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My YJ

6K views 34 replies 11 participants last post by  knixon804 
#1 ·
Well new here, figured I might as well throw up my build up as an introduction, cause we all love pictures.

This is my YJ as I bought it. Completely stock, Sahara, 4.0, 5spd, cruise, A/C, block heater, yada, yada, yada.



Check out the flex:



So I had the itch to lift my Jeep some, so I found some 2" lift shackles for my Jeep and added some 31x10.5 ATs. If I had to choose anyone point that I thought my Jeep looked its best, I'd say its right here, I love the 2" lift 31" tire look.





My first custom project for the Jeep was a hi-lift jack hood mount.



So after "wheeling" my Jeep through some puddles it was clear I need more lift and bigger tires. This my Jeep with the 2" lift shackles, a 4" RoughCountry lift, and a 3" body lift, with 33x12.50s on 15x10 wheels.



As a reminder if your Jeep is covered in wet mud when you get home at 1 AM, and its 20 degrees outside, if you lock your doors you won't be able to unlock them in the morning, luckly I had another vehicle to drive in the morning.



Rubbing 33s isn't a problem now, finally some real flex:

 
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#2 ·
The next mod on the list was TJ Flares, flat fendering, and truck bed lining the tub. I ordered some used TJ Flares, and went to work.



TJ Flares installed, and flat fendered:



Truck bedliner prep work:



Truck bedliner completed:



So it was about this time that I decided locking the Dana35 was a good idea. I'm easy on the skinny pedal, why not? Yeah so the very first trip out, I destroyed the Dana35. Bad part is that it went just letting out the clutch nice and easy getting ready to do an obstacle, I wasn't even to any aggressive terrain yet. Worst part of it was that after 7 hours of calling and searching I find a new Dana35 shaft, only to find out I can't replace the shat as the carrier distorted and the center pin won't come out, so nothing short of torching the carrier open will get this axle apart.



So not wanting to repeat this expierence, I opted to the replace the Dana35 with a Ford 8.8. Since I was welding on perches, why not go SOA too at the same time? This is my Jeep SOA on 4" RoughCountry leafs, stock shackles and a 3" body lift, on 33" tires. In this picture you can just barely see that my wrap bar is on the wrong side too, lessons learned I guess.



After the broken axle expierence I realized how much I need a winch, so I added a Tabor 9000 pound winch.



Some SOA flex, finally clearing 33s:

 
#3 ·
I decided I wanted a new rear bumper and decided to build a new one:



Mrs.OhioYJ came up with the idea of capping the ends off with Pinions, one of them is from my Broken Dana35, the other is from the Dana30.



Hunting for a gas station to air up your tires really gets old, so after several recommendations for the PUMA unit I decided to add one to my Jeep. Intially I built a box to turn it on and off as I wished.





So I had decided I needed larger tires, and a front locker, which meant the 30 had to go, and I swapped in a Waggy 44, locked of course with a true high-steer setup with 1-ton tie-rod ends.



Well the Waggy44 was 6-lug, so I had to buy new rims, and they might as well be beadlocks right? 32-bolt, Allied Rock-a-thons, 15x10 4" backspace. Now the 8.8 needed to be converted to 6-lug as well, so might as well be with Moser Custom Alloy shafts, and since I had it apart, might as well throw in a locker.





All the axle work finally down, sitting on 36x12.50s.

 
#4 ·
With the new higher center of gravity I wanted a real roll cage. This was taken while I was removing the interior to start the roll cage add-ons.



Tacking new pieces in place:



Roll cage removed for final welding:



So it took Dave and I all weekend, but we got it done:







I guess my alternator had been through one too many mud puddles, so it got replaced with a 136 amp alternator from a V10 Dodge.



Next is one of my favorite mods, my rock sliders, 1/4" wall, welded directly to the frame.

 
#5 ·


My Jeep at this stage sort of reached a stopping point, and mods slowed down quite a bit, mainly I just wheeled and enjoyed it for a while:





So I had determined my shocks where a limiting factor on my rig, so after some thought I came up with a completely new idea. Actually filed for a patent on it too. My 13" travel ProComp shocks were limiting my travel, I need something longer, but that would still compress short enough so I didn't loose any compression, and dropping a bunch of cash on fancy longer travel shocks was not an option. So opted to use two shocks instead of one:



On the bottom of this picture is a 13" ProComp shock, fully extended next to my setup, the kicker though is my setup still compresses to the same length as the standard shock:



So I don't know why I put off the hand throttle mod for so long, it ended up only costing me $11. Its one of the most useful things I did to my Jeep:



I had joked around about building a new front bumper for quite a while, one with a big obnoxious stinger. I was really proud of how well the gear box skid turned out:



During final welding:

 
#6 ·
Oh yeah, thats a big stinger.



I decided it was time to really make use of that larger alternator and go to a dual battery setup. This is one mod that I thought would be quick and easy, let me be the first to say building a battery tray sucks, there are 11 mount points on the factory tray, putting them all back was a PITA.





My standard 5/16" winch cable was looking pretty rough, so I opted to replace it with some 3/8" cable:



I was getting tired of hitting my skid plate on things everytime I went wheeling, so I decided to remove the transfer case drop, pretty easy mod, I just removed it.



After putting this much work into my Jeep I wanted it to be rather difficult for someone to steal, so I opted to add in my own version of a kill switch. 100 ft. of wiring later this switch panel serves multiple purposes. To start my Jeep it takes two keys and a combination of switches, flip the wrong switches or don't have both keys the horn comes on and stays on. The switches also control accessories on the Jeep like the OBA.



I didn't think I'd ever add a cold air intake, it just seemed sort of ricer for a Jeep. However, after several good friends gaining gas mileage after doing it, I decided I'd try it. I can't just go buy something, for one thats exspensive, and two thats not my style. I decided to build my own out of 3" exhaust pipe and a deep well socket.



So I scored some new lights for my Jeep, and I had some new ideas. I added a light bar to the front of my bumper, and moved the winch solenoid under the hood.

 
#7 ·
Added a front license plate mount for my bumper, so I'm actually all legal now.



Two new KC's mounted:



Also added some 55-watt backup lights, which have proved to be very handy, even just as camp lights when necessary.



Also added some 55-watt dome lights, one for the front and one for the rear, finding stuff in the Jeep is no longer a problem at night.



To control the new lights, I added another switch panel, which also houses the winch remote hook-up now, much nicer to plug in the winch remote from inside the Jeep.



I had to cut the skid plate some as I found out when I removed the transfer case drop my front driveshaft no longer cleared the skid plate, oops.



I finally replaced my leaking cowl seal, so I decided to go ahead and put in a real radio. Just a cheapo Pioneer unit, but it plays MP3s.



Since I had the dash out anyways, figured I'd better go ahead and ditch the factory 4x6s, the radio sounds a lot better now.

 
#8 ·
Had to further add to my roll cage so the new seats and harnesses bolted to the cage, and not a combination of cage and tub like factory.

In the process of adding the bars for the seats, and gussets everywhere. The gussets probably weren't necessary, but while I was welding, why not?



After a coat of paint. Yes I skin coated everything with bondo, it was just to make everything look finished.





Realized about half way through (too late to stop) that I measured the height I wanted the seats at, but didn't check to see if the cage would clear the transmission tunnel. Thankfully I got lucky.



Roll cage back in the Jeep:

 
#9 ·
So my paint has picked up scratches here there and everywhere. Lets face it, if you wheel your Jeep it's going to take some damage. So I decide to paint my Jeep, always like the OD Green.

In the process of being painted OD, notice the hood is still factory green.



Can't have OD green without an invasion star on the hood. Enlisted the help of Mom for this one.



With USA markings and a "serial" number on the hood of course too:



After some wet sanding the doors matched, this before the final sanding, so the doors appear a different color.

 
#10 ·
Unfortunately the OD Green being a flat paint, didn't hold up real well. As with all flat paints they have a tendency to "wash off". After freshening it up twice, I decided time for another strategy.

This time I clear coated the OD green, then wet sanded it to dull down the shine a bit. My hope is the clear coat will help protect the flat paint, so far it seems to be working.



Also this time I used tan for the invasion star and numbering, just because I liked it better than the white.



The numbers on the side this time, was my brothers call sign for his last deployment.

 
#11 ·
Well apprently sucking up water into the motor twice had finally taken it's toll on my motor.



So after buying a bunch of parts, and a used motor, I thought I was ready to swap motors. The used motor however didn't work out, I didn't look at it closely enough when I bought it. So I had to buy a new one. This is the first engine I haven't assmebled myself, but in this case I decided to let the engine shop do it and get a warranty.



Switched to the WJ intake:



The Jeep really soaked up some money in this project, as stuff kept popping up. Notice even a brand new radiator, as mine sprung a leak once hooked up to the new motor.



Switched to the TJ exhaust down pipe to get the exhaust up higher, and away from my driveshaft.



Knock-off Flowmaster for the new motor:



Even a fancy new exhaust tip.

 
#12 ·
All this work on the Jeep has been making me do a bunch of other TLC stuff the Jeep needed. I must be getting old, because the Jeep is really starting to feel cold inside this winter. After driving it with holes everywhere for the last ~8 winters I decided to start filling holes. Since most of them where old mounting holes, or holes for drainage purposes, I just put bolts in all of them. 30+ bolts later I've plugged all but 4 drain holes. Also finally replaced the gasket around the hardtop/tub too. Overall it's made a huge difference in the inside temperature of the Jeep. Also has improved my over pressurization of the cab area, but it's still an issue, going to have to work up some sort of vent evidently.



While cleaning out the garage, I found some window tint from ~12 years ago when I tinted my Olds windows myself. One of the rolls looked to match the tint on the side windows of my hard top (factory tinted), so I decided to try tinting the rear window to match myself. So far it seems to be sticking good, no bubbles. If it peels off I'll just pay the guy who did my car to do this one too, but so far it seems to be working.



For a long time I've had an idea to build a trunk in the rear of the Jeep out of metal to organize my stuff, even thought about some sort of pull out drawer. For the mean time instead of everything rolling/sliding around in the back of the Jeep, whipped out a basic framework out of some scrap 2x4 to sort of organize stuff:

 
#13 ·
Finally admitted that my 31x10.5 street tires weren't saving me anything. I actually was getting better gas mileage on my 37s with the heavy beadlocks. So I picked up a set of 35x12.5 BFG ATs.



Back when I first got the 31s:





My CB cable had gone bad, so I had to at least replace the cable. I also couldn't find my antenna or mount at the time, so I just decided to buy new everything.

This time I routed the cable under the Jeep instead of through the tailgate, hopefully that will prevent any future problems. Also went for a stainless steel spring, instead of the chrome spring I had before.



The new CB is a Cobra 29 LX. Pretty big step up from my very basic one I had before.

 
#14 ·
Had HIDs in my bike for a while now, decided to put them on the Jeep. Ordered Hella E-code housings.

Right has the Hella housing installed, left is the stock headlight. The clarity difference was hard to capture in a picture, but you can still clearly see the Hella housing is clearer.



Up close, Hella housing:



This photo was taken around 16:00, as you can tell these lights are going to be super bright (that's low beams too!). I'll have to adjust the aim down some, and other drivers are still probably going to hate me.

 
#15 ·
Also gave in, I can't stand the way the Jeep feels on a 12.5" tire on an 8" wheel. I don't know how you all tolerate it? So I ordered 10" wheels, got these aluminum ones (they are for the street, still have my beadlocks for the trail) on clearance. Got them so cheap, couldn't say anything about the design, but I still say they are a good looking wheel. They may not go with my Jeep, but worst case I'll paint them.

One of my beadlock wheels weighs the same as two of these aluminum wheels.



It's unbelievable how much better the 10" wheels feel on the road.

 
#17 ·
Yeah but I like the way it looks. When we were building the bumper my buddy cut it long as a joke, so he thought. I told him to hold it while I tack it in place.

My buddy testing my welds:



They really love the stinger over on Pirate, I hear cracks about it anytime I post a picture....
 
#23 ·
I originally ordered a TeraFlex knuckle for my Dana 30. However it ended up on back order, so I temporarily bent the drag link just barely to clear the leaf springs. It didn't need much. By the time the TeraFlex knuckle had come in, I had already swapped in a Dana44 with flat top knuckles and "real" high steer.

ive been trying to figure out the mod for ever! so was it bolt right on? except the pos cable. and did you have to switch pullys? upgrade the wiring??
Thanks. This should answer your questions about the alternator. You can run the pulley that comes with it, however I suggest you switch and put your stock YJ one on. The YJ pulley is smaller and thus it will spin faster producing both more power and sooner. To be honest upgrading the wiring has been on the list of things to do, but I never actually did it. It's been on there for years with the factory wiring. Peak output measured with my amp probe, while placing a load on the system was 174 amps, so I'm happy with it.
 
#21 ·
"I guess my alternator had been through one too many mud puddles, so it got replaced with a 136 amp alternator from a V10 Dodge."



ive been trying to figure out the mod for ever! so was it bolt right on? except the pos cable. and did you have to switch pullys? upgrade the wiring??

sexy YJ and bike btw :thumb:
 
#22 ·
If you get the right alternator all the wiring is the same. The only difference is it's a 7 groove pulley instead of 6. Most people will just run on the back 6 grooves (perfect alignment) but you can swap the pulleys.

136 Amp Alternator OEM part # 56027913

1997-1998 Dodge B.Series Van
1997-1998 Dodge Dakota
1998 Dodge Durango
1997-1998 Dodge Ram Pickup
1997-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
And other vehicles but those are just a few common ones.
 
#30 ·
But arent the pullys different sizes?

but if you swap the pullys making it spin faster wouldnt it put more wear on it? holw long has it been on your yj, how many times have you replaced it, and where did you get it??
The stock pulley was 20% smaller. I guess theory you might be acclerating wear on it, but I highly doubt you'd ever notice a difference in wear. Mine has been on there for at least 5 years now, never had a problem or had to replace it. I bought it at the local parts store,with a lifetime warranty.

I would definitely change the pulleys, might as well gain everything you can for the 5 seconds it'll take you to swap pulleys.
 
#31 ·
The stock pulley was 20% smaller. I guess theory you might be acclerating wear on it, but I highly doubt you'd ever notice a difference in wear. Mine has been on there for at least 5 years now, never had a problem or had to replace it. I bought it at the local parts store,with a lifetime warranty.

I would definitely change the pulleys, might as well gain everything you can for the 5 seconds it'll take you to swap pulleys.
true. thanks for the info. again nice YJ
 
#29 ·
I guess there is always the chance but the measurements from the mounting surfaces to the first groove were exactly the same. I was running the 7 groove on my 4.0 for Snofari and some driving around town. That's my extent of use since the motor is coming out for a swap.
 
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