thanks man!im really hoping i will be able to drive it to the meet and greet. no wheelin but i just wanna be able to get it out of the driveway! lol

trust me i have already looked into going 37s but it is hard to find a tire i like that is a 37x12.50x15 not very many companies make the 37s with a 15" wheel. i dont wanna get new wheels cuz i just bought these bead locks. so i will prpobly stay at 35s until i can afford to build a front 60 and i was already getting ****ty gas mileage before this build so i cant see it getting much better lol but i dont drive mine everyday so its not to bad

 

WHAT!?!? what do you mean no wheeling!?!? I know you well enough to know that if your jeep is rolling on 4 tires and can be shifted into 4LO, that you will want to wheeling with us....LOL.

 

.....i know ..... i need to get my sliders welded up and frame plating done and break in the gears a little bit....

 

Hurry up and get this done so you can see how long the unibody will last.

 

lol once i get the unibody completely plated it should last longer than the rest of it will i am honestly hoping it will be driving by the end of this week

 

so my steel for my steering finally came and i got right to work. i got four 1 ton chevy ends. two left hand thread and two right. and got the weld in bungs for the ends. for the tie rod i used roughly 4.5' of 1.5"x.25" DOM tubing. then used my old rugged ridge tie rod for my new drag link which is i believe 1.25"x.25". i drilled and tapped the passenger side flat top knuckle for my high steer arm which the drag link will connect to and maybe eventually the tie rod also. i also had to drill out and ream the stock pitman arm to accept the 1 ton ends. im leaving the tie rod in the stock position because i have never really had any issues hitting it on anything. and if i do well i guess i can get another high steer arm and raise it all up.

now the front end is completely done except a new HD ARB air line for the locker. the front shafts are in and its got oil in it so it is ready to go. im hoping the rear end will be done getting gears and locker installed this week. once i get that back i can mount it up and put the brakes on and is should be able to drive under its own power. might even be able to make the local meet and greet next weekend.

here is my steering setup and the old rugged ridge tie rod compared to my new one

 

looks really good man

 

got the rear end back last night and started boltin it up. go it mounted and brakelines ran and disc brakes hooked up. just gotta do a little grinding to fit the 15" wheel. hoping to have it on wheels by this evening. then got a few minor things to do then its time to break in the gears

 

looks good Branden. cant wait to see it driving around.

 

ya hoping to be breaking in the gears this week so you might see me chugin along through the big BL

 

got the rear disc brakes installed and the caliper ground down to accept the 15" wheel. rear axle is all bolted in and drivelines are hooked up. got the brakes bled and now i gotta throw on the rear shocks and hook the steering back up with the new jam nuts and fresh paint. going to take it for a test drive today to see how she drives! the only issue im seeing so far is that i cant really get the brake pedal too stiff. i might need to get a different proportioning valve. if so then i will have to make a quick stop tomorow to pick one up

will post pictures asap

 

most recent picture i have.
i took her for a test drive and came across a few issues. i need to grind down a little bit more of the rear caliper because the wheels are slightly rubbing the caliper which makes an anoying grinding sound. i also need to align the steering a little better and change out my master cylinder. the stock xj MC doesnt like the 3/4 ton brakes. i picked up a dodge 3500 1 ton MC and will throw it in today and see how it changes things. but other than that thats all the rear issues i felt. only got to 35 mph thou but it felt really smooth

 

dude, that looks really good, i like how it turned out! how do the front leafs feel as far as ride quality?

 

from what i can tell so far it doesnt feel any different than coils. i still need to take it on a REAL test drive and hit some higher speeds then i will have more insight.

 

That thing is a monster. A beautiful beautiful monster!!! Are you gonna bring it to the meet and great?