Duke lover's TJ

[duke_lover_13]

Hey! I thought I would post up my new rig. It is a 1997 Jeep Wrangler Sport. It has the 4.0 I6, and it is an auto. It is stock at the moment but I dont want it to be for long. I am wanting to get a 2-3" lift and run 32-33's. I picked it up yesterday in Morristown for a really good price! THANKS BLUEGILL!!!! 8) It has a lot of miles but it has been taking care of really well and is very clean. The guy that owned it said he didn't think he ever even used the 4x4. So I had to go try it out yesterday. So I went behind the Subway on the 11e. It works flawlessly!! The fender flares and the hood were pretty badly faded so I searched and saw that a lot of people used Krylon paint on the fender flares so I taped off and put on 2 coats today They don't look that great in the pics, but they look brand new from the factory. And I bought some wax for the hood and waxed it about 3 times and it looks TONS better. Here is a lot of pictures...
You probably don't want to see a stock rig. But here it is anyway!!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0711.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0715.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0733.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0713.jpg
Dana 35 right?? Did some TJ's come stock with 44's??
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0710.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0712.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0708.jpg
Nice taping job eh?
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0722.jpg
theres before
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0717.jpg
Now after.. it was still wet when the pic was taking.. they aren't that spotty and shiny!!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0728.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0727.jpg
Puny tires
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0731.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0734.jpg
I want the bumper of the jeep about even to the bumper of the rover!!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0730.jpg
Does anybody have any suggestions??

[Jazzman31]

Yes sir that is the Dana 35, yes some did come with the Dana 44. To get the TJ bumper to the rover bumper you will need a 4 inch lift if not more and then 33 or bigger, but I think a 4 inch lift with 33's will do good. But then again a 2 1/2 inch lift with a 1 inch body with 33's is good. Ask Bluegill he is running the (please forgive me) poor man lift for a TJ I am guessing you have what less than 300$ in the lift without the tires. But it all depends on what you want to do and what money you want to spend.

BTW you have paint on the passenger side signal marker. Might want to get that off.

[duke_lover_13]

Yes sir that is the Dana 35, yes some did come with the Dana 44. To get the TJ bumper to the rover bumper you will need a 4 inch lift if not more and then 33 or bigger, but I think a 4 inch lift with 33's will do good. But then again a 2 1/2 inch lift with a 1 inch body with 33's is good. Ask Bluegill he is running the (please forgive me) poor man lift for a TJ I am guessing you have what less than 300$ in the lift without the tires. But it all depends on what you want to do and what money you want to spend.

BTW you have paint on the passenger side signal marker. Might want to get that off.
Thanks for your help... But on the signal light, its not paint... I took them off when I painted... It was already on there!! But thanks haha

[Want2Wheel]

That is the wat that all of the vehicles start (stock). Keep the wheeling legal, and you will be better off. If I can do anything to help you, just let me know. It looks good. I like the new brown paint on the sides though.

[Gordon]

Great place to start. Plenty of info on here to guide you. Just search through the build threads, decide how many $$$$ and go for it.

Leave the 35 open, watch how much skinny you use, and you can have tons of fun until a tougher axle comes along.

[Bluegill]

Ask Bluegill he is running the (please forgive me) poor man lift for a TJ I am guessing you have what less than 300$ in the lift without the tires.

No need to apologize, Justin - I'm proud of how capable my TJ is with the budget lift, and make no apologies for it. You estimated pretty close on the money for the lift. ;) Skyjacker 2" pads - $90, Rancho shocks - $120, 1" BL & 1" MML - $120.

Alex, ask anyone who has rode trails with me - the budget lift & 33" TrXus is a very capable combo. Your brother already knows how good TrXus tires are (he had 35" on the XJ), and Gordon has discovered this also. ;) But, I "became one" with the Jeep by wheeling it ALOT when it was stock. DO NOT lock the rear axle with 33" or bigger tires unless you upgrade to chromolly axle shafts. Otherwise you run a very high chance of breaking a shaft on the trail. The D30 can handle a lunchbox locker with 33", but will be harder to steer in 4wd. Since your TJ has the 5 hole mag wheel package, it should have 3.73 gears also. Might even have a limited slip (trac-lok) rear diff. I seriously doubt that Dale ever changed the diff fluids, so doing that is highly recommended before any serious trail duty. While you have the rear cover off, snap a pic & post it so we can tell if it's a LS or open diff.

You are correct, that is a Dana 35C rear, and Dana 30 front axle. Factory D44 rear axles in a non-Rubicon TJ are rare. I have a D44 rear axle that I bought last year (was planning on installing it, but changed plans) that I might let go of for the right price - it is 1" wider than the stock Wrangler axle, and has a different 5lug bolt pattern (Ford) though.

Congratulations, I hope it give you years of enjoyment. On that note, I have owned more vehicles than I can count throughout the years. Of all of them, the only ones that withstood my hard driving habits (without falling apart) were the Chevys and Jeeps. :grin:

[HANO]

Within the next two months, I'll have a NP231 Transfer Case with a HD SYE installed.... (and the CV shaft as well) if you are interested..... drop me a line...... I'm flexible... :wink:

[HANO]

BTW... You'll have alot of fun in that Jeep :grin:

[duke_lover_13]

A guy on IAJ is selling 3.5" springs for $175! Should I do that?? What else would I need besides shocks??

[Jazzman31]

http://www.itsajeep.org/vBulletin/showthread.php?t=3243

Go right here and do this, I wish I would have should have but I didnt. Its a cheap lift that is easily done. Oh and even with the transfer case drop you will still have a lift under 250$. Enjoy.

[Bluegill]

Anytime you go more than 2.5" suspension lift, you'll need a dropped pitman arm, transfer case drop spacers (or SYE), extended sway bar links (or disconnects), and more than likely - track bar relocation brackets. That will still leave you with some degree of "death wobble", and the best way to prevent that is aftermarket (longer than stock) lower front control arms.

[duke_lover_13]

I think I am just gonna get the budget boost for now. But thanks... I decided to test my stock flexing today with some little ramps. I took a few pics and was wondering if the sway bar ( I think) is supposed to do this or not?? http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0735.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0740.jpg
I wasn't flexing very much
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0736.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0737.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0739.jpg

[Hokie_YJ]

You need some swaybar disconnects. They will greatly improve your flex. I would tell you to take that swaybar off and throw it in the trash, but since this is a DD kind of rig I won't do that. :lol:

[Bluegill]

Uh - no, it isn't supposed to do that. :lol: Looks like you pulled the passenger side front sway bar link apart. If I hadn't destroyed mine with a torch trying to get them loose (to install the JKS disconnects), I'd give you one.

Be careful going fast around curves - without that link you essentially don't have a front sway bar. Remember that thing has alot of miles on it, so the link pulling apart isn't surprising. :wink:

[duke_lover_13]

Well the other side of my sway bars broke today. It hasn't been driving any differently that I can tell. So I believe I am gonna go take them off before it gets dark!!

[duke_lover_13]

Hey guys.. I have one more question about a lift. If I got this one, would I be able to run 33's without a sye?? All I would have to do it maybe buy some brake lines?? http://nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27582 Thanks in advance!!

[Jeep07]

yup you should clear 33's and it has the tcase drop kit too so you could run it without sye and cv shaft

I would price the parts seperatly to see how good of a deal that is though. It doesn't replace any of the arms.

[TiredIronGRB]

You should go with the lift SolarTJ (Bill) has, that thing does great :shock:

[BillM]

Superlift 4" lift. Comes with new lower front arms and shocks. I paid $586 for it at 4 Wheels Unlimited. They are a little higher now though. I love it.

[Bluegill]

Superlift 4" lift. Comes with new lower front arms and shocks. I paid $586 for it at 4 Wheels Unlimited. They are a little higher now though. I love it.

x2

The one you posted from NC4x4 sounds like an older version of the same lift kit. Superlift offers two different 4" lifts for TJ's - the "standard", and the "rockrunner". Only difference is the rockrunner includes all 8 control arms (as well as an adjustable front track bar), and these arms swivel in the middle for additional flex - but the rockrunner kit costs twice as much as the standard kit. Around 2-3yrs ago Superlift started including replacement lower front control arms with the standard kit - and you'll need them to (almost) eliminate death wobble at highway speeds. Probably best to go with a brand new kit, so the springs & shocks won't be worn out. PM or call DC4WD, I bet he can beat everyone else's price. :wink:

Btw, as long as you're not trying to road race around curves in the TJ, you'll be fine without the front swaybar. With it connected, my TJ will hang curves better than most sports cars I've driven - but part of that is because my tires stick out 5" past the stock fender flares. With the swaybar disconnected, I wouldn't dare try going fast around curves because it feels unstable. Tried it once, felt the inside front tire lift off the ground, never did it again. :oops:

[Alex_J's_TJ]

Well like you have probably read in another thread, I have decided to keep this thing stock for a little while. I think I am gonna get new tires and put skid plates everywhere, and a winch. Today I went to Horse creek!! This thing keeps on amazing me on what it can do stock.... We went on this trail up to the right at like the first playground area.. where the normal trail goes to the left... There was a couple of trees down, but we moved them to the side. It looked like nobody had been up there in a while.. There was some steep hills!!... here is a few pics
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0742.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0743.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0744.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0746.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0753.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0754.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0759.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0762.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0766.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0768.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0777.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0778.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0779.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0780.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_0781.jpg

[Bluegill]

Pics don't do that hill justice - it is so steep that a lifted rig has to be careful turning around at the end - I've seen one flop there, and felt the TrXus on our TJ (high side) momentarily leave the ground while turning. :shock:

Glad you like the Jeep, Alex. The TJ's secret to its capability is the suspension, and with a 4.0 you've got more than enough power to climb any hill. With some good MT tires it will amaze you even more. :wink:

[4Runnin97]

That hill is VERY steep compared to how it looks in the pictures. Short lifted wheel base vehicles would give me cold chills going up it, lol. Anyways, Alex now that I have some free time, WE NEED TO GO WHEELIN!

[SamuraiGuyTN]

Congrats on keeping your rig. I think you will find later on that you have made a very wise decision. Now you can take the oportunity to learn more about your rig at its current state. That way when you can afford to modify it, you hav ea better understanding of what your doing. You'll be better for it.

[Alex_J's_TJ]

I bought some used 31 10.50 Trxus M/t's on here. Its 100000 times better. It actually looks like a jeep now!! Here is some before and after pics!! I guess I am going to keep her for a while. What should I do to her next???
After!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/New%20TJ/100_1315.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/New%20TJ/100_1314.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/New%20TJ/100_1316.jpg
before!!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/New%20TJ/100_1301.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/New%20TJ/100_1302.jpg

[Adurbin]

budget boost. 2 inch. Cheap effective way to get some more articulation with the 31s. Oh, and buy my doors so you dont freeze in the winter. You can give yourself some more clearance right now by removing the steps. Not to mention it will look better right away.

[Derrickalda]

budget boost. 2 inch. Cheap effective way to get some more articulation with the 31s. Oh, and buy my doors so you dont freeze in the winter. You can give yourself some more clearance right now by removing the steps. Not to mention it will look better right away.

i agree....while you're saving for the next mod, you can always focus on the small cheap/free mods. removing the step...etc. are great ways to improve your rig without dumping alot of money. keeping it clean and mud free is one of the best mods you can do to a rig.

looks good Alex....im glad you kept it

[Gordon]

Glad you kept it, and you'll love those tires.

[tjrockcrawler]

Looks good man

Next mod: trail rash....bring it on a ride! :wink:

[Dino1967]

very nice
that part of the trail to the left at the first camp spot if off limits (private property)thats what the forest service officer told me (also know as rattle snake hallow)
the picture with the little tree in it is where my daughter is sitting on the rock in my signature :smokin:

[Alex_J's_TJ]

here is some updated pics. Ordering a new replace a top from best top this week, along with some light mounts for the windshield ( garretts giving me the 4000's) and a 2 inch budget boost. Also I am going to hook up the cb from the rover and getting the brakes all redone tomorrow!! :)
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_1355.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_1344.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_1350.jpg
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http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_1342.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_1339.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_1338.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/duke_lover_13/100_1349.jpg

[Want2Wheel]

Do something with that front bumper. You will enjoy it every time that you take it out and play.