[cfmiller58]

So I graduated in December and was lucky enough to get a job, but I won't start July. So great, I'll just hunt and fish for the next six months, and work on my Jeep while I'm at it. Really what I want is a vehicle that can take me to any hunting/fishing spot, and be a practical daily driver. I'm holding back on making huge modifications until I can get another vehicle as a daily driver.

So after a couple of months worth of work, I've finally decided to make a build thread. I've taken a good bit of pictures a long the way, so I'll try to post them in the order that I did things.

I started off by replacing the clutch, which was toast anyways. So I thought why not, I'll put in a tummy tuck first. It will give me about 2.5" of clearance which is equivilant to going to 35's ( I was on 30" tires).

 

[cfmiller58]

a nice new LUK clutch

 

[cfmiller58]

had the tranny rebuild while i was at it. it had 175k on it and synchros were starting to go, and honestly, i should have bought one from craigslist. if i have to do it again, thats what im doing.

im also learning to what size to resize the pictures to in paint. bear with me.

 

[cfmiller58]

Undercover Fabworks UHC skid mocked up

 

[cfmiller58]

JB Conversions SYE

 

[cfmiller58]

this was the clearance afforded with the original skid...no suspension lift and 30" tires

 

[cfmiller58]

with the new UCF UHC skid

 

[cfmiller58]

i found that the original transmission mount worked best for me as apposed to the lo pro mount. i bought the lo pro and the new skid at the same time, but decided against using the lo pro. i put a body lift and currie MML on at the same time.

 

[cfmiller58]

tatton driveshaft and novak cable shifter before they went in

 

[cfmiller58]

so first hunting trip....some good ol crow hunting and a home made e-caller i built for a friend of mine

 

[MallCrawling]

:cheers2: Nice job! Looking good

 

[cfmiller58]

nice and flat. look at those wheels though! we'll fix that later (already is, just need to post up the other stuff first)

 

[cfmiller58]

:cheers2: Nice job! Looking good

thanks man, its been a long time coming! ha

 

[MallCrawling]

thanks man, its been a long time coming! ha

I replaced the clutch on my TJ a year ago, not something I'd ever want to do again!! So I can always appreciate someone who does their own work and doesn't drop it off at a garage

 

[cfmiller58]

well after all this work ive been doing, rebuilt tranny, new clutch, sye, a ton of other odds and ends, my pinion bearing decides to start going in the rear. blessing in disguise? i dont know. i wanted to replace the 35 with an 8.8. but a lucky craigslist find said otherwise.

out with the sickness

 

[cfmiller58]

I replaced the clutch on my TJ a year ago, not something I'd ever want to do again!! So I can always appreciate someone who does their own work and doesn't drop it off at a garage

i didnt find it that bad. it was a pain to get the tranny to line up. i picked up a harbor frieght tranny jack which has been invaluable. has helped with that and my axle swap. i hear you on not taking it to a shop. there are users here every day that post prices for shop work and its unbelievable.

 

[cfmiller58]

in with the cure. dana 44 off of craigslist. 1200 for the 44 and the matching 30. added bonus of going from 3.07 gears to 3.73 gears

i had to take those lower control arms off in favor of the stock ones. theyre only 1/4" longer than the stockers, i didnt realize how much of a difference it made. live and learn

the 44 came with the calipers, but i ordered all new lines from 4wd hardware. i also went with upper control arms from savvy. i feel into the group of people that were waiting for parts while gerald was at KOH, but it was well worth the wait.

 

[cfmiller58]

all matched up lookin good

 

[cfmiller58]

i drove around without the front driveshaft for a week or two before i got to the front. i put the aussie in while i was waiting. i've had the aussie on the shelf for over two years (a year of that i spent deployed, so i guess that doesnt count)

i think thats the only pic i have of putting the aussie in unfortunately. i dont have a vice so i just used some clamps to hold it to my bench

i used the shafts from my old axle. i had just replaced the ujoints and unit bearings. i was not about to loose out on that. i have the others sitting on the side for trail spares. since these axles came from an 05 unlimted, i had to make sure to use the rotors from my old axle to match up with the unit bearings.

 

[cfmiller58]

i had my old axles sitting in the garage for what seemed like months. just taking up space. a friend of mine offered to help me take them over to the scrap yard, hopefully to get a couple bucks to sink back into the jeep. no dice, scrap yard was closed. so we ran over to the local recycling yard. as we pulled up i spotted this gem amongst a group of old lawn mowers. the person that runs the yard actually let us drop off the old axles, and as we did i tossed this in the back of the truck before we left. i cleaned it up, regapped the spark plug, and tried to start it up. sure enough it turned over with the fumes that were left in it. i ran to wal mart to get a small gas can and some two cycle engine oil. when i got back i filled it up and tried to start it again. fired up and ran awesome...BONUS!!! a free stihl chainsaw. all that was missing was a cap for the chain oil, 8 bucks off of ebay and should be here this weekend. makes me want to go cut some cord wood now.