After another extensive bunch of upgrades, I hit the trail this weekend with a local Jeep club full of friendly and helpful folks. Not the most intense trails, but a good variety of terrain to test out the latest mods on my '94 YJ:
37x12.5" SuperSwampers
Dynatrac ProRock60 Rear w/ 5.13s
Dynatrac 44 Front
Teraflex Revolver shackles on all four corners
*Individual air springs on each corner* (These will lift any corner
4.5"! They reaaaaalllly cush out the bounces and jounces this ride used to have)
Re-fabbed (3rd time!) Tire/Jerry Can carrier (had to mod to fit the:
Hardtop (getting chillier; it was 42 degrees and blowing hard this morning...no upper doors that fit yet!)
Borla Headers
Borla Stainless CatBack
Under hood "snorkle" (moved airflow entry point up about 10" with PVC elbow and Dryer ducting)
I have a question about your lift. I see you have the SOA conversion done. Did you use stock springs, or is there addition lift with them? Also, did you do a body lift at all, and if so, how much? I think all the specs were on your website, but I never bookmarked the page when you posted it last time.
The teraflex shackles + a SOA will give you loads of clearance and articulation for pretty cheap.
The previous owner had done about a 2.5 spring lift, so I don't think they're the original springs. However, there's no way to ID 'em, I don't think.
No body lift at all. BTW, I was amazed how well it handled on the freeway after all those changes, but then the wheelbase is much wider too. It feels pretty darn stable.
Heh. Neither did I, or if I did, a reinstall lost 'em. I had to go look in Google to find it myself!
The air springs fit in between the springs and the frame. I have the limited so they don't hyperextend, but I pumped them to max 30 lbs on that run. Even I thought it was wacky, but it has a real benefit to it.
Using the original springs with a SOA set-up is "iffy". I've done it myself and the spring soon bent when I hit the brakes hard. At the very least, I'd add a full-length main leaf under the first leaf.
The SOA gives about 4.5" to 5" of lift. After I bent my springs, I installed a set of 1.5" Superlift Springs, I've been very pleased with them.
I have a slip-yoke eleminator in the rear, and a CV driveshaft by Tom Wood. I have nearly no vibration, every works great. Email me if you need more info!
Lookin good! One heck of a project you got going there.
My ProRock60 front finally arrived and I just got it all put together with a heavy-duty hi-steer setup this past weekend. I'm running dual ProRock60s now w/ 5.13s and dual Detoit lockers. My next project (when I get the cash) is to replace the steering box/pump, then perhaps an Atlas II.
I'm interested to know your opinion on those revolver shackles. I own a set, had them on for a while, but took them off with the last suspension mod I made. They sure added droop, but I'm reluctant to put them back on at the moment because I've heard bad stuff about their performance on SOA rigs while climbing steep inclines (I'm still SUA). Many say they open up like alligator jaws on the steep inclines (and/or declines) when they aren't suppose to, often causing climbing difficulties and even causing driveshafts to break. I've only heard this from the SOA crowd. SUA rigs seem to have no such problems. Go to Pirates4x4.com and do a search and you will see what I mean. Put'em to the test on a steep incline and let me know what happens :). Besides, I would think a rig would have plenty of articulation already with a good set of springie leafs and SOA.
Yeah, sounds nice. What size tires you looking to swing?
But did you yourself experience any bad performance from them?
Heh. They add 6 inches of travel or so. If I am ever climbing/descending something so steep that another 6 inches tumbles me over, I'll count it as a learning experience and pop 'em off. ;-)
Yeah, but MY driveshafts are Tom Woods ones made from Super Unbreakatanium!
I've only heard this from the SOA crowd.
That Pirate group seems to have a mob mentality about 'em, for some odd reason. I have zero problem with body roll and axle wrap with the Revolvers.
I did. Separating the wheat from the chaff, it mostly comes down to a matter of personal preference, and I haven't yet experienced any of the problems some of those dudes are talking about.
I did this weekend. There was one pretty steep ascent that required a moderate amount of articulation, on which I had absolutely no problems, but it wasn't very sustained.
I'll try it out in Rowher Flats soon, which is known for some longer steep trails, and report back.
Too much is never enough! They were the first thing I put on, before the SOA. What can I say, I like having all four wheels on the ground as much as possible. And they don't just drop loose, like some of the physics experts on the Pirate boards think. It actually takes a lot of force to fully extend them, and they wouldn't be drooping/stuffing if they weren't conforming to the terrain. I haven't noticed the lack of traction some say is supposed to happen.
On the other hand, I haven't given it a true acid test yet. I'll be on the lookout for alligators!
Yep, not cheap that is for sure. That's why I only make one major mod a year.
Swingin 35" right now, but may step up to 37" and go SOA next spring.
Not I didn't experience any bad performance with them, but never really put them to the test since I lived in a place then that had extremely limited wheeling opportunities. I may slip them back on eventually.
Unbreakatanium!
Tom makes good stuff. This time, however, for the front driveshaft I went with High Angle Driveline:
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came highly recommended by Dynatrac and some rock-crawlin crowds, andadvertise higher angles than Tom Woods with the 1350 u-joints and yokes. Itcosts a few bucks more, but this friggin driveshaft is MASSIVE! When Iopened the package my first response was "holy sh*t!!" The tube is 3" widefrom the t-case down to the boot.
You are right. That is why I don't hang out there often. Too many loud mouths there for me.
Sounds good. I may go SOA myself soon. What springs & lift are you using?
Yup, just be sure to make the other necessary mods that some folks neglect like longer extending driveshaft, longer brake lines, etc.
Good luck to ya! Maybe we'll meet on the trails one day!
How do 5.13s and 35s go together? How's your 4th and 5th on the freeway?
You do have me thinking, though. I am gonna look into the possibilities of a cable-driven lock system. Alternatively, on descent/ascent, I can offset the tilt by 4.5" front or back just by airing up my springs.That oughta level it right out, just like an escalator ride! :)
Dammit, that's what I want. When I got my rear shaft, I called them and said "Is this your heavy dutiest model, guys?" I thought the sliding spline looked a little un-beefy.
Kinda Frat Party-ish! I am kinda diggin on the idea of the external DOM scrapage frames some of them have, however. Takes it away from Jeepdom, though.
The springs are two inch wide suckers the unkown PO put on to do a 2.5" spring lift. Origin unknown. I am running no body lift, just the combined SOA, spring lift, air springs, and 37" tires have that thing towering over the other JPs in the club I just ran with. FRANKENJEEP!
Absolutely. All vent, ARB, EBrake, and brake lines got extended and routed for full travel. EVERYTHING changes.
Right on. The Dynatrac Credit Card Overlimit Club!
Suits me fine. I think they go well together, but I like the lower gearing too. I can certainly go a little taller tires in the future also. In 5th on the highway, I push around 2300 rpms @ 60mph, 2700rpms @70mph. I rarely go faster than that in my Jeep.
Hey, Jerry, I like 'em fine. But Terry Jeffrey alerted me to the possibility of them snapping open on steep hills. So I've got a plan for an overly-complicated system that will break down at the most inopportune moment to deal with that ;-)
Basically what I'd do is put a hydraulic actuator at the lower pivot point and also to the frame. There would be a hose going to another slave cylinder or an accumulator, and a valve that would lock it in whatever position I want. Basically all I'd have to do is pull or twist a knob and have them lock up solid. Parts'd be relatively cheap. That's the passive system. The active sysytem would be to actually have a pump and valves and shrink or grow the actuator as needed; raise the fronts/shrink the rears for going downill, raise the rears/suck up the fronts for ascents...
But I wouldn't gold-plate it; because that would be overkill ;-)
Maybe I could sell it to some rubes at the next SEMA.
Nah. I kludged up extensions for my Xenons in the rear, and just did the Xenons in front with no extension because I got tired of *wrenching* and wanted to go *wheelin*!
So far, I've done some extreme flexing and not hurt the Xenons. They're urethane, and so pretty flexible and tough. I think I'll keep 'em.
One fella in the club I wheeled with last weekend has a YJ with the TJ flares, another YJer did his up flat fender. There's room for all kinds!
I really don't give any credibility to criticism from someone who stalks people around to other groups and tries to cause them real economic damage. What you did to twaldron, trying to thwart his sales is a legally actionable offense. Not to mention pathetic, immature, and a sure sign that you'd lost the argument.
And now you're just here to stir sh** up again.
It's stalking creeps like you that ensure that some people don't use their real names on Usenet. The fact that you'd even show your face here again indicates something's seriously wrong with you, and that you are obsessed with attention of *any* kind.
In fact, there's no way to prove that your name is really "Joshua Nelson", either. That could be just another in your long list of lies.
So, getting back to the topic of the newsgroups, is that why you don't post pics of your rig, Joshie? Because you're a "weenie"?
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