Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

My second TJ build

I grabbed up some used tires cheap today just to see how things will go with the larger tires. They are 37” MT-R Kevlars. Two are approximately 75% and two 50% with center wear. Won’t be a permanent situation but gave less than half the price of one new one for the set.
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Finally got an update. I’ve been at a standstill until I could paint the tub. I just did this the other day. I’m unsure about the spring height. I’ve got a few different springs to use, but can’t quite get it where I want. This is stock rear springs.

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Finally got an update. I’ve been at a standstill until I could paint the tub. I just did this the other day. I’m unsure about the spring height. I’ve got a few different springs to use, but can’t quite get it where I want. This is stock rear springs.

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Christmas jeep!
 
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I love Christmas, but I’m not that festive. I have some tube fenders from my old Jeep that will be going on and I’m going to grab a hood louver so I can cut out all the shotty bodywork in the middle of the hood. Then it will be all Olive Drab and black. This color scheme makes me nauseous.
 
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I’m working on slowly phasing the red out. I got the front fenders partially installed (I didn’t bolt the grill yet since I still have to paint that). I also epoxy primered and installed the rocker guards. I will bed line them in the next few days. I’ve also decided to nix the current axle setup. I am picking up a Sterling 10.5 rear axle Friday.

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I picked up my final rear axle this morning. It is a Sterling 10.5” with 4.30 gear ratio. Down the road I plan on running a 5.3/4L80E/NWF Eco box/NP205. With the doubler I think that I will be okay with the 4.30 gears. That will put my crawl ratio at 56.85:1. For comparison the same setup with 5.33 gears and no doubler would be 25.91:1
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I picked up my final rear axle this morning. It is a Sterling 10.5” with 4.30 gear ratio. Down the road I plan on running a 5.3/4L80E/NWF Eco box/NP205. With the doubler I think that I will be okay with the 4.30 gears. That will put my crawl ratio at 56.85:1. For comparison the same setup with 5.33 gears and no doubler would be 25.91:1View attachment 631319

What are you planning to run in the front to match the 4.30's?
 
Got some more pieces painted. Glad to have atleast one full door on. The other shell is painted, but I have to swap the parts over to it and install it. The hood is the only piece left. I just need to get a louver to make sure I’ll be able to get out past the crap bodywork on the hood. Also my Barnes rear swap truss came in. I got all the brackets off the axle, but haven’t started the install on the Barnes stuff yet.
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Drove 2 hours away to grab these wheels today. Got all 5 for $400. I’ll have to machine the center bore out some and will convert the lug pattern to 8x170. Also just ordered a new welder to upgrade and be able to weld aluminum.
 
No pictures, but I swapped out the old radio for a new Bluetooth media receiver. I also installed some 5.25” Polk DB speakers in the dash. I began swapping in a set of ‘03 roll bar speaker pods with 6.5” Polk DB speakers as well. I have some tooling coming in today to modify the H2 wheels and plan to get those done soon.
 
If your picture is doing it any justice, that looks like a great match. Nice work.

Thanks. This project was my first using this type base coat (have been doing bodywork part time for 20 years). This project has been my first using this specific brand base coat and it’s turned out acceptable enough for what it is, but definitely not my best. I used the same clear I always use, but for some reason it wants to fisheye over this base. I’ve changed my method a bit and it’s helped some, but I’ve yet to figure out how to get rid of it completely.
 
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No picture updates, but the junkyard is pulling my front axle. It’s a Dana 60 from an ‘04 F350 with 4.30 gears. Also ordered an Artec swap truss. I tend to order from Barnes, but their swap truss sits the coil springs way higher than the Artec one, so I decided to pay the premium for that.
 
Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts