Project: Unknown

Steve97tj

Steve97tj

SUPPORTER
#1
#1
Well i guess it's time i should do this to keep me moving and to hear some suggestions from others for advice.

For now we'll call this project: the headless horseman. Why you ask? I have gotten almost everything i have now from some type of horse trading or some type of ridiculous deal that i have an extremely low amount of money into it this far, and plan on with keeping it like that, because im poor, broke, and don't currently have a job while in school. I also have changed my mind with this whole jeep, literally about 1,000 times, just ask Marcus as i tell him every few days what i think i'm going to end up doing, many times just selling the piece and wheeling the Taco, we can thank the indecisiveness to my A.D.D. Also my jeep currently lives in a barn, where it's spent most of the past 4 years like a beaten and abused thoroughbred.
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A little history for those of you who dont know me. My dad got the jeep many years ago as he had previously owned a wagoneer, and a grand wagoneer and always wanted an open top Jeep. A few years later I start driving it when i get my license.
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Messed up the 35 on the interstate so i bought bud's old 44 with a detroit and 4.88s, same time while running HUGE 31 all terrains. Here she sits with a set of gamblers i bought off usjeeps and V8 ZJ springs i got from kirby.
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Mob'd it like that for awhile until the transmission blew while i was living in Charleston, a month after i had gotten a new clutch in it and when we took it to the transmission place who had put in the clutch, they were going out of business so i was fawkd. Drove my 1st gen toyota for awhile until i had bought a bunch of things to lift the TJ and get her rolling, sold the toyota and bought a transmission and was pimpin on bald 35 all terrains, rocking nick's old RE suspension and his locked dana 30 with 4.88s and RE tracbar.
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Steve97tj

Steve97tj

SUPPORTER
#2
#2
Rocked it like that for awhile, wheeled it at gulches, rices creek and all the local places around my parents house. Busted a brakeline riding through a river and it sat for awhile. Fixed it then sometime after i blew a fuse in the computer and let it sit for awhile. Fixed it and was on my way back up to Clemson with it and while riding down the road the hood flew up from not being latched down and busted my windshield and messed up my hood. FAWK! so i turned around to go back to my parents house, cussing mad because i was so tired of working on the dang thing. On the way home (5 minutes) i guess the pinion nut had been working itself loose and when i pulled up in my parents front yard the front end locked up because the pinion went forward and chipped all the teeth in my ring gear.....I was super pissed and just left it in the middle of there yard for a week or so until i could come back and pull the inner shafts out and rock the stubs. Drove it up to clemson and DD'd it for a little while. On a trip back home i was riding down my road from my parents house to my farm and the fuse blew again in my computer, so instead of fixing it right then i was just so tired of messing with it and parked it at there house, which eventually got moved to my farm. I was trying to part it out and got it running temporarily with a fixed fuse, drove it down the road, did some donuts then parked it because i had sold my rear 44 after buying an 8.8 not knowing what i had plans to do with it. I also sold or traded the control arms and lockright for front so she was getting stripped.
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So here we are now. I currently have:

- stock waggy 44 front
- Waggy 44 with 5.13s, mini spool, ballistic brackets. Built by shortxjdoug, delivered by ghost, bought from Andy or lowrange
- Ford 8.8 with Iron rock brackets, and 5.13 gears waiting to be installed
- Barnes 4wd link brackets for frame and truss
- 4 control arms with JJ on each end, 2 = 35", 2 = 25"
- Rear spring relocators by Barnes 4wd
- Various springs to play with

What i need:
- 7/8" heims for uppers
- Ford shock towers front/rear
- Shocks
- Currie 3" or 4" progressive springs (later)
- Brakelines
- Dutchman 6 lug shafts for 8.8
- etc. etc. etc.

Heres some pics i took today to show where i'm at and what im working with. Excuse the mess, i'm in the middle of cleaning out and getting rid of a lot of things that have aquired itself there over the years.
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my shop about 40 yds away from barn. used to be a woodworking shop of my dads but he moved his stuff home.
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my dad like recycling, this is my "welding table" that used to be in an exam room in a hospital. We have several tables that once lived in a hospital now made into something else.
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And a new set of seats that i'm trying to trade for some DOM
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Steve97tj

Steve97tj

SUPPORTER
#3
#3
Plans:

I have none. Or atleast i dont have anything set in stone. I've always like the idea of short arms in front, long in rear. What i'm thinking is using the arms i already have as lowers and chopping the longer one up to shorten it as i want to run more of a "mid arm" set up on both ends and then triangulate the rear uppers with 7/8 heims and same on front with some sort of DOM. I'll eventually redo my lowers with aluminum and JJ's that have a shank instead of how the arms are now once i can afford it and know exactly the length of what arms i want to run. Im shooting for about 4-5" stretch rear and 2" in front to bring me to about 100"- 101" wheelbase. Tank will be in tub until i can either afford a fuel cell that will be sank, or pony up for genrights alien tank. Tire size will be 37's with possibly 35's for street. I'd like to keep it 6 lug as to share tires with my tacoma. Plan is to run ford towers front and rear to outboard in rear and run a longer shock up front. May also move the front coil pad up an inch or two to gain travel with a longer coil but keep it low.

I've always admired chris durham's jeep and would like to eventually have something of this nature
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So lets hear your comments and suggestions. Also any links you'd like to share will be appreciated with builds to look at or anything about linking.
 
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jimbo92

jimbo92

SUPPORTER
#4
#4
i know how it goes with the hiding it for awhile. my cruiser is stuffed under my dads shed with the tractor and boat. Im tired of fooling with it. I have more fun hoppingin my simple 4runner for the time being and having a comfortable ride to the trail, poking around the mountian, sleeping in it, and driving comfortably home.
 
97TJGUZZY

97TJGUZZY

SUPPORTER
#5
#5
get that thing driving!!!

dont mess with the tank yet. Stretch the rear the 1-2" you can without moving the tank. Use the arms for the lowers and make some uppers out of 1.5" .120 wall dom with 3/4" hiems. run heims on your steering and be done.

Run stock or the v8 zj coils and 35s and wheel it.

I dont see what the problem is? you have everything you need now minus 6 hiems and 6 feet of DOM which Ronnie and Casey should have.
 
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Steve97tj

Steve97tj

SUPPORTER
#8
#8
I dont run a back seat anyways so putting the tank in the rear isnt much of anything, i even have the same plastic box nick has his tank in. I'm shooting for lowers around 28-30". You may can tell in the pics but you can adjust those arms a couple inches so chopping of the longer ones to make lowers for rear would work and then adjust the others out a couple inches to get my desired length. I already have steering that was on the 44 when i bought it so i will run that till i decide to do hi-steer as i already have the flat tops for it just need to mill/drill them. I'll decide tire when the time comes but i'm hoping marcus get's a set of red's as i've told him since he bought those blues that i had first dibs on them, this wont be a DD but will be driven on the road, i think the blues would hold up to my mild street use. Im planning on scooping a set of 17" soft 8's from harvey thursday as i want da blang of 17's and my ultimate goal of 37s have a better tire choice that way. Anyone know where i can find a cheap set of hummer take of 35s?

Jim, i agree about fooling with it all the time, thats why it sits all the time. I said when i started tearing it down and planning i'd spend more time to do it right then half azz it, theres several things that need to be addressed with it, like my electrical problem of blowing computer fuses all the dang time. I love my tacoma and had a good time wheeling it the other day at gulches, but i dont want to destroy it on rock's like i happened to do on TNT. And although it is capable, it need's a few things to be a better wheeler and a locker up front. Taco will still get wheeled on mild stuff and camping, but not beaten.

What i really have questions about it link placement and all that in the rear. The front i'm just going to find where it fits and hope for the best, also need to do something about a tracbar/panhard.
 
C

Cj104

#9
#9
Is the creek you're playing in off Hwy 14? sure looks like the same place. I used to have legit permission to play there, then the owner sold it to an investment company.
 
Steve97tj

Steve97tj

SUPPORTER
#13
#13
Tweaked it on a rock at palmetto crossing or TNT i cant remember what trail that is.

Looking for some info on vertical seperation at the frame. Really just trying to figure out the best place to put my upper mounts on the frame now, i know theres some science to it but i've also heard put them where they fit. Thoughts?

Probably going to order 3/4 heims and rear truss from ruff stuff tonight.
 
97TJGUZZY

97TJGUZZY

SUPPORTER
#14
#14
Steve97tj said:
Tweaked it on a rock at palmetto crossing or TNT i cant remember what trail that is.

Looking for some info on vertical seperation at the frame. Really just trying to figure out the best place to put my upper mounts on the frame now, i know theres some science to it but i've also heard put them where they fit. Thoughts?

Probably going to order 3/4 heims and rear truss from ruff stuff tonight.
Click to expand...

have you seen the 4 link calculator? you need to measure your jeep and plug in your numbers. your uppers need to be as far from your lowers vertically as possible...which in a TJ isn't much. length will determine roll axis, but the separation at the frame and axle will determine the antisquat.
 
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