XJ Custom Lift/Build thread

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: June 29, 2008

So here they are, 1/4" thick triangles

The pumpkin side offered a good possibility of clearance issues, but it looks to me like everything will be fine.

Check the following sequence of pics from the driver side and tell me what you think.

From the drivers side....obviously :roll:

Looking from above the pumpkin:

From under the DS area:

From under the pumpkin:

Here's the passenger side, no clearance issues here

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: June 29, 2008

Here are a few from under the belly skid area.

Here's a nice overall shot from the belly skid area

So, I'll be tacking these in tonight, removing the springs, checking how everything flexes and if there are no clearance issues, I will then burn them in and put the front end back together and get going on the SYE

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: July 1, 2008

Well I got the arms all welded up and reinstalled.

Here's a couple shots of the UCA mounts welded to the LCA's

Here's a shot of the UCA axle end mount welded

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: July 3, 2008

I've got the front end holding it's own weight

Got the RE track bar installed after centering the axle.

I do still need quick disconnects, but that will have to come later.

No clearance issues with the steering/trac bar/front skid so that's good

I also checked the steering at full lock, both sides, still no issues with clearance.



Brake lines installed.

Part number at Parts America is BH38620 & BH38621. THe part number at Advanced Auto Parts is H38621 & H38620

I Got the part number from James (Signman) for some stock GMC brake lines that are about 4.5-5" longer than stock XJ lines and they worked good. I did have to shave about 1/16" off of the caliper end of the brake line to resolve clearance issues with the line and the little placeholder on the caliper that stops the line from moving and coming loose.

Here's the mfg shot of it.

The metal fitting in the middle needs to be moved to the frame end of the line, then you need to drill out the hole to fit the stock XJ brake line bolt. It was all very simple.


That neat little 'S' curve in the line at the caliper end needs to be mounted this way so there are no clearance issues from the bleeder valve or the caliper mounting bolt.

Depending on how you mount them the will want to route towards the tire. This shot is with the steering straight on.

This shot is with the steering at full lock. If you mount the line with the curve towards the knuckle, it will hit the knuckle.

Now it's on to the SYE install .........FINALLY!!

........Stay tuned :arrow:

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Origianl post date: July 3, 2008

The SYE is done. I have to admit, I made suprisingly short work of the install (1pm to 4:30pm), especially considering the POS :smt013 Snap Ring Pliers I have. Very important tool for this install. If you don't have a good set, get a good set!

Here are some pics to drool over :smt118


The JB Conversions SYE kit contents

Old Tailhousing out!

The Backhalf out!

The inside

The guts are out

The new shaft is in!!

The new tailhousing is on :supz:

Damn that orange silicone is bright :smt103


So that's all good news........


......... The bad news is that my rear shaft from my ScoutII is about 2" too long. :smt093 and the money that I'm going to have to spend to get it shortened means I won't be able to buy a spare 33" tire, which means I won't be installing my 33's anytime soon :smt009

Maybe that's not such a big deal since I can't afford to regear anytime soon either :?: :?:

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: July , 2008

OK a few more things going on. Just trying to tie up some of the loose ends here.

Got the rear shaft to fit after I put the skid plate back on, which lifted the x-fer case about 4" higher.

Setting the pinion angle

The pinion looks a little low to me, but all of the measurements I took indicate that things are right where they need to be.

I read somewhere that you need to set the pinion so that it points at the X-fercase while under load. How do you determine where that setting is?



No more jack stands under the front end

So here are the before and after measurements:

Before / After

Pass side rear bumper -to- ground: 24" / 26-1/8" = + 2-1/8"

Driver side rear bumper -to- ground: 23-3/8" / 26-3/8" = + 3"

Pass side front bumper -to- ground: 23" / 27-1/4" = + 4-1/4"

Driver side front bumper -to- ground: 22-1/2" / 27" = + 4-1/2"

Belly skid -to- ground: 10-3/8" / 14-1/2" = + 4-1/8"

The rear measurements are a bit disapointing, but it was a crapshoot with the S-10 springs. Plus my stock springs were a bit saggy and the new shocks aren't bolted up yet (not that they should make much of a difference, but they are nitrogen charged). But this is why I planned to run the TnT lift shackles.

I do have a question though: If I run the lift shackles, won't that change my pinion angle, and the need for me to get the DS cut? If so, I need to get those ordered up QUICK!!

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: July 7, 2008

OK, new extended shackles are in. :smt026 But there is a problem with them. Check it out.


Here's the "Kit" that I purchased

Here's how they go together.

Man they look so clean. I hate to weld on 'em with my flux core wire

But I had to get 'em dirty

I'm really happy with 'em. They went together very easily.

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: July 7, 2008

Compared to the stock ones they look more like 3" lift shackles

Then I had to install them. A little tough, but it could have been a lot harder. Thank GOD for Impact Tools.

And don't worry about the high lift jack, I have the vehicle supported with my two jack stands, one of which you can see on the right.



Check out that shackle angle* though I definitely don't need to worry about hitting the body with these.

*I'm guessing it's because I'm using the stock main spring which got shorter when I added the arched S10 springs to it. I suspect that this issue will go away when I get new lift springs for the rear down the road.


But, they accomplished the goal for now. The vehicle is about an inch (or so) higher in the rear than in the front.

Didn't have time tonight to reset the pinon angle and burn in the perches (I had some domestic housework to take care of. Gotta keep the wife happy). Don't worry though, I plan to finish that tomorrow night and possibly take it for a test drive :jump:

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: July 8, 2008

Got the spring perches welded on tonight. Check it out.....

I broke the tack welds that I had set before I got the lift shackles. Then I reset the pinion to 2 degrees below the DS like Don said and retacked them.

Then I removed the axle......
....and burned them in


I didn't do full runs since I didn't know if that could bend an axle tube.

The drum side.

Buttoning up the loose ends after reinstalling

Oh yeah, I took it for a test drive also WOHOOOOOOO!!!!! :smt026 :smt026 :smt026 :smt026 :smt026

It took me one month, June 7th -to- July 8th. Maybe not too bad for a hombrew fab-on-the-fly custom suspension that I had to redo a major portion of after realizing it was under engineered. Anyway, I'm stoked that it's back on the road.


OK, a few things.


I only took it up to 25mph tonight since my son was with me and I didn't want to take any unecessary chances with him (or anyone) in the vehicle for the maiden run. Just around the block with a few dips and speed bumps. No issues up to 25mph.

The rear DS has about an inch, maybe inch & 1/4, of travel before it fully compresses. Is this enough considering that when my springs compress the axle moves rearward??? If not, I still have a wee bit of cash left to get it shortened.

Still need to get an alignment, but I'm running my small tires so I'm not worried about scuffing them. Probably by the end of this week, or first of next week I'll get it done.

I did an initial brake bleed, and although it does stop well, they are squishy. Terry recommended doing them again, maybe two more times, so that's in the plan for this week.

Still no anti-sway bar links, so I know I need to take it easy on the turns, especially on the highway.

This is the first vehicle I've taken from stock DD, to lifted DD, and WOW what a difference. :shock: 4.5" of lift makes a BIG difference in how the vehicle feels on the road, higer COG of course.

I like it alot so far

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: Jly 11, 2008

So I always hear guys post up about "What tools they would need to do XYZ job" well here it is......well......everything I remembered to write down throughout the project anyway :wink:

Lug Nuts 19mm

Stock U-bolt nuts 18mm

Lower rear shock bolts 18mm

Upper rear shock bolts 13mm

Front & rear brake lines 3/8"

Rear brake bleeders 5/16"

Front brake bleeders 3/8"

Rear yoke straps 5/16"

Rear axle vent tube/brake line bolt 9/16"

New leaf spring center pin 14mm

Coil spring retainer 13mm

Lower front shock bolts 13mm

Upper front shock post 6mm

Upper front shock nut 15mm

Sway bar bolt 18mm

Lower control arm nuts & bolts 21mm (frame side)

Upper control arm nuts & bolts 15mm (frame side)

Tie rod end nuts 16mm

Steering stabilizer bolt 19mm

Front brake line bolt T40 Torx (star bit)

Front driveshaft bolts 5/16"

Transfer case tail housing bolts 10mm

Transfer case yoke nuts 1-1/8"

Transfer case "half bolts" 15mm

Transfer case "top bolt" 12point 10mm

Stock upper trac-bar nut 16mm

RE & Stock Lower trac-bar bolt 15mm

RE upper trac-bar bolt 15/16"

Then of course there was the 4.5" grinder, 15 grinder wheels, the sawzall, 15 14TPI blades, the welder (plus wire and gas - if you use gas), the drill press, the 10lb sledge, the rubber mallet, the bench vice, Terry's 20 ton press (with ~90* bend "dies"), the breaker bar, the torque wrench, the grease gun, the ratchet straps, the floor jack (wish I had a bigger one), the jack stands (2 big and 2 small worked well for me), the creeper rocked!, the drop light, the chop saw with abrasive disc, the impact wrench rocked also.....

Oh, and don't forget the month of "free time" :roll:














and last, but not least,







the daily driver......(thanks Gene :wink: )

That's all it took

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Original post date: August 5, 2008

Update:

Well, it's been almost another month since my initial test drive, so I thought another "feedback segment" was in order.

On the daily commute I had been noticing a random and vaugue clicking noise that appears to have come from my Ballistic Flex joints. Hopefully that is gone now.

The next issue I have is still the RE Trac-Bar. I regret not having the cash to have upgraded to the Extreme Duty RE Trac-Bar. I'm getting increasingly uncomfortable with the single sheer 5/8" Grade 8 Trac-Bar mount. My solution to this will be to purchase the TnT HD upper Track-Bar mount. This will give me a double sheer setup at the upper mount, drastically increasing my faith in my Trac-Bar.

Barring these two issues, one of which I believe is resolved now, the on road ride is fantastic. Most would argue that the rear rides a bit rough, but that's a sacrfice I chose since I tow fairly regularly (which I have yet to test) and carry a lot of gear when camping. Honestly it's not really rough, just firm, which I like.

The off-road ride is also great. Most of my trail riding to this point has been on trails rated 4 or easier. I really need to get onto a harder trail to test the flex and ride in the really rocky/rough stuff.

Really though, the place I'm most impressed with the ride, is over some of the reduculous RR Tracks and contruction zones on the commute to work. One particular set of tracks could induce some Duke of Hazzard style action if the speed limit was 65 instead of 45. I usually hit it at 40 and always wonder if my front end will come off of the ground, but without fail my path always stays true, with no noticeable bump steer.

 

[Momrocks]

Geez, I just had to take a knee! What a fabrication sensory overload. I look forward to reviewing this at length.

 

[SeaRubi]

wow - great writeup! I like the bend you put on the front LCA's to inboard them. I think, too, I'd make a similar judgement call too on going with a double shear on the trac-bar mount.

Did you think about gusseting the LCA side of the upper y-links? there's probably not a whole lotta force there but I could see 'em deforming under impact. probably not a concern, just thought I'd ask.

Your beads look pretty good! I'd say the flux wire treated you pretty well.

How does anti-squat / anti-dive seem driving on pavement? I know trying to engineer 3-link setups that separation was always a big issue - with the Y-arms and that spread from the stock tower it probably has pretty good characteristics on a panic stop.

Looks like a pretty thorough build - congrats on the clean fab and install.

 

[Ranger Steve]

wow...great fab work...nice looking xj

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

wow - great writeup!

Did you think about gusseting the LCA side of the upper y-links? there's probably not a whole lotta force there but I could see 'em deforming under impact. probably not a concern, just thought I'd ask.

How does anti-squat / anti-dive seem driving on pavement? I know trying to engineer 3-link setups that separation was always a big issue - with the Y-arms and that spread from the stock tower it probably has pretty good characteristics on a panic stop.

Looks like a pretty thorough build - congrats on the clean fab and install.

Thanks. I haven't thought about gusseting them since I was able to place a bead on the inside of the mounts, I feel that it's solid.

I'm honestly not familiar with anti-dive and anti-squat, but I just panic stopped this morning and it handled better than when stock, since the front end didn't dive really hard, just a little bit.