Tennessee Red

[gasiorv]

I got pretty close to the same clearance on the RJ60 in the rear as the RJ44 in the front. Approx 11" with 25psi. Not too shabby. I also have the same clearance on the axle side control arm mounts.
Rear:

Front:

Only thing that I don't like is that the Front Frame side lower control mounts (TMR) do hang down slightly more that then the GR frame side mounts in the rear. Not sure if the GR front mounts would have tucked up a little higher, but with hindsight I would have checked and would have paid the few hundred more dollars if I verified the ly did. Hindsight and learning the hard way is my way.

 

[gasiorv]

Burrito box. I usually put my burritos right on the manifold, not sure if the box will get hot enough. We will see!
$9.99 metal lunch box from Amazon with few rubber clamps.

 

[Wildman]

Burrito box. I usually put my burritos right on the manifold, not sure if the box will get hot enough. We will see!
$9.99 metal lunch box from Amazon with few rubber clamps.
View attachment 582255

View attachment 582256

That'll be interesting to see how it does.

The ones we used on snowmobiles mounted to the exhaust.

 

[gasiorv]

Yeah, but snowmobile doesn't have a hood that already creates the heat box, this is just a box inside a box to hold the items from falling out.

 

[Wildman]

Yeah, but snowmobile doesn't have a hood that already creates the heat box, this is just a box inside a box to hold the items from falling out.

I hope it works... But I doubt I have the room under my hood for anything that big.

 

[lBasket]

I keep thinking about this... Definitely curious how it works out.

I was thinking this morning, could you hang it on the other grill support rod and somehow clamp the heater core hoses to the bottom so you get constant ~200° coolant flowing underneath? Do they have enough slack? Maybe even some kind of heatsink between the two? Okay maybe that's overkill.

 

[gasiorv]

Did my shakedown run for the front axle install this past weekend at Windrock. It was a very fun, but very tough trip with the weather and trail conditions.
As far as shakedown goes, due to the conditions I can't really tell if the small stretch helped me at all, but I did get a good shakedown and found a bunch of stuff I need to change/fix.
Here is what I know I need to fix/change: (just documenting for myself so I have a punch list to work).

• Truss hit oil pan (at least once) and dent it pretty good (lucky no crack). Mount also hit AC compressor.
  • Not sure if I can fix this with additional bump stop or trimming/modding of the truss or combo of both, TBD.
• Somehow the axle has shifted over towards passenger side, but the track bar mounts and the actual track bar all look good and tight and nothing drastic changed. Not sure if I can't measure laying in a garage or if something actually shifted but the axle is not centered.
  • Need to recenter axle and then cycle for the bump stop requirements, etc... I may change the steering design which may require track bar change anyway.
• DS spring is hitting the frame at the top and it is pinched between the knuckle flange and the truss flange on the bottom and it makes a noise that drove me crazy when I hit a bump at speed.
  • Need to recenter axle and figure out how to eliminate this noise.
• Sway bar link mount on DS bent.
  • Need to straighten and reinforce, no real issue.
• Ball Joint Eliminator on PS, not sure how but the knuckle moved further up the pin. Not sure if knuckle is the issue, the pins are the issue, or if something else happened. I just tightened it up Saturday morning and kept wheeling.
  • Need to take it apart and see what is going on?
• Fittings on the hydraulic ram loosened and I lost all my PS fluid on the trail.
  • Need to route hoses in a way so that when the axle cycles the hoses don't want to twist or they twist in a way to tighten in lieu of loosen the fittings. I thought I actually did this, but then I remembered I changed the ram and the fitting locations were slightly different which required the lines to be run slightly different.
• I got a clunking coming from the trans tunnel area, not sure what it is.
  • Got to drop the skid and see if I can see what is hitting?
• Most likely am going to have to change the steering design since the clamps can only be at certain locations and the tolerances are tight.
  • This will most likely change my track bar and hydro assist ram as well.
• Tires are about wore out, need to get new tires soon but not sure what size, etc... since I will be doing re stretch later this year. I may just try to run the TSL SXs in the current condition for a few more months since my next few wheeling trips will be in primary rock (Hot Springs and Moab) and not in Mud, I think the tires will still grip in the rock even with the rounded and non-existent outer lugs.

Recap of the shakedown run:
Day 1 - Friday morning we hit trail 15 around 8am, it was cold and the forecast showed snow was to start around 10am. As soon as we entered Trail 15 how the day was going to go hit us. The trail was solid ice and when/if the ice broke it was mud under. There was no traction at all. I winched twice and could still see the pavement! After trail 15 we headed to Trail 38 (little school bus). It started to snow on our way to the trail, by time we hit the top of the trail, the ground was covered with snow and it was snowing harder. We headed over to trail 44 and one rig had some issues on the way over so it took a little longer than planned but by time we arrived to Trail 44 there was probably 3" of snow covering the ice and mud. We did not make it half way up 44 when we decided to just turn around and go back down, it was just going to be a winch fest to get to the top. So I called an audible and we went and hit some easier trails (which weren't easy with the conditions). I was leading and I would have some traction if I didn't break through the actual snow, but the rigs behind all were left with ice. It continued to snow throughout the day and evening and it probably snowed 4-5" total.

here is a video of the day:

Day 2 - The plan was to hit Trail 57 which is a very long trail on the north side of the park. It would take us most of the day to do this trail if the conditions were good, but with them being bad we decided to call an audible and run some trails with not as many hill climbs. We looked at the map and found some trails that had some good topo but they were ATV only trails. One person in our group has some connections and made some calls and we got permission to run these trails in our full size rigs. It was a good call and for the most part we did not have many steep icy climbs (until the end). Since we spent most of the day going down following a nice creek, we eventually had to go up, and that up was a steep long climb. I was leading and I hit it with some speed and never let off until I was at the top a few miles later (yes miles, it was a long climb). My passenger said that the speedo never went below 20 MPH which is flying on the trail!! I believe this is where my truss hit the oil pan because I heard and felt a very loud crash at one point. This is also where the trans tunnel clunking was loud and prominent. 3 out of 5 of us made it to the top, the 2 that did not also ended up having mechanical issues and the decisions was made to find an alternate path out to the hwy to get them back to camp. We figured out a route and got them out and back to camp. One rig needed a new radiator and some work to his winch and a parts run was made, while the rest of us ate and fixed what we could on our rigs. After dinner we did a night run on Trail 16 and it provided to be very fun and very eventful!!

Day 3 - All but two of us bailed on the day 3 wheeling and packed up and headed home early. Two of us decided to wheel for the morning and went out and tried to do Trail 41a and 41b. It turned out to be a winch fest, but it was still a great morning. I was happy to be out on the trails!

I got a bunch of pics but the are all in apple format right now. Need to convert them to jpg to attach.

 

[Woodrow]

Looks like your normal hard core wheeling, Victor. Your punch list is impressive as well. Wheeling like that certainly keeps you busy in the shop. Ever considered a buggy?

 

[NashvilleTJ]

That was quite a trip, Dude. Were you in tents, or the cabins?

 

[gasiorv]

Looks like your normal hard core wheeling, Victor. Your punch list is impressive as well. Wheeling like that certainly keeps you busy in the shop. Ever considered a buggy?

Yes, if I had to do it all over (or if something happens to my jeep) I would most likely buy an already built Buggy or Juggy and go from there. Knowing what I know after wheeling for a few years I would probably buy a lightweight Samurai or Toyota based tube chassis buggy. However, in the meantime my Jeep is my buggy and it will be treated as such

Few things I learned-
1. I originally tried to have a wheeling rig and weekend cruiser in one vehicle. That is not a good option for me. I need to have a dedicated wheeling rig that I can beat on and a separate weekend fun rig that I can take the wife to a local winery or brewery to on Sunday afternoon. I now have this with my 04 TJ as my wheeling rig and my stock 98 TJ as my weekend fun rig. Not having anyone buy the 98 has actually worked out to be a blessing and I am going to keep it. It is so much easier for Tonya to get in and out of, it drives really well down the road, etc.... Not saying it is not possible to have a rig that you can wheel and drive regularly, I am just saying it is not a good option for me. If I ever do sell the 98 TJ, I would probably replace it with a newer jeep and keep it stock for just cruising with the wife or I may actually look at a small convertible sports car.

2. I started out needing a back seat because I had kids. The TJ worked but was not optimal for this and the tightness may be the reason why my kids eventually quit going. If I was to do it again, I would buy a 4 seat buggy because I have since learned above number 1. However, if I was just starting and haven't learned number 1 and still felt I could get away with one rig, then I would most likely go with a 4 dr JK and just build it right to account for the larger size, possibly an LJ but most likely the 4dr. Not saying that you can't wheel with people in the back of a TJ, but it would have been so much easier. My kids are now grown and this really is not a concern/issue for me but if someone else is reading this in the future it may give them something to think about.

3. When I first got into wheeling in 2017, I really didn't know what I was getting into or where I would eventually go. I originally wheeled with similar built vehicles but I naturally gravitated towards wheeling with bigger rigs and buggies without really realizing it. Then I became the guy in the TJ on 35s hurting everyone's feelings and leading around the big rig groups. It was fun but it led me down a path of beating on my TJ pretty hard and tearing it up to the point where it is now a buggy itself. I should have identified the path I was going down and bought a buggy right then and not beat up my TJ so badly. But hindsight is 20/20, it has been a fun ride, and I am going to stay on the bus and see where it takes me.

 

[gasiorv]

That was quite a trip, Dude. Were you in tents, or the cabins?

We rented two cabins near the general store. It worked out great! I will be heading back July 17-20, most likely renting a cabin(s) for the group, let me know if you are interested in going.

 

[Woodrow]

Yes, if I had to do it all over (or if something happens to my jeep) I would most likely buy an already built Buggy or Juggy and go from there. Knowing what I know after wheeling for a few years I would probably buy a lightweight Samurai or Toyota based tube chassis buggy. However, in the meantime my Jeep is my buggy and it will be treated as such

Few things I learned-
1. I originally tried to have a wheeling rig and weekend cruiser in one vehicle. That is not a good option for me. I need to have a dedicated wheeling rig that I can beat on and a separate weekend fun rig that I can take the wife to a local winery or brewery to on Sunday afternoon. I now have this with my 04 TJ as my wheeling rig and my stock 98 TJ as my weekend fun rig. Not having anyone buy the 98 has actually worked out to be a blessing and I am going to keep it. It is so much easier for Tonya to get in and out of, it drives really well down the road, etc.... Not saying it is not possible to have a rig that you can wheel and drive regularly, I am just saying it is not a good option for me. If I ever do sell the 98 TJ, I would probably replace it with a newer jeep and keep it stock for just cruising with the wife or I may actually look at a small convertible sports car.

2. I started out needing a back seat because I had kids. The TJ worked but was not optimal for this and the tightness may be the reason why my kids eventually quit going. If I was to do it again, I would buy a 4 seat buggy because I have since learned above number 1. However, if I was just starting and haven't learned number 1 and still felt I could get away with one rig, then I would most likely go with a 4 dr JK and just build it right to account for the larger size, possibly an LJ but most likely the 4dr. Not saying that you can't wheel with people in the back of a TJ, but it would have been so much easier. My kids are now grown and this really is not a concern/issue for me but if someone else is reading this in the future it may give them something to think about.

3. When I first got into wheeling in 2017, I really didn't know what I was getting into or where I would eventually go. I originally wheeled with similar built vehicles but I naturally gravitated towards wheeling with bigger rigs and buggies without really realizing it. Then I became the guy in the TJ on 35s hurting everyone's feelings and leading around the big rig groups. It was fun but it led me down a path of beating on my TJ pretty hard and tearing it up to the point where it is now a buggy itself. I should have identified the path I was going down and bought a buggy right then and not beat up my TJ so badly. But hindsight is 20/20, it has been a fun ride, and I am going to stay on the bus and see where it takes me.

When I was getting into wheeling and building up my TJ a couple of years ago, watching you wheel was inspirational and educational. It helped me progress. I don't have time for another rig though, and I like to daily my TJ so I've got to regularly remind myself to rein in my wheeling and build enough that one rig can do both.

 

[gasiorv]

As I age, i have found that we are all crazy, every single one of us, and that we tend to gravitate and find others with the same kind of crazy as ourselves. My crazy leads me to wheel with big rigs and hit hard trails, and I don't do anything too stupid but I can't really rein in the wheeling. So no sense in fighting nature, just build, wheel, fix, repeat.... and hope to find others with the same kind of crazy as me. I also pray my build ability continually approves (both physical ability and financial) in order to keep this crazy going.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

As I age, i have found that we are all crazy, every single one of us, and that we tend to gravitate and find others with the same kind of crazy as ourselves. My crazy leads me to wheel with big rigs and hit hard trails, and I don't do anything too stupid but I can't really rein in the wheeling. So no sense in fighting nature, just build, wheel, fix, repeat.... and hope to find others with the same kind of crazy as me. I also pray my build ability continually approves (both physical ability and financial) in order to keep this crazy going.

Well said, Brother.

 

[gasiorv]

I picked up a set of brand new GY Wrangler MT/Rs for a great deal last nov. I was hoping to stretch the rear before installing them, but my TSLs were wore out and I cut the sidewall on one during the last trip, so I had to install them early.
I haven't learned my lesson yet, so the MT/Rs are 38x14.5x17 and are significantly bigger (taller and wider) than the 36x12.5 TSL SXs.

With the larger tires and the TJ width axles I had to add spacers. Up to this point I have been trying to avoid spacers due to the larger load out on the ball joints but I typically do a thorough post wheeling inspection and will keep an eye on the BJE up front. I also had to do a little more trimming on the rear fenders.

It is definitely going to be what I am looking for after I stretch the rear, but it looks it looks pretty good for now.

 

[gasiorv]

Headed to Hawk Pride yesterday to shake down a friend's newly built TJ on 37s and it was the perfect opportunity to test out the 38s on mine.

We got snow earlier in week so I was worried about the mud at hawk pride but it turned out to be a non-issue and the trails were awesome!
We met at Hawk Pride at 9am.
Me - TJ on 38s
TJ - TJ on 37s
Drew - Sami on 37s
Beeker - Toyota based buggy
Ricky - RZR
Josh - RZR

We did the following trails:
Fatty crack, Commandments, Jester, Rambo, Brokefoot, Backdoor, K5, Waterfall, Ol 22, Cherokee, lucky loop, up lucky, down jester, timber rattler, too easy, Merlin, goose, ghost rider, west diamondback, up hill both ways, rambo, eye of the tiger, down whiskey run, up whiskey run, fatty crack. Great day of wheeling, we wheeled from 9am-m
idnight. We ran Fatty's and Rambo twice because it was that great of a day!

The wider stance had me a little worried about it fitting between the trailer fender wells, but she fit.

Some random pics from the day:

Nice TJ on 37s (it has the Rubicon D44s out of my jeep, motobuilt hilines, motobuilt armor and bumpers, Currie 4" springs, 1.25" BL, fox shocks, suspension seats, etc...)

The 38" MT/Rs did awesome in the rocks, but I struggled in some of the mud. Not sure if it was the narrower tires and/or the tread pattern of the TSL SX but they seemed to clear mud much better. The MT/R seemed to clog and hold onto the clay. Still fun though

 

[lBasket]

Headed to Hawk Pride yesterday to shake down a friend's newly built TJ on 37s and it was the perfect opportunity to test out the 38s on mine.

We got snow earlier in week so I was worried about the mud at hawk pride but it turned out to be a non-issue and the trails were awesome!
We met at Hawk Pride at 9am.
Me - TJ on 38s
TJ - TJ on 37s
Drew - Sami on 37s
Beeker - Toyota based buggy
Ricky - RZR
Josh - RZR

We did the following trails:
Fatty crack, Commandments, Jester, Rambo, Brokefoot, Backdoor, K5, Waterfall, Ol 22, Cherokee, lucky loop, up lucky, down jester, timber rattler, too easy, Merlin, goose, ghost rider, west diamondback, up hill both ways, rambo, eye of the tiger, down whiskey run, up whiskey run, fatty crack. Great day of wheeling, we wheeled from 9am-m
idnight. We ran Fatty's and Rambo twice because it was that great of a day!

The wider stance had me a little worried about it fitting between the trailer fender wells, but she fit.
View attachment 595682

Some random pics from the day:
View attachment 595681
View attachment 595679
View attachment 595678
View attachment 595677
View attachment 595676

Nice TJ on 37s (it has the Rubicon D44s out of my jeep, motobuilt hilines, motobuilt armor and bumpers, Currie 4" springs, 1.25" BL, fox shocks, suspension seats, etc...)
View attachment 595675

The 38" MT/Rs did awesome in the rocks, but I struggled in some of the mud. Not sure if it was the narrower tires and/or the tread pattern of the TSL SX but they seemed to clear mud much better. The MT/R seemed to clog and hold onto the clay. Still fun though

Looks awesome! I always love seeing pics of your trips, you're always doing some cool crazy stuff.

The Jeep looks so good with the front stretched too... it is going to look sick once you get the rear done as well.

 

[Wildman]

Headed to Hawk Pride yesterday to shake down a friend's newly built TJ on 37s and it was the perfect opportunity to test out the 38s on mine.

We got snow earlier in week so I was worried about the mud at hawk pride but it turned out to be a non-issue and the trails were awesome!
We met at Hawk Pride at 9am.
Me - TJ on 38s
TJ - TJ on 37s
Drew - Sami on 37s
Beeker - Toyota based buggy
Ricky - RZR
Josh - RZR

We did the following trails:
Fatty crack, Commandments, Jester, Rambo, Brokefoot, Backdoor, K5, Waterfall, Ol 22, Cherokee, lucky loop, up lucky, down jester, timber rattler, too easy, Merlin, goose, ghost rider, west diamondback, up hill both ways, rambo, eye of the tiger, down whiskey run, up whiskey run, fatty crack. Great day of wheeling, we wheeled from 9am-m
idnight. We ran Fatty's and Rambo twice because it was that great of a day!

The wider stance had me a little worried about it fitting between the trailer fender wells, but she fit.
View attachment 595682

Some random pics from the day:
View attachment 595681
View attachment 595679
View attachment 595678
View attachment 595677
View attachment 595676

Nice TJ on 37s (it has the Rubicon D44s out of my jeep, motobuilt hilines, motobuilt armor and bumpers, Currie 4" springs, 1.25" BL, fox shocks, suspension seats, etc...)
View attachment 595675

The 38" MT/Rs did awesome in the rocks, but I struggled in some of the mud. Not sure if it was the narrower tires and/or the tread pattern of the TSL SX but they seemed to clear mud much better. The MT/R seemed to clog and hold onto the clay. Still fun though

You can't beat a TSL in the mud... Glad to hear the MT/R's did OK... It's getting bigger & bigger. 38's are close to them 40deezees now...

 

[Mike_H]

Looks awesome! I always love seeing pics of your trips, you're always doing some cool crazy stuff.

The Jeep looks so good with the front stretched too... it is going to look sick once you get the rear done as well.

Agree. My brain keeps thinking stretch on both ends and 37’s…

 

[lBasket]

Agree. My brain keeps thinking stretch on both ends and 37’s…

The stretch look with wheels right at both ends is my favorite jeep look. Add in a TJ-6 to that and it is