You'll dig the Swayloc; it'll compliment all you've done very nicely.
Purple TJ in AZ (just some of the stuff I've done thread)
- Thread starter PurpleTJAZ
- Start date
You'll dig the Swayloc; it'll compliment all you've done very nicely.
Plan to get it in the dirt tomorrow. Make sure all the gearing and lockers work as they should. See if I can shake it down and make sure everything is tight and flexes appropriately.
Got out in the Arizona desert for a little while today. About 10 miles of rugged double track and mild trails. Some 4H and 4Low and engaged lockers to make sure everything worked.I was worried about front differential making noise. It was my first ring and pinion setup but it worked flawlessly and quietly..Nothing ran into anything it shouldn’t, steering is spot on.
Take aways…. Much smoother over the washboard roads, more stable off camber and at speed. On the road it tracks much straighter and urges me to go faster.
Really looking forward to getting it on some technical trails.
Take aways…. Much smoother over the washboard roads, more stable off camber and at speed. On the road it tracks much straighter and urges me to go faster.
Really looking forward to getting it on some technical trails.
I haven’t had time to really to get the TJ out to shake down the new suspension but I had the opportunity to get a “Savvy style “ steering skid. @mrblaine comes through again.
Bringing back many of the awesome TJ items Savvy has discontinued.
I’ve been looking for one for sometime to complement my bumpers, midarm and other assorted BMB inspired upgrades.
I believe he has these in stock now.
Bringing back many of the awesome TJ items Savvy has discontinued.
I’ve been looking for one for sometime to complement my bumpers, midarm and other assorted BMB inspired upgrades.
I believe he has these in stock now.
So here’s an update…..
I have hade the TJ out a couple times since the midarm upgrade. First time was up Turkey creek for a shake down. Shook a few things loose, locker wiring, caliper bolt, skid plate bolt. Nothing too serious. When I got into it I noticed some crumbling on the edge of front pads and discussed it with Blaine and we decided there was probably a small lip on the pads and when I reinstalled them it broke the edges off. Probably not a big deal but had him send me a new set anyway.
@mrblaine also sent me some new caliper bolts and schooled me on keeping them tight.
I put it all back together and headed for Parker Az to meet @Beestinger at the Desert Splash. Definitely put it through its paces on multiple trails listed for 37” tire minimum. We got through everything on our 35” inch TJ’s, even pulling and winching some 37” -39” rigs over some of the waterfalls.
So my evaluation is….
Much more stable. I went over several very off camber sections that used to have me sweating and puckering that now felt planted and controllable. Getting up on a waterfall “launch pad” that used to feel like I would go over backwards was completely controllable, even to the point of being able to back up and reposition while on the obstacle. I had a couple people ride along with me that were amazed at how smooth it felt running down the trails.
Did notice when I got back to camp a little tire damage….ripped an entire lug off one of my BFG’s
Also noticed front tire rubbing on the back of the wheel well
And the rear wheel rubbing on the tub at the front of the tire.
Nothing horrible but I will push the front axle forward and rear axle back about a half inch or so each.
All in, I am very very happy with the results and performance.
The mid-arm, high pinion, rear anti-rock and steering rod flip were worth all the time and effort.
I have hade the TJ out a couple times since the midarm upgrade. First time was up Turkey creek for a shake down. Shook a few things loose, locker wiring, caliper bolt, skid plate bolt. Nothing too serious. When I got into it I noticed some crumbling on the edge of front pads and discussed it with Blaine and we decided there was probably a small lip on the pads and when I reinstalled them it broke the edges off. Probably not a big deal but had him send me a new set anyway.
I put it all back together and headed for Parker Az to meet @Beestinger at the Desert Splash. Definitely put it through its paces on multiple trails listed for 37” tire minimum. We got through everything on our 35” inch TJ’s, even pulling and winching some 37” -39” rigs over some of the waterfalls.
So my evaluation is….
Much more stable. I went over several very off camber sections that used to have me sweating and puckering that now felt planted and controllable. Getting up on a waterfall “launch pad” that used to feel like I would go over backwards was completely controllable, even to the point of being able to back up and reposition while on the obstacle. I had a couple people ride along with me that were amazed at how smooth it felt running down the trails.
Did notice when I got back to camp a little tire damage….ripped an entire lug off one of my BFG’s
Also noticed front tire rubbing on the back of the wheel well
And the rear wheel rubbing on the tub at the front of the tire.
Nothing horrible but I will push the front axle forward and rear axle back about a half inch or so each.
All in, I am very very happy with the results and performance.
The mid-arm, high pinion, rear anti-rock and steering rod flip were worth all the time and effort.
My SwayLoc arrived a couple weeks ago and I didn’t mess with it before going to Parker because I didn’t need one more new thing to worry about on that trip, and it really wasn’t going to make a huge difference off-road over my current Antiirock.
I decided to put it on this weekend.
First out with the old
View attachment 655559
The install on the SwayLoc is not super complicated. Basically a sway bar inside a sway bar.
Pop the bushings in, slide the torque bars through and bolt your arms on.
When I went to swing the arm it contacted the nuts on my hard core plate hardware.
I tried to clearance the arm , flipped the outer bolt and trim the excess off the bolt.
Still not enough ! !
So the solution I came up with
I drilled the lower hole to the 3/8” and then chucked the nut in my redneck lathe and shaved them down to just over 3/8”.
Then inserted them in from the inside. The interference kept them from spinning. Trimmed off the excess thread.
And done
Then installed the links
The last little thing I changed. I pulled the standard socket hex cap screws and replaced with button heads
I am about 90% sure my tires will rub on the arms when fully flexed and turned to lock. I think the button heads will be less abrasive to the tire when that happens.
I haven’t driven it much yet but first impressions are wow . Driving on the road is so much more enjoyable. Handling is night and day difference. I have been running an AntiRock for about eight years and it was always “acceptable “ handling on the road but the off-road performance outweighs the on road experience. I had forgotten what it was like to go around a corner and not have to slow down and anticipate the lean and body roll.
Very happy so far.
I decided to put it on this weekend.
First out with the old
View attachment 655559
The install on the SwayLoc is not super complicated. Basically a sway bar inside a sway bar.
Pop the bushings in, slide the torque bars through and bolt your arms on.
When I went to swing the arm it contacted the nuts on my hard core plate hardware.
I tried to clearance the arm , flipped the outer bolt and trim the excess off the bolt.
So the solution I came up with
I drilled the lower hole to the 3/8” and then chucked the nut in my redneck lathe and shaved them down to just over 3/8”.
Then inserted them in from the inside. The interference kept them from spinning. Trimmed off the excess thread.
And done
Then installed the links
The last little thing I changed. I pulled the standard socket hex cap screws and replaced with button heads
I am about 90% sure my tires will rub on the arms when fully flexed and turned to lock. I think the button heads will be less abrasive to the tire when that happens.
I haven’t driven it much yet but first impressions are wow . Driving on the road is so much more enjoyable. Handling is night and day difference. I have been running an AntiRock for about eight years and it was always “acceptable “ handling on the road but the off-road performance outweighs the on road experience. I had forgotten what it was like to go around a corner and not have to slow down and anticipate the lean and body roll.
Very happy so far.
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I haven't updated in awhile. It has been a busy couple weeks for me. I retired in December after 39 years at the dealership. Tying up loose ends, putting my replacement in place, setting up health insurance and a couple farewell celebrations have kept me busy.
My general manager threw me a great send off and quite a surprise. He said that typically when a manager retires from the dealership he gives them some custom built golf clubs. He said you don't play golf and are not likely to start soon. He then presented me with a more appropriate gift.....
5 Raceline beadlocks with 35 BFG KM3 tires.
Plan to put them to good use very soon. New year, new tires and wheels and a lot more free time in 2026.
I may rename the TJ "Retirement Plan"
My general manager threw me a great send off and quite a surprise. He said that typically when a manager retires from the dealership he gives them some custom built golf clubs. He said you don't play golf and are not likely to start soon. He then presented me with a more appropriate gift.....
5 Raceline beadlocks with 35 BFG KM3 tires.
Plan to put them to good use very soon. New year, new tires and wheels and a lot more free time in 2026.
I may rename the TJ "Retirement Plan"
Dang GM sounds like a cool dude. Congrats on retirement
That's Awesome!!!!! I took early retirement in September, probably pick up a 20 hour a week part time job.
I took mine to be with my dad.
Man I got like 30 more years of this shit
I had the opportunity take the jeep out on some new trails in December. A little slot canyon appropriately "Collateral Damage". I wanted to test the mid-arm, locker and sway-loc to see if everything was going to play well together. Most of my trail partners are running 40"+ tires, so again I was the smallest rig that day.......A couple pictures.
And the trail lived up to its name.....Tail lights scraped off, tire carrier bent and multiple new dents and abrasions to the tub and bumpers. I had to pick up my license plate and put it back on twice.
Time for some tub armor..... I need to get with @Fluxoffroad and put in my order.
A couple other things I found. The track bar was twisted a bit and turns out it banging into the front truss. It was fine when I did the initial mid-arm install, but when I pushed the axle forward I lost some room.
I pulled it out and a little nip, tuck and grind
And everything is playing well together again.
Thanks, still trying to get used to the idea of not working....
Yeh, he is good guy. I like to tease him that he was still being potty trained when I went to work there.
Several weeks ago I picked up a soft top on market place. I've never had one but for less than $200 I got a full top with all the hardware, tinted rear windows showing almost no scratches and soft uppers for my half doors. I installed it all and I'm trying to determine if I am a "Soft Top Guy" or not.
Admittedly I don't know much about soft tops, but I do know how much lighter it is than my hard top. Trying to figure out how to put some more tension in the front section and get rid of this small sagging area. It doesn't seem to flap and It may be normal but it looks a little sloppy. I know Bestop has some adjustable brackets , i am just not sure they will put tension where I need it. Probably just spend some time in my fab shop making something work. Also need to rekey my half doors to match my full doors. Never bothered before because I only ran them with no top.
I also moved the license plate to the spare for now. The spare will eventually end up inside the tub so I quit bending my carrier bracket.
Admittedly I don't know much about soft tops, but I do know how much lighter it is than my hard top. Trying to figure out how to put some more tension in the front section and get rid of this small sagging area. It doesn't seem to flap and It may be normal but it looks a little sloppy. I know Bestop has some adjustable brackets , i am just not sure they will put tension where I need it. Probably just spend some time in my fab shop making something work. Also need to rekey my half doors to match my full doors. Never bothered before because I only ran them with no top.
I also moved the license plate to the spare for now. The spare will eventually end up inside the tub so I quit bending my carrier bracket.
https://skidrowoffroad.com/collecti...top-prop-for-jeep-wrangler-yj-tj-lj-1987-2006
If you can wait until March I have one that came with a Safari top that I don't use & I could bring it down when I'm come down for that run.
Thanks Dave. PM me what your schedule look like next week? I will figure out how to meet up with you.
I planned to pull the sway bar links off my SwayLoc and paint them black. I just didn’t like the look of the machine grey color.
I started scuffing them for paint and I got inspired. Chucked them up in the drill press and started stripping them down. What ever they use to coat them …. Holy shit that stuff is tough.
A little more sanding 120,240,400 and a scotch brite pad….
I think they look better raw aluminum than painted.
I started scuffing them for paint and I got inspired. Chucked them up in the drill press and started stripping them down. What ever they use to coat them …. Holy shit that stuff is tough.
A little more sanding 120,240,400 and a scotch brite pad….
I think they look better raw aluminum than painted.
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