Documentary YJ Build

[Van-go]

I read through @Loganwayne 's learning curve XJ build thread and got jealous. I should have started one when I built my first jeep.
I really want a good place to document everything and keep track of some things. (past and present)

A lot of the thread will be pictures that I have taken along the way, but I will update as I do more.

For starters, My first jeep got me addicted while I was in college at ASU in Boone NC.

That is where I met @hurt4x4 who has taught me a bunch about this hobby.

We did a SOA and 8.8 swap on my first YJ with some other minor upgrades.
(Spartan Locker, SYE etc...)

Here are some pics of it.

I ended up driving too fast on the interstate (it was my DD) and the front drive shaft decided to come through the floor and wreak havoc on most of the running gear in one way or another.

I got pissed off cause all of my hard work and money was basically wasted...

So I did the only logical thing and went and bought another money pit.

Here is a picture of the day I towed it home.

Here is a link to the build thread of the guy I bought it from.

YJ Rebuild Project: My new DD - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum

He had brought it it back from a bad place, but there was still a ton of work needed to get this thing right.

Here is what I was working with.

1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ - 165,000

Engine:
- 4.0 L inline 6 cylinder
- intake with cone filter
- Jeep TJ downpipe (routes around oil pan instead of under)
- Flowmaster muffler

Transmission:
- AX-15 5 speed
- External slave cylinder (replaced 500 miles ago)

Transfer Case:
- NP231
- Fully rebuilt 500 miles ago
- Full replacement Slip Yoke Eliminator kit

Front Axle:
- Full Width High Pinion Dana 44 from 1979 Ford F250
- Fully rebuilt 500 miles ago with all new seals, bearings, ball joints, etc.
- 5.13 gearing
- Yukon Spartan locker
- High steer knuckles and small bearing spindles from Chevy K10
- Brake calipers and brackets from Chevy K10
- Ford 5x5.5" hubs and rotors
- Warn manual locking hubs
- Stainless steel extended brake lines

Rear Axle:
- Full Width Ford 9" from 1978 F150
- 31 Spline big bearing housing
- 5.13 gears
- Open carrier
- Disc brake conversion using Chevy K10 calipers and Speedway Motors brackets

Front Suspension:
- OEM Jeep Wagoneer springs
- OEM shackles

Rear Suspension:
- Jeep Cherokee bastard spring pack
- spring hangers mounted to rear crossmember
- Currie greasable shackles
- Bilstien 5100 12" travel shocks mounted in shock hoops

Steering:
- DOM tubing
- Heim joints from Barnes 4WD
- Blue Torch Fab high steer arm on passenger side

Wheels/Tires:
- 37x12.50R16.5LT Goodyear Wrangler MT/R
- 16.5"x9.75" black steel wheels w/ 4.5" backspacing
- Internally balanced with 6 oz of Airsoft BB's

Interior:
- Grant steering wheel
- Tuffy 10" wide lockable center console
- Hurst shift knob

Other:
- Bestop Supertop
- RCI 2161A fuel cell mounted behind the rear seat in an Artec Industries cradle
- Fuel cell modified to accept a stock YJ fuel pump and sending unit
- Full belly skid plate from Barnes 4WD
- Winch plate on front crossmember
- LED tail lights
- Steel half doors with soft uppers
- Starter replaced 500 miles ago


Known Issues:
- No transfer case shifter installed
- Rear driveshaft is near full extension
- Steering box leaks
- Torn drivers seat
- Small rust hole in frame where it turns up in rear.

Also came with another 3rd member with 5.13 gears and a full spool. (needs all bearings replaced)

 

[Van-go]

I had plans to make this a streetable rig that I would eventually trailer to the trails. But at the time all I had was Jenny, my VW bus and a busted up YJ.

The first thing I needed to fix were the engine mounts.
It was originally a 4cyl which was swapped to a 6 cyl.
The mounts were very poorly designed...
Attached to the motor, there was a bushed DOM sleeve.
From the sleeve, a piece of tubing was welded which connected to another bushed sleeve. (like a control arm)
A bolt ran through each sleeve and at the frame side, there was a piece of c-channel welded to the frame that the bolt could run through.
I drew up a crappy sketch of what I am trying to say...
This allowed the motor to move back and forth about 6 inches in the engine bay.
To top that off, there was 1 bolt through the Barnes skid plate to hold the transmission in place...

We ended up welding a brace from one "control arm," under the motor, to the other "control arm."
This way there is a bushing in 4 places to allow the motor to move a little bit, without giving it too much play.

Notice the come-along holding the motor in the ideal place, while the brace was being welded. lol

 

[Van-go]

Next I stole the rocker protection off of the white YJ, which I discovered had a cracked T-case housing, broken bearing retainer on tranny, and broken gear in front axle.

I also swapped the seats out for my Corbeau seats.

Took the new ride to the flats.

 

[Van-go]

While at the flats, I discovered My fuel rail would heat up and I would get lots of air in my fuel rail... This caused alot of back ups on easy street. Sorry to all who may have been affected.
I also broke something in my double cardan rear shaft, and blew my passenger outer axle bearings and seal up in the 9 inch...
I drove it home to Greensboro going about 45mph the whole way... Ahh good times.

Luckily, not much else was harmed by driving it for 3 hours like this. It stayed parked here a while.

At this point I began saving for a tow rig.

 

[Van-go]

I went to Oliver's and got me a new drive shaft.

Then I pulled my rear axle shafts and replaced the bearings/seals.

The 9 inch shafts are pretty beefy. They are only 31 spline, but they are a dime a dozen when they break.

I nicked the shaft with my cut off wheel when I cut the bearing collar off, but it should be fine though.

I didn't have a press, so it took forever to get the new collar on there.

 

[XJsavage]

Details on the longboards.... Is there a sector9 in the bunch?

 

[Van-go]

I also learned the value of a good winch while at the flats...
I found a Warn M12000 and a full cage for a YJ on here and went to hickory to get it.

The cage did not fit right because it was racked from a previous roll over, but the winch worked out. It did not fit on my winch mount, which was bent and crappy anyways, (pictured) so I started thinking about a mount for it.

 

[Van-go]

Details on the longboards.... Is there a sector9 in the bunch?

lol, I used to ride every day for a long time.
The one on the left is my Landyachts Evo and the right is a Loaded Dervish

I miss going fast and being that close to the road.

 

[Van-go]

Just to give credit where credit is due. If you see any pictures of a skinny fella on here welding or anything, it is not me. Graham or @hurt4x4 is one hell of a welder and has been trying to teach me for a while now.

 

[Van-go]

I learned about how my special 16.5 inch wheels do not have a bead for the tires to seat on so I began to look around for some new wheels and tires.

I found a set of recentered 12 bolt H1's with my lug pattern for cheap. I was told they were welded to be true and did not have any wobble. It was dark so i forked out the money and took them.

I have since learned that they are not centered and cause the jeep to vibrate like a washing machine full of shoes.

Anyways,
I sanded them down, painted them, and bought some pvc inserts for them.

I did not realize how aggravating it can be to tighten down 48 bolts to 125 ft-lbs. i was sore to say the least...

I used 4 lug nuts per wheel to keep the rings centered around the studs while I tightened them. Worked great.

 

[Van-go]

I can't find any great pictures of the winch mount, but it was made using 3/8 inch plate welded to the round cross member in the frame. then more plate was welded from the bottom of the tube at a 45 deg angle up to the plate on top for support. It is not the prettiest, but it works for now.
This is the best picture I have of it...

 

[Van-go]

I didn't want to go full spool in the rear, (I have a whole extra 3rd with gears and a spool) which looking back would have been more cost effective, but I digress.

I ended up getting a spartan locker for the third which in 9 inches, works quite odd if you ask me.

Only the inner spider gears are replaced. The cross pin pushes the spartan locker outwards which uses the outer spider gear to press against and lock. It seems to work fine.

I had some play in the pinion as well so I let ECGS have the 3rd for a while and take care of it all.

 

[Van-go]

I went to the flats and tested out my winch mount, new wheels, and the locker.

I learned my lesson and rented a uhaul this time. My buddy Ryan came along, so he towed it up there for me. Still saving for that tow rig...

 

[Van-go]

I had been pushing my luck with stock 44 shafts and stock u joints...
I sold my old enclosed trailer so I could afford some chromoly shafts and Superjoints.

Also, I finally moved out of the parents house in Greensboro into a house with a friend in Elon.
Didn't make much progress with the jeep because the house needed alot of work, but I still found time to install my new shafts in the driveway.

I also picked up some 8 bolt 8 lug beadlocks with 39.5 inch irok's for cheap. These should fill my empty fender wells up nicely.

 

[Van-go]

I swapped the wheels out with my 5 lug 12 bolts (another sore body) and ended up making a profit when the 8 bolts sold with the 37's.

 

[Van-go]

I finally found the tow rig I wanted and bought it, despite the ugly color.

I finally traded my white Jeep for an old Hudson Bros. trailer with a bunch of new parts on it. It was very sad day to say the least.

 

[Van-go]

I wanted to test the truck and trailer so I took a trip to Carolina Beach.

I also swapped the roll cage out with my old jeep's cage.
We went back to the flats and it was there I realized the stock steering was going to need a hand in turning those irok's...

I have a video somewhere of me getting up the right side of easy street for the first time.

Don't mind the air hose vent lines underneath. They were not my first choice either.

 

[Van-go]

Hydro assist was a good learning experience for me. Measure twice before you weld a bracket on to your tie rod...

Also, got some ruff stuff stuff on sale
new diff cover and a pinion guard.

 

[Van-go]

I ended up using my old shock mounts as my brackets for the hydro assist.
I literally hammered them off the front axle...

I drilled out the holes to 3/4"

I replaced them with the mounts off of an old dana 30 housing I still have laying around.
(free if anyone wants it)

 

[Van-go]

I knew my frame was rusty, but it had gotten pretty bad lately. Here are some pic's of the inside.

It was rusty enough to fit my phone in there if that tells you anything....

\

All patched up.

 

[Van-go]

I like this little skid plate we made for the hydro assist.
It works great!

We took a trip to Uwharrie the weekend before it closed for the winter this year.

Found out why anti-wrap bars are necessary...

 

[Van-go]

**If you ever weld d rings onto your trailer, be sure you put the D in the strap before you weld the strap on.

 

[Van-go]

Anti wrap bar was next on the agenda.

Also, got a new yoke for the d-shaft.

Thank you Graham once again for your welding skills.

Flexed it out and everything cleared.

It used to nose dive, so I removed some of the extra leaves in the rear before we put the anti-wrap bar on.
I love the way she sits now.

 

[Van-go]

I do not have a shop of my own or a garage to work in, so it is always a struggle trying to get things done in the driveway.

While I was in school in Boone, I met a guy who runs a huge farm in Deep Gap NC (christmas trees, cattle, cabbage, pumpkins, etc)
He has always been willing to let me use his shop in the evenings and on the weekends.

Only problem is that I have to trailer the jeep 2 hours up there to work on it.

If you have ever bought a Christmas tree from a Food Lion, it likely came from Critcher Brothers Produce.

Another guy named Jeremy who owns and runs a shop in Sanford NC has let me use his place on the weekend before.

He does some pretty cool work. Not just offroad stuff either.

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4x4 Performance, installation Modification - Full On - Sanford, Nc

We changed out my front pinion seal and inspected everything inside as my front pinion was a little loose.
Turned out the pinion nut was not torqued properly.

 

[Van-go]

Somewhere along the way I picked this up. So far I love it. It's really easy to use and in the right hands (not mine) can put out some top notch work.

Gotta love the re-purposed cart.