Modding a Wrangler to Match Land Cruiser Reliability?

[Omar Brannstrom]

Intresting with the payload

http://www.jgms.com/resource/a4a9599b2b284e78bd112c376d4974ab.pdf

"Payload 1,164 kg* (2,566 lb)

* Figure can be increased
by 500 kg (1,102 lb) with
fitment of optional Payload
Enhancement Kit."

That would be ??? 1664kg in payload (3668 lb)

 

[Grasslakeron]

25 year reliability? I spent time at the Toyota technical center in Ann Arbor. Their tech engineers said that ALL of their vehicles parts are rated for 10 years.

 

[toylandcruiser]

25 year reliability? I spent time at the Toyota technical center in Ann Arbor. Their tech engineers said that ALL of their vehicles parts are rated for 10 years.

"All Land Cruisers are built around the concept of a 25 year service life and that means more expensive and durable components. For example, the windshield is 2mm thicker than standard Toyota and the entire exhaust is stainless steel and double thick for corrosion protection and no warping/cracking when you dunk it in water hot."

 

[Comanche Scott]

lengthened front axle tubes

On the front axle. I've been considering having a housing built that is 1.5" wider per side side, along with the inner axles to match.
Reason for this is the ability to use OEM engineered offset for the wheels (which would also have to be custom built).

The goals would be:
1). Longer Unit Bearing life
2). Longer Ball Joint life
3). Correct Scrub Radius

I talked to the guys at Currie last year at EJS, who said they'd build it to my specs. Of course they'd need to know my specs before coming back with a cost. I haven't talked to an axle supplier, or a wheel supplier yet.
What I don't know, is how much longevity this mod would provide. As far as ball joints go, I can't see a good reason not to use a heavy duty upgrade any way.
So really the main improvement would be to the unit bearing longevity, with the side of correct Scrub Radius.

What do you think?
Pipe dream? Not worth the money/effort?
Go HD 44 with tapered bearing hubs and move on?
What have I been smoking????
Interested in your thoughts, what ever they are. :beer:

 

[kojackJKU]

I would just drive until you break it....99% chance your not going to unless your hammering it very hard! I know lots of people running 37" tires on a stock D30 with no issues. Best thing to do is stop visiting websites. You will read that the front ends on JKs are weak as straw, but that is not the case at all. I have done tens of thousands of miles of off road adventuring, and my lowly ole D30 is fine. Lots of times I am traveling at high rates of speed hitting washouts and ruts etc. Its all fine out there. Probably besides my TRE and DL now as they just have SO many miles on them. 180,000 now on the stock.

 

[calicamper]

Reliability and modifications are typically two different things. Reliability being the goal you purchase a vehicle thats capable in stock form and thats your standard for best reliability. If you want increased capability with mods typically reliability drops with each modification. So what do you want? Little to zero vehicle maint and issues for 100,000 miles? OR?

 

[Comanche Scott]

I don't have any friends running 37" tires with Dana 30's out west. All the guys I know with built rigs are pretty off-road-centric.
It's a bit different, in that we have a lot of granite, with big boulders and ledges, steep climbs, and descents. Rigs out here tend to get "used" pretty hard, even for those of us that tread lightly.
What some people think of as an "extreme" trail, can be a nice Friday night of wheeling for a weekend's fishing out here.

 

[kojackJKU]

I live on whats called the GRANITE PLANET. And there are plenty of people here with 37s on stock D30s...maybe gearing. but no big deal.

 

[mtbxj87]

On the front axle. I've been considering having a housing built that is 1.5" wider per side side, along with the inner axles to match.
Reason for this is the ability to use OEM engineered offset for the wheels (which would also have to be custom built).

The goals would be:
1). Longer Unit Bearing life
2). Longer Ball Joint life
3). Correct Scrub Radius

I talked to the guys at Currie last year at EJS, who said they'd build it to my specs. Of course they'd need to know my specs before coming back with a cost. I haven't talked to an axle supplier, or a wheel supplier yet.
What I don't know, is how much longevity this mod would provide. As far as ball joints go, I can't see a good reason not to use a heavy duty upgrade any way.
So really the main improvement would be to the unit bearing longevity, with the side of correct Scrub Radius.

What do you think?
Pipe dream? Not worth the money/effort?
Go HD 44 with tapered bearing hubs and move on?
What have I been smoking????
Interested in your thoughts, what ever they are. :beer:

A down side to one off stuff is replacement parts sourcing. You would have to buy extra parts for that axle, like custom length shafts or bearings etc. Having currie building you custom axles would very expensive just to run oem wheels.

 

[Comanche Scott]

A down side to one off stuff is replacement parts sourcing. You would have to buy extra parts for that axle, like custom length shafts or bearings etc. Having currie building you custom axles would very expensive just to run oem wheels.

Very good points. :beer:
Just to clarify one thing, this wouldn't be using OEM wheels.

I was just in the work shop looking at my next Dana 44 build (old Ford HP-D44 axle housing I am building for another rig). It "looks" like the tapered bearing hubs are wider than the JK unit bearing hubs, as measured on the centerline of the ball joints axis, to the center line of the wheel mounting surface. So that may be an option which can use off the shelf parts.
Would be upgrading the rear axles for 37" tires anyway, so no reason not to go 5 on 5.5 all around.
IIRC there is someone building a JK Dana 44 this way already. But I'd have to look back into that to be sure.

 

[Comanche Scott]

I live on whats called the GRANITE PLANET. And there are plenty of people here with 37s on stock D30s...maybe gearing. but no big deal.

Would be cool to have one/some of them post up their use, and experiences.
I didn't realize you had that kind of wheeling in your area. I have seen some stunningly beautiful bike rides around Nova Scotia.
One of these days, I'd like to rent a Dual Sport bike, and spend time up your way. Such an awesome place from all I have seen. :beer:

 

[kojackJKU]

Heaven on earth. I leave from my house, and I have literally 1000s of Kms of back country travel. The rock crawling is more on the east coast around the Avalon pensinsula, but There is some to be had around this area too. I have my versys setup for dual sport. We have a wicked 600km loop we do in one day, and almost at the end is the famous buller burger. 2lbs of beef after cooking, half pack of bacon and homemade bun! great after a day in the woods!

 

[Grasslakeron]

"All Land Cruisers are built around the concept of a 25 year service life and that means more expensive and durable components. For example, the windshield is 2mm thicker than standard Toyota and the entire exhaust is stainless steel and double thick for corrosion protection and no warping/cracking when you dunk it in water hot."

Yet, out of the mouths from their own tech center engineers....10 years.

Now in the current age, it's not uncommon for a vehicle to go 20 plus years. My car is 17 years old and my jeep lj, 10. Now if I saw every series 40 on the road today, then I would be bragging.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Yet, out of the mouths from their own tech center engineers....10 years.

Now in the current age, it's not uncommon for a vehicle to go 20 plus years. My car is 17 years old and my jeep lj, 10. Now if I saw every series 40 on the road today, then I would be bragging.

Cool? Just because a "tech engineer" said that doesn't make it true. That must mean jeeps are designed with a 5 year life span then.

 

[PhulesAU]

11 years, only 170k miles. Water pump and Alternator are the only things that have failed. Everything else would have been broken if I'd been driving a tank.