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My Buildup

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I couldn't stand the way the Jeep felt on a 12.5" tire on an 8" wheel. I don't know how everyone tolerates it? So I ordered 10" wheels, got these aluminum ones (they are for the street, still have my beadlocks for the trail) on clearance. Got them so cheap, couldn't say anything about the design, but I still say they are a good looking wheel. They may not go with my Jeep, but worst case I'll paint them.
 
One of my beadlock wheels weighs the same as two of these aluminum wheels.
 
New Street Wheels
 
It's unbelievable how much better the 10" wheels feel on the road.
 
10 Wheels on the YJ
 
Had HIDs in my bike for a while now, decided to put them on the Jeep. Ordered Hella E-code housings.
 
Right has the Hella housing installed, left is the stock headlight. The clarity difference was hard to capture in a picture, but you can still clearly see the Hella housing is clearer.
 
HIDs on a Jeep
 
Up close, Hella housing:
 
Jeep with HID
 
This photo was taken around 16:00, as you can tell these lights are going to be super bright (that's low beams too!). I'll have to adjust the aim down some, and other drivers are still probably going to hate me.
 
HELLA with HIDs on a YJ
 
Well my 10-year old Optima batteries, finally needed replaced. Gave me a chance to repaint the battery tray, and clean up the wiring and connectors some.
 
Optima Red tops in a YJ
 
So my original SYE kit had some yoke issues, and rather than just buy a new yoke and seal, I decided to upgrade to a JB Conversions Super Short SYE.
 
JB Conversions Super Short SYE
 
My original PUMA air compressor finally died, so I had to replace it. For the money and as much as I used the first one, it's hard to complain.
 
PUMA OBA
 
Since most of my old wiring for my PUMA burnt up, it was time to replace it as well.
 
PUMA OBA Wiring
 
Ever since installing the WJ intake, my Jeep has always ate a rib or two off the belts. After it did this it was fine, but it wasn't right. I finally installed all the OEM parts needed to make this "right."
 
WJ Intake Swap
 
I decided to go ahead and pickup a "real cold air intake" as they are shielded a bit better than my home-made one:
 
YJ Cold Air Intake
 
So I managed to mangle my old style MORE anti-wrap bar, which also let the springs wrap:
 
Broken MORE Anti Wrap Bar
 
This time I decided to go with the RE SOA springs (6-leaf) versions. They ride like a tank at the moment, hopefully they settle down some.
 
RE SOA Springs
 
The pinion angle hadn't been changed for any of the build stages it went through since the 8.8 was swapped in. It was time to cut the perches off and fix the pinion angle. Orderd some anti-wrap perches from Barnes 4WD.
 
SOA Conversion
 
While everything was out and apart this gave me a good chance to fix the rear frame rails, which were starting to have an issue.
 
YJ Frame Rot
 
For the frame repair, I used some precut plates I ordered from eBay, and they turned out excellent. Much easier and cheaper than replacing the entire section like I had originally planned.
 
YJ Frame Rot Repair
 
Having the axle out was also a good time to correct some issues I had, like brake lines / hoses. I relocated the brake hose to the center of the axle. I added bolts to the axle to mount the brake hoses, they ended up a lower than I'd like, but it was the only way to relieve some of the stress on them. I'll eventually just find another brake hose that works better.
 
Ford 88 Brake Lines
 
Also a picture of the updated MORE anti-wrap bar, this one definitely won't collapse in the center like the other:
 
MORE Anti Wrap Bar
 
Couple months passed, and the my rear axle locked up in a parking lot, got out and found this:
 
Broken Ford 88
 
The cross shaft bolt came out, and cross shaft hit the diff cover, and pinion. During this time I also found at some time head pinion bearing had spun on the pinion at some well, as it didn't appear to be a setup bearing.
 
Finally added a press to the garage. As many times as I've paid to have shops press ring and pinion bearings, I could have already had one, decided it was time to bite the bullet and get one:
 
Press
 
Ordered a new Ford Racing Ring and Pinion.
 
Ring and Pinion Setup
 
The front 44 got new axle seals while I was rebuilding axles:
 
Axle seal tool
 
As well as some fancy new high steer arms:
 
Parts Mike High Steer Arms
 
At this point the Jeep was starting to show her age. It was time to take care of some issues here and there. I knew the fenders needed work and the original plan was to just patch them. So I pulled the flares, and started cleaning the fenders up. I started on the passenger side as there was less rust on that side:
 
Rusted Jeep Fender
 
I started on the passenger side as there was less rust on that side:
 
Jeep Fender Repair
 
Unfortunately, even on that fender I found lots of problems that surfaced the more I worked with it.
 
Jeep Fender Repair
 
In the ended I realized, I was putting a lot of time and effort into fenders that were still going to have a rust on the back side, when brand new fenders were only $150 each shipped to my door. Time to admit defeat, call Quadratec and get some fenders coming it just wasn't worth my time.
 
Just to make sure everything went back in the same place I marked every hole on the new fender before removing anything on the old fender. Sure it's not that hard to figure out, but this made it obvious if something wasn't in place.
 
Replacement Jeep Fender
 
Before everything was painted, as obviously I couldn't resist spray bombing everything while things were apart.
 
Replacement Jeep Fender
 
I ordered the Crown brand Fenders, and so far I've only received the passenger side one. The driverside one should be here Tuesday. The fit and finish on the passenger side was excellent actually. Everything lined up very well, better than I expected for an aftermarket part. I didn't fight with anything. I really was impressed.
 
Crown Jeep Fenders
 
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