When you don’t have a running/working Jeep for over a year, you tend to design cool “what about” build scenarios and then come up with ridiculous lists of next build items. When the LT swap started I had 3 main mods left on my list; axles, engine, and roll cage. The axles were added to the engine swap so those 2 items were knocked out at once, so that left roll cage. I will be going with the Genright JKU roll cage with B-pillar delete. That has been on the list for a while. The hold up has been money of course, but also welding the kit together. The latter has been solved, now to start the GoFundMe!
As I continue to troll Instagram and Facebook to see what Jeepers that have working rigs are doing on the trails and with their rigs, I find myself adding to my list of modifications. Wait! I don’t even have a working Jeep! Doesn’t hurt to dream, right? The list is getting long for sure so let’s start with suspension. I would like to link and coil both the front and the rear of the Jeep. Linked suspensions offer so much more articulation along with balance and transfer of power to corners when needed. The key will be to shave the axles and keep the center of gravity low on the heavy ass Jeep without sacrificing any flex.
Second on the list is axles. When I bought my current axles I went with stock width for a couple of reasons, stealth look and to fit on my trailer. When you look under my Jeep something is different, but you can’t really tell what it is other than huge axle tubing and different housings. The goal was to wheel this lower cost set of stealthy tons while working on getting a kingpin full width built for the front. Can’t really run a full width front and a stock width rear, so why not change to a full width rear when the 60 Elite is done up front. I’m so glad you brought that up! Let’s discuss the evolution of the rear axle. Since I will be going to a kingpin front axle I will have lots of useful steering components left over. What better to do with left over steering components than build a rear steer axle? The design goal will be to swap in full width tubes, move the existing front inner Cs, and Reid outers, and RCV shafts to the back corners for steering. I will move the PSC hydro assist from the current front setup to the back and add ram limiters and steering stops to only allow minor degrees of steering that won’t bind with the frame and suspension. The font kingpin setup will receive a shiny new double end ram steering setup along with an upgraded high volume pump. The rear ram will present an interesting problem of keeping the axle locked at zero degrees steering, and it may not work as expected. If it doesn’t work I will change to a limited throw double ended ram and run it off of a self contained electric hydraulic pump unit in the back of the Jeep. The pump just needs to provide enough fluid to push the ram when the ram is in use. The design will keep the electric pump off until steering is requested and the motor will provide enough pump RPM on demand to drive the double ender. This will allow the me to keep the fluid cool when not in use. Next design element will be steering lock out when the pump is off. The ram will want to wander when the pump is not supplying pressure, so I will have to design a cog, or pin lock to lock the rear steer at zero degrees when the pump is turned off. Some things to think about for sure.
Third is tires. I am actually starting that research now. I have ordered a set of 40 inch Baja Boss X bias ply stickies. I have heard good things about the Boss X line and want to try them out. Those will get mounted on a set of KMC 233s that happen to be hanging out in the garage waiting for a special project. When I finally switch to 8 lug (see above paragraph) I will be able to sell all my current wheel and tire combos for like sets in 8 lug based on what I like the best.
Forth is unadulterated HORSEPOWER! I will be sourcing a second LT 6.2 engine to put on a stand and completely rebuild for pure horsepower. It will get DoD/VOLM delete, new lifters and push rods, new torque duration cam, and upgraded internals. The goal will be 700HP NA, and built to eventually bolt on a ProCharger or Whipple 2.x at a later date. There is no hurry on this item due to expense and details. It will be built and then stand dyno’d before it gets bolted into the Jeep for a WHP dyno. I will have to research transmission upgrades so I don’t shell anymore 8Ls.
Plenty more to come for sure so stay tuned. But first… I need my Jeep back