Hey guys, Ryan from TRUCKS! here. Ya know, the "so full of crap guy" :) Just wanted to jump on here and say that I'm glad some of you guys like the MJ and the show. I have been into MJs for a looong time. I've owned two of them and an '89 was my first vehicle so I've got a soft spot for the cool little trucks.
I wanted to address some of the comments about the build and try to clear a few thing up - or at least continue some conversation about differing ideas.
There is really nothing wrong with the way we installed the 3rd link heim, In fact, my 3rd link joint on my Gen Right kit equipped TJ is mounted in a similar fashion. It doesn't limit suspension travel at all. It is installed in a neutral position allowing for plenty of up and down travel.
Speaking of suspension travel. There is more flex than first appears. Keep in mind the flex pic from the end of the show has tires at opposing corners sitting on the old tires and wheels and the body is nearly level. If we only flexed out the front it would be about twice as much as what shows. Also, look at the angle of the front axle in comparison to the bumper. Then take a look at other flexed out Jeeps and you'll see that the articulation is comperable to many other similar rigs. And it's only a "mid arm" design and flex isn't the end all be all of off-road performance.
We have covered track bar/drag link aligment a few times on the show. I'm quite familiar with how it should be but we don't have time in every show to address every issue. It ended up being a little off from "perfect" but for a trail cruiser you'd never know it from behind the wheel.
The steering was needed to clear the diff cover. We placed the lower links slightly inboard to allow for greater steering angle. It may not be needed in every case but it solved a problem for us. I've had to deal with tie rod/diff cover interferance issues before and I thought it was a pretty slick solution.
The revolver shackles we're on the truck when it rolled into the shop and it's not up to us to make changes on the entire vehicle. The rear suspension is limilted to not allow the shackle to unload much and certainly not enough to hyper-extend them.
Lastly, keep in mind we only have about 18 minutes in the half hour show to talk about a lot of stuff. Things get skipped, glossed over and edited out. Unfotunately, that's just the way it is. Hopefully we can squeeze enough good stuff in there to keep people watching.
Out of the shop and out on the trail the MJ does really well in real world situations. It was a big improvement over the short arm kit and worth the effort.
