Aaron's TJ

[Aaron]

I've never done one of these build thread things but figured it would be fun to document the progression of the Heap over time. I will try to do some catchup as well. Here's the list of things I've done and the things I want to do. I'm pretty proud of the fact that other than the rebuild of the tranny (which I did take out and put back in) I did all the work myself. I know most folks on the site do that but this is way out of my comfort zone. Pics to follow.

Done:
2.5" Rough Country Lift
1.25" Body Lift
33" Nitto TerraGraplers
Quick Discos
Engine and Tranny Skid (modifications by Brody)
Nemesis Rocker Sliders (2nd Annual Anniversary Run Give Away, Thanks Nemesis)
Clutch and Tranny Rebuild

Near Term:
More Stout Gas Tank Skid (and remove hitch)
New or Modified front bumper (stubby, D Rings, Winch Plate)
Winch
New rear bumper with tire swing (that tire is getting heavy)
Horsepower (CAI and Exhaust probably)

Longer Term:
Ford 8.8 out back
Some stronger axle up front
Long Arm
35s or 38s
Lockers

[Aaron]

Here it is when I first bought it in Jan of '09. Note that despite outward appearances, it is not a Rubicon.

[Aaron]

Not long after, I had to put a clutch in the thing. That put off the lift and tires till march. Here it is on 33"s with darn near 4" of lift. Still sporting the Rubicon stickers but still, not a Rubicon.

It didn't change much from this look (except I took off the Rubicon Stickers) for almost a year. Tranny rebuild, tune up, new battery and other boring stuff was done in the mean time.

[Aaron]

And today, I have new sliders installed from NEMESIS. I got them from the Anniversary run at China Wall and they look awesome. Hopefully the Winch comes soon. But not before some more wheeling.

Goodbye plasticy Sahara Rocker decorations (no its not a Sahara either). Hello Steel!

[scout man]

Those sliders are pretty sweet! I am really liking them. They are frame mounted too right?

[Aaron]

Those sliders are pretty sweet! I am really liking them. They are frame mounted too right?

Pretty close. They are mounted on the body mounts above the body lift just on the bottom of the tub. Then they are obviously bolted to the rocker panels...

[scout man]

intersting. I think I will see how they hold up when you "test" them out a few times, and if all goes well I might just have to build a set of my own!!

[1freaky1]

Hey Aaron, if you want a Ford 8.8 for the rear I will be pulling mine here soon and we can work out a deal on it if you are interested, it has the 4:10s and is limited slip. would be super easy to put on disc brakes for it and it has the ABS system. Let me know what your thoughts are.
Sean

[Haku]

Hey Aaron, if you want a Ford 8.8 for the rear I will be pulling mine here soon and we can work out a deal on it if you are interested, it has the 4:10s and is limited slip. would be super easy to put on disc brakes for it and it has the ABS system. Let me know what your thoughts are.
Sean

ohhh pssssh.........just go with a Dana 60 or Rockwells:lmao:. Nah, that would be a sweet deal, and I'm sure it would be much stronger then watcha got. Stronger stock takeoffs are always fun.

Looking good dude. You can bash away now and not have to worry about it as much. Its pretty nice to not have to worry about body damage as much, and Rock Rails do an amazing amount towards that goal.

JH

[Rob]

Oh yeah, those are some sweet sliders, Aaron.

[Aaron]

Hey Aaron, if you want a Ford 8.8 for the rear I will be pulling mine here soon and we can work out a deal on it if you are interested, it has the 4:10s and is limited slip. would be super easy to put on disc brakes for it and it has the ABS system. Let me know what your thoughts are.
Sean

We can chat. I really do need to get my ducks in a row and make sure the 8.8 that I get is the right one so that the swap can be done more easily. I assume it came out of the ranger? I hear the exact right on is from a late 90s explorer but again, still need to do research. I wasn't thinking it would be this soon so the finances have to be in order. (just bought the winch last night).

[Aaron]

I bought the winch last night. I was planning on going this weekend to get an XRC8 or an XRC10 by Smittybilt but just at the right time, I found a Warn XD9000i used (lightly) on craigslist. It was bought in 2007 and he said it was mounted but never used to pull anything. He sold his jeep and didn't need it anymore so he gave what looks to be a great deal. Amazon has it for 1100.

Below is a picture of the winch, my Ham of a daughter and my dirty workbench.

[Volcom]

Looks brand new!! That was a killer deal, nice job!

[1freaky1]

No worries about time frame on this end I still need to get my gears in the 9" and swap it out, hoping to real soon here. From what I have seen the ranger 8.8s are a direct fit under the Jeeps. Mike (Hypoid) would know more about that than me.

[Aaron]

The winch is on... Used a Smittybilt winch plate on the stock bumper. Man. Those things are stout...

Thinking about chopping down the bumper a bit soon. We'll see. Would love to get some D-Rings up front but I don't think the stock bumper could handle it.

[Aaron]

Well, I don't know if this counts as a build or not, but since I have the trailer now, the rack seems a bit like overkill so I took it off. Sort of an un-build if you will.

I also mounted the Hi Lift to the cage using some 2.5" exhaust clamps.

[Rob]

I also mounted the Hi Lift to the cage using some 2.5" exhaust clamps.

Does that mean you have to bust out the socket set to get to your jack? :)

[scout man]

I have to pull out the wrench also. It is just a 3/4 nut on both ends, so I just keep the wrench handy so it isnt a big deal. Makes it harder for others to walk away with it too.

[Chris]

I also need a wrench so usually someone else can get theirs off before I find the wrench. :D

[scout man]

me too, right Rob? :D

[Rob]

I also need a wrench so usually someone else can get theirs off before I find the wrench. :D


me too, right Rob? :D

:lol:
So that's why you guys let me go on runs with you. I suspected it wasn't because of my charming personality or wheeling skills.

[Aaron]

I plan on getting wing nuts soon. That's what I had on my rack.

[scout man]

yea, that was my plan too, not sure it will ever happen though. Then again, I like the added theft-prevention of needing a wrench, and it isnt that hard to grab a wrench out.

[Aaron]

It's sold. A new era with the jk now.

[Rob]

It's sold. A new era with the jk now.

:frown:, but :)

[Brody]

Mine is mounted to the cage with some radically redesigned basic Hi Lift flat mounts, but still has the wing nuts. I have a bike cable threaded through the jack and the spare that locks. This works well as I only have to relock a Master Lock to remove it. If I have to use it on the trail, I usually leave the cable unthreaded until I get home, them rethread it an relock it when I get home, leaving it unlocked the balance of the run.