By: Tim Mulverhill
There have been many new products and developments since I originally wrote the TJ Tech article. There are also a few corrections that should be made. Also a few events that should be considered. With all of that I offer this update:
Tires
The big news has been the Goodyear MTR, the updated and
reinforced mud tire from that firm. Sidewalls were reinforced and
a grippy new tread pattern added. They are the hot item on the
trail and are reported to have good road manners as well. 33",
35", and the new 37" sizes should interest members of the club.
37" - That's right! For those who haven't followed the year's
events closely, the new club tire sizes are 31" minimum and 38"
maximum. The previous article erroneously mentioned the Swamper TSL as
being Dana 30 friendly - I intended to say Swamper SSR
Radial. The SSR is a lighter radial with a sipped tread for
better wet pavement/ice traction and street manners.
Lockers
The ARB had been the only serious choice for full-time front axles
with its ability to be turned off when not needed. The new cable
actuated OX Locker has recently made the scene and is the new hot
item. There is no compressor to buy or have fail, no vulnerable air
lines to cut. Pull the cable and you are locked. The OX comes with a
heavy-duty diff cover with a drain plug, so that the cover doesn?t
need to be removed for routine maintenance.
Paul Maxwell has one installed in the front of his YJ and he is pleased with it so far, and Todd Landers of Endangered Species Off Road recommends the OX over the ARB as well.
Axles
On a semi-related note, Drive Train Direct offers a Super 35 kit for
the Dana 35 axle. This gives you 30 spline axleshafts, c-clip
elimination, and a custom Detroit Locker to match the axles. It'll set
you back about a grand before labor, so think carefully about swapping
in a Dana 44 at similar cost. You will still have the smaller axle
tubes which have been known to bend and the physical size of lower
gears will be limited by the 35's case size - lower will equal weaker
as you near the 4.56 range. On the plus size, the Super 35's axles are
the same size as the 44's with the same spline count.
Warn and Moser are making heavy duty alloy axleshafts for both front and rear axle applications. Dana 30 owners can get reinforced axles with 297X u-joints for extra insurance against breakage. These are a good idea, especially if you are moving towards 35"+ tires and a locker.
The Dana 60 has become the new hot thing to get. Rick Boiros had an article & pics on how he shaved his 60 down for more clearance. A few companies offer these expensive housings for sale. The 60 becomes necessary when going to 38" tires, especially with a high HP motor. Ben McCarthy squeezed a pair under his TJ from a Dodge 1 ton. Complete axles can be had new in the $4K+ range.
Suspension
A few 6" and 8" kits have come on the market to allow the use of 38"s
on a TJ. For the 33"-37" crowd, Terraflex is making a longarm
suspension kit which improves highway ride and off-road
performance. The original control arm brackets are cut from the frame
to allow installation of the longer control arms.
Terraflex quick disconnects are a marked improvement over earlier designs and an upgrade I recommend.
Body
Relocating mirrors when removing hard doors has always been a
problem. The Sun mirror brackets rust easily and the passenger side
mirror can't be seen. After my second set has rusted out I am giving
up and drilling/tapping the factory windshield hinges for CJ
mirrors. Bill Barnes did it on his YJ after rolling it at Paragon and
it looks factory.
The M.O.R.E. rollcage has been a popular mod in the club. No two installs are alike, with custom reinforcements added according to personal tastes. I've added two spreader bars between the front seats and a bar across the top of the dashboard.
To make dropping the windshield easier I cut off the outboard half of the windshield brackets, leaving only one bolt hole on each side of the cage. These two bolts are more than adequate for keeping the windshield in place and no longer interfere with the windshield/door moldings. I'm currently scouting out knurled thumbscrews to use for this application, eliminating the need for any tools in this procedure.
For those who have removed the factory airbox and are looking to install an underhood compressor, Turbo City makes a neat mounting plate that fits into the stock airbox mounting holes - no drilling required.
In the body armor department, Kilby Enterprises offers a gas tank skidplate that actually raises the tank 1" in addition to protecting it. Anyone who has dragged a TJ tank down a rocky trail knows how much difference that inch can make. Kilby can be found at Rockcrawler.com along with a product review.
Thats all I have for now, though there is a boatload of both TJ specific and new off-road products out there. I've just listed a few that club members have had experience with. I can't wait to see what's new for 2002, so long as IFS isn't part of it.
Tim Mulverhill
NE4Wi VP 2001
1997 TJ 44/44, 35"s
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