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WhiteRhino's Latest Mods

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317K views 2K replies 189 participants last post by  whiterhino 
#1 ·
Sometime late last summer I was talking to Jim about modding his jeep and it snowballed and somehow I got in the middle of it. before I knew what was going on I agreed to build his jeep over again pretty much. The goal was lots of strength and a nice cushy ride while providing clearance for 40's in the future.

The entire build/arguing/problem solving thread is here: http://www.misfitoffroad.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=8991&start=0

it will be completely finished and wheelable in the next couple weeks.
here are a few pictures of the build:
 

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#519 ·
go get a drive shaft from a 1 ton truck and they have the bigger slip shafts.that should cure your twisting of the splines. upgrading both of mine.big difference in size.
 
#526 ·
Yep Jim, it looks great. That hoist does look like a tight fit, just as much as it looks like the jeep barely fits too. Way to "make it fit".

Are we gonna hold Ben (superduty03) to his word that he's gonna come back out wheeling with us? I miss ya man
 
#542 · (Edited)
The jeep is officially parked as things will be changing over the next few months. After 5 years of good wheeling, all of my links have worn out. Prior to our trip to KOH I replaced all but the rear uppers with new 1-3/4 x 3/8 DOM & new 1-1/4 shank Johnny joints. I didn't replace the uppers because I currently can't get one of the frame end bolts out. This is because when I did the suspension, I had the NP231 case in it and now with the Atlas, the bolt won't clear. I didn't figure this was a huge problem but as it turns out, it was. Coming down Outer Limits in the dark I had a big clang and the jeep shifted sideways. Turns out one of the welds at the rear of the upper gave out.


My body is totally trashed both from some hard use and rust. All of the body mounts have rusted out and the tub is being held in place by the 6 points of the roll cage. I can no longer use my hard doors because the tub is so tweaked that they won't close. So, the body swap needs to happen. While the body is off, I'll modify the upper link mount to be able to get the bolt out without dropping the t-case. I will also do some maintenance on the frame and fix the fubarred body mounts. I've been running fiberglass front fenders and one of them is cracked in half. So, a new set of tube fenders will be installed. My rocker guards were originally built to blend with my fender flares which were removed years ago. So, the front of the rocker guards have always been a little goofy. With the abuse, they are no longer straight. So, they are getting pitched. I am still undecided if I will boatside it or do a new set of rocker guards. I am leaning towards rocker guards again because the wife already has a tough time getting in and out.

I'm ready to back off from some of the hardcore wheeling. I've had the good fortune to wheel some of the toughest stuff in North America and am ready to stop beating the jeep so hard. We no longer enjoy driving the jeep around town or using it to buzz up to DQ in the evening. This is something we miss. The rear spool is a pain on the pavement and has contributed to 2 twisted rear driveshafts. So, I'm going to install an ARB in the rear. The 2 piece front driveshaft works great but spins all the time with the drive flanges so I 'm going with the new Yukon lockouts and will use the drive flanges during any hardcore trips. I am undecided if I will keep the Krawler stickies or not.

I've been wanting to replace the high back Bestop seats for some time with suspension seats. I don't want race buckets because of the tight confinement and I also want flip back/recliner seats for ease of access behind the seats. While at KOH, I did some shopping for seats. Both PRP and Mastercraft were there so I had the opportunity to sit in both with a 30 second walk back and forth. I decided on a set of recliner suspension seats from PRP. I scored the set of 2 for $700 cash if I took them with me.

Before I get started, I have a couple weeks of things to do around the house and then strip the donor jeep apart and part it out. So, the jeep will be sitting for a month or 2 and then the work will start.
 
#544 ·
ARBs FTW. Maybe what you really need is Testosterone Replacement Therapy? IDK.



JK, Having a streetable Jeep is kinda a nice option. I hope mine stays that way, well gets that way and then stays that way.
 
#550 ·
Ugly?:finger: I kinda thougth my always friendly demeanor on the trail was my calling card.:nana:

Hi-lined fenders would make no difference in my ride height. For normal wheeling I have about 4" of up travel with my front axle about 1/2" short of hitting my frame rail. Depending on pressure in the air shocks, I am at about 21-1/2 to 23" belly clearance, which is about right for 104" wheel base. The only way to lower the jeep would be to remove the 2" body lift. However, I like it since it allows access above the frame rail and everything is built around that offset. To lower the tub would require changing all cage mounts and doing some cutouts in the tub. I don't see it worth the effort.
 
#553 ·
i have never owned a ARB and never will. I have seen more peoples races(i know your not racing but reliability sucks) throwin away over the last few years then i can count on all my fingers and toes, between air leaks, compressor failures and generally shitty design for the nine inch
 
#555 ·
this, times a billion, for every axle (not just 9").

Fail me locked, not open.
 
#554 ·
Why not a hanging chain step on the passenger side for the wife
That's what is on my dads jeep and it makes it much easier to get into and it doesn't get hung up on obstacles
 
#556 ·
I ran ARB's (old style) for years without a failure. (other than the bug (8 legged kind) that got in my air line) And I know a lot of people who are very happy with them running some tough stuff. No matter what I do, I want to get away from the spool. I'm not a big fan of Detroits either. (yes, I have one in the front)

I agree with the fail me locked but until they offer it, I can't use it.

I just got off the phone with Mike from HI-9. Being a business owner, he's not there to advise too much on different lockers or piss off any of his suppliers. However, he acknowledges the good and bad of each product and knows the stories of ARB's. Summarizing a long conversation of each product, here's his story. Yukon has a Grizzly that is especially designed to work in the HI-9. If you buy the right Grizzly model number, it's configured to work with the Hi-9 and the thrust bolt. He says they have not had any complaints since Yukon made this special edition. He also recommends the comp spring for my application. So, time to have Dale do some pricing for me.



It's an idea but not something I'm interested in.
 
#558 ·
The guys over at Rocksolid performance have had a lot of good to say about grizzly lockers. They have sold a ton of them. I am debating on using them or detroits in the buggy. They have one of the grizzly lockers sitting on their counter that you can work by hand. It seems like a good design.
 
#562 ·
I could be wrong, but I remember hearing that the Grizzly lockers are essentially ARB's old design. I heard it from a pretty knowledgeable guy who built offroad rigs for a living, but never did anything to confirm it myself.


I can see both sides of the opinions on ARB and other air lockers. They are certainly good lockers and work well, but the added complexity gives more potential failure modes. That's how it goes with everything, that's why the KISS theory is so popular. I've never seen an actual ARB locker itself fail, but I did see a compressor issue or two and LOTS of issues due to poor airline routing. Do it right and maintain it well and you'll probably be ok.
 
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