If you do a rear drum to disk conversion like I did for my 05 TJ the 4.5X5 15 inch rims the brakes seem to be fine with 37s for me and has been for years but with rear drums it was a bit weak braking. Both axles are Dana 44s. Running offset steel rims, canned the spacers. But yeah rear disk conversion was a massive help with 37s and 15 inch rims i prefer more side wall personally! I'm also up in Maine and not desert running all day in extremely hot areas where it causes extra heat on your braking system. Great vid it randomly popped up. TY for sharing. Decent looking build!! Nice!!
Metalcloak does make them in aluminum now, but if you look up the weight, the Metalcloak fenders in steel are actually lighter than the stock ones you took off of the TJ so you did save some weight overall. I believe it's only around 3-5 pounds difference than the stock ones. I love the video, a lot of great insight and advice.
Man you talked about exactly what I wanted to change l. Axle, engine crap etc . That’s the best overall video I found so I don’t waste money or spend it right
You're conveying wisdom. I just swapped to a 62mm TB. Because of your video I'm stopping there. Big thanks for the education about wasting money on illusory gains.
Thanks I think I’m gonna do a stroker motor in mine. Try and keep it smog legal in CA (legal enough to pass without getting caught anyway), get 40-50 hp the old fashioned way
Thanks for sharing. Some of the things I wish I did different before I bought my TJ was.... Take your time shopping. Go with a inline 6 rather than a inline 4. Make sure it has a AC. Go with a hard top rather than a soft top. Go with full doors rather than half doors. To upgrade to these needs will cost a lot later on.
The first thing I removed was the AC system. Mud and water do bad things too those clutches, I didn’t want to be “that guy” blowing a belt in the middle of the backcountry and then having to perform the delete anyway.
I love my TJ. Your video has reminded me that I don’t do work on my Jeep for it to be perfect. I work on it because it’s fun and even the mistakes are a work of art. There are not many vehicles aside from TJ and it’s derivatives on which the unskilled person can actually do DIY work effectively. And the other upside is I get more looks and comments than the guys I know driving new Porsche 911’s.
Ive owned 4 different TJs over the last 22 yrs and I still found much of this vid to be helpful although I did make the same message you did with the " power adders". In my mind the only reliable horsepower to be added to this rock solid motor is to increase the displacement and anyone thinking about stuffing a turbo under the hood so they can crawl through the woods..... Don't do it! Turbos are for race cars and rice rockets🤷
Thank you for sharing George. Really dig your TJ. I have a 03 TJ Rubicon. All original never modified. I am the second owner my brother special ordered it from Jeep in 2003. My TJ is due for new shocks now going on the 2nd set and new coil springs and front fenders. Will be leaning towards Old Man Emu Suspension package and factory correct type aftermarket front fenders. I like to keep my TJ original like my dads old 1971 CJ5 was. Used to push around dead vehicles and plow snow at my dads shop in the early 70's.
Black Magic Big Brakes seem to fine with my 15" wheels on the stock bolt pattern with the tires I run. I can lock them up at speed if I need/want to. The engine and drivetrain are stock, with the exception of a motor mount lift to go with the body lift and 3.5" Game Changer lift. Short arms are also working fine.
Torque is what you want for off-roading and maintaining speed on the highway. Torque in a useful rpm range is the problem in all US jeeps. IMO either get a 4 cylinder and do a v8 or diesel swap (by far my preference but it depends how much you like using the skinny pedal and refueling) or stay with the inline 6 and regear/axles and stay 35s or less. Forced induction is for diesel and race vehicles. The wheelbase is another issue too and more reason to run smaller tires. TJs are much easier to deal with running 33s or smaller though and regear before looking for hp. HP is for race vehicles and tractors where rpms are always going to stay in a small window. All the hp mods don’t give enough low rpm torque to matter for general driving.
I think the biggest mistake is you need to decide what you are going to do with the Jeep and build it for that. I built my Jeep to be a capable trail Jeep with trails like John Bull and the Rubicon as the upper limit. So 3.5" lift, air lockers, 35" tires max, Cage and metal cloak fenders. If I go beyond that, then I'll buy a dedicated crawler.
An EATON M62 supercharger with the 7th fuel injector kit is the best as it runs cooler and doesn't need an intercooler. Next: Ford 8.8>D44. Also, minimal armor needed (oil pan, diff covers, tummy tucker). For the "Jay Leno rich", pull the AMC 4.0L six and stroke it to a 4.7L torque monster six...the unimaginative would say put an GM LS v8 motor there = blasphemy, _but to each their own_ . Good video & thumbs up!
Enjoyed your video...I'm new to jeeps....and in my experience so far, found the 17 inch rim aftermarket wheels to be a pain...just sold the lot...did not have the 5x 5.5 though... I have gone back to 15's...(16 seems to be getting phased out)..with 31 x 10.5 x 15's...The jeep suddenly came to life...easily accelerates now up past 50 mph, and it didn't feel sketchy once..barely a tremble..and it feels more able, more in control...my 2 bits worth on going 17 is to make sure the rims really fit..putting on the jeep 15's..They balanced up no problem... I'm never going to do the rock climbing thing ,but I want to be confident on off roads that get me out there... I was intrigued by your 5 x 5.5 information. ..thanks...hope to see more of your stuff
yeah 17s are great for larger brakes and tires.. 35's and up basically. so you did the right thing going back to 15s with 31's especially if you plan on keeping it that way.
Rule of thumb your rim size should never exceed more than half your tire size for off road applications maintaining enough side wall on your tire so you can air down properly.
All get points. I think before someone starts modifying their tj they need to make a really big decision, are you going to be comfortable with 35 inch tires or smaller for the life of your jeep. Because changing your mind later is going to cost you.
Does anyone know what rear axle he is talking about having trouble with for the rear? I’m looking at a currie hp Dana 60 rear but now he’s got me wondering….
I had a `99 TJ from the south and it had the cold air intake,big throttle body, header and dyna flo exhaust, a FI chip and the power was OK until I put on 33`s The braking sucked too.
If you go up in tires size, you need to regear your axles. Probably 3:07 or 3:54 gears stock at best. Going to 33s, regear to 4:27 or 4:56 gears. You'll get your engine back in the correct ram range
Would really like to hear more about possible axle upgrades. Lots of BS out there from guys that really don’t know what there talking about with unlimited dollars. Would really like to get rid of the Dana 30 for a Dana 44 in my LJ, but it’s 3k+ from a junkyard. Any advice is appreciated.
Ok, I’ll give a shout out to Nate at DirtLifestyle. I like his video on a older high pinion Ford Dana 44 front. Look up his channel. It takes some fabrication, but, a really strong housing and tubes, high pinion. Locking hubs, better brakes. Parts are cheap for one of these compared to aftermarket stuff. I personally, would just keep it full width.
@@jimmyvalhalla1939 I run one of those on my 2003 TJ. It is great, too. I like it a lot more than the fake Dana 44 that came stock on the Rubicon TJ. I got my HP 30 off an old MJ for like a hundred bucks.
Get yourself a tripod man, your content is excellent and I think you would gain so many more subscribers with a steadier camera. Either a tripod or a gimble for your camera man.
Expensive mods, cheap mods, functional mods, cosmetic mods, extensive mods, simple mods, ridiculous mods, mods most other Jeepers hate, mods most other jeepers will love, no matter what, always make your Jeep, "Universal," your own. I have seen Jeeps with modifications I have hated so much I cring. However, I will never badmouth the modifications someone else did. I may heavily dislike the other modifications the other Jeeper made. But the Jeeper that modified their Jeep is still refusing to operate a status quo, upside down soap bowl, front wheel drive, crap box full time, or ever. They still made their Jeep their own and contributed to showing everyone that there are still options to having to drive a four cylinder, front wheel drive, soul sucking factory car. Always make your Jeep, "Universal," your own. True car people and true Jeep people will never badmouth the modifications others make to their Jeeps and cars, no matter how much they hate it.
I think there's nonthing you did that would be bad to the jeep... if you only drive on paved road I dont see anything wrong with the weight.. but if you do alot of off roading.. then I would agree with everything here as you want to your jeep to be fairly light where needed.. usually when I'm off road.. I don't even have spare tire in and cool numbers are also removed.
True I went to 5.5 years ago. Then to 8x6.5. If you are using a Dana 44, Ford 9 inch, then go 5.5. Once you go to one ton axles, you can do either. I have a 14 bolt one Tom rear and Dana 60 front, and I run spacers with 43 inch tires. That’s way outside the norm for a TJ. As is the 8x6.5 lug pattern
thePhysics meister check Gen Right, they have some aluminum bumpers that are $$$, but sweet. Poison Spyder has some cool stubby bumpers as well. I think Metal Cloak makes stuff similar as well
seriously... it’s like this guys shitting on everyone for not putting 40s and 1 tons on their TJ. some of us are just trying to get into the woods and go fishing or camping or whatever.., you don’t need all types of performance upgrades. just get out there and enjoy your jeep. there’s no wrong way to do it (except angry eyes lol)!
@@lucatosi2933 my Jeep runs stock axels and 33s never had a problem what he needs to add to this video is clarification it all depends on what you are using your Jeep for mine is my daily driver and weekend explorer
@@lucatosi2933 There's a lot of 🐂💩 out there for this constant need to get folks to do unnecessary builds. I have a 2.5" lift on 32 KO2's. Never had any problem getting to my favorite fishing hole, camp site, home from a trail and my favorite, beach/dune wheelin and surf fishing. If you have any skill, you can navigate through most anything. Anyone with any common sense realizes the aftermarket creates a false narrative for what is "necessary" for a proper build. You "need" at least 35's, no wait...make that 37's to do that, Bs! Then once the poor ignorant slob bites on that, he becomes another resident to the Just Empty Every Pocket - Moronville, USA. My '05 TJ Rocky Mtn as it sits right now is by far the best vehicle I've had. It's an amazing TJ with solid capability. Build your rig for what you will use it for. And 90% of the wheelers out there can do most everything with a 2.5" lift on 32's or at most a 3" lift on 33's.
Lol Lots of mistakes on the path. Been amazing the way it finally turned out. Drives, steers, brakes better than new on 40’s. Wheels amazing on the 43” sticky’s Thanks for watching, hope you don’t make all those mistakes I did 😂
