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Voodoo Blue 82 Complete Refresh

Looks great! Those front fenders look really well modified for the TJ flares. The paint, awesome.
 
Turned out great! What shock towers are those on the front, I still have the stock towers and and am having a binding issue with the axle shifted forward
 
Worked on the rear bumper and tire carrier yesterday and today. It is a TDK - Throttle Down Kustoms model. Very heavy duty.
It is bolted to the thick replacement cross member that CHIEFWAHO sells and also a set of frame tie-ins.

I am putting it on before painting it so I can weld/drill tabs for some accessories. Then when it is 100%, I will pull it off and paint it.

No way I was holding it up myself to get the bolts in. No comments on the "Halloween Costume" storage box. It's back up the attic now. :)

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Here are the frame tie-ins. These are the old Currie models I bought with their bumper 20+ years ago when I first got the Scrambler. I need to grind down some washers or make a plate that spans both bolts. There are two tie-ins per side. I want this really strong.

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Fit up the tire carrier:
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Pressed in the wheel studs and mounted the spare tire. It sits up pretty high. Plenty of room if I go to 37s. I used to hit my spare on steep drop offs on the Rubicon and in Moab. So high is good. Downside is the rear view is significantly blocked.

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I will look at mounting a High Lift jack or Tauler Jack. Temporarily fit it up. I will see if I can do it on the passenger side instead if it still allows access to the fuel filler. Having the weight on the spindle side will reduce the stress on it. Mounted the license plate. Will add a light on it when I put in the backup/flood lights. It looks blocked but it you are back a few more feet it is visible enough. (I think - we'll see)

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I also want to make a flip down cook surface like the JK/JL guys have for their tailgates. Should be pretty simple out of stainless steel or aluminum. Here is a mock up with cardboard. This will be a "Phase 2" project but the mock up proves it can be done.

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I also took it in for a Smog Check. Had to get a temporary permit to drive it on the road from the DMV. Here in California, we have to pass smog every two years. I have the Chevy TBI 350 and when you do an engine swap in California, they go through it in detail (visual and functional) to make sure you followed all the rules. There were 3 smog mechanics going through it - I think mostly checking out all the work I did. I was very relieved that it passed! You can see from the report, it actually burns pretty clean, well under the max allowed for the particles they measure and even way under the average. I put in all new GM sensors during the rebuild. Glad to see they worked well.

With the smog check done, I can now re-register it with the DMV and get it back on the road! It's been "non-op" status for 3-years.

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Looks awesome. I really like the design of the tauler jack too. Great news on the smog test as well. I bet you are thrilled to have it back on the road!
 
sdsupilot said:
Looks awesome. I really like the design of the tauler jack too. Great news on the smog test as well. I bet you are thrilled to have it back on the road!
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Thanks. Yes it is great to have it back on the road! It's been a long time.
 
So glad you put a rack on. I was hoping you would, they look so much better with racks I think. Beautiful.

Can you post your front shocks please? I like those F150 towers. Might be the go for me but obviously my shocks won't work with them.
 
Chamba said:
So glad you put a rack on. I was hoping you would, they look so much better with racks I think. Beautiful.

Can you post your front shocks please? I like those F150 towers. Might be the go for me but obviously my shocks won't work with them.
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Bilstein 33-185552 Front Collapsed Length (IN)15.91 Extended Length (IN)25.93
Bilstein 33-186542 Rear Collapsed Length (In )15.12 Extended Length (IN)24.35
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I previously used Rancho RS-9000 adjustable shocks. So far, I like the Bilstein ride quality but only have 45 miles on them and no off-road time.

They have the stiffer 700/2550 valving. My rig is pretty heavy. Had a friend that used them with lighter valving and changed to these.

Will try and get out to test flex the suspension this weekend. Need to check brake line length, bumpstops etc. Don't anticipate any issues as these part numbers were selected so they have the same collapsed and extended lengths as the Rancho's I used for years. I was going to do the 5165's with the remote reservoir but they were not available.
 
Thanks. So are the F150 towers the same style shocks as the factory tower? It looks like they are.
 
Those are the same shocks I am using. Yours must have been originally a narrow track? The later wide track use the longer shocks front and rear.
 
sdsupilot said:
Those are the same shocks I am using. Yours must have been originally a narrow track? The later wide track use the longer shocks front and rear.
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No. My original axles were wide track. This is an 82 model. I think only the 81's were narrow track. I swapped them for the D44/D60 very soon after buying it.

I doubt the any stock shocks had as much travel as these. These are the Rancho RS-9000's but the new Bilstein's have the same travel.

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I'm kind of surprised California approved such a 9/11 plate. It doesn't seem very PC and the flag is certainly non-woke. I like it.
 
Chamba said:
I'm kind of surprised California approved such a 9/11 plate. It doesn't seem very PC and the flag is certainly non-woke. I like it.
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Maybe this design flew under the radar or was slipped in at the last minute by a patriot. They haven’t closed down the bases yet, so maybe it’s a sign that it’s not yet sliding into the abyss. :evil:
 
Chamba said:
I'm kind of surprised California approved such a 9/11 plate. It doesn't seem very PC and the flag is certainly non-woke. I like it.
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Ha! It does run counter to the other logic the State puts out. I'm up in a solidly RED county. There is a movement here to split off the Northern part of the State and call it "Jefferson". We would make a killing selling them the WATER they need to live.

The bad news is that they use inmates to produce the license plates. (for real) And they are 8-10 months backlogged. Need to get those boys working overtime!
 
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