Zombie
Random Dead Guy
- Location
- Sandy Utah
Parking brake cables are connected (it's weird how cool it felt to set the park brake... like a milestone or something). They were a snug fit between the brake cable hanger and the LCA tabs, but they went in, and operate smoothly, engaging well, and disengaging completely. I also got the rear brake lines routed on the axle, and got a little bit lucky.
I had to weld on two little pieces of plate with nuts welded to the back to provide a place for the brake lines to bolt on near the wheel. I left two notches in the top of each of my LCA brackets, hoping that they might work to retain the brake lines, and the will. With a couple of bends taken out of the hard lines, they meet the extra width of the JK axle, and still put the bends in the right place to go up and over the D44 pumpkin from the AL D 44 that the lines came from.
I had to trim 1.4” off the placement fins from the new calipers, but the banjo bolts are the correct size. I trimmed the calipers using a manual hacksaw and a file (no power tools on calipers for a street driven vehicle for me… I’d rather spend a little extra sweat and time than make an expensive mistake…) I welded a nut to the axle tube to mount the hard line distribution block and soft line to the chassis. The hole in the OEM axle was at the 12:00 position. I could have done this, and had the lines rout around the Clayton’s truss, but I opted to put it further toward the front of the jeep (if viewed from the driver side tire, it would be about the 10:00 position on the axle tube). This will allow better clearance with nothing touching or rubbing against the Clayton’s truss, combined with a little straightening on the chassis side hard line, and re mounting the hanger on the chassis side, this will give me more than enough line travel for suspension movement without needing an extended rear line.
I also got my rear shock brackets partially made from some 2x6 rectangle tube. I used the same templates that I used for my LCA brackets, just positioned a little differently as to no interfere with the LCA bolt hole, and provide room for shocks behind the axle rather than room for the LCA busing in front and below. Like the LCAs, the shocks will mount a little higher than they did initially, which will translate to a little better clearance under the axle. The shock brackets will weld to the axle tubes, and to the LCA brackets. Then I plan to add a piece of plate on each side to box the rear portion of the LCA bracket, and tie it into the shock brackets for a little more load distribution (not that the LCAs need it with the overkill brackets they are in…
Anyway, this is where the jeep will sit for almost the next month, un touched. I’ve got a mini family vacation this weekend, and I leave on a 2.5 week business trip on the 13th. I’ll be spending time with my kids prior to leaving (despite what my wife might think at times, I do love my kids more than my jeep… most of the time). I’m really down to the nitty gritty stuff. The two unknowns I have left at this point are the exhaust and the front sway bar. I have the Kolak 3” cat and back system. I’d like to keep running it, but I know I’ll need to make some mods. I’m planning to move the cat and muffler as far forward as I can… I think I can get the cat in front of the cross member, weld the hanger back on to the system between the cat and the muffler, and have the flow master sitting about where the cat used to sit. My concern is behind that. With only 4.5” springs and heavier than stock bumpers, I don’t have much room between the upper control arms and body, and even less between the UCAs and the heat shield material on the passenger side. I won’t be needing bump stops any time soon, and I’m betting the UCAs do a little body work for me… I’d like to run the exhaust all the way out to the tail, for both legal and safety reasons. My two boys ride with me quite often, and I don’t’ like the idea of the exhaust dumping under the jeep where it can float up through the windows etc… I’m just not sure it’ll fit. I’ll cross that bridge when I get home from my trip. Right now I’m just happy to see the jeep sitting on all four matching tires, with the suspension completely finished, and knowing that I only have a huge laundry list of little boring things left to do.
I had to weld on two little pieces of plate with nuts welded to the back to provide a place for the brake lines to bolt on near the wheel. I left two notches in the top of each of my LCA brackets, hoping that they might work to retain the brake lines, and the will. With a couple of bends taken out of the hard lines, they meet the extra width of the JK axle, and still put the bends in the right place to go up and over the D44 pumpkin from the AL D 44 that the lines came from.
I had to trim 1.4” off the placement fins from the new calipers, but the banjo bolts are the correct size. I trimmed the calipers using a manual hacksaw and a file (no power tools on calipers for a street driven vehicle for me… I’d rather spend a little extra sweat and time than make an expensive mistake…) I welded a nut to the axle tube to mount the hard line distribution block and soft line to the chassis. The hole in the OEM axle was at the 12:00 position. I could have done this, and had the lines rout around the Clayton’s truss, but I opted to put it further toward the front of the jeep (if viewed from the driver side tire, it would be about the 10:00 position on the axle tube). This will allow better clearance with nothing touching or rubbing against the Clayton’s truss, combined with a little straightening on the chassis side hard line, and re mounting the hanger on the chassis side, this will give me more than enough line travel for suspension movement without needing an extended rear line.
I also got my rear shock brackets partially made from some 2x6 rectangle tube. I used the same templates that I used for my LCA brackets, just positioned a little differently as to no interfere with the LCA bolt hole, and provide room for shocks behind the axle rather than room for the LCA busing in front and below. Like the LCAs, the shocks will mount a little higher than they did initially, which will translate to a little better clearance under the axle. The shock brackets will weld to the axle tubes, and to the LCA brackets. Then I plan to add a piece of plate on each side to box the rear portion of the LCA bracket, and tie it into the shock brackets for a little more load distribution (not that the LCAs need it with the overkill brackets they are in…
Anyway, this is where the jeep will sit for almost the next month, un touched. I’ve got a mini family vacation this weekend, and I leave on a 2.5 week business trip on the 13th. I’ll be spending time with my kids prior to leaving (despite what my wife might think at times, I do love my kids more than my jeep… most of the time). I’m really down to the nitty gritty stuff. The two unknowns I have left at this point are the exhaust and the front sway bar. I have the Kolak 3” cat and back system. I’d like to keep running it, but I know I’ll need to make some mods. I’m planning to move the cat and muffler as far forward as I can… I think I can get the cat in front of the cross member, weld the hanger back on to the system between the cat and the muffler, and have the flow master sitting about where the cat used to sit. My concern is behind that. With only 4.5” springs and heavier than stock bumpers, I don’t have much room between the upper control arms and body, and even less between the UCAs and the heat shield material on the passenger side. I won’t be needing bump stops any time soon, and I’m betting the UCAs do a little body work for me… I’d like to run the exhaust all the way out to the tail, for both legal and safety reasons. My two boys ride with me quite often, and I don’t’ like the idea of the exhaust dumping under the jeep where it can float up through the windows etc… I’m just not sure it’ll fit. I’ll cross that bridge when I get home from my trip. Right now I’m just happy to see the jeep sitting on all four matching tires, with the suspension completely finished, and knowing that I only have a huge laundry list of little boring things left to do.
