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Louie4's YJ

352K views 3K replies 156 participants last post by  Skerr 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, I figured I would make a "build" thread. I have had my YJ for nearly 10 years and have been doing mods here and there so I won't have a lot of pics of the entire process.

I got my '93 YJ when I turned 16. I paid $1500 at the time which was a steal. I can't find any stock pictures but I have some of the earlier versions.

Some specs as of today:

-3.5" Black Diamond lift springs
-Stock TJ alloy wheels
-Worn out Aurora 31" x 10.5" M/T's (cheap)
-Detroit EZ locker in the rear
-Lock-Right in the front
-Yukon 4.10's front and rear (Yes I still have the D35 and I regeared it:thumbdown:)
-Some kind of hack 'n' tap SYE and a Tom Woods rear driveshaft from a wrecked '95 YJ
-Currie boomerang shackles front and rear
-Herculined Tub


Here's some pics from Tellico when I had 2" double military wrapped springs (complete crap), Liberty all-terrain 30" x 9.5" cheapo tires. I can't remember if I had my rear locker in or not.

I got my SYE from a buddy that worked at the old shop I used to work for.
I had to get the driveshaft shortened because the '95 YJ it came off of was a SOA. Took about 2" out of the center section.


I'm sure a lot of you have had this problem with the rear shock mounts on your Dana 35. I backed into a rock and after a year of on road driving it finally gave out. I replaced them this past April with some generic ones I got from a 4WD shop I rode past. I'll post the new ones up later.
Also, this was the first break. I got my neighbor to weld the piece back on one time and it broke again another year later.


This doesn't show the entire process but it shows some of the gear pattern pics of when I was re-gearing my front and rear axle. I rebuilt both axles replacing all the bearings. I set everything up myself. It was my first gear install and they haven't torn up yet so that's a good sign. I don't know if I would do it again just because of the hassle factor. I don't have all the tools a machine shop has but I have more than the average backyard mechanic. The most important tool I bought was an in-lb torque wrench. I got it from Amazon from a bike shop.


Some of the D30. I had to take the ring gear off to put the locker in. I wasn't thinking and forgot to put it in.



After I re-geared my rpm's went up and vibrations from my front driveshaft were becoming very noticeable on the road. I had originally got a ZJ front driveshaft planning on putting that on the front. I took it to the driveshaft shop and the guy there wouldn't warranty the ZJ one because going to a length of 43" with an O.D. of 1.75" he said it would fail at 3000 rpm's. I was surprised because my stock front driveshaft was that length and I have been running it for a long time. He said he would have to go to a 3" O.D. to warranty it. Well, I ended up spending $50 to have my stock one straightened and balanced. I still have a few vibes but not as bad. Here's some pics of the ZJ front driveshaft and the one I put in.
 

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#2,026 ·
Thanks guys. I will buy a pack for the trail. I don’t have any real issue with my ARB. I think this line got pinched between my gas tank and diff cover. But we’ll see how things go next time.


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#2,027 ·
So, I bought a set of shock mounts for the front axle. I plan to put them lower about 0.5”-1”. That will take care of my bottoming out but should I consider something different for bumps since I only have 4” of uptravel? Or should I just leave it? I will add extended bumps to the back. However, hard bumps are inevitable and I sometimes feel like I’m hittting too hard. Maybe I should get new springs for SOA?




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#2,029 ·
I contacted OX about their air line kits and I think I can covert mine to air. I’m planning on buying the parts and researching if their solenoid will thread into my ARB compressor. I asked OX if they had customers who use their solenoid with ARB and in am awaiting a response.

I want to go the air route because it’s so much easier to route and work on versus the mechanical cable.


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#2,031 ·
Sure. But putting that into practice for off-road use with a flexible suspension is getting me worried. Below is a picture of my cable coming out of my diff and how I routed it to the electric shifting motor.


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#2,032 ·
Since I have both shifting mechanisms, I agree the mechanical be more reliable but execution isn’t as good. The main benefit with the OX is I have a pin to lock the locker if the shifting device fails, unlike my ARB. So, going to air will be easier to route the line and I have a back up if it fails. In a post above I show my new air line repair kit.

In addition, the cable sheath threads into the diff cover and that in and of itself is a pain to remove. An air fitting would be way easier.


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#2,034 ·
That pic was taken while I had everything removed. I needed to get the air box out of the way to run the OX cable. I was also cleaning the charcoal out of the intake from the canister. It's good to go now:

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#2,035 ·
Are you enjoying the endless southwest offroad yet?
We are planning a trip this spring, Sand Hollow UT to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Another cool (long) trip is The Mojave Road.
These are weekend long trips with overnights involved.
 
#2,038 ·
I pulled the trigger and bought all the parts from OX to convert my locker to air.

We'll see how it goes...
Nice! I've never run a selectable locker, but I agree that I'd rather have air than a cable. Stretching a cable seems to be pretty common, and I'd imagine that's a harder trail repair than a melted air line. Routing the line away from rotating, sharp, and/or hot things is the trick.
 
#2,039 ·
I got my parts for the OX air conversion last week. Good news is the quick connect fittings thread into my ARB compressor and I can use the ARB wiring harness since it includes the front locker wiring as well.

I’ll try to get some pics. Crossing my fingers all goes to plan.


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#2,040 ·
Got the air kit installed on my front OX locker. Really easy actually and way easier to run the line. Once I got it hooked up for testing I used the rear locker wiring to test it. Works great and worth the money IMO.


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#2,043 ·
Man its been a while since I've checked up on your thread man. Glad you are enjoying it out West. I like the air conversion on the OX. I thought long and hard about going with an OX or ARB for my front 60. Ended up with an ARB as that's what most of my friends run but I do love the ability to lock in the OX if something goes wrong. I do hate that everything comes out of the diff cover though. I feel like I'd snag it on something. I'm running ARB front and welded rear.
 
#2,044 ·
Good to know your doing well Chris.

Well, my box was leaking at the airport this week. So I debated on replacing the seal for the input shaft but i found a YJ box already tapped for hydro assist. I plan to swap it out and fix my stock ones and sell.


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#2,048 ·
I’m wondering if I should go ahead and replace the power steering pump since I’m replacing the box and plan on a ram assist? It’s the same OEM pump that came with my Jeep back in 1993. Doesn’t make too much noise but it used to about 15 years ago. I put ATF in and it went away. I’ve changed the fluid a handful of times and it’s always brown and smelly.


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#2,051 ·
I've changed the fluid a handful of times and it's always brown and smelly.
Heat, that's what is happening to the fluid. You are already running a cooler which is a 2 thumbs up.

Might I suggest a fluid that is designed for a high heat, high duty cycle ? The cool kids are all running
http://www.swepcolube.com/products/swepco-715-power-steeringhydraulic-oil Which is the fluid recommended by PSC. Its widely available but only certain stores carry it.

Used to be that the GM PS fluid was the go to stuff. Even PSC recommended it. GM has since changed to several different flavors of fluid and nobody seems to know which is the old good stuff. Swepco has been a widely accepted replacement.

I was burning up regular fluid also. Blaine helped to optimize my hydraulic system.....running hydroboost so the fluid has more than one job.........which included different hose sizes and some pump magic. In addition I've had the gearbox out several times replacing the torsion bar. Each time the system was drained and refilled. Ran out of the GM stuff (used to buy it by the case and ship to Blaine) and tried the Valvoline stuff you find everywhere. The pump didn't like it and the thermal expansion was such that it would spew out of the reservoir breather port when it got hot.

Switching to Swepco solved everything. No more spewing no more funky looking fluid.

Careful on pump "upgrades". More pump than you need means more heat. Where you live heat is your #1 enemy. If there was an "upgrade" perhaps adding a pump that uses a remote reservoir to physically hold more fluid might be a wise move. Beyond that I wouldn't screw with it.
 
#2,054 ·
Will do John. I keep trying to order a box of (4) quarts from PSC website but it's on my phone and is acting wonky. I'll try on the laptop.

Got the NEW ps pump from RockAuto.


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#2,057 ·
Alright, should get my pump and Swepco fluid on Sunday. Funny how a leaky steering box turned into a steering system replacement...

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Not funny at all. That's how a lot of us get our wives to buy into upgrades. I once told my wife I had to upgrade to 40's because the air pressure was low in the 37's...
 
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