Duel Projects??? Yah I know I'm in over my head!

[Livin4Today]

Duel Projects??? Yah I know I'm in over my head! (misspelling intentional)



2007 JK Unlimited 4 Dr, Sahara: Black
Purchased Bone Stock, both hard and soft with 51k on the clock....

First Update, replaced 3 of the tires due to major diameter differences, gotta save the Transfer Case and diffs right? Homemade dog barrier...
Next; a Cold Air Intake, Performance Chip, Freeflow Muffler.
Most recent upgrade; a Rugged Ridge XHD Short Base Bumper/Winch Mount and a 12k Mtn Gearsmith Winch, Daystar Hood Wranglers...


2001 TJ, Sahara: White
Purchased Stock with 108k on the clock, 31x10.50x15 Cooper Stts, 9500 lb Winch on Stock Bumper, missing right side sway bar disconnect....

First Update, replaced both front sway bar disconnect, assuming a RC 2.5 lift was in, but questioning now? Dog barrier, Low Profile Fog Lights.
Next; a Cold Air Intake, Performance Chip, and a Black SS Locking Gas Cover.
Most recent upgrade; 5 new 31x10.50x15 Toyo Open Country MT's, Reversed and shortened the previously backwards mounted Nerf Bars

Wish List

Sand Flags
Short Shovels (maybe folding)
Fire Extinguishers w/Mounts
CB Radios
Hi-Lift Jacks w/Mounts
Jerry Cans w/Mounts
3-4 inches of lift on both
Lockers
Soft Top for Sahara
Cargo Restraint Systems
CRES Dog Barriers
SS Locking Gas Cover (JK)
Windshield Lights
5 Rubi 15x8 Wheels (TJ)

And of course driving the crap out of them, before durning and after! I think my Harley is getting a complex, this will be the first year I may not get 18k on her...

[OldGreen]

Love the focus on the doggies. . .

Now put up some dang photos!!!

You are certainly not the only multi-Jeep family. I have 3 right now, Lee has a couple, Royboy has a few, David the same. . .Roman has about 22 and we won't even get started on how many projects Toby has.

[kenny24]

Nice...the ZJ will stay mostly stock for now (wife really likes it the way it is) but we are now looking for a one to start building. Maybe this summer..thinking it would be cool to have two Jeeps in the family.

[TJDave]

Looks like two great projects. Can't wait to see what they look like in the pictures you will be posting soon.

Next; a Cold Air Intake,

From all the reading I've done...(which is a lot, but I don't believe everything I read)...The old TJ pros say that a CAI on a TJ is not going to gain much, if anything. That inline 6 has been around for so long, by the time it went into TJ's, Jeep has pretty much squeezed all you are going to get out of it. All they do is make more noise. I have been reading that on the intardnet for years. Take it for what it's worth.

[Lud]

I have to agree with Dave on the CAI. The only people I know that have put
t them under the hood did so because the stock air box got in way of an on board air setup, onboard welder, ect. They didn't do it for performance reasons.

For 31s on a TJ, coil spacers all around with longer shocks look and work great and will let you stuff 31s with the swaybars fully disconnected.

Do you know what rear axle is under the TJ? That may affect you decision to lock that axle without at least upgrading the shafts. On 31s it may not be too much of an issue.

[OldGreen]

Didn't most Sahara's have D44s? Seems like that was part of the package. . .no?

[Livin4Today]

As I recall looking the other day, she's got a D44 up front and a D35 on the backside... We're open to suggestions

[Livin4Today]

IE Fire Exts, Flags, CBs, Short Shovels, and Jerry Can & Hi-Lift mounts? We're also looking for some D-rings for the front of the TJ and to add to 2" stingers for out back...

Any and all help is appreciated!

[OldGreen]

All non-Rubicon TJs have D30 fronts. . .it could be either a D35 or a D44 rear. The 35 will be OK with 31" tires. Any bigger and it needs a helping hand. We've had people break them in the driveway multiple times. . .

[OldGreen]

IE Fire Exts, Flags, CBs, Short Shovels, and Jerry Can & Hi-Lift mounts? We're also looking for some D-rings for the front of the TJ and to add to 2" stingers for out back...

Any and all help is appreciated!

OH, you will get help. . .
Fire Extinguisher: Just a normal ABC with its included mount and an extra zip tie. . .hose clamp to the cage or screw to the floor where you can reach it. The fire extinguisher place in downtown kennewick is nice to deal with.
Flag: Order one from Walmart for a bike. The dirtbike place in Kennewick may have one on the shelf.
CB: Ask Roman. I think they like Uniden. . .
Short Shovel: I have two that I carry. One is a fiberglass D-Handle and the other is an Aluminum square headed snow shovel. Wait. . I have a trenching tool too. . .so that's three.
Jerry Can/Highlift: First, do you really need a Jerry Can? You can wheel for a few days in the hills on the stock tank. I can drive from my house to Naches, wheel all day, and drive home on a single tank with my 4.0. And, as for a highlift, the only mount I would consider is putting it between the fenders behind the back seat. However...I HATE highlift jacks. They are probably the most dangerous tool I know of. Of course, sometimes they are the best tool for the job, but it is pretty rare.

[Livin4Today]

Was thinking about the upcoming Trail Jam, or God forbid that poor planner that didn't fill up, or to help that begging family I always run across when I'm traveling. I think they follow me when I leave... They're at Wal-Mart, and Rest Stops and everywhere.... But I'm a fair guy, I ignore them all in the same way...

[Lud]

Not sure about the JK but the tj has a 19 gallon tank. You can wheel all weekend on it.

I have a 45 dollar Cobra radio from Wally World. Just get a good antenna and if its tuned right you'll get good range out of it.


You'll have a d30 in the front of that Sahara with a chance of a d44 in back. Take a look at the fill plug, if its rubber its a d35, if its metal you've got a 44 with 3.73 gears.

Your JK will most likely have a d 44 in the back with a 30 up front. They are much stronger than the ti axles. Even a JK Dana 35 which was put into a few early 2007s is vastly stronger than a tj d35.

[tobyw]

Lance - I don't know which set of factory springs you've got on your JKU, but if you're interested I've still got both sets of Rubi springs and one set of Rubi shocks from my prior JKU projects. The springs should net you ~2" of lift over the others, and the Rubi shocks are fantastic for a factory offering. PM me if you're interested?

[Livin4Today]

4 Inch Rough Country Lift Kit w/ 2.2 shocks (RC-681sp) and quick discos on their way from Morris 4x4 Center!

Still waiting on the tax return though... Yay, it's a start!

[tobyw]

4" is A LOT for a JK... Are you going to run 37's + ?

Just a couple comments, take them for what they are worth:

WELD the track bar relocation brackets, and take some additional time to add some gussets/reinforcement wherever you can. The factory JK brackets, both front and rear, are notoriously weak and have a tendancy to seperate themselves from the axles. The additional leverage created by RC's use of riser brackets only makes this worse, and a couple extra bolted locations are not sufficient under "normal" off-road use.

Have fun with those LCA slots. If I were you, I'd save up for some adjustable arms and forego this headache altogether...

If you have an automatic, you will NEED a new front driveshaft. It's only a matter of time, and it's not something you can ignore or "hope for the best". The additional droop will allow it to crash into the trans pan, tearing the boot, and loose all of the grease in the slip joint.

I don't know why, but the JK pitman arms are some of the worst I have ever dealt with in terms of removal. Get a GOOD puller.

You will need bumpstop extensions of some manner. RC does not include them with this kit, and unless you plan to run stock sized tires, you will have pretty nasty fender interference. Along the same lines, with a larger tire in the rear wheelwell and no adjustable arms, you will need to trim/cut/fold the pinch seam at the front edge of the rear fender.

[iaccocca]

JK, you would do good to buy this guy (Toby) a beer (or a case) and pick his brain. He knows from whence he speaks and his advice is worth more than its price.

[Livin4Today]

JK, you would do good to buy this guy (Toby) a beer (or a case) and pick his brain. He knows from whence he speaks and his advice is worth more than its price.

I could and will do that!

Thanks guys appreciate the intel and help.

I already figured on the pinch welds, didn't really think about the front shaft though (Any suggestions?). I knew it looked like something was missing... The have a 3.5 " Lift but it has the harder N2.0 shocks, I was warned off of
Toby if you have a minute a phone call would help
420-0890

[Livin4Today]

4" is A LOT for a JK... Are you going to run 37's + ?

Just a couple comments, take them for what they are worth:

WELD the track bar relocation brackets, and take some additional time to add some gussets/reinforcement wherever you can. The factory JK brackets, both front and rear, are notoriously weak and have a tendancy to seperate themselves from the axles. The additional leverage created by RC's use of riser brackets only makes this worse, and a couple extra bolted locations are not sufficient under "normal" off-road use.

Have fun with those LCA slots. If I were you, I'd save up for some adjustable arms and forego this headache altogether...

If you have an automatic, you will NEED a new front driveshaft. It's only a matter of time, and it's not something you can ignore or "hope for the best". The additional droop will allow it to crash into the trans pan, tearing the boot, and loose all of the grease in the slip joint.

I don't know why, but the JK pitman arms are some of the worst I have ever dealt with in terms of removal. Get a GOOD puller.

You will need bumpstop extensions of some manner. RC does not include them with this kit, and unless you plan to run stock sized tires, you will have pretty nasty fender interference. Along the same lines, with a larger tire in the rear wheelwell and no adjustable arms, you will need to trim/cut/fold the pinch seam at the front edge of the rear fender.

REGROUP!

Okay order has been changed thanks again for the heads up! Just got off the phone with Morris 4x4, Rough Country is the trash you all mentioned so Clyde scrapped it! Now we're going with a Full Traction 3 Inch kit (Part # FTSK7113) With SkyJacker Hydro 7000s (Part # SJ-H7037)...

The idea being this kit is buildable, meaning they actually make smart upgrades, so I'm not ripping out my "fist stage lift" and trying to pawn it to get into my next stage. Also being only 3 inches we alleviate the front driveshaft headaches and in comes with the bumpstop extensions and front discos for about the same money I was spending on the trash kit.

They also informed me that FT makes a similar buildale series for the TJ, but they don't have the "kit" in stock just yet, they're working hard to get all the FT stuff in by next weekend. So we'll be getting a 3 inch kit for Tara's then (if the Frappin IRS comes through), the good news is we might have enough left over for some (BADLY NEEDED) side protection too.

I'm stoked!

[Livin4Today]

Both kits will keep the lower Center Of Gravity approach with better components than the RCs...

[OldGreen]

4" is A LOT for a JK... Are you going to run 37's + ?

Just a couple comments, take them for what they are worth:

WELD the track bar relocation brackets, and take some additional time to add some gussets/reinforcement wherever you can. The factory JK brackets, both front and rear, are notoriously weak and have a tendancy to seperate themselves from the axles. The additional leverage created by RC's use of riser brackets only makes this worse, and a couple extra bolted locations are not sufficient under "normal" off-road use.

Have fun with those LCA slots. If I were you, I'd save up for some adjustable arms and forego this headache altogether...

If you have an automatic, you will NEED a new front driveshaft. It's only a matter of time, and it's not something you can ignore or "hope for the best". The additional droop will allow it to crash into the trans pan, tearing the boot, and loose all of the grease in the slip joint.

I don't know why, but the JK pitman arms are some of the worst I have ever dealt with in terms of removal. Get a GOOD puller.

You will need bumpstop extensions of some manner. RC does not include them with this kit, and unless you plan to run stock sized tires, you will have pretty nasty fender interference. Along the same lines, with a larger tire in the rear wheelwell and no adjustable arms, you will need to trim/cut/fold the pinch seam at the front edge of the rear fender.

REGROUP!

Okay order has been changed thanks again for the heads up! Just got off the phone with Morris 4x4, Rough Country is the trash you all mentioned so Clyde scrapped it! Now we're going with a Full Traction 3 Inch kit (Part # FTSK7113) With SkyJacker Hydro 7000s (Part # SJ-H7037)...

The idea being this kit is buildable, meaning they actually make smart upgrades, so I'm not ripping out my "fist stage lift" and trying to pawn it to get into my next stage. Also being only 3 inches we alleviate the front driveshaft headaches and in comes with the bumpstop extensions and front discos for about the same money I was spending on the trash kit.

They also informed me that FT makes a similar buildale series for the TJ, but they don't have the "kit" in stock just yet, they're working hard to get all the FT stuff in by next weekend. So we'll be getting a 3 inch kit for Tara's then (if the Frappin IRS comes through), the good news is we might have enough left over for some (BADLY NEEDED) side protection too.

I'm stoked!

Let's discuss this for half a sec. . .

What tires are you going to run on which wheels?

[tobyw]

Rough Country is the trash you all mentioned

You didn't hear that from me... In fact, I'm a huge advocate of their products. That said, their entry level JK kit does leave a few things to be desired, as I noted above. But, their designs and component quality have take giant leaps in recent years.

With SkyJacker Hydro 7000s (Part # SJ-H7037)...

OK, this may be another mistake... I've got some personal experience with Skyjacker Hydro 7000's, and I will go out on a limb and say that for this particular application, they are NOT what you're after. With the huge weight of a JKU, paired with heavy mud terrains, you will quickly find the hydro shocks offer little to no suspension control. I ran them in a SOA arrangment on my old YJ, and it was spooky how unresponsive they were. IMO, for a JK, especially a JKU, you need a good high pressure gas shock. Something like an OME or Bilstien would suit you well.

Also being only 3 inches we alleviate the front driveshaft headaches

Unfortunately, lift height has nothing to do with the driveshaft issue. Most aftermarket suspensions typically employ longer shocks which allow more droop travel, and this additional droop is what causes the driveshaft to make contact with the transmssion pan. You're still going to have to face the piper on this one...

I hate to keep raining on your parade here, but from what little I've seen of your program here on the forum, I can already tell that you will actually use/wheel your rig. THAT IS A GREAT THING!!! But, it requires a level above average when selecting parts, and that usually means a higher level of investment as well. I still haven't made a connection on what size tires you plan to run, but for a 33-35" tire, your hands-down best investment would be an OME package from Northridge 4x4. Call them, talk it over with David, and be prepared to cough up a bit more coin to do it once and do it right.

***DISCLAIMER: the above is all opinion based solely on first hand experience. YMMV***

[OldGreen]

Yep. . .X2 on the OME stuff.

Still. . .what tires and wheels are you building around? Do NOT assume that anyone at a Parts dealer knows a damn thing about anything. . .

[iaccocca]

X3 on the OME stuff for both of your Jeeps. David @ Northridge is good (he's gotten a bit of my coin) but DPG Offroad is worth talking to, also. IMHO

[tobyw]

DPG Offroad is worth talking to, also. IMHO

YES. I delt with Dirk @ DPG several years back with building GGv1.0. Extremely knowledgeable guy and had decent prices to boot.

[Livin4Today]

Crap, okay first, you have to realize I am a 50 yo (nearly), impatient kid who wants/hopes to build his Jeep(s) on a platform that will allow growth if possible. Second, 'coin' is a major issue at this point. Having a limited budget at this point leaves me fewer options. I've done a lot of reading and agree OME is a worthy system and believe Full Traction to be of note as well, and of course I appreciate all the advice.

With that said, as you will come to know me, I have a hard head no patience and want to get up a few inches last month, and I'm a guy that will rip a fender off just to see how its made... LOL

That said, I'm going to experience Full Traction as my stage 1 lift platform, however I'll upgrade my shocks to the gas as suggested and if nothing else we'll learn how this system works or doesn't and why to the benefit of all who care to follow but mostly me...

@OG Tires and wheels? Heck, I'll be running the cookie cutters for some time unless the stars align, and I start playing the Lotto again, then the sky's the limit... I favor the Toyo MTs probably a 35 inch, wheels will depend on the moment I decide the 35's are a possibility (meaning I can juggle/justify a way to get them), then that will help decide upon the wheels. Currently I could live with the stockers and 35's unless as George found the cost of 35x17s cost as much as 35x15s wit wheels... Still research to be done.