SPEC'S

(4/7/99) Lock-Right Installed (Just in time for Moab)

I got the Lock-Right from Randy's Ring and Pinion just in time to get it in
before I left for the Easter Jeep Safari. I had to bail on the Gearless I was
planning on getting, because it wasn't available for non ABS carriers, and
I didn't want the hassle of installing a new one. I got used to the locker pretty
quick--the understeer under power in corners, the oversteer once you let
off the gas, etc. I was really impressed with how it handled down on the
trails in Moab!!! Whatever handling drawbacks it has on the pavement are
more than made up for by the awesome traction 4-wheeling. I climbed
stuff too steep to hike up, very rarely spinning a tire. I do have to say that
the 3.73 gears and 33-inch mudders are a pretty bad mix. I was pretty
much stuck in 1st gear (4-low) the entire time because the gears are too tall
for the tires, and I had to use my brakes way more than usual on the
downhill stuff. Had to work the clutch more than I'd have liked to, but
the clearance of the 33's really helped on a lot of the ledges and twisty
stuff. It does ok on the street, and I won't have to worry about speeding
tickets with my current setup!

(3/11/99) New Tires and Wheels

Last weekend I picked up the new tires and wheels from Ken in Logan, UT.
He is adding to his lift to clear 33x12.50's, and needed to sell the narrow 33's
to finance other mod's, and I was really happy to get 'em. I lucked into finding
a used tire dealer in Ogden who happened to have a set of four BFG MT's
the same size, though pretty worn. I picked the best for a spare, found a wheel
to match the other four, and drove off a happy camper, er...wheeler. Those
33x9.50's are damn hard to find used. I called every used place in Salt Lake
and couldn't locate one in any condition before I lucked onto the set in Ogden,
and it only cost me $45 (wheel and tire)!

I mounted the new tires in Mom's garage, because it was snowing.
It was a serious PITA to get the front end lifted high enough off the ground
to swap tires,because the sway bar was disconnected and kept drooping
as I kept jacking. I really should get a floor jack!!!

The funny thing was when I went to back out of the garage with the new
tires and wheels, I could no longer clear the garage door header. I had to pull
my spare off the roof rack and air the tires down to get out, but finally
did. The tires look great and should be an awesome addition to the "Hog"
for Easter Jeep Safari in Moab in a couple weeks.

(3/14/99) Fender Trimming

Today I spent a couple hours trimming the front fender flares to avoid
any potential rubbing when the tires are stuffed up into the wheel wells. I had
only seen a few trim jobs in the past, so I was mostly just flyin' by the seat
of my pants, but it went very smoothly and the result looks pretty good.

I started by removing the front bumper end caps so I had clear access to
the lower front part of the fender that would get cut off. Removed a couple
support brackets, trimmed the rubber wheel well liner back, cut the flares
where they meet the bumper end caps with a utility knife. Then I got out
the sawz-all with a short metal cutting blade and chopped the bottom front
part of the fender off from behind the bumper to the flare. Put the caps
back on, tightened up a few bolts on the flares, and did a little cosmetic
finish trimming on the flares with the util. knife. The results are better than
I figured. I ended up cutting off a lot of rust to boot! I will post some
pic's of the trim job as soon as I get some, along with shots of the Hog
flexed up to see what kind of clearance problems still exist.

 

MODS AT A GLANCE

Mods at a Glance

A graphic view of what was what and where on the Hedgehog

YEAR /MAKE /MODEL
1985 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer (4-door)
ENGINE
2.8 L V-6 (CHEVY)
TRANS.
BA-10 5-Speed Standard (PEUGOT)
T-CASE
NP-207 Command Trac
AXLES
Front: DANA 30 Rear: DANA 35 (With Lock-Right)
GEARS
3.73's
TIRES /WHEELS

31 x 10.50 BFG AT's on 7" Aluminum Jeep mag's (from a '90 or '91)
33 x 9.50 BFG MT's on 7" 5- Spoke steel Jeep wheels

SUSPENSION
4.5-5": Comprised of Rancho coils and rear spring packs, 2" RE coil spacers, 1.5" RE tapered blocks, longer rear shackles, MJ rear bumpstops, RE braided front and rear brakelines, RE adjustable trackbar. Doetsch-Tech shocks. RE quick-disconnects for front swaybar, rear swaybar removed. RE's new adjustable lower control arms (Currie style with "johnnie joints").
MISCELLANEOUS
Tomken skid plates (T-case and transmission), Tomken tow hooks/brackets, rear tow hook (Mopar), front skid plate (Mopar), gas tank skid (Mopar-not installed yet), Olympic Rocker Skids (got good and mangled in Moab!), custom front bumper (read:homemade!), 48" Hi-Lift, Quick-Air II, Con-Ferr Porthole roof rack, Carr rota light bar with Hella 500's. Midland 75-830 handheld CB.
FUTURE MOD'S
A newer XJ with the 4.0 engine to put all these parts on! A CJ-8 for serious trail duty :)

 

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