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There's art and civil engineering involved in designing a useful retaining wall.
Do you have the clearance for 40s?
Do you have the clearance for 40s?
05 LJ Rubi LS Swap and the kitchen sink
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3,352 Posts
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As far as 40s, yep, heck 42s prob as well. I'll probably do the 40s, just when to buy them. Then the 37s can live out the rest of their lift on the dodge. Those tires are about worn out now any way. Just when to spend the 2-3K on tires...
not sure it was a useful wall, nothing holding it up, just backfill knocking it down.
As far as 40s, yep, heck 42s prob as well. I'll probably do the 40s, just when to buy them. Then the 37s can live out the rest of their lift on the dodge. Those tires are about worn out now any way. Just when to spend the 2-3K on tires...
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3,352 Posts
got what felt like decent progress yesterday, with a setback of course.
I needed to remove the springs from the coil over, no big deal, right. So there is a built in bump stop on the shaft and it would not move. I used all sorts of different ways to compress the spring, but couldn't get enough room for the bump stop on the shaft to move. I tried so many ways, I am sure I missed the correct way, but will say 3 out of 4 of the shocks did it fine.
So I had to cut a coil to give me enough room to force the bump stop to move on the shaft so the coil retainer could be removed. All this so I could mount up the from shock towers.
The culprit
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But once solved, I go the front towers installed and the jeep is sitting on its own weight and compressing those pesky bum stops.
Front with hood and fenders installed
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Rear with tape lines for cuts if I leave the wheel base, blue for 37s, green for 40s.
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The compressed rear shock
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Today may be shop clean up day, and or parts organization day. I need to decide what the next steps are. Well what the order of next steps are.
It's not the home grown suspension I was initially planning on with a flat belly and 19" of tummy clearance keeping the jeep on 37s. I now may "need" the 40s to get the belly clearance back, lol, need. The belly is now at about 12" at full bump, so 16-18 at ride height depending on how I set it up.
Progress progress
I needed to remove the springs from the coil over, no big deal, right. So there is a built in bump stop on the shaft and it would not move. I used all sorts of different ways to compress the spring, but couldn't get enough room for the bump stop on the shaft to move. I tried so many ways, I am sure I missed the correct way, but will say 3 out of 4 of the shocks did it fine.
So I had to cut a coil to give me enough room to force the bump stop to move on the shaft so the coil retainer could be removed. All this so I could mount up the from shock towers.
The culprit
But once solved, I go the front towers installed and the jeep is sitting on its own weight and compressing those pesky bum stops.
Front with hood and fenders installed
Rear with tape lines for cuts if I leave the wheel base, blue for 37s, green for 40s.
The compressed rear shock
Today may be shop clean up day, and or parts organization day. I need to decide what the next steps are. Well what the order of next steps are.
It's not the home grown suspension I was initially planning on with a flat belly and 19" of tummy clearance keeping the jeep on 37s. I now may "need" the 40s to get the belly clearance back, lol, need. The belly is now at about 12" at full bump, so 16-18 at ride height depending on how I set it up.
Progress progress
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12,298 Posts
Crazy struggle with the coil-over! Your rear wheel cutout is almost to the corner for either 37s or 40s, guess it doesn't matter.
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509 Posts
My vote is cut for 40's and run 37's...
front looks perfect.
Oh, forgot this wasn't up for votes
Actually just wanted to post on this great thread, love the process.
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3,352 Posts
Agreed, that 40s is probably the answer, heck maybe I should just do 42s ha. One of the problem areas is the fender. If I just cut the back out, the fender won't cover the opening in the front of the wheel. To fix that, new corner armor, or weld in some aluminum to fill the gap. Something like that.
Or do I need all that wheelbase. Seems a shame to not use it if it's there. I could shorted the rear arms up to the length of the front arms and I don't think I'll need to cut the corner armor then. But will be closer to 110 wb like it was before I started the suspension again for the 3rd or 4th time. Not shabby at all.
Or just run with no fenders and deal with all that. I guess I could lengthen the fenders as well. That could be a bit above my skill grade as well. But an option worth contemplating I guess.
The ramblings of a Monday...
Or do I need all that wheelbase. Seems a shame to not use it if it's there. I could shorted the rear arms up to the length of the front arms and I don't think I'll need to cut the corner armor then. But will be closer to 110 wb like it was before I started the suspension again for the 3rd or 4th time. Not shabby at all.
Or just run with no fenders and deal with all that. I guess I could lengthen the fenders as well. That could be a bit above my skill grade as well. But an option worth contemplating I guess.
The ramblings of a Monday...
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Out west Utah and maybe Arizona (?) require fenders - a clever workaround that I've seen is to design them to be removable. Then the problem is what to do with them when removed.
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3,352 Posts
not much action this week. I did some body mods to get the tub to sit on the frame with no body lift. Might see if I can lower it down a bit more. Re mounted the front shock hoops, I needed to lower them about 1/4 of an inch to not hit the hood. Also messed around with the lower shock mount. Not totally bottomed out on the mounting location yet. Could be on top of the housing or behind it. Behind it will make the bump stop mounting easier. So still a work in progress.
Hoping to work this weekend on it, but if the weather is good the yard has priority. Guessing getting it done this quarter is a pipe dream now. Unless I take a bunch of time off work...
Hoping to work this weekend on it, but if the weather is good the yard has priority. Guessing getting it done this quarter is a pipe dream now. Unless I take a bunch of time off work...
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3,352 Posts
There has been movement on the project.
Finished up the front shock mounts, mocked up the PS tank, put the intake on and tried to figure out the air intake... So, a bunch of mockup under the hood. I need to figure out the hoses and radiator overflow tank, shock tower support, AC condenser mount, at least and more...
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Finished up the front shock mounts, mocked up the PS tank, put the intake on and tried to figure out the air intake... So, a bunch of mockup under the hood. I need to figure out the hoses and radiator overflow tank, shock tower support, AC condenser mount, at least and more...
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3,352 Posts
Lots of little things happened over teh last few days. Ordering parts, wiring and other specific research. I have been going down a rabbit hole around motorsports wiring harnesses, and or mill spec harness. Not going that far, but it would be great to make the harness a bit waterproof while I am at it.
That said, I will be using TXL wire, it has a super thin wall and is specifically used in motorsports and such things. 22 gauge for all the sensors and up to 18 for things like the LED lights, larger for the fuel pump and fan, the two highest use things running through the PDM. I need to do some amperage testing on the lights to make sure of the power draw. I am also converting the multifunction switch to just switch ground signals to the PDM. This should help with the longevity of the MFSwitch. The wiring I am looking forward to, once I get the rest of the interior figured out and can start mapping out the harness and buy some more heat shrink DR-25 stuff and heat shrink boots from the same material. Its a rabbit hole...........
On to the interior, worked on the seats today. I have Mastercraft Baja RS seats I bought back in 19 I think, that is what the MFG date is any way. It sure would have been easy to just use the adapters to the stock seats. But I just don't fit with them, I felt like my head was too close to the roll bar. Again, back in '19 I picked up some genright seat mounts and read closely, but didn't think it would be an issue. Well they are not plug and play for the mastercraft seats. I have Gond through a couple revisions on mounting them and I think I finally found the spot. I had to make a spacer on the tunnel side to get the seat closer to the center console and off the door, door post and presumed placement of the roll bar. I may also need or want to add another main hoop to the roll bar, my head may be farther behind it than I will be comfortable with. Lots of trial and error and start/stops on this part of the project. I know where they need to go now and need to make a better spacer, or re engineer the mounts.
I also installed a quick disconnect steering wheel, also from genright. I gave up on the air bag a while ago and decided to go they route. Time will tell if it's the right decision, but its in and I used it to help mock up the seat. The seat might need to go another 1/2 inch to the tunnel to be centered more, Ill decide as I get the new permanent seat mounts made.
Gas and brake pedal placement. I think I have them about where they need to go. I need to make a mount for the gas pedal, the brakes pedal will be fine in the location. I do need to get the master cylinders hooked up to make sure of the pedal throw and its resting position. The gas pedal final placement will be determined by the final brake pedal placement.
Mucked around with the center console as well, but mostly for seat fitment. Well, that was my day, not that much accomplished, but got that seat thing almost figured out. It sure is a pain doing multiple test fits on your own....
oh, some pics
Seat
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Seat roll bar clearance
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center console clearance
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Pedals, its going to be DBW as well
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The mocked up seat bracket with spacer
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quick release steering wheel
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The HVAC as well
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I took the week off and hope to get a bunch of these little things figured out, that and yard work as it may dry out and I need to tackle the retaining wall as well.
That said, I will be using TXL wire, it has a super thin wall and is specifically used in motorsports and such things. 22 gauge for all the sensors and up to 18 for things like the LED lights, larger for the fuel pump and fan, the two highest use things running through the PDM. I need to do some amperage testing on the lights to make sure of the power draw. I am also converting the multifunction switch to just switch ground signals to the PDM. This should help with the longevity of the MFSwitch. The wiring I am looking forward to, once I get the rest of the interior figured out and can start mapping out the harness and buy some more heat shrink DR-25 stuff and heat shrink boots from the same material. Its a rabbit hole...........
On to the interior, worked on the seats today. I have Mastercraft Baja RS seats I bought back in 19 I think, that is what the MFG date is any way. It sure would have been easy to just use the adapters to the stock seats. But I just don't fit with them, I felt like my head was too close to the roll bar. Again, back in '19 I picked up some genright seat mounts and read closely, but didn't think it would be an issue. Well they are not plug and play for the mastercraft seats. I have Gond through a couple revisions on mounting them and I think I finally found the spot. I had to make a spacer on the tunnel side to get the seat closer to the center console and off the door, door post and presumed placement of the roll bar. I may also need or want to add another main hoop to the roll bar, my head may be farther behind it than I will be comfortable with. Lots of trial and error and start/stops on this part of the project. I know where they need to go now and need to make a better spacer, or re engineer the mounts.
I also installed a quick disconnect steering wheel, also from genright. I gave up on the air bag a while ago and decided to go they route. Time will tell if it's the right decision, but its in and I used it to help mock up the seat. The seat might need to go another 1/2 inch to the tunnel to be centered more, Ill decide as I get the new permanent seat mounts made.
Gas and brake pedal placement. I think I have them about where they need to go. I need to make a mount for the gas pedal, the brakes pedal will be fine in the location. I do need to get the master cylinders hooked up to make sure of the pedal throw and its resting position. The gas pedal final placement will be determined by the final brake pedal placement.
Mucked around with the center console as well, but mostly for seat fitment. Well, that was my day, not that much accomplished, but got that seat thing almost figured out. It sure is a pain doing multiple test fits on your own....
oh, some pics
Seat
Seat roll bar clearance
center console clearance
Pedals, its going to be DBW as well
The mocked up seat bracket with spacer
quick release steering wheel
The HVAC as well
I took the week off and hope to get a bunch of these little things figured out, that and yard work as it may dry out and I need to tackle the retaining wall as well.
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3,352 Posts
After thinking about the seat bracket more and more. I know I will end up making a totally new one. It may take more work for me to feel like the 3 inch extension is safe vs making a whole new bracket. But at the end of the day, the seat is about where I want it and will let me move forward this week.
thanks @elff
thanks @elff
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12,298 Posts
I tried a Mastercraft (Baja I think) seat in our old LJ but the seat back wasn't high enough for good support but I do have a long back. Hopefully it fits you much better.
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3,352 Posts
I have the same seats in the JKU and the TJ, so they should be fine. At the time I ordered them, they were all I could get within 6 months or more. Looking back, the delay would not of been a big deal.
My big problem here is the mounting pattern of the seat bracket. How and why the master craft is 3-4 inches narrower than PRP or others is interesting.
As a short guy
5'5"
I can attest at how important seat position is.
You need a balance of comfort, safety with seat belts, being able to reach the pedals and seeing over the windshield.
If you have the option of making that perfect. it is time well spent.
5'5"
I can attest at how important seat position is.
You need a balance of comfort, safety with seat belts, being able to reach the pedals and seeing over the windshield.
If you have the option of making that perfect. it is time well spent.
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3,352 Posts
Got some stuff done today, after running to the store to get a couple bolts. I use to be organized...
The gas pedal was a pain to get in the right spot. I modified the bracket on the pedal to use on of the stock bolts on the firewall, then just had to drill one more. I may add another bolt at a later date, probably should...
I also got the pedals mounted with the master cylinders mounted to the pedal so I can verify the throw and resting position of the brake pedal. This was more of a pain than I thought it would be. Drilled the holes out for the master's to fit through, then had to grind them for a perfect fit... Then could out the bolt size was not what I had on hand.
I think everything feels good, although the pedals may be a bit of a reach, but I will fine tune the seat mount as one of the last steps. I am sure that I will need to actually drive it to get it right. and @elff I agree, its time to get it right.
The dual masters will be interesting to figure out. I did the same piston size for both, that may of been a mistake, but the calipers are larger so it seemed like the best choice. To do front and rear bias there is a balance bar that changes force between the masters. You can also get a remote adjuster for the balance bar for on the fly adjustments. Maybe I should have got that as well. I was hoping to not need it and basically adjust it once. Seems like when I get fancy adjustable things, I set it and forget it.
There should also be plenty of room for my big feet and wearing boots. The instruction say to have the brake pedal 2 inches proud of the gas pedal. I think I got that accomplished and they feel good. I can adjust the gas pedal ratio within the ECU from linear to a sloped curve. Should be interesting to play with, I could even have on curve for on road and one for off road.
While not allot of stuff done, I didn't work all day on it, the trip to the store took a bit out of the day. I also played with the tractor and new quick hitch and did some leveling of the yard.
New tool and it seems like I seem to use a bunch to do little things:
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Tomorrow I'll put the dash in and use that hole saw to cut it up and place a bunch of stuff. At least that is what I think I will do, I may just sleep all day or go to Costco for stuff I don't need.
Progress
thanks for reading my little blog, I need to do a weight update as well.
The gas pedal was a pain to get in the right spot. I modified the bracket on the pedal to use on of the stock bolts on the firewall, then just had to drill one more. I may add another bolt at a later date, probably should...
I also got the pedals mounted with the master cylinders mounted to the pedal so I can verify the throw and resting position of the brake pedal. This was more of a pain than I thought it would be. Drilled the holes out for the master's to fit through, then had to grind them for a perfect fit... Then could out the bolt size was not what I had on hand.
I think everything feels good, although the pedals may be a bit of a reach, but I will fine tune the seat mount as one of the last steps. I am sure that I will need to actually drive it to get it right. and @elff I agree, its time to get it right.
The dual masters will be interesting to figure out. I did the same piston size for both, that may of been a mistake, but the calipers are larger so it seemed like the best choice. To do front and rear bias there is a balance bar that changes force between the masters. You can also get a remote adjuster for the balance bar for on the fly adjustments. Maybe I should have got that as well. I was hoping to not need it and basically adjust it once. Seems like when I get fancy adjustable things, I set it and forget it.
There should also be plenty of room for my big feet and wearing boots. The instruction say to have the brake pedal 2 inches proud of the gas pedal. I think I got that accomplished and they feel good. I can adjust the gas pedal ratio within the ECU from linear to a sloped curve. Should be interesting to play with, I could even have on curve for on road and one for off road.
While not allot of stuff done, I didn't work all day on it, the trip to the store took a bit out of the day. I also played with the tractor and new quick hitch and did some leveling of the yard.
New tool and it seems like I seem to use a bunch to do little things:
Tomorrow I'll put the dash in and use that hole saw to cut it up and place a bunch of stuff. At least that is what I think I will do, I may just sleep all day or go to Costco for stuff I don't need.
Progress
thanks for reading my little blog, I need to do a weight update as well.
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12,298 Posts
Ooh - I love that hole-cutter set!
Are you doing hydro-boost for the master cylinder or traditional vacuum?
Since we are rural I have a fairly comprehensive bolt bin. For two or three years, every time I went into town I would stop by Tractor Supply and buy five pounds of various fasteners and for unusual fasteners (particularly stainless steel) I ordered them online. My bolt bin has saved me a ton of time not having to run into town.
Are you doing hydro-boost for the master cylinder or traditional vacuum?
Since we are rural I have a fairly comprehensive bolt bin. For two or three years, every time I went into town I would stop by Tractor Supply and buy five pounds of various fasteners and for unusual fasteners (particularly stainless steel) I ordered them online. My bolt bin has saved me a ton of time not having to run into town.
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3,352 Posts
I try to have a large selection of bolts on hand as well. It's the fine thread ones that typically get me. if I think about it, I'll keep notes of what bolt sizes are used on the jeep and only cary those. Ha, that will never happen.
On the brakes, no booster. The LS with the CAM probably won't get me enough vacuum at idle. I looked at doing a hydro boost, and actually bought one that may be for sale soon... But ended up going all manual brakes, the pedal has a 10:1 ratio vs 5-7 or so, so should have good feel. If it does not work all that good, I'll do something else. But for now all manual.
Just laid out the electrical parts that need to go in the jeep, it's a box of parts larger than a laundry basket. Should be fun time figuring all that out.
Off to work.
On the brakes, no booster. The LS with the CAM probably won't get me enough vacuum at idle. I looked at doing a hydro boost, and actually bought one that may be for sale soon... But ended up going all manual brakes, the pedal has a 10:1 ratio vs 5-7 or so, so should have good feel. If it does not work all that good, I'll do something else. But for now all manual.
Just laid out the electrical parts that need to go in the jeep, it's a box of parts larger than a laundry basket. Should be fun time figuring all that out.
Off to work.
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