YJ on Tons Build Saga

[Kurt]

Red?

Had to pick a color no one else was using yet.
If there's red on the rocks I'll know it was from me
Dennis already has the patented ™ on blue.

Did you drill out for the larger 9/16 studs to match the front or did you stay with the stock 1/2'-20? If you haven't purchased the rear brake hose I use a short one from a chevette part # H36847 $8

Looks good!

Both the front & rear were 1/2" so there was not need for any drilling.
I had my share of "drilling" when I bored the rear spindles!

Cool - I'll look into the chevette part # H36847 for $8.

[ZAEDOCK]

Good thing my diff guards are an off shade of magenta.

[Posimoto]

Both the front & rear were 1/2" so there was not need for any drilling.
I had my share of "drilling" when I bored the rear spindles!

Cool - I'll look into the chevette part # H36847 for $8.

Gotcha ford is 1/2' and chevy is 9/16"

I was lazy I cut off my spindles and had them bored out.

You can find the brake hoses at advance auto, order online and enter p20 for a 20% discount then pick them up at the store (no shipping).

[Kurt]

Part - 2

OK Web-wrenchers here is the next installement of the YJ on tons project.

Now that the wheeling season has drawn to a close it was time to pick up where I left off a couple of months ago.

After poking around under the heep it became clear it would be much easier to re-do the suspension by getting a few things out of the way to facilitate laying things out.

First up yank the front bumper, winch, cooling system,clip, hood & fenders.




What the heck, why stop there, lets yank the body off too. Just a couple of more stubborn bolts...
Actually in the whole process only 2 bolts snapped off.
Not bad for a 20 year old bucket!



The YJ's now rolling on 5 inchers



Back into the garage with the rolling chassis & powertrain.



Time to amputate the old axles, steering & old suspension.




One more time with the hoist and the ole 4.0, tranny & tcase get extracted and set aside.



Now a nice bare frame to start with for mocking up the new suspension.
It'll be getting a few coats of paint before re-assembly.


First up was relocating the front axle forward a couple of inches.
They'll be getting some additional plating and bracking when they get burned into place for real.
New heavy duty spring hangers tacked into place & new (warrantied) BDS springs.




Next up was to mock up the new rear 4 link system. Used C-clamps to hold the brackets into place and a couple of ratchet straps to hold the axle truss in position. Before taking a saw to the shiney new DOM tubing I decided to make mockup UCA & LCA with PVC tubing and a handfull of hose clamps. Worked awesome for mocking up the suspension and then articulating it and adjusting settings to get the motion wanted without any binding or interference.
Floor jacks make it a breeze to flex it all around.









The new wheelbase is being stretched from it previous stock 93" to it's new 105" wheelbase
A welcome improvement!
The rear tires will extend rearward of the rear frame rail by 5" to make for a 90*+ departure angle.

[DOUG]

Very cool!!!

[ChrisD]

I have a feeling that this is going to be a good thread!

[Hoodoo Man]

very nice Kurt! Cant wait to see how the old girl comes out!

[ArticRubi]

Top notch Kurt. Are you keeping the leaf springs in the rear or possibly going to a air shock or coilover setup?

[Kurt]

Considering either coilovers or air shocks for the rear. Certainly not leafs in the rear with the 4 link.
Haven't decided yet but I was reading your thread about them hoping to make up my mind.

[ArticRubi]

Brain fart on my part...I've never even seen or heard of a leaf sprung linked suspension

IMO, ORI's are the best bang for the buck. At $600 each they're not cheap, but when you get in to this territory nothing is. Both Fox and King coilovers at the same travel are about $750 with springs, another $100 for remote reservoirs. Then you have to do all kinds of fancy math to determine what weight springs you need for the main and tender springs and if you'll need a 3rd keeper spring. You also need to hope you get that right the first time or it's back to square one and ordering new springs. It is also really difficult to even begin to do the calculations with out having a four corner vehicle scale.

Another great thing about the ORI's is the size. Just a 2" diameter and the're capable of supporting 1,900 pounds each. At a minimum on a 2" coilover the springs have a 3" OD so space can become a constraint. Not to mention 2" coilovers are crap, best to go with a 2.5" so now you're approaching a 4" OD spring.

King makes some really nice air shocks, as does Fox, both are a bit pricier than the ORI's. The do have all those fancy bypass tube though

[ArticRubi]

Oh yeah, I was wondering, have you decided on rubber yet? Please don't say Iroks

I can get you some sticky Treps if you want I've got a set of 40 inch-ers en route currently

[DOUG]

Please don't say Iroks

What's wrong with IROKS?

[ArticRubi]

What's wrong with IROKS?

Well, nothing. If you don't like traction.

[ChrisD]

Now that is funny!

[ArticRubi]

Now that is funny!

Guess who's the new guy on the poop list now I think 50% of the club runs Iroks.