Red YJ Build

adamk

adamk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Location
Burlington
Little back story:

Last November we made a trip to Kairos for the first time and, while trying to get off the trails before it got too dark, I made a poor judgement call and flopped my XJ. Damage wasn't too bad but, after starting to fix it, I decided I didn't want to mess with a unibody anymore and parted it out.

Back in January, I purchased a totaled 94 YJ with only 119k miles on the clock. It started right up and ran pretty darn well for sitting for years and having old gas. That's where this build thread starts.

The plan was:
Front:
D60 front from a 2003 F350
5.38 gears
Spool
Stock shafts (for starters)
12"Fox Coilovers
Barnes coilover towers
3 Link
Stretch as far as I could

Rear:
D60 rear out of the XJ
5.38 gears
ARB
Motobilt stretch kit and XJ springs
14" Bilstein shocks
37s from the XJ to start
Stretch perches

Drivetrain:
Stock 4.0/AX15/231
Barnes belly skid
60mm throttle body
4 hole injectors

Body:
Comp cut rear
Fold down tailgate
Fuel cell sunk into the floor
Seats TBD
Cage of some sort (not sure if I'll buy or fab)

The Pictures should be in chronological order from when I purchased the Jeep to where it sits now.

IMG_2367[1].JPG

IMG_2429[1].JPG

IMG_2472[1].JPG

IMG_2474[1].JPG
IMG_2500[1].JPG
 
So that should bring it all up to speed, in the form of pictures, and where it's at now. I'm currently working on getting all the parts for full hydro. This whole build has been an out-of-pocket build where everything has been purchased in cash and I intend to keep it that way. My goal is to have it completed by the end of July. Hopefully I can keep this thread updated better than my XJ thread.
 
I’m not familiar with wrangler frames but what’s holding you back from triangulated 4 linking the front? Esp since you have decided full hydro.


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NickMaul said:
I’m not familiar with wrangler frames but what’s holding you back from triangulated 4 linking the front? Esp since you have decided full hydro.


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Click to expand...

When I started working on the front, I had planned on going with hydro assist but told myself to just place the axle where it fit and figure out steering after. So a 3 link is what I built and I was able to sneak the axle so that, at full bump, the upper link/truss fits between the crank pulley and the bottom of the radiator. My limiting factor then became the lower radiator hose. Also, the front half of the frame on this jeep was quite bent from whatever accident it was in. I had the frame straightened so that the drive train was in the proper place. Redoing the front half of the frame wasn't part of the plan but was needed for clearance to maximize up-travel. This then allowed me to sink the winch mount down into the new frame rails but took away the ability to run a steering box. I wasn't dead set on hydro assist so it's not a big concern to me.

Looking back, could I have gone with a 4 link? I think so but I would have to have relied on the lowers to make up majority of the triangulation. I didn't really want to build a cross member for the lowers. Nor did I want to deal with link clearance between the driver side upper and the exhaust/driveshaft.
 
adamk said:
When I started working on the front, I had planned on going with hydro assist but told myself to just place the axle where it fit and figure out steering after. So a 3 link is what I built and I was able to sneak the axle so that, at full bump, the upper link/truss fits between the crank pulley and the bottom of the radiator. My limiting factor then became the lower radiator hose. Also, the front half of the frame on this jeep was quite bent from whatever accident it was in. I had the frame straightened so that the drive train was in the proper place. Redoing the front half of the frame wasn't part of the plan but was needed for clearance to maximize up-travel. This then allowed me to sink the winch mount down into the new frame rails but took away the ability to run a steering box. I wasn't dead set on hydro assist so it's not a big concern to me.

Looking back, could I have gone with a 4 link? I think so but I would have to have relied on the lowers to make up majority of the triangulation. I didn't really want to build a cross member for the lowers. Nor did I want to deal with link clearance between the driver side upper and the exhaust/driveshaft.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. Full hydro sure is tempting! Any plans to drive this on the street much?


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Looks great @adamk

I’ve crunched my tub so bad, I don’t think my half doors (at least passenger) will ever fit again. If you’re interested in them, let me know. They’re not pretty, but they’re hard doors. They’re not stock red anymore either. I rattle canned them rustoleum “fire”.
 
NickMaul said:
Gotcha. Full hydro sure is tempting! Any plans to drive this on the street much?


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Click to expand...

it’ll see some road time.


cufor98 said:
Looks great @adamk

I’ve crunched my tub so bad, I don’t think my half doors (at least passenger) will ever fit again. If you’re interested in them, let me know. They’re not pretty, but they’re hard doors. They’re not stock red anymore either. I rattle canned them rustoleum “fire”.
Click to expand...

shoot me a text and let’s talk
 
There's been some progress the past few days. No pictures yet but I'll grab some tonight as I finish up a few things before rolling it back out of the garage until the next round of parts come in.

Front axle shafts installed
G2 front hubs installed
Started working on trans mount with the barnes 2" drop skid
Header replacement underway
Straightened driver side of grill for headlight alignment
Charged the front shocks (need softer lower springs. Rig lifted about 2.5")

Found some more problems that were caused by the wreck this thing was in. The passenger side engine bracket is bent and one of the threaded bosses on the block has broken off. Ordered a Brown Dog engine bracket to replace the bent/broken one and also to tie into the additional bosses on the block. This put a pause on the trans mount since the location of the motor may be off due to the damaged bracket. When making the trans mount, the transmission hits the front lip of the skid plate. Raising the trans mount corrects this but then creates a clearance issue between the TC shifter bracket and the tub. A little cutting of the tub will solve that problem.

I'll be working in the garage tonight to finish all that I can with the parts I have. Should be able to finish the header replacement, start on the rear traction bar (kept the one off my XJ so it'll just get shortened to fit), and look into bracing/strengthening the skid plate.

Placed some orders for parts today and they should be here early next week.

Brown Dog Engine bracket (Pass side)
Motobilt SD60 diff cover
Brake calipers for the front
New wheel cylinder for the rear
E350 master cylinder
MISC rod ends, misalignment spacers, etc from Barnes
LED tail lights
LED flasher relay
 
Finished the header replacement. Took the time to clean the intake and throttle body while it was all out. Jeep fired right back up and ran smoothly. Mounted one of the seats out of curiosity and it’s safe to say, these will not be used for the front seats. They look and feel awful. I’ll probably got with XPs for the fronts. Always loved the comfort of them.

so now the jeep is back outside as I wait for parts. Maybe I’ll get more work done next week. Also, my garage isn’t big, but it’s well lit and works for what I need.
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