MattScott
Approved Vendor
After months of slaving away as an intern for Expedition Portal the powers that may be realized my irreplaceable talents simply must be in Prescott. So here we go, a rather short thread, detailing the adventures of 2 guys, and later my lovely woman, driving across the country, trying to wing it, and travel off road as much as possible.
Here's the vehicle:
As you can see, it's not going to be the best thing to put nearly 2,000 miles on; so I made some upgrades before I left to ensure I had no issues with the size of the vehicle.
One of the biggest problems with the TJ, is the drum brakes on the rear. This is very noticable with 35" tires.
However, disk brakes from a Grand Cherokee (ZJ) simply bolt directly to the Jeep TJ - giving you a factory swap, this allows you to get parts anywhere when needed. When properly retrofitted with the ZJ proportioning valve, the performance is significantly better. It also acts as an insurance policy for the weak Dana 35 C-Clip axle, as the disk can temporarily hold the wheel in place to get you to a better spot.
The Dana 35 axle worries me, I do not want to be stuck somewhere with a broken axle. Until I do an axle swap, which will most likely be a Ford 8.8, I decided to install Alloy USA axle shafts.
I also tried to install a Spartan Locker.
I found out after I had my spider gears out, that you have to remove the carrier if your gears are higher than 4.11's. This was outside of my skill set, so I decided to wait, until I can have someone more qualified help me.
After a few midwest winters, the factory Jeep gas tank skid plate, which was wimpy to start with, was held together with rust and mud. To solve this problem, a heavy duty unit was added.
The steering linkage on the Jeep TJ is also nothing to write home about, it is hollow tubing, with tie rod ends of mediocre strength.
This is obviously something I wanted to change, however, I did not want to go to a rock crawling setup with heim joints. I found my happy median by doing the well known, Grand Cherokee V8 swap. This gives you factory parts, made of a larger diameter, solid steel. The tie rods are also significantly bigger. I sourced my kit from Crown Automotive, with a new steering stabilizer for under $200.
The Jeep TJ, doesn't have the greatest fuel range, especially with my particular Jeep, fitted with 4.56 gears, and an automatic transmission. The easy solution was to carry a jerry can. However, the Jeep TJ also does not have the greatest amount of space on the inside. I found a unit from Jeeperman Products, that is a universal can mount, for swing-out bumpers.
I also found a unit that allowed me to mount my Hi-Lift jack to my swingout bumper as well.
In addition to this, I also replaced the front calipers, pads, and rotors, sensors, and the usual myriad of tune up items.
Onto the trip.... which starts in an hour.
Our idea is to head west, we only have a few deadlines, I've told the team I'll be arriving in Prescott on the 10th, to get the keys to my new place, and to get to work at Prescott HQ. For complicated reasons of cancelled flights, and vouchers for those flights. Abby, my long-term girlfriend, is flying into Las Vegas.
She says that she'll kill me if I am not in Las Vegas by 8pm on the 8th. I think she means it.
In between Chicago, and Prescott - by way of Las Vegas, we're hoping to hit some pre-season turns in Colorado at Arapahoe Basin, find a nice hotel to stay in on our cheap budget, and then make our way to Moab for a day of adventure. Mind that we have to do this before 8pm on the 8th, or you'll no longer be enjoying the front page articles I bring you, you do check the front page every day, don't you?
Here's the vehicle:
As you can see, it's not going to be the best thing to put nearly 2,000 miles on; so I made some upgrades before I left to ensure I had no issues with the size of the vehicle.
One of the biggest problems with the TJ, is the drum brakes on the rear. This is very noticable with 35" tires.
However, disk brakes from a Grand Cherokee (ZJ) simply bolt directly to the Jeep TJ - giving you a factory swap, this allows you to get parts anywhere when needed. When properly retrofitted with the ZJ proportioning valve, the performance is significantly better. It also acts as an insurance policy for the weak Dana 35 C-Clip axle, as the disk can temporarily hold the wheel in place to get you to a better spot.
The Dana 35 axle worries me, I do not want to be stuck somewhere with a broken axle. Until I do an axle swap, which will most likely be a Ford 8.8, I decided to install Alloy USA axle shafts.
I also tried to install a Spartan Locker.
I found out after I had my spider gears out, that you have to remove the carrier if your gears are higher than 4.11's. This was outside of my skill set, so I decided to wait, until I can have someone more qualified help me.
After a few midwest winters, the factory Jeep gas tank skid plate, which was wimpy to start with, was held together with rust and mud. To solve this problem, a heavy duty unit was added.
The steering linkage on the Jeep TJ is also nothing to write home about, it is hollow tubing, with tie rod ends of mediocre strength.
This is obviously something I wanted to change, however, I did not want to go to a rock crawling setup with heim joints. I found my happy median by doing the well known, Grand Cherokee V8 swap. This gives you factory parts, made of a larger diameter, solid steel. The tie rods are also significantly bigger. I sourced my kit from Crown Automotive, with a new steering stabilizer for under $200.
The Jeep TJ, doesn't have the greatest fuel range, especially with my particular Jeep, fitted with 4.56 gears, and an automatic transmission. The easy solution was to carry a jerry can. However, the Jeep TJ also does not have the greatest amount of space on the inside. I found a unit from Jeeperman Products, that is a universal can mount, for swing-out bumpers.
I also found a unit that allowed me to mount my Hi-Lift jack to my swingout bumper as well.
In addition to this, I also replaced the front calipers, pads, and rotors, sensors, and the usual myriad of tune up items.
Onto the trip.... which starts in an hour.
Our idea is to head west, we only have a few deadlines, I've told the team I'll be arriving in Prescott on the 10th, to get the keys to my new place, and to get to work at Prescott HQ. For complicated reasons of cancelled flights, and vouchers for those flights. Abby, my long-term girlfriend, is flying into Las Vegas.
She says that she'll kill me if I am not in Las Vegas by 8pm on the 8th. I think she means it.
In between Chicago, and Prescott - by way of Las Vegas, we're hoping to hit some pre-season turns in Colorado at Arapahoe Basin, find a nice hotel to stay in on our cheap budget, and then make our way to Moab for a day of adventure. Mind that we have to do this before 8pm on the 8th, or you'll no longer be enjoying the front page articles I bring you, you do check the front page every day, don't you?
