Refreshing the TJ - Build Thread
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Justincredible
Adventurer
With a beautiful cage like that it almost seems wasteful not to roll it.
Thank you! I ended up with the AEV hood as well to save me the headache. I have enough of those on this build.
Hah. Thanks! Would never have time to take on a project like that again. Barely finding the time to get this one together.
For the rear : http://www.synergymfg.com/Synergy-TJ-LJ-Rear-Coilover-Bracket-Kit-p-650.html
For the front : http://www.synergymfg.com/Synergy-Jeep-TJ-LJ-Wrangler-Front-Coilover-Bracket-Kit-p-375.html
Almost everything else on it is bolt on, just minor tweaking necessary. I'll probably go back and re-evaluate the front bump stops in the near future, because I figured out a way to solve the track bar/tie rod collision. Stay tuned. I'll take pictures of that process.
Thank you! Though I want to feel the same, unfortunately it is the only modification I hope to never have to use.
Spent a few hours today messing with filling the tub holes, what a pain in the a**. As you can see from the picture below, if the sheet metal wasn't fighting me, TIG welding the sheet metal in weird angles was, and then there was the green tape that I left on too long and now have to spend an hour scraping off. UGH. Turned out decently though. On the interior I just ran some seam sealer where there were any gaps. I'll be undercoating from the top of the tape residue line down, covering everything that is now exposed and cut.
Interior prepped for Al's Heat and Noise Reducer and then color matched liner. In this image you can see the driver vs passenger side; with and without panel welded in.
You may also notice two holes on the driver side and a panel welded to the floor on the passenger. The holes were to reinforce the floorboard, located underneath the crossmember which was also cut out because the seats will now be mounted to the cage. This may seem like a lot of work, but in the end, it will allow me to have an approximately 3"x15"x16" drawer underneath each of the seats, which in my opinion is worth it.
For comparison (Pulled from google search)
Full tub prepped:
Interior prepped for Al's Heat and Noise Reducer and then color matched liner. In this image you can see the driver vs passenger side; with and without panel welded in.
You may also notice two holes on the driver side and a panel welded to the floor on the passenger. The holes were to reinforce the floorboard, located underneath the crossmember which was also cut out because the seats will now be mounted to the cage. This may seem like a lot of work, but in the end, it will allow me to have an approximately 3"x15"x16" drawer underneath each of the seats, which in my opinion is worth it.
For comparison (Pulled from google search)
Full tub prepped:
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Sunday I finished the other side of the tub patch panel and acid etch primed all exposed metal (etch prime not shown). It is now ready for Al's Heat and Noise Reducer and then the truck bed liner to follow.
Tonight I assembled a Winters 607-1 Shifter with a RADesigns shift kit. This will eliminate the need for dual shifters to tiptronically shift 1-4. I will now have mechanical shifting for all gears. This also means I have a RADesigns Baja II Shifter for sale! Anyone interested?
RADesigns Winters Kit : http://www.radesignsproducts.com/Winters_Shifter_Kits.php
Winters 607-1 Shifter
Assembled
More pictures and build along to follow...
Tonight I assembled a Winters 607-1 Shifter with a RADesigns shift kit. This will eliminate the need for dual shifters to tiptronically shift 1-4. I will now have mechanical shifting for all gears. This also means I have a RADesigns Baja II Shifter for sale! Anyone interested?
RADesigns Winters Kit : http://www.radesignsproducts.com/Winters_Shifter_Kits.php
Winters 607-1 Shifter
Assembled
More pictures and build along to follow...
Al's Heat and Noise Reducer applied tonight. The roller kind of sucked for applying and I ended up using a chip brush more than anything to get into all the cracks. This is much thinner than I expected, so if you end up doing it, make sure all the tiny holes in the floor are covered because it WILL drip through them. I might do another quick coat tomorrow around the front floorboards depending on how it ends up drying. I used about a 1/2 gallon on this going very heavy in the front. With now a gallon and a 1/2 sitting in the garage, I think I'll end up doing the interior of the roof as well.
Thank you!
Yes, I am going to do Al's Liner on top of the H&R in the tub.
I ordered all of my products from Gary at RE Paint Supply (Info below). This is far from a shameless plug as I paid for all of the products, but not only were they incredibly responsive, Gary even created a custom mixed Forest Green Pearl dye from my door panel codes for the liner ($12). As long as you have the code you want, they can mix it for adding to the liner for you. The service was so incredible I went back a week later and ordered all of the materials needed to paint the AEV Fenders as well. I was incredibly happy with their service and will shop with them in a heart beat again. Rare to find these days!
Gary (gary@repaintsupply.com)
R & E Paint Supply
www.repaintsupply.com
1-800-316-6595
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RugerTrailer
The Trailer Guy
I'm not sure if you've already mentioned it, but what size tire are you gonna stuff under the AEV highlines ?
I'm running 265/75/16's now, but I'll be able to run 33's to 34's MAX due to factory length bump stops. With 4.56 gearing I'll likely only stop at 33's even if they look goofy. Anything above that is just overkill for how I drive and how the jeep is built.
RugerTrailer
The Trailer Guy
Nice that should be a great setup for what your plans are and where you wheel...you can always go bigger right
I run 35's only because I enjoy the rocks...but sometimes they do seem a little to big when hauling a trailer. Any plans to go with a flat belly skid ? I ask because you have every element of ************ a low rider except that.Nice that should be a great setup for what your plans are and where you wheel...you can always go bigger right
Yea, plan is go to flush with the frame rails, or as close to it as possible. I have had the tubing and crossmember kit from RuffStuff sitting in my garage for about a year now, just haven't found the time. I think I'll have two bushing mounts at the frame sides with a crossmember that mounts to the tranny (See First Image). Off of that I will do a hoop to wrap around the bottom of the oilpan and plate that section with aluminum. In the rear, a small hoop that will protect the transfer case and yoke (See second Image). I also have a giant piece a 1/4" 7075 sitting in the garage, though I worry doing it that way will cause too much heat unless I do something like the image below off of a Bowler Wildcat. (See third image)
Wish I could credit the first two images, however, they have been sitting in a 'cross member inspiration' folder for too long for me to remember. Can't wait to get to that part of this project! If I had 1300 to throw at this problem tomorrow I would buy the Savvy Skid in a heartbeat. Hard to justify that when I can make a lightweight tubular crossmember/skid system for under 200 though.
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RugerTrailer
The Trailer Guy
Sounds like a good plan. I think my UCF ultra high clearance skid hangs down 3/4 of an inch from my frame rail, the extra clearance underneath really helps out on trails and looks so clean. Keep up the good work.
Thanks! Can you send me a picture of the skid setup you have? I've been looking at the UCF as well, but have never talked to anyone running one. The issue I run into with all of these skids is that the transmission placement is off for the AW4.
RugerTrailer
The Trailer Guy
The skid has taken a serious beating. Give them a call, I think his name is Matt and he's super helpful. They've used a skid on about every type of drivetrain combo you could imagine on a TJ and have specific skids for specific years.
Here are some old photos...
Don't mind the broken exhaust...
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