What do I do to my LJ?

[rholbrook]

All right so here is what I am thinking.

I need you to select an option on the Body and Lift options as well as a selection on the differentials.

1)Genrite High Fender kit with 6" Flare and an AEV hood with a 2" lift thus retaining stock ride and near stock angles on drivelines, etc. To get the ground clearance on the belly I would use a Teraflex Belly Up pan or AEV Tummy Tucker to give me a couple of inches clearance there.

With this option I can fit up to a 37" tire. I will paint the new panels to match the jeep which is the light sage or bronze color.

http://www.genright.com/ZoomImage.as...ductID=TFHFTJK
http://www.genright.com/ZoomImage.as...ductID=TFHFTJK
http://www.genright.com/ZoomImage.as...ductID=TFHFTJK
http://www.genright.com/ZoomImage.as...ductID=TFHFTJK

AEV Hood
http://www.aev-conversions.com/photos/album1.php

2) The next option is to put a Teraflex LCG 4" lift with a 1" body lift to clear up to 37" tires. It comes with a Belly Up pan.

So this is my new project. Help me decide what to do.

 

[mesha]

little lift and big tires is cool.

 

[Silly Willy]

little lift and big tires is cool.

x2

 

[mbryson]

Depends on how you wheel, but 37" should be a pretty big tire for stock axles. I like selectable lockers as well. I'm a big fan of KISS (not the band, Keep It Simple Stupid) so the ARBs kind of defeat that, but they are a proven reliable locker. I'm not sure how the E-lockers hold up in TJs, but they've had some issues in other axles (I've had good luck with my D60 after a simple, relatively cheap mod). I don't know what the Auburn Ected is, but if it's a combo limited slip/locker I think it's too complex to be reliable long term. If you have a "locked" position, why would you ever need a limited slip?

Low lift big tire is the way to go.

 

[GOAT]

All right so here is what I am thinking.

I need you to select an option on the Body and Lift options as well as a selection on the differentials.

1)Genrite High Fender kit with 6" Flare and an AEV hood with a 2" lift thus retaining stock ride and near stock angles on drivelines, etc. To get the ground clearance on the belly I would use a Teraflex Belly Up pan or AEV Tummy Tucker to give me a couple of inches clearance there.

With this option I can fit up to a 37" tire. I will paint the new panels to match the jeep which is the light sage or bronze color.

http://www.genright.com/ZoomImage.as...ductID=TFHFTJK
http://www.genright.com/ZoomImage.as...ductID=TFHFTJK
http://www.genright.com/ZoomImage.as...ductID=TFHFTJK
http://www.genright.com/ZoomImage.as...ductID=TFHFTJK

AEV Hood
http://www.aev-conversions.com/photos/album1.php

2) The next option is to put a Teraflex LCG 4" lift with a 1" body lift to clear up to 37" tires. It comes with a Belly Up pan.

So this is my new project. Help me decide what to do.

my 2c

I personally think AEVs stuff is insanely overpriced and highlines look silly with massive flares. Tube fenders are great if you are bashing them into the rocks on a consistent basis, but at some point you have to put your money where you'll see the most results. That is usually axles, tires and suspension. I would also stay far away from 37s. You'll regret ever buying them.

Based on my experience, 2" works great on SWB TJs on 35s, but LJs need the extra height to help keep the body out the rocks in the technical stuff. LJs have 103" wb and can handle a little extra lift without the same unloading issues as TJs on climbs. I would go with around 4" of lift and 1" BL. If you saw Jenn wheel her LJ, it was pretty clear that it was completely stable and capable on 4" and 35s.

The only thing I would have changed on her build was the use of shortarms. I would have installed a clayton kit the first time.

I'm pretty sure clayton is the only company using the same length rear arms on TJ/LJ kits, compared to others that just stretch the rear arms another 10 inches and utilize the same crossmember. I could be wrong. I think Tera is now placing a bend in the rear arms to help regain some lost clearance. The idea of "keeping it local" could also make the tera kit a little more appealing as well. Either will work fine.

If you do go with the clayton kit, get a center limiting strap.

Here are a couple cool LJ threads to get you started:

Jenn's build
http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424195

LJ photo thread
http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?t=323766

~sean~ bobbed LJ
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=797092

Rokmen built LJ in CO
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=831831&highlight=

Rokmen LJ on 40s
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=814697&highlight=rokmen

Larry's LJ riding on HP9, claytons and 35 krawlers at the hammers
http://www.pnwjeep.com/Members/Larry_N.html

Search Larry's name on www.Jeepsunlimited.com. There are tons of writeups and tech on his LJ.

HTH- Marcus

 

[rholbrook]

my 2c

I would also stay far away from 37s. You'll regret ever buying them.

The only thing I would have changed on her build was the use of shortarms. I would have installed a clayton kit the first time.

HTH- Marcus

Why stay clear of 37s? Would you use short arms then? This is really the part I am struggling with. DAA used Currie Johnny Joint Short Arms with Nth Degree 3" lift with 35s and the AEV High Fender Kit. He absolutely loves his FRANKIN Lift as he calls it because he has used parts from everyone. He used the springs he did because they are progressive and have a great ride both on and off the road. He has Bilstien shocks as well. DAA's LJ Rubicon is really really nice. I went and took a look at it today. Ends up I grew up with his wife and didn't know it.

My daughter actually lives right around the corner from you. She goes to the U. I actually met you when you borrowed Jesse's tires for the jeep to get inspected. Jesse is my nephew.

I want to do this build right and I am going to start accumulating the parts and start the transformation. Lockers and gears first, then lift(3-4"), belly up pan and finally, Genrite High Fender and AEV hood is what I am thinking.

 

[Devel]

Why stay clear of 37s? Would you use short arms then? This is really the part I am struggling with. DAA used Currie Johnny Joint Short Arms with Nth Degree 3" lift with 35s and the AEV High Fender Kit. He absolutely loves his FRANKIN Lift as he calls it because he has used parts from everyone. He used the springs he did because they are progressive and have a great ride both on and off the road. He has Bilstien shocks as well. DAA's LJ Rubicon is really really nice. I went and took a look at it today. Ends up I grew up with his wife and didn't know it.

My daughter actually lives right around the corner from you. She goes to the U. I actually met you when you borrowed Jesse's tires for the jeep to get inspected. Jesse is my nephew.

I want to do this build right and I am going to start accumulating the parts and start the transformation. Lockers and gears first, then lift(3-4"), belly up pan and finally, Genrite High Fender and AEV hood is what I am thinking.

37's on a Dana 30 is going to kill ball joints and Ujoints and possibly bend the tubes

 

[GOAT]

Why stay clear of 37s? Would you use short arms then? This is really the part I am struggling with. DAA used Currie Johnny Joint Short Arms with Nth Degree 3" lift with 35s and the AEV High Fender Kit. He absolutely loves his FRANKIN Lift as he calls it because he has used parts from everyone. He used the springs he did because they are progressive and have a great ride both on and off the road. He has Bilstien shocks as well. DAA's LJ Rubicon is really really nice. I went and took a look at it today. Ends up I grew up with his wife and didn't know it.

My daughter actually lives right around the corner from you. She goes to the U. I actually met you when you borrowed Jesse's tires for the jeep to get inspected. Jesse is my nephew.

I want to do this build right and I am going to start accumulating the parts and start the transformation. Lockers and gears first, then lift(3-4"), belly up pan and finally, Genrite High Fender and AEV hood is what I am thinking.

Ah, I think I remember Jesse mentioning that


I forgot to ask. Do you have a rubi LJ?

37s are a bastard tire. You have to run the same axles, steering, and wheels to safely run 37s as 40s, and don't get the benefits of a 40. 37s are too heavy and place too much strain on componets for a typical TJ44 rear to hold up to, much less a front 44 or 30. Look into some 35" MTR kevlars or BFG KMIIs and you won't regret it.


Lockers and gears are a good start. If you have an auto, and its a DD, go with 4.88s. The auto has an insane OD ratio, and Jenn's really struggled with 4.56s. If you go with 4.88s, grab a HP 30 out of a junkyard and build it up so you're not trashing pinion gears in a LP30.

ARB is a good choice if it's a DD and will see snow. FWIW, I drove Jenn's for two weeks in snowstorms with Aussies front ant rear. Wasn't that bad.

You cannot go wrong buying upgraded shafts. I ran Alloy USA shafts in my rigs with great results considering how I treated them. Ron was a good guy to deal with. Alloy has since gone under, and he is working for Ten factory axles but, at this point I would use superior just to be safe.

http://www.tenfactory.com/

The superior 33 spline D44 upgrade is definitely worth looking into.
http://www.superioraxle.com/axles.html#super44


I wouldn't use shortarms again. IMHO, LJs require around 4" of spring lift which places the lower arms at a steep angle and kills the ride. We tried multiple shocks and could never get Jenn's to ride decently. Currie arms are 1000.00 which while great arms, are pretty close to a longarm upgrade in price.

Start with this, and add the skidplate, springs and shocks of your choice.
http://claytonoffroad.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_93&products_id=207



I could be wrong.........

 

[rholbrook]

I will post of a picture of the LJ soon but it is not a Rubicon. I wish it was but have been looking for a clean one for the last month or so. I have been spending time in the Spokane area and havent found much up there either. If I find one it has a soft top or if I find one it is a 6 spd. The LJ I picked up was really clean and I got a decent deal on it. It nearly looks new and I really doubt it has ever seen Moab or any trail for that matter.

I am surprised that I haven't had many votes on the electric lockers. I currently have a Auburn Ected in my 97 TJ and have loved it. I understand that the E-Locker is redesigned and the problems fixed. With ARB you have to worry about the electrical aspect as well as getting air to the axles so basically you have to worry about two systems to make them work. Ox is not an option as I have seen them break when an axle snaps.

 

[lhracing]

In trying to keep things simple what would be the down side of using a Detroit Locker in the rear and a selectable in the front?

I have used Detroit Locker's for years in other applications and they have never let me down.

 

[Grim]

i think AEV is useing the old nth degree arms , i love mine , worth every penny. the belly of my jeep is almost flat from dif u-joint to dif u-joint , and its a long arm (awesome wheel travel/ride), i needed something i could drive 61 miles mon- fri and still work great offroad on the weekend . i have 4:11 R&P gears , i run 33x10.50 durring the week and 35x12.50 offroad

 

[rholbrook]

I need some pricing on the Gen-Right High Fender kit and an AEV Highline hood. Anyone on here sell these and what to get me pricing?

 

[N8RB8R]

Gen right is doing free shipping right now, No sales tax and free shipping direct from them would probably be your best bet. Give them a call the free shipping deal ends soon.

 

[rholbrook]

I am flying to Missoula, MT tomorrow and visiting AEV. I am wondering if its AEV or Genrite High Fender Kit. Hopefully I will have my answer after visiting AEV.

 

[BenHanksRacing1]

I dont want to look like every other Jeep with GenRite stuf. I would do something cool and strong. So why dont you come in and look at a TJ we have in the shop. Its low with our fenders and we can also build you them anyway you want. Have you seen the (RME) TJ? Please let us know if you need help!

 

[Xiled1]

So , maybe I missed this part, but did you ever lay out the goals of the build. What trails you would like to be able run, once completed? That would help out a lot on the tire choice (35 VS 37+) and the rest of the build would follow.

 

[benjy]

I am flying to Missoula, MT tomorrow and visiting AEV. I am wondering if its AEV or Genrite High Fender Kit. Hopefully I will have my answer after visiting AEV.

You're flying to Miss Zula? That's where I called home for quite a few years growing up hope you have an alternate motive, not just to check out AEV. Last time I checked you could fly to europe for how much those tickets cost!

I'm with ben on this one, the blue tj in the shop is sweet.

 

[rholbrook]

I am back home now after spending a few days in the lovely city of Missoula. Did I fly there just to visit AEV....no, I have a client in Missoula that I used as an excuse. I never really need an excuse to go to Missoula because I really like it up there.

My visit to AEV was very interesting. I totally spaced off taking my camera, I could have used my cell phone camera but it takes lousy pictures. I was expecting something similar to walking into TeraFlex but maybe bigger with a really cool showroom. What I walked into was a metal building down a muddy gravel road that was smaller to the shop at TeraFlex but even smaller. The shop was very crowed being filled with jeeps in different phases of R&D and hemi conversions. Kent was assigned by Dave the owner, to take me around and show me and answer all my questions. We were supposed to start up in the CAD office where the ideas are designed using a combination of Solid Works and some other program that Chrysler uses that I don’t recall the name of. Once the items are designed, there is a routing table that will cut the designs out of wood or aluminum so they can have an actual model of.

As we were walking towards the office upstairs, right in the way was a 05 LJ Rubicon getting ready for its new owner. It was a demo that they had and was of course powered by a HEMI. Hemis were all over the place including a boxer (dog) named Hemi. Their Hemi installs were really clean. It was interesting that they actually pulled the body off of the jeeps and did the conversion that way. They have the install down from start to finish in just over a day. Kent’s jeep was in the middle of its install and was getting a SRT 6.1 hemi.

I was told by Kent that since I lived in UT I would be better off with a 5.7 hemi versus a 6.1 because the torque curve on the 6.1 doesn’t really happen until higher RPMS which is not as good for Moab where living in the snow and sand areas you want the higher RPM power the 6.1 gives you. I was always a believer that there is no substitute for displacement. I have driven the SRT 8 hemi and it seemed to do just fine off the line (melted tires).

There were two jeeps from previous SEMA shows there, the big Commander and the most recent show’s Puerto Ricos Hemi JK. There were probably 6 Brutes all with Hemis except one with a 4 cyl in it. The nicest Brute was a Viper Red, hemi powered, Nth Degree 4” lift, custom Portal Axles and everything and anything else you could imagine done to it. Apparently, the owner has no problem shelling out $110K plus for a Brute. Another favorite jeep that was there was the Cummins powered Peterson Off-Road JK. Holy Sh*t, that was one big rig. It was essentially a stock 1 ton Mega Cab Dodge truck with a JK body stuck on it. You have to look this one up http://www.dieselbombers.com/diesel-engine-conversions/10676-2007-jeep-wrangler-rubicon-jk-5-9l-cummins-ultimate-diesel-jeep.html

There was also a very nice low mileage 2008 Black Rubicon with all the goodies done to it except a hemi for sell up there for $40K so if anyone is looking, I would call Kent in the Missoula office about it.

See, I just got distracted thinking about all the cool jeeps up there again. Back to the Rubicon LJ I really went to look at. I have been struggling with what to do to the new LJ I have. A month ago I went and looked at Dave’s (DAA) way sweet Rubicon LJ and was swayed to AEV’s HighLine Fender Kit. I really want to keep it low but be able to run larger tires on the LJ. The Rubi at AEV as well as Dave’s were on 35s with plenty of room. They both had 2-3” lifts and could fit 37s if they needed or wanted to. Actually, the AEV LJ just had 35s put on it for the new owner because he wanted a good DD.

As I have been wondering what to do with the new LJ I have really fallen in love with how it rides and drives. It is a blast to drive and my wife sneaks when ever she can as well. It is really supposed to be for my son but everyone likes driving it. My daughter has had it the last week or so in Salt Lake and keeps telling my son that it was stolen and they can’t find it. So based on appreciating its ride compared to my TJ, I have decided against a big lift and install a 2" lift just to help get it up a little bit. Next I am going to put a tummy tucker or belly up pan under it to gain some ground clearance and with that of course a SYE and driveline. I really don’t know that I would need the extra ground clearance a big lift would give it. With a 2” lift, 35s and tummy tucker I would have comparable ground clearance to my TJ with a 4” lift and 33s. I’m not looking to wheel the hell out of it; I am looking at enjoying a jeep that can take me where I want. I like the way the HighLine kit looks and I love the hood, I know it’s expensive and if I ever tear the rear quarters up then at that point I will put some sides on it. The replacement flares are $99/ each which really isn’t too bad if I scrap those up.

If any of you get a chance to stop by AEV, I would do it. They were very accommodating and it was so cool to see what was going on there. I will be placing an order with Kent as soon as I can get the drive train worked out and the keys away from everyone so we can actually start on it.