ZMagic97 1 Posted October 9, 2012 Great looking WJ: love it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alainsnyder 0 Posted October 15, 2012 Oh yea that's really well done. Thanks for letting me have an up-close look on Saturday! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crgeorge 1 Posted October 16, 2012 I'm checking out the bump stops you built. I have to finally get to making some for my WJ. I'm hoping to see a bunch of WJ's on the Rug road trip next April. Chad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bradywgn71 800 Posted October 18, 2012 With out a way of flexing the suspension at the house, I just made the bumpstops 4" since I lifted 4.5". With all of my trimming, I could probably cut them down an inch or two. It'll be cool to see a few WJs together on the Rug Road, I hope we can get a couple more to sign up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bradywgn71 800 Posted October 23, 2012 I had bought a Kevin's Offroad belly skid and needed to get it installed for the Walnut Canyon run. It's made out of 1/4" plate, nice and heavy. I don't have pictures of this whole install but suffice it to say, the skid didn't fit right. I think it was folded incorrectly. The instructions state to jack the plate up under the crossmember and raise the rear up to the welded in subframe to mark the holes to be drilled. Upon jacking the plate into position, I noticed that the "wings", that are supposed to be up against the subframe, had at least a half inch gap at the end nearest the crossmember. There was no way that the bolts were going to draw up and bend 1/4 inch plate to meet the frame. My temporary solution was to cut the plate directly behind the cross member and mount the rear section for the trip. At least my transfer case would then be protected. I'll finish mounting the front portion of the skid when I have time and will use some 1/4" x 2" flat to fill in the gap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bradywgn71 800 Posted October 23, 2012 I started to hear a clicking noise from the front when turning... uh-oh... CV shafts giving up. I was pleased to find both shafts for $58 a piece at O'Reilly with Lifetime Warranty. I decided to replace both front unit bearings when replacing the shafts, since I had to take them out anyway. I can't express enough, after living in the Rust Belt all my life, how much of a pleasure it is to work on a 10 year old vehicle and not fight rust. I'm so glad my Jeep has spent its whole life in the desert southwest. The unit bearings popped out with a couple taps of the plastic dead blow hammer. I've had new rotors and pads sitting in the garage for months to replace the squeaky ones on the WJ. The squeaky brakes had a bunch of life left in them so, I left them on until now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bradywgn71 800 Posted October 23, 2012 I've been having some fun looking back at photos from Calico, Ca. when my WJ was all stock, street tires and all. Here's a picture string showing how those rockrails I sold to tucsondave got some of their character. Thank you to Nadine for these photos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crgeorge 1 Posted October 23, 2012 It's definately come a long way. Looking good. Chad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tucsonWJ 1 Posted March 9, 2013 Hey Chris, Im new to the site and was reading through your thread, looks great. My WJ is going the same direction as your almost to a T. My problem is I have to move backwards to move forward. Im already lifted and trimmed, just didnt do enough reasearch in the begining and ended up buying a 4" short arm kit. Big mistake, rides like crap and destroys bushings like nothing I have seen. Now im going clayton LA, which I should have done in the begining. I think I have spent the same amount in adjustable control arms and the lift. Looks like you are up in the Eagle Crest area from the background, im up on the NW side as well. I'd love to meet up with you sometime to take a closer look at your WJ, and get some advise from some one who has installed the clayton themself. Nice build! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bradywgn71 800 Posted March 10, 2013 Thank you, Ryan and welcome to the forum! I actually live south of Catalina, but Eagle Crest was a good guess. I'm getting mine ready for our Rug Road trip coming up on April 5-7. Maybe you could join us. I think you would be the fourth WJ joining the trip! I just replaced my bushings that were only 6 months old. They were Omix-Ada that I bought from RockAuto.com and the rubber was crumbling already. I'm trying the Moog K3166 specced for a 98 ZJ. $24 for the pair from O'Reilly. I have some pictures of them on my camera, just have to get them uploaded when I get a chance. How soon are you doing the Clayton kit? Are you staying at 4"? You could get some front long arms from Clayton or Ironman Fab and a Clayton cross member and just do a front upgrade to your current lift to save some cash. The back half could be done later to spread out the wallet hit. If nothing comes up, I might be available next weekend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
