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TechJeeper's contiuation build formerly Project College FUNd

14K views 155 replies 16 participants last post by  TechJeeper 
#1 ·
A little background first. I've been wheeling for 10 years and working on jeeps just as long. I traded my old 98 wrangler project on 1 tons and 42s for a littler and more practical 98 wrangler with a LCG build and some other cool stuff. In the trade I got to keep my Atlas and some other parts. I also have lots of old parts and new parts from the years of jeeping and working on jeeps. The Good: Well thought out and executed LCG suspension Mildly built axles HP D30 and Ford 8.8 Some more good stuff if you search Project College FUNd to see the rest.

My plans include the following:
3.8 Atlas II which now includes new skid and tranny mount and likely some cv drive shafts DONE

Get it back street legal ebrake, gas tank back underneath, tail pipe and front turn signals.DONE

Build front bumper DONE

Build in front rollcage

OLD Stock wheels (Canyons) and 35x12.5 R15 MTR/k tires. On and tested and they work great! DONE

Detroit Locker in the rear. DONE

New heims and TREs all around old ones are getting sloppy. In Progress

RE 3.5" Springs to take the load of all the extra weight this thing has. Done

Take 1" drop down out of skid plate mounts. New front seats.Done

Seat belts/harnesses all around.Done

Rework the tube fenders to ditch all the bondo. In Progress.

New ShocksCosts Money

PSC Steering upgradeDone

Build Tire CarrierIn Progress

LineXed Floor.Ready but need the money$$

Finish building Dana 60 RearIn Progress

Motor Swap Done

HD Power InverterResearching

Reinstall CB RADIO

Some pics:
 

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#3 ·
3 link with panhard in the front 2.5 rough country progressive rate coils 12" travel shocks

Triangulated 4 link 2.5" RC coils and 12" travel shocks all the brackets were made by the previous owner and are documented in his build thread "Project College FUNd". The frame is channeled to allow the full travel. When I get under it to attack the atlas I'm going to get many more pics to document its current status for before and after pics I'll make sure and get some more of the suspension and what not.
 
#5 ·
Tonight after work I tried to test fit the atlas so i could get my drive shafts modified and it's a no go. There is a skid plate and tranny crossmember not just a skid and integrated tranny mount. They fit so well together I thought they were the same piece. I started looking for a good aftermarket skid in case I decide to go that route.
 
#8 ·
There are few reasons but they aren't IROKs they are grooved SXs.

The old tires and wheels are:
Heavy due to extra wide steel wheel, super swamper tire, weld on bead locks, and the associated hardware (28-32 bolts washers and nuts).

Pretty wore out over all lots of side wall cuts and scars, quickly fading tread due to long burns in the rocks hunting for traction (yeah I saw that video Cory:)

The groove job is very inconsistent or incomplete cant tell which.

There is no way they'll get inspected.

The good stuff is there bead locks and swampers. They aren't going anywhere permanently just into storage for now unless someone really wants them and makes a really offer.

Since this will be a multi purpose vehicle not just a trail only jeep MTRs are far better all around tire and on a 8" wheel I little less likely to dismount. I ran a similar setup for years and never lost a bead. Ideally I would run alloy wheels but these will work for now. I usually only air down to around 10lbs to maintain tire diameter and it seems to suite my driving style well. I loved every MTR I've ever owned. Believe me when I say this is a thought out decision based on lots of seat through many types of terrain and road time.
 
#9 ·
Today after some thought, research and some digging through old parts I came up with plan. The 1350 non CV drive shafts i currently have aren't going to work to many conversions joints and not enough room on the back end for a non CV shaft. I have a stock front CV and rear CV drive shafts floating around. I think the rear is from a jeep with an atlas and the front is stock length and will need to be shortened but that is by far the least expensive driveshaft mod there is other than ujoints.

All that said driveshaft length adjustments and 1310 CV yokes for the atlas and I'll be pretty close to good to go. The only other thing I think I will need is a 1310-1330 conversion for the 8.8 flange.

With the driveline connections potentially solved I also had a thought about my belly skid. My dads jeep has an atlas 1" body lift and some sort of after market skid without any suspension mounts like an RE skid.

It's currently at a friends shop getting some of the work that I'm no good with getting done. The steering column is fixed from a previous theft and has all the correct switches and starts with a key now and is all back to factory. The rear axle is getting new seals and ebrakes put back on now to get it legal along with some other odds and ends. I am headed out there tomorrow to throw on the new wheels and tires.
 
#10 ·
Sorry I have no pics I know that's what everyone really wants but I do have another update. I got the old tranny crossmember out today and slid the atlas on. With the tranny mount bolted directly to the tranny and no offset mount im pretty sure a 2" deep skid will work. The tcase had a surprising amount of room to go up. I feel some what accomplished putting in an atlas by me self but it may not be that cool.

I also mounted the front wheels and tires the back axle is apart for the ebrake install and new seals.
 
#11 ·
This little gem got ordered today to take care of the skid issue. The guys at Clayton said it would fit with the atlas clocked as flat as possible. I decided not to build a skid just due to time constraints and overall fit and finish of an aftermarket piece. I'm hoping once it's trail and road worthy I can start doing less bolt on and more fab work myself.
 

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#12 ·
I was able to swing by and get another pic of the current condition of the jeep. I test fit the grill and radiator hoop I bent. It's a couple of degrees out of plane from bend to bend but I know how to fix it since its not a roll cage member or anything just heat it right in the center of the tube and twist it a little. The bumper brackets will hit all 4 hole on the top of the frame so the radiator hoop will actually weld to the bumper brackets. It'll be braced with angular gussets that go from the front of the brackets up to about half way up the vertical tubes of the hoop. Also the fenders will get bolted to the hoop to stiffen then down to the frame and not just the grill. Maybe that makes since I'll get pics when I get that far.
 

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#15 ·
Start off with a question today. Does anybody know what size and thread the bolts for the front swaybar frame mounts?



After the Jeep is back up and running down the road I've got a few more mods in mind using parts I already have.

Patriot 9500# winch
Tomken winch mount with brush guard
Steering box brace
PSC steering box and later the new all in one pump and reservoir
Maybe a power tank mount

Some other odds and ends include HD power inverter for power tools. Yellow top optima that is currently in my wife's trailblazer. It was laying around late one night when her battery took a dump. So I guess I'll finally get her a new battery so I can have mine back.
 
#17 ·
I got to test fit my bumper and the mounting brackets today everything was just tacked for now but it all fit. The radiator hoop will mount back at the chalk marks but I had to just lean it there to get a picture. Does anybody know what size and thread the sway bar mount bolts on the frame are?
 

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#20 ·
Not really much to update still waiting on Clayton skid and atlas yokes. Hopefully I'll get to final weld and sand front bumper tomorrow and get it the powder coater this week. Depending on cost I may have the back bumper coated as well. I'm trying to make the early March Katemcy run but I have no idea if I can make it in time. I'm sure it'll be down to the wire night before to get it done.
 
#21 ·
The gas tank is back underneath all the seats and seat belts are in with exception of 3 bolts that had been broken off but an 11/16" Milwaukee hole cutter took care of those and a few 7/16" bolts with fender washers will go back in there place. We have tracking numbers on all the parts to get her moving so hopefully next week get the atlas in with the shifters and measure for d-shafts.

Fab projects that have been bumped to the top of the list:

Gas tank skid the one I had wouldn't clear rear diff

Front roll cage addition and some triangulation throughout while keeping all the soft top usable.

Has anyone made there own non-tube "A" pillars that go all the way to the floor but don't go through the dash like the blue torch "A" pillars. I was thinking some 3x3 1/4" angle cut out where necessary to fit behind the doors and around the door seal. Well whether it has been tried or not I'm am going to give it a shot.
 
#23 ·
Has anyone made there own non-tube "A" pillars that go all the way to the floor but don't go through the dash like the blue torch "A" pillars. I was thinking some 3x3 1/4" angle cut out where necessary to fit behind the doors and around the door seal. Well whether it has been tried or not I'm am going to give it a shot.
contact atoz fab. their front cage addition kit goes thru the dash. i actually bought one for the TJ and never installed it but use it as a template for all the TJ cages I do.

please do something about the chrome wheels:thumbsup:
 
#24 ·
Well unfortunately I'm stuck with chrome for now. After three sets of wheels from cragar through discount this is what I ended up with. Cragar sent the wrong wheels first. Wrong model and lug pattern everything was wrong. The next set got stolen from discount because the fed ex guy stacked all the wheels up behind a shipment of tires and someone backed up there and and stole 16 wheels in the middle of the day. So after another week or so I finally get another set of wheels in they say they are mounted up and ready. I get there and they're chrome. The discount guy said they are special order and wouldn't let me get my money back and said they wouldn't do anything else to help. So I got stuck with the chrome beauties you see now. Surprisingly the chrome wheels cost $30 a wheel more than black. They will likely get powder coated at some point but for now they'll work.

I'll look into that cage for sure. In addition to any front cage there will be additions to the back and main hoop as well.

In other news the front bumper is done ready to go on and here is a picture. I chose not to get it powder coated yet I didn't want something silly like powder coating keep me from going wheeling and the rattle can turned out fine. Also I figure if I take them more things at one time to the powder coater they won't blow it off.(4 wheels, 2 bumpers and whatever else I come up with in the next few months.)
 

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#25 ·
It's alive!!!!

Well kind of...

The skid is on but we had to drop it 1" to clear the atlas. I think there is a better way to get the skid on and get that inch back but I'm going to let that be another project on another day.

The front drive shaft is in with a 1350 on the tcase end and conversion on the axle but I may go ahead and put a 1310 cv on it. Im waiting on atlas yokes apparently 32 spline 1310 cv yokes aren't very common and are on back order. If anybody has one or even two i will buy it from you.

So the to do list right now:
Cv yokes on tcase and put rear dshaft on.
Blinkers and markers on the front end
Front cage
Gas tank skid
Install front bumper and winch
Rear locker at some point.
Go wheeling and see what else I might like
to change.

And of course the poser dirt hill pictures.
 

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#27 ·
The jeep is alive and only the diodes in the blinkers from being done! I went out and played in a dirt pit with some old sidewalk slabs and what not and it crawls great! The mtrs at road pressure are super grippy. All in all I am very happy with it. I know it will take some time to get everything like I want it but the foundation is set and ready to do some wheeling.

I'll be out at K2 next weekend and will take pics with an actual camera and even take some gopro video.
 

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