RiPPiNiTuP7
03-27-2007, 11:16 AM
well i been thinking about it lately...i been on these forums for a long time now, but never actually introduced myself or made a thread about my zj in any detail. i just bought a decent digi camera of my own that doesn't eat batteries so now i'm more motivated to take pictures.
my name is reid, i live in holland, ohio which it on the outskirts of toledo area. i am a TPT for the toledo north assembly jeep plant. i have a 96 zj and heres the current rough specs on it:
re 3.5” Coils w/ 2” bb
re front track Bar w/ HD bracket
jks rear track bar
re brake lines
re upper SF/lower SR control arms
re twin tube shocks (ugh)
jks discos
addco's front/rear
ome stabilizer
oem skids all around
HP dana 30 w/ 4.56 Gears
super super 35 kit w/ 4.56 gears & detroit locker
jcr rock sliders
arb bumper w/ M8000 Winch & 100 watt lights mounted up
bling bling aluminun wheels w/ 33” bfg at's
reman mopar trans
tom woods sye and front/rear driveshafts
i do have some pics of some of my past mods, but i don't feel like going back in time right now, so we'll fast forward to whats happing right now. my biggest concern is the rear axle. i feel like it's keeping me restrained from ever doing anything more with my zj so i decided to get an 8.8 that would be better matced to the HP30 i already have. i'd feel a little weird welding up a claytons long arm to a dana 35, and i know by the end of this summer i will probably be on 35's so bye bye d35.
heres a mall crawler shot of my zj at the house:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/myzj1.jpg
the project begins; ford 8.8 from a 2001 explorer w/ 49k 4.10's LS (even though that doesn't matter as you'll read further down):
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/Axlebeginning1.jpg
getting brackets ground off:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/axlebracketsvutting2.jpg
smoothed down:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/axlebracketscut.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/axlesmooth.jpg
i decided to do the abs mod as per jordan's instructions, i figured it won't hurt to see if it works and abs is always nice with the weather ohio gets, but if for some odd reason it doesn't work no harm done trying...
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2239.jpg
as we know the 8.8 is about 5/8" narrower than the d35 so i had a buddy at work machine a set of spacers out of steel get get my widtch back...
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2240.jpg
damn, fits like a glove:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2242.jpg
had to get some new studs due to the spacers, so i did like aprilwarriorz with the arps, picked them up on ebay cheap:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2248.jpg
cut down:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2259.jpg
now for some goodies in the mail...
flange, bolts, and re extended line:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2245.jpg
overhaul kit and new wheel bearings/seals:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2280.jpg
and what hit the wallet hard; my eaton e-locker:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2313.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2314.jpg
i also picked up a set of precision 4.56 gears, but since i'm not doing the gear install (local shop i trust) i picked them up local since they had them on the shelf and wanted to help them a little bit, so no pics of gears. also since i dd my zj i didn't want to have too much downtime, so locked98gc opted to cut his old d35 in half and send me the tubes with the brackets attatched, this helped a bunch:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2312.jpg
now as of yesterday, the time has come to rip out the old stuff:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2326.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2329.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2332.jpg
about 2 hours from the start, i had the old axle out on my own:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2333.jpg
and heres the 8.8 back from the shop, gears/locker/overhaul kit installed, tubes cleaned up as best as possible, and brackets fully prepped ready for welding. at this point i already welded the tubes to the pumpkin and threw some primer on the welds, it came out pretty good considering going from steel to cast:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2331.jpg
pinion set to 11*, perches, etc at 0*, tacked in place:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2336.jpg
and finally the last pic of the night, welds fully laid down on 5 of the 8 brackets, today hopefully i will get the other sway bar mount done, and the two LCA mounts, that way i can get a coat of primer before i call it a night:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2338.jpg
thats all for now guys, as things progress i will update this thread with more info and pics, let me know what you think so far!
-reid
my name is reid, i live in holland, ohio which it on the outskirts of toledo area. i am a TPT for the toledo north assembly jeep plant. i have a 96 zj and heres the current rough specs on it:
re 3.5” Coils w/ 2” bb
re front track Bar w/ HD bracket
jks rear track bar
re brake lines
re upper SF/lower SR control arms
re twin tube shocks (ugh)
jks discos
addco's front/rear
ome stabilizer
oem skids all around
HP dana 30 w/ 4.56 Gears
super super 35 kit w/ 4.56 gears & detroit locker
jcr rock sliders
arb bumper w/ M8000 Winch & 100 watt lights mounted up
bling bling aluminun wheels w/ 33” bfg at's
reman mopar trans
tom woods sye and front/rear driveshafts
i do have some pics of some of my past mods, but i don't feel like going back in time right now, so we'll fast forward to whats happing right now. my biggest concern is the rear axle. i feel like it's keeping me restrained from ever doing anything more with my zj so i decided to get an 8.8 that would be better matced to the HP30 i already have. i'd feel a little weird welding up a claytons long arm to a dana 35, and i know by the end of this summer i will probably be on 35's so bye bye d35.
heres a mall crawler shot of my zj at the house:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/myzj1.jpg
the project begins; ford 8.8 from a 2001 explorer w/ 49k 4.10's LS (even though that doesn't matter as you'll read further down):
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/Axlebeginning1.jpg
getting brackets ground off:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/axlebracketsvutting2.jpg
smoothed down:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/axlebracketscut.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/axlesmooth.jpg
i decided to do the abs mod as per jordan's instructions, i figured it won't hurt to see if it works and abs is always nice with the weather ohio gets, but if for some odd reason it doesn't work no harm done trying...
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2239.jpg
as we know the 8.8 is about 5/8" narrower than the d35 so i had a buddy at work machine a set of spacers out of steel get get my widtch back...
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2240.jpg
damn, fits like a glove:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2242.jpg
had to get some new studs due to the spacers, so i did like aprilwarriorz with the arps, picked them up on ebay cheap:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2248.jpg
cut down:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2259.jpg
now for some goodies in the mail...
flange, bolts, and re extended line:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2245.jpg
overhaul kit and new wheel bearings/seals:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2280.jpg
and what hit the wallet hard; my eaton e-locker:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2313.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2314.jpg
i also picked up a set of precision 4.56 gears, but since i'm not doing the gear install (local shop i trust) i picked them up local since they had them on the shelf and wanted to help them a little bit, so no pics of gears. also since i dd my zj i didn't want to have too much downtime, so locked98gc opted to cut his old d35 in half and send me the tubes with the brackets attatched, this helped a bunch:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2312.jpg
now as of yesterday, the time has come to rip out the old stuff:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2326.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2329.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2332.jpg
about 2 hours from the start, i had the old axle out on my own:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2333.jpg
and heres the 8.8 back from the shop, gears/locker/overhaul kit installed, tubes cleaned up as best as possible, and brackets fully prepped ready for welding. at this point i already welded the tubes to the pumpkin and threw some primer on the welds, it came out pretty good considering going from steel to cast:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2331.jpg
pinion set to 11*, perches, etc at 0*, tacked in place:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2336.jpg
and finally the last pic of the night, welds fully laid down on 5 of the 8 brackets, today hopefully i will get the other sway bar mount done, and the two LCA mounts, that way i can get a coat of primer before i call it a night:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/rippinitup7/8%208%20Install/100_2338.jpg
thats all for now guys, as things progress i will update this thread with more info and pics, let me know what you think so far!
-reid