angle is still too steep even with the upper control arms shortened completely.

In the mean time, I'm out of jeep money :rofl:. However, I won some Warn fog lamps at this event, and my buddy gave me an ARB style snorkel head, so a cowl intake/sort of hummer style intake is in the works. Also smashed both my rear corners a little so I'm on the hunt for some aluminum corner guards and both tail lights will be replaced with LED 4" flush mounts. I emailed rokmen, and hopefully they'll be able to make some TJ ones. As they currently make LJ ones. Although, I could just get those and cut them to fit. Also need to repair two body mounts :mad:. So the thread shouldn't die out. :D

I also can say that the Brown Dog motor mounts weren't the best idea. They are extremely tough, but the vibrations even with the rubber bushings are annoying. I would definitely recommend spacers and stock mounts. I would love to have their engine brackets though.
 
#32 ·
Got the fog lights I won half installed. Still need wiring. The previous owner of my bumper decided to put a hi-lift on the 1/8" light mount, which inevitably tore it off, so had to whip up a quick one. Pretty easy, I think its the best location for them, because they're pretty small.

My autodarkening helmet died when I did this, brought it back for credit, picked up a $32 Lincoln fixed shade with a nice big viewing window. What do you know. A nod of the head does the same thing and it is SOOOOOO much nicer. i can see the puddle much better, and my eyes aren't fatigued after. I'm sure a very high quality autodarkening helmet would be better, but for anyone else who doesn't have that sort of money, try a big window fixed shade.



 
#33 ·
Not sure how many people are watching but the next steps for the little purple jeep come in response to smashing up my corners/taillights a bit.

So,

-Some type of corner armor

-Grote 4" LED tails


-Cheap 55w lights that should fit nicely inbetween the rear crossmember and the body to act as reverse lights.


-And speaking on the crossmember. Pretty lame. Can't tow from it. No recovery points. So cutting it off and this will be taking its place. :2thumbsup:


FEA analysis revealed a towing rating of 10,000 lbs and it can withstand a pull well in excess of 20,000 lbs. That's being built from .120 wall 4x2 tube. Approximate weight of 29 lbs. I will likely go up to 3/16" to make welding a bit easier with less chance of warping. Weight calculated in solidworks at 31.45 lbs. Which is less than the tow hitch I get to ditch.

Also I will be revisiting the topic of this thread:

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/rear-spring-relocation-stock-wb-1366971/

This was put on the back burner. I was sent improperly notched spring pads and haven't come up with a perfect bump stop solution. But it will hopefully be happening soon. I believe I have come up with a good solution for the bumps, just need to double check some measurements.

Also some cheap mods I need to finish:

-Paint wheels black
-Bedline grille
-Bedline hinges
-Chop down front bumper
-Finish painting interior
 
#34 ·
jeeps lookin great bud. i love how simple and clean everything looks (even if it wasn't simple to do) you were right about me taking mine further but at least your driving your jeep, while i'm wearing my snow gear as i ride the motorcycle to school haha. i'm sure i'll have some questions for you when it comes to wiring up some leds, and im watching that rear crossmember your doing like a hawk. ive gotta be able to tow my trailer but im not sure if i wanna throw a reese hitch on there and ruin my clearance or hack apart my beautiful, sandblasted, primed, chassis saved, and painted rear crossmember to build a stronger one. we will see
 
#35 ·
I describe my jeep to everyone as a daily driver restoration :laugh:. I'm extremely impressed at what you've done with yours. I had originally intendend to attempt a frame off in a weekend, but a frame for under 1400 shipped was not easy to find and the repair allowed me to drive it everyday and buy a welder for less money. I still have a lot of work to do to the frame to make it look as good as yours.

Inspiration though. :thumbsup:

I can honestly say my hitch hits everything offroad. I don't have any lift, but that thing still surprises me on how it can reach out a grab stuff. I like the look of the factory crossmember and its a cheap and easy upgrade. And I'm honestly sick of bolting aftermarket parts to it. I'll send you the drawings when I finalize the design and insure it fits up well.

:cheers2:
 
#36 ·
BAMF. Didn't want to keep you waiting, so, steel is ordered 4'x2'x6' 3/16" wall. Got the clevis mounts from BERSK (Ground Pounder Fab). THANK YOU. Incredible deal! Check out his ebay page. Ruffstuff was awesome to deal with. They're sending me the correctly notched spring pads and picked up the gussets which I recreated in the model above. 10 bucks for 4.

Also getting the optronics lights from Advance Auto, although I'm holding off on corner armor. I may get the Grote lights anyway. They're cheap through my company, like 7.50 or so. I just need to straighten out the corners a little first. I may go full aluminum corners from Rokmen, Poison Spyder, Savvy, Genright, etc. or just make my own. I'll just have to be less reckless on the trail for the time being.

Can't take credit for this idea though. Inspiration came from here.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f37/tj-rear-crossmember-1080373/
 
#40 ·
Thank you. Nice to see some replies in here. I need to keep progress going. :rofl:

Tube arrives tomorrow. Not sure what I'll have time to do. But, I'll try to make some progress.

And an idea for a removable transfer case crossmember.



Thoughts?
 
#41 ·
Got the tube today and just managed to start laying out the cut lines. Otherwise I added one reverse light in a spot I've never seen used. I never use the rear window, even in the winter so it seemed like a decent spot. Couple 1/4" holes and some 1/4-20 stainless bolts and done. Sorry for the lack of progress. :(

 
#42 ·
Got the 6' piece of tube cut down to the final 52"

Little tip if you're used a cheaper chop saw, run a square down the blade ensuring it follows your desired cut. Don't trust the gauge. Also for 80 bucks the Harbor Freight "Professional" chop saw isn't a bad piece of equipment. I actually used the wheel it came with and it made a nice cut. Much prefer something nicer, but hey, gotta start somewhere.

All mocked up:





Double checked all my cuts, as they need to be the same on both sides. Hopefully get it cut out tomorrow.
 
#46 ·
Tried to make some progress for you guys this afternoon.

First cut was a tad shaky, but things got better as I went along



Got the rest of the main shape cut out



Then made an amateur mistake and went ahead and did this



I think that jeep in the background good use some paint :D



...which made the piece arc, but not to worry I had a solution for that.



With a few shims, a tape measure and a square I got everything to my specs and tacked the receiver in to restore the squareness of the piece.

The cuts are a bit rough, but I have to make some adjustments and the big red "glue gun" will make everything look purdy :D

More to come.
 
#47 ·
Picture of the reciever tacked in.

This is actually just a 2.5" to 2" adapter from advance auto for 10.99 if my memory serves me right. It won't see anything heavier than a few hundred pound boat. Should be perfect.



I'll grind those tacks down and burn it in nice and hot. Didn't have a chance to work on it today. Hopefully tomorrow.

Got a nice tow hitch for sale if anyone wants it. I believe its pictured earlier in the thread, just painted it and I have all brand new grade 8 hardware to go with it.

Also found a cherokee 44 not too far north from me. May go pick it up and start building it up slowly. Or an 8.8 for $75 locally. Hmmmm. Then I'll just need to find a HP30. Otherwise, biggest concerns are still the stock shovel, front arms, front traction, and making the exhaust lower profile for the planned crossmember. Also I would like to upgrade the cage for safety. Thinking the BTF sport cage tied into the frame.

Just need more time and money :rofl:

Think I'll likely start building for 35s soon. But I'd like the TDi to come first.
 
#51 ·
But I'd like the TDi to come first.
might as well, you can lift it anytime, not to mention i'd rather build my lift based off the motor. you never know what you might have to hack off or weld on, not to mention motor/tranny weight and your cross member designs could influence the lift or lift parts you wanna use:cheers2:

oh and what r u using to cut metal?
 
#52 ·
Got some progress done today. Although, not nearly as much as I would have liked.

Got the holes cut for the clevises.




Ground down my tacks and removed mill scale




Straightened out my awful first cut :p



Got the mill scale off the clevises with a flap disc and got one tacked in





BUT, its nearly 2 degrees off square (bad camera angle) which I can't live with :laugh:


So, I'll clearance a bit more tomorrow (if time allows), tack them in, grind the tacks, preheat and weld the clevises it.
 
#54 ·
Some more pics for you guys.

Got that damn clevis the way I want it



Mocked up and tacked my bracing/chain points/step



OK, WELDERS. Cause I'm not one. Let me know how I stand here before I keep going. Machine was running good. Bit of a cold start on the second one :mad:, but my buddy is off camping and has my propane torch. :rolleyes: Little bit of splatter, but I'm using 100% CO2. I just like it better for mild. Call me weird.





Its getting there. Just need to get this welding done, box it, and find some time to lift up the body, drop the tank and get here welded into the frame.
 
#56 ·
I wasn't good at taking pictures today. I cleaned up those cut lines, then burned the clevises in front and back and temporarily removed the gussets to burn in the receiver.

Some pictures:















In addition, because I like being different, I'm seriously considering picking up a locked tacoma axle to swap into the jeep, then sell or part out the decent junk in the Dana 35. How many axle ideas have I tossed around now? :D
 
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