Big Tuna's "Building the Dub!"

[BigTuna117 33]

Well, the beautiful weather has really got me in gear! Last week I installed Sliders from Affordable Offroad:

Which is something I should've gotten done a LONG time ago. I ended up spending a couple of hours straightening the rocker panels out, sanding them down, and re-coating them makes everything look pretty dang sharp. Really, this is something that should've been completed late phase 2 or early phase 3, before the rig took rocker damage. Fortunately, it was minor enough to not hinder the installation much.

Which leads to today, a beautiful Saturday with not a cloud in the sky, barely a breeze, and a high of 70f, I set out to tackle the relocation of my driver's side brake line into it's proper place, OUTSIDE of the Iron Y, instead of through it, as I had done previously. Once I had this completed, I broke out my trusty coil compressors, and removed the front coils to investigate the installation of coil retainers. Now, the IronMan4x4Fab retainers come with no instructions, but based on the hardware provided, I suspect the intended process would include holes into each coil perch in order to accommodate the mounting hardware. I've had these in my garage for about a year, which gave me plenty of time to think about that.... Why not just use rivnuts and not (potentially) ruin the integrity of my coil perches?
So that's what I did. The factory hole in the perch would do perfectly on the lower perches, but the uppers did require some slight widening. No problem. Made installation a breeze, and the coils are tight and secured now.

 

And with that, the Jeep is pretty much ready to wheel again! I did discover that my upper radiator hose is starting to weep, so that's gonna have to be replaced soon.

[dzJeepChic 2,439]

Nice to get an update. The Dub is looking really good with those new sliders! 

[BigTuna117 33]

9 hours ago, dzJeepChic said:

Nice to get an update. The Dub is looking really good with those new sliders! 

Thanks! The fresh coat of paint on the rockers took her from tired looking, back to sharp and ready for action. Speaking of which.... she is pretty much ready for action! All that's left is this and that, minor weekend jobs. Although, I am eyeing a new roof rack among other things...

[BigTuna117 33]

And now for something completely different:

https://youtu.be/eTPCNcuOEkw

 

 

I decided to spend a little extra and get something really nice and form fitting in form of Coverking seat covers! Pretty great fit, finish and quality so far. We'll see how the hold up.

[BigTuna117 33]

I'm sorry to say I've been a bit lax at updating what I've done. Like many, I've spent much of this year inside, but I finally got the itch to complete some projects on the Jeep. I ended up removing my Rola roof rack to replace it with a custom made Goliath Off Road flat rack. This rack is a direct bolt-in and completely replaces the factory cargo rack, for a much sturdier overall rack, with a much more sleek profile. 

(I forgot to take a picture, so this is the actual store picture Goliath Off Road uses) I haven't re-installed any of my accessories onto it yet, as I determine which ones I actually need. 

 

I also took the time last weekend to revisit my dual battery system, and make some improvements. all in all, it has performed admirably, with the secondary battery finally losing it's charge after five years. The volatile nature of our weather means that the primary battery doesn't last long, and the temperature-based charging of the WJ means that both batteries generally see less charging through the summer because of this. I made the decision to move the primary battery, and the isolator solenoid to the rear. While I was at it, I also replaced the mains cables with a kit from JeepCables.com, which were a wee bit long, but otherwise very good quality. I have yet to replace the starter cable because I am not sure exactly how to route it, but that cable is still in very good shape, unlike the others. I also installed a 180A Alternator. 

(Solenoid's goooone)

I made the decision to run fresh 0GA wire all the way back, for both terminals. Sure, I could ground completely through the unibody, but I always thought more ground was better. Both batteries now have a direct ground link, also. So along with the previous ground I installed in the back The temperature sensor was also relocated, so the PCM is still rechnically reading the live battery temperature from that sensor. 

Pardon the wire slop. I still have to figure out what to do with the extra length. Also, I plan to re-loom the wires so they aren't just going every which direction. All in all, works great, the batteries are receiving a more consistent charge, and the lead-acid batteries were swapped with sealed AGM batteries, so hopefully we see some serious longevity of life gains!

 

[BigTuna117 33]

If you would have told me during my 2017 Cooling overhaul that I'd be doing it again, well, I probably wouldn't have been surprised. The thing with trying out aftermarket parts such as the 2-core radiator that I had installed at that time is that you never really know how it's going to affect the rest of the system. The increase in fin density with having a radiator that is double thick, quite literally, leads to issues with the OEM cooling solution (of course being the traditional Jeep 5-blade clutch fan, with an electric helper fan). A popular up-and-coming solution that sprang up in 2018 was to install the 11 blade fan and clutch used in the early 2000's Ford Explorers, which were an easy swap in that moves easily double the air the OEM solution did. But after 3 years with an explorer fan, and 3 explorer clutches toast (two OEM and one aftermarket), I finally threw in the towel, and said to [HECK] with it, and started researching electric fans that could be swapped in as a direct replacement for the entire two-fan system. Fortunately, I was not the only WJ owner on this quest at the time, so group consensus partnered with real world experience. 

 

Aside from this, I had some other bits & pieces I wanted to add anyways, to it was just a matter of collecting everything together and installing it all methodically. It's the first time I've really had a chance to add mods and parts without a time limit. All in all, it took about 7 days for me to do everything. I spent a lit of time planning and measuring wire runs, and I created a complete harness for everything- color coded and all! Loomed it, and snaked everything into place. All in all, I'm quite pleased with everything thus far. Summertime of course will be the true test, but so far everything is looking great!

 

I ended up needing to replace the radiator due to seepage from around the areas where the fins mate into the main tanks. I'm considering taking the old radiator to a shop to see if I can have it repaired or re-cored.

 

Aside from a new radiator, I also picked up a "Worley" branded fan shroud (It comes with a fan, but I was a wee bit sketched out by a super cheap fan). I opted again for an all aluminum, 2-core radiator. Many opt for a SPAL branded electric fan, however I opted for a Flex-A-Lite model(238), since I was going to use one of their adjustable fan controllers anyways (31165). Given that I already had the front end torn down, I also opted to replace my Gates (metal impeller) water pump for a FlowKooler water pump. These ones have a slightly different impeller design, which could be described as both "larger" and "more aggressive." They claim that this design change allows the system to cycle coolant faster and generate higher head pressures, however I don't really have any tools to test this. I've heard good things from others with this pump, so I figured I'd give it a shot with all of the other things I was doing anyways. 

Did you know silicon coolant hoses require special worm-drive clamp? Standard hose clamps will chew them up. Also seen are the Oil temp sender unit, and the Coolant sender as well. I added a cheap seal between the shroud and the radiator to dampen vibrations and also better direct airflow.

I also installed a 3 gauge pod from Lo-Tek inc, with a couple of Glowshift gauges, particularly Oil and trans temp. The third pod may eventually hold something like an airbag controller, or information display.

ohh, shiny! The Lo-Tek 3-gauge pod matches into the Jeep very well, but the mounting holes are not placed very logically. Some finagling will be required.

The Oil temperature is pulled from a sensor inline to the oil cooler, shortly before it. The trans temp sensor is also located inline shortly before the cooler. 

As great as the fan does at pulling air, the real star of the show is, without a doubt, the fan controller. This Flex-A-Lite unit has some great features other than simply turning the fan on at a fixed temperature. It also:
-Has a "Soft Start" feature (waits to initialize the temp monitoring until the vehicle has been in "run" for 6 seconds)

-Adjustable temperature

-Soft fan start (Starts the fan at 60% power and ramps it up as necessary)

-"Cooldown" feature (runs the fan for 30sec after the vehicle is shut off)

-A/C Bypass (Turns on fan @ 100% power when A/C is on)

-Fan Bypass- Force fan ON

-Fan Bypass- Force fan OFF (AKA "Water crossing" mode)

 

I installed two switches for the FORCE settings, controlling the ON/OFF bypass modes, I also installed an LED indicator light to show when the fan is running. This is wired inline with the fan itsself.

 

With so many connections running between the engine bay, dash, and A-pillar, I decided to make up a proper harness, color coded it, and split it into 3 separate sections. It made it easier to run so many wires at once, kept the space down, and also made it easier to document the wires. Dash cam power was also re-routed to this harness, cutting that wiring down as well. I may need to go back and re-do previous wiring jobs with this methodology in the future!

I was in the final planning stages for the last section of harness here. The wires up front run to Power for the fan controller, the fan, and signal & ground for the trans temp sensor. you can B A R E L Y see the loomed harness coming in from the dash, inside of the driver side headlight support. I also took down my headlight assemblies and replaced the marker lamps with Sylvania ZEVO LED bulbs. They weren't kidding when they say "Super Bright!"

 

With everything function tested, with no leaks, I was able to add in my final addition... fresh rubber!

With the Kanati Trail Hog A/Ts on the verge of death after 5 years of abuse, it was time for an upgrade! I managed to get a deal with these Thunderer Trac Grip M/Ts at 35/12.50/R17E!

So far, surprisingly quiet for an M/T tire!

 

Monday was also my 9th year anniversary of owning this rig, so it seems like perfect timing for something that makes 'er look so fresh again!

[BigTuna117 33]

I also have an upgraded IRO adjustable A-Arm waiting to go in, I just ran out of time this weekend. I've decided to stay short arm on the rear since it still suits my needs just fine. 

[BigTuna117 33]

So today I decided to take the rig for a test spin, just to see how it would perform under sustained load on our first day in the triple-digits. One of the great things (and one of the worst things, sometimes) about living here is all of the hills and steep climbs a vehicle has to make under acceleration or in a sustained manner. That's partly why most major auto manufacturers will actually use this area as a testbench for figuring out cooling systems on early model & prototype vehicles. I decided to put the Jeep through it's paces, and test out the new cooling system. I used a route I call the "torture loop" because it includes a mixture of sustained hill climbs, stop/start points in awkward places, highway speeds, street speeds, smooth/rough roads, etc. In reality, this loop does a great job of testing cooling, suspension, brakes, and tires all at once! I actually have some metrics to compare to, and for each of the recording "points" I generated when I was testing the last cooling revamp, the Jeep actually scored around 10-15 degrees cooler than it did previously! The new gauges also provide some excellent insight into what the transmission and oil are doing during these tests. 

 

The Good:

The electric fan system. It does an excellent job of ramping up and down to control the temperature of the engine, and appears to sit right around 190-195 degrees under street driving, where load is sustained (minimal stops, throttle open, minimal braking. 45-55 MPH). The cooling system only peaked at 215 for a moment during a climb which required hard acceleration, and this temperature actually dropped halfway through this. I'm thinking the radiator had to bleed some coolant or air when this happened? After this, another, steeper sustained climb only provoked a response of 210.

 

The tires. The new Thunderer Trac Grip M/Ts I replaced the Kanati Trail Hogs with are a welcome change. The Kanatis performed excellently, however were quickly succumbing to road noise and wandering with their end-of-life. The Thunderers are quiet, and dont particularly track into the grooves of the road, so the rig is very easy to control currently. 

 

The Bad:

The OEM Transmission cooler: This one gets a U for unsatisfactory from me. Now that I can actually watch the transmission temps, I can tell you this dinky little think doesn't cut it for the short, crawl-y bursts this rig is used to. It does ok-is cooling the trans when the vehicle over 65MPH, but leaves a lot to be desired if your rig lives around 50MPH. The 545RFE spec sheet shows nominal temp around 175-210, with 230 being the "caution zone." On this run, the trans cooler read out around the 200 mark, moving all the way to 220 during one of the sustained hill climbs, to promptly drop down again afterwards. The only time it really performed adequately was during a jolt at 65 MPH, where it held the temp between 180 and 200. Please note, some WJs are outfitted with a tiny aux cooler, inline with the in-radiator cooling. I'll probably replace this aux cooler with something larger, perhaps the size of the Hayden oil cooler I installed previously? I don't think that would hurt.

 

Overloading in the rear half of the suspension. With all the weight migrated to the rear of the vehicle, it has a visible bias towards the rear. I'm thinking new, heavier-rate rear coils to balance everything out. It does get a little fiddly currently when coasting, though it is manageable. One way or another, I need to level out the rear, and add more weight to the front.

 

All in all, not too shabby for about an hours worth of driving. This loop is great for determining how things are performing, and how things should be changed.

[theksmith 3,838]

the new wheels/tires look great!

[BigTuna117 33]

15 hours ago, theksmith said:

the new wheels/tires look great!

Thanks! It takes at least 15 years off of the "aged look" of the rig, I think.