Not the " LAST OF THE MANCHES " 2-92 build project.

[DJM/78]

When he rebuilt my bumper brackets , he used 1/4 steel . Much thicker than before . He swore he had been using this set up

for 15 years . I don't do anything real tough with it though and he said if I ever had a problem , to take it back and he would

fix it . No winch , for I have not been stuck yet . If I bought a winch bumper and winch , it would never get used .

 

I have used it for minor towing and small jobs , it does good so far , but we'll see . The " D " ring clamps are deep welded into

the metal . It doesn't look like it but that bumper weighs about 90 lbs . Made of thick reinforced " c " channel .

 

It won't be hard to make new brackets that go further back to the other bolt holes if needed . But I don't know how hard

I'm going to be on it . I try not to do anything JUST for looks . I'm also still working on it too .

Needs a couple of things . :cheers:

[reson46]

When he rebuilt my bumper brackets , he used 1/4 steel . Much thicker than before . He swore he had been using this set up

for 15 years . I don't do anything real tough with it though and he said if I ever had a problem , to take it back and he would

fix it . No winch , for I have not been stuck yet . If I bought a winch bumper and winch , it would never get used .

 

I have used it for minor towing and small jobs , it does good so far , but we'll see . The " D " ring clamps are deep welded into

the metal . It doesn't look like it but that bumper weighs about 90 lbs . Made of thick reinforced " c " channel .

 

It won't be hard to make new brackets that go further back to the other bolt holes if needed . But I don't know how hard

I'm going to be on it . I try not to do anything JUST for looks . I'm also still working on it too .

Needs a couple of things . :cheers:

 

It doesn't matter how thick the steel is in the brackets. They are only attached to sheet metal! You need to spread the load out as much as possible. Like this:

 

 

Willy

[DJM/78]

That looks great , yeah mine only uses the front three bolts . I would like to do that , but how involved is it .

 

The three on each side that I have now where a b@tch to line up , the bumper is still a little off . I could only imagine

two or more bolts on each side .

 

Are those longer grade 8 bolts ?

 

Thanks

[reson46]

That looks great , yeah mine only uses the front three bolts . I would like to do that , but how involved is it .

 

The three on each side that I have now where a b@tch to line up , the bumper is still a little off . I could only imagine

two or more bolts on each side .

 

Are those longer grade 8 bolts ?

 

Thanks

 

If the bolt holes don't line up you need to discuss that with the builder of the bumper. Creating the proper tie in brackets should be simple for any halfway competent bumper builder. Mine are just made from 6"x1/4" steel with holes drilled in the proper places.

 

The bolts on the left are 1/2" grade 8. The next is metric that uses the captured nut within the uniframe - I think it is M10 grade 8.8. The next three are the steering box bolts - I think they are 7/16" and are grade 8. I think I was able to get a 3/4" bolt in the rear hole and it is also grade 8.

 

Willy

[DJM/78]

Cool , My bolt holes do not line up because of some minor front end damage , off by 1/2 of an inch .

 

I have tried everything I know to move that metal . Won't budge . I was going to do this but ran into that problem .

 

My guess is a frame straightener ? Or a frame pully . I have been trying to do this ,but everyone down here said it would be fine .

 

I am all about making it stronger . Thanks for the input . :thumbsup:

[DJM/78]

Progress report :

 

I've been busy lately trying to complete a couple things on my recent objective list .

 

Recently finished a brand spanking new D44 with true-track , 456 yukon gears , alloy axle shafts , new seals and bearings

and a shiny new set of Tera -Flex slotted disc brakes conversion kit .

 

The axle has been laser checked for alignment , housing has been reinforced and completely refinished .

 

Got the gears to match the front and having the bearings and seals replaced .

 

I am also adding a true 3.5" lift with Tera-Flex 3.5" coils and custom made rear 3.5" spring pack . ( local shop )

RE express adjustable LCA's and WJ UCA's for a more stable ride .

Probably beefing up the steering at the same time .

 

Its taking me a while to get all the money together , all I need is the springs and I'm set with a whole new rear end . :chillin:

I'm having a professional performance shop do all the work because this project was beyond my skill level .

I'm lacking tools and knowledge ..pics to come....

[Rymanrph]

Would your tires have rubbed in the front if your fenders hadn't been cut? I see that you had to trim them on the back side, but I was curious about the front.

[DJM/78]

Would your tires have rubbed in the front if your fenders hadn't been cut? I see that you had to trim them on the back side, but I was curious about the front.

 

Yeah , they rubbed a small amount on the front . I cut the front fenders because of the front bumper has the fender armor , I

haven't put that on yet .

 

There is also a nasty little clip in there , that if the tire ever comes in contact with it , it will just shred the tire .

The back fender has that jagged metal clip just under the plastic on the lower middle section , thats where most of the rub was .

 

I just saw how thin and cheesy the front of the quarter panel was , so I removed it .

 

IMO these trucks should have come with bigger tires and more front fender well clearance , like the CJ's , TJ's .

It sure stabilizes the ride quite a bit . Lifted jeeps need help with that if you plan on using the truck as a DD .

[Dirteatr717]

Whenever I'm bored I gaze at your pictures, a sweet MJ with some sweet scenery what more can you ask for? figured id let you know haha :cheers:

[DJM/78]

Cool , thanks man . :thumbsup:

 

Its been slow going but I'll have some more pics up soon ...

[DJM/78]

Found this and threw it in there , took some pics of my progress ..

 

Cleaning up my LCA's and got some new bushings in over the weekend . Ready for powder coat .

 

 

Did a slight tune up and some more parts searching , still working on getting all the lift components together .

 

Slow and go ..... :chillin:

[neohic]

Cleaning up my LCA's and got some new bushings in over the weekend . Ready for powder coat .

 

Getting powder coat done at a jewelry store? Gotta admit though... the one is pretty shiny!

[DJM/78]

Cleaning up my LCA's and got some new bushings in over the weekend . Ready for powder coat .

 

Getting powder coat done at a jewelry store? Gotta admit though... the one is pretty shiny!

 

He , he , If my shop ovens were large enough I would do all my powder coating there . I actually have most of my

welding and metal finishing tools in the back .

[neohic]

Awesome!

[DJM/78]

Alright , some of you may have read my posts about the work that I had been doing to my truck .

Everything has finally settled down a little around here for me to mess around with some pics . This phase of the project has taken about

three months to complete , mostly with the help of a good shop because I didn't want to screw this one up . What originally started as just

a simple re-gear and D44 swap quickly became a complete re-build of the entire suspension , axles , brakes and steering .

 

There are only a couple of things that didn't get replaced , rear springs and shackles and the front driveshaft because it was all in ok shape .

However they haven't skipped the radar though I'll be doing them in the future .

 

Parts list :

 

RE 5.5" HD SF Lift kit , TF SOA kit , TF SYE kit , TF sway brackets , RE quick disco's , Tom Woods CV drive shaft , re-built re-geared D30

Yukon 456's and alloy axle shafts , Swapped in D44 w/ Trac-Loc matching 456 Yukon gears and TF disc brakes and alloy shafts , SS brake

lines , TF 1 ton knuckle kit and high steer conversion , TF HD steering joints w/TRE insert , custom made steering rods made of .281 wall Dom ,

 

On with the pics already jeez ! :fool:

 

 

I know the 31"s still look small but I'm working on it . I'll post some more pics fer yuz later !

[Automan2164]

Nice. Whats the total gain on the lift over stock?

 

Rob L.

[DJM/78]

Thanks , it ended up being Almost 6" in the rear and 5.5" - 6" in the front , overall it sits fairly level and I can still throw weight in the back

and it just evens it out , I still wanted the use and function of a work truck . I am extremely pleased with the overall ride and stability around

corners .

[Automan2164]

Very cool. I was contemplating the RE lift, but am still on the fence because of my Factory plow I want to run...

 

Rob L.

[DJM/78]

I know its out of order but here are some of the build pics , except for the thirty efn pics that my dog ate ( literally ) on the build of the D44

and other steps I wanted to include like the welding of the drop brackets , track arm bracket and the install of the SYE kit .

 

This is what I saved anyway . :popcorn:

[DJM/78]

Still in the break in period with the new gears so I'm taking a couple extra stops along my normal route . :chillin:

Still no real time to get better pics of cool stuff , maybe this sunday I'll find something cool .

[Darren]

Very impressive. Those knuckles are badass. Ditch the shock boots and get your self some bigger tires and you'll be set!

[DJM/78]

Very impressive. Those knuckles are badass. Ditch the shock boots and get your self some bigger tires and you'll be set!

 

 

Thanks man , yeah its a little over geared with the 456's and 31"s , but the 33"s should trim out real nice .

 

Next is a little body work and finishing my bumpers , I going to try your sticker removal wheel for the old chipped stickers on the bed .

 

Picked one of those wheels up at the paint supply shop last week .

[reson46]

Nice. :thumbsup:

 

Are you happy with the bump steer? Is painting the steering on the list?

 

Willy

[DJM/78]

Thanks , I just painted the steering last night because we have some rain coming in through the week .

 

To tell you the truth my old 2" lift rode even worse , so bad in fact it shredded two brand new track bar mounts .

Now it actually rides real smooth and the bump steer is just occasional and slight if any . Very controllable though .

I don't plan on going too much further in height and a 33" tire is what I set this up for maybe during summer mudd'n trips I'll throw a set

of 35"s on just for show .

 

I drove a friends TJ with 37"s with the same steering I have and the bump steer tore the wheel right out your hands . :ack:

But thats a pure crawler vehicle so I guess its to be expected .

 

I'll get pics of the suspension painting up today at some point . :chillin:

[DJM/78]

I got the steering and rear springs painted yesterday with some random crap I had laying around in the garage .

Took some pics .

 

I used this:

 

 

I prepped the surface with alcohol after cleaning and a light scuffing . I threw two thirds the can on just the two rods knowing that it will

get all messed up eventually , so I'll see how this holds up until I make up my mind about color . Then I'll powder coat them .