Clayton Off Road 05 TJ 5.5" Long Arm install

[Clayton Off Road]

We are starting on this build this week, it's a nice clean TJ with only 48k on it. It's getting our 5.5" Long Arm Suspension Lift Kit, Bilstein shocks, SYE kit and a Tom Woods drive shaft. We will be using the factory transfercase skid plate for now. Here are a few pictures as we progress through the install of our parts:

Tom Woods/ AA SYE kit:

We use these brackets to determine where we need to weld our new control arm brackets:

Getting the frame all cleared out:

Using the location plates:

Getting the new control arm brackets in place:

Alex
Marketing Director
Clayton Off Road

 

[Clayton Off Road]

New control arm brackets tacked into place:

Fully welded:

Cutting off some of the old control arm brackets with the plasma:

Cut through the welds along the top edge with a cutoff wheel:

Use a hammer to take the pieces off:

Then clean it up a little and the rear control arm brackets are totally off:

Add some paint to prevent the East Coast death rust:

Alex
Marketing Director
Clayton Off Road

 

[Clayton Off Road]

Starting to work on the rear axle bracketry:

Getting it ready for the truss:

Tacked in:

Fully welded in place:

Axle painted, and lower arms bolted in:

Nothing the factory skid plate:

Tight fit next to the LCA brackets:

Getting ready set the pinion angle, 2 degrees down:

Alex
Marketing Director
Clayton Off Road

 

[Clayton Off Road]

To set the pinion angle, we use a bottle jack to make sure we get the pinion exactly where we want it:

Centering the rear axle over the body, we use ratchet straps and pull the body where we want it:

Once the pinion angle and track are set we put the upper arms in. Adjust the upper arms to the exact length so the bolts go in easily:

Rear arms in:

Starting on the front end:

Cleaning up the old trackbar mount and adding our bracket to make it a double shear bracket:

New double shear track bar mount up front:

Trackbar bracket ready for paint:

Alex
Marketing Director
Clayton Off Road

 

[Clayton Off Road]

New front end parts (JKS disconnects, new pitman arm, trackbar and bracket, springs, and control arms) installed:

Clayton Off Road springs and Bilstein shocks installed:

Front radius arms, springs, and shocks installed:

Front and rear suspension complete:

Starting on the exhaust. Cut flange off the cat about a half inch in front of the necked down portion:

Grind off the weld off and knock old pipe out of the flange:

Clean up the ID of the flange:

Cut flange off the muffler right at the end of the muffler pipe:

Clean up the ID of the flange so it goes over the new muffler with a little play:

Alex
Marketing Director
Clayton Off Road

 

[Clayton Off Road]

Weld bolt into the flange on the cat facing the muffler:

Cut about an inch off the inlet to the muffler:

Put the flange on to the cat. it's a tight fit so you may need to use a hammer. Try and angle it towards the center of the Jeep. Then install the muffler:

Make sure the muffler is centered between the upper control arm and the transfer case. I like to use a level to get it level with the frame rail:

Tack weld both flanges in place when the muffler is located where you want it:

Unbolt the muffler and weld around the inside of the cat flange:

Outside as well:

Alex
Marketing Director
Clayton Off Road

 

[Clayton Off Road]

Once it is welded up you can bolt it back on:

AA SYE and Tom Woods shaft are installed along with the new muffler:

Cut the tip of tail pipe off the old exhaust where it is a full diameter after the bend. Clean up the end and it needs to be hammered a little to get it round:

Slide the tail pipe in to the muffle and angle it slightly to the outside of the Jeep. Put a couple tack welds on if you are going to have a custom tail pipe bent up to exit in the stock location:

Alex
Marketing Director
Clayton Off Road

 

[Clayton Off Road]

We finished up our part of the build today and got the TJ ready for it's owner:

Next up is this TJ:

Alex
Marketing Director
Clayton Off Road

 

[CobraMarty]

Nice Job.
How much, ballpark, would the labor for everything in this install cost?