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03 TJ Warranty Build

255K views 659 replies 158 participants last post by  Brink_ 
#1 · (Edited)
Calling it the warranty build to try to rationalize the work I'm doing to my 03 TJ even though it's not paid for yet. Figure if Jeep would do it right the first time I would already have what I want. So that makes all this warranty work.

Bought it brand new a year and a half ago and started like most do with a small lift. Then it just snowballed. Went 32's first. Then 35's on stock drivetrain. Destroyed my Dana 35 first trip out (no surprise I know :flipoff2: ) So I put in a 9" with custom 3 links front and rear and moved up to 36's.

Couple pics of last year on the 36's


 
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#177 ·
The other thing I've been working on is the seat mounts. I'm about half way through one, but I ran out of mig gas so it'll have to wait till tomorow to finish.

Teaser shot....




Originally I was just gonna make a fixed mount. But while mocking up the seat for hight I realised what a bitch it would be to slide in and out if the seat can't move back farther than it would be while driving it. I sit a little closer to the wheel than most guys my height, but I feel more stable and in control that way.
 
#178 ·
Looks good brink. I hope Rancho will be able to help you with their shocks. Either way this is educational for all who wish to run those shocks. Over time you should think about mounting the seats directly to the cage though. (yeah, my tj needs it too) If something that big goes over, you'll want as much protection as possible.
 
#179 ·
The seats would be much better on the cage wouldn't they? Just am getting a little anxious to go wheeling. Our season isn't as long as the one in the southern states (I'm in Alberta Canada) don't want to waste it. That will be on my to do list though. More cage work period is required before any serious trails are looked at (stock cage is all I have and that idea scared the crap out of me)

Everyone can expect more info on the Rancho coilovers and my experience with them very soon. Just want to have everything taken care of before I start to say too much about what has happened. At any rate I will say that thus far it has been a positive experience.
 
#181 · (Edited)
Corbeau Baja SS Suspension seats.

Page 4 I think

But here they are again.


Not sure how to mount my daughters princess chair yet. Any ideas guys? She'd be pissed though. She loves these Cobeau's. Nothing like a 6 year old watching cartoons sitting in your new suspension seats when there's a perfectly good couch right there.
 
#182 ·
Brink_ said:
Corbeau Baja SS Suspension seats.

Page 4 I think

But here they are again.


Not sure how to mount my daughters princess chair yet. Any ideas guys? She'd be pissed though. She loves these Cobeau's. Nothing like a 6 year old watching cartoons sitting in your new suspension seats when there's a perfectly good couch right there.

I think you should mount the pink seat. :laughing:
 
#184 ·
The sliders are just from a set of RCI fiberglass buckets that a friend has in the shop. They were laying around and I decided at the last minute I wanted sliders so that's what I'm making fit.

I was going to just go fixed mount. But when I mocked up the seat it was looking very difficult to get in and out of the Jeep unless the seat could slide back farther.
 
#186 ·
Also picked up my reverse motion steering box. The pitman comes forward instead of back. This will give me the clearance I need between the draglink and the axle now that the axle is way forward of stock.




Now I just need info on tapping it. Havn't looked at it closely yet. Maybe it's the same as a regular Sag box. Anyone got info on it for me?
 
#189 ·
Any opinions on which way is better.....

Tap into the body of the box:


Or into the 2 caps:





The first pic is the most common way I have come across on the net. Funny thing is that I have seen a couple in person the 2nd way, tapping the caps. But never seen it online untill today.

Pros and Cons other than needing to weld onto the end cap instead of just tapping it?
 
#190 ·
Also trying to find info on what ram to pick up.

Thinking of a.....
1.5" bore
8" stroke
3/4" shaft

Sound right or wrong? Pros and cons to other options? What will changin any one of the bore/stroke/shaft numbers do? I can't find any threads that explain what to look for in a ram. A few give opinions on what specific models to get (that's wher I picked these specs from) but nothing on why.
 
#191 · (Edited)
I tapped mine as in the first picture. I had a friend tap the caps and had lots of issues with it, you will have to weld a fitting since the front cap is aluminum and can't tap it directly.

I also used a 1.5" bore, 8" stroke, 3/4" shaft, if you change to a bigger bore, the steering will be slow because the pump can't keep up, the stroke is dependent on the travel, always get a stroke size equal or bigger than what you need, (not smaller) because once the steering box reaches its stops, the fluid will be by-passed back to the reservoir (if the cylinder and the box are mechanically connected), as for the rod size, if the rod size is big, the cylinder will have more pull than push because there will be a larger volume on one side, for a 3/4" shaft, the push/pull numbers are close.
 
#192 ·
I also had a friend tap his on the cap end of the box and first trip out had failures almost imediately. Took one bounce wrong off of a rock and the rock hit the fitting and caused a small leak....it was just enough to cause the system to hold no pressure whatsoever. We ended up strong-arming 42'' TSL's all day in a TJ on 1 tons.
 
#194 ·
Tonight I built the crossmembers to tie the shock towers together. Then I promptly forgot to take any pics of them. They will have to wait till tomorrow.

After that I got going on the tube fenders for the front. Those I do have pics of.....

Cut the stock fender...

.


Next I bent some 1.25" tubing to 90deg. Here's the test fit...


And after some welding and a little grinding...




This is only the start. I am goint to do a extended flare following the stock flare lines. Need to keep it semi street legal so I can get it back and forth to the trails at least. It will also be tied into my stinger and shock towers for strength.

More updates after I work on it tomorrow.
 
#197 ·
hey man just wanted to give u some info on the hydro stuff.

ive run the tap'd caps for like 3 years. here is the thing though. for a few bucks you can get a beef'd cap for the end of the box. just go that route. i tap'd the stock cap in a rush for a comp. we made it though the comp but like 2 days later i was pulling out of a parking spot at a bar when i crank'd the wheel over the front cap blew. basicly the nut on the end of the piston inside the box was hitting the fitting which eventually busted the cap.

i had ordered a cap from emsoffroad before the comp but he hadnt finished them so i ran the stocker. the night i blew the cap i just ran home and swap'd it with the cap he sent me. havent had any isues since then.

http://www.emsoffroad.com/hydroassist.htm

its a BEFFY cap. i was wheel'n about a year ago without my front bumper.... i slip'd off a ledge i was climbing and set the whole front end down on the cap. the thing held!!!!
 
#198 ·
Rugger99 said:
Damn...a bit wide eh ?:flipoff2:

Yeah the SRD and cops are getting really picky here. If not for them or if I had a trailer already I would just leave it with no extra flair. As it is this is 7" of flair. Same as the Warn ones I ran last year.

Think I'll do the "Flair" part in black to make it look more like a regular flair. If it's all body color it tends to look like a big stupid surfboard in my opinion.
 
#199 ·
Thanks for the link dustpuppy. That looks like a really high quality piece.

I need to rebuild my box anyway. It's leaking all over the place and has been sitting at a wreckers for who knows how long, so I think I'll just tap the 2 spots on the casting instead of the caps. Always nice to have options though.
 
#201 ·
Also installed my Dana 300 Flipped. I'll give more details on that in the next few days.

Tonight I got it mounted to the flip ring I modified/made. And built a new crossmember for it. The pics turned out questionable for the crossmember. I'll grab some new ones tomorow.

Not giving up much clearance....


 
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