Birth of Phoenix

This is a great thread because it reveals the little details involved with a project like this that one might not consider before jumping in.


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I quickly threw a patch panel together. Easily removable and strong enough to support the spare tire. IMG_5291.jpg
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The nice thing about having the TJ tank is that I can easily do a triangulated 4 link in the future and make a flat belly skid plate. IMG_5316.jpg
We will see what kind of damage it gets once I start crawling. Another side note, the exhaust needs to be redone. You can no longer go over the axle. Everything works. No leaks, no codes.


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So another modification that needs to be done with the TJ tank is that the rear sway bar must go away. Some leave it out but the other option is an Antirock. But even that’s not straight forward. The Antirock bolts up the holes for the rear bumper but in that position the bar with make contact with the tank. Therefore I just moved everything up and forward and welded the mounts to the frame. IMG_5069.jpg
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At this point the Jeep is road worthy. Here’s a few pictures from the first trip. IMG_5294.jpg
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Jeep drove really well. Jeep is still a slug but does really well in town. 2000 RPMs at 65 mph. Jeep also tracks straight down the road and doesn’t wander. I guess my garage alignment was decent enough. On the flex test my rear track bar was hitting another portion of the rear truss. Trimmed it and now it’s good to go. Also a caliper froze. I knew I should have bought a new one. I did get some lights in for front left wheel sensor. Replaced it but it’s still in. I wonder if it’s the wheel bearing. Currie had bearings with 52 and 60 teeth. Maybe I got the wrong one. I’m going to try and count the teeth to see if that’s the issue.


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Things left to do:

PSC ram assist. I have the Big Bore box and it actually makes steering very easy on the streets. But I know that locked in the rocks is going to suck. PSC will port the box for $400. I just need the ram and hoses.

Skid plates. By removing the JK tank you lose the entire skid plate system.

Fix the wheel sensor.

Dial in bump stops.

Come up with E brake solution.



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Another potential upgrade needed for the 1 ton swap is a brake booster/master cylinder upgrade. The 3.8 is a little on the small side which results in a soft pedal. The brakes work very well but the pedal is soft. Apparently the 3.6 MC is big enough and no upgrade is needed. Options to upgrade are the J8 booster master cylinder setup or the Teraflex MC. Both cost around the same. I went with the Teraflex option. I’ll install soon and report on the change. IMG_5444.jpg


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Looks good!! Nice work!!
I'm pretty sure Fusion4x4 has some e brake cables for a JK with a Sterling that you may be able to make work.
I need to get some myself. I'm still running with no e brake.
 
dillard09 said:
Looks good!! Nice work!!
I'm pretty sure Fusion4x4 has some e brake cables for a JK with a Sterling that you may be able to make work.
I need to get some myself. I'm still running with no e brake.
Click to expand...

The cables do reach and looks like they will work, it’s just the spring inside rubbing on the tone ring.


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Alright here’s the parts list. Didn’t include part numbers but this will give you an idea of what’s required. This is pretty close to everything. I may have misplaced a receipt.

Parts:
Diff covers-Ruff Stuff-$265
Front Truss-Artec-$490
Rear Truss-FB Martket Place-$185
Knuckles/ball joints-Weaver Fabrication-$810
Rear sway bar-Currie-$592
Rear Hub I destroyed-Torque King 4x4-$314
35 spline hubs-Warn-$300
35 spline stub shafts-ECGS-$321
Axles(includes axles, gears, rebuild kits, ARBs, yokes)-Local-$4312
Lug Nuts-Les Schwab-$113
Brake pads-Autozone-$80
Rotors-Autozone-$288
Tone rings-Artec-$210
4.5” Coils-Rock Krawler-$305
Lower Control Arms-Rock Krawler-$425
Tires-Nitto-$2180
Beadlocks-KMC-$1907
Brake hardware-Rock Auto-$144
Front axle U-Joints-ECGS-$112
Bearings/seals-Rock Auto-$366
Steering-Ruff Stuff-$266
Front wheel bearings-Currie-$800
Knuckle bolt kit-Artec-$102
Fuel pump kit-GenRight-$72
Drive shafts shortened-local-$140
TJ Tank-Free
Misc small parts-$150
Wrong parts or stuff I broke or didn’t need-$500
Total-$15,609

I sold about $7500 from my Jeep that I didn’t need. Axles, tires, wheels, springs, steering, control arms and bumper. Also sold my 1951 Willys project for $1500. So a total of $9000.

That’s about $6,600 out of my pocket for the swap.



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I had originally planned to spend about $13,000 for the swap but as you can see I came in over budget. Plus it took me about 4 months to finish. Granted work was extremely busy and I had to leave the project for 5 weeks because I was underway. There was a lot of planning plus trial and error involved. I do love the final outcome and I’m very happy with it. I could have taken more time to find a 14 bolt so I wouldn’t have had to mess with the tank swap. I still would have had to get new front hubs to match the bolt patterns. Plus I know I would have thrown more money at it to shave the 14 bolt for more clearance. This setup allows me to grow and change things in the future. Still have a few things to finish it up.

Here’s some data on bolt in setups that are similar to mine. These companies are great and the workmanship is solid. Less stress involved about bracket setups and welds. You could also swap in a weekend with a bolt in set.

These are just ballpark figures.

Currie Rock Jock 70s-$16,800
Dynatrac Hardcore 60s-$16,000
Ultimate Dana 60s-$13,656

Wheels and tires not included.




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BABOOZLE said:
I had originally planned to spend about $13,000 for the swap but as you can see I came in over budget. Plus it took me about 4 months to finish. Granted work was extremely busy and I had to leave the project for 5 weeks because I was underway. There was a lot of planning plus trial and error involved. I do love the final outcome and I’m very happy with it. I could have taken more time to find a 14 bolt so I wouldn’t have had to mess with the tank swap. I still would have had to get new front hubs to match the bolt patterns. Plus I know I would have thrown more money at it to shave the 14 bolt for more clearance. This setup allows me to grow and change things in the future. Still have a few things to finish it up.

Here’s some data on bolt in setups that are similar to mine. These companies are great and the workmanship is solid. Less stress involved about bracket setups and welds. You could also swap in a weekend with a bolt in set.

These are just ballpark figures.

Currie Rock Jock 70s-$16,800
Dynatrac Hardcore 60s-$16,000
Ultimate Dana 60s-$13,656

Wheels and tires not included.




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Click to expand...

It’s cool that you could do that yourself. That type of thing is rewarding. I’d have to get store bought axles, myself.


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Here’s some pictures from last weekend. First off-road trip with the new setup. Wasn’t difficult but it was a nice little test run. Kaner Flats and Ravens Roost here in WA. IMG_5333.jpg
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