My "Hero" Blog

[Jeep450r]

Thanks guys, the kind words are very much appreciated. Especially after the amount of hours put into the bumper

What's next?
Well I just received a nice little goodie in the mail, I will start installing it tomorrow, with hopes for all to go well so I can wheel it Monday.

Then, some time in future, a rear bumper will come along, as well as some possible suspension upgrades.

Right now my main focus is to wheel as much as possible while allowing my money tree to grow, eventually resulting in more goodies.

 

[connor0770]

I'm pretty sure my money tree hasn't even sprouted yet lol.

What are your ideas for that bumper??? Oh and what welder are you using.. I'm going to be in the market fore one this summer =)

 

[Jeep450r]

It will be a high clearance style that wraps around and will require me to cut and fold my quarter panels. Very simple design, yet somewhat hard to describe... Especially if I'm the one doin the talking.

Im not sure how to tie the rear bumper in to the "frame" rails though. Anybody have any ideas? Or does it even really need to be tied in to the frame? If you have an aftermarket rear bumper, please let me know how it mounts.

I'm melting metal with a Clarke 130EN mig welder running flux core wire. For the price, his machine is hard to beat, although I may be getting rid of it around summer time to replace it with a 220 unit when I build my roll cage. A Hobart Handler 187 to be exact.

 

[connor0770]

It will be a high clearance style that wraps around and will require me to cut and fold my quarter panels. Very simple design, yet somewhat hard to describe... Especially if I'm the one doin the talking.

Im not sure how to tie the rear bumper in to the "frame" rails though. Anybody have any ideas? Or does it even really need to be tied in to the frame? If you have an aftermarket rear bumper, please let me know how it mounts.

I'm melting metal with a Clarke 130EN mig welder running flux core wire. For the price, his machine is hard to beat, although I may be getting rid of it around summer time to replace it with a 220 unit when I build my roll cage. A Hobart Handler 187 to be exact.

I know exactly what you mean!! there is a guy on JF that did the same as you. Except he bought a JCR bumper and added onto it. I would say you could start by maybe buying some JCR tie in brackets and go from there?? or make them yourself??

If i get a welder im gonna go 220. My dad and i are probably gonna go in on it together.

 

[rocknxj]

I recently posted some pics of my rear JCR tie-in brackets on the Frog Blog. I cannot see the pics where I am now, but if you look through some of the last few pages you'll find them. Essentially, they add strength to the rear bumper by connecting the bumper to the nut strips on either side where the hitch or fuel tank skid would mount. I'm sure you can fabricate something much stronger, but the JCR straps would certainly work to get you started.

 

[Jeep450r]

Id say its about time for an update:

On the first of 2011, I went on my first snow wheeling trip. I had a BLAST despite how many millions of people were on the trail that day. It was great seeing old faces again, and meeting new people.

Lunch Stop

Slashed my tire

All in all, it was a solid run. Got a good tug out on my new bumper, and finally got to see first hand what snow wheeling is all about.

 

[Jeep450r]

The next stop was Hollister Hills. However before that, I somehow had to keep my tires from crunching my fenders. So I got some free hockey pucks from my neighbor (a hockey player), some black RTV, and found a nice place to flex out and was on my way. I don't have any pics of the hockey puck bumpstops installed, but I do have what really matters... A flex pic.

You simply slide the pucks in through the extended coil, and RTV them into place.

With this done, I was itching to go to Hollister, but something was missing... An Aussie locker or my D30, to be exact. Thanks Connor!

Threw that in, and finally went wheeling. I met up with Chris (norcalchris) and Tim (knucklehead) for the day. Ill let my lack of pics do the talking. I now realize how hard it is to take pics of myself while wheeling. I have a total of two. One from wheeling.

Chris

Tim

My passenger side hockey puck bumpstops broke off (didnt let the glue cure :lecture: ), put a nice bend into my passenger side rock slider, and I had to clean up a TON of mud. But other than that, I had a blast.

Ill try to get some more pics from my buddies phone some time soon.


What's new? Well, It looks like I'm saving up for some 33's and 4.88's now. Someone talk me out of it.

The old plan was to link the rear, and 3 link the front, but time will not be on my side for that one. Plus, I already have the HD Offroad shackle relocation brackets and extended shackles, so I might as well put those to use. Then, ill probably get drop brackets... even though I could 3 link it for not much more... hmmm. :dunno:

 

[knucklehead 61]

next time you are in san jose come by & we can drill & tap the front axle & counter bore the pucks on my lathe & bolt them in properly.
you will love 33's & 4.88's!

 

[bics90xj]

Nice fab work! Where did you get that horn? I need one!

 

[Jeep450r]

Thanks for the offer Tim, Ill be sure to take you up on it sometime.

I got the horn at a garage sale for 25 cents a good 10 years ago. Id say it was my first bargain. Talked him down from 50 cents or a buck. He probably just felt bad because I was only like 7 years old.


One of my concerns with bumping up to 33's is re-gearing. I would be doing it myself not only to save money, but to learn more and to be able to say I did it myself. Now I can't gear the axles under my jeep because I drive it every day to and from school, so I would have to buy a separate set to do in my garage/auto class, and swap them in when they're done.

But why gear a 30 and 27 spline 8.25? I keep telling myself that if I do it, I should do it once with a 44/9 so I wont have to gear another axle set if I decide to upgrade later... Especially if I plan on re-doing the suspension and steering anyways (cant make up my mind). Plan would be to run 35's. I will not run 35's on a 30.

Or skip it all, run 31's, and find something else to do to my jeep.

Someone talk me into/out of it.

 

[connor0770]

iv heard of a lot of people running 35's easily on a 30/8.25 set-up. There is a guy on JF with a TJ on 35's same axle set-up and he has yet to break a shaft! He has been running 35s for 3 years now? He wheels the rubicon as well if i can remember correctly. Sean has his XJ on 35's and he has a 30 in the front and wheels the Rubicon.. People doubt the Dana30

 

[Jeep450r]

Its not entirely the strength I'm worried about, but the brakes. My brakes suck enough with 31's, I cant imagine the brakes with 35's.

And for the cost of me linking, steering, and gearing my 30, for not much more I could have a 44.

 

[yossarian19]

As another option, you could go WJ brakes on a D30 you find local / cheap, then swap in an 8.8. Mucho cheaper than 44 / 9" and plenty of strength, though it is your call if that is "enough" axle for what you plan to do in the future.
Less cash, less fab, but less axle.

 

[connor0770]

As another option, you could go WJ brakes on a D30 you find local / cheap, then swap in an 8.8. Mucho cheaper than 44 / 9" and plenty of strength, though it is your call if that is "enough" axle for what you plan to do in the future.
Less cash, less fab, but less axle.

the 8.8 is stronger than the 9inch?

 

[yossarian19]

No - the 9" is stronger, but only just.
The 8.8 is closer in size, though. Slightly narrower, vs the 9", which is full width.

 

[Jeep450r]

Still cant make up my mind... Maybe I'll run the 30, upgrade the rear, and get my fabrication thrill through building a rear bumper (hopefully starting tonight) and a cage. Idk...I'm just bouncing around between my options.

As for the WJ brakes, how big of a difference will they really make?

 

[Jeep450r]

Well, the 1/2 tons are out. It was fun dreaming, while it lasted.

Started on my bumper not to long ago. Got the 2 main plates set up. Drilling the holes in the correct places will hopefully be the hardest/most frustrating part of this project. Yes I'm serious. They never line up right. A drill press and chop saw would make this soooo much easier.

I probably have about 4 hours into the bumper so far. 2 hours of planning/thinking, and 2 hours of cutting/drilling/making templates.

I also cut up an improperly engineered gusset for my passenger side UCA mount. It only touches the axle tube in one spot, while it should follow the curve of the tube instead.

Waiting to do the cut and fold until the rain stops coming down.

Im on the lookout for some 33's at the moment... Gotta start getting ready for the Rubicon trip this summer!

 

[connor0770]

SpenceXJ is selling his 33 MTRs i believe.. you could try asking him

 

[blondejoncherokee]

carry spares and run the 30. i run 35s on stock 30 shafts. so does sean.
i think my brakes are great with the 35s all things considered- WJ booster and master, im good at changing pads/calipers/rotors every other year , and a rear disc conversion on the 44 allow me to stop very well.
dont over think it, just have fun. if you baby the gas pedal its very hard to break anything.
4.88s and 33s will be awesome and you will love it.
run 33s. lock both axles. carry spare shafts. leave the unit bearings attached.
and enjoy the trails!
i try to do all of my building of the jeep oct thru 2nd week of may, with a few snow runs here and there. from 3rd week of may to end of sept i try to wheel every other weekend and when i can every weekend.

if youre paying a shop to do gears , do 4.88s.
if youre gonna buy a set of used re-geared axles, get what you can for the bang for the buck.
ive sold multiple locked and geared axle combos for cheap over the last 3 years.
i once sold a 8.25/30 4.56s and lockrights in both for 600 to rob707 on here. he ran 37s on that thing on fordyce and the con most weekends for a year stright before he blew up the rear . still on the front. just threw chromos in to go up to 39s. broke a chromo shaft on the hammers at KOH this year, thats it...

if youre a junk yard guy pick up a 8.8 with 4.10s and LS off car part for 250$ and find a 4 cyl XJ/MJ front with 4.10s or a used 4.10 front and swap em in.

if youre locked up front just make sure you have decent steering(zj tie rod at least) and brace up the steering box as much as you can. (cross over brace and outer frame rail /inner frame rail brace)

 

[Jeep450r]

Thanks Jon, lots if good info you got there.

Something hats been buggin me recently is my front Aussie locker. I heard about ratcheting and popping noises when making sharp turns, but mine seems to make more of a grinding noise. Seems to be worse when making sharp left u-turns.

Any ideas as to why it's grinding rather than ratcheting? Or is it normal?