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JPFreek - Index

JPFreek - magazine - Index

Freek Show
SUMMER 2008
86
Also under the overhang there was plenty of space behind the
last chassis cross member.
This space was put to good use:
A custom spare fuel tank with skid plate was built. Capacity is an
additional 13 gallons (50 liters) over the 20 gallons (76 liters) of
the stock tank. A small dash-mounted switch activates an
external fuel pump and draws fuel into the original tank via the
main tank vent hose (spliced with a metal T-connector). The
spare tank is tucked high between the frame rails. That gives
serious mileage! Plus, it’s fun seeing your fuel gauge go up as
you drive.
Egyptian-made YJs came stock with front Dana 30 & rear Dana
44 differentials (not typical for YJ’s), and a military large air intake
cylindrical filter.
Otherwise, mechanically the LWB YJ is exactly like the YJ as the
world knows it:
• 4.0L MPI 6 cylinder engine
•
AX15 - 5 speed manual transmission
• NP231 T-case (with obviously a longer rear driveshaft).
Although the AX15 & NP 231 combos are strong enough for
medium-duty abuse, all YJ & TJ Wranglers, as well as XJ
Cherokees with manual transmission (worldwide), came with a
design flaw as opposed to all previous Jeep CJ models. The
problem was in the form of a slip yoke style tail shaft. This slip
yoke configuration represents a known weak link and a potential
problem.
In order to correct this, an aftermarket slip yoke eliminator
transfer case tail-housing conversion kit (SYE) was installed and a
custom, heavy-duty driveshaft made by Tom Woods
(www.4xshaft.com) in the USA.
Besides a whole lot of other modifications done for
performance and for comfort and practicality, the decision was
taken with a friend to design a custom coilover (coil over shock
absorber) 4-link suspension with custom shocks made by
Swayaway, as well as Eibach springs. The reason why we decided
to fabricate our own coil conversion was simple:
1.
2.
Options were limited, and
All available coil conversion kits for YJ Wranglers are tuned
for rock crawling (slow off-roading) hence not suitable for
our desert driving and also with a great compromise on
on-road driving stability.
It indeed took a lot of reading and understanding of at least
the basics of chassis engineering, suspension design, and tuning.
After having spent months on paper with the aid of dedicated
software and bizarre formulae, it was time for taking apart the
jeep... and start chopping, measuring, fabricating, measuring
again, welding etc, etc. In the end, we added the following:
1.
2.
3.
2 inch diameter / 10 inch travel front coilover shocks
2 inch diameter / 8 inch travel rear coilover shocks
Front and rear shocks with dual rate springs setup
All control arms are heim jointed for extra flex. The rear track
bar was rendered redundant. A custom heim jointed front /
adjustable track bar was fabricated.
The result is a 5 inch lifted YJ Wrangler that drives like no other.
It offers the best compromise of on-road safety, articulation and
off-highway performance.
Hood louvers from Genright were installed on the stock hood.
In addition, a TJ Safari snorkel was installed to compensate for
the dry and sandy conditions here. Custom front and rear
bumpers, as well as side steps, were fabricated and powder
coated. In the interior, a full custom rally-style roll cage was
fabricated as well.