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Bustin' Loose
12-13-2005, 03:10 AM
Yes, you read that right. This is short for New bag of tricks. As opposed to Dave's Old Bag. :D

We'll just call her ho bag when she's pissing me off and copping an attitude which is 90% of the time. I couldn't come up with anything better and I just can't call my jeep the same thing half my friends call me (Bustin' Loose). So there it is.


Dave's Notes:
Trixy will undergo a lot of fairly common modifications to most MallCrawlin members, but the project will be designed to help those not familiar with what it takes to modify a ZJ beyond your basic modifications and build a very capable vehicle. We will be utilizing the vendors that support this site for every modification that we can, and will use the project to pursue more vendors as well. Most modifications done to Trixy will have a detailed writeup of how we installed the product, as well as our impressions of how the product works. One of the main goals of this entire site is to provide people with the knowledge needed to as much of the work on their own as possible, so there will be tons of pictures and descriptions of what we're doing and why. Most of this will be brought to us from a relatively newbish perspective as well. Pam has been around Jeeps for a long time, but has never really wrenched on them like we will be doing now. So I will provide as much technical information as I can, but Pam will make sure it's still something understandable by people who may not have a ton of experience.

Now . . . back to the rig!!

Pam:
So, it's a 98 ZJ, Limited. So far, all I've done is put a 2" BB on, JKS disco's, 31" MTR's, and slaped on the skid plates over the t-case and the gas tank.

Dave:
We purchased the 2" Budget Boost from Kevin at www.kevinsoffroad.com (http://www.kevinsoffroad.com) and installed it this last summer. A budget boost installation is fairly simple, and can be done with fairly common tools. At some point we will do a write-up on a budget boost installation as well.

We also purchased the JKS Gen II Quicker Disconnects from Kevin at www.kevinsoffroad.com (http://www.kevinsoffroad.com) and installed them this last sumer. Again, a fairly straight forward install. The JKS Gen II QD's are regarded as the simplest and strongest disconnect system out there. They utilize a single lynch pin for the disconnect and reconnecting process, and use rubber bushing to keep them quiet. These disconnects are also adjustable so that you can fine tune them to the ride height in your specific application. If you are not familiar with what a swaybar disconnect allows you to do, I will go into it very quickly. A swaybar is designed to limit body roll in on-road situations via a bar that connects to the body/frame and the axle. This same system also limits valuable articulation in off-road situations. So by disconnecting it, you are maximizing the articulation available from your suspension configuration. One note on the install with these, BE SURE TO USE THE LOC-TITE as the instructions say. I skipped this step out of laziness and lost one of the bolts during normal driving.

Pam:
As a general overview of the Disconnects, I love them. I've seen many people with disconnet systems where they are jumping on the hood of the jeep to get the swaybar to line back up so they can reconnect it. I've yet to have a problem getting my JKS Disco's to disconnect and reconnect by myself. They slide in an out very easily as long as you are on even ground. Uneven ground makes it a little more tricky but still doable all by my lonesome. And they are a piece of cake to install.

Dave:
We purchased some take-off 245/75R16 Goodyear MT/R's from a Rubicon owner and had those put on Trixy. Everybody has a tire they know and love, and everybody has an opinion about tires. We chose the MT/R's because they are a good all-around tire off-road that also maintains good on-road manners in many conditions. So far we have not been disappointed with the tires.

Skid plates and tow hooks are very common things that it just so happened Trixy didn't have when we got her. Those were an immediate priority, and we were able to procure some stock skids and tow hooks and installed those as well. Protecting the undercarriage components is always important, and no manufacturer has really come out with superior skid plates yet, so we stuck with the OEM parts.

Pam:
Okay..no big deal. I know. That got it to the point where I could take her wheelin' a couple of times this summer.

Comming up...

Sliderz and the new Aussie Locker for the D44a. Since this is basically going to be a project vehicle and used quite a bit to first and formost teach me AND be the guinie pig vehicle for quite a bit of the vendor testing I figured it was about time I started my own thread. Eventually I want to be able to get Trixie up to about 3.5-4.5 inch of lift and fit some bigger tires under there. From there? Who knows...it's a work in progress. :D

Dave:
The Rock Sliderz, again from our good friend Kevin at www.kevinsoffroad.com (http://www.kevinsoffroad.com) were something we were hoping to be able to get done this past summer, but we never got around to doing it, and Trixy paid for it. We made it on a couple trails with Trixy this year, Bill Moore Lake, Spring Creek, and Wheeler Lake. Bill Moore was the only trail that Trixy made it through without kissing the rocker panels. Both drivers and passenger side rocker panels have some dents and scratches in them now. We have decided to go with Kevin's LP-1 Rock Sliderz for several reasons. Simple design, strong, and they provide excellent protection. Unlike the Rocky Road Outfitters Rock Rails that I run on my ZJ, Kevin's offer more lateral protection for the doors and body. With Trixy, I'm hoping we can keep her looking nice, unlike my pile o' metal. Also, as Trixy goes up in suspension height, Kevin's Rock Sliderz will offer Pam a nice step to get in, or reach the roof if she needs to. We will be installing these soon, so please be sure to check back for updates.

As for the Aussie Locker, I'm still in shock that there's now a locker available for the Aluminum 44! Please check into the Aussie Locker Product Review (http://www.mallcrawlin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6161) thread for more information on the new Aussie Locker!



Pam:
So...on the grand sceme of things, this will hopefully grow to become a more technical thread (without Dave's assistance) over time as I learn my ass from my elbow.

Bustin' Loose
12-13-2005, 03:11 AM
And the link to the Aussie Locker Addition. . .

And my jeep already starting off as the ho bag that I know and love.

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6161

SuicideTireZJ
12-13-2005, 02:27 PM
What trail was that on? Looks like H.C. maybe??

BigDaveZJ
12-13-2005, 03:48 PM
What trail was that on? Looks like H.C. maybe??

It's the 2nd obstacle on Wheeler Lake.

Cue-Ball
12-13-2005, 03:54 PM
Looking good so far.

Kraqa
12-13-2005, 04:51 PM
Great project Pam. i can;t wait to see the updates.

SuicideTireZJ
12-13-2005, 04:51 PM
It's the 2nd obstacle on Wheeler Lake.


God, I gotta branch out and do some different trails.

Bustin' Loose
12-14-2005, 04:03 PM
Thanks guys. Keeping my fingers crossed that we can get the bolt out of the carrier on Christmas Eve to get the locker done. No clue when Dave and I will have time to do the Sliderz. And since I sure as hell don't have the upper body strenght to do those on my own, I'll be needing Dave around as my shop bitch. :D But I think I can manage the prep work on my own.

Actually, it's kinda nice. Anytime we work on my jeep, I learn, my jeep gets random new mod#_ and I have a built in shop bitch. Does it get any better than that? Oh yeah...now if we could just find someone else to pay for all of it.

Cue-Ball
12-14-2005, 04:13 PM
Oh yeah...now if we could just find someone else to pay for all of it.

I feel the SAME way.

chadjans
12-15-2005, 11:58 PM
Its so cute.

BigDaveZJ
12-18-2005, 07:00 PM
Added a little more detail to that and some more information on the upcoming modifications.

geberhard
12-19-2005, 08:58 PM
Will keep checking on this thread. SO what are the plans? Would be cool to see what is upcoming, lift, axles, etc etc, and what direction is chosen, and why. I miss my old ZJ's, and seeing one getting built up will be cool. Keep it coming :) WJ plan is on hold again now that I am starting on another toy, but MTr's and 2" spacers are in for some light playing :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/geberhard/wjzj.jpg

BigDaveZJ
12-19-2005, 09:49 PM
Will keep checking on this thread. SO what are the plans? Would be cool to see what is upcoming, lift, axles, etc etc, and what direction is chosen, and why. I miss my old ZJ's, and seeing one getting built up will be cool. Keep it coming :) WJ plan is on hold again now that I am starting on another toy, but MTr's and 2" spacers are in for some light playing :)



Eventual plans for Trixy will be 33-35" tires, gonna do something with the axles, dunno what yet though. Trixy will probably get my 8.8 when I go 60's, and MAYBE an HP30, 4.56's, selectable lockers, those kinda goodies. Custom bumpers, whatever we or any manufacturers come up with that we think will work well. Trixy will more than likely end up on long arms, more from a reliability standpoint if anything so Pam's not constantly ripping CA mounts off the unibody like I do. We'll also do a cage at some point too.

Ultimately we want an extremely capable rig that is multi-functional. It needs to be able to hang on the difficult trails, but not be so one dimensional where it's impractical to take it camping and such and becomes a major PITA to drive on the road.

geberhard
12-20-2005, 12:52 PM
Sweet, sounds like a cool build! Hope you do not mind me posting pics here for ideas for you and Pam.(let me know if you would like for me to remove just in case). This is a buddy's ZJ (Jeff - uglyredzj), he just recently finished a front HP 44 and rear 9 inch HP, I believe he is using Clayton and RR parts on his setup. The setup came really nice, and within a small budget, he did all of the work as far as building the axles and putting the rig together.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/geberhard/jeff.jpg

The rig is still very streetable and does great on and off-road.

Cue-Ball
12-20-2005, 01:11 PM
I know Jeff, His rig is pretty cool.

I think he recently move huh??

geberhard
12-20-2005, 01:20 PM
I know Jeff, His rig is pretty cool.

I think he recently move huh??

Dirk, Whattup?! Yep, he just moved up to the Sacramento area, just had a baby a few months back, so he slowed down wheeling a bit, but is back on the trail this Winter!

BTW we are planning some snow runs in the next month, you gotta come!

G

Cue-Ball
12-20-2005, 01:23 PM
BTW we are planning some snow runs in the next month, you gotta come!

G
Let me know when, may need to ride shotgun in someones rig though.

SuicideTireZJ
01-16-2006, 06:21 AM
Dude I LIKE Dave's fenders

Texas ZJ1
05-13-2006, 12:00 PM
Any updates or is this over?



Hunter

BigDaveZJ
05-13-2006, 12:39 PM
Any updates or is this over?



Hunter

Over? That's like the word done, I don't know what it means!

Pam's working on the Rock Sliderz writeup for Trixy, and as soon as we get that damn bastard carrier out of there we'll get the Aussie Locker in and get that review done. Also going to be installing some rock lights.

Texas ZJ1
05-13-2006, 02:13 PM
Cool!


Hunter

Bustin' Loose
05-29-2006, 01:07 AM
okay, A little update. I'll get pictures up soon.

The Sliderz are on! - joint effort between Dave and I

Aussie Locker is in! Thanks mostly to Cory, (JpRnGr)

Rock lights mounted and wired - My first full blown electrical experience done without supervision (yes they work!)

New hitch purchased, cleaned up, Hammerited and ready to install. With the help of jack stands I should have this done this week...as soon as I'm not so pissed at my bitch of a jeep. Today was a long day.

So as she stands now, she has gone from bone stock, no skids, no nothing to

2" Budget Boost
31" MTR's
T-case skid
Gas tank Skid
JKS Quicker Disco's
Front Tow Hooks
Rock Sliderz
Aussie Locker in the rear aluminum D44
Rock Lights
Trailer Hitch (purchased & ready to install).
New Front Diff Cover (ordered but not here yet)

Now for some seat covers so I don't burn my arse in Moab on those black leather seats!

Full writeups with pictures of the sliderz and the locker install are coming.

But this is what you can expect to see if you go to GSW and this is how she'll sit for the rest of the summer. I plan on wheelin her like this to get some seat time and some more trails under my belt before I lift her up some more and slap some bigger tires on her.

I'll post up full reviews of how she does after I get back from Moab as well. You can expect to hear how the Aussie Locker performed and how the sliderz held up.

BigDaveZJ
05-29-2006, 01:10 AM
Between Trixy and my ZJ there's a whole lotta love going on towards our ZJ's right now.

[/sarcasm]

Cue-Ball
05-29-2006, 01:15 AM
Glad to hear you guys got some stuff accomplished. How do you like the aussie locker so far?

Bustin' Loose
05-29-2006, 01:16 AM
Glad to hear you guys got some stuff accomplished. How do you like the aussie locker so far?

Posted up in the Aussie Locker Review about my opinion after the first week on the road. Right now, I'm loving it. Can't really tell it's there unless I'm listening for it.

The True Test will be Moab.

Cue-Ball
05-29-2006, 01:19 AM
Yea just read about it in the other thread.

Did you guys get the Amsoil installed with the locker?

BigDaveZJ
05-29-2006, 11:07 AM
Yea just read about it in the other thread.

Did you guys get the Amsoil installed with the locker?

Yup!

BigDaveZJ
06-01-2006, 11:03 AM
We just ordered up a new set of battery cables from Jeepers and Creepers (http://www.jeepersandcreepers.com). Pam's cables were showing some signs of corrosion, so we're going to replace her battery with a gel cell and slap on these cables. I've been running the Jeepers and Creepers cables on my ZJ for almost 4 years now and LOVE them. Super thick 2/0 gauge wire to the starter, and I think 4 guage to the power distribution center. The clamps are also quite beefy too, and much easier to add accessories to than the stock setup. The price is pretty dang good on these too. When I got mine, I was working at a Jeep dealership at the time, wholesale COST on the factory cable setup was about the same as the Jeepers and Creepers and setup. Kind of a no brainer eh?

We'll have pics up as soon as we can get them. With getting both rigs ready for Moab in less than a week, I'm not even sure we can get the cables installed before we leave, but I hope so!

Cue-Ball
06-01-2006, 12:57 PM
James over at J&C is a GREAT guy. he has sponsored my BBQ last year and this year as well and made all the cables I have for my batteries and my winch when I relocated the winch control box to under the hood.

I even sent him the cables I got from Wrangler for my dual battery set up so that he could put his ends on them as I liked them better than the Wrangler ends.

Great guy can't speak more highly about him.

Dirk

BigDaveZJ
06-01-2006, 01:07 PM
Great guy can't speak more highly about him.

Dirk

x2!

When I ordered my ZJ cables I had emailed them at around midnight with some questions expecting to hear back the next day. We emailed back and forth until about 1AM and he answered all of my questions and got me set up and ready to roll!!

When I showed the cables to one of the techs at the stealership I worked at he asked me if I had climbed up a power line and cut down the cables, the cables are that big!

Bustin' Loose
06-12-2006, 10:32 PM
Well, we made it back from GSW in one piece. No problems at all with Trixy. Didn't really push it too much but I think I decent enough job of putting her through her paces on Poison Spider.

The locker worked Fantabulously. Didn't have any problems any where. I could actually hear it working.

Definately glad I had Kevin's sliders on there. Since I don't have a whole lot of lift right now, I used the sliders quite a few times on some ledges.

And I smacked my front diff cover from Rockcrusher good and hard. :D Still there, still purple too. Even though Matt kept threatening to paint it gold.

I'll get pictures up and more details soon. Right now, I just want food and relaxation!

Cue-Ball
06-13-2006, 12:23 AM
Glad trixie didn't give you to many issues.

redzjon31's
05-21-2007, 09:49 AM
Looks good so far

Bustin' Loose
05-21-2007, 11:39 PM
Hmm...okay, not really build related but I'm gonna pat myself on the back and you boys can laugh at me.

So in October, the driver side window regulator busted. One of the plastic pieces cracked and the front part of my driver side front window fell into the door. Crap...

So, months later I finally get a new regulator (thanks babe!) and I'm thinking I'll have Cory install it. Well, I'm bored on Friday night so I start pulling my door apart and figure, hell, I should be able to figure this out. Damn is that a PITA job but, three hours later, I have a functioning window!!!

yes this excites me. Do you know how much of a pain in the arse it is to never be able to go through a drive though???

Okay...sorry this isn't more interesting or build related but I had to share my excitement.

Oh for those following along, it probably wont be this summer but the lift is coming...as soon as fundage allows. That and new tires. Cuz I pretty much tore apart my exhaust last summer. Busted the guts of the cat to pieces and tore all the mounts on the tail pipe. That was a fun noise to deal with for a while.

Mtn WJ
05-22-2007, 08:51 AM
Cool I am going to bring my WJ over for you to fix the regulator on the passenger side.

SuicideTireZJ
05-23-2007, 03:12 AM
Pam, you get that cat fixed yet? I never realized how important it was until my engine couldn't breathe on the highway and I couldn't go more than 45. Pulled the cat out and the whole insides were broken out. After I got the new one in I gained, I shit you not, 7MPG and a considerable amount of horsepower.

unforgiven
05-23-2007, 06:03 PM
Do you know how much of a pain in the arse it is to never be able to go through a drive though???



go through backwards!!!
:bling: power windows yeeeaaahhhh.
lmfao

BigDaveZJ
05-23-2007, 06:04 PM
When I first got the tint on my front windows I couldn't roll them down for a few days, I just used the rear driver window and leaned back and stuck my head out there.

BigDaveZJ
05-23-2007, 06:05 PM
Pam, you get that cat fixed yet? I never realized how important it was until my engine couldn't breathe on the highway and I couldn't go more than 45. Pulled the cat out and the whole insides were broken out. After I got the new one in I gained, I shit you not, 7MPG and a considerable amount of horsepower.

We put a cat n' back exhaust on there last summer, it's got a nice little grumble to it now!

SuicideTireZJ
05-23-2007, 06:54 PM
We put a cat n' back exhaust on there last summer, it's got a nice little grumble to it now!

Yeah I noticed a slightly deeper exhaust note since I put mine on, even with the stock muffler.

FWIW we used to go through the drive-throughs backwards in high school all the time, just for kicks. Ended up being banned from the local Wendy's because of it!

BigDaveZJ
08-27-2007, 09:52 AM
So Trixy had a rough day out there yesterday . . . .

Slashed the sidewall on an MT/R and developed a severe case of DW because the frame side joint on the front trackbar isn't in the best of shape anymore. There were plans for a major suspension revamp over the winter using some new parts, and some of my old parts, and some of that just got pushed up with the quickness.

I'm ordering up a trackbar conversion from Kevin, and then going to get some 265/75R16's BFG AT/KO's later today. We'll have some minor rubbage to take care of, cuz for some reason Pam's ZJ with a BB sits just a hair higher than a stock ZJ. But that just makes it more fun!

We'll get some pics of the carnage and the new shoes up pretty soon.

Matt
08-29-2007, 12:15 AM
Your ZJ's have been getting well fed lately.

If you need a hand, let me know.

cwm
10-22-2007, 03:21 PM
We just ordered up a new set of battery cables from Jeepers and Creepers (http://www.jeepersandcreepers.com). Pam's cables were showing some signs of corrosion, so we're going to replace her battery with a gel cell and slap on these cables. I've been running the Jeepers and Creepers cables on my ZJ for almost 4 years now and LOVE them. Super thick 2/0 gauge wire to the starter, and I think 4 guage to the power distribution center. The clamps are also quite beefy too, and much easier to add accessories to than the stock setup. The price is pretty dang good on these too. When I got mine, I was working at a Jeep dealership at the time, wholesale COST on the factory cable setup was about the same as the Jeepers and Creepers and setup. Kind of a no brainer eh?

We'll have pics up as soon as we can get them. With getting both rigs ready for Moab in less than a week, I'm not even sure we can get the cables installed before we leave, but I hope so!

I was getting ready to order a set of these cables and noticed that they want mesurments of all the cables. you dont still have your mesurments do you??

BigDaveZJ
10-22-2007, 06:14 PM
Nope, sorry!!

canadian_driver
01-29-2008, 12:09 PM
positive cable is 40 inches long and negative is 30 inches i believe

BigDaveZJ
02-12-2008, 01:26 AM
So Trixy hasn't been up to much outside of her DD duties lately. Hopefully that'll change soon. Uncle Sam is repaying some of his interest free loan we gave him her soon, and we think we're gonna use some of that to buy some new shocks and coils, get her up off the ground a little bit.

We've got my old RE adjustable control arms that we're gonna use, get some new RE coils and shocks, and use my old JKS rear trackbar as well.

Should work pretty well for us as a mild wheeler/DD/camping rig. It'll be paid off in a little over a year, and then when Pam gets another DD the fun can really begin!

BigDaveZJ
04-06-2008, 06:36 PM
Trixy's been throwing a P0420 code lately, and the cat's relatively new so today we changed the plugs on her. WOW. Those needed to be a changed in a major way. Gap was WAAAAAAAY off and most of the plugs didn't look so hot. Nothing too major, but no way in hell would I put them back in. We changed the air filter too, still need to get the new intake tube for the K&N Pam bough, oh almost 3 years ago, that's been sitting in the garage. But for the mean time we put a new drop-in filter in and Pam says it's running a LOT better and the CEL is gone, so that's good.

jsteves
04-22-2008, 08:45 PM
Trixy's been throwing a P0420 code lately, and the cat's relatively new so today we changed the plugs on her. WOW. Those needed to be a changed in a major way. Gap was WAAAAAAAY off and most of the plugs didn't look so hot. Nothing too major, but no way in hell would I put them back in. We changed the air filter too, still need to get the new intake tube for the K&N Pam bough, oh almost 3 years ago, that's been sitting in the garage. But for the mean time we put a new drop-in filter in and Pam says it's running a LOT better and the CEL is gone, so that's good.

WOW! I have been sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for that update! ;)

Glad it is running better but I think it is time to really start abusing the MC project Jeep. :partyman:

BigDaveZJ
04-22-2008, 10:01 PM
Glad it is running better but I think it is time to really start abusing the MC project Jeep. :partyman:

We're about a year out from it being paid off and retired as a DD, and then it will definitely get abused!! And maybe even wheeled again!

nate
04-23-2008, 01:16 AM
Eh, it'll just end up like mine... parked by the curb.. FOREVER :D I used it about 3 months ago to go to the store to get some parts for the truck, that was the last time I moved it.

BigDaveZJ
06-11-2008, 05:08 PM
Got a call into the guys at KOR, Trixy's gonna grow a bit here in the next few weeks. Finally putting some 3.5" coils and new shocks in there, and using some of my leftover short arm parts. Hopefully we can do a nice little writeup for a basic lift install to help out some of those who may be a little skeered of trying it out on their own.

Bustin' Loose
06-13-2008, 07:11 PM
Damn it he beat me to it.

Well to give a little more info on the wonderful PITA that is my jeep. . .

We put 32' tires on her last year after I blew out one of my MTR's. My spare was no where near street legal. I'm happy to see those go. I hated them. The were loud as hell and the wear on them was craptastic.

Once the 32' tires went on I had WAY to much rub to get her off road. She's been fine for DD duty though. So to make her wheelable for the rest of the summer and the off chance we want to take her to Moab in October in the Fall - 3.5 coils are going on in the next few weeks. Our aim is to have them done by 4th of July.

We already have Dave's monstrosity so I'm aiming for something a little more low key with my jeep but still very functional. I've purposely taken the jeep in the "build it slow" direction to improve my driving skills. I didn't want to compensate for driving skills by over building my jeep. She's done well all considering but there is just not enough clearance to do what I want anymore. I have reclearanced just about everything underneath that damn jeep.

So, we'll take her up a little bit and between that and the new tires I think we'll be good for a little while. The lift will hopefully resolve an annoying clunk I have in the front drive side tire area. Along with the lift I am thinking on replacing the motor mounts since I think they are about shot. I'm really looking forward to the new shocks and coils cuz right now she rides like she was disconnected and I think my coils are really sagging. Should make the ride a little nicer and give her the extra hight she needs to get through some of our favorite trails without draging everything on the rocks.

So, I know it's been slow for this particular build but keep an eye out for more updates here soon.

BigDaveZJ
06-13-2008, 07:15 PM
I didn't want to compensate for driving skills by over building my jeep like Matt did.


FIXED!!! :supz:

Also gonna be putting some new ball joints too to get rid of the gangsta lean her tires are rockin.

Bustin' Loose
06-13-2008, 07:19 PM
Oh, and for the record, I did the plug change myself (with a little help from the resident muscle). For the most part, I'm doing my best to do as much of the mods, repairs and maintenance myself. Sucks being female though - not nearly enough upper body strenght for some of this shit.

fpkites
06-13-2008, 08:59 PM
The upper body strength can be overcome with impact tools Pam :D

BigDaveZJ
06-16-2008, 10:23 PM
Got the motor mounts done tonight. Pretty much sucked. I don't remember my motor mounts being anywhere near that big of a PITA. Swapped out the upstream O2 sensor as well hoping that would clear up a P0420 code but it didn't do the trick, must be the downstream sensor.

BigDaveZJ
06-22-2008, 01:09 AM
Ball joints actually went very smooth tonight. Took ~3 hours to get both sides done and all cleaned up. Ran into one issue thought that I should've known better on. When we pulled out the long side shaft, the CV boot was torn. So we grabbed another shaft with the hub already attached out of the pile of spares. I didn't take the time to make sure it was the right hub (later TJ's have a different hub than ZJ's do) and sure 'nuff it was the wrong damn hub. By the time I was sure it was the wrong hub, I didn't wanna fuck with it anymore so I loosened up the lug nuts to release the rotor from the knuckle so we could put it back in the driveway. At least this time around none of the shit will be rusted together like it was taking it apart!

Colorado 5.9
06-22-2008, 07:18 AM
I'll take that hub off your hands so you don't make the mistake again.:flipoff2:

BigDaveZJ
06-22-2008, 12:10 PM
I'll take that hub off your hands so you don't make the mistake again.:flipoff2:

You pull it and put the right one on and it's yours!!

BigDaveZJ
06-22-2008, 09:40 PM
Downstream sensor did the trick.

Scott, got both of those hubs loose, lemme know when you want 'em.

BigDaveZJ
06-28-2008, 06:19 PM
Trixy's going under the knife tomorrow, hopefully it will all go well and we can get some pics up tomorrow night.

fpkites
06-29-2008, 01:35 AM
Good luck Dave - I promise not to call for a rescue :D

BigDaveZJ
06-29-2008, 11:31 PM
Suspension is in! No pics yet, will get some up tomorrow probably, was a loooong day out in the garage.

Took her out for a test spin and the suspension is riding REALLY nice. Got a small vibe issue to figure out, at highway speeds when you're on the throttle it's fine. Let off, and it vibes. But the part that stumps me is ANY throttle completely gets rid of it, even just pushing the pedal down as little as I possibly can, don't even notice an increase in RPM's. Pinion angles all look really good, so got a little investigative work to do.

dirty
06-29-2008, 11:42 PM
Suspension is in! No pics yet, will get some up tomorrow probably, was a loooong day out in the garage.

Took her out for a test spin and the suspension is riding REALLY nice. Got a small vibe issue to figure out, at highway speeds when you're on the throttle it's fine. Let off, and it vibes. But the part that stumps me is ANY throttle completely gets rid of it, even just pushing the pedal down as little as I possibly can, don't even notice an increase in RPM's. Pinion angles all look really good, so got a little investigative work to do.

I have the exact same issue with mine. Touch gas at all and everything is perfect, let of gas...vibrations. My pinion angles aren't perfect...but pretty close...I've seen way worse that didn't vibrate, take off front DS and no more vibes, so I know it is up front. I'm down to thinking the front output of my TC is shot or my motor mounts are bad causing some sort of shift that I can't reproduce on a lift....

I have tried wheel bearings, new spicer unit on DS, different known good DS, different pinion angles...it's down to TC output or motor/tranny mounts for me. Only other notable fact is that I haven't SYEd the rear yet, but as stated...no vibes without front DS. Weird, good luck, can't wait to see photos!

BigDaveZJ
06-30-2008, 12:57 AM
Think I've got it narrowed down to the rear shaft just based on where the noise is coming from in the vehicle. Gonna slap new u-joints in there tomorrow and see if that solves it.

BigDaveZJ
07-02-2008, 08:06 PM
We still haven't nailed down the source of the vibe/noise we're getting, but it's pretty easy to keep it from happening while driving.

Anyways, on to the pics of the install.

As it sat before we started, 2" BB, RE adjustable lowers up front, KOR Trackbar, and JKS Disco's with 265/75R16 BFG AT/KO's.

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift05.jpg

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift04.jpg

Shaft came out to stupervise
http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift03.jpg

Now I know most of these pics will be pretty boring to most on the site since a lot of us can do this in our sleep, but remember Trixy's goal isn't to be the ultimate hardcore wheeler. The purpose of the build is to keep a very low budget, but still build a rig that can do very well on a lot of trails, and still maintain DD duties as well.

Teardown of the front end
http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift06.jpg

Driver side completely torn down (for our purposes anyways, UCA is still attached since we didn't replace those)
http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift07.jpg

With all of that stuff out of the way, it's VERY easy to get the coils in and out. We never even came close to needing a spring compressor at any point in all of this, and if we did, I just would've taken more apart to make it so we didn't need them since I don't care for them at all.
http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift08.jpg

Now you might've noticed in that picture that the coils don't exactly look brand new. Well dumbass me didn't check the box before we tore everything down. RE goofed and sent us their 4.5" coils instead of the 3.5" coils we wanted. Now IMNSHO, 4.5" is too tall for short arms, especially still using stock uppers. A whole new can of worms gets opened when you breach that 4" mark, and Trixy doesn't NEED to be that tall, nor did we want to make the additional investments needed to make her a solid rig at that height.

Well it turns out that this was sitting in the driveway with some RE 3.5" coils in it.
http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift17.jpg

Since my ZJ is really already at about 4.5" of lift using the RE 3.5" springs and some spacers, and it's properly setup for that much lift with long arms, we decided to yank my 3.5" springs out and put the new 4.5" springs in my ZJ since it was more up to the task of being that tall. It put a little hiccup in our day, but ended up going MUCH smoother than I originally anticipated. Using a hi-lift I was able to get the 3.5" springs and old spacers out, and the new 4.5" springs installed in about 15 minutes. At one point though I got a little careless and let go of the hi-lift handle while letting the Jeep down, and the handle flung up in the air, coming down on my windshield. The crack isn't TOO bad. :smt062

Anyways, back to Trixy.

So after we solved the coil issue, it was time to put Trixy's front end back together. Here's Pam bolting something back up, looks like the caliper which we removed to help assist in getting the axle to droop far enough to get the new coils in.
http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift11.jpg

After the shocks were installed and brakes were hooked back up, we carefully lowered the Jeep back to the ground to re-install the new lower control arms. I always find it easiest to do this with the weight of the Jeep on the tires so it easier to determine pinion angles, and you also do not want to torque down the control arm bolts until you have weight on the tires as it can damage the bushings by improperly preloading them.

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift12.jpg

Once the front is done, time for the back! The back's always a little easier to work on IMO since there's much less going, and the shorter coils make it a bit easier too.
http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift15.jpg

Putting the rear back together. Notice the bottle of antiseize, we put it on every bolt and all the threaded sections of the control arms. They like to use Mag Chloride on the roads here and that can cause major issues with the threaded portions of adjustable control arms and other bolts.
http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/pamszj/liftinstall/trixylift18.jpg

We dropped it back down and finished installing the lower control arms and torqued everything down. Then we gave it a tape measure alignment and took it out for a spin. Outside of the vibe issues noted in the previous posts this was VERY successful as the Jeep rides a LOT better now and actually feels safe going down the road.

I don't have any finished pics yet, but we're heading to the mountains this weekend for the 4th and definitely plan to get some good action shots while we're up there.

For now the immediate future doesn't hold much for Trixy. Her stance is a little narrow, especially with the taller lift, so we might add some SpiderTrax wheel spacers to help out with that. Other than that, Trixy should sit as is until the tires wear out, or I get new axles for my Jeep and my current axles go under Trixy.

Big thanks to Kevin and the crew at Kevin's Off-Road www.kevinsoffroad.com (http://www.kevinsoffroad.com) for helping us get all the parts we needed for this!

Ds4x4
07-02-2008, 08:37 PM
At one point though I got a little careless and let go of the hi-lift handle while letting the Jeep down, and the handle flung up in the air, coming down on my windshield. The crack isn't TOO bad. :smt062

:D Been there Done that, I bet you didn't think that it had so much force when your letting it down. the other thing that gets me is the clamp the i have at the top of mine and it rips the door handle off or digs into the door:smt011.:smt042

And both rigs are looking great.. hopefully will be getting another grand and doing something along the same lines for the woman..

DJJordache
07-03-2008, 08:36 AM
haha the purple parts are so cute:D

BigDaveZJ
07-07-2008, 10:58 AM
Jeep did great driving back and forth to Gunny for the 4th, but unfortunately we didn't get any chance to get her on anything other than graded dirt roads. We'll probably be taking her to Chinaman's on Sunday though, which should give her a nice test.

SuicideTireZJ
07-08-2008, 10:14 PM
Got any 'after' shots?

BigDaveZJ
07-14-2008, 12:19 PM
Action shots!

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/ocg07132008/ocg07132008005.jpg

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/ocg07132008/ocg07132008017.jpg

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/ocg07132008/ocg07132008059.jpg

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/ocg07132008/ocg07132008065.jpg

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/ocg07132008/ocg07132008066.jpg

http://www.mallcrawlin.com/wheelinpics/ocg07132008/ocg07132008095.jpg

BigDaveZJ
10-09-2008, 03:15 PM
Trixy passed another test, did GREAT out in Moab. The new suspension kept everything from dragging all over the place, and Pam was able to go a lot of the places that the 35"+ tire guys were going. In some places, she even made those of us with bigger tires look bad by walking right up stuff.

A couple things we're going to need to address over the winter though. Pam's a/c hasn't been blowing cold for a while. We found a leak in one of the lines and swapped in the same line from my ZJ that was good. Recharged the system and the compressor still won't stay on long enough to push out any cold air. We didn't do a full evap and recharge, so we'll probably start there before trying anything else.

Her 249 is also pretty much done. The VC is locking up pretty good, so its time for a 242 or 231 here soon. Shouldn't be too bad of a project though. Haven't decided yet if we'll do an SYE when we put it in or not, no real need at this point, but while we have it apart and out of the rig might as well right? If it didn't add $500 (SYE and new rear driveshaft) to the cost of the t-case swap we would do it right off the bat, but we'll see how it goes. Since Trixy will probably "eventually" be on long arms and 35's, we know it'll be a good thing to have sooner or later, but it all depends on the almighty dollar really.

Most of the projects on our Jeeps probably won't start until after the new year, so it'll be a while before there's any more major updates, unless we win the lottery or something.

nc59dude
10-09-2008, 10:58 PM
Did you by any chance install a new front or rear track bar / bracket? I thought it was necessary at this height. I'd like to see some pics if you did. Thanks!

BigDaveZJ
10-09-2008, 11:12 PM
We put Kevin's adjustable trackbar conversion up front over a year ago, JKS adjustable out back.

BigDaveZJ
02-06-2009, 12:38 PM
So the VC in the 249 has pretty much been fried for about the last year or so. Found a couple decent 231's on CL, so hopefully Pam can stop driving around in 4Hi here soon!

BigDaveZJ
02-22-2009, 07:58 PM
Crawled under Pam's ZJ today with the intention of pulling the 249 and swapping in a 231. But the damn case wouldn't come out. Yes, checked to make sure all 6 nuts were off. Pulled, yanked, ratchet straps around the rear axle, didn't go anywhere. There's some play at the top, but NONE on the bottom.

Anyways, the bottom most stud that goes through the tranny housing is completely corroded to the tranny housing. Doesn't even budge. Wasn't enough room on the stud either to get 2 nuts on there and try to back it out of the case and the housing. So I cut the stud down to the tranny housing hoping the corrosion wasn't very deep. Got it to where the stud is flush with tranny housing, and no dice. Soaking in PB Blaster as I type. No room to drill it out either. Will heat hurt or help here? Any other ideas?

grandmaster
02-22-2009, 10:32 PM
I had to do the same thing, I used a torch....and a steady hand. Blew out the stud and did some prying

rob92xj
03-01-2009, 04:32 PM
When I lived in NY the road salt would cause the case to seize itself to the trans extension housing and we used the BFH since it is really the only viable option without damaging the trans. Few few good hard hits it will come off make sure you have a nut threaded on to keep it from flying off.

BigDaveZJ
03-01-2009, 08:55 PM
Tried some different things today, nothing worked until we put a cut off wheel on the dremel and it cut just far enough into the t-case to pop it loose. Everything mated up perfectly after that except the rear driveshaft. Gonna get that shortened tomorrow and then we're back in business!

ELLLLLIOTTTTT
03-02-2009, 12:39 PM
AND.... we fixed my check engine light. It was a very technical and time-consuming fix. :D

Damn N80 check valves!

BigDaveZJ
06-10-2009, 06:27 PM
We've been fighting a couple ongoing issues with Trixy that have been pushing us towards buying Pam a DD.

Ever since the t-case she's had a nasty vibe at anything over about 25mph. We played with rear pinion angles and nothing made it any better. Pulled the rear driveshaft today, and voila problem's gone. I had suspected the main shaft in the new case, but apparently when we got the the driveshaft shortened and balanced they did a shit-tastic job.

The 249 also wreaked havoc on her front end before we could get it out of there. Put new trackbar bushings in there and the front end feels much more solid now. Haven't had it over about 45, but hopefully this does the trick.

BigDaveZJ
06-11-2009, 04:25 PM
Driveshaft's fine. Next culprit is the mainshaft of the case. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate this Jeep?

LoganZJ
07-06-2009, 01:57 AM
I saw "Trixy" this weekend on I-25 at the Founders pkwy exit and she is looking very good! However she was completely spotless. Maybe it was because all of the rain we've got lately....

BigDaveZJ
07-06-2009, 08:26 AM
She got a little 4-lo action yesterday up near Rollinsville, nothing major though. First time we really put the new 231 in lo range, so happy that went well.

BigDaveZJ
09-27-2009, 03:38 PM
The future is kinda up in the air right now for Trixy. We got a new DD for Pam the other day, so she won't be driving it every day anymore. Might pull the tires off and put them on my F250 to buy some time before we have to buy new tires for my truck since they're worn. We might take the winter to fix some of the ongoing issues with Trixy, or we might find another 96-98 V8 ZJ, probably a Laredo, and move some of the parts over and have that be my DD and have it see light wheeling/camping duties during the summer. If we do get another ZJ, we'd probably pull the motor and such out of Trixy and keep them as "spares" and then I'd hack off the tailgate and part of the roof to help enclose my rig before we send it off to the crusher. Not really leaning any one way over another right now, so we'll have to wait and see a bit.

zj95maxx
09-27-2009, 03:49 PM
Putting the rear back on eh...?

BigDaveZJ
09-27-2009, 03:53 PM
If I do, it'll still keep the bed, basically the lift gate would be at the C-pillar.

zj95maxx
09-27-2009, 03:55 PM
If I do, it'll still keep the bed, basically the lift gate would be at the C-pillar.


ahhhh, makes sense. My friend did it on his recently, if you need pics or help, I can ask him.