[RedMountainYJ]

Originally Posted by JeepRocks86

you can also get flush grease fittings.

go to www.mcmaster.com and type in " Flush-Style Grease Fittings"

I'm going to go with those eventually. I think i've broken around 4 or 5 grease fittings off so far with my clayton system.
for example

not to jack your thread (paying close attention, getting ready to do a LA swap on my YJ) but those grease fittings are freakin' sweat! do you need a dofferent nozzle on your grease gun to use them? i've never seen anything like that before.

[Scotch740]

Really nice work so far. Can't wait to see it finished.

[Tommy R]

Thanks. As of right now it's done.....barring a solution to my ball joint/sway bar mount interference. I'll figure that out in the morning and then take it to get aligned and then put it on an RTI ramp to check for clearance issues.

T

[Tommy R]

Driveshaft and skid plate back on...


Everything torqued down and sitting on it's wheels again!


Time to come up with a solution for the sway bar mount and drag link ball joint interference.... So I cut off and ground down the culprits and then started mocking up a replacement:


It's not pretty, but it should work. I'll make some prettier when I have more time:


It's at the shop getting an alignment right now and then it's off to 4 Wheel Parts for a trip up their RTI ramp so I can check for clearances.

Tommy

[Tommy R]

Success!! Well, success so far. I drove it to NTB to get an alignment and everything was in spec except for the toe (of course). The camber was unchanged, but the big thing is that the caster was nearly spot on at 6.5 and 6.7 degrees. I would've preferred 6, but that's good enough for me. I can always lengthen the uppers to reduce the caster a bit. Easy cheesy. And best as they could tell with their equipment the axle was square relative to the chassis! I'm really excited. After all this work, it's scary to get that first alignment. You don't know if the specs are way off or if you'll have all the adjustment range you'll need, etc. This was a huge milestone for me.

It drives great! Granted, I've only done the front suspension so far, but it rides so much nicer than before. I'm really encouraged that after the rear is done this thing is going to feel like a Cadillac compared to the way it was. I also managed to hit some really big, ugly speed bumps and everything felt (and still looks) very, very solid.

I don't know if I'll get chance to test it on the RTI ramp or offroad before the Jeep Jamboree next weekend, but so far things are falling into place nicely.

Tommy

[JEEP97TJ]

That is good to hear. Great job on the suspension.

[Airborne4X4]

I love this kind of stuff. The more knowledgeable I get about fourwheeling, the more I respect the guys the strike out on their own the get the job done. This has been a great build so far and you've show how, with some brains and guts, just how to do it. I can imagine dozens of builds starting because of this. I can't wait to see the rear done.

[badassr1]

what wheels are those?

[Tommy R]

Thanks for the compliments, y'all. badassr1, the wheels are Trailready beadlocks, 15x10.

Tommy

[Tommy R]

Took the Jeep to a Jamboree this past weekend in Llano, TX. It was unfortunately the first time the new front suspension had touched dirt. I wanted to test it out beforehand, but had no time. Fortunately, it did great!! It got pounded on some rocks and held together.

First, an example of the problem I'm going to fix with all this work. Look at the shortened wheelbase in the rear due to the crazy amount of anti-squat from the short arms in the rear!


Requisite poser shots. I was just attempting to partially climb this rock. I didn't realize I could clear it. Now I need longer brake lines!




Plenty of room between the arm and the frame rail:


In a couple of weeks I'll start on the rear. I'm going to give myself a little time to catch my breath first. I've been going non-stop for the last several weeks and need to take a break.

Tommy

[JeepRocks86]

a grinder with a cut off wheel, and a thick grinding wheel and then a flap wheel does wonders to take the factory LCA tabs off. I just ground another one of mine down. 3.5 more parts to go until my factory LCA tabs (cut like yours) are gone.

looks great

[Tommy R]

Thanks, Tyler. Yeah, that's the plan to remove the old mounts. It's just been a shortage of time preventing this from happening. :\

Tommy

[JeepRocks86]

I installed my clayton kit oh about feb-march of 2007 and i'm just now taking the mounts off.

I would factor about an hour per mount give or take depending on your grinder. mine is on the edge of going out for good.

[Milhouse]

Very nice work! Looks like everything works well and functions the way it should. Now if I may ask... what was the total cost in supplies for the build?

[Tommy R]

Steel: Free. I would estimate it at about $200 or so.
Square tube inserts: $17 ea. plus shipping.
Johnny Joints: $40 ea. x 10.
Misc. stuff: maybe $20

I think that's about it. The joints are by far the most expensive part. And the quantities above are for the front and rear, not just the front.

Tommy