Would like to upgrade the jeep and be able to tackle Line Mountain and the RC races (don't laugh). Opinion so far seems to be Dane 60 in the rear and front or a Ford 9 in the front. Have also heard the 8.8 Explorer would work as well. Am still trying to figure out ring gear size, pinion diameter and tube thickness and size. More splines for bigger tires? Heard running 37" tires or more is necessary. Any comments would be appreciated. Checking into suspension seats, 5 point belts and roll cages if any advice on that also. I'm learning as I go along, patience please.

Are you running a TJ or YJ cuz I am considering selling my rears but they for a yj

I think what you need to define first is what you need out of a good race vehicle and how hardcore you want to go with it. It is possible to race what you have with the changes for safety and have a good time. Yeah you may break something but it would be easy to fix and the least expensive way to go race. They have 2wd buggies that race at line mountain and I've heard that the race at rausch is going to be less demanding than the last one. You could always winch up the obstacles you know you will break on.
Alternative is what it sounds like you are going for and that is a dependable, safe vehicle that you can thrash on and not have to worry about breaking. You could buy one already built, i've seen a few rigs that would do well or build the one you have. Hate to see a nice jeep tore up like would be needed to compete but here are some things to consider.

1. Full cage with provisions for suspension seats and 5 point racing harness and window nets built into the design.
2. proper final drive ratio for crawling (at least 40:1 crawl ratio)and for high speed driving
3. wheelbase for climbs, might consider stretching to 110"
4. stronger drivetrain, D60's are extremely heavy and lots of the racers are going with 9" housings with cromo shafts and selectable lockers.
5. tires for that are good for fast driving and crawling in the 37 - 39" size.

I'm running what I have because I'm not expecting to be competitive, I just want to race and have fun. My motor is big and I don't care about the weigth of it because it will be fun to run and it's already in the jeep. tranny is a TH400 auto because i'm running a big motor and big tires and I blew the last tranny. Transfer case will be a 3 speed chevy203/ford205 doubler so it will allow me to run ford D60 axles under a chevy drivetrain and will give me 4:1, 2:1 and 1:1 ratios. i plan on running 4:1 on the climbs and slip to 2:1 for the high speed sections. top speed for me will be about 65 which means it will have plenty of power to move the big tires. I am running D60 axles because they are already under the jeep, are hard to destroy and can handle the big tires. D60's are also much cheaper than the 9" axles. I'm extending the wheelbase to about 110" or maybe a little more beacuse it will be needed for some of the hill climbs that are required, I don't want to winch, not much fun in that. Also changing the suspension to a 4 link front and rear with coilover shocks because they are a proven combination with this kind of terrain and leaf springs just beat you to death. 39" tires is ideal. I'm running 44" tires only because that is what I have and the final drive ratios were planned out with that tire size in mind.

I should have price about what we talked about last week been pretty busy i'll try to get a couple of different options on the rears

Kim One thing to consider if you start rock racing the jeep you have now will be trashed are you ready to do that to your jeep. I'm looking to get into it my self but i'm going with an ranger that will have little to no sheet metal. My idea is just to have the suspension parts interchageable between the zj I have now and the ranger. This way if I tear up the ranger I can still wheel the zj. I figued I start cheap with parts and upgrade as they fall apart.

I did see a few sets of axles for sale on the Rausch creek forum.

I wish I had the time and money to race. If you can pull it Kim I would sell your jeep and just buy a built rig that you can race and then trail when your not racing. If your just in try it once I would say go to a race where someone you know if running. Get there with them and go thru a day with them to see what it in tails. That might give you a better idea of what you want to run. Talking with the MARR board is the best thing you can do. Chris can get what you might need done and the rest of us are full of info and honest input. The most important thing is keep it fun. Ton of people get in to this thinking it will be fun and then loose money selling off a over built rig cause they found out they missed the people and trail riding a street jeep.

Thanks so much for the input. It's a TJ 4 liter 6 cylinder. I thought of jacking my current jeep on steriods but then thought it might be cheaper to buy something already built.... so am confused. Found a few buggies on the web but the guys couldn't tell me what the cage was made of or other safety details, etc. So I didn't want to buy something that might not qualify. I looked at a few jeeps but wanted to get more of an idea of what would be a good vehicle to at least finish the race. That is my goal, have fun and and finish. I don't think the Dana 35's on my current ride will get me anywhere in either race. Would get frustrated if stuff broke right away. I agree it's nice to have something reliable to use on wheeling weekends so maybe a second rig is the answer. I spoke with a guy that ran the RC race and also did Line Mountain. He said Line Mt. was more of a haul ass race with really no winching, just small rocks, hill climbs and lots of trees to hit. RC was more difficult and he winched 4 times. He thought I could do Line Mt with what I have but not RC. Found axels in California and Brandywine but would also need the gears, do you upgrade the ball joints and the track bar, trim metal for the 37 tires? I don't think I would want to extend the wheel base... don't have the tools or experience for the heavy duty stuff. Found half doors to swap out and heard oil cooled shocks are best...need to read up on drive ratio and drivetrain... and what the heck else do I have to think of? Am getting prices on all the required safety stuff and parts for my current jeep. So far it almost seems like it would be cheaper to just buy one already set up and keep her the way she is. I'm hiking up to RC Saturday for the day to see what the rigs look like and how they are set up. If anybody finds anything already set up and worth looking at can you please let me know.

From someone who just dumped a buttload of money into a new front end, I would recommend a 2nd rig.
I put almost as much money into upgrading to a front D60 as I paid for the entire Jeep. You'll save money by getting one already built since you can never get out of them what you put into them (which works in your favor as a buyer). I chose to upgrade instead of buying another rig because I only have room for 1 and wanted to keep the one I have. My decision probably wasn't the most cost effective because I could have gotten a Jeep or buggy with D60s already under it for what I paid for the front end (axle, all new steering parts, labor etc.), but that is what worked for me and I have no regrets. FYI - I wanted a 9" front but that alone would have cost around $9,000 (I got estimates on 2 of them).

If you can swing a 2nd rig, do it. Tell the guys what you are looking for and they will let you know if they see anything in their web site travels. Post the link to anything you are considering buying online and get input from the guys on it. They notice things that you may not think of that can be the difference between a good buy and a money pit.

on pirate for 10grand you should be able to find something that will finish the race. I think your on the right track just leave the jeep alone and buy something that is already built or half built and go from there. Just out of curiosity how much money were you looking to invest?

You can build rears for a lot less than 9k thats fukn silly if I put 9k in a rear in better SWALLOW Chris will be there sat maybe you and him can talk and you could build your own rig. I know he is dying to build something...

Let the hunting begin. Caution !!! word from the guy that has a street beater, trail/street jeep and the trail only rig. Its a waste of space, but its super cool to have a collection of sweet toys.

After getting estimates and running the numbers it adds up to about $10,000+- for all the upgrades, I'm not surprised at $9000 for the front end... Jay said he would sell the Rubicon and I could use that money and keep my jeep.... have bonded with her and just can't give her up. So whatever I can get for that??? maybe $10,000-$12,000. Have no clue, It's a 2003 Rubicon with 4.5 inch lift, 35 tires. Chris is the purple jeep you were speaking of the one that says 7 inches of fun on the windshield? I didn't see any others that looked good. I don't know about purple... Barney jeep. C U Saturday. Have high hopes of having a mini collection of my own.