Teardown and Rebuild Thread!!!

[thejafe]

I've begun the process of tearing down my 2004 TJ in order to address several issues before I hit the trails this fall. I have two upcoming excursions on the calendar and need my rig in tip-top shape before I get out there. Here's where I'm headed:

http://ok4wd.com/tar-hollow-4wd-expedition-registration.html
http://www.vermontoverland.com/

Before I started disassembling everything:

• Rubicon Express 3.5" Super-Flex Kit
• 33x12.50 BFG Mud Terrain KM2 Tires
• 15x8 American Racing Baja Wheels

When beginning this teardown my main focus was to address the fact that my shocks were too long up front. It wasn't uncommon for my front driver-side spring to literally fall out onto the trail at full flex. With that in mind I decided to swap out all four shocks and all four coil springs for fresh parts since my current Rubicon Express coils were looking pretty beat up:



I also wanted to swap in a new gas tank skid plate since I was still running a flat-bottom design which didn't accommodate for the stock "dimple" in the tank. A quick google search will yield tons of info on that topic if you're interested. Anyway, with the shocks, springs and gas tank removed I figured now would be the time to paint my frame and axles since they too were looking like they could use some love. After attacking the rust bubbling up under the factory coating as best I could with a wire brush and some sandpaper most of my frame starting looking like this:







I decided to go cheap and opted for Rustoleum Satin Black 7777. Applied two coats to the axles and two coats to the frame. Time consuming process since I went for the brush instead of spray cans so I could paint around the control arms and various other things. Lots of small spaces to get into. Here's a shot after the rear axle was done. Not bad. Granted, if I wasn't on a deadline I would have torn everything apart completely and removed the axles from the Jeep. At that point I would have been more aggressive with rust removal, then gone with a product like Chassis Saver instead of paint. Guess we'll see how well this paint job holds up:

 

[thejafe]

Got a lot done over this past weekend but had to dog sit Friday into Saturday. Bo was a good helper though and hung out with me while I wrenched away:





Worst part of removing the old suspension was getting the front shocks out. Holy hell those top nuts did NOT want to be liberated from the shocks. A helper and I managed to get the passenger side off with a struggle but decided we had to break off the driver side shock:



Gas tank removed from vehicle and my old Kilby skid. You can actually see where the dimple in the tank was resting in there. Must have trapped moisture between the tank and the skid because it created a nice rusty spot underneath the powdercoat:



Like any good Jeep undertaking, what began as a small project quickly spiraled into something much greater. I decided since I had easy access to the rear crossmember now would also be the appropriate time to order up that Rokmen Rear Bumper I've been drooling over for ages. After speaking with Jeff over at Rokmen he hooked me up with a package deal on the items below. I had also wanted to order a set of Rokmen Trail Corners but apparently they're on back order. Bummer :

• Rokmen Gas Tank Skid Plate
• Rokmen Merc Sliders With Tube
• Rokmen Low Profile Rear Bumper

I really dig their rear bumper design. Check it out:

 

[thejafe]

All of my new armor should be in tomorrow, plus my brand spankin' new suspension components. Pics to follow but for now here's what's going in:

• Rubcion Express 3.5" Coils
  [*]Rubicon Express RXJ703/704 Shocks
  [*]JKS Bar Pin Eliminators
  [*]New OEM Front Coil Spring Isolators

Had some visitors roll by today with their rigs :wings: . We'll be wheeling together at the two events I listed in the first post. The white TJ is a 1998 and the green Jeep is a 1986 CJ-7. We also got started on installing my old rear bumper on the '98:



Just for fun here's a before and after shot of the CJ-7. Just lifted a few months ago and about to see it's first trail-duty:

 

[bob91yj]

Limit straps and bump stops are critical to save your shocks. I've got an RE 4.5"LA, my crew chief dialed mine in. I can shoot you some pics of my limit strap install if you're interested. Droop makes for great pictures, but there comes a point where it's just that. I went overboard with the bumps, put in some Light Racing Jounce hydraulic bumps...happy with them but the cost was stupid, could have gone with coilovers for what I spent on Bilstein 7100's w/reservoirs at all four corners and the bumps.

 

[jscusmcvet]

Looks like a great, or rather a few great, projects. With that Rokmen Rear bumper, is your spare staying omn the stock carrier? It is a great look with zero impact on departure angle.

bob91yj, you should post those pics so we can all see. Never really thought about the limiting straps before...

 

[thejafe]

Looks like a great, or rather a few great, projects. With that Rokmen Rear bumper, is your spare staying omn the stock carrier? It is a great look with zero impact on departure angle.

Exactly the reasons why I decided it must be mine . For now my spare is mounted on a Gr8tops Exogate Tire Carrier. These were introduced last year and I really dug the concept but after mounting this one on my rig I'm not 100% sold on their design. It works, I suppose, but it could have been executed better IMO. After I get my forthcoming Rokmen Trail Corners mounted up I'll be dropping in an Or-Fab tub-mounted tire carrier. Here are some shots from my Exogate install last year:

 

[bob91yj]

Don't intend to thread jack you, but here's some shots of my front limit straps/shocks/bumps for whoever might be interested. Not the greatest pics, next time I have the wheels off and it's on a rack at full droop I can get more/better shots if someone wants them.

Standard precut shock tab welded to the frame, the other end of the limit strap goes to the lower control arm mount bolt, inboard side. That's RE's version of the Light Racing Jounce hydraulic bump stop inside the coil spring. Turns out King bumps will fit inside a JKS adjustable spacer.

Frame mount for the front. Rear is essentially the same. We set them up so that 17" straps are used front and rear.

Same set up on the rears except that the strap mounts to the outboard side of the lower control arm.

Front set up.

Modified upper shock mounts, converted to a standard mount rather than the stock bayonet style mount. We tucked the reservoirs for the shocks up out of the way. Doesn't look as flashy, but I've yet to damage one.

Another look at thew bump install.

You can look at my shocks in the pics and see that they never bottom out, if I had droop pics, the straps are tight before the shocks are fully extended.

 

[thejafe]

Rolled by the local off-road shop this afternoon and picked up my new suspension parts:





While I was working on installing the rear springs Mr. FedEx pulls up with my Rokmen armor. He seemed pretty interested in what I was doing and was curious to know what all the steel was for, lol. Let me just say that these are GORGEOUS. Each piece is a work of art. Can't even tell you how excited I am to get them painted up and installed on my Jeep:





With the track bar and sway bar both disconnected the rear axle was free to hang. Springs dropped right in without a struggle:

 

[bob91yj]

All of your attachments are coming through as invalid.

 

[thejafe]

Fixed .

 

[cshontz]

This all really cool, Andrew! I can't wait to see it. You should create a vehicle profile on venture4wd, and submit a few pics.

 

[thejafe]

This all really cool, Andrew! I can't wait to see it. You should create a vehicle profile on venture4wd, and submit a few pics.

Only a few weeks out from VT man! I'm really looking forward to doing some exploring amidst the fall colors. Ya know, I've been wanting to get a profile up on venture4wd but felt weird about posting pics and info of my old setup as I'm transitioning over. Hmm, maybe I'll get creative and see what I can come up with until I've got everything squared away.

 

[thejafe]

Tacked on a set of new OEM coil spring isolators when I put the order in for the rest of my parts. I assume the originals were trashed by my springs because of the old shocks being too long leaving the springs free to rattle around at flex and chew them up. Also had just enough daylight today to prime my new gas tank skid and bumper. Got the top-coat done on one side but I'm gonna wait until tomorrow to flip them and finish up the paint job. More pics when these are fully coated:

 

[bob91yj]

I've got no experience with Rockmen's stuff, looks like quality product. Your Jeep is going to put a smile on your face all over again once it's back together.

 

[thejafe]

Things are starting to take shape :



Shocks and bar pin eliminators ready to go. These new ones are noticeably shorter than the previous set I had. Also ran into an issue with the bump stop cup contacting the inside of my passenger side spring. Not doing that on the driver side and not quite sure why :