The Jank

[GordoSmasho]

This isnt the barnes kit but this is how the shackle is usually run. I dont see any reason you would have to run through the floor to get it to work.

Bushing on bottom solid mounted. Joint on top connected to the arm.

 

[highspeed]

I love your build.

I see that the headlights are mounted and you have a picture with them "on", but how is the lighting at night?

 

[jbain08]

Thanks Gordo.... exactly what I was looking for..... Highspeed I've yet to have them out at night but I'll let you know as soon as I do.

 

[jbain08]

I had originally planned to go with a midarm setup but at the last minute decide to go with a longarm and a crossmember. So we windowed the frame from the inside and dropped in a 1/2 inch piece of plate....then bolted it all up and welded it to the unibody. I also got a chance to test fit the new hood that just came out of the paint booth.... I was real happy with how it turned out. Next up was the rear antiwrap bar. I thought about this alot and decided to mount a piece of thickwalled square tube on the down legs of the boatsides and hang the shackle to that. Of course this required me to cut a out the floor and some of the rear pan to keep the upper arm flat but it did keep my shackle up and out of harms way. Then I loaded it on the trailer and took it down to IVY for the Spring Invasion Ride and a quick shakedown..... flexed her out and everything seemed to work as it should. All in all a great weekend.

 

[jbain08]

Spent the better part of the day bending EMT trying to figure out how I’d like my front rub bars to look. I burnt through four 10 foot sticks but I think I’m happy with these….. time to get some bars bent….

 

[jbain08]

Not sure I was digging all the red split by a black bar so I think I'll just weld 1/4 plate over the bars to make a lower fender.... something like this but over the bars instead of inside them.

 

[WiscoXJ]

Coming along, guna go red with the whole thing eventually?

 

[jbain08]

Yep.... soon as I get the front bars in then it's off to paint..... Hood's already been painted the color is from a mid 2000's Cobalt.

 

[WiscoXJ]

Pumped to see it done man. I still scroll through your mj thread ocassiinally. Such a solid build

 

[jbain08]

Thanks Wisco...That MJ was probably my favorite vehicle of all time ..... I really hated to part with it but I think this will surpass it once I'm done. I just wish I had done an EXO instead of an interior cage... had I been out west in the wide open spaces it probably wouldn't have been as bad but here in WV the ravines and ledges are tight and you gotta lean on everything to get through.

 

[WiscoXJ]

I hear that.. my MJ is fairly clean and im getting nervous about the trails. Im in the Midwest so its heavily wooded out here. We'll see though. I would love to throw some dana 60's under a 2dr xj so maybe if im too much of a wus with the MJ ill do that.

Im guna hold you too this truggy surpassing that truck.. GET'RONE!

 

[jbain08]

Got some work done over the weekend on the 3 link suspension. New passenger upper Mocked in, to get my 6 inches of separation I had to cut out most of the floor. On a side note most of it was rusted anyway.

New upper and lowers ready for welding

Mocked up the trackbar 2 inches forward, this still gives me about 1.25 inches before it makes contact with the Pitman arm and allows me to move my axle 2 inches forward. Still have some plating to do but this should get my wheelbase out over 110 inches.

 

[jbain08]

Not a great pic but I did get my front rub bars mocked in...

 

[WiscoXJ]

Im new to 4x4 solid axle suspension so forgive my question, but is it 6" of vertical separation between the upper and lower CA mount you were talking about?

 

[jbain08]

Yep.... if possible you want to get 6 at the frame and 8 at the axle. You also want to try and keep your upper as flat as possible and at least 70% the length of your lower.

 

[jbain08]

Got the front bars bent up this weekend and tacked into place.

 

[WiscoXJ]

Yep.... if possible you want to get 6 at the frame and 8 at the axle. You also want to try and keep your upper as flat as possible and at least 70% the length of your lower.

Cool, thanks for the info

 

[jbain08]

The Truggy went in the booth over the weekend and came out red. Now I just gotta paint alot of black.

 

[jbain08]

Got most of the exo painted over the last couple evenings.........

 

[831_xj]

Wow looks incredible!