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Help me figure out....

U

utfireman

Member
Recently just bought a 2006 Rubicon Unlimited LJ, I believe it's got a 3" teraflex puck lift and that's all that has been done to the suspension. I currently have a YJ that I wheel that sports a 1972 J10/20 front Dana 44 with 4.56 gear and a loc-rite that the previous owner installed. My rear is a Ford 9" that I just rebuilt with 31 spline shafts, grizzly locker and new R/P and carrier bearing.

My question is would it be worth it to swap out the stock rubicon TJ axles for my YJ axles, or should I just build up and gusset and sleeve the weaker TJ Dana 44s. I am leaning towards swapping them out.

The ulimate plan is a low center of gravity crawler on 37's. I plan on highlining the front fenders and running the AEV hood.
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
IMO keeping the selectable lockers will be nice when you drive it on the street... or when making tight turns on the trail. Depending on how hard you wheel it, the stock axles (with shaft upgrades) should do the job. Swapping the other axles will require plenty of fab work, of course. You could send that time & effort upgrading the factory axles and keep it fairly close to stock.
 
AaronPaige

AaronPaige

Well-Known Member
Location
Price ut
If you do decide to swap the axles out I would be interested in buying your 44s for my tj... I have been thinking about gears and lockers, for mine
 
bryson

bryson

RME Resident Ninja
Supporting Member
Location
West Jordan
Don't bother swapping if all you are putting in is another Dana 44. Reinforce the housings on the stock Rubicon axles and run 'em.
 
DAA

DAA

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
West Bountiful, UT
Ten minutes with a Phillips screwdriver and one paperclip and you can engage the lockers in any transfer case position at any speed using the factory switch. I did it to mine the first day I owned it. You can't engage just the front that way though - that does require another switch.

- DAA
 
U

utfireman

Member
I have been reading about that mod today, I think I will end up doing it and running them on their own switch using the SPOD. Pretty excited to play with this new toy since all that I have owned before are vehicles with leaf springs.
 
pkrfctr

pkrfctr

Registered User
Location
Spanish Fork, UT
Jinx said:
Where is pckrfctr when we need him,

He is the LJ rubicon guy... I think he has broke about everything you can. :D
Click to expand...

Hey I resemble that, um I mean.....

I've seen dozens if not hundreds of broken LJ rubi axles, never seen a bent housing though. I've never even seen a gusseted one that I can remember. Now on the jk's thats a different story. Upgrade the shafts, especially up front, and you are good to go. Another great and cheap option is to tack weld the front axle u-joint caps to the ears. I ran like that for years. If you break a rear shaft it will, not might, it will take the carrier with it. I carry a spare carrier just because I run stock rears and am not willing to lose a wheeling trip over it.
If your going to swap axles, I'd go to 60's.
Hood- unless you want to spend the money, there are way cheaper options than AEV. I highlined my stock hood, threw on a poison spyer louver kit and love it. Runs cooler and allows for 37's.
Front fenders- I really like the poison spyder ones, clean and straight forward to install. I was able to sell my stock fenders for slightly less than the new PS ones cost. Remember with highline fenders you have to run a different air intake and move a ton of components. You can keep your stock windshield fluid reservoir, despite what anyone says, you need to move it back a little. I'll show you where mine is.
 
DAA

DAA

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
West Bountiful, UT
I don't think AEV makes their TJ highline fenders anymore (and maybe not the TJ hood either? not sure), but I didn't have to relocated anything with them. All the stock stuff stayed in the same locations. Same deal, after selling my factory stuff, the AEV kit really wasn't that expensive, I'm into mine less than a thousand including paint.

- DAA
 
pkrfctr

pkrfctr

Registered User
Location
Spanish Fork, UT
DAA i think youre right- seems like AEV discontinued the tj line. I believe another company picked up the line though. Ill see if I can find the email.
 
U

utfireman

Member
I have seen the hoods when people cut them and even with the rubber tubing on them they still look cheap in my eyes. I like everything clean and uniform. I am running the Genright fenders on my YJ now and I really love the look of them, but I dig the new inner fenders that Poison Spyder offers so I might go with their 3" highlines.

As as far as axles, what have people done with the rear track bar? Swap them out for the Currie unit, or run the stock one? Also how much difference is there in flex between the short arms to the long arms kits, is it worth the change over?
 
Last edited:
skippy

skippy

Pretend Fabricator
Location
Tooele
utfireman said:
I have seen the hoods when people cut them and even with the rubber tubing on them they still look cheap in my eyes. I like everything clean and uniform. I am running the Genright fenders on my YJ now and I really love the look of them, but I dig the new inner fenders that Poison Spyder offers so I might go with their 3" highlines.

As as far as axles, what have people done with the rear track bar? Swap them out for the Currie unit, or run the stock one? Also how much difference is there in flex between the short arms to the long arms kits, is it worth the change over?
Click to expand...

they only look cheap if you cut as straight as a 3rd grader with turrets syndrome...
 
skippy

skippy

Pretend Fabricator
Location
Tooele
utfireman said:
I have seen the hoods when people cut them and even with the rubber tubing on them they still look cheap in my eyes. I like everything clean and uniform. I am running the Genright fenders on my YJ now and I really love the look of them, but I dig the new inner fenders that Poison Spyder offers so I might go with their 3" highlines.

As as far as axles, what have people done with the rear track bar? Swap them out for the Currie unit, or run the stock one? Also how much difference is there in flex between the short arms to the long arms kits, is it worth the change over?
Click to expand...

I would lose the rear track bar and triangulate the rear uppers, as far as sway bars go I would ditch the stock one and run a a teraflex unit or currie or whatever your preferred brand is.

Where are you located? what kind of terrain do you wheel?
 
U

utfireman

Member
I live in Payson and do a lot down in Moab where the in laws live. Been around for awhile crawling but have always had YJ's. Never really paid much attention to the coil guys that I wheeled with since it didn't concern me. Now I feel like a newbie with this coil suspension. At what point with a coil would you need to worry about sucking down your suspension with the winch?
 
skippy

skippy

Pretend Fabricator
Location
Tooele
Almost never with a regular coil suspension, I can get you a killer deal on a teraflex suspension long arm or short arm... PM me and we can talk about pros and cons
 
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