Build Thread My Daisy Jane

[007]

This thread is part continuation / part new chapter for my Renegade. The original thread can be found on here as Operation Sky Blue Waters.

Even my close friends probably don't know I named it Daisy Jane a long time ago. I think during the Sniper install I listened to a lot of Yacht Rock Radio on Sirius XM satellite radio in the garage and the song Daisy Jane (America) was in regular rotation. It seemed like whenever something went right that song was playing around the same time, so it stuck.

Anyway with that start of The Texas Hooker thread it seemed like a good time to make a new thread for this one as the the purpose of that thread has mostly passed.

 

[007]

So if you've viewed the old thread and perhaps The Texas Hooker, then you know I'm only doing some mild reliability work to this Renegade.

The Laredo has a 4" lift on it that I plan to move to this Jeep, then go from my 31x10.50x15's to 33x11.50x15 Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ's.

But that bump in tire will make my 3.54's a bit taller than I prefer. So...do I change gears / suck it up / keep the 31's? Not sure, but I'm leaning towards sucking it up.

I can't imagine putting new gears and lockers in my 20/30 combo knowing that a year or so from now they will be on Craigsglist for sale.

I'd like to be able to wheel at Moab next spring, but 31's rules out one trail for sure and 33's/3.54's makes another questionable. I think if I cure the brake gremlins for good, then I'd feel better about the setup.

So, I'm leaning towards keeping the 3.54's and putting a TrueTrac in front only and keeping my Trac-Lock in the rear one more year.

More pondering lies ahead...

 

[007]

THANK YOU CJ for fixing this. I have updates to post tomorrow...

 

[CJ]

I cinda fixed this... It's been a cooperative effort, I had help from AndyB.

 

[007]

Yesterday I started on the spring move/swap between this and the Laredo. The Laredo came with a 4” ProComp lift that I’m moving over to this Renegade for the time being until I decide exactly what I’m going to do with it long-term in the suspension area.

I got the fronts off easy enough then went about cleaning and painting them. Tonight I hope to pull the stock springs off, then clean and paint the Dana 30 and axle hardware. I’m also installing some tall front shock mounts. One of the originals is broke so I’ll cut off the other one, then bolt these on and replace the shocks.




I also found that the Laredo had a nice set of wheel spacers, so I cleaned them up and moved them over here.

 

[007]

Another BIG thank you to CJ for rescuing this thread from the old build forum!!!

 

[007]

So I went about removing the front springs off the Renegade. I wanted to do some cleaning and painting under there anyway as there is still some transmission fluid residue there, which of course collects dust and dirt.

I got the springs loose from the front shackles to lower them down, then I wanted to make sure that the ProComp springs would fit in my aftermarket shackles...they would not. I measured them and for whatever reason, they are 3" from bushing face to bushing face. Hmmm... No big deal, just need to fix shackle hangers and replace shackles.

So just to check things out, I went over to the Laredo and managed to get a part number off the rear springs there. Those were 4" springs for a YJ. The fronts are indeed listed as 4" for a CJ, despite being 3" wide. Weird. I looked up the official measurements of each and the the fronts (51423) are 8x3x43 and the rears (51413) are 9x3x43. That's a 1" difference in arch, but same width and length. To make matters more confusing, the Laredo had 6" shackles on the rear, and they were pointed straight down.

So as it was, the Laredo had 4" lift 8x3x43 front springs on stock length shackles, and the rear had 4" 9x3x43 springs on 3" (net 1.5") extended shackles. This should have given the rear 6.5" of total lift over the front's 4" lift. In looking at the pictures I think I can see where that works out right, the rear looks a tad higher than the front. I just can't figure out why it was done, but I guess it doesn't matter now does it?

So my plan now is to put the 9x3x43's on the FRONT of the Renegade and the 8x3x43's on the rear. This gives the front a little extra arch, and with V8 and winch, etc. it should help. I'll put the 8x3x43's on the rear, and if for some Jeep-ish mystery reason the rear is too low, I'd rather add shackle lift there as opposed to the front. I doubt it will be necessary, but like every other Jeep project, you just never know until you know.

I've ordered another set of jack stands to match the ones I picked up here at Summit (they're out).

 

[Belizean]

Probably because of the huge recall at HF on jack stands

 

[007]

Probably because of the huge recall at HF on jack stands

Probably so. I got the yellow Performance Tool 6 ton ones because of the height and the footprint size.


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[Belizean]

Those do look like nice ones

 

[007]

Those do look like nice ones

They are nice. Thick steel and nice fitting inserts.


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[007]

Naturally the a55holes who sold me the jack stands didn’t ship them until the day they were to deliver. So thankfully an Autozone not far from here had these in stock. Virtually the same dimensions.

Back to removing the fronts. It seems that it doesn’t matter what you do, you always run into something that is way more difficult than it ever ever should be. This time it was the bolt that holds the rear of the front spring on the passenger side. Good night came off just fine, but that bolt would not move through the spring.

Ended up cutting it off.







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[007]

Here’s the disaster zone / reminder of why people buy JK/JL’s...






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[007]

Sometimes, you are absolutely blessed to have more than one thing go more wrong than you could ever possibly imagine.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my exhaust installer...




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[007]

Well the fun continues. I have all the springs off on both Jeeps. What a chore. My God.

Learned how to remove the rubber bushings that miraculously weld themselves into a spring eye.

Drill as big of a hole as can fit between eye and sleeve at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. Then try to squeeze another one in between each. The bushing collapses in itself for the most part.






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[007]

All my shims and u-bolts are in and then I realized I was short some shackles. I’m using the front ones off of the Laredo, but OEM rears that I have on the Renegade are pretty much not usable the way they came apart. Only one half of each was good.

I priced shackles a few places and while I was doing that I remembered that I have some 5/16 plate steel that was used to mount the winch on the Laredo.

It already had some holes drilled into it, and low and behold two sets were 3 inches apart on center.

So I hit it with a flap disc then marked out a shackle plate with a marker then attacked it with an angle grinder.





It’s really straighter than it looks. The small groove in the upper left is reflecting light.

Then I put them to the grinding wheel to shape and edge and round. Then painted satin black.



Next I took the good half of the tears and drilled them out to 1/2” then cleaned and painted them too.



I will use these on the inside of each rear, and the ones that I cut out on the outside of each rear. Both are about same thickness as well as the fronts.


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[Belizean]

I remember replacing al that hardware many many years ago 3 of 4 hangers were actually cracked and broken. Just figured it was some very brittle steel at the time because my jeep had not been abused.

 

[007]

I remember replacing al that hardware many many years ago 3 of 4 hangers were actually cracked and broken. Just figured it was some very brittle steel at the time because my jeep had not been abused.

It’s sure a complete b1+ch. I’m lucky my hangers seem good. But it’s always something.

I was half excited last night then I remembered I have to install the new shock towers. Sounds easy enough, but it won’t be, because nothing ever is.


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[Posi]

Good progress, and well done on the shackles!

 

[007]

Made some progress tonight. I got the rears in just fine.

I had some worry about the alignment pin length with my shims, but it was okay. Just barely.



I wasn’t sure if 33’s would ultimately be in the budget and it looks as though I’m gonna okay if necessary.






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