YJ winter work

Tell ya what. if I ever build another cage again I will be converting this thing to hydraulic! this is killing my back even with a cheater bar. gonna cut some more tubes this weekend and get as far as I can with it. The notcher will probably not be in until Monday. I'm really glad I closed the doors this weekend. I didn't even think that the cage would be in the way where i was mounting it until my wife said something about getting in the way while getting in and out. Then after a demo I shut the door and discovered it was a really tight fit there. I'll be sure to plan for that now.

those manual benders will kick your ass, looks good

there are a bunch of good write ups on changing your bender to hydro. you should be able to do it with a trip to the local TSC

I'm working on doing that myself right now with my bender. I'm going to hook it up so it runs off the hydro hook ups from my dingo.

Reality of it for me is Most of the big bends are done now so everything else should be rather easy. with bending it's just brute force, something I can deal with. with notching I really suck! should get the notcher in on monday and be back in business. I do ok with 90 degree notching but when there is 15 degree by 15 degree notch then I'm in trouble. I tried but the DOM is getting shorter and shorter and I have to admit defeat and rely on a good tool to do the job.

lookin good

OK the notcher works fantastic. I could kick myself for not buying one earlier. I bought the pro tools HSN 500 hole saw notcher. they now brag about being the only manufacturer of the notchers that actually builds them before the customer orders them so they always have some in stock and ready to ship. It is very easy to use and cutting the angles was quite simple. took very little time to notch. This weekend I will get a lot done. I did tack the main hoop to the door hoops I bent already and notched today learning how to use the tool. It wouldn't fit in my little craftsman drill press so I just clamped the notcher to the tube and clamped the tube in the vice and it worked just fine.

Got some more work done on the cage.

that cage is starting to look good. Just let me know when your going to test it out, I would like to be there

I second that coment, it really does looko good. Great job Bill!

Spent the day working on the cage. back half is done. I plan on more main hoop support, harness bar, new seat mounts and door bars.

Seat mounts and harness bar is tacked into place.


Cage is ready for welding



I need to tie the cage into the frame in 6 places. the front 4 seem easy but the rear will take some work to get the angles right.


Picture through the rear LED tail light at the mount under the body.


On the frame side the DOM tubing will rest on top of the frame.


Took a break to go fishing with the boys.

Just down right impressive

i like it.

Bill you've done on hell of a job on that cage. man have you learned a lot over the last 3 years. I am very impress!!

Nice Fish!

Cage is now welded together. this weekend I'll finish the frame mounts, get the seats in, weld in the harness mounts and will be just about ready to roll.
Updated list:

1. 9" currie rear axle tube leaking.
FIXED

2. Thump in drivetrain
FIXED

3. clutch not working properly.
FIXED

4. going to install the MORE motor lift, tuck the drivetrain up into the body a little better. There is a lot more room there since installing the 2" body lift. Also going to replace the belly pan with a piece of ballistic steel courtesy of Dave Leasure. I'll trace the old pan onto the steel and cut it out. the atlas may need a relief cut out and then I'll build a skid for that.
DONE

5. rear locker ARB line needs a new O ring at the axle. simple fix.
DONE

6. soft top is half destroyed at mounting locations. gonna have to fix that so I can wheel in all weather.
DISREGARD. May not fit over new cage anyway. Will use safari top and regular doors and call it good.

7. ARB switches are going to be rewired so that I can engage and disengage the front and rear lockers independently.
DONE

8. Rear suspension winch. Inherited a winch from family member. Low priority though..

9. Need to install a 5 point racing harness.
This weekend.

10. Cage work!
Almost done

11. Front shocks bottom out and they are at risk for breakage, also the crank pully can contact the steering hardware at full compression. going to install bump stops in the front to solve that. Also going to install limit straps while I'm at it.

All the tabs for the seat belts (10 total) have been welded in. Seats have been mounted but removed to paint the cage. all frame tie ins are done. Couple things left, need to weld together a cup holder, need tie downs for the safari top and need to weld on the floor plates that are bolted down. Then primer and paint. should be done on Thursday.

By the way Summit Leather Racing seats burn rather quickly and give off toxic fumes.

Updated list:

1. 9" currie rear axle tube leaking.
FIXED

2. Thump in drivetrain
FIXED

3. clutch not working properly.
FIXED

4. going to install the MORE motor lift, tuck the drivetrain up into the body a little better. There is a lot more room there since installing the 2" body lift. Also going to replace the belly pan with a piece of ballistic steel courtesy of Dave Leasure. I'll trace the old pan onto the steel and cut it out. the atlas may need a relief cut out and then I'll build a skid for that.
DONE

5. rear locker ARB line needs a new O ring at the axle. simple fix.
DONE

6. soft top is half destroyed at mounting locations. gonna have to fix that so I can wheel in all weather.
DISREGARD. May not fit over new cage anyway. Will use safari top and regular doors and call it good.

7. ARB switches are going to be rewired so that I can engage and disengage the front and rear lockers independently.
DONE



9. Need to install a 5 point racing harness.
DONE

10. Cage work!
DONE

11. Front shocks bottom out and they are at risk for breakage, also the crank pully can contact the steering hardware at full compression. going to install bump stops in the front to solve that. Also going to install limit straps while I'm at it.

12. Cure Thump in drivetrain.

13. Rear suspension winch. Inherited a winch from family member. Low priority though..

Found the source of the thump. turns out there was a bolt coming loose on one of the rear upper control arms above the axle. Easy fix. I checked all the others while I was at it. Also made a center console today using an ammo can and a universal 2 cup cupholder.

Spent another day working out some bugs that revealed themselves during the big dogs event. first the front end would clunk when the suspension was compressed suddenly but not all the time. turns out the front axle was rotating out of alignment and the track bar mount was contacting the hydraulic assist mount because of the axle rotating backwards. I thought a bolt was starting to egg out a hole but turns out a johnny joint is going bad. I tried to replace it with a spare but it is seized up in the control arm, BF wrench didn't do it and neither did a torch. Ended up taking apart the johnny joint in place and replaced the internals with the ones from a spare I had.
Also rerouted the exhaust down away from the gas tank. replaced the master cyllendar due to poor braking and a leak between the master cyl and the brake booster. after replacing the master cyl the brake light went out and brakes work well again.
Also noticed a squeek in the rear of the jeep from somewhere. I tracked that down to a u joint going bad in the rear driveshaft. turns out the CV joint( yeah the damn inner u joint) was about to fail. I replaced that shaft with the spare I had which was actually the original.
Since building the new cage I didn't have a place for the front axle winch controller. I made a mount on the roll cage beside the steering wheel. Also took the time to remove the windshield so that during the competition next weekend if it does roll I wont break the windshield. I had my son help me carry it over and we leaned it against the workbench. Then while working on the driveshaft a piece of metal flew off the table and broke the windshield. well that just sucks.