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Honky Cherokee Build

Rockers cut out and ruffstuff truss welded on.
 

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Got the rear inner frame plated with .250 plate going to mount the upper link mounts to them. Got the upper axle side, lower axle side and frame side lower link mounts tacked on. If I can get the links made and everything welded up by the weekend I'll be happy. Then I can make shock mounts and bolt tires on. Then it's off to the driveshaft shop.

Got a 42" light bar and 8 pods ordered. Braided brake lines. Aluminum radiator. Dodge Ram 2500 master cylinder. And some ruffstuff weld on zip tie tabs to route brake lines with. Gussets for the cage. Limit strap mounts and other misc. goodies.

Progress is exciting.
 
Four link mounts are all tacked in making a bolt run now. Ruffstuff mounts all the way around. Yeah I know that having the lower link mounts on the bottom of the frame is just going to be hang up on stuff central.

I'm just hoping all my welds are good and I don't have any failures due to faulty welds. Always a fear of mine.
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Houston. We have shock towers. notice i tried putting the upper tabs on the inside of the hoop. not enough clearance. switched them back to the outside. they are a little farther back than i wanted due to clearance issues with the track bar mount.
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got stuff done but didnt get **** done today.

got 14 bolt gears setup, painted the housing. bolted up the control arms. currently making shock hoops for the rear just needed a break. if i can get this thing sitting on shocks at full bump tonight ill be happy.
 
some feedback i felt to include in this thread... from the old thread..

Couple questions and concerns for you Honky... Nothing to be taken personal, just trying to understand and help you out. :flipoff2:

I'm looking at your 4 link numbers and see some red and yellow flags....

Is your wheelbase really 118? Why so long?

Are you running like 47" tires? Rarely do tires measure true to the sidewall listing. My 42's run right at 40" with 8psi.

How did you determine your COG? 42" seems high...

Also, I know why, but your not going to like 4* RAA.

I would pump the brakes and recheck a few of your numbers and repunch the 4-link calc. I think youd be surprised.

Also, I know the bolt goes threw the top plate, but a couple gussets on the upper link mount for the rear truss isn't a bad idea.....


Aside that, lookin good!

Isnt that engine bay stuff just fun a fake ***s?! I'm in that area myself right now and well....It sucks. :laughing: Tryin not to melt wires or nuke placstics in the area is cumbersome. Then, trying to fit it all back in.... ugh :shaking:. You've got an advantage there tho....I'm trying to jam everything back in with an additional 11" removed for the dovenose.

Keep up the good work. :smokin:
 
my reply:

Ill take all the advice i can get man!


i have what i hope to be plenty of adjustability in the 4 link. bottom line is im hitting a time crunch of 9 more days till im out of my shop and have to finish at home. im going to fine tune things at home. adjust as much as i can and wheel it to see how it handles.

wheelbase has been shortened to about 115".

gonna run 42-43" tires. treps or swamper stickies on aluminum beadlocks.. gotta get them to measure everything.

they said cog was top bellhousing bolt. i kinda guessed.

ill check over the upper mount and see what i can come up with to reinforce it. thanks for the advice.

yeah, the front end stuff sucks. glad thats over with. now im trying to muster up the fortitude to build the cage.$5 a foot dom tubing im trying to not **** up on. i hate building cages. got the jd bender and a notcher. but i suck at the math of it. just dont do it enough, once every 4 years and i have to relearn (wing it and figure **** out as i go)....

plan is making the upper halo. then running a pillar tubes from rocker tube up to halo. x behind front seats going through the roof to the floor or frame. and making it up as i go from there.
 
another thing. fitting the pinion gaurd, pinion to truss bridge together was **** fitment central. took some hammer and grinding and cussing.
 
Today's end point. Cage work starts tomorrow. Got steering ram mounted. Headliner tore out.

Gonna put gear oil in the axles and fill the xfer case. Maybe put shifters on the atlas.
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Well got another burst of energy. Got master cylinder from 2000 ram 2500 installed. Shifters put on the atlas. And filled the axles and transfer case with fluid. Woulda changed engine if but I don't have a filter. Got the fuel pump wiring re connected. I'm officially out of parts that I can do anything with.

Tomorrow operation roll cage starts.
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Got the cage roughed in today. Gonna take it off and clean up some notches and such before I weld it. Put vertical bars through the roof to the floor on top of the "frame".

Get it welded and back in the jeep then build the X and seatbelt crossbar tomorrow. Then build the front clip and mount the winch on Thursday.
 

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From desert go-fast experience, I've seen shock tabs pull out of the tube when mounted on the side like that. Best if they're underneath at at most a 45* angle. If not, I'd try to box those tabs and wrap it around the tube to beef it up.
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Just saw this. Thanks for the advice. I wil see what I can come up with. I was wondering. Beings as this is a trail only rig and won't see any go fast stuff I wouldn't think it'd pull them off. But you never know.

Better to have reinforcements you don't need than to break on the trail.

Boy I tell you what, dom tubing is some strong ****. Made everything out of dom. Except rear wheel well tubes. And probably some of the front clip prices will be hrew tubing. It sucked writing that check but I can say I have a dom tube cage now. Just like the cool guys!! And managed to not waste too much tube!

I'm not a fan of exo cages. But it's the only way to keep the body from becoming trashed. And I plan on keeping this thing for a while. Glad I put the x behind the seats. Ran the b pillar tubes straight down to the top of the frame. Sitting on 1/2" plate

Still thinking about how to make a rear seat, seatbelt tube. Maybe is the cross tube from the shock hoops? Might run a tube up from the hoops to the cage too. It would be for my kids (4&6) to ride in. So I'm not going to be doing anything crazy with them.

Going to buy children's harnesses so they fit the kids and prevent adults from riding in the back (I don't want to wheel with 3 other people in my rig, and it keeps people from "hopping in" at events. Sorry don't have any seat belts for ya.)
 
Got the cage welded and painted tonight. Bumper clevis points welded into the rear bumper.

Tomorrow I'll put the cage back on the jeep and build the x behind the seats. Then if time allows I'll start on the front bumper and fenders bars. A pillar to stinger and rock slider up to that bar. Build a bar across the radiator to build radiator hold downs and hood pins.
 
I am so sore. My whole body hurts. My knees are killing me. I really wish I had more time at the shop. But I don't so a thrash fest it is. Would have liked to been able to take my time and make things cleaner and think things through more but life is what it is.

Progress today. The warm 9.5ti winch installed. Got synthetic line for it to put on

Got the cage back on. Welded b pillar bars to the cage. Got the X done on the b pillars. Got the front bumper made and winch/clevis points installed.

Tomorrow make a seatbelt bar, front fender bars and a stinger. Then if I have time, I got the rest of my psc steering parts in the mail today. Might try to set that stuff up.

I'm lacking in pics because im working until the last possible seconds then bolting out of the shop.
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Got most the floorboard done. Gotta patch up the passenger side floorboard still.

Seat mount isn't clearing the atlas so I gotta modify the mounting brackets.

Had to buy a three-quarter inch drill bit today so I can connect my steering cylinder to the hi steer arms. That way I can keep the Tires straight will loading in unloading on the trailer so I can bring it home
 
got the air filter put on yesterday and a little polished radiator overflow put on. Just use L cheapo eBay air filter and spectre tubing running over to the passenger side of the motor up against the hood.

Got the insulated stud for the positive battery cable and AGM battery so I can get the electrical side of things finished up. Once I get that done then I can get the synthetic winch line spooled up change engine oil and once my pump Comes in from psc I can get the steering all plumbed up.
 
Little update.
Got the battery box welded in today. Battery cable made. Most everything hooked up. Got a few grounds to take care of in the engine bay.
Extended the fuel line.
Changed the engine oil. Started it up and let it run for a second.
Made a bracket to mount the manual shift rail.
Got the synthetic line on the winch.
 
Progress. I had to put a U in the transmission crossmember so it would clear the driveshaft with the four-speed atlas I didn't realize how far back it sat with the planetary box. With also having the transfer case crossmember I think it will be plenty solid.

This weekend's goals are to make the metal brake lines and bleed the brakes and my power steering pump from PSC should be here Saturday so I can put the pump in and get the steering all installed and operational.

I did see that where the pinion bolts to the center section is leaking so I'm going to have to pull that back apart for a little bit of silicone in there and hopefully that takes care of it.
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