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559K views 4K replies 176 participants last post by  G Beasley 
#1 ·
Retro Rubicon LJ build

I havent had a 4wd that could be driven on the highway in a long time and I was getting tired of trailering everywhere so I started looking for a LJ Rubicon last Thanksgiving . Within a week I found this with 60k miles for a great deal and it was semi local .

This is the first picture I took of it once I unloaded it from the trailer . The next day I took it out back to have a little fun .

I immediatley liked the softer ride than I had in my samurai , but it was lacking some in capability . I knew with some time and research it would be much more capable , but for the time being I contented myself with cleaning it , getting a new top and some Line X .


I removed everything from the LJ and added a custom milk crate seat . I trailered it over to Line X and then when I got it home I put it all back together just in time to drive up to Lake Erie for work . (Seeing a trailer habit yet )


This was the 1st time in 7 years I hadnt driven a dually CTD Dodge on a trip and I really enjoyed the TJ . So I went full bore into researching here on JF and ROF and I ordered up an Old Man Emu super ultimate setup from DPG offroad .

I came home from six weeks on the road and this is what I had waiting for the Rubicon .


The thread has gotten a little long heres a spoiler pic of what the LJ looks like as of August 2013 .
 
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#2,143 ·
So you want an alum fender 'like' the defender...without the tube, right? Flare ? Hiline ?

Sorry if I missed all of this.
You didnt miss it , I just mentioned that the newly acquired break is going to make for easier fender fabrication . The design process is just starting , but I do have a few things figured out . The fender will be a mix between the MCEs and the DeFender . I think I will use a piece of aluminum box tubing for the outside edge so that it will have a nice radius . The back edge of the fender will terminate at the tub to make more room for the 35's and I am still undecided about high-lining .
 
#2,149 ·
Regearing is going down New Years week ...

5.13s are the most likely choice , and after talking to the gear guy I think I will put the Jana kits in each axle . Yes the rear 44 is staying :rolleyes: at least for a while . Still havent decided on the rear locker , guess I better make up my mind in the next three weeks .
 
#2,150 ·
Regearing is going down New Years week ...

5.13s are the most likely choice , and after talking to the gear guy I think I will put the Jana kits in each axle . Yes the rear 44 is staying :rolleyes: at least for a while . Still havent decided on the rear locker , guess I better make up my mind in the next three weeks .
Hmm so you don't think you'll switch now before spending the money? I think you'll be fine on the 44. You're on 35s still right? Good luck with the locker choice haha
 
#2,159 ·
Its a huge strength gain for $150 per axle more , it seems to make sense to me . I am waiting on some info to come in before I order the kits , but I want to believe what I have read .

As to the rear the $300 detroit on NC 4x4 is tempting :D

A JK gear set will bolt up to a TJ/LJ Dana 44 Rubicon Locker? I didn't know that. That's something to look into.
Sort of bolt in with the kit from Jantz engineering . It does require some grinding to clear the ring gear , but otherwise its supposed to be a normal install .
Gonna be sweet with the 5.13's buddy. Sounds like a solid plan.
I hope so , its a little sluggish with the 35s .
I can see a rear 60. Both just seems overkill unless you get into some serious wheeling. I though 8.8 shafts were thicker than 60? Or did I read wrong? I'd it was forever ago. The jk gears are are different design correct? Didn't know they were a direct bolt in
Not sure if about the axle shafts of the 8.8 vs the 60 . I do know that the ring and pionin is larger on the 60 . The JK gears bolt in with the use of the Jantz engineering kit . It allows you to run the JK gears by grinding a small amount out of your housing to clear the larger ring gear . It is supposed to be minimal grinding .
 
#2,166 ·
I hope so , its a little sluggish on the bigger hills now . I can only imagine what the Western grades would be like !
Sounds like a solid plan. As far as a rear locker goes, Eaton just redesigned their 44 E locker...its supposed to be pretty darn strong.
If the 44 is like the 30 then it should be a solid locker from what I have read.
Wish I could afford one of those bad boys right now.

Greg, I've thought about a Detroit for the price...not sure how it would do with a heavy trailer on the street. Tight turns in reverse might cause some hopping. Just something to think about. that's what's holding me back from one.
Good point , I hadnt thought about the trailer . Especially backing it under a load .

Another vote for a Detroit in the rear. It just works.

5.13 gear with 6 speed and 35s and you want to drive cross country? Should be great for crawling, but the engine maybe be screaming while driving (I dont know how the trailer factors in on this though). I think my 4.88 with 6 speed and 35s are to deep for highway use. I usually try to cruise at 70ish. Just thought I would throw that in there GB. I have ridden in a few TJs with 4.88 and 37s and 6 speed and that seems to be decent on the highway (and what I am going to eventually shoot for).

I really think you should ride in a 6 speed with 5.13s and 35s if you can before you start this.
65 mph is the fastest I ever drive the LJ , and I prefer to keep it around 60 mph . I dont get in a hurry in it and we take lots of backroads just to see something different .
At 60 mph 5.13s =2482 rpms and 4.88s =2361 rpms .

Greg. I've had several rear Detroits with an automatic and I'd go as far as to say that I would take that setup to a church and marry it. Going off of that I put a rear Detroit in my last silver Jeep which was a 5 speed. While it was still 1000 x's better than any lunchbox style rear locker I had ever, I would not recommend it for daily use.

Could be just me getting older and cranky, but DD'ing my last jeep there for a while I began to absolutely loath driving it. Ones driving style can be adjusted, but the quirks just got to me.

Now that I am one of the cool kids and have a selectable lockers - I hope I never ever have to go back..

If you don't DD it, go for it.

My opinion - for what it's worth.
I like my selectable lockers , they are nice to have for long drives . I think I may have found a front Rubi locker for the rear ... Kyle Craig destroyed his , but I have a light foot . :eek:
I love my rear Detroit behind my 5 speed. Bulletproof. As long as you keep a constant pedal through turns, you don't notice it. Chirps some in parking lots but who cares. I'm even getting better mileage out of my tires than I thought.
As for healthcare, I am self employed w a wife and two small kids. BCBS was getting ready to jack up my premiums so I jumped ship. Humana had the same coverage and co pay for half the price.
I have had spools and Detroits in the past , but I didnt drive those rigs like I do this one . For now I am going to try and stay with a selectable locker .

As to the insurance we are checking other companies now , I wish we could have kept our old plan ... that we were told we could keep :mad:
 
#2,162 ·
Wish I could afford one of those bad boys right now.

Greg, I've thought about a Detroit for the price...not sure how it would do with a heavy trailer on the street. Tight turns in reverse might cause some hopping. Just something to think about. that's what's holding me back from one.
 
#2,163 ·
Another vote for a Detroit in the rear. It just works.

5.13 gear with 6 speed and 35s and you want to drive cross country? Should be great for crawling, but the engine maybe be screaming while driving (I dont know how the trailer factors in on this though). I think my 4.88 with 6 speed and 35s are to deep for highway use. I usually try to cruise at 70ish. Just thought I would throw that in there GB. I have ridden in a few TJs with 4.88 and 37s and 6 speed and that seems to be decent on the highway (and what I am going to eventually shoot for).

I really think you should ride in a 6 speed with 5.13s and 35s if you can before you start this.
 
#2,164 ·
Greg. I've had several rear Detroits with an automatic and I'd go as far as to say that I would take that setup to a church and marry it. Going off of that I put a rear Detroit in my last silver Jeep which was a 5 speed. While it was still 1000 x's better than any lunchbox style rear locker I had ever, I would not recommend it for daily use.

Could be just me getting older and cranky, but DD'ing my last jeep there for a while I began to absolutely loath driving it. Ones driving style can be adjusted, but the quirks just got to me.

Now that I am one of the cool kids and have a selectable lockers - I hope I never ever have to go back..

If you don't DD it, go for it.

My opinion - for what it's worth.
 
#2,165 ·
kyle_craig said:
Sounds like a solid plan. As far as a rear locker goes, Eaton just redesigned their 44 E locker...its supposed to be pretty darn strong.
I love my rear Detroit behind my 5 speed. Bulletproof. As long as you keep a constant pedal through turns, you don't notice it. Chirps some in parking lots but who cares. I'm even getting better mileage out of my tires than I thought.
As for healthcare, I am self employed w a wife and two small kids. BCBS was getting ready to jack up my premiums so I jumped ship. Humana had the same coverage and co pay for half the price.
 
#2,174 ·
I think it will be nice to have some uphill acceleration again . I may just regear and use the existing rear locker for now because changing it out is an expensive proposition .

They just redesigned their 44 locker and released it at SEMA. It is supposed to be much stronger than their previous 44 model and similar to the 30 design. Their new 44 e locker has me drooling.
The 30 redesign seemed to be really well received , with that redesign being applied to the 44 I bet we see a lot of them popping up on the trails. I am still figuring out what I want to do in the rear . I dont want to waste money , but I dont have a lot of extra cash to spend right now.

As far as me blowing up my rubi air locker, I was pretty surprised when it grenaded. My little engine is pushing 100hp max...plus I have a very light foot when it comes to technical crawling. I only spin the tires on slickrock walls. The locker probably experienced a dozen actual rock crawling adventures and 15,000 road miles under my Jeep. Prior to that, it was under a rig with 37" Boggers so it had a good run.
I was bummed when you told me about your rubi locker popping , up until that point I had decided a front rubi in the rear was just what I needed.

I was checking out the Jana 44 kits…I don't see where you have to replace the rear locker. Are you just wanting to replace the rear locker since its notorious for failure?
That is correct sir ! I hate to put money into the rear lsd/air locker . I think its not as big a problem as I am making it out to be , but I err on the side of caution if it is financially possible .

I think the confusion is that the Jana kits use a bigger ring gear, if the bolt pattern or the thickness of the ring gear is different from that of a tj rubi 44 then I would think you need a jk compatible locker.
I cant tell you all the combos , but the JK gears bolt up to the TJ carriers . You do have to clearance the housing as the JK gears have a larger diameter .
That was my first thought…However...

Only thing I am finding is the ring gear is only slightly larger but the ring gear bolts match perfectly to the Rubicon Locker. You just have to drill the Rubicon Locker holes out because the JK ring gear bolts are slightly larger.
That is the same thing I have read , and discussed with the guy who is going to set up my gears .
Interesting, are the width of the gears the same? If so I would agree that all is well.
Yes , but the pinion uses a different bearing set as it is larger in diameter than the TJ pinion .
Not sure if this forum allows cross posting from other forums or not but this thread says JK gears bolt right up to TJ Rubicon Lockers.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/axle...new-sckool-jk44s-your-old-school-housing.html
I dont think crossposting to Pirate is an issue anymore now that they have the same owner.
 
#2,170 ·
OkLaHoMaTJ said:
I was checking out the Jana 44 kits…I don't see where you have to replace the rear locker. Are you just wanting to replace the rear locker since its notorious for failure?
I think the confusion is that the Jana kits use a bigger ring gear, if the bolt pattern or the thickness of the ring gear is different from that of a tj rubi 44 then I would think you need a jk compatible locker.
 
#2,171 ·
That was my first thought…However...

Only thing I am finding is the ring gear is only slightly larger but the ring gear bolts match perfectly to the Rubicon Locker. You just have to drill the Rubicon Locker holes out because the JK ring gear bolts are slightly larger.
 
#2,172 ·
OkLaHoMaTJ said:
That was my first thought…However... Only thing I am finding is the ring gear is only slightly larger but the ring gear bolts match perfectly to the Rubicon Locker. You just have to drill the Rubicon Locker holes out because the JK ring gear bolts are slightly larger.
Interesting, are the width of the gears the same? If so I would agree that all is well.
 
#2,176 ·
Thanks for clearing that up G.

Looks like I'll be ordering up 2 Jana 44 kits then. This means some 5.38's are now an option for those that do the Jana kit.
No worries , glad to help . I have two sets of 5.13 JK gears and all the needed goodies on the way from ECGS . All thats left is the rear locker and thanks to Arts tip I am not as stressed about it anymore though I am waiting on a shipping quote for a rubi front .
 
#2,183 ·
All thats left is the rear locker , and it looks like I am going to run the stock rear for now . From what I have read they should work well with my 35s at my regular cruising speed .
Me too, I am still just afraid the RPMs will be a little high for me because I drive my Jeep at 70-75 a lot.
I think you will be fine with your 37s . If everything works out right you will have mine to test drive by Feb.
Don't you have an AW4? my bud has a YJ with an AW4, 37's and 5.89s and loves it. I've never ridden in it on the highway but he seems to be able to do 75 just fine.

With the 6 speed though it might be a bit too much gear at that speed. I always cruise at 65 though.
For 65 mph or less the 5.13s are supposed to be just about perfect .
Yeah, Aw4
I'm running 5.13s and can do 85 well on 37's. I have the 6-speed manual though. I think you will like it.
I dont get over 65 , so I think this will be just right on the 35s .

After a long day I am home ... It is 70 degrees here , and it was 10 this morning in Minnesota . After church I think I am going to try and install the wizard brackets while its warm in the shop :D
 
#2,181 ·
Moabrubi said:
Don't you have an AW4? my bud has a YJ with an AW4, 37's and 5.89s and loves it. I've never ridden in it on the highway but he seems to be able to do 75 just fine. With the 6 speed though it might be a bit too much gear at that speed. I always cruise at 65 though.
Yeah, Aw4
 
#2,186 ·
I figured as much ;)

I just got back to Minnesota. We never met up for a burger/beer...we'll have to next time! :highfive:

Enjoy the warm weather down there!
You got in the same day I left ! I will be out in the garage the next few days while it is in the 70s ... Its surreal to be here after all the snow and cold of the last month up there .
 
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