Betsy's Build

I moved the radiator up ~half an inch to help clear the tie rod.
Here you can see the inlet/outlet of the radiator is extremely close to the tie rod when the suspension is at full compression.
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I redrilled the mounting holes on the radiator and put it back in. Here it is after it has been moved up.
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Picture of the top. It still clears the hood with no issues.
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Worked on the wheel spacers as well. They are 2" wide- which adds 4" to the axle. However, a while back I cut down the axle ~2.5" to get the diff in better alignment. So, the axle is roughly 1.5" wider than stock with the spacers installed.

Installed-
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Hub will be more protected since it won't stick out as far.
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Tire at full compression.
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Tire turned full lock and suspension at full flex. I cut out the back of the grill to make room so the tire did not hit.
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Here is the hole I cut out. The plasma cutter makes jobs like this so much easier. This will be filled back in with some sheet metal.
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82cj5 said:
to many mods for may tast but if thats what you like that what you like
Click to expand...

Let me guess, D30, AMC20, 2"shackles, 3" body lift, chrome light bar with 6 lights on it, Walmart camo seat covers and Thornbirds.
 
For those out there that think this is too many mods- just hit the back button in your browser. (Don't look at my ToDo List in my signature- you really won't like that.) For those that are interested in my build- keep reading.

I worked on the front frame tonight to make room to move the steering box forward and up.

Here is what it looked like originally. (Bad pic- forgot to take a before picture of this project.)
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Here it is with part of the front tube removed from the center and from the frame.
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Here it is complete. I plated the frame where the tube use to go through it. Then, I ran 3/8" plate along the front and side to the round tube to connect everything.
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Front
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Top- I will add some additional bracing once I get the steering box in place.
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Hey Scott, just checking in. Looks really good so far. Good idea on the steering box location. Looking forward to seeing it complete. Since it was 78" with the tires before and you just added 4" to it .... it's now a tight fit in your 83" wide trailer. My math comes to 82". Can we say "Precision parking"?

Your old D30 is doing great. Going to take it up to Western NC and Eastern TN this weekend. We'll have to hit up some trails once you get this finished.

Keep up the great work.
 
WolfGT said:
Hey Scott, just checking in. Looks really good so far. Good idea on the steering box location. Looking forward to seeing it complete. Since it was 78" with the tires before and you just added 4" to it .... it's now a tight fit in your 83" wide trailer. My math comes to 82". Can we say "Precision parking"?

Your old D30 is doing great. Going to take it up to Western NC and Eastern TN this weekend. We'll have to hit up some trails once you get this finished.

Keep up the great work.
Click to expand...


Yeah, it is going to be a tight fit. In the short term I will probably just remove the trailer fenders (they come off with two bolts). Long term- I will either plate the sides of the fenders so I can squeeze between the fenders without bending them or I will beef them up so I can drive over them. Glad to hear that the D30 axle is working out for you. Can't wait to get mine back out on the trail.

Scott
 
I dropped off the 78 Camaro pitman arm at ECGS this morning to get it reamed for the GM tie rod end. Chase had it ready by lunch time- great turn around!
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Tonight, I bent some tube for the front shock hoops.
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Here is roughly where it will go.
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Big step finished tonight- I got the ORI hoops installed. I set the axle at ride height and the ORI at 6" of bump. Then, tacked it all in place. Next I will work on the brace that will connect the two hoops.

Driver Side
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Passenger Side
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Had a great weekend at the beach. Got home today with a little remaining time to work on the jeep. I received a big package from PSC. I ordered their Extreme Duty Hydro Assist kit.
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New pump and old pump.
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New pump installed.
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Last night I worked in the garage but not on the jeep. Instead, I installed a much needed item- larger beer fridge.
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Tonight, I installed a brace between the two shock hoops. Here it is mocked in place. There is a slight bend on each end to raise the tube up above the AC Unit.
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Here it is installed with tabs to allow removal.
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Clears the hood with no problem.
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Verdict is still out on the pitman arm. Not sure if I need a flat or drop. My trac bar mount on the frame side is high up (to keep from hitting the axle at full stuff). So, I need to get my drag link higher up.

I definitely needed a longer arm to get enough throw to move the tie rod from lock-to-lock. Where it is best to mount the steering box will determine what pitman arm I need. If I need a drop one, then I will likely go with a WJ arm. They have a drop and are longer than a TJ arm. I ordered some 1/2" ID tubing that should be here later in the week- I will use that to make some sleeves to go through the frame to mount the box.

Chipping away little by little,
Scott
 
Unpacked the PSC steering box tonight-
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And I figured out that the Camaro Pitman Arm is too long :mad:
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The tierod would hit the pitman arm upon compression of the suspension.

The Camaro arm is almost 7" long. I think I need one that is 6.25" to 6.5". I want one that is flat to 1" drop. Anybody have insight on what I should look for??
 
I have a lot of PTO at work that I have to use before the end of the year- so I took off today to work on the jeep.

I moved the battery towards the center of the vehicle and angled it. It will now clear the passenger tire when it is flexed up.
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Hydro Assist Ram
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Mounted
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Rear Corner Guard Install
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Finished (primer color- will paint later)
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I installed the passenger rear corner.
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Got the rear axle prepped for welding on brackets.
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I had to remove the rear bumper to the get the fuel tank installed.
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Genright Comp tank installed.
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Tires installed for fitup. Tire is on the ground. The jeep is a little low because I had to move some jack stands to install the fuel tank.
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Next, I will put the axle at full compression (centered in the wheel opening) and verify clearance for the fuel tank/rear diff.
 
This morning I mounted the steering box. It had to be moved forward since I moved the axle forward. I also moved it up so it would clear everything.

Start of the mount.
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Box mounted with two of the bolts completed. I need to get some new bolts- a couple are too long so I had to improvise with some spacers.
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Here it is with all 4 bolt mounts. I recessed the two bolts that go through the frame so the tire will not rub on the bolt head. Tire should clear fine but I did this just in case. I still need to do some finish welding.
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This afternoon, Steve, came over to lend me a hand. Thanks Steve!! We got the rear axle in place and mounted the rear lower control arms.

Here is the lower arm in place. The mount on the axle is tacked in place.
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Here is the mount on the frame side.
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It is coming along.
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Today, I got the upper link mounts tacked in place.
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I need to cut the floor to allow the upper links to travel up. The lines to cut the floor can faintly be seen in the pic above.
 
Scott, I see your links are square tube. Did you use round inserts in them for the joints or do you have a source for square inserts? I have to redo my rear lower links and I have considered square tube but was concerned about the strength of the round insert welded in it.

Looking good.
 
I actually got the square tube inserts from Ballistic Fabrication.
Square Insert
Make sure you call and order on the phone so you can verify that they have them in stock. Ballistic is notorius for charging your credit card right away but then does not ship for several weeks without letting you know that the part is out of stock. I only order from them if I can't find the part somewhere else.

Scott
 
Last week I had one night in the garage. I cut out the floor in the rear footwell to make room for the rear upper arms to travel up. This will be boxed back in with some sheet metal.
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Tonight, I cut out a portion of the rear crossmember and also shortened the upper link mount tabs to make clearance for the axle at full stuff.
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From the side at full stuff.
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I need to get a fuel line removal tool- that one fuel line is getting on my nerves!
 
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