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Thread: Andy's WK

  1. #21
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Can you take a picture of the hose clamp? I'm curious about the leaks you're getting
    ___________
    Steven
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  2. #22
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    I re-positioned the clamp on the upper , moved it back some towards the lip on the radiator. No leaks after a test drive. There is no space to have the tangs pointing down. We'll see how this holds up.

    Power steering pump replaced, whine is gone, will have to continue to flush the fluid over some time. We're taking on a drive tomorrow to a farm to pick pumpkins. If only the pumpkins were at the end of a trail somewhere.
         

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    Steve-O (October 12th, 2020)

  4. #23
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Well, the upper radiator hose wasn't the problem. The inlet connector was cracked and getting worse. Replacement ordered and spent some time to remove the radiator today. Pretty tight in there, but got it out.

    Goliath front skid plate going in with the radiator, Steel Armadillo rear diff cover on the way.
           

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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Freekin plastic radiator...
    ___________
    In a never ending search for the proper mix of dirt & rock !

  6. #25
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    It's been a bit since I've updated this thread! Have done a bit of work over the last 6 weeks on the "Beast".

    Goliath front skid plate installed, OME HD lift in, Core 4x4 adjustable rear control arms and track bar, front differential drop and cross member notch. Have just taken on the road so far, but it is running great!
         

  7. #26
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    The Goliath skid plate install went pretty smooth. It is bolted to where the original front tow hooks are on the bumper, and at the bottom uses a bracket that bolts to the frame sway bar. I replaced the front sway bar bushings with some poly moog ones.

    The front bumper cover needed to be removed in order to access the captured bolts for the tow hooks. I'll end up taking off again eventually to mount a plate for a winch. The hidden winch system is super clean!

    The bummer is that the skid plate blocks the oil filter, so I'll have to remove the skid plate when oil change time comes. Maybe I can figure out a way to change the filter without removing it, maybe through the top instead. We'll see.
           

  8. #27
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Now the big project starts! OME HD lift. The front struts were straightforward to install. Used the same clevis's for the struts that were on, was a little tough to get the Bilsteins out, but a little persuasion from a mallet helped.

    Removing the front differential was pretty difficult, mostly in getting access to the bolts on the top end of the differential. I removed the front driveshaft first, and was able to get in enough to get them loose. The bushings on the mounts were gone, and I could tell because of some clunking when switching into gear. I replaced the bushings with superpro poly bushings which should last me for a long time.

    I wasn't planning on taking the differential out. But, I ended up needing to since you can't take the cover off without at least tilting the differential down. Once I saw the shape of the bushings, I decided to just take it out and do the differential drop. I didn't want to do the drop originally due to having to notch a crossmember and welding in some support. Didn't have a welder, but I do now!

    It really wasn't that bad.
           

  9. #28
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    On to the rear! TyTheJeepGuy came out one weekend to help with the rear end. We had to drop the fuel tank to access the bolts for the driver's side upper and lower control arms. We were able to get that side all set before the end of the afternoon. Thanks Ty!

    The passenger side was straightforward, and the trackbar was easy, too. The difficult part is adjusting the arms so that the pinion angle was good. I'm not 100% sure I have it exactly right, I tried to keep it as close to stock as I could. There isn't much more of an angle for the driveshaft with the 2 1/2" lift. We'll see if I end up adjusting it further later.

    I was able to center the wheel better at ride height. With the old lift at 4", you could tell the rear tire was closer to the front of the wheel well.

    The picture with the red spring is the JBA 4" lift setup. Those springs were tight on the stops, even with the axle on the garage floor. When it was installed, the upper spring isolator had been removed, probably to get the spring in. I put in new isolators on top. That may have been the reason why there was some clanking at full articulation.

    I also notched out the gas tank skid plate more than what was done to allow the driver's side upper control arm to clear better. It was tight, and may have also contributed to less articulation and noise.
           

  10. #29
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    This part I never planned to do, but glad I did. Dropping the differential.

    1st step, get a welder. Just got a small Harbor Freight mig welder, I don't do much welding so it will serve me well.

    The notch cutout in the crossmember is to give the driveshaft clearance with the front differential lowered. The cross member is a mount point for the front lower control arms. It's a pretty common thing to do on any lifted WK. Superlift had a 4" lift kit with a differential drop, so I used their template and instructions to cut out the notch and weld in a plate. Some owners don't weld in a plate, probably ok unless you live in a corrosive environment.
           

  11. #30
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    After getting the notch finished, I could wrap everything up!

    Installed the differential drop brackets, pressed in the superpro bushings and lifted the differential into place.

    Rebuild the rzeppa CV joint on the front driveshaft, it was probably original at 185K miles and the grease was looking pretty rough. Thought maybe that was the cause of a rotational noise when coasting. I'll end up putting in a Tom Woods double cardan front driveshaft eventually.

    You can see where the driveshaft sits in the notch in the picture below.

    Could also service the front differential much easier with it lower! I'll need to build a skid plate for the bottom as the stock one would have to be modified to accommodate the lower differential. And the notch is right where one of the bolts for the skid plate mounts and is low enough where it wouldn't be feasible to use that mount point.
            

  12. #31
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    After all that, I had some trouble getting the front end back together. With the differential lowered, the CV axles would contact the strut mount and I couldn't get the upper ball joint bolted to the steering knuckle without jacking the lower control arm up to clear it. It's OK for now, and I think that with the sway bar connected would keep one side from drooping far enough to cause interference.

    I will be installing a lower control arm drop system to fix that issue.

    The angles for the CV axles are back to stock with this drop! Much longer life on them now.
          

  13. #32
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    This was a fun project to work on. It's nice to have a project car that I can take my time on and not have to worry about getting it all back together to drive to work the next day. I think it turned out great!

    The Beast rides great, feels like a sports car going through the mountain roads. Looking forward to getting it off road and seeing how it does!

    The front suspension has settled in some than what's shown in the picture. Once I install the lower control arm bracket, I will put a spacer on top of the front strut to get it to where it should be.

    Next up on the to do list is:

    1. Lower control arm lowering bracket install
    2. Rear bumper with a tire carrier
    3. Hidden winch install
    4. Engine / differential skid plate
    5. Tom Woods front driveshaft

    Probably some more stuff too.
           

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    speedkills (March 29th, 2021)

  15. #33
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Nice work! Plating the cutout was definitely the right way to do it.

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    tirefoamcan (March 27th, 2021)

  17. #34
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Awesome work man!
    ___________
    Steven
    2004 Wrangler Rubicon

  18. #35
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Nicely done, its awesome to see the Beast reach its full potential.

  19. #36
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Ended up deciding to go with an HK Offroad rear tire carrier. It mounts to the rear hatch and includes 350 lb gas struts. Definitely have a big blind spot now, but the WK is usually loaded up with adventure supplies and I can't see out of the rear window anyway. Glad to have the extra room in the cargo area.
           

  20. #37
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Also needed to adjust the location of the rear axle. With the Core 4x4 track bar being thicker and the larger diff cover, they would interfere if compressed over bumps. This also brought the pinion angle to be more inline with the rear driveshaft.
         

  21. #38
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    That is quite the rear view you have there. I imagine any time you are driving around and look in your rear view mirror you want to immediately veer off the road and start wheeling.

  22. #39
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    Default Re: Andy's WK



    Are you doing an upgrade on the PS pump or is it more or less OEM spec?

    Just wondering because I went through a couple and they don't seem to like those high rpms

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