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Just another YJ build... My version

166K views 889 replies 63 participants last post by  bgredjeep 
#1 ·
Heres my shot at a build thread. i never took a lot of pics through the yrs but i will try to get everyone up to date. most of this build thread is from my build over on Wranglerboard.com

I bought my YJ when i was 16 yrs old. almost 9 yrs ago. she already had a 4" procomp lift and some 33" bfg mud terrains. that and the sweet 2" round bumpers were the only mods on it.

i ran that setup all through high school and thought i was on top of the world. my jeep could do anything. i added some lights and some bushwackers flares

when i was 19 i joined the military and moved to Virginia. with multiple deployments to Iraq and non-stop training my 3 yrs there i only wheeled ONCE on the east coast.

right before my only run out there i went out and bought a smittybilt tire carrier so i can have a spare for the trail ride. a couple months afterwards i bought a matching pro comp front bumper and got rid of my tube bumpers.

here i am in Gore, Va


and the new front bumper i bought


rear tire carrier


after 3 yrs on the east coast i begged and pleaded and got stationed in San Diego. once getting out here everthing pretty much went down hill.

within my first month here i bought a welder and started fabbing some stuff up.

my first project was my rock sliders




i wheeled a little around SD and back home in vegas some more then came another deployment. while on deployment i ordered a couple parts and went right to work installing them when i returned Dec 2010.

installed a Warn m8000 winch
 
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#2 ·
a SOLID d30 diff cover


and a SPARTAN locker. this was a great upgrade


first wheeling trip after deployment and some new parts was to Corral Canyon. trail was pretty fun. this was the most rock crawling i had done to date




Next trip was about 2 weeks later on New years day 2011 to Johnson Valley.



my next big project i wanted to do was some tube fenders.

i went out and bought all of the material locally and started tearing into me Heep.





i was pretty content with the way they came out. i ended up finishing them the day before i headed out to JV for King Of The Hammers.

i stayed in Joe Dillards camper with him and we spent the night hanging out and drinking with some of his friends.

you might have heard of them before.... Larry and Wendy Nickel? John Herrick?

i also met some really great guys in the business. i met Brad Barnes from Barnes4wd and showed him my jeep. he commented how he really liked my fenders and i had some skill.
 
#3 ·
i had an AA SYE sitting in my garage and figured it was time to install. i dont have any pics of the install but i do have some of the DS we made.

it is a shorted XJ shaft sleeved with .250"wall Chromolly






i installed some front Bilsteins i got off a local friend



then I headed out to vegas. i did a local trail out there and acquired some damage. i put a hole in my oil pan and bent the crap out of my Drag link.....

i went and pulled a cherokee oil pan from the junk yard and swapped it in.

old vs. new


so my next projects. OIL PAN SKID and beefier drag link








and the steering. This is 1 1/2" .250" DOM with weld in bungs with TRE's

stock vs. new





the next thing i can think of that i did was finally cut down my procomp bumper and make it a stubby





dont mind the booger welds, this was just a quick flux core job. welded inside and out so i didnt care how it looked. plus i ground them down




 
#4 ·
i did some little things along the way. i converted my A/C to OBA. great mod for sure. i think i have used my AC a total of 2 or 3 times ever and it barely worked...

i went out wheeling as often as i could. i would go out balls to the wall everytime and for some reason would never break axle parts(fine by me).....

that is until my first trip out with some used 35s i picked up off a JF member. i had an 8.8 waiting in my garage so i wasnt worried about my D35. if it broke i was ready. fortunately i could not get that thing to break.

i did end up breaking a d30 ujoint and the stubears off of the shaft

this


led to this


because of this....


at this time i replaced my broken shaft and decided to upgrade to TJ shafts. so out came the 2 piece shafts and small ujoints. (no pics)

by now i had pretty much everything i needed gathered up for my 8.8 swap so i put my jeep under the knife.

i re-used the factory 8.8 spring perches and went SOA. i used stock YJ rear springs and some 1/2" boomerang shackles. i used barnes4wd traction bar mounts and made my own traction bar. i am also running 10" doetsch tech rear shocks

d35 out(sold for $150)


8.8 ready to go in


8.8 rear SOA stock springs 1/2" shackles rear with 4" procomp SUA 7/8" shackles front


traction bar made of 1 1/2" .250 DOM. i used ruff stuff poly bushings on the axle end and a 3/4" hiem on the frame end with some shackles i made


installed



and testing out the new SOA rear flex



i drove it SOA rear SUA front for about a month then decided to tackle the front.

i am using sniper fab offset perches for the front SOA. i also bought Joe Dillards old M.O.R.E. hi-steer setup because he went D60.

i decided to build a new drag link so once again i pulled out some 1 1/2" .250 DOM. i am also using 5/8" ruffstuff hiems.

new drag link



for the tie rod i decided to still use the MORE one but sleeve it to make it almost 1/2" wall thickness. also running 5/8" ruffstuff hiems.

you can see the sleeve here with all the steering installed.


i used stock leafs again for the front with 1/2" boomerang shackles.

here it is on my shakedown drive right after i aligned it in my driveway(white paint on tires)


it sat high in the front so i started making a bastard pack. then ended up going front/ rear bastard. its stock YJ springs with 2nd leaf removed and replaced procomp 4" 2nd leaf. this has helped to keep the springs from sagging and inverting.

steering angles.


loaded up for a trip to big bear in Oct 2011 for a wounded warrior run


no trail pics :thumbdown:
 
#5 ·
around Nov 2011 time i heard that i might be moving to North Carolina(was currently stationed in san diego). little did i know that i would get the for sure word until December 2011. 1 week before they wanted me to leave.

i did once last trip to Corral canyon before i knew i was moving yet

didnt get many pics at all. suspension did good but seemed really "tippy" at times.



i think my flex is great though :thumbsup:


NEXT PHASE:

this all started with a craigslist ad for a FREE rollcage. the guy bought the jeep and it had a ghetto home made cage in it so he pulled it and had a new one built by a shop.

he tried selling it on CL and said everytime someone came to look at it they just laughed and said "nevermind, i dont want it".

i then saw the ad for it listed as "FREE, just come get it out of my yard."

i figured id go take a look so i made the drive to Escondido.

to say this cage had bed welding would be an understatement. i dont even think they did any notching. just pieced some tube together and filled the giant gaps with weld. but for free you cant go wrong. worst case i have some free scrap tube now.

here it is when i picked it up


one of the "good" welds :laugh:


after assessing it for a while i realized the only part i want is the bars that run from the B pillar across to the A and down. this was 1.75x.120 Tube

AGAIN you have to remember this was free. i am at no loss. i know i can have someone bend me that piece that follows the windshield line a little better but i would have to buy the tube then get it bent.

i decided that i will use the previously mentioned pieces and get some new 1.75x.120 DOM and make a trail cage from there. so thats what i did. i spent less than $100 on the rest of the DOM.



here is the down bars tacked in as well as a winshield spreader bar and a dash bar that i cut and notched


you san see by the B pillar where i cut the tube. i just cut it off the old B pillar about 10" back from the weld. next i took some of the DOM i bought and nothced it correctly and internally sleeved them with .250 wall and welded it all around and did 8 rosette/plug welds per side. i dont know if im gonna get flack for this but i feel it is plenty strong.

next i measured and cut and notch some spreader bars. because i dont have a bender if i ran them to the corners for triangulation it would touch my head with me just sitting in the drivers seat. so for now i just went straight across like the blue torch kit. i will figure out some triangulation later.


notched with a 1 3/4" hole saw and drill press.


ready for welding


one of the welds. im not the best in the world but i think i do ok. it was really hard to get a good pic of one of my welds. this was one of the best i could get but its not one of the best welds on the cage


and then added some paint





and thats it for that day.

not bad for less than $100. i added more at a later date. i had to really hurry up with this project as about halfway though i found out id be moving in less than 2 weeks.
 
#6 ·
about a week after i finished up that portion of the cage i moved. the navy came and packed up my house and moved it all out to North carolina.

i had about a month until i had to be in NC so i chose to drive home for the holidays along my cross country trip.

first thing i did when i got home to Las vegas for the holidays is add a little more to my 'cage. i did some windshield bars and did the rear half. still gonna add more gussets and tube but thats another day.




then i went out and did some Las Vegas wheeling. I wheeled in Logandale, Nv which is red slickrock, kind of like Moab.

i didnt get a lot of pictures as i was too busy wheeling. most of the ones i got are of me just stopped. pretty lame. i layed it against a rock once and 2 and 1 wheeled it NUMEROUS times. most of the day my friends saw my belly as i was high in the air with the front.

i also accrued a little more body damage. some smashes on my driver and pass. corner.

little idea of what Logandale is like


driver body damage


good cage shot :2thumbsup:


a random shot


and another


after the holidays i hit the road, bound for NC. i flat towed the jeep the entire way

once i got to North Carolina i was on the hunt for a house. it had to have some ample parking and i decent size garage. because im only renting it took a couple weeks to find a place.

then i stumbled on the perfect pad for me.

the new house


and the jeep in its new home before i moved in all my tools.


the first thing i had to do to the jeep once i got settled was change out my front springs. while out in vegas i accidentally jumped my jeep and bent the crap out of the front springs.

i figured now was a great time to get a little stretch and try out some waggy springs.

i hit up the junk yard and was able to get a front pair of springs from a '89 grand wagoneer.

the waggys give you approx. 2" of stretch, i used my offet perches to gain another inch. im now at 97"WB.

before anyone asks, NO MY DRIVESHAFT DID NOT REACH. i still need to order a new front shaft.

heres a couple before pics




and after the 3" front stretch


 
#8 ·
and that brings me to today.

a couple weeks ago i ordered some PoisonSpyder aluminum YJ corner armor but once i received them i realized they got damaged in shipping and i had to send them back. its taken a couple weeks to get the issue resolved with PSC and UPS but will hopefully have my new corners in the mail in a couple days.

once i get my corners i plan on painting them black, installing some rockers i got off the REDBULL TJ and redoing my front fenders.

i figured while im waiting, in the little bit of off time i have from work, i could do a little work on my fenders. i just barely got them finished the day before KOH 2011. i was in a rush and the body work was pretty ugly. its been bugging me the whole time but i never did anything about it.

well i figured since id be repainting them i should finish them correctly.

also a few months ago i scored some fender louvers from GenRight from there CLOSEOUT section. normally theyre $50 but i was able to get them shipped for aroud $20. i figured it was a good deal. all i have to do was cut a giant hole in the side of my fenders i made. no big deal :laugh:

heres a sneak peak at the fenders


also another dilema most people face with a custom cage is where to mount a rearview mirrow. i was going to weld a tab and then just use my factory mirror but i came up with another solution. i was browsing through amazon.com and i stumbled across a mirror for UTVs. its a round clamp that fits 1.75" tube. i got it to my door for once again about $20. its also easilly removable for the trail if i want, i think this mirror is PERFECT.

heres some pics



and finally just a random picture of my jeep all naked(with my other baby). just waiting for my corners to get everything painted and installed.
 
#11 ·
rulppa said:
About your rear traction bar, did you make new crossmember and mounted it there or welded bracket on your skidplate? Any problems/axle wrap with waggy leafs (front SOA) without bar?

Looks good, subscribed. :popCorn:
For the rear traction bar I just welded a bracket onto my skid plate.

I also don't have any axlewrap in the front that I notice. I still haven't been out on the trail with the springs yet because I have to order a new driveshaft still. I will let you know if I have any adverse efffects. I don't think I will though
 
#14 ·
back with a small update.

i had to go out of town for a week for work and when i returned i had some things waiting for me on the dining table.

before i left i ordered some Daystar rocker switches and some switch covers. i ordered 3 switches from amazon with free shipping for $30. after i ordered them i thought about how i wanted some labeled ones. i found this https://otrattw.com/products.php?cat=5 website and ordered 2 labeled ones. i havent ordered a 3rd because i dont have anything else i need to run yet.

1 still in the box


and my 2 with the replacement switch covers


thats it for now. still waiting on some more stuff to come in the mail. i need to get out in the garage this weekend and try to finish up my front fenders
 
#15 ·
just got off the phone with Curtis Tatton, ordered my new front drivesahft.

also called up PoisonSpyder and STILL waiting to find out about my corners. im really starting to get irked about it. I received the corners in less than a week from the original order but then had to send them back because they were damaged. now ive been waiting for over a month for them to even ship out my new corners. so far im very dissatified with PoisonSpyder. unless they do something to improve my experience with them i will never shop with them again and recommend others not to as well.



besides that ive been spending all day trying to finish up my fenders and get my new rockers installed. will hopefully be done with that today.
 
#16 ·
:cheers2: well i was able to get my front fenders finished today as well as get my new-to-me rockers on.



i also finally heard back from PSC about my aluminum crusher corners. they were sent out today so i should see them by the end of the week :2thumbsup:

once i get those in i will get them painted and installed, along with some 4 1/2" flush mount LED tails.

my driveshaft should ship out next week and i still have some rock lights in the mail from my friend back in vegas.....

:cheers2:
 
#18 ·
looks good! I like how its turning out!

Corral Canyon looks like one hell of a trail! I would love to head down to San Diego for a week and do some exploring.
 
#20 ·
finally got my long awaited package yesterday. i spent 1 1/2 months dealing with PoisonSpyder trying to get my rear crusher corners.

ran some errands yesterday after work and came home to find this on my doorstep. :2thumbsup:



i will give them credit on how this one was packaged. they made sure it wasnt going to get damaged. in my opinion though i think it shouldve been packaged this well the first time. :thumbdown:

couldnt wait to start mocking it up



my rear panels and corners are beat to hell so it was not fun trying to get everything lined up and flush. on the driver side i will have to do some body work to fill in some of the huge dents.

heres the passenger side hanging



i marked everywhere that i need to cut then removed the corners.




thats as far as i got last night. i will be doing more today.

let me know what you guys think
 
#21 ·
DAY TWO of crusher corner install

i was able to get lot more accomplished on my corner install today.

the first thing i started with is getting my wiring for my LED tail lights. i copied what pretty much everyone does. i cut the wires from the OEM tail light side so i could still use the disconnect harness. i took the LED wire and soldered them to the oem harness. i also picked up the EL12 flasher relay so they work correctly

heres the giant OEM tail light


and i snipped the harness off


new LED tail


here is how the wiring goes

~copied from Sebastian22 LED writeup~
LIGHTS----JEEP-------FUNCTION
Red----Black/Green---Brake / Blinker
Black------White-------Tail Light
White------Black*-------Ground
N/A-----White/Black-----Back-up

got them soldered up and put some heat shrink over it



i also ordered some countersink stainless bolts that match the PoisonSpyder hardware for my rockers. i figured i could go ahead and get those installed as well.

here is what i originally mounted them with. just some standard Grade 8 hex heads


and the new stainless bolts


next i had to knock out a little bit of body work for the rear of my tub. i HATE body work. im just not good at it at all.

here is the damage that i am repairing


heres some progress after a couple coats of body filler


and heres my final coat. its not too perfect but its ok, i just wanted to close up the gap i little bit between the body armor and the tub.


i installed the armor again to check for fitment after the body armor and test the LEDs.


also test fit my stock TJ flares that i run. everntually i will upgrade to some Tubes for the rear. i just could justify the cost at this time


next i drilled the mounting holes for the flare

here the corner is bare


and a pic after i drilled the mounting holes


after i drilled the holes i cleaned up the corners with laquer thinner to prep for paint


and i hung them and started a coat of aluminum self etching primer


after a couple coats of primer i started to lay some gloss black paint


in between coats of paint i starting playing around with a way to mount my license plate. i wont be mounting it in the stock location.

what i came up with is something like what Genright sells

here is GenRights version
http://www.genright.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=LPM4005

what i started with was some 1/8" plate


i traced the license plate and cut it out


next i found some scrap steel i had laying around.

i grabbed some 1.5x.250 Dom and some 1.75x.120 HREW.


the 1.5 fits right inside the 1.75


i welded the 1.5 DOM to the center of my tire carrier and the 1.75 HREW to the plate that the license plate mounts to



before i welded them up i drilled some holes in the tube to lock it in place. i used a standard hitch pin i had laying around to lock it in place but also make it removable to remove my spare tire.

and now its ready for a test fit. fits like a glove



i pulled the corners and layed em down for the night. ill add a couple more coats tomorrow and if i have time get everything installed.


and thats it for the night guys.

:cheers2::cheers2::cheers2:
 
#22 ·
Sweet, sweet build. Nice pics and great work.

Was there anything wrong with the stock rollbar or did u just want something different?
 
#24 ·
got more knocked out today. finished paingting the corners and get them installed. the only thing left to do with the corners is get my flares mounted up. maybe tomorrow



i also got my tire carrier back on with my new license plate relocator.



i also got a little license plate light/bracket from autozone. just mounts using your existing holes. i sprayed it black so it doesnt stand out as much.

i hooked it up to test it out and it works just fine. i spliced it into my tail harness.

most likely tomorrow i will figure out my wiring layout for it and finalize my connections. i will be using a disconnect by the plate.

 
#28 ·
i finally had the time to get my corners and LED install completed all the way.

im still waiting for my TAtton front DS to come in. should be sometime this week. i think he shipped it out on monday. after that i need to go out and tear it up. trying to plan a trip out to Uwharrie

sorry for the crappy cell pics. i really need a camera. :laugh:





:cheers2:
 
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