What are you doing to your rig - the continuing saga

freerider15 said:
Finally able to start really putting some time into getting this thing back on all fours...

47079729294_321b9363ac_b.jpg
Click to expand...

I see you got rid of the 3 link front in exchange for a triangulated 4 . Looks like you went the artec single triangulated kit by the looks of the truss , link tabs , and the smaller 1.5 tube and joints they sell in their kit.
 
4-link dual tri.

Only thing Artec is the truss. It's hard to tell from photos, but it's dual tri.

Upper tabs are custom (cut on zlusters table), lower are what were originally there.

Links are 2.25" 7075 lower, 1.5" 7075 uppers, from Wide Open Design.

Joints are new, imported them myself :D
 
freerider15 said:
4-link dual tri.

Only thing Artec is the truss. It's hard to tell from photos, but it's dual tri.

Upper tabs are custom (cut on zlusters table), lower are what were originally there.

Links are 2.25" 7075 lower, 1.5" 7075 uppers, from Wide Open Design.

Joints are new, imported them myself :D
Click to expand...

Gotcha the upper link mounts looked like the artec link mounts in their kit , so I just assumed their configuration.

For me I just want to get rid of my track bar, but with all the little things I got left to do before getting on trail it's just going to have to wait until fall . I don't see it taking very long since I've already decided on a few ways to mount the links and the front is pushed out far enough to make things fairly easy, but I still see it taking about two months of my weekends from start to finish . That said it's a fairly blingy radius arm set up with about $800 in rod ends in it and a fancy metal cloak lock n load modified to use the 3/4 thru bolt EMFrod ends.
 
trippled said:
Looks good. How tight are those upper links in there? Room wise?
Click to expand...

Honestly, they've got some room, but its tight. If it weren't for the exhaust, I could triangulate the upper a bit more. I lopped more off the frame side for clearance...at this point the "frame" does little.

I'll likely be moving to a 2" exhaust, which will gain me a hair more breathing room.

1-tonxj said:
Gotcha the upper link mounts looked like the artec link mounts in their kit , so I just assumed their configuration.

For me I just want to get rid of my track bar, but with all the little things I got left to do before getting on trail it's just going to have to wait until fall . I don't see it taking very long since I've already decided on a few ways to mount the links and the front is pushed out far enough to make things fairly easy, but I still see it taking about two months of my weekends from start to finish . That said it's a fairly blingy radius arm set up with about $800 in rod ends in it and a fancy metal cloak lock n load modified to use the 3/4 thru bolt EMFrod ends.
Click to expand...

I thought about going EMF, but decided to source my own rod ends and see how they do (essentially FK JMXT's).

I had pondered doing what I did, but didn't move forward. Then I got a wild hair with really not wanting to deal with a panhard, and went for it. This allowed me to roll the pinion up quite a bit, and I'll have far less (e.g. none) driveshaft bind at full droop. It took a bit of clearance of yokes, but I was able to add 10°+ in angle. Got rid of the weak CV, and running a beeeeef non-cv DS now.

So, I'll have a couple in longer wheelbase (~110"), a little more caster (~10°), and a true 4 link setup.

Looking forward to getting this out and playing around.
 
Of all the different hinge setups... I think I have the absolute worst design for removing the doors!! While the design (after mine?) with the bushings that fail seems to be poor, these torx that magically rust inside the door are a horrible pita! The zj was a breeze, 4 bolts that you can get to with an impact- these are the opposite. To tight to even get a torx bit with 1/4" drive socket and ratchet on, and so stupidly tight its futile trying to break loose with a small wrench on the torx- and hard to keep everything straight when doubling the wrenches up.

I have countless hours into the process and only one door complete.
Stripped torx bolts, broken torx bits, broken saw zaw blades, shattered cut off wheels then smoked my dremel- this has trully been a hell-acious endeavor!

The how-to vids make it look easy AF to get out the 6 torx bolts holding the hinges to the door, but not for me. I got 4 of the 6 to barely break loose (no where near out)... But the final 2 were starting to strip so I went to plan b, cut the hinges whole on the Jeep. P i t a!!

I think I probably put to much force on the dremel but that route ended with shattering a few disks before the whole tool just died. Cut off wheel was impossible so I had to use the saw zaw. After way to much effort, pry bars, chisels, BFHs, FIRE (propane torch to heat the hinge not cutring torch) and a few blades i managed to get the door off. To get it off I cut the bottom ear connecting to the door pin and used different methods of pounding it off the pin after it was cut loose. The bottom actually worked out great, instead of seperating off the pin it broke the pin about a 1/8" up. This made less to clear when pulling the door up. The top didnt work out the same, but i was just able to clearence enough bellow the pin to get it off.

Once i had it on the floor, I was able to remove the 4 bolts I broke loose with an electric impact but the last 2 wouldn't budge. I was able to get both to move a slight degree with a ratchet and breaker bar but were siezed beyond belief. No combination of heat, impact, or breaker bars could get them out. Ended up stripping them pretty good and breaking 2 torx bits in the process. Cutting the pin on the top was still needed so I ended up cutting the stripped bolt head off top hinge to get the it off. Cut the pin and hinge down for better clearence, replaced the torx bolts with hex heads, and now she is gtg.... Drivers side that is.

Im dreading even starting the passenger side, and have reserved my self to F the rear... Kiddos usually back there any how.

Any tips or secrets? Plasma cutter might be best- though it could cut to deep and well I dont have one. Getting the top and bottom ears cut while on the Jeep was the absolute worst with a saw zaw
 
Didnt realize how long winded that got... Should've created a new thread I guess- my bad
 
99 takes different hinges afaik?
 
Hopefully the passenger side will be easier... Pins are flipped, so heat and BFH should be able to poke em out... If i fail to get the torx out again- Where on the drivers side this was not possible. Never would have guessed itd be such a pita.. Wish me luck for the passenger side! Lol
 
Ah.. I thought you cut it like I did to make it removable
 
ShoeterMcgav said:
Ah.. I thought you cut it like I did to make it removable
Click to expand...

No I cut them off and gutted them down to a skin and bolted the rears on to studs welded to the door jamb and the fronts bolt to studs on the inside of the exo cage tube door so they are removable but aren't really doors anymore just skins to make it look like more of my xj remains than really does.
 
Been working on the WJ. A lift made life 100,000,000 times easier. Still not done but it's at least able to be on it's own weight. My dad wasn't paying attention when we were putting in the coils and crushed one of the new brakelines......So need to get that fixed and spend more money.

DNYZ28Z.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks, I like them. I guess one decent thing the JK crowd has given me. The place I got them from only markets the wheels for JK's
 
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