The Frog Blog

[kdailey4315]

Damn! I don't visit this site for about 6 months and your rig is completely different. It looks great man!

 

[rocknxj]

Damn! I don't visit this site for about 6 months and your rig is completely different. It looks great man!

thanks. It looks better with the new long arm kit. Drives better too.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

How are your amazon lights as far as output?

 

[rocknxj]

How are your amazon lights as far as output?

Light output is fine. I am running the Cree spots currently and will add floods to supplement them soon. Since I don't do much night wheeling the cheap spots are fine for throwing a long narrow beam ahead of my regular headlights. Light is bright white and have proven to light up the road and road signs very well.

These are very inexpensive lights but the build quality is very good. If you need more light I suggest paying more for a longer ir wider pattern. I'm happy with them and will buy again.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Good to know, I was wondering, as I was thinking about picking up a pair of each the spots and the floods. For the price, can't really beat them.

 

[rocknxj]

Good to know, I was wondering, as I was thinking about picking up a pair of each the spots and the floods. For the price, can't really beat them.

Also, I went with these smaller Cree lights because they won't interfere with my winch when I install in in the front 2" receiver. Again, I'm happy with the output for the price.


As for other improvements, I added some thicker leaf spring plates and new U-bolts for my new RE 6300 leafs. These leafs are about an inch longer eye to eye than the 6200 leafs, and that was enough to throw off my rear pinion angle, and was also the reason my rear shock busted. After install, I experienced severe vibes at 65 mph. I relocated the rear shackle to the last hole in the shackle relo bracket, but that failed to fix the vibes, and I the pinion angle was still off, causing the passenger shock mount to point too high for the shock eye.

Next, I removed my 5* shim and replaced my shackle to the original hole. Presto, no more vibes and the pinion angle was good. Shock slipped on the mount pin and the planets were again aligned. I've driven the Jeep for the past two weeks with good results.

I also have been having "fun" with my long arm adjustment. Yesterday I made the third (and final) adjustment to the new RE lower control arms and am now sitting at 38 3/4" from eye to eye. Adjustment of the lower arms takes a good two hours, with most of that time spent jacking and prepping for control arm removal. I really wish with the arms had a turnbuckle, but I understand the implications of an inadvertent adjustment while driving, so one adjustable end is fine. Oh, and dropping the integrated skid plate and lowering the adjustable end is more of a pain than removing the entire control arm, so I have opted to remove the three control arm bolts and entire control arm assy instead. Hopefully I won't need to re-adjust anytime soon because this is a PITA. Caster is now at 5* and the ride is as good as it has ever been. Coils are pretty straight, too.

I do have some odd clanking of my Currie steering and have pinpointed that to the drag link ball joint and upper track bar joint. My RE track bar bolt is tight, but the bar moves a bit by hand. Might need to rebuilt the joint when I get back from Moab.

Speaking of Moab, I've got 29 days until the trip. Looking forward to testing out the long arm kit and new ARB and Grizzly lockers. I'm bummed that gas prices have risen over a dollar in the past 30 days, but I'll offset the prices by canx my trip to the Rubicon over Father's Day weekend. Hopefully prices will again drop and I'll be able to make the Rubicon after all.

This has been a Frog Blog update...

 

[#S194]

This has been a Frog Blog update...

You can't have an update without pics! :huh:

 

[rocknxj]

You can't have an update without pics! :huh:

I can't believe I've been photo shamed on my own blog. OK, here are some pics.

And a pile of new parts ^^ waiting to be installed.

The 6200 SA lift with drop brackets served me well, but it was time for them to go.

A pair of tall jack stands on positioned under the rock rails work perfectly for holding up the front end.

I do like to use the Hi Lift with a shackle on the front 2" receiver for an extra bit of safety.

Here's a pile of old parts ^^ that need to be sold.

The long arm install went pretty well, despite laying on my back for two days cutting, grinding, drilling, and getting all sorts of crap in my eyes. Here's a shot of the belly pan and side protection that ties it all together.

I got the lower arms dialed in after three attempts. I ended up setting the lower arms at 38.75", which seems to be about perfect for my rig. That allowed me enough clearance for the tires and provided 5 degrees of caster able at the front axle. Upper arms are at the minimum setting, though. Drives great.

 

[rocknxj]

Looks like I'll have a bit more clearance without the drop brackets.

Here are a few more pics of the LA kit installation:

This is the control arm bracket. It's installed by a few nut strips above the pinch weld and a few new bots and nut strips on the aft edges. The belly pan and tranny mount fastens directly to the control arm bracket.

I used a separate floor jack to prop up the TC and tranny. You can't have enough jack stands and floor jacks.

I run AJ's rock rails and had to trim a bit of the bracket that mounts to the pinch seam. Without rock rails, installation would have been a breeze.

I also took the time to replace the leaf spring plates with a set of 3/8" thick plates from RE, as shown above. Below, you can see the difference, in both thickness and overall size of the plates. The original plates did not allow me to tighten the U-bolts fully and caused leaf spread and bent U-bolts.

Above is a shot of my rear shackle angle, after 5 degree shims were removed. The rear hole is a tad too steep and raises the rear end too high. The new Bilsteins can also be seen.

Here's what happens when you wheel hard and your shock mount is not aligned properly. The good news is I am now running matching Bilsteins front and rear.

 

[rocknxj]

19 days to Moab....I'll be taking the wife and little kid on some scenic trails that won't scare them too much and have decided to run Sevenmile Rim, Tower Arch, Fins & Things, and Top of the World. Time permitting, I'll head back to Poison Spider Mesa, which is one of my favorite trails. Here's a pic or two to get me in the mood...

 

[rocknxj]

Anybody want to turn the clock back to 1989 and buy one of these?

 

[rocknxj]

12 hours before we leave for a week in Moab. We planned this so we could be done with the trails by the time EJS officially kicks off. I'm stoked for a week off and spending it in an incredible location.

 

[#S194]

12 hours before we leave for a week in Moab. We planned this so we could be done with the trails by the time EJS officially kicks off. I'm stoked for a week off and spending it in an incredible location.

Have a blast Kelly. Looking forward to the trip report. :clap:

 

[Skipper51]

The best wheeling in the world Kelly. Have a great time and take pics

 

[twinhauler]

Wish I was going to Moab. Next year I need to make it out there. I am thinking 10 days, would love to MTB some good bike trails too. Have a great Trip

 

[rocknxj]

We've been in Moab since Monday and have run a few scenic trails. There is a definite lack of XJS here.

By the way, before planning a week in Moab with a trail capable jeep, make sure you bring someone who actually enjoys offroading...

 

[XJensen]

We've been in Moab since Monday and have run a few scenic trails. There is a definite lack of XJS here.

By the way, before planning a week in Moab with a trail capable jeep, make sure you bring someone who actually enjoys offroading...

Haha. I would love to meet you out there next time you go. I wanted to start going every two to three years but totaling the jeep changed things

 

[blondejoncherokee]

We've been in Moab since Monday and have run a few scenic trails. There is a definite lack of XJS here.

By the way, before planning a week in Moab with a trail capable jeep, make sure you bring someone who actually enjoys offroading...

did you bring someone along who is hating life right now?

Jensen we need to plan a MOAB trip again- 5 year maybe?

 

[XJensen]

Jensen we need to plan a MOAB trip again- 5 year maybe?

Yes I am in 100%

 

[#S194]

Moab would be awesome. Still bummed I couldn't make the 30th anniversary.