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Harvo's EX DD 02 TJ

5K views 77 replies 11 participants last post by  Harvo 
#1 ·
This build thread is to document and share the transformation of my EX-Daily Driven TJ into my Trail Rig.

I have had the TJ for 6 Years. It was bone stock when i bought it for my wife. We got the Auto because it was going to be her vehicle, but that turned out to be mistake number one. When she soon decided she didn't want a Jeep for every day use, I was stuck with a 3spd slushbox instead of a manual that I would have chosen if the Jeep was for me. Fortunatly, it has been trouble free.

I drove the Jeep unmodified for a year, then for 4 years with a BB and 33" all terrains. It saw some mild trail use, but when I bought a car for myself ... the work began.



This is how the Jeep currently exists.

After retiring from DD duties I made these changes...

  • Dana 44 Rear form an XJ with Disc brakes
  • HP 30 front axle
  • Detroit locker rear and lock right front
  • I regeared to 4.11
  • Increased lift to 4" and added 35" tires
  • Brown dog MML
  • 1"BL
  • Added adjustable upper CAs
  • Built and welded on rocker guard/tree sliders
  • Added my trusty Warn 9000
  • Threw in an Optima red top
I have used it like this for a while now, but not as much as I would like. I have been really busy with my son and his sports and scouting and whatnot. He is 8 now and he loves riding in the Jeep, so it's time to get this rig finished. I'm going after this with the One and Done mentality. Spend what I need to once instead of gradually getting bigger or stronger. I have wheeled Jeeps of various types for 20 years... so I know what I want out of this.



Happy with the sliders. The cage will tie into those.



This little stubby bumber is just some randon rock bumper I put on and stuck the rubber bumper bouncers onto. :D



Great Battery!



I'm sure you have seen plenty of these.



My stance is a little narrow. I've had these wheels for about 20 years. They are only 7" wide. So I am going to get some wider offset aluminum rims to widen her up a little.



This is how I left the Jeep 2 hours ago...





It's stripped down and ready for the full cage, which will start on Wednesday. I will be getting rid of all the stock bars, but I will have to weld on some nuts to the torx to get the main hoop out.

It's getting a full cage with a fastback look, that will go through the dash. Phase 2 will tie it into the frame... but that happens later.

After that, It will be losing the flares, getting armored rear fenders and flat front fenders (likely TNT).

I'm on the hunt for wheels, because 37" Goodyears will be finding their way into the fenders in the near future.

I know that 4.11 gears on the 3spd with 37" tires sounds silly... but on the road they will be right in the RPM wheelhouse. Right now with 35's I'm pulling 3200 RPMs at 70 mph. For the off road duties though... bleck! It's already challenged as is. So when the tires go on, it will be getting some T-Case love.

I'm starting a thread NOW because a lot will be happening with his Jeep during the next few months.

My goal is the same it has been with all my Jeeps. A rig that can do all the hard trails and still get there and back under it's own power. I have a trailer and truck... but what fun is that?
 
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#2 ·
TIMMAY!!! :mad:

Well I couldn't get into the welding shop like was planned yesterday. The next opening is monday. Everything is here. Tubing is ready, and the Jeep has been stripped out for over a week now.

Having second thoughts on the design now. All tubes were going to be replaced, but I want to keep the factory front seatbelts. I know I can put the shoulder belts on the new bar, but trying to decide if it's worth it or if I should use the stock main hoop. It's ugly, but functional.

Thoughts?
 
#4 ·
Thanks!

I did get one more part that I forgot to mention. A new Rock Ready Deep Transmission Pan was delivered to me from Summit a couple of days ago.

The stock pan for the 3 speed auto was sucked dry one too many times for my liking this summer. Actually once was too much :rolleyes:

Nothing like being halfway up a steep climb and the Jeep slips into this fake nautral, rolls back 5 feet and then grabs again with a scary lurch that shifts the front of the Jeep sideways and dangerously close to rolling off the hill.

So that goes in next week too and will hopefully end all that rolling back mess.
 
#5 ·
Harvo said:
Thanks!

I did get one more part that I forgot to mention. A new Rock Ready Deep Transmission Pan was delivered to me from Summit a couple of days ago.

The stock pan for the 3 speed auto was sucked dry one too many times for my liking this summer. Actually once was too much :rolleyes:

Nothing like being halfway up a steep climb and the Jeep slips into this fake nautral, rolls back 5 feet and then grabs again with a scary lurch that shifts the front of the Jeep sideways and dangerously close to rolling off the hill.

So that goes in next week too and will hopefully end all that rolling back mess.
Have u ever done a tranny flush on it? I'm worried that if you put the deep pan on and drain the ATF you'll wash away all the particles between the Clutch packs that are actually helping it stay in gear. If it hasn't been flushed before you might have excess clearance between clutch packs and it will shift like crap. Then again it could take care of the problem. U know Ur jeep Better than anyone else
 
#8 ·
Got the Jeep with 50 grand on the odo and it shifted like crap then. It never wanted to go down to 1st gear on it's own. Did a tranny flush then and it started working great. It's got 100 grand now so hopefully it will be All right.

What sliders are those?
Tellico Tubes. It's a local shop that a buddy of mine owns. I've had the same design on all my Jeeps in the past. Very good for pivoting around big rocks and trees.

Looking forward to the progress :popCorn:
Thanks...me too.
 
#10 ·
Yeah... the 3 speed has a pretty common problem from what I understand. When you get them on a really steep incline, the tranny sucks the shallow pan dry. Some people overfill and that helps, but the real fix is a deeper pan. You get more fluid (2 quarts I think) and it keeps the tranny fed even up the really steep climbs.
 
#11 ·
Harvo said:
Yeah... the 3 speed has a pretty common problem from what I understand. When you get them on a really steep incline, the tranny sucks the shallow pan dry. Some people overfill and that helps, but the real fix is a deeper pan. You get more fluid (2 quarts I think) and it keeps the tranny fed even up the really steep climbs.
Any other modifications need to be made or clearance changes?
 
#12 ·
Not that I am aware of... I'll know for sure tomorrow. I have a 1" BL and the MML, so I hope that doesn't cause any clearance issues. I have read of several people who did it and didn't have any issues (fingers crossed).

EDIT: I asked on the forum and I went out a measured. It has plenty of room.
 
#13 ·
Got the Jeep in the welding shop today where it will likely be until after Thanksgiving. Only able to get in here and there with the holidays and the same goes for my friend that is doing most of the welding.

One step closer though :D
 
#14 ·
Well the cage is taking longer than I had hoped. Still going well. We finally got the factory cage out by welding nuts to the torx. We also have the metal. But my schedule and my friend's schedule aren't jiving right now... so work on it is slow.

I did pick these up off the J/F Classifieds, and received them today...





I'm thinking about leaving them black. It might work with the armor I have planned. The plastic was already painted black but was looking rough. I pulled the inside panels off, cleaned them up and sprayed them black again. The doors polished up nice, and once I get the red :)fear:) hinges painted black, they will look relatively new.

Loved the half doors every since having them on my first Jeep. This was the first chance I have had to get a set again. Glad I did. Ready for spring again :thumbsup:
 
#15 ·
Finally some progress pics. The cage is coming together. I really like the way it is turning out. We still have to pull it back out to finish a couple of welds, and paint... put it back in and add a couple of more small bars. Then seatbelts... grab bars... and it should be ready to put everything back inside. I only got a couple of shots, but maybe you can tell a little about it from them.

Each side has a continuous tube from the front floor through the dash all the way to the back. The center bar kicks up just a little and out just a little on the sides. Everything was made to fit inside the hard top, and the upper door surrounds still fit so the soft top still works as well.

When I am ready... I will put some triangulation in the rear, but that isn't going to happen for a while.



 
#17 ·
Thanks. I like the way it is turning out.

Thanks to a local member, I will be picking these up Monday morning. Merry Christmas to me :D

They will replace the so/so Procomp xtreme mud terrains that are on there now.

Apparently the Procomps are small for 35's because these MTRs look huge!

 
#19 ·
I picked up some early YJ lap belts for the rear. Most of the time it's just my son and me up front offroad. If the wife is there and things get the least bit sketchy... shes out and "taking pictures" :laugh:
 
#20 ·
Finished the cage and brought the Jeep home. I very much like how it came out. It's difficult to get good shots of a cage indoors with a garage wall for a back drop, so I'll get some outdoor shots when the weather clears up.















Test fit the half doors





Made this little winch bar with light tabs until I can get a real bumper and grille hoop. Still needs paint.









I have a wheeling Trip saturday, and with Christmas Eve and Christmas... whew! I have a lot to do Wednesday through Friday.

Should be getting the new wheels and tires in the morning. :thumbsup:
 
#21 ·
The weather is crap, but I got the new tires and wheels on. I also put the top back on and everything fits with the new cage.

I was expecting a wider stance from the wheels and tires (the new wheels are wider), but it looks like the offset may be a bit more inboard. The overall width was equal to or slightly less than before.

I had some 1.25" Spidertrax spacers from another old build, so I put them on. With them... the overall width is definitly greater than with the old wheels. I think it will be better for turning clearance for sure.

I snapped this shot before putting on the spacers.



I don't like spacers... but I like where it is sitting with them. So for now they will stay.

It sucks that 35" tires look small to me now ... argh.
 
#22 ·
Like anyone cares... but the spacers are a no-go for now anyway. I had the chance to run the Jeep up an articulation ramp tonight. They spacers caused the tires to contact the metal behind the front fender flare just a little bit. That means in a real world situation with the Jeep stuffed in a rut, the tires would be all up in the fenders. Without the spacers, the tires tuck into the fenders with no contact.

After the Chromoloy axles, it looks like flat fenders will be the next step... then I can widen it back out.
 
#29 ·
I found these pics from a wheeling trip we took for the kids last year. This will be another good "before" pic for comparison.



and a buddy of mine

 
#30 ·
A new offroad park is opening here in March, and the owner has been letting people in for the last few weeks to take a look at what is coming up. Today was the last open day until the park officially cranks up in March, and it was the first time I was able to go.

Unfortunately it has been raining all week and today it snowed. I have never wheeled in so much mud as I did today. There were no mud holes really... just several inches of butter like mud spread on top of loose topsoil and rocks. It also sits on the side of a mountain.

My TJ did well. The new Goodyears handled the mud as well as could be expected. The HP 30 held up to some climbs on which the motor was bouncing off the rev limiter....while pulling another Jeep up the mountain.
We hit a fair amount of greasy rocks today as well and that is where the tires really performed! I'm looking forward to some dry conditions.

Considering I was on junkyard stock axles today, I feel certain that chromoly axles will be fine for as long as I stick with the HP30.

This is the only pic of mine from today with my camera. Hopefully I'll have more later.



My only problem of the day was a disconnect that broke free after I lost the pin. It's one of those that flips forward and pins to a tab behind the bumper. The tires rip those down every time out. Time to get the Antirock and flatfenders and widen her back out.
 
#32 ·
I took the goodyears to the shop and had them balanced. There was an irritating shimmy in the wheel that was tire related. The guy at the tire shop got them balanced, but showed me that my offending tire was not actually round. He mentioned that the MTRs don't have a very good reputation for street ride.

Balanced, with the oblong tire in the rear, and with all tires running 27psi street pressure... it's tolerable.

I got the Quick Fist Clamps in the mail yesterday. Very nice units. I got them for spare axle storage, but may also use them for the hi-lift jack.

So in the (to buy) que...

Chromoly front axles
Currie Antirock
Flat fenders


and in the (to make) que...

Quick release windshield hinges
 
#36 ·
Just some minor stuff to tinker with while I'm waiting for parts...

I set up the wiring for the LED Light bar that I plan to put on the mini stinger. For the meantime I just wired up the stock fogs to it and mounted them in the spot.

I also mounted a Trail Space Saver Spare (33x9.50) BFG AT. They don't make that size anymore I think. I have had this one for about 14 years. Mounted it up on one of my old aluminum wheels for now. I have a black disk to put over the rim that screws into the mount and will hold a tow strap. The fully aired 33 is about the same height as the aired down 35... so on the trail it works.

And finally I got all the mud off.... so i snapped a few extra pics :D











 
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