What are you doing to your rig - the continuing saga

[DutchVDub]

To each their own man, I would just get annoyed and pissed off running 31's. The only way I would go down to that small of a tire is if I was running a RZR and could haul ass between the "obstacles" along the trail.

I will say I haven't had as much fun "crawling" Plane Crash as I did on my Grizzly 660(ATV) running 26's. Those rocks are huge when you're on one of those, and you can really get going on the rest of the trail with that thing. Its a shame I couldn't afford to hold onto it and build the XJ too. I do still have my Honda Foreman 500, but its a solid rear axle utility ATV, not the monster that the Grizzly was.

I don't think you need D44's for those 31's either. I only ever once broke a front shaft on a D30 and that was locked running 35" Krawlers on steel bead locks and going backwards up a wet and muddy Big Momma Hill (over on Left Hand OHV) after helping winch a guy who'd slid off trail and could only be accessed by coming back down from the top.

 

[time2getdirty]

I only broke a shaft on 35s on lhc too, it spit its caps and got tore up on the ears. 37s and a built 30 was never an issue either.

 

[ROKRWLR]

35s were huge in 2001...lol...if you had 33s on a cherokee it was big and 35s were huge...lol...folks said bigger was impossible ...now 37s are the new 33 .

I remember when I first had 33s on my 2000 XJ, people called it the mini-monster and thought it was huge. I think the only 35s I saw on an XJ back then was the gut who started big off-road and honestly, I thought it looked silly (that's a nice way to say it) that big.

Now 37s and 4Ds are on daily driver JKs.

 

[1-tonxj]

I got 35s on my stock tow rig...37s fit just rub control arm test fit the 37 toyos today when I put the new 35s on .

 

[UnlimitedMatt]

I only broke a shaft on 35s on lhc too, it spit its caps and got tore up on the ears. 37s and a built 30 was never an issue either.

Technically you also spit the caps off of the Dana 30 on your TJ, you just weren't around to see it. When you were at Tech School, Wyatt was driving your TJ and it broke on Rollins Pass Road, right where Chad crashed. I had to swap it out with a stub shaft in the rain. Probably caused by karma since we were wheeling your junk while you were away. :eyes:

 

[hjeepxj]

I remember when I first had 33s on my 2000 XJ, people called it the mini-monster and thought it was huge. I think the only 35s I saw on an XJ back then was the gut who started big off-road and honestly, I thought it looked silly (that's a nice way to say it) that big.

Now 37s and 4Ds are on daily driver JKs.

Crazy how things have changed through the years.

 

[ThatGrimmJeeper]

To each their own man, I would just get annoyed and pissed off running 31's. The only way I would go down to that small of a tire is if I was running a RZR and could haul ass between the "obstacles" along the trail.

I will say I haven't had as much fun "crawling" Plane Crash as I did on my Grizzly 660(ATV) running 26's. Those rocks are huge when you're on one of those, and you can really get going on the rest of the trail with that thing. Its a shame I couldn't afford to hold onto it and build the XJ too. I do still have my Honda Foreman 500, but its a solid rear axle utility ATV, not the monster that the Grizzly was.

I don't think you need D44's for those 31's either. I only ever once broke a front shaft on a D30 and that was locked running 35" Krawlers on steel bead locks and going backwards up a wet and muddy Big Momma Hill (over on Left Hand OHV) after helping winch a guy who'd slid off trail and could only be accessed by coming back down from the top.

It will cost me just as much to build up the D30 as it would to build up and swap in the D44.

I already had the D44 and wasn't going to do the project that I bought it for so it was sitting there doing nothing but getting in the way.

Why would I waste a dime on the D30?

 

[DutchVDub]

What would you need to build on the Dana 30? Just toss a set of gears in there and be done. With only 31's it's not like you need a truss or chromo shafts or anything.

 

[freerider15]

Funnily enough...

On the XJ build I have coming up (see project Nikdot), my D30 (and the rig in general) will be far more built than I had it when I was wheeling on 35's :laugh:

It's going on ~31.5's, it MAY see 33's some day.

Why? 'Cause...I can

In reality, if I were to step up to 35's ever again, I'd get a set of JK 44's and swap them in. Hell, even the XJ D30 and JK D30 aren't remotely the same. The JK D30 makes the XJ D30 look weak.

Nothing like essentially just burning on some new brackets, a regear, and having just under full width, with selectable lockers, and OEM parts available all day long.

If I ever decide to buy a Comanche...it's getting JK axles

 

[ThatGrimmJeeper]

What would you need to build on the Dana 30? Just toss a set of gears in there and be done. With only 31's it's not like you need a truss or chromo shafts or anything.

Everything on the D30 (joints, bushings, brakes, unit bearings, etc) is all shot and needs to be replaced. Costs roughly the same to replace everything on the D44.

But really, what difference does it make to you? It's not your Jeep. I don't need to upgrade but I can and I want to. And I don't need your permission to do it.

 

[1-tonxj]

I love the built d30 in the xj the rear 8.25 d35 hybrid is also the tops .

 

[DutchVDub]

Funnily enough...

On the XJ build I have coming up (see project Nikdot), my D30 (and the rig in general) will be far more built than I had it when I was wheeling on 35's :laugh:

It's going on ~31.5's, it MAY see 33's some day.

Why? 'Cause...I can

In reality, if I were to step up to 35's ever again, I'd get a set of JK 44's and swap them in. Hell, even the XJ D30 and JK D30 aren't remotely the same. The JK D30 makes the XJ D30 look weak.

Nothing like essentially just burning on some new brackets, a regear, and having just under full width, with selectable lockers, and OEM parts available all day long.

If I ever decide to buy a Comanche...it's getting JK axles

I'd also love to do a JK axle swap, except those d-bag JK owners thing their axles are worth their weight in gold

Everything on the D30 (joints, bushings, brakes, unit bearings, etc) is all shot and needs to be replaced. Costs roughly the same to replace everything on the D44.

But really, what difference does it make to you? It's not your Jeep. I don't need to upgrade but I can and I want to. And I don't need your permission to do it.

Actually, you do need my permission. It says so right here :rtm:

 

[ThatGrimmJeeper]

Actually, you do need my permission. It says so right here :rtm:

I got yer permission right here... :moon:

 

[DutchVDub]

I'm telling mom on you!!!

 

[ThatGrimmJeeper]

I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything. It wasn't me. It was somebody who looked like me. I was on the other side of the lake at the time.

 

[ROKRWLR]

Inching closer to a running Jeep. Very slowly!

Built a fan shroud for the new radiator:
3/4 square aluminum tube top and bottom with 3/4 aluminum angle on the side. All riveted to a piece of sheet I had laying around. 16" Volvo fan bolted to it.

I ended up putting another 1/8 x 3/4 aluminum piece between the tube and core for some extra fan clearance. I also put some rubber door edge mold on the angle where it gets close to the core just in case the shroud flexes when the fan is on.

Made the intake:
I may have to paint the polished pieces. It's too shiny for my rig!

And a piece together upper radiator hose:

It's all silicone hose with a adapter for the LS steam line.

 

[ROKRWLR]

I decided I wasn't really happy with the mad max tube work I was mocking up on the front so I decided to see how much hood would be left if I decided to go that route with the truck intake.

It actually fit better than I thought it would. I think I'll clean up this rough cut and keep the hood. It keeps a little of (what's left of) the XJ in it.

A higher shot

 

[Hypoid]

I finally got the license plate off my dash.

I kept it "stupid simple."

 

[DutchVDub]

I think the hole in the hood looks pretty good. Nice progress on the LS swap

 

[ThatGrimmJeeper]

I came out to the parking lot after work to find a big wet spot under the front passenger side of my XJ. I haven't taken the time to really dig into it but it looks like the radiator has taken a crap on me.

So I get to have fun with that.

I was already planning on replacing the front and rear crank seals while I had the front axle out for the swap. I'm thinking this may evolve into a "while I'm in there" project that suddenly explodes into a ton of other work.