Figured I would start a thread on my latest project. Been working on it for a couple of months. Progress has been slow, but steady. End state will be 115" wb, and 14" Ballistic air shocks at all four corners with 42" Iroks. D60's have been in the Jeep for some time,along with the 3 link front. The rear will be four linked with 1.25" heims and 2" x .250 DOM with the lowers being sleeved with 1.5" x .250 DOM There are several pieces for the cage/back half that are not in the photos. They will be tacked into place and welded once we pull the cage out. The back half pieces will then be bent/notched/fitted. Still lot's to do and I will update when I have something new to show.

Nice! Love a thread starting with the rig already chopped up in half hehe :) Check out Max's build for some ideas (80 proof buggy).

Will keep an eye on the build!

I have looked at his build and several others gathering ideas. Lots of Juggy's out there for inspiration :smokin:. One thing I have learned during this build is that bending tube can be frustrating yet rewarding at the same time :laughing:

Update for this weekend : Set the wheelbase at 115", mocked up the rear 4- link, bent and notched/fitted the bars for the B pillar support, re-installed the hood and a few other minor items taken care of. I had intended on putting in the hood pins, but realized that I needed a 1.25" hole saw after the hardware store had closed...:laughing:. A few pics of this weekends progress.

Pics of 4 link crossmember and link placement on frame..

STAT@!!!!

The frame brackets are the PolyPerformance rear 4 link brackets along with a PolyPerformance truss. The axle brackets (not on the axle yet) are from Ballistic Fab and are angled at 10* to match the lower link angle from the frame mount.

Yeah damn! I was wanting to use the Poly brackets, but they are so flippin expensive! I used the front kit on my rig and they are good stuff though. $200 plus for a set of brackits is hard to dish out.. Nice build..

Thanks dude....I agree, the brackets are a bit pricey, but...they are well constructed and the angles are already figured out. The plus side, I got the truss from a buddy for next to nothing:smokin:.

Yeah damn! I was wanting to use the Poly brackets, but they are so flippin expensive! I used the front kit on my rig and they are good stuff though. $200 plus for a set of brackits is hard to dish out.. Nice build..

KORE has their own version of those 4 link frame brackets for $200.

Nice work, but why are you re-using the stock B pillar? I would go ahead and replace it.

KORE has their own version of those 4 link frame brackets for $200.
__________________

Yup. He is on top of it!

Already in the works for purchase of them, thanks!!

Why re-use the stock b-pillar?

A couple of you have questioned the use of the stock B pillar. When I took out the old cage, I cut a section off of the B pillar to examine it. It measured 2.25" in diameter and was approximately .120 in wall thickness. I do not forsee a problem using the stock B pillar when it is part of a well designed cage. There have been several Jeeps built that have used the original B pillar as part of well designed cage (kirbyv for example) that have not had any issues. Now, I would not use any other pieces from the factory roll bar setup. The seams on mine have been welded and I am confident that it will be structurally sound when it is completed. Some will disagree, but so be it. Now, if I was building a comp rig, I would replace everything because it would need to endure repeated rollovers and hard flops. For what I will be doing, having the stock B pillar will not be an issue.

Had a couple of friends come over and we got quite a bit accomplished. Updated pics are below.

Couple more pics...still alot more to do, but I plan to have the Jeep sitting on it's own weight within the next two weeks.

Time to work on the Jeep has been in short supply lately, but I did manage to get a couple of hours to work on it today. The rear section of the tube work will have an enclosed and lockable box built into it. The tubeing for that and the area that the fuel cell will occupy has been cut and fitted. I am toying with the idea of not running my rear down bars all the way to the end of the rear, but instead running them the way I have the blue tape laid out. Does anyone see any structural issues if run this way? If so, please voice your concerns and opinions. A few pics of the Jeep as it sits right now.

Better view of the way I am planning on running the rear down bars.

Had a few hours to kill today, so I got the rear down bars cut and fitted. There is still some bracing to add, but that should be completed by the end of the Saturday.

Was able to get some work done yesterday. The rear backhalf/cage is 90% finished and the rear axle was set for a 115" WB and the rear four link is almost finished, just need to build the lower arms and plan out where my bumpstops need to go. The airshocks are set at a 10* angle to the axle and a 4* angle to the vehicle. A few pics for your viewing pleasure :flipoff2:.

Spent yesterday working on the Jeep. The links are done, all cage/back half work is completed (minus mounting the fuel cell and skins) and I still have to get the seats mounted and several loose ends to tie up. Some pics below. The links are 2" .250 DOM with 1.25" heims at each end.

I spent several hours trying to figure out a way to tie the A-pillars in to the frame and not loose any clearance under my rockers. The main difficulty to this is the fact that I am still using the Rubicon Express skidplate, which covers the side of the frame and makes it difficult to run a piece of tube to tie in the A-pillar and not limit the ability to remove the skid plate. I ended up internally sleeving the bottom of my A-pillars (1.75" .120 DOM) with 1.50" .250 DOM. This was run through the tub and rocker guards. The tube was welded to the rocker guards and then a piece of 3/16" plate was cut with an 1 5/8" hole. This plate was bent and slid over the tube and welded in place. The excess tube was cut flush to the plate. Another weld was put between the tube and plate and then ground flush. Then, holes were cut in the firewall and a piece of 1.75" .120 DOM was run through the firewall and ties into the A-pillar and to the frame. Hopefully the photos below will help explain what I did. I feel that it is a strong set up, but what opinions do you guys have ? Any constructive criticism is appreciated.

Nice work John! :skull:

Thanks Tony, Jeep looks a bit different since the last time you saw it, huh :laughing:...how have you been man ?

Wow looks awesome!

Nothing significant to show, just got the tubework primered...it gets old wiping the tubing down with WD-40 every two days:shaking:due to the humidity here. I also received my new fuel cell from David at Boyds Welding. It is a 10 gallon cell and David did an excellant job. From the time I sent my drawing to David to the time it arrived at my door was nine days...:smokin: I highly recommend Boyds Welding if you need a fuel cell...great guy and great customer service.

Purdy,

What prompted you Juggy it, was it smashed up or just wanted something different?

Troy

My main goal was to lower it a bit and gain some wheelbase along with changing the suspension from coils/leafs to airshocks and linking the rear. Plus, I wanted a different look for the Jeep.

Regarding the A pilar frame tie in:

Gussets:
Where you come through the firewall with the frame tie in for the A pilar I would add some big old triangle shaped gussets (7" legs) or some tubing to reinforce the weld where you connect the A pilar to the horizontal tube that goes through the firewall. (inside the body by the floor and just under the dash)

Strength:
Assuming you are building it to roll once and protect the driver (not repeated rolling in competitions).....I think it will be plenty strong. ATX built a frame tie in on a custom cage in a thread on here the same way as yours is tied into the frame. (He had the gussets in the tub area though).

Today I got the links in place, mounted the air shocks and cycled the suspension to see what I might need to adjust. I was pleasantly surprised when the lower links cleared the end of the frame (I was thinking that I would probably end up having to notch it for clearence) and the airshocks did not bind at all while the axle and suspension were cycled. I also talked to Jess today and was relieved to hear that my driveshaft made it to his shop in one piece...should have that back within the next week or two. A few pics for your viewing pleasure.

A few more...........

Finished up the fuel cell mount and seat mounts yesterday.

Got my drive shaft back from Jess, so I mounted it up and also got the rear airshocks set to where I want them ( 5" uptravel / 9" down travel). Overall numbers for the rig are:

80" to the top of the cage
30.5" under the rocker guards
23.5" under the skid plate
83" outside tire to outside tire
115" wheelbase

Lots of small things to finish up, goal is to have it ready for a shake down run by the end of the month.

Looks good!

Do you have much flex steering going on in the rear using those mounts?

I have not noticed any while cycling the rear suspension with a jack. Which mounts are you refering to...the frame mounts for the links or the airshock mounts?

What color are you going to paint the tubing?

Tubing will be painted black and I will be making some skins for the rear and they will be painted OD Green to match the Jeep.

looks good Jon.....

Clean, very clean. :smokin:

Better that porn:smokin: Nice Build

Better that porn:smokin:

Well...I don't know if I would describe it like that :laughing:, but thanks for the compliment.

I haven't had much time to work on the Jeep lately, but I have managed to get a few things done. I still have the door bars and misc. tabs to add and tie in the A pillar mounts to the frame. Windshield needs to be replaced as well...:shaking:. I have managed to get the tubes all painted, wiring harness cleaned up, fuel lines run and I have all of my brake line parts in and ready to put on. I am undecided on whether I should make some skins for the rear or not.

I haven't had much time to work on the Jeep lately, but I have managed to get a few things done. I still have the door bars and misc. tabs to add and tie in the A pillar mounts to the frame. Windshield needs to be replaced as well...:shaking:. I have managed to get the tubes all painted, wiring harness cleaned up, fuel lines run and I have all of my brake line parts in and ready to put on. I am undecided on whether I should make some skins for the rear or not.


Nice build. You should definately put skins on the rear; I think back-halfed rigs with no skins look unfinished.

Sweet I like it I will be going down the exact same road here in a couple months as soon as it starts raining in the northwest. I just need something narrower in the rear the rear is getting trashed following all my buddys in there buggies around. I'm hoping swag offroad will donate his time and brilliant mind for creating stuff....

Thats how it looks now
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d141/ptaylor138/IMAG0042.jpg

Sweet I like it I will be going down the exact same road here in a couple months as soon as it starts raining in the northwest. I just need something narrower in the rear the rear is getting trashed following all my buddys in there buggies around. I'm hoping swag offroad will donate his time and brilliant mind for creating stuff....

Thats how it looks now
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d141/ptaylor138/IMAG0042.jpg

Chop off the rear frame and dovetail that bitch.

Looks good Rugger99!!! Are there any Rocks in Florida??? Have fun with it!

Took it for a spin today after replacing a bad fuel pump. Got the door bars on and once my harness belt tabs and small tabs get here, the last bit of welding will get finished up. I also decided to get rid of the windshield and frame and tied the A-pillars to the frame at a secondary location. I still need to go through the Jeep from front to back, checking everything over to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Clean Jeep...An a Clean Shop! I am almost more impressed by how clean your garage is. I get made fun of for blowing mine out everyday:D

Clean Jeep...An a Clean Shop! I am almost more impressed by how clean your garage is. I get made fun of for blowing mine out everyday:D

The garage isn't always this clean...:laughing: I try to keep it clean and organized though, makes life a lot easier when your building.

Jon, this rig is looking awesome. Can't wait to hit Morris Mountain in October. Next time lets work in Winter. Its too damn hot in August for major welding.

Really like teh way the rigs has been coming up. Very sweet setup and clean execution. What is teh length of your rear links now? Also what is the side frame (not to skidplate but to frame) height?

Nice build, looks like it will work well.

Jon, this rig is looking awesome. Can't wait to hit Morris Mountain in October. Next time lets work in Winter. Its too damn hot in August for major welding.

I agree....we have spent a couple of Saturdays sweating our collective asses off....:laughing:

Really like teh way the rigs has been coming up. Very sweet setup and clean execution. What is teh length of your rear links now? Also what is the side frame (not to skidplate but to frame) height?

Lowers = 39"
Uppers = 42.5"
Frame = 26" from bottom of frame to the ground.

Thanks for the compliment.

Over the past couple of days I was able to take out the old coil spring suspension in the front and get the air shocks mounted along with the hoops and tie-in bar. Also cleaned up the wiring harness (got rid of all the evap canister crap) and tied up a few loose ends. Should have the rear storage compartment finished up by the end of Friday...all thats left on that is to make the top and the lid. A few photos for your enjoyment.

couple more....

Got quite a bit accomplished this past weekend. The front air bumps are mounted, the rear box has been finished,replaced the steering wheel, brake light installed and the wiring harness run for the rear,cleaned and painted the rear tubing and box and adjusted the airshocks. Fronts are at 195 psi and the rears are at 125 psi, which gives me 4.5" of uptravel and 9.5" of down travel. I also had the chance to work the suspension on Friday and it seems to be quite stable and nothing appears to be hitting. A few pictures for your viewing pleasure:D

Ended up with 23.25" under the frame rail and the top of the cage is at 78.25" , 84" outside tire to tire and 114" wb. Couple more pics....

Love the latchable rear storage!:smokin:

It was a bitch to make the metal follow the lines of the tubing, but definately worth the effort.

A before and after pic and a pic of a chassis planning/build discussion...:laughing:

Went out to Morris Mountain this weekend and was able to finally wheel after a year. The Jeep did great, had a small issue with the ram and ram mount ripping off though. The main culprit of this was a lack of good penetration with the welds. I do remember that we had an issue with the welder the day we mounted my ram and skid for the ram. I will need to rebuild another ram mount and replace the upper link bracket at the axle due to it having been twisted when the ram mount let go. I am also going to cut out the welds on the link brackets and re-weld them just to be on the safe side, we also used the same welder on those as well. Couple of pics and a video clip...

YouTube - John V Notch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK1-6jud5tI)

YouTube - John V Notch 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7myhonYo58)

YouTube - John and Greg Punisher (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P7hJr86-O8)

I am finally getting around to re-doing the ram mount/skid and the track bar mounts which were trashed during our last club ride in Oct 10 at Morris Mountain. The ram mount/skid and the track bar mount were completly ripped off and had to be bogger welded to get it off the trail and back to the trailer. I also decided to run a new fuel line and skin the rear tubing. Couple of photos of the new fuel line and the ram mount/skid that needs to be cut off and re-done. Hoping to have it all finished by the end of Saturday.

wow, great looking cage/chassis. love how you did it by yourself with a few friends. good job on the juggy, looks sweet

looks great

Finally finished up the juggy, here are a few photos.

Leaving out early tommorow morning for Choccoloco Mountain. The lack of body lines is one thing that bugged me when I initially finished the rear tube work. I ended up getting the side panels off a wrecked TJ and grafted them in to where I originally cut the tub. The rear of the tub is now boxed in and in my opinion looks much better. A before and after pic and one of Odin, the less than helpful German Shepard:laughing: :

Very cool build and it looks like its a good performer aswell... :beer:

have you wheeled it alot? and how does your rear link setup work? if you could change the configuration of the rear control arms mounts on the frame side would you? i'm about to back half my jeep and i have the same poly mounts but i thought about doing a custom double triangle setup. should i or shouldn't i?

I have had it out a couple of times and so far, I am very pleased with the way the rear suspension is working. As far as doing a double triangulated rear suspension setup, I would do some research and talk to some shops (BTF, SniperFab,etc..) and see what their advice is. I do not have enough experience or knowledge about suspension set ups to give you a definitive answer.

I finally finished up the skins on the rear of the rig. I wanted to have a transition from the body lines to the tubing instead of the abrupt stop that I currently had. I also swapped out the rear hatch latch...the one that I originally installed did not hold up very well due to the poor design of it. So, I installed a single hood pin to act as a latch, much sturdier.

Measurements from the B pillar to the back? width of the rear? Is the tubing butt welded to the frame, or goes through and the hole was just capped?

Measurement from the B pillar to the rear = 37"

Width at the rear of chassis = 23.5"

Tubing is butt welded to the cap which was welded over the frame when it was cut.

Measurement from the B pillar to the rear = 37"

Width at the rear of chassis = 23.5"

Tubing is butt welded to the cap which was welded over the frame when it was cut.

Don't happen to remember the degree of bends on the rear, and the two bottom tubes(frame) that tie into it do ya?

Trying to decide between using my ATX back half kit, or just tubing it. Really like how yours turned out.

Sorry, I do not remember the degree of the bends and the notes I had taken during the build have gone missing.

A full side profile shot.

Measurement from the B pillar to the rear = 37"

Width at the rear of chassis = 23.5"

Tubing is butt welded to the cap which was welded over the frame when it was cut.

More measurements please sir.

From the lower tube to the floor at b pillar?
Then the distance from it to harness bar?

They look to be almost identical degree bends on both tubes. If you're unable to determine the bend degree, could you measure how far both sit behind the b pillar?

Distance from back side of rear most body mount to axle centerline?

Distance from back side of rear most body mount to end of stock frame that's capped?

What gauge steel did you use for skins? Assuming you used a small break for the bend?

That should be enough harassment for now. Thanks again

Holy shit...want a cup of coffee with that order as well sir?....:flipoff2:

I am out of town until Friday. I will pull the measurements for you either Friday or Saturday and get them to you.

Hey, you told me look at your build. Haha. Mockery is the truest form of flattery.

Thanks again

Sleeps...check your PM's.

Thanks again man, sincerely!

After wheeling it over the course of the year, I decided that I wanted to change a couple of things. First issue was the rear was too light and at times, the rear wasn't able to get decent traction due to where the axle was located. I decided to move the rear axle forward 3" and while doing this, I also relocated my airshock mounts. Now, I am in the process of pushing the front axle forward and tubing out the front portion of the frame directly in front of the motor mounts. I am also going to switch to an aluminum radiator and electric fan.

So by pulling in the back and pushing out the front, are you still going to be at 115"?

BTW - your rear tube work inspired my JKuggy. Thanks.

Looks freaking awsome! Keep up the good work

So by pulling in the back and pushing out the front, are you still going to be at 115"?

BTW - your rear tube work inspired my JKuggy. Thanks.

That is the plan...do you have a build thread for the JKuggy?

That is the plan...do you have a build thread for the JKuggy?

It is over where Lance keeps all of his slow red headed stepchildren:
http://www.jkowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63920

I am getting the builder parts together to push my front out four inches and triangulate the front - 115 inches.

Very nice build :smokin: I think that is the first JK backhalf I have seen.

Very nice build :smokin: I think that is the first JK backhalf I have seen.

Definitely slick.

Lovin the new front work bud.

Finally have gotten around to getting some tube bent. The very front portion of the tube, ie...the first piece that will smack a rock:laughing:, has been internally sleeved with a 12" piece of 1.5" .250 wall DOM which was plug welded in four spots and just for good measure, I had a buddy of mine TIG weld it. I also have the winch platform set up as well. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, the majority of the front tubework will be completed and I can focus on moving the axle forward. A few photos...

good looking rig, I also live in tallahassee and wheel with capital-city-jeepers.com

Got most of the front tubework completed and the axle has been moved forward 5". Upper airshock mounts are finished and once I get the links finished and the axle located, I can do the lower airshock mounts. Then it will be a laundry list of small items and then off to get painted. A few photo's for your enjoyment....:flipoff2:

few more...

Keep moving.....Gulches ride will be here in no time!

It will be ready...:D

Lot mo better on the front.:smokin:

Finally got some time to work on the Jeep. The lower link mounts are in and the new links made and hung along with the upper link mount on the passenger side. Lower airshock mounts finished. Airshocks are kicked out 10* and leaned back towards the body 15* and set for 5" of uptravel. Finished tieing in the A pillars at thier second point (just in front of the firewall) still need to finish up the track bar mount (thanks to James @ BTF for it...lazer cut cromoly:smokin:) a few pics for your enjoyment.

Any plans to tie the hoops into the A pillar through the firewall?

Looks sharp bud

Any plans to tie the hoops into the A pillar through the firewall?

Looks sharp bud

Not right now...once I rip out the dash, maybe I can do it...depends on what I can remove and what is in the way. Thanks for the compliment.

10-4, got mine moved into the new house, and hoping to start mimicking your tube work soon. Hopefully it goes together as cleanly as your backhalf. You've got me rethinking the front now.

Sweet build there man!
I love Pirate! So many good ideas that make me so excited...
My wife is excited too:mad3:
I'm gonna use some of your back half design on my YJ.
Good job.
Thanks for the peep show.
Mike

Did you do anything special behind the seats where you cut the tub? I was thinking this is a good route to go just unsure about the tub.

No, I didn't do anything to the tub other than cut it.

Finally, it sits on its own weight...no more jackstands:D. It is down to the little things on the list. Still need to re-attach the front brake lines and bleed, mount the hood, hook up the electric fan, figure out the steering from the orbital to the firewall and get that all plumbed in. Hopefully within the next two weeks, the damn thing will get painted. It will be painted hot rod black, the grill has already been painted. A few photos for your enjoyment, and James, if your reading this, thanks again for the track bar bracket...I am quite certain it will never be an issue.

Couple more photos...the front is sitting about 1.5" higher than ride height, I will probably have to bleed the shocks down a little to get it right where I want it.

It's about time you bumped this. Looks good

Thanks man...progress has been slower than I would like, but it's keeping me out of trouble:laughing:

Is that panhard bracket something that BTF carries or was it custom? I would like to have one as the front of mine is tubed also. The jeep looks good I am using your build as inspiration to build mine.

I called James and told him what I needed and sent him some photos and measurements and he designed and cut the parts for me. I can send you a drawing and the measurements of the parts are if you like, PM me your email address if you want the drawing.

Getting real close to being finished. Today I was able to get the steering (from the fire wall to the orbital) figured out and hooked up, ran new hydro lines, blue for low pressure and black for the high pressure. Ran and hooked up the new front brake lines, got the radiator plumbed and got the battery tray mounted. Still more to do, but it is real close to being done.

Finally...it is done :smokin:. Got all of the little stuff finished today and the next stop will be at the body shop for some new paint and hood. I will say this, I should have switched to an electric fan years ago...much nicer. A few pics....

What radiator/fan combo are you running?

The Flex-a-lite rad/fan combo for a Wrangler...it's a nice combo and super easy to install and wire into the vehicles wiring harness.

Went to the body shop today and I should have it back by the end of next week It was sitting next to a stock 1994 Toyota 4Runner that had some 31" tires and the Jeep was only about 7"-8" taller than it.

The better half likes. Showed her your pics, and she asked if that what mine was gonna look like.

Lol...my better half tolerates mine...she refers to it as my "mistress"... yet, she wants to drive it. Can't figure out if she wants to drive it to experiance the fun or to completely wreck it..:laughing:

It looks great Rugger


The better half likes. Showed her your pics, and she asked if that what mine was gonna look like.

what did you tell her

what did you tell her

I have his measurements. Trying to mix between his and a more boxy U4 look. Cell came in today, so i finally have something to build around and see.

Picked it up from the paint shop today...liking the new color.

Picked it up from the paint shop today...liking the new color.

LOOKS GOOD!
what is that? flat?

The new paint looks :smokin: when are you going to get it out and wheel?

:smokin: looks good!

The paint is "hot rod black" which is just a single stage satin black. Hopefully I can make the June Jam event at GreyRock.

Meh... :flipoff2:











looks pimp bud, love the way it turned out. So what's next?

Meh... :flipoff2:











looks pimp bud, love the way it turned out. So what's next?

Take it out and beat on it of course....:flipoff2:

Any way you could get me a better pic of how you mounted your orbital? Who's bracketry? P pump?

I just picked up a used SE system for mine.

For you sir, anything is possible :flipoff2:
My system is from PSC...not certain on what the pump part number is though. The orbital bracket is from Polyperformance if I remember correctly.

Looks good. It seems like an awful lot of work to redo the front and rear 4 links and the front frame section like you did. I guess if it didn't work like you wanted though it was worth changing.

Good luck on it's first outing!

Hey sleeps...yeah, you :flipoff2: here are the pics you wanted of the way I mounted my orbital, hope it helps you. I took a 6" piece of 1.75 DOM and ran it off the front frame section and welded the orbital mount to it. It was a bit tricky getting everything lined up but I am real happy with the location.

Ah yes, that is very nice. Looks clean that way.

I agree, it did turn out pretty clean, plus the fittings are very easily accessible.