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UHHHH...
Prerunner1982, the '06 Rubicon has the 4.0 I6
Mine has the manual 6 speed.
It does Elephant Hill near Moab quite nicely.
However, I will NOT do the Shafer Switchbacks again(yes, I have been over it twice, riding, not driving)! No way, no how, not EVER! That cliff face scares the bejeebers out of me! This old man can't stand that much adrenaline!
Yeah sorry... forgot last year for the TJ.
I have never been down Shafer Switchbacks but I have been down Black Bear Pass....
I currently have my second Suzuki Samurai (but not the first one anymore), as well as a 2005 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab.
The Samurai has a 4.16:1 Low Range Transfer Case, 4.56:1 gears, a 5" lift, 31x10.50/15 Mud Terrains, Custom Bumpers, and a 1.6L Sidekick engine. It's a project vehicle that has been parked for a while, unfortunately.
My earlier Samurai was set up much the same way, and was used all over the west, including the area around Moab. I never did the Shafer Switchbacks, nor Black Bear pass, but I did take it on the Moab Rim Trail. That one is an attention getter, to say the least! Here are some details on the trail:
I also use my Colorado on some milder trails, and even some extreme trails once in a while. I was on a narrow trail near Shaver Lake, CA this past summer and found the trail getting narrower and narrower the further up I went. Once the trail basically disappeared, I decided I should turn around and head back, mostly because I was by myself and didn't have any support around should anything happen. I was amazed at how well the truck climbed that trail, and am actually looking forward to taking it wheeling again soon. It is basically stock, with a rear locker from the factory. About the only modification I've done is putting on a set of BFG All Terrain tires. Oh yeah, I also have a camper shell on it. I've taken it on trails in CA, UT, NV, AZ, NM, and WY (and probably a few other states), and have been very pleased with its abilities, especially for a stock truck. It also works quite well in the snow.
You might look into a supercharger for the minivan V6 that thing is running.
I also have a Cherokee, it is a 93 2 door 4x4 with 4.0 and AX15, NP231, Chry 8.25.. It is stock for the moment with only minor things planned. 3-3.5" lift, 31-32"s, JCR front and rear bumpers...
The Cherokee however is not my Ultimate off roader... a few years back I mentally pictured what I thought would be the ultimate off roader.. It would be a 81-91 CC Chevy cab on a regular cab long wheelbase frame with a flatbed. Minor lift 2.5-4" and cut fenders to fit 40-42" tires. It would have the manditory custom bumpers, front and rear winches, lights, CB, 2m/70cm ham, assorted recovery gear, tools, parts, etc. It would have room for the whole family, large tires, but with a low COG.
A few months after I invisioned this...I come across this in a Peterson's 4wheel and off road..
Almost exactly what I was looking for.. mine wouldnt have coil overs ( I like simple) and the fenders might be cust a bit more and it would sit a bit lower...but dang that picture sealed the deal.
Yeah I was an active member of NAXJA when I lived back east. I also joined a local club since I didn't know where I could go wheeling and tagged along with them. My XJ was my DD for while then too, lol.
Anyway, I know it ain't the best of the best platform for a build, but it's a good compromise :-)
I currently have my second Suzuki Samurai (but not the first one anymore), as well as a 2005 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab.
The Samurai has a 4.16:1 Low Range Transfer Case, 4.56:1 gears, a 5" lift, 31x10.50/15 Mud Terrains, Custom Bumpers, and a 1.6L Sidekick engine. It's a project vehicle that has been parked for a while, unfortunately.
My earlier Samurai was set up much the same way, and was used all over the west, including the area around Moab. I never did the Shafer Switchbacks, nor Black Bear pass, but I did take it on the Moab Rim Trail. That one is an attention getter, to say the least! Here are some details on the trail:
I also use my Colorado on some milder trails, and even some extreme trails once in a while. I was on a narrow trail near Shaver Lake, CA this past summer and found the trail getting narrower and narrower the further up I went. Once the trail basically disappeared, I decided I should turn around and head back, mostly because I was by myself and didn't have any support around should anything happen. I was amazed at how well the truck climbed that trail, and am actually looking forward to taking it wheeling again soon. It is basically stock, with a rear locker from the factory. About the only modification I've done is putting on a set of BFG All Terrain tires. Oh yeah, I also have a camper shell on it. I've taken it on trails in CA, UT, NV, AZ, NM, and WY (and probably a few other states), and have been very pleased with its abilities, especially for a stock truck. It also works quite well in the snow.
I had a sammy when I was teenager in the mid-90's. Everyone laughed at me, but that thing would go anywhere, even with open diffs and a very mild lift. I kinda miss it.
I had a sammy when I was teenager in the mid-90's. Everyone laughed at me, but that thing would go anywhere, even with open diffs and a very mild lift. I kinda miss it.
I remember when I went wheelin' with the Suzuki club I belonged to a while back. A bunch of us had modified Sammys, but there were a few that were stock, too. The stock guys went almost everywhere the rest of us did, and it made me wonder a little bit why we all spent so much on our rigs!
Yes, we also got teased quite a bit back then, but once we kept up with the "big boys" on the trail, they realized we were a force to be reckoned with. They gained a whole lot more respect when we would stop to help them with trail fixes.
Some of my most memorable experiences with the Suzuki club were our trips to the Rubicon trail, Moab, the Dusy-Ershim Trail, and the Big Bear, CA area. We had between 8 and 25 Samurais on those trips, and got lots of looks from people everywhere we went. Those were great times!
2001 Jeep XJ (last US year for them)
4.5 RE lift
regeared 4.56:1
32" BFG MTs
SYE, custom drive shaft
Ford exploder rear disk brake conversion
OME shocks and SS
RE quick disconnects
lunchbox lockers
It's not railed up for rock crawling, but it's probably built as much as I'm going to build it. It has the stock axles (8.25 chrysler rear) and I won't go up to 36"s with those. I may eventually rail it up and put in a new skid. I'd probably want to throw a dana 44 up front too.
Must be nice having an XJ that new....I wish Daimler-Chrysler had kept on building them, or at least replaced them with something a little more utilitarian than the Liberty. I know we're in the 21st Century and all, where the almighty lawsuit is king of the road and a $60,000 SUV is no longer a white elephant but a My Super Sweet 16 Rite-of-Passage.... but I'll never get used to IFS Jeeps.....that's just so wrong. The whole new generation of "Fail Rated" trucks will always* seem like kiddie toys to me
*=Jury is still out on the JK, but I have a feeling I'll come around on it eventually.
How's your gas mileage looking with the 4.56 gears? Dedicated trail rig or daily driver? The D30 front axle is definitely the weakest link in the XJ drivetrain....D44 conversion seems like a pretty big project up front, but no doubt well worth it. I've always heard the Chrysler rear is actually pretty sturdy, maybe not quite up to 36s, though.
Rear discs is probably gonna be one of the next things I do to mine. I've already got the WJ booster/master cylinder swapped in place of the godawful Bendix-9 ABS. I need to build some quick disconnects, too. Have you seen the electronic disconnects available on the JK and Dodge Ram 4WD? I want those on my XJ somehow!! Super cool factory option...
Quote:
Originally Posted by prerunner1982
I also have a Cherokee, it is a 93 2 door 4x4 with 4.0 and AX15, NP231, Chry 8.25.. It is stock for the moment with only minor things planned. 3-3.5" lift, 31-32"s, JCR front and rear bumpers...
I'm sean87xj on NAXJA and JeepForum.com's XJ Section... although I mostly just lurk on NAXJA and haven't posted much on JF over the last 2 years. Those other forums look good, I'm gonna have to check 'em out....the more (places for me to waste time on the internet) the merrier
Sounds like you've got a nice XJ setup too. Don't see too many 2-doors around these days, although I actually saw an '88-'90 2d Limited on the road yesterday. I didn't even know they made a 2d Limited model....
5-speed XJs seem like they're getting rarer and rarer too. I had bought an AX-15 as a spare when I had my '87 (it had the Peugeot BA10/5 time bomb) but the tranny actually held up. When I first got my '90 I initially wanted to swap out the auto, but I became a believer in the power of the AW4 overnight. One of the sturdiest autos I've ever had the pleasure of not-having-to-work-on. Chrysler/DC never should have put any other auto behind the six, even in the Grand Cherokees & Wranglers.
The GM Crew Cab-stubby is sweeeeet!!!!!! I can see that becoming a real popular build....very creative and super functional.
Any more pics of that rig on the 'net?
Quote:
Originally Posted by deepcynic
I am resurrecting a '72 IH ScoutII, 345, .373, Dana 44 R, 30 F (looking for a 44 with discs), Warn OD, 31s with no lift.
She runs strong, and climbs anything, but am fixing typical Scout rust, rebuilding brakes, and dialing in the carb. Cosmetics and amenities will wait for a bit.
She is a beast.
Always had a soft spot for the old IH trucks....both the Scout and Travelall were way ahead of their time. Got any pics?
I can get 18-19 MPG with the XJ, tall gears and mud tires, but the trick is to drive in the sweet spot (around 60 MPH) and use the cruise control. Of course, around town, I get more like 13-14 MPG.
I wanted the taller gears and disk brakes for several reasons. Mainly, I had a previous vehicle (Dodge Truck) that was "undergeared", and I saw so many lifted vehicles that just were not geared well. I did go a little tall in the gears for 32" tires, but man it is sweet. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have swapped the front axle to a dana 44 and gone up one tire size with the 4:56 gears. As it is now, it is fine for DD and has some serious crawl.
I searched for months and found the 01 XJ with really, really low miles back (28K IIRC) in 05. It was a rare find indeed.
I have driven it on 1400 mile round trips, fully loaded, and it does pretty well. It does do the lunchbox locker thing every now and then on the road, when it loads and unloads and kind of lurches one way or another..... but I could not afford an air system. You also get that loud pop, lol.
How's your gas mileage looking with the 4.56 gears? Dedicated trail rig or daily driver? The D30 front axle is definitely the weakest link in the XJ drivetrain....D44 conversion seems like a pretty big project up front, but no doubt well worth it. I've always heard the Chrysler rear is actually pretty sturdy, maybe not quite up to 36s, though.
If you can find a Dana 44 from a early XJ then it is a bolt in swap.
I'm sean87xj on NAXJA and JeepForum.com's XJ Section... although I mostly just lurk on NAXJA and haven't posted much on JF over the last 2 years. Those other forums look good, I'm gonna have to check 'em out....the more (places for me to waste time on the internet) the merrier
I don't spend as much time on NAXJA or Jeepforum either...mainly on the others, but I am still a member of them both.
Sounds like you've got a nice XJ setup too. Don't see too many 2-doors around these days, although I actually saw an '88-'90 2d Limited on the road yesterday. I didn't even know they made a 2d Limited model....
It's ok... wouldn't have paid what I paid if I would have known then what I know now... but isn't that life?
5-speed XJs seem like they're getting rarer and rarer too. I had bought an AX-15 as a spare when I had my '87 (it had the Peugeot BA10/5 time bomb) but the tranny actually held up. When I first got my '90 I initially wanted to swap out the auto, but I became a believer in the power of the AW4 overnight. One of the sturdiest autos I've ever had the pleasure of not-having-to-work-on. Chrysler/DC never should have put any other auto behind the six, even in the Grand Cherokees & Wranglers.
Both the AX15 and the AW4 are strong transmissions, as are the NP231 and NP242 tcases... overall the later drivetrain was pretty bulletproof.
The GM Crew Cab-stubby is sweeeeet!!!!!! I can see that becoming a real popular build....very creative and super functional.
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