Offroad-Express

Flash2004, I am not sure how to take your posting. I am confused whether it was to encourage or discourage me

Regardless, I know exactly where I am headed and half the fun is the journey of learning and being different from everyone else. I love Jeeps and nothing anybody says will change that, ever.

Remote breathers, rear LSD and some armour is already there. Am already running front and rear ARB bars. More armour is on its way. As for the money, mere details, who really cares about it as long as you enjoy what you are doing. Already got onboard compressor, looking for a suitable tank. If the engine ever gives me problems, well they sell crate Hemis for a reason. Alloy axles, its just a matter of time.

I am not rushing into things, I'll take my time and do things as they suit my circumstances. To be honest, I don't think a 6" lift is necessary on a SWB offroader. Thats my personal opinion. So half your list goes out the door for me.

A 6" lift is only necessary if you want to go to 35" tyres and avoid rubbing on the body, especially with the long arms. I'm not sure if I was encouraging you or not either, the money may be a detail, but when you've reached almost $120,000 (including the cost of the new TJ), you'll be getting close to the investment (a sick description) which has been made in mine. At the risk of a Land Cruiser or even Land Rover Defender guy reading this, I think it might have been cheaper to buy a new Series 70 with a V8 diesel or a new Defender 90 and only spend a small amount to get similar ability. You don't know that until you've been there though.

LOL LMAO!!!!

Which is exactly why mine is pretty much going to stay as it is. Aside from doing a drum to disc conversion (a long way down the track) mine has had all its going to get done.

Honestly, if i wanted to do all that kinda stuff, id have bought a safari/patrol, Or dare i say it, and fj40. Everything is so much cheaper...!!!!

I would actually wait a few years for JK Rubicons (factory 32s, only a couple of inch lift and 35s are viable) to get older and start with that as a solid base to go. Too bad we never got the TJ Rubicons here

But as I already have something that is slowly being modified, I will keep chipping away slowly. Seriously speaking though, I have seen a trend lately to actually do a lot of fender cutting in US to move to 35/37" tyres rather than higher lifts. That way you take the diffs higher, but keep the relative CoG lower. Long arm vs short arm suspension, thats a whole different debate and each has its merits.


PS: Not buying a Nissan at all. LandCruiser may be a remote possibility (if I am desparate), as for FJ40 well its a Fake Jeep anyway, so that does not count! FJs are okay to live with.

Before going along the path to thinking "everything is so expensive for Jeeps" try contacting Greg Hokins who trades as Justjeeps (I think) on Trademe. His e mail is greghopkins01@hotmail.com and I think you'll find he is a realistic option to importing stuff yourself. He has a D44 ARB for about $1100 at the moment which is a lot cheaper than you can ever buy from ARB? My business is importing and i still find it a bl**dy hassle trying to get any of the USA suppliers to do the right thing. For instance I recently bought an OEM new D44 front axle assembly with 4.88 gears and a couple of other bits, like spare axles and speedo drive gear. The freight alone was US$1600 and I could get no response when I queried it. Then they sent all the parts by air freight. The worst of it was that they sent three separate parcels and so I had three separate customs clearance fees and gst bills to pay. I find similar problems when I've bought other stuff too and it seems to be because they're only geared to dealing with their local customers where such things are not an issue.

If you can order in advance, Greg might be the guy to consider. If its other Wrangler stuff you need, not that I'm in the business of wrecking motor vehicles, I have a complete but accident damaged 1999 TJ here with only 48km on the clock. I'd rather sell the whole thing in one hit though, than be unbolting bits off it here and there.

As more of these TJ's get into hard usage, its not hard to see the availability of good used bits ala Toyota Hilux coming readily available and cheaply. I've got all my original bits in the shed for example. Anyone want a totally rebuilt D30 front axle assembly with ARB locker and 4.88 gears? Comes with a new spare R&P too.

One of the things I've learned about modifying these Jeeps is that while you may never start out with the intention of going the whole hog, the first mod you do necessitates - or facilitates - the next and so on and on it goes. There you are fitting an SYE kit for example TJ, Most stock Jeep drivers would disagree with your statement "the way it should have been in the first place", and so would Jeep themselves. If you have not rotated the rear diff (as a lift and especially long arms allow) to align the Tom Woods shaft correctly you'll find out why too.

Next time you're at Thomson's track, you might wonder what's down that hill and all the way to KatiKati from where you turned around last time. With the track in its present condition and your TJ equipped as it is, you'll never find out. Take it from me it would be a lot cheaper to check it out from a hired helicopter, but then that's not 4 wheeling is it? See , there's a reason to be nuts.

cheers,

TJ wrote:I would actually wait a few years for JK Rubicons (factory 32s, only a couple of inch lift and 35s are viable) to get older and start with that as a solid base to go. Too bad we never got the TJ Rubicons here

Our last posts crossed, but here's a thought. There's a guy on trademe selling new surplus front and rear JK rubicon D44 diffs already with standard lockers and 4.10 gears and disc brakes. He wants $5k each for them which is actually very cheap, my new front D44 ended up costing at least that much (and then some but I'm scared to total the final amount) to privately import. Thats without the knuckles and brakes too. I wish i had've known I'd have bought a full set and saved myself a lot of heartache and money.

Flash2004 wrote:Our last posts crossed, but here's a thought. There's a guy on trademe selling new surplus front and rear JK rubicon D44 diffs already with standard lockers and 4.10 gears and disc brakes. He wants $5k each for them which is actually very cheap, my new front D44 ended up costing at least that much (and then some but I'm scared to total the final amount) to privately import. Thats without the knuckles and brakes too. I wish i had've known I'd have bought a full set and saved myself a lot of heartache and money.

Minor detail but TJ and JK track widths are different. JK Rubicon D44 fronts would need modification to fit a TJ front. Unless you change the entire suspension including front and rear diffs on a TJ.

Flash2004 wrote:Before going along the path to thinking "everything is so expensive for Jeeps" try contacting Greg Hokins who trades as Justjeeps (I think) on Trademe. His e mail is greghopkins01@hotmail.com and I think you'll find he is a realistic option to importing stuff yourself. He has a D44 ARB for about $1100 at the moment which is a lot cheaper than you can ever buy from ARB? My business is importing and i still find it a bl**dy hassle trying to get any of the USA suppliers to do the right thing. For instance I recently bought an OEM new D44 front axle assembly with 4.88 gears and a couple of other bits, like spare axles and speedo drive gear. The freight alone was US$1600 and I could get no response when I queried it. Then they sent all the parts by air freight. The worst of it was that they sent three separate parcels and so I had three separate customs clearance fees and gst bills to pay. I find similar problems when I've bought other stuff too and it seems to be because they're only geared to dealing with their local customers where such things are not an issue.

If you can order in advance, Greg might be the guy to consider. If its other Wrangler stuff you need, not that I'm in the business of wrecking motor vehicles, I have a complete but accident damaged 1999 TJ here with only 48km on the clock. I'd rather sell the whole thing in one hit though, than be unbolting bits off it here and there.

As more of these TJ's get into hard usage, its not hard to see the availability of good used bits ala Toyota Hilux coming readily available and cheaply. I've got all my original bits in the shed for example. Anyone want a totally rebuilt D30 front axle assembly with ARB locker and 4.88 gears? Comes with a new spare R&P too.

One of the things I've learned about modifying these Jeeps is that while you may never start out with the intention of going the whole hog, the first mod you do necessitates - or facilitates - the next and so on and on it goes. There you are fitting an SYE kit for example TJ, Most stock Jeep drivers would disagree with your statement "the way it should have been in the first place", and so would Jeep themselves. If you have not rotated the rear diff (as a lift and especially long arms allow) to align the Tom Woods shaft correctly you'll find out why too.

Next time you're at Thomson's track, you might wonder what's down that hill and all the way to KatiKati from where you turned around last time. With the track in its present condition and your TJ equipped as it is, you'll never find out. Take it from me it would be a lot cheaper to check it out from a hired helicopter, but then that's not 4 wheeling is it? See , there's a reason to be nuts.

cheers,

I would slightly disagree with the statement about importing stuff yourself. I have bought things from Greg (and yes he was competitive for that item), but then I have imported stuff directly with no problems as well. I have mainly dealt with

http://www.summitracing.com
http://www.offroadtoystore.com
http://www.rokmen.com

And so far my experience with them has been very positive. In fact, Rokmen (Jeff and David) and Offroadtoystore (Mike) have gone out of their way to make it easier for me order stuff and have used a mix of shipping ways (per my request).

Regarding your comment about Thompson's track (or any other track), I know what my current set-up can handle and I am a realist about it. It use it on a daily basis, its not a dedicated trailer queen yet. When it gets to that stage, mods will be done to suit the tracks I want to run.

As for rotating the diff to align properly, well with the way mine is set-up (MML and SuperShorty SYE), at my current height the angles are perfectly fine without the rotation. I have checked them and have been using for the past couple of months without a problem. I do have access to RE adjustable rear UCAs if need be when I go to high-clearance transmission skid.

Also, keep in mind that just like every Jeep is different, every Jeeper is different. To be very honest, if you believe only Jeeps need modification before they become competition offroaders, then look around and see how many "stock" Cruiser and Patrols/Safaris are running around and serious hard yaka trips.

My needs and your needs are likely to be different, I do appreciate your sharing your experience, but no two Jeeps are alike (even when they leave the factory)!

Just a couple of things about your last post, this is not intended to be a pissing competition and I hope you don't get that impression. I'm only sharing the expensive database of knowledge I have accumulated when things are taken further along the development trail.

Mine is fully road registered and totally legal with LV compliance up to date. if I trailer it its only to save the 35*13.5*15 Baja claws on longer trips - and fuel. It sucks a lot of gas, much more than my 8.1 liter petrol V8 which i use to pull the trailer. 180km to a tank? It will still drive nicely and in a straight line at 140kmh if that's what the situation demands.

Your shaft is aligned correctly if your rear diff pinion and the shaft itself are on the same plane - in other words you can draw a straight line through the centreline of the pinion and that line is also the centreline of the driveshaft.

Jeeps only need to be modified because of the people who mostly buy them but also because you can. The major limitation one finds with a Wrangler in particular is for the belly or diffs to be stuck in the ground and the wheels in the air. Witness your bent output shaft. If there weren't so many dumb drivers buying them and tipping them over on America's freeways I think Jeep have enough expertise to make that (ground clearance) less of a problem. In my opinion its the only thing holding them back from being better than say a 90 defender right out of the box. Ever wonder why Defender is not available in the USA? I haven't checked but i don't think you can buy the same v8 diesel 70 series we get here either and the FJ40 they have there now is no threat it seems.

Flash2004 wrote:Just a couple of things about your last post, this is not intended to be a pissing competition and I hope you don't get that impression. I'm only sharing the expensive database of knowledge I have accumulated when things are taken further along the development trail.

Not a problem with sharing knowledge. It a Jeep thing. And I do try to learn from others mistakes (its generally less expensive that way). It would take a lot more to make me mad, but for being a fellow Jeeper I am biased towards you anyway.

Flash2004 wrote:Mine is fully road registered and totally legal with LV compliance up to date. if I trailer it its only to save the 35*13.5*15 Baja claws on longer trips - and fuel. It sucks a lot of gas, much more than my 8.1 liter petrol V8 which i use to pull the trailer. 180km to a tank? It will still drive nicely and in a straight line at 140kmh if that's what the situation demands.

I can't go to 35s currently because its a daily driver and I need to fit within the parking building space at work. Now if I had space for parking a "toy" at home for weekend fun and use a regular third car for work, sure 35s would be a consideration. Fuel economy on something that has the same co-efficient of drag as a barn door does not work! Simple.

Flash2004 wrote:Your shaft is aligned correctly if your rear diff pinion and the shaft itself are on the same plane - in other words you can draw a straight line through the centreline of the pinion and that line is also the centreline of the driveshaft.

That is what I was saying, MML + SuperShort SYE (which is 6.5" shorter than normal SYE) + Dana 44 rear + 3 speed auto + OME lift puts my rear driveshaft at the same plane as my pinion yoke without the need to modify anything further. My rear driveshaft is 20.25" long (thanks again to the SuperShorty rather than the normal SYE).

BTW, JB Conversion SuperShorty makes my NV231 shorter in length than Atlass II. That is one of their selling points as they allow the longest rear driveshaft possible.

Flash2004 wrote:Jeeps only need to be modified because of the people who mostly buy them but also because you can. The major limitation one finds with a Wrangler in particular is for the belly or diffs to be stuck in the ground and the wheels in the air. Witness your bent output shaft. If there weren't so many dumb drivers buying them and tipping them over on America's freeways I think Jeep have enough expertise to make that (ground clearance) less of a problem. In my opinion its the only thing holding them back from being better than say a 90 defender right out of the box. Ever wonder why Defender is not available in the USA? I haven't checked but i don't think you can buy the same v8 diesel 70 series we get here either and the FJ40 they have there now is no threat it seems.

That is precisely why I want to lift the belly up before I go the more expensive lift the diffs up option. I already have the MML and SYE, so belly up kit (home made or imported) is a realistic option for me without spending big money on law of unintended consequences.

I am waiting for the Rokmen gas tank skid to come next week. Its on its way in LA somewhere at the moment. That would lift my gas tank by about an inch within the frame rails.

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Flash 2004

I know Greg well and have been dealing with him for the last couple of years. In fact, Ive just put him together with some chaps in the States to help him fill his container. Some good goodies are on their way.

Yes it was me that commented on the TM auction for the soft top. My point was that if ANYONE were to actually pay $4k for a soft top, mounting hardware or not, they're a mug. I got my replacment top for $680.00 nzd, and to get it with the mounting hardware is approx $500.00 more to get from the states. Thats for the slightly less of a quality RR one compared to the superior Bestop one. Who supplies Jeep with their tops, I thought it WAS Bestop, though i'm happy to stand corrected.

Forgot to mention one thing I do have to do, and thats to get some quick discos. Gregs got some, but theyre only for a 2-odd inch lift.

Cheers for the input Flash, great to see another enthusiastic "Jeep Freak"!!!

AND, re the Thommos trip. I would have carried on but for the fact that I was the only one with a winch and I wasnt prepared to carry on alone. (esp when my winch only goes one way!! ) Regardless, the katikati side needs a day, if not more, dedicated to it. When did you last go katikati side Flash? Are you a member of the Jeep club? If so i'll look foreward to seeing you Anzac day!

Thanks XJ, three of us did the whole track from Te Aroha side on Easter Saturday this year and I only winched once through a hole on the bottom side. No I'm not a member of the Jeep club but should be. I know BW well, (Cambridge) and he's invited me. i'd be all go for Anzac day but will be co driving at MG Taylor's fun rally. cheers,

As far as I am aware Bestop are the OEM supplier. Although apparently there is some sort of an understanding between them and Jeep for original factory soft top vs aftermarket soft top design. My understanding from reading various forums is that Bestop is not allowed to maintain the same exact design and quality as the factory top (they have make minor changes to what they sell directly to public).

Look what a little birdie (http://www.buyusa.co.nz) dropped off yesterday:



Its gas tank skid (bash) plate made with 3/16th steel. Now time to prep, paint and install it.

Here is the manufacturer:

http://www.rokmen.com

Dropped the gas tank skid for galvanising (better rust protection), should be done by middle of the next week. Then it gets painted. Haven't decided yet whether I'll get it powdercoated or do it myself (depends on the weather, if its raining then a shop will do the powdercoating).

Intalled Uniden UH015sx on top of the dash (very normal for a Wrangler). I used to have a Uniden 510xl on the same spot. Uniden PRS is supported by a 6db ground independent antenna.

TJ wrote:Dropped the gas tank skid for galvanising (better rust protection)

I was just about to suggest that after reading the former post

Maybe with the way fuel prices are going we could all do with a few extra dents in our fuel tanks

Sadam_Husain wrote:I was just about to suggest that after reading the former post

Maybe with the way fuel prices are going we could all do with a few extra dents in our fuel tanks

Originally I wasn't going down that track, but then thought about it and dropped it off. Its reasonably priced process, I am using Perry Metal Protectors and the charge is $2/kilo + GST. The thing actually weights 25 kilos!!!!!!!

On Wranglers, the fuel filter and pump are inside the fuel tank (see that nice little dimple in the middle of the skid plate). It important to protect these little pieces.

Shit it must be a bit heavier than it looks in the pic, 25kgs will give the tank a bit of protection

Sadam_Husain wrote:Shit it must be a bit heavier than it looks in the pic, 25kgs will give the tank a bit of protection

Its 3/16" steel (about 5mm), so it better protect the tank. Its the heaviest gauge skid there is.

Factory one is may be 2mm (1/16"), looks more like sheet metal.

Got it galvanised last week. Today picked it up from the powder coating place. So now on Saturday will try to fit it before the big Sunday excursion (actually for others, I am just Marshalling).

I've got some spare rear lower control arm bushes if anyone out there needs em. Seems my aftermarket lower control arms take smaller than stock bushes. I've fitted the top ones, but the bottom ones are going begging. Not to worry if no-one wants em though, I can always use them on my Wifes wagon.

Haven't done much to the TJ in the last month, but ended up buying a Grand Cherokee yesterday to replace my wife's Honda

I finally got off the proverbial and decided to install the gas tank skid plate that had been sitting all ready for about a month. As I contemplated it on a nice Saturday morning, saw the rain clouds. Rather than risking getting wet while I was under, I went to a friendly workshop to use their facilities instead. Besides, the Jeep being on a hoist allowed me to work under it standing up for a change. The install was relatively simple.

First photo shows the galvanised and painted skid, ready to install. Papers are printed instructions for the skid.



As the shop was not familiar with Jeeps (how many really are in New Zealand), I basically became one of the team (temporarily) fitting the monstrosity.

Second photo shows how the factory gas tank skid plate sits. There are a total of seven bolts holding the gas tank and skid combination to the underside of the body. Three of these bolts are towards front and four are towards the rear. We sprayed the bolts with CRC to facilitate removal.



Removed the filler cap and four screws holding the filler pipe to the bezel. This allows the tank to be removed.

Next came five of the seven nuts. Two were not removed till the tank was supported by a couple of shop supports.

Then we disconnected the electrical connection, fuel line and the return line from the fuel tank. On 2001 TJ, these are all near the frame towards the passenger side (opposite to the exhaust).



Two people held the tank and removed it from the Jeep. As you can see, it was nicely covered in mud, particularly in the corners.

Removed the two bolts holding the top straps. Removed the straps. Moved the tank to its new home (i.e. new skid plate). Bent and installed the straps as per instructions from Rokmen.

Now came the fun part. It took three people to lift the combination up and hold it in place till the forth person got a few bolts started. I only had about 10 litres of fuel in it, but the thing was heavy.



We did the bolts up properly, connected the electrical connector and fuel lines.

Turned the fuel pump on to prime it a bit, then turn it over. What do you know, it fired up on first go. Checked for leaks, found none. All done.

Paid the friendly shop some weekend money for their facilities and drove home.

Looks good TJ

Its probably not going to affect you but in 10 or 15 years whoever owns it will probably end up with an undented but rusted out petrol tank with all the mud and moisture and crap that gets caught between the tank and the protection plate

All my early 40 series cruisers had the petrol tanks sitting directly in the floorwell below the drivers seat and they used to rust through in the end with all the trapped moisture

Sadam_Husain wrote:Looks good TJ

Its probably not going to affect you but in 10 or 15 years whoever owns it will probably end up with an undented but rusted out petrol tank with all the mud and moisture and crap that gets caught between the tank and the protection plate

All my early 40 series cruisers had the petrol tanks sitting directly in the floorwell below the drivers seat and they used to rust through in the end with all the trapped moisture

Thanks. Luckily the petrol tank itself is made from plastic! No rust on that.

There are drains in all corners, plus in the middle. I guess in 10 years time, it would be a good idea to take it out, clean all of it and put it back together. Hopefully galvanisation will keep it protected from rust for that long at least.

TJ wrote:Thanks. Luckily the petrol tank itself is made from plastic! No rust on that.

Shit I must still be way back in the dark ages..... can they make them out of plastic now?