Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

G's LJ Build (It's not the devil I swear)

69K views 472 replies 45 participants last post by  Steven_mc 
#1 ·
I've deciding to move my build thread from another forum to this one. Decided to because of a lack of comments, posts and info. After seeing the threads from gspup and Imped I realized that I wasn't getting nearly as much feedback so I moved it here.

First few posts are going to be to get everyone up to speed. This is my second Jeep. Jeep number one was a 2001 TJ Sport and stayed bone stock for the entire time I had it. I then started to look for an LJ Rubicon and found this beauty (It's not the devil, I swear).

Here are a couple of pics stock:




Had a buddy draw up some plans then immediately took it to 4 Wheel Parts and built what I thought was the best Jeep I could build. Here is a list of mods from that trip:
RE 5.5" long arm lift kit
Bilstein Shocks
35" tires
Rear drive shaft
Smittybilt spare tire carrier
Smittybilt tube sliders
Custom exhaust

Pics from stage 1:


 
See less See more
5
#78 ·
gspup said:
Any good threads to read so I have some sort of clue what I'm getting into tomorrow. I've never researched how to install hydro assist. :shhh: I'm guessing it might be tricky finding a spot for the pump with hi lines ?
If not please make one with lots of photos so it's easier for me when I get hydro assist :)
 
#81 ·
A few things...

1) It looks like all the rocks I've stacked over the last few years at coffin rock have all been washed away. :D But seriously.

2) Wheeling Penrose with a hardtop...baller

3)Patriot looks even harder than it did last time I was there.

Anyone wondering, we are still working on the hydro assist...waiting on a few small parts to make eveything happy. We had to modify the resi mount so it can be bolted directly onto the rokmen inner fender and stand upright while still allowing room for the wiper fluid.
 

Attachments

#84 ·
A few things...

1) It looks like all the rocks I've stacked over the last few years at coffin rock have all been washed away. :D But seriously.

2) Wheeling Penrose with a hardtop...baller

3)Patriot looks even harder than it did last time I was there.

Anyone wondering, we are still working on the hydro assist...waiting on a few small parts to make eveything happy. We had to modify the resi mount so it can be bolted directly onto the rokmen inner fender and stand upright while still allowing room for the wiper fluid.
The rain seriously destroyed that trail. Even the entrance drops were a ton harder.

Here is where we stand with the Hydro Assist install.
Everything old is off
New Savvy Tie-rod is on
BMB mounts are on (less the misalignment spacers I didn't order)
Gear is mocked on
Pump is on
Hoses are all 50% made (need the final placement of the reservoir to determine final lenghts
Reservoir was bent to fit on the hi lines (Thanks Mike)

Still need to do:
PSC sent me a bad reservoir in the kit so they are sending me out a new one
Need the misalignment spacers from Blaine to finish the mount
Final assembly of the hoses
Final mount of cooler, reservoir and gear
Bleed the system
Check for clearance issues
 
#94 ·
PSC Hydro Assist with Currie/Savvy Steering and Rokmen Hi-Lines

It is finished...at least for the most part. I broke one of the bolts on the steering gear mount that I still need to pull out and source a new bolt but other than that it all seems good to go. It looks like everything is clearing and I fixed up a leak yesterday. Need to check when I get home tonight to see if there are any others. Here are some pics brief notes on the process:

Laid everything out in a manner that made sense to me (that soon became chaos and didn't matter anymore once tools made their way out of their locations but it was a good idea :D).


Found a problem really quickly with the PSC kit. The output fitting wouldn't thread all the way into the reservoir. Called PSC and they sent me out a new one.


Mike started ripping off the rest of the old parts while I attacked modifying the 1.5" x 6" bore cylinder from PSC. For this I needed to cut down the post and female fitting and also cut down the male fitting so that everything cleared inside of the BMB mounts.


Then we worked on getting everything mocked up and fit into the Jeep. The PSC reservoir mounts worked really well with the Rokmen Hi-Lines but needed to be slightly modified. We needed to take one of the mounts and put a 33* bend in it to keep the reservoir vertical. Mike took it to his shop and put a perfect bend in it.




Then started making all of the lines and finishing the BMB mounts



[URL=http://s1170.photobucket.com/user/giannivecchiarelli/media/Jeep%20Build/DSCN2160.jpg.html]

Note that the drag link needs to be ground down to be round before the mount will fit on it.
[/URL]

After installing all the lines and fighting the steering gear for at least 4 hours brute force installed it. I will say that a body lift would have easily made it clear the grill but without it we had to cut about an inch up into the grill.


Then it was finally time to add fluid and bleed the system


A little over five bottles of Royal purple later we took it out for a quick test drive at 11:00 on Friday night.


Drove it over to Mikes shop to fork it and found a leak but I just used some thread sealer on the fitting and cranked it down as far as possible (I think I created threads in the reservoir to make that fitting go all the way in).




I over estimated the amount of hose I would need on the cylinder to the box and I need to come up with a way to hide that so it doesn't get in the way and replace that last bolt in the steering gear like I said above but other than that I think it is ready hit the trail.

Thanks Mike for all of your help.
 
#98 ·
I over estimated the amount of hose I would need on the cylinder to the box and I need to come up with a way to hide that so it doesn't get in the way
I know you don't want to, but remove the end, cut the hose to the proper length, and re-do the end. You will regret it later if you cut a hose on a tough trail because you had too much hose and it got into the balancer or something. Make sure the lines are routed as best they can be and fixed so they can't rub or get pinched anywhere.
 
#95 ·
Looks good man, still seems like adding H-A is a pain in the *** though! Why can't you just weld some tabs to the drag link for the ram instead of using that BMB bracket? Also you didn't mention your first impression of driving it on the street. I'm very curious how it felt right out of the box. Nice job on it and congrats!
 
#99 ·
It is really easy to turn that wheel around now. It centers really well but once you turn out of center it turns. It does take a little getting used to.

Glad you guys got it all figured out. Can't wait to hear the first trail report.

I will admit when I finally get hydro assist I won't be trying to install that bad boy on my own. Seems a bit difficult for my skill level.
I'm excited to get it out in the rocks as well. I feel like you could probably do it yourself but check fitment of everything prior to digging into the install.

I know you don't want to, but remove the end, cut the hose to the proper length, and re-do the end. You will regret it later if you cut a hose on a tough trail because you had too much hose and it got into the balancer or something. Make sure the lines are routed as best they can be and fixed so they can't rub or get pinched anywhere.
Do you think it would be possible to clamp off hoses to make sure they don't puke out all of the fluid or would that damage the hoses?
 
#104 ·
I recommend using a clamp as they did. It makes adjusting your toe a lot easier, centering your steering wheel and if u need to adjust turning radius. When you start to wheel it, You may find it turns a little farther one way than the other.
I would not clamp the hose. You may damage the inner core which could cause it to burst under high pressure.
 
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