pc1p

Got stuck in Chicago (supposed to be Birmingham!) on a work trip, so figured there was no better way to kill some time than to get my build thread started. My recently acquired 2008 JKU Sport will serve as replacement to my 2006 LJ, the major differences being an extra set of doors and more storage space - oh and a bitchin' motor...

Background
I've had a few Jeeps over the years, most recently the already mentioned 2006 LJ. It was built solid on 35"s, with D44's, matching Eaton E-lockers, skids, CM shafts, 5.13's, and more. The only major drawback was the size. While it was great for getting into the woods and on trails cut by ATVs, it wasn't so great for family duty, or for filling in when I wasn't able to take the Mrs. Grand Cherokee on photo shoots. I was only mildly toying with the idea of selling the LJ, as I was still waiting for the somewhat large surplus of Ram 1500/2500's on nearby lots to hopefully bring prices down a bit. What went from me making an innocent, passing comment on a random Facebook (where I said I would sell my LJ if the price was right), turned into someone actually reaching out to me for more information about it.

A New Chapter
After the LJ deal was struck, I didn't want to be left car-less for too long, so I started looking at Ram Power Wagons again. Not wanting to write a $80,000+ cheque, I casually glanced at what JKU's were in the area for sale. I was honestly never super interested in a JKU, not fitting well inside them, but after somewhat recently getting my daughter a 2010 Island Edition JKU, I realized that I do fit quite well in the pre-2011 versions. Long story somewhat shortened, I found a 2008 with 209k miles on the odometer, originally from Florida and in remarkably good condition for the mileage.




Other than a small dent in the driver front fender, and the absolutely filthy interior, the Jeep was in good overall condition for being 16 years old. For $6500, it was certainly below market by about $2500 (locally at least). Here are some clean-up shots from the day I brought it home:

Filth from the door panel... just the panel!



The previous owner bought it for his wife, who soon learned she was pregnant after getting the Jeep. She had little interest in it beforehand, and once learning of the pending bundle of joy, lost any shred of interest she may have had. The PO put a few dollars into it as there were some new parts installed (the rear driver side caliper for example). Still, even with the work performed (just enough to get it to pass the annual safety inspection), the rear brakes were grinding a bit, the dash had a TPMS light on, and the "Change Oil Soon" reminder was blinking on the info panel. Still, even with that, I know from the test drive and cold start up that the motor and trans were in good overall condition and that any work to make it road worthy would be simple.

pc1p

Phase 1 - Getting Road Ready
Phase 1 of the build will simply be to get the JKU up and running, reliable enough to make it through to next spring without any issues. The first part of that was to fix the grinding issue in the rear brakes, and see if I could get the heavy wobble under moderate braking straightened out.

The front brakes were easy enough. I threw these silly spacers in the trash and swapped the heavily warped "racecar" rotors out for some new Duralast Gold rotors from AutoZone (yay for 20% discount codes and free next-day shipping!).



With some fresh grease and pads, the braking wobble went away completely. I turkey-bastered the brake fluid reservoir and put fresh DOT 3 inside, then proceeded to bleed the front until fresh fluid came through. After that, I turned my sites to the rear. These required a little more work, but was easy enough. I bled the rears until the fluid ran clear, then did the front once again and the brakes feel absolutely outstanding and are whisper quiet.

Found the grinding noise...


While I was underneath taking a look at things, I noticed what I at first glance though was the inner sleeve of the UCA bushing poking out the side. Upon closer inspection, and after a considerable number of whacks with a 3# sledge and ultimately my air chisel, it turned out to be a stuck 6-point socket. Upon taking a deeper look, I noticed that the front UCA bushings were completely shot.


In a stroke a good luck, I found a guy not too far away selling a set of Rubi Recon take-off wheels with near-new Cooper Discoverer AT3 - the same tires my wife has been running on her Grand Cherokee for a few years. These are excellent in the snow an as you can see in the photo, really helpful for our driveway. For $600 they were a good deal and fit well into my "Phase 1" plans - they even came with brand new TPMS sensors. The seller also had a bunch of stock components - all low-mile take offs from his Recon build. He let me pick through what I wanted and I got a replacement set of UCAs to replace mine for pennies - win!!! On the same day, I met a lady who had a set of take-off Rubi rock rails for $100. I figured if nothing else, the Rubi rails was better than leaving the surprisingly sharp and rusting remains of previously installed steps.

It's amazing what some decent looking wheels and Rubi rails will do. Turns this from an old lady/man/mom car into something that isn't totally embarrassing in the parking lot...

I just recently replaced my daughter's garbage Kenwood headunit with an Alpine iX-W670 and Alpine backup camera. I liked it so much I went ahead and ordered one for mine as well. While the dash was apart, I replaced the broken HVAC control panel with an OEM Mopar one I found on eBay...


You can see how the PO's treated this rig by how nasty the interior was. The undercarriage was no exception. I've degreased the underside three times now and it's shiny and bright once again. Thankfully what looked like a potential oil leak was just years of grime and road sludge build up.



I found a guy not too far away selling a Painless Wiring Trail Rocker setup for the 2007-2010 JK's for $100. Since my intent it to run e-lockers, I figured this was a good way to add wiring and some future expandability for circuits I will want/need. For the price, even if I just use the lower panel and switches it will be worth what I paid (my heart almost sank when I saw what simple rockers are going for nowadays!!!).

So what's in Phase 2?
Good question. I'll need to take care of all the remaining Phase 1 stuff first. This includes checking and changing t-case and diff fluids, finding out what is clanking when I hit a perpendicular road object (sounds like shock bushings, though they look okay at first glance), replace the carpet with a BedRug and some molded mats, and some other very basic stuff. I may end up lining the inside with some Killmat for sound-deadening (my LJ sounded like a different vehicle after I did it there!). I may also replace the speakers with some aftermarket options to eek out some better sound and a touch more bass (nothing excessive but the sub currently in the Jeep is either failing or just waaaaay weak).

Phase 2, will really be Phase 2, Part I and Part II...

In Part I, I'll be upgrading axles, installing a lift, upgrading some steering (I loved the PSC hydro-assist in the LJ), some skids, a stubby front bumper, etc. Part II will be where the real fun happens, thanks mainly to a 5.7 Hemi + 8HP70 swap. I started a Hemi swap in my TJ-6 build (photo below), but cut it short once we decided to move back east. I always wanted to put one in the LJ, but never really had the inclination to do so since it ran so well and was still very low mileage. I already have a few leads on some good options and just bought a 5' x 8' utility trailer to support part gathering. My sheetrock guy is coming this weekend and once I'm done with that, I will be able to really buckle down and get things ready for the Hemi swap next summer (I'll have to wait until the kids are out of school, just timing wise). I already bought a Challenger ZF shifter and will be sourcing parts (OEM and those needed for the swap from Jeep Speed Shop) once the garage is finished and my storage racks are back up.



Phase 3???
Yeah more than likely. My daughter is soon to start her senior year in HS, and depending on where she goes to college, she probably wont be able to take the Jeep with her. She may also decide that a smaller car is a better option (for example, if she goes to a university in a larger city). At that point, if she can't bring her Jeep or we end up replacing it, then my silver Jeep goes from weekend wheeler to full blown toy mode. At that point, I'd probably switch to a 3/4-link long-arm setup, and get fairly aggressive with the rest of it. I would like something that I could trailer out west once a year or so (particularly when both kids are out of the house - me and the Mrs. already work remotely 100%) and take to a few of the other popular wheeling locations across the U.S. that have been on my bucket list. It be a big build simply for the sake and fun of a big build.

pc1p

Continuing to put some miles on Argenta and taking care of all the little stuff. Next up was the non-functional horn. When I first brought it home, the horn only worked when the alarm was going off, and it was a junk "air horn" style that sounded like it had a squeak toy stuck down the pipe. After ripping that out and replacing with a low-tone "highway blaster" from AutoZone, I attempted to start diagnosing why the horn didn't beep when I pressed the horn button. Starting at the top and working down, the logical step was to make sure the fuses were first good, then check to see if the switch was working. Thanks to YouTube, I figured out how to remove the horn pad/airbag and lo and behold, as soon as I did, I quickly realized the likely culprit. The white wire was broken off and resting above the connector. A quick $90 on Amazon got me a Mopar replacement and all is well...



As I begin prepping for Phase 2 Part I, I finally decided on a direction with my axles. I was originally hoping to run 37"s as I had good luck with 35"s in my LJ and with the increased breakover, I thought another inch of tire would help the longer wheelbase. I thought about getting a set of take-off Rubi axles and throwing in some 5.38's, but people apparently think that they're made of gold. There was no way I was paying $3500+ for a set of axles with 150,000 miles on them and unknown history. Additionally, I know people have good luck on a set of D44's and 37"s, but I'm generally skeptical. The Rubi axles take essentially the same balljoints as the TJ/WJ, which is a considerably lighter rig. On TJ's, the balljoints are constantly blowing out, at least in the circles that I kept and wheeled with. Heck, many with 35"s were changing balljoints annually. Although this isn't particularly difficult, it isn't something I wanted to be bothered with...

Although I'm generally one to put function over form, I will admit that I do care about aesthetics a bit. As such, a JKU on 38-39" tires looks amazing and has just enough height and proportion to tackle east coast trails, while still maintaining a decent breakover for west coast trails (I did intend to trailer this out every so often for some rides out west). As a result, I decided to step up to tons for this build. I found a leftover Mopar Performance Crate D60, essentially the same as an Ultimate Dana 60, but with "Jeep" on the diff cover instead of the Dana Spicer logo. The axle only comes with 4.88's, which with the planned Hemi and ZF swap, should be a solid ratio for 38-39" tires (if I'm going tons, I might as well go past 37"s). Worst case, if I get the itch, I'll pick up a set of Super 60 5.38 gears and swap those over before installing. I know some people complain about the UD60 bracket welds, and there have been some reports about plug weld issues, but I'll give this a thorough look-over before hand and if I need to throw a few beads down, so be it. The cost savings of this axle was almost $4200 over that of the current UD60 offerings from Dana, and almost $6500 savings over a similar Dynatrac PR60 (about $13,050 at of this post!). The savings over the ProRock 60 will almost pay for the rear axle, plus the UD60 has some benefits to it, like bigger wheel joints and bigger brakes.




I can't decide if I want to go with a shaved 14B rear end or just find a leftover UD60 rear to match. I can build a 14B at a considerable savings, but my hold up being the fact that they still don't off an Eaton E-locker for the axle. I know many run the ARB without issue, but I'd hate to have to run a dedicated locker pump just for the rear. The UD60 also has a bit more clearance, at least from measurements I've seen on the internet...

resharp001

For what it's worth, I had a couple friends on UD60s front and rear. Never saw any issues with the front, but saw one friend blow up the rear gearing several times, and another totally twist a rear axle tube, in the process of blowing up rear gearing. Both running 40s with superchargers at the time.

You are spot on about D44 and BJs with these tires....same issue and experience you had with the TJs. I'm enjoying the build thread so far

pc1p

I had a bud with a UD60 (purchased many moons ago) in the rear that had a carrier bolt back out and cause some headache. I also had a buddy with a front UD60 that had the spindle nuts not properly torqued down. I think one of the first things I'll do is go through it all and make sure everything is torqued properly.

I see so many people truss, sleeve, beef up the C's, go to aftermarket housings, etc. on D44's and at the end of the day, it seems to me that the balljoints are just going to constantly be the source of headache. Given the 65"s WMS width, I'd imagine things would start to get tight as well. It just makes sense to me to go up to tons with 38-39"s in mind, particularly ones that are essentially "plug and play", work well with the ABS, have many "off the shelf" replacement parts (they take Ram 3500 parts), and are wider - but not too wide (69" WMS wide on these vs a junkyard SD60 build at 72" WMS). While width is good, being in PA, I don't want to get too much attention at the safety inspections or by State Troopers

pc1p

Front axle arrived!


This thing is beefy... and seeing how low that cast-in upper mount is made me happy I went the UD route rather than a junkyard build. Speaking of junkyard build, I ended up ordering the rear UD60 too. For much the same reasons as the front, though the biggest deciding factor was lack of e-locker for the 14B. I don't want to run a mini-compressor just for the locker and when I ran the numbers, a built 14B isn't much cheaper than the clearance Mopar axles right now.


Still waiting on the horn switch to come. Thanks to USPS, my simple Amazon package went from OKC, to Lehigh, to Honesdale, to Scranton, and now to Philly. Can't quite figure out how or why, but hopefully it gets here soon. In the meantime, I worked on getting the RedRock Attack Stubby Winch I ordered installed. This isn't likely the bumper I'll be going with long term - ultimately I'll want to do a frame chop and tuck the bumper back as far as possible. But, my OEM bumper had a rattle/squeak that was driving me nuts (I couldn't replicate it and loosening/retightening the bolts didn't help) and this was cheap enough to let me get a winch installed and wired up.



The reason for not going with a frame chop style bumper is that on the Hemi swap, in some instances, the radiator support needs to come forward ever so slightly. Most of the frame chop bumpers I've seen (including the Motobilt one I'm likely to get) put the winch REEEEAAAALLLLY tight to the grille. This can ultimately cause fitment issues, so rather than deal with a future potential issue, this will work for now. Looks wise, it's not terrible and it keeps the OEM fog lights... and hey, at least the squeak stopped!!

icrashbikes

Lookin good!

pc1p

In a bit of non-Jeep related updates, I am putting the final touches on my garage... It's been over a year in the making. I started by ripping out the old sheetrock to redo some wiring (basically a single, 15A circuit was feeding 1/2 of my garage, the office upstairs, and the spare bathroom - not good!). In the process, I found some other issues that I had to fix first, and then decided to add a 100A subpanel, dedicated just for the garage. Timing wise, this is perfect, as the school year is about to start up again, and I can start getting all parts I need gathered and ready for the axle swap. I also have enough space to start getting my Hemi and ZF Trans swap parts gathered and gone through...



In my hope to make it as productive as possible, I added 3 separate 20A outlet circuits (with 3 duplex outlets per circuit), plus two 220v-20A circuits (one for a table saw and one for the dust extractor - which can be swapped out with an air compressor as needed for sandblasting work).


I added a media center, running 2 sets of Cat5e cable to each room in the house, as well as 4 sets to the office (for NAS drives). I also added a 50A outlet for a future Level 2 EV charger if needed, though it will certainly get more use powering a Miller 212


Anyways, back to Jeep stuff... the horn now works! $94 but a necessary evil. I wish I could get the keyless entry going next, but looks like I'll need to dig into that a tad more.


Was perusing through Marketplace and saw a guy selling a flat black grille. I've always liked the Willy's style flat-black grille and this thing was ~2 miles away. For $50, I gave it a shot. It came with LED turn signals and some funky grill inserts, but thankfully those were easy to remove and swap out.


That's better. A little less grandma/minivan looking


Trying to get some other things done while I'm waiting on axles and stuff to arrive. I got this Trail Rocker setup and after reading through the instructions, shows that it actually is wired up for 8 relays, though Painless only includes 4 switches on the early-year version panel (though 2 of the 4 switches are double-switched). Luckily, I only need 4 switches and confirmed that these are the standard Carling/Contura-style switches and so can be replaced easily. I'll get some custom printed switches: Front Locker, Rear Locker, Off-Road Lights, and Winch Control. I don't anticipate needing any other switches, but I will terminate the remaining wires into a Deutsche connector for future integration if needed.

pc1p

Well son of a bitch...



After how fast and easy the front axle arrived, my dreams of a cheap bolt-in ready set of UD60's is fading a little. Jegs sent me this update this morning (it was supposed to ship out Friday, so I was giving them the benefit of the doubt that it would actually ship since it has to be freight arranged and scheduled). If they can't get this rear, I've got a few options: 1) picking up a "Ultimate Dana" version of this axle, which runs about $8800 currently (ouch!!) and is also currently out of stock from what I can see, or 2) building a Corp 14B... I suppose option 3) would be to find any other vendor of D60/70/80 rear axles of similar WMS width (69") and go from there, but at similar cost to a UD60. Stretching it some, Option 4) would be to get lucky and find someone selling a UD60, or finding a Mopar Warehouse with one sitting in the back corner...

Honestly though, spending that much coin on a rear D60 would honestly break my heart a little bit. I have lots of love for the 14 Bolts and their beef is well known. I even already have a set of Artec 14 Bolt Tone-rings and Sensor Adapters for them (bought them locally when my original plans included building a SD60/14B set). My only major hold up is the lack of e-locker (seriously WTF Eaton???). I know ARB has an offering, both in 30 and 40 spline options, but having used E-lockers for so long now, I love the simplicity of things. Run a 12V relay and a switch and you're done. No compressors, no finding a home for the compressor, no solenoids, no air lines, etc. And as convenient that OBA can be, a 20# Powertank is even more so. I supposed I could run a Detroit, though this rig will get used in the winter a bit, so my preference is a selectable locker (selectable rears also have the advantage of tighter turning on narrow trails, something I intend to hit up once done).

Choices, choices... I'm not 100% against an ARB setup, but I'd really like to keep it e-locker. I suppose I can wait a while and if I don't hear anything back from Jegs (I'm still waiting on some J8 boosters and MC's to come back around - already have orders in at 2 different places), I'll source a 14B and get to work over winter.

pc1p

Just in case Jeg's can't come through with that axle, I found a cheap-enough GM Corp 14 Bolt somewhat locally. The guy even threw in a cheap set of rollers...



It had a decent amount of scale on the housing, but is structurally sound and straight. I had a fairly hard time finding a proper year disc brake + ribbed housing axle in the area. When I lived in AZ, you could pick these up at any Pick-A-Part place or on Craigslist for about $200 ($100 if you go to a pick-your-own place on 50% days!).


Jeg's says that the rear Mopar axle should ship on 9/9/23 on their website, and their most recent "status update" email still says 9/16. I figure I'll work on cleaning up the 14B in the meantime and if nothing ships by the beginning of October, I'll cancel the order and just plan on building up the 14B. Timing wise, with the holiday sales going on, I'll probably be able to build the 14B for about $3000 less than the Mopar axle (~$3000 vs ~$6000), so that savings would be good (though I will need to figure out an OBA setup too, which has other advantages).