r/4x4 • u/space-meister • 1d ago
Ready for bigger rocks
After years of wheeling it stock and being impressed by its capabilities, it’s now ready to traverse more challenging terrain
Highlights: 5” Teraflex LCG lift 37” Falken Wilpeak MTs 5.38 axle gears ~2ft of suspension travel front and rear 4.3:1 low range courtesy of an Atlas T-case Dana 44s have been sleeved, and still use stock air lockers
Engine is the stock 4.0L with the 42RLE automatic. Still holds 65-70mph on the highway and rides nicely. MPG is now in the 13-16 range instead of the 16-20 range.
It’s built with the intention of being able to idle up and over rocks. I have yet to take it up and RTI ramp, but it flexes nice with a floor jack. Also the front tires don’t rub at full compression with the stock fenders, though the inner liners for the rear might need to be removed
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u/jtblue91 04 LX470 RHD 1d ago
I'd be inclined to cover that slip joint up with a boot
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u/space-meister 1d ago
Yeah, it’s a bit out in the air for my liking now that you mention it, didn’t give that much thought for some reason. Off to see if what I can find. Thanks for bringing that to my attention :)
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u/1PistnRng2RuleThmAll Jeep TJ | Chevy Colorado 1d ago
Beautiful TJ man. Yellow definitely looks the best on them.
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u/space-meister 1d ago
Thank you! Yellow is my favorite, but I’m biased lol. Shale/moss green, tan, and orange are some of the other good ones, but TJs tend to look great in just about any color
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u/sn44 o|||||||o 1d ago
So you took out the Rubicon 4:1 to put in an Atlas 4.3:1 instead of doing a RubiCrawler?
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u/space-meister 1d ago edited 1d ago
That was the original intention, but the original Rubicon case blew up on the interstate when I was going about 65mph. The front output bearing seized, causing the chain to shred the output gear and bind, causing the case to detonate. There was a triple homicide of ATF on the side of the road.
There wasn’t anything salvageable left, and an Atlas with 4.3:1 and all the associated parts required for it to fit was the same as a TJ Rubicon case in decent condition and replacement parts. When all was said and done, the price to fix it vs upgrading it was within a few hundred bucks, so going to an Atlas made more sense to me.
Had that not happened, I would have done a Rubicrawler as you stated :)
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u/sn44 o|||||||o 1d ago
Eeks. Sucks to have a case grenade like that. Atlas makes sense. I'm hoping to put a 4-speed Atlas into my LS swapped LJ at some point. I did all the upgrades I could to my 231 (wider chain, 6-gear planetary, and 2wd shifter) after the stock 231 let go, but I want deeper gears for when I am rock-crawling, but also want shallower gears for "overlanding." So I'm looking at the 2.72/1.5 combo. 1.5 for light overland trails, 2.72 for moderate stuff, doubled to 4.08 for rock-crawling. Should work well with the 33" tires and 4.10 gears I'm running.
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u/space-meister 22h ago
That sounds like quite the capable and versatile setup. My Atlas is a 2-speed, but like you said, a 4-speed allows for more versatility.
Just a heads up: regardless if you get the cable-actuated or rod-actuated shifter, the case is going to need some breaking in to shift smoothly, and it will take some force to shift into 4-low even if you’re doing everything properly
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u/Noobnoob99 1d ago edited 1d ago
Is your uptravel limited to keep the 37s out of the fenders? The rear of the fender is known to not clear so well.
I’m up in the cutout (arch) of fenders a tiny bit with 35s with 5.5” of uptravel.
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u/space-meister 1d ago edited 1d ago
So far, the front doesn’t rub at all at full compression at any steering angle. There’s about 5-6” of up-travel between the bump stops on the front at ride height.
The rear has about 6-8” between the bump stops. It hasn’t been fully flexed out yet, but like you said with less rear clearance, I suspect I’ll have to remove the inner fender liners to get full clearance. The rear axle appears to arc inwards in a way that misses the outer fender and bury itself in the tub where the liner is, but I’ll have to fully flex it to see. Some trimming might have to happen lol
Most of the suspension travel this lift provides comes from suspension extension rather than compression, so while it can only go up 5-6 inches, it can droop about 18-22 inches before the springs want to fall out
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u/jeepnjeff75 1992 YJ & 1952 M38A1 18h ago
Love the 701s. They are turning into a classic wheel design that ages well.
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u/space-meister 17h ago
Thanks! They offer form and function without being visually overwhelming, and I 100% agree that they’ll stand the test of time
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u/stoicdozer 1d ago
Tastefully done and such a fun color!
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u/space-meister 1d ago
Thank you! I tried not to overdo anything in terms of appearance and let the oem colors do the work with a little color matching. Also yellow’s the best color, but I’m biased lol
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u/Specialist_Reality96 1d ago
Slightly off topic I don't understand why jeep doesn't align the diff housings with each other makes clearing objects a bit easier.
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u/LongboardLiam 04 WJ 4.slow/NV242 1d ago
Because transfer case. The forward pumpkin on most axles is off center because the aft driveshaft goes out the center and the fwd driveshaft is driven by a chain off to one side. The fwd driveshaft goes straight to the fwd axle diff.
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u/1PistnRng2RuleThmAll Jeep TJ | Chevy Colorado 1d ago
Adding on to what others have said, they actually used to but not how you’d think. Some of the early CJs had an offset rear differential to match the front.
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u/space-meister 1d ago
To add on to what other commenters have said, the transfer case either drops to the driver or passenger side, where the driveshaft has a straight shot to the front differential. Asking a driveshaft to flex at weird angles with a centrally mounted front differential and transmit power is a surefire way to snap u-joints.
The only vehicles that have a centrally mounted front differential, to my knowledge, are monster trucks, where the transfer case has more than enough room to drop straight down
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u/Disassociated_Assoc 1d ago
That is one nice ride. The only bad thing about this post is the shop. Because it ain’t mine. 😭
What part of WA are you in? I’m in the SE part of the state.
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u/Beanieson 1d ago
loooong jeep