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About the YJ...
It all started when....
Well, I was the last hold-out in the family for owning a Jeep. I'd had Scouts, Toyotas, and even one of those Subaru Brats. But never felt the urge to get a Jeep. After some time, I decided on a flat fender. SO here I went, uneducated into the paper and bought what was supposed to be a '48 Willys. I soon educated myself to the point of realizing I had a 1942 GPW, and all the original parts were there except the engine. Which was indeed, out of a '48 Willys! So I sold the GPW to a gentleman that is restoring it to original military configuration.
Enter the "95 YJ!
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Communications
Two way radio communication is handled by either a Cobra 19+ CB ( cheap-n-cheezy, but it works! ) and an Icom IC-2100H 2 Meter FM rig ( Ham radio ). I hope to have my old Yaesu HF rig repaired and installed sometime in the next few months. The YJ is gonna start looking like a porcupine on wheels before long!
Navigation is taken care of by a Garmin GPS III, dash mounted and hard wired so I don't have to worry about batteries. External antenna is next. |
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Real suspension required!!!
Since our YJ's previous owner felt that exended shackles and a 3"body lift were all he needed, I soon found out that this set-up just wan't going to cut it! So after many hours on the internet, and hanging out with fellow Jeepers, I decided on Rubicon Express' Extreme Duty 4 1/2 inch lift. It came with all the goodies...brake lines greasable shackles, shocks, drop pitman arm, sway bar disconnects, and transfer case lowering kit.
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Some tips on installing lift kits...
First...soak down every nut and bolt, including the brake line fittings, with a high quality penetrating oil for several days prior to starting. Trust me on this one!
Since R.E.'s kit is very complete, and the instructions are good, you don't need to be a 20 year veteran mechanic to install this kit. My wife and I did the install in the back yard. We started Saturday morning, and by early Sunday afternoon, the Jeep was back on the road!
The rear axle took 5 degrees of shim, and the new drive shaft had to be 1 1/4" longer to keep everything in place. Be sure to measure your slip shaft before and after the install, so you will know how much longer to have the new drive dhaft built! I still have some drive line vibration, but I plan to install a slip yoke eliminater and CV drive shaft before long.
I think the Jeep factory has a 7'2" gorilla that installs the brake lines, so...When you get ready to remove the brake lines, make a trip to Sears, your friendly Snap-On dealer or favorite tool peddler, and get a "line wrench"!!! These are designed so they won't strip out the fittings under heavy torque loads. It's worth the money not having to replace the factory hard lines AFTER you strip them out, or twist the ends off them. I give many thanks to my fellow Jeep owners for passing this information on to me.
When you get to the shackles, pre-lube everything. This will make assembly go much faster! And be sure to use a torque wrench...The greasable bolts are hollow, and will break much easier than grade 5 and grade 8 bolts if over tightened!
The new springs take a few trips to the trail to loosen up, and the Jeep handled like a sports car the first time out, But no more...can you say "articulation"??? Note: Road manners will deteriorate as off-road manners improve! Rutted asphalt farm to market roads are no longer your friend. ( Trust me, I drive them every day getting to work! ) And water puddles will get your attention. Especially with bigger tires!
I haven't put the YJ on an RTI ramp yet, but have had several YJ owners come up to me on the trail wanting to know who's suspension I was running. So the amount of flex is quite noticable. And all that flex will make navigating tougher trails with open axles much easier!
Rubicon Express
Does it ever end???
The answer is "No", except when the wife tells you there's no money left in the bank! As one of our local Jeeper's says, "There's nothing wrong with these Jeeps that money can't fix."
Over the past 2 1/2 years the YJ has sen a new suspension, PowerTrax No-Slip locker in the rear, a Warn M6000 winch with the control box relocated under the hood, M.O.R.E. Trac-Bar until I sort of *removed it* in Moab last year, and few other little things.
With 2003, the YJ saw the installation of an Advance Adapters Slip Yoke Eliminator kit and Tom Wood's rear drive shaft. This is actually a very easy kit to install, so if you've been thinking about doing this one....GO FOR IT! We did my YJ and my brother in law's TJ in one day. This is also a good time to take a look around your transfer case for wear and any damage, since you'll have it almost completely disassembled.
It was also time to replace all the shackle and spring bushings. I found two that were split form all the flex this rig has!
Finally, the Ford 9" and 4.88 gears are done. let me tell you, my 4 banger turning 33's is much happier with the new gears. And the 11" drum brakes provide plenty of stopping power in the rear. So what's next? After I recover from all the money spent on the 9", I'll be looking into the TeraLow 4:1 and 2Low kits. And maybe even a set of 35" BFG's before years end.
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Got Flex???
I told you Rubicon Express makes a real flexy suspension! Flexy enought to allow the front trac-bar brcket to be ripped off the frame at Moab! You can see a picture of that little *oops* on the Moab page. |
