scottbutler

Another Project

2008-04-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well after much deliberation, my buddy has decided to use the 38" tires that he has on his Ford........and put them on the new Jeep.

This means that the Ford will need a new set of rubber. Since it would be pointless to get the same size tires, he will be putting another 6" of lift into it. The new rubber will be a set of 44" Boggers...

The truck currently sits on 38" gumbo mudders, a 6" leaf spring in the front, and a 6" shackle flip in the rear. He will be purchasing a 6" spring for the rear, and we will be doing a 6" shackle flip in the front. This will give about 12" of lift which is plenty for the new 44's.

The open axles will also get a set of detroit lockers which basically locks up both axle shafts so there is no free spin. Last summer we replaced the old 351 cubic inch Ford engine that was in the truck with a 460 cubic inch Ford engine. It provides a descent amount of power but will struggle with the new 44's so the engine will be getting a stroker kit which will raise the power band from around 350hp to upwards of 500hp. If he chooses to add a propane kit and different cams, heads, pistons, rockers and headers, it could be upwards of 700 horse power. This may be a little excessive for his application but it can be done.

The stroker kit is still up in the air for this summer as it is pretty expensive. The Jeep will be the first on the chopping block and depending on time and a budget, the Ford will be next.

First "Real" Build

2008-04-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Since our trip to Dresser, Wi last memorial day weekend, my buddy has been contemplating building a Jeep for himself. After alot of research and searching the internet for a good project, he found one. So last friday night me and a few buddies drove to White Bear Lake and picked up a 67 Jeep CJ. It was rusty, old and rotted out....perfect for what we need it for.

Here's what we picked up...

Here's what it will look like after all said and done....

......less pretty of course.

Since the Jeep won't be seeing any roads, he is going all out on this build. The plans include a Chevy 350 engine and tranny out of a van he has sitting around, and a junkyard transfercase to provide the 4 wheel drive. The frame is already set up for a 350 so that is alittle less work we have to do. The body on the other hand is a different story. It is completely rusted out. The debate is still on to either fix it, or look for a new body. Newer tubs can be found cheap so that seems like the easier solution but you never know.

For suspension, we will be building a 4 link front and rear with Jeep TJ front coils. Coilover springs would be better but they are waay to expensive. It will take some time to mock up and calculate because we want to build a suspension that articulates well, but doesnt compromise much of the body. The engine will power 2.5 ton Rockwell axles which are basically bomb proof. We will be welding the carrier since it will only see trails and lockers are expensive and pointless in this case. For tires, he is either thinking a 38" tire which he already has, or a 40" tire, which he wants. They will be wrapped around a set of beadlocks which clamp the tire to the rim so that it is impossible to break the bead when the tire is aired down.

Since suspension work and body work come pretty easy to us, the engine and wiring will be the bigges issue. The roll cage, dash, seat mounts, bumpers, rocker guards and all the skid plates will be made in his barn with a welder, tubing bender and some long hours. It will be our first build of this complexity but will be well worth it. In the end, it will be pretty indestructable but with how hard he will wheel it, anything can break.

Land use and Legislation.

2008-03-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

When it comes time to take your rig on the trail, there are a few things to know. First and foremost, illegal wheeling is frowned upon by everyone in the offroading community, and of course by the police and landowners. Minnesota only has 3 public offroad parks for ORV, or off road vehicles. The Iron Range OHV park is located in Gilbert, Minnesota and is the largest park with over 1200 acres of OHV recreation. Since it is the largest, it is the most popular and the most scenic. It is in the heart of the Iron Range and is a beautiful area all year round. Spider Lake and Appleton are also ORV accessable but are much smaller.

Compared to other states, Minnesota has a very limited number of off highway use trails. This is mainly because of the lack of funding for the sport, along with those individuals who trespass and wheel illegally. For many years the MN offroad community have been fighting with those at the state capitol for more funding and land use but with little luck. It is the individuals who don't respect public and private land that ruin it for everyone else. Treadlightly is a non profit organization dedicated to safe and responsible use of our land. It helps to protect our trails from being shut down from irresponsible wheeling. Treadlightly basically means leave the trails as you found them.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is constantly working with offroad enthusiasts to figure out ways to keep those who don't take the sport seriously, from destroying what is given to them. Their website has alot of useful information on how to wheel responsibly, while still having fun. Everyone involved in the sport must make an effort to follow the guidlines the state has set and to pass the word along. This will ensure we will have trails for years to come.

MN-Jeep.com is also a very informational website. Not only do they have technical information regardless of what you drive, but they have a classified section, land use section and just a general BS section. Many of the guys on the site have been apart of the offroading community for many years so they are very knowlegable on what it takes to have fun in the sport. Many of them are apart of clubs in which at least one person owns land which is available to wheel on as well. They are generally nice guys and on the trail, they will do whatever they can to help you out in case of a breakdown (just dont ask to use their tools). They also host large events such as Crawl for the Cure which hosts an annual event at Gilbert to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis.

Some good websites:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ohv/index.html
http://treadlightly.org/page.php/aboutus/About-Us.html
http://www.mn-jeep.com/forum/index.php
http://www.crawl4cure.org/

Suspension 101

2008-03-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ive been toying with the idea of building my Cherokee up for awhile now. The way I have it now is satisfying, but there's always bigger and better things. I could go all out and upgrade the suspension to long arms, but its expensive and the on road manners are less than perfect.

The Cherokee, along with Grand Cherokee and Wrangler all have coil sprung front suspensions. This means that instead of leaf springs controlling the front axle setup from side to side and front to back, there are 4 control arms doing this work, 2 up and 2 down. Stock control arms only range from 15-17 inches, which is a problem when lifting the front of the vehicle above 4 inches. The ideal angle for these control arms is less than 30 degrees. Right now, im pushing 45 degrees which puts a strain on the axle, and frame side of the control arm bushings. A long arm suspension lengthens the control arms which puts it back at a 20 degree angle, which came stock. Not only does this provide better on road manners, but it also gives the suspension much more flex when driving over rocks and other objects on the trail.

The rear of the vehicle is leaf sprung, which is pretty simple. More arch in the leaf springs results in more lift of the vehicle. Shackles and lift blocks are a cheaper way to increase the amount of lift, but will result in a greater potential for axle wrap which destroys the leaf springs. Axle wrap occurs when to much torque is applied to the leafs which causes them to turn with the drivetrain, causing the leafs to bend.

Of course, lifting the vehicle will make it taller, but increase the center of gravity which is not desireable. The purpose to most trail riding and rock crawling is to keep the COG low to reduce the chances of a roll over. Fitting the biggest tires on the least amount of lift is what this sport is all about. Whether you have to cut the sheet metal on the fenders, or change suspension geometry, its still an ongoing debate.

When it comes to my Jeep, I'm still debating whether or not to go to a long arm suspension. It is expensive, but it will make the suspension system work much harder without the possibilities of maxing out and failing on the trail.

The Buildup

2008-03-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Since getting my Cherokee, I have always been interested in going bigger. I have a couple buddies who are into trailriding and offroading in general, so they helped me with the process. This is where the addiction started. I started by searching the internet for ways to upgrade. I found numerous jeep forums which have endless amounts of information. I decided that since this was my daily driver, I would only put on a 2" lift. It basically consists of shackes in the rear to lift the leaf springs, and coil spacers up front for the coils.

Of course this wasn't good enough for me. It didnt take long (about a couple of months) before i had to get tires to go with it. I picked up a set of used 31" mud tires on black rims. I decided that I would probably stop spending money on the Jeep for awhile. Wrong. A couple of months after that, I started piecing bigger lift parts together. I got 3" coils, a set of used leaf springs with a 2" add a leaf in it, and a trac bar to keep the front end of the vehicle centered. After a long weekend in a buddies garage, I had ended up with about 5" of lift. I thought it was awesome so i took it for a little trail ride on my buddies land. Sure I had 5" of lift, but with bald, worn tires, I got stuck in pretty much every situation. This didn't sit well for me so I picked up a set of 31" Baja Claws from a guy in Texas. After having them installed, I thought I was invincible so I took the Jeep to a couple offroad events. One was a mud run at a buddies field, and the other was a trail ride at Dresser Wisconsin. The Jeep did surprisingly well with 5 guys and about 200lbs of camping gear in the back. I only managed to get stuck once, but was pulled out quickly. After this, I knew I had found my hobby.

My first car

2008-02-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

Ive been a Jeep enthusiest for about 4 years now. I always loved Jeeps and my first vehicle was an 87 Jeep Cherokee with a saggy suspension, patches of rust and 260,000 on the clock. It was a good reliable Jeep that my dad bought brand new in 87. As soon as I got my liscense he turned it over to me. It wasnt a new car, but then again, im not spoiled and it ran great. I beat the crap out of it for a good year before it was time to move on. I got a bonneville and stuck with it for awhile, but after some consideration, it wasnt for me. I thought long and hard about what kind of vehicle I wanted next and of course, I had to choose a Jeep. Their reliable, they dont look to bad, and they have good offroad potential. I didnt realize how addictive the world of Jeeps was, they dont call them Just Empty Every Pocket for no reason.