Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner
1M views 7K replies 494 participants last post by  MO2500 
#1 ·
Project REDLYNER: Ultra4 Race Jeep Driven Daily...

EDIT: VillagePhotos has crashed, taken their customers money and lost all of their pictures. This means roughly 1,000 pictures in this thread are now dead links. I switched to a new server and pictures start back on page 99. SORRY!!

Pics start back:
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f22/project-redlyner-rock-crawler-driven-daily-1046789/index99.html

This is way late in the game to start a build thread, so it is not a from scratch build.

I'll try to give a little back ground on the jeep and the build so far-

Number one, I have one of the most understanding wives out there. Not only does she support most of the mods, but she talks me into higher quality parts when I want to normally go cheap.

Number two, I bought this TJ when I lived in Colorado and immediately got addicted to rocks. But more importantly, addicted to the slick Rock in Moab. Every single mod on this rig was built or added with Moab trails in mind. So to keep this thread from being too wordy, I'll start throwing out some pics.

I bought the Jeep with a Rubicon Express 3.5" lift and 33"s. It had never been offroad according to the previous owner and after I inspected it, I was pretty convinced he was telling the truth. Not a spec of dirt in anything underneath the rig and not a scratch to be found. I think I got a deal.

This is a multi-stage build. Each stage represented taking to the next level of trail difficulty.

Pictures were not that great until like 2009 when we got a nice camera...

Here is a short recap of stage 1:

Day I brought it home back in 2006- I almost broke the Dana 35 because of the amount of Armor All on it:



Stage one was getting this thing so I could recover myself and be recovered. Also need to protect the easiest areas to damage- so the short list was:

Warn Rock Sliders
Warn Front Bumber
Warn Winch Mount
Tow Hooks
ARB Shackles
Warn M8000 Winch
Auburn Front Selectable Locker and install kit
Uniden CB
Kilby Gas Tank Skid

The 4 Wheel Parts show and local 4x4 board made it pretty easy to get some smoking deals:



And on went the first round of mods:

Bumper and winch:


Gas tank off, new tank on:





With the armor on, CB in and Auburn Locker front locker installed, it was time to go play in Moab:

 
See less See more
6
#3 ·
One trip out to the desert really opened my eyes... I was no where near where I wanted to be with the jeep. My wife and I discussed "everything" we thought we needed to get to the next level, so the stage 2 mod list began:

Poison Spyder Trail Corners
Flush Mount Tail Lights
Custom Reverse Lights
Sirius Satellite Radio
33x12.5 Pro Comp Xtreme M/T's
Pro Comp 15x8 Black Rock Crusher Wheels
Warn Rear Receiver Shackle
Super 35 kit and Ox locker
Steering- Currie Full Replacement Kit
On Board Air -The Source CO2

After rolling the jeep onto its back on Escalator (Hells Revenge), I need a corner remedy. Poison Spyder Customs came through with a set of their trail corners and I picked up some $5 Wal Mart flush mount lights to go with it.













 
#4 ·
Still need some reverse lights, so back to Wall World for something to mount on the tire carrier:





Finally buttoned up and back on the trail:



I scored a sweet deal on a rear axle: Dana 35 with a Super 35 kit and Ox locker!

So the swap started with the help of one of my close friends on the board, DnRsden:







Installed!: (You can see the abuse the Kilby skid has taken)

 
#5 ·
Picked up the wheels and tires- 33" Pro Comp Xtreme M/Ts on 15x8 Pro Comp steelies.



With the new rear axle, the front needed some attention:

4.10 Gears (to match the rear) and track bar.



I had the gears installed by a pro, so no pics there. Now it was time to eliminate the rear vibrations- SYE time!

Before:



After about 5 hours of snap ring hell (the right tools make all the difference)



Just an easy fun mod, yet one of the more important- Rokmen steering skid:



Installed:

 
#6 ·
Back on the trails.....





New steering needed in 3....2....1....





Currie to the rescue:



Annnd then back out to the slick rock. We made it to Moab about once every 4 to 5 months:



 
#7 ·
So the trails and obstacles are getting harder, time to invest in some safety: A Poison Spyder Trail Cage was next on the list.

Scored another deal at the 4 Wheel Parts show and went over to another buddy's place to get some welding help:

Ripped out the old stuff:



It took about 4 hours to get everything in place and welded up:



Cage is back out getting painted. Front black to be "invisible", back factory stone white to match the rig:



All painted up:



Back in the jeep:





So now that it is a little safer.... it's tiiiime to go bigger!

35x12.50 Maxxis Trepadors arrived just in time for our Colorado Jeep club trip to Moab. I went with the Treps because no one had them and thought they would be a little different on the trail.

They were awesome! I couldn't say enough positive things about them.

Comparison shot:



Installed:

 
#8 ·
Approaching 35 to 40 trail runs with the setup and I got tired of the rubbing. So I reached out to TNT and picked up their new full replacement tube fenders with a 3" flare.

Dan (same guy who welded my cage) painted up the fenders to a near exact match.



Custom intake by way of Pep Boys:



Since the Warn bumper sticks out so far, I decided to back to Poison Spyder for another toy- PSC's trail stinger!



Everything is now in its new place-



I decided to paint up the frame since I was working on it. It had been pretty scratched up:



Custom LED blinkers install (they burnt out quickly, later to be replaced), and everything buttoned back up:

You will notince an Ox front cover in the picture0 I blew up the Auburn and decided to go Ox front and rear.



 
#9 ·
New blinkers installed, wheel spacers installed, and a move 1800 miles east changes things up a bit.

Blinkers:



Spacers:



East Coast wheeling with the dialed in build:





It didn't take too long in the mud and rocks to break my rear Ox locker. A loose cross pin snapped when I slid off of a slippery boulder. This led to the decision to buy new axles. I went with used Rubi's and ended up getting completely ripped off (won't go into it here). After dealing with my credit card company, I got some cash back and rebuilt them properly.

Rubi 44's front and rear
Chromoly shafts front and rear
ARBs front and rear
Alloy 4.88s



Swithes:



Swap in progress:



Back to the fun mods. The trails down here are pretty narrow, I opted for a little more body coverage- XRC's new corner armor.



Old ones out:

 
#11 ·
Going on:



Installed the 3" rear tube flares:



Now came the best mod on the jeep (made life so much easier)- Currie's Anti-Rock kit.

Before:



After:



Being more of a crawler than a throttle guy on the trail, I decided to upgrade tires in hopes that my built 44's could handle it.

So on went 37x13.50 Pibull Rockers (bias).



Back out on the trails:



 
#15 ·
The 44's have been great! We take the hardest lines we can, but I'm really light on the throttle. No bouncing either.

The bias Pitbulls were monsters off-road, but vibrated too much for me on road. You will see the new upgrades in later posts. I have lots more to update....
 
#14 ·
Next up will be:

Gen-Right rear tire carrier

Teraflex Belly Up
-Includes MML
-No body lift
-Rear upper adjustable control arms
-TC shifter bracket

Vanco Big Brake Kit

New Pitbull Tires (again)- radials this time

Raceline Aluminum Beadlocks.


Pics to come shortly....
 
#16 ·
your jeep is one of my fav. wranglers on the site and i always wondered why..i think its the great coordination of color and functionality but by far( after seeing the build thread) the way you painted the roll cage both black and white just looks fantastic!
 
#18 ·
I have a couple more mods to post to get to that one, but yes, the wheel base is now 100" and it is drivable. Still have more dialing in to do.... but we are getting ahead of ourselves! I still have to post the laundry list of pics to go up before that!
 
#21 ·
Lookin' good!
 
#23 ·
It basically came down to a race to complete phase 3. Easter Jeep Safari was approaching and for what ever reason, my wife approved towing my jeep with her H3 4,400 miles round trip to Moab and back.

The completion of phase 3 consisted of:

Bikini top/Duster/Windjammer

Gen-Right rear tire carrier

Teraflex Belly Up
-Includes MML
-No body lift
-Rear upper adjustable control arms
-TC shifter bracket

Vanco Big Brake Kit

The Gen-Right rear tire carrier is something I wanted for years and finally just decided to drop the cash on it. You don't see them very often is another big reason I liked it.

Unbolting the rear, dropping the gas tank:



New cross member brace/bumper bolted up and primed:



New stinger bolted up for measurements:



All primed, painted and installed:



Picked up the Bikini Top etc and was back on the rocks:





The wife joined me this time around in the Hummer. A little break-in trip before EJS.

Her's is lifted 2" in the front, has 35" M/Ts, locked in the rear, limited slip up front, rock sliders, custom winch bumper, 9500lb winch, and custom skids underneath-



 
#24 ·
Now it was time to get a little more clearance under the tub = Teraflex Belly Up.

Scored another smoking deal on the skid and upper arms which just left picking up the mml and tc shifter bracket (pictured below):



Dropped the stock skid:



Laid flat for comparison:



Went ahead and put the mml in. Driver's side was a pain, but it is in:



Since I'm not running a body lift, I needed to dimple the tup for a little extra clearance. Below are pics of the tub dimple "tool":





Time to remove the upper control arms:



In goes the RE adjustables:



Squeezed in the new shifter relocator. I had some help on this one.... with no body lift, months later I am still having issues with it. Not major ones, but still:



Bolted the skid back up and headed out:

 
#25 ·
YES! :drool: im so glad you finally did a built thread. your rig is definitely one of my favorites and has been ever since i first saw it. great work :thumbsup:
 
#26 ·
REDLYNER,

Welcome to the JF build section. I really look forward to seeing more pics and progress on your rig. I've always admired your rig and attention to detail since you first starting posting on NC4x4. I also enjoyed following you along the Moab trip a few weeks ago.

We aren't far from each other and should get together for a trail run sometime.....if I ever get my MJ finished :rolleyes:. Do you wheel with a local club?

Again, nice Jeep and I'm looking forward to this build :drool:
 
#28 ·
^ Thanks guys!

Woodcrawler- we should definitely hit some trails up. Have you been to Mountain City yet? I have not, but want to pretty bad. I have been told you need to go with someone who is familiar with it because of how easy it is to get lost.

On to finishing phase 3! Knowing that we would be doing Metal Masher (Widowmaker) and Behind the Rocks (White Knuckle Hill) at EJS, I had to have some better brakes. A phone call to Vanco solved that issue!

Brake kit arrived a short while later and the disassemble began. Some of the pictures may be out of order...

Stock setup:



Hub off:



Comparinson shot of the newness next to the oldness:



Stripped and ready for install:



New parts going back on:



Next came grinding down the hubs for the new rotors to fit:



Like a glove!:



Caliper brackets going on:



Next was sliding in the shims:

 
#30 ·
^ Thanks guys!

Woodcrawler- we should definitely hit some trails up. Have you been to Mountain City yet? I have not, but want to pretty bad. I have been told you need to go with someone who is familiar with it because of how easy it is to get lost.
Mtn City is definately a must do. It's a fun place that's not to far of a drive from Charlotte. Yes, I would recommend going with someone who's been there before because the trail map they provide is crap :rofl: I've been there numerous times and would be glad to lead a ride. Send me a PM with your email address and we can connect.
 
#29 ·
Getting the brake lines screwed back on:



All bolted up and ready to bleed:





You'll notice in the pics I no longer have the RE fixed lower arms.... in an effort to get the suspension just right for Moab, I went with Rokmen fully adjustables front and rear:

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top