84 CJ8 4 link coil over project underway
- Thread starter ttrdiablo
- Start date
bigjeepnfool
Legacy Registered User
- City
- Milford
- State
- MA
Looks great. Alot of hard work and clean fabrication. Hope you enjoy using it as much as you enjoyed building it.
7jeeps7kings
Legacy Registered User
- City
- right near the lake
- State
- OH
- City
- Middle of No Where and Too Far From Any Where
- State
- Tn
8
That is a sweeet build.............lots of great ideas i give you KUDDO'S well done!
Lots of things i'd would have loved to done to mine but limited budget,time restraints,kid and no shop or garage to work in did what i could with basic hand tools in the gravel.....lol You have one nice rig to be proud of
That is a sweeet build.............lots of great ideas i give you KUDDO'S well done!
Lots of things i'd would have loved to done to mine but limited budget,time restraints,kid and no shop or garage to work in did what i could with basic hand tools in the gravel.....lol You have one nice rig to be proud of
ttrdiablo
Yeah I said it!
- City
- Hutto
- State
- Tx
Maiden voyage a SUCCESS!
*I will try to take a pic of the box beak for you. If you were here I'd sell it to you for the cost of the materials but you are in Cali
After wrestling the brake problem and as a result missing the trip to Hidden Falls on Saturday Mark I finally got them resolved that eve. Therefore, the trip was finally put in motion Sunday.
Everything, well almost everything went off with out a hitch. I was impressed by low and how smooth the ride was and how low the gears were. With all these new items such a new 4-link, 3-link, sway bar, coil overs, gas tank, hydro assist, hydro cltuch, frame, skid, exhaust, tranni mount, t-case mount, brakes, frame, winch, etc... for all of it to have worked the first time out was freaking awesome. However, there are a few things we did not complete and we'll get to soon like add the front bump stops, limiting straps, stereo/speakers, bead locks, and speedo. Later I will get the rear seat, aluminum top, and custom half doors. The only adjustment we need to do is raise the front coils.
My last trip was to Hidden Falls last year for Labor Day (if anyone here remembers). So it was only natural that it's return was at Hidden Falls.
Arrived at Hidden Falls. Nobody was there as everyone had headed home. We had the whole park to ourselves. However, we did run into a small group. A couple who got married at athe park and was filmed by the CMT redneck weddings (I was told to be aired on Jan season premier).
Getting ready to hit the trails.
Finally on the trials
Check out the first obstable Mark felt suitable to test it out on LOL. NOTE the first ledge is approx 3' tall. the next is 2" and it is straight up but the pic makes it look like a ramp.
Mark had to spot me so no pic/vid on this one. More pics...
Some vids
The noise you are hearing is my new power steering pump. I needed to add more fluid. Guess I did a poor job of bleeding it. We headed back to camp and we still forgot to add fluid (Doh). Sounded like a mini chubacca. None the less it worked like a charm.
Mark "advised" me to hit a water hole that did not look too bad but as a result it was too deep as water got inside and I quickly hit reverse! Did I ever tell anyone I hate mud? Well I wanted to hand the wheel to Mark so he can also enjoy his hard work and conduct his own "testing". So, here he is...
All went well until I popped a bead approx 20 yards from the end of our last trail. Mark spotted me off the trail trying to conserve the tire/rim (could not work on the Jeep on this part of the trail so of all places to have this happen). We managed to remove the tire, add a strap, spray some starter fuild, add flame and poof, we are back in business. We got out of the park just as it got dark and got home to our wives in time for dinner. The truck and new trailer towed great. Time to clean out my garage and give Mark his garage back. I'll update more stuff as I get to it. BTW I forgot my spare! Mark thought I loaded it and I thought Mark loaded it. What would a trip be with out an adventure.
Although we are not 100% done (when are you right?) Mark has worked his butt off to help me get this wrapped up and I am forever gratefiul for hanging in there.
*I will try to take a pic of the box beak for you. If you were here I'd sell it to you for the cost of the materials but you are in Cali
After wrestling the brake problem and as a result missing the trip to Hidden Falls on Saturday Mark I finally got them resolved that eve. Therefore, the trip was finally put in motion Sunday.
Everything, well almost everything went off with out a hitch. I was impressed by low and how smooth the ride was and how low the gears were. With all these new items such a new 4-link, 3-link, sway bar, coil overs, gas tank, hydro assist, hydro cltuch, frame, skid, exhaust, tranni mount, t-case mount, brakes, frame, winch, etc... for all of it to have worked the first time out was freaking awesome. However, there are a few things we did not complete and we'll get to soon like add the front bump stops, limiting straps, stereo/speakers, bead locks, and speedo. Later I will get the rear seat, aluminum top, and custom half doors. The only adjustment we need to do is raise the front coils.
My last trip was to Hidden Falls last year for Labor Day (if anyone here remembers). So it was only natural that it's return was at Hidden Falls.
Arrived at Hidden Falls. Nobody was there as everyone had headed home. We had the whole park to ourselves. However, we did run into a small group. A couple who got married at athe park and was filmed by the CMT redneck weddings (I was told to be aired on Jan season premier).
Getting ready to hit the trails.
Finally on the trials
Check out the first obstable Mark felt suitable to test it out on LOL. NOTE the first ledge is approx 3' tall. the next is 2" and it is straight up but the pic makes it look like a ramp.
Mark had to spot me so no pic/vid on this one. More pics...
Some vids
The noise you are hearing is my new power steering pump. I needed to add more fluid. Guess I did a poor job of bleeding it. We headed back to camp and we still forgot to add fluid (Doh). Sounded like a mini chubacca. None the less it worked like a charm.
Mark "advised" me to hit a water hole that did not look too bad but as a result it was too deep as water got inside and I quickly hit reverse! Did I ever tell anyone I hate mud? Well I wanted to hand the wheel to Mark so he can also enjoy his hard work and conduct his own "testing". So, here he is...
All went well until I popped a bead approx 20 yards from the end of our last trail. Mark spotted me off the trail trying to conserve the tire/rim (could not work on the Jeep on this part of the trail so of all places to have this happen). We managed to remove the tire, add a strap, spray some starter fuild, add flame and poof, we are back in business. We got out of the park just as it got dark and got home to our wives in time for dinner. The truck and new trailer towed great. Time to clean out my garage and give Mark his garage back. I'll update more stuff as I get to it. BTW I forgot my spare! Mark thought I loaded it and I thought Mark loaded it. What would a trip be with out an adventure.
Although we are not 100% done (when are you right?) Mark has worked his butt off to help me get this wrapped up and I am forever gratefiul for hanging in there.
ttrdiablo
Yeah I said it!
- City
- Hutto
- State
- Tx
Scrambler is finally home
I was finally able to clean out my garage in order to make room for the JEEP and give Mark his garage back.
fits through the door along side my wife's car. Still have room to open the back passenger door with enough room to put the baby car seat in/out.
Mando
I was finally able to clean out my garage in order to make room for the JEEP and give Mark his garage back.
fits through the door along side my wife's car. Still have room to open the back passenger door with enough room to put the baby car seat in/out.
Mando
ttrdiablo
Yeah I said it!
- City
- Hutto
- State
- Tx
42" Corbeau seat arrived
Rear Corbeau seat arrived. Now need to make time to fabricate mounts and install (floor board is already fabbed with 1/4 plate to accept the new seat mounts). Check out pics of the mock-up
Going to be an excellent fit for the new baby girl when she gets old enough to ride along. BTW She is due in approx 6 weeks!
Jeep is registered, inspected, and on the road! Although not a daily driver, it is legal and I took it for a test drive. It handled great. Even with the tired aired at 30lbs it still fits snug through the garage door.
Rear Corbeau seat arrived. Now need to make time to fabricate mounts and install (floor board is already fabbed with 1/4 plate to accept the new seat mounts). Check out pics of the mock-up
Going to be an excellent fit for the new baby girl when she gets old enough to ride along. BTW She is due in approx 6 weeks!
Jeep is registered, inspected, and on the road! Although not a daily driver, it is legal and I took it for a test drive. It handled great. Even with the tired aired at 30lbs it still fits snug through the garage door.
crucescrawler
Legacy Registered User
- City
- Las Cruces
- State
- NM
Dude. The cleanest cj-8 build I have ever seen. Just ran across this thread.
Just stripped mine down off of my POS blazer frame that went to hell and back and the new 4x3-3/16 rectangular tubing is on order to start off fresh. I already mocked the rear and should be set around 120"WB too. I had a custom tool box out back and was running a 7 soft top, but thats getting deleted. I am gonna probabaly drop the fenderwell height even more to fit in some 6x9 boxes. Fixin to start cuttin' and stretchin'!!!
Which 4 and 3 link calculator did you use? Got my 4 out back that could use some tweaking due to some rear steer when its flexed, but still have the leaves up front, but wanting to run a 3 link. Any suggestions/equations/sites you recommend would be great. I would love to visit with you and check it out one of these days. I will post some picks of my build too throughout. It looks like that is alot of fun narrating your battle vs. the build.
Just stripped mine down off of my POS blazer frame that went to hell and back and the new 4x3-3/16 rectangular tubing is on order to start off fresh. I already mocked the rear and should be set around 120"WB too. I had a custom tool box out back and was running a 7 soft top, but thats getting deleted. I am gonna probabaly drop the fenderwell height even more to fit in some 6x9 boxes. Fixin to start cuttin' and stretchin'!!!
Which 4 and 3 link calculator did you use? Got my 4 out back that could use some tweaking due to some rear steer when its flexed, but still have the leaves up front, but wanting to run a 3 link. Any suggestions/equations/sites you recommend would be great. I would love to visit with you and check it out one of these days. I will post some picks of my build too throughout. It looks like that is alot of fun narrating your battle vs. the build.
ttrdiablo
Yeah I said it!
- City
- Hutto
- State
- Tx
4-link
Thanks for the kudos. My buddy Mark did a lot of reserach on pirate 4x4 and used the calculators ava in the 4 link bible to get a starting point. However, we went with what worked with what we had. We were just very careful to make sure we remained square (triangulated if you want to get specific). We aimed for a wheel base of 118 but ended up with 119 (not bad). I can provide you with measurements if it will help you. As for the front, having to squeeze a sway bar, steeing linkage, trac bar, upper link, narrowed frame, coil overs, etc... again we used the calculators to get a reference point but worked with in the limited space we had and have barely approx 1/4" spaces in most places. Also from what I have read you want Caster to be in the 6-7+ degree. So far that nailed it for me so I currently do not suffer from death wobble most do after a suspension link upgrade. Gather a crew and make plans to come out to Texas some time this year. We hit Hidden falls in Marble Falls Texas as well as we are building an off-road park Texana Offroad Ranch in Blakwell Texas. Look for the website soon! I'll end up sending a mass post soon.
Good luck with your build. Take it easy and spend the extra $ now and do it right and go overkill so you won't have to spend more $ later making adjustments/upgrades. If a little does good, then a lot does better.
Mando
Thanks for the kudos. My buddy Mark did a lot of reserach on pirate 4x4 and used the calculators ava in the 4 link bible to get a starting point. However, we went with what worked with what we had. We were just very careful to make sure we remained square (triangulated if you want to get specific). We aimed for a wheel base of 118 but ended up with 119 (not bad). I can provide you with measurements if it will help you. As for the front, having to squeeze a sway bar, steeing linkage, trac bar, upper link, narrowed frame, coil overs, etc... again we used the calculators to get a reference point but worked with in the limited space we had and have barely approx 1/4" spaces in most places. Also from what I have read you want Caster to be in the 6-7+ degree. So far that nailed it for me so I currently do not suffer from death wobble most do after a suspension link upgrade. Gather a crew and make plans to come out to Texas some time this year. We hit Hidden falls in Marble Falls Texas as well as we are building an off-road park Texana Offroad Ranch in Blakwell Texas. Look for the website soon! I'll end up sending a mass post soon.
Good luck with your build. Take it easy and spend the extra $ now and do it right and go overkill so you won't have to spend more $ later making adjustments/upgrades. If a little does good, then a lot does better.
Mando
Last edited:
crucescrawler
Legacy Registered User
- City
- Las Cruces
- State
- NM
Roger that, OVERKILL is what I am talkin about. Build it once, and don't have to look back. Thanks for the input and measurements would definitely be helpful for my build. I am going to snap some pics tomorrow, and start a new thread myself. Thanks for the advice so far, and I'll keepin touch for a Texas trip too. Sounds like a blast.
Orionn
Vehicular Packrat
- City
- Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti
- State
- Mi
Very nice build 
I am doing something close, I am going to be running a Ford Radius Arm front and leaf spring rear.
I am curious, what spring rate did you use for the front coils?
I will NOT be using Coil-overs, just plain coils and shocks, and I am having a hard time figuring out what spring rate I need in the front.
Any help would be greatly appreciated....
Once again....great Job!!
I am doing something close, I am going to be running a Ford Radius Arm front and leaf spring rear.
I am curious, what spring rate did you use for the front coils?
I will NOT be using Coil-overs, just plain coils and shocks, and I am having a hard time figuring out what spring rate I need in the front.
Any help would be greatly appreciated....
Once again....great Job!!
Last edited:
ttrdiablo
Yeah I said it!
- City
- Hutto
- State
- Tx
Spring rates
I currently am using 300lbs (lowers) 250lbs (uppers) I have a custom 3/16 box frame with tube fenders, winch, and an AMC 360. Although I have not weighed it yet for the test run the dual spring rates work. Thanks for the kudos and good luck on your build. WE just had a new baby girl and she turned 4 weeks wed. Therefore, the reminder of the Jeep to do list has been put on hold but I'll get back to it soon as I need to make final preperations for the Texas Twister 7 event at Texana Ranch offorad (www.tro4x4.com) to represent for the Scrambler nation.
Mando
I currently am using 300lbs (lowers) 250lbs (uppers) I have a custom 3/16 box frame with tube fenders, winch, and an AMC 360. Although I have not weighed it yet for the test run the dual spring rates work. Thanks for the kudos and good luck on your build. WE just had a new baby girl and she turned 4 weeks wed. Therefore, the reminder of the Jeep to do list has been put on hold but I'll get back to it soon as I need to make final preperations for the Texas Twister 7 event at Texana Ranch offorad (www.tro4x4.com) to represent for the Scrambler nation.
Mando
Orionn
Vehicular Packrat
- City
- Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti
- State
- Mi
Congratulations!!
I hope Daughter and Mom are doing well!
Thx for the information, it confirms the numbers I have been getting from other sources.
thx for the help
Mark
ttrdiablo
Yeah I said it!
- City
- Hutto
- State
- Tx
rear link measurements
Sorry for the delay in updating this post. I have made a few changes but I had not made the time to update the forum.
I have added an alum top, mounted the rear seat, stereo, center console, but still have more to do. Will update with pics real soon.
Rear Lower links:
Tube is 28 1/4" long (total link from bolt to bolt is currently at 33 1/2")
Rear Upper Links:
Tube is 26 1/4" long (total link from bolt to bolt is currently at 32 1/2")
I have not squared the front and rear axle just yet. I need to move the front links out a bit to clear something and will make my total wheel base approx 120"
Hope this info helps.
Mando
Sorry for the delay in updating this post. I have made a few changes but I had not made the time to update the forum.
I have added an alum top, mounted the rear seat, stereo, center console, but still have more to do. Will update with pics real soon.
Rear Lower links:
Tube is 28 1/4" long (total link from bolt to bolt is currently at 33 1/2")
Rear Upper Links:
Tube is 26 1/4" long (total link from bolt to bolt is currently at 32 1/2")
I have not squared the front and rear axle just yet. I need to move the front links out a bit to clear something and will make my total wheel base approx 120"
Hope this info helps.
Mando
ttrdiablo
Yeah I said it!
- City
- Hutto
- State
- Tx
updated pics of top and rear seat install
As promised here are pics of the aluminum top and rear seat install.
My bud from Cactus Custom Metals provided me with the custom cut 1/4 aluminum top. He was the same guy who built the cage. Mark and I installed it. We also custom fabbed seat mounts for the rear seat and customized it to fold forward to gain trunk space when needed. The rear seat is a 42" Corbeau with Corbeau seat belts. My daugther is only 3 months old but when she is old enough she will tag along with Daddy. We have plans to have one more in the future so there is plenty of room for two.
Still to come are the front bump stops and limiting straps.
As promised here are pics of the aluminum top and rear seat install.
My bud from Cactus Custom Metals provided me with the custom cut 1/4 aluminum top. He was the same guy who built the cage. Mark and I installed it. We also custom fabbed seat mounts for the rear seat and customized it to fold forward to gain trunk space when needed. The rear seat is a 42" Corbeau with Corbeau seat belts. My daugther is only 3 months old but when she is old enough she will tag along with Daddy. We have plans to have one more in the future so there is plenty of room for two.
Still to come are the front bump stops and limiting straps.
