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  #1  
Old 03-04-2002, 04:03 PM
mrblaine mrblaine is offline
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A big thanks to all those who shared in my build-up and a few notes

Robert, Sergey, Shalom, William, Garry, Ryan, Chris L., and huge thanks to my wonderful wife, Kathryn, for her outstanding patience, tolerance, and the never ending supply of clean floors and coffee. I appreciate your patience with me, your helping hands, sounding board functions, and mostly your friendship. Big, Big thanks, I could not have done it without you all, each and every one.

It's now time to get caught up on some stuff and we will do that.


I picked JV as the place for my shakedown run with my finally completed rig.

It took about a day and a half of being nervous to finally comprehend how well it worked. No noises out of place, no loose components, no ill handling of any kind, and this included a 55 mph run back to camp with no balance on the tires, no steering stabilizer, and no rock ram. One hand required on the steering wheel and only a bit heavy feeling from the larger diameter tires.

We ran Sunbonnet Pass, Big Johnson, and finished off with Clawhammer. There was not one single part of any of these trails that my jeep struggled with. The 37" MT/R's are just amazing in their ability to stick on stuff. It's a toss-up at this point to try and find some 15's for the rear. I almost don't want to mess with it because of how well they work.

In all fairness though, I was with a few other rigs, notably Sergey, Robert, Garry, Paul and Rich, none of whom struggled much either.

I was impressed with the level of stability that appeared in my jeep. Not the tiniest bit of discomfort in offcamber stuff, the rear doesn't squat when the front suspension unloads climbing stuff.

The steering is awesome, I had zero trouble achieving lock to lock at any angle.

The 4:88's seem just right for that tire size. Massive amounts of compression braking, plenty of ability to generate tire speed when needed, and acceleration in 4-hi is acceptable.

Brakes seemed troublesome at first but started behaving themselves quite nicely after awhile. Pedal is still a bit on the soft side and upping the bore size on the master should cure that.

The only major issue was my inability to figure out the rear swaybar link length. They are too long and cause the swaybar arms to smack into the tub on big whoops. Easily cured and we'll try it again.

All in all I am highly pleased, my expectations have been exceeded by a factor of about 10.

I forgot to mention flex. It seems to do alright in that area.





Some helped by purchasing my take-off parts and without that assistance, I could not have gotten done either. Seth, William, Robert, Sergey, and probably some I have forgotten, thanks for that help. It has been a long 3 months during which I have worked at this build-up at least some each and every day. I took off one weekend to go compete with Garry and the rest of the time was spent on the build-up. I am ready for a tiny break now.

I will have this post moved to the bottom of Test Fit thread when I get it updated with the last of the modification photos.

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  #2  
Old 03-04-2002, 05:06 PM
Joe Dillard Joe Dillard is offline
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Fantastic Blaine! I've read through most of the other thread about the projects you've been doing. William told me that he's enjoyed helping too. Great pics!
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  #3  
Old 03-04-2002, 05:09 PM
Jim M Jim M is offline
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Very nice, good to see it on the trails! I'm glad to hear things worked out. I'm also interested in the durability over time. I know you used beefy parts, but you play in an extreme environment.

Now, go enjoy your hard work, and take Kat out to dinner as reward for her patience.

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  #4  
Old 03-04-2002, 05:23 PM
Wumpy Wumpy is offline
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I came home saturday night after one day on the trail with blaine watching and riding with sergey.. (Thanks for letting me be passenger). I can only say that what I saw worked incredibly well. It was fun to help hold wrenches and try to understand 3/4's of what the concepts were.
Blaine deserves some thanks to for putting up with my fumbling hands, incesant questions, and a magnet full of metal shavings .

It was also fun to finally see the hammers - my first ride there. I'm going, not soon (need a little bit of odds and ends on my jeep), but I'm convinced that they are THE trails to run, everything now pales in comparison. Akin to Plato's theory of the caves. Now that I'm out, going back in would be certain destruction...

Congradulations Blaine. You thought it. You built it. It works. And it works well. The reward for the time, effort and all is present in the satisfaction of an awesome rig. Congrats!!!

R/
William
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  #5  
Old 03-04-2002, 05:25 PM
Wumpy Wumpy is offline
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Of note, that rock that Blaine is putting a tire on...

Sergey drove next to it and the top of it was dead even with the driver's seat. He and I both said "That's a bigg ass ****ing rock".

R/
William
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  #6  
Old 03-04-2002, 05:33 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
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Congratulations Blaine!

I don't need to tell you that you put a lot of work into your rig, yet it is ever so sweet when it all works out in the end exceeding your own expectations.

I'm sure you will dial out the few things you mentioned.

Thanks for sharing your build up with all of us. I know I have been in a bit of awe.

Take care my friend, and go wheel that Jeep a lot!

Frank
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  #7  
Old 03-04-2002, 05:42 PM
TJRON TJRON is offline
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This picture is worth a thousand words! The tub is SO LEVEL!

Extremely Cool!
Are you happy with those front spring?

I like the way my Jeep is now..... I'd just like it, well, a little higher off the ground with more ground clearance!
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  #8  
Old 03-04-2002, 05:43 PM
TObject TObject is offline
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For me it was a pleasure to help building Blaine’s jeep on rare occasions when I could get out from the big pile of things to do for a day. I am glad to see how well the project turned out. That is a very nice rockcrawling machine Blaine has got now.

I was impressed with stability of the suspension design. Off camber situations did not seem to try tipping the vehicle over, and the moments where I was waiting for something exciting to happen with my finger on the camera trigger, nothing did. The jeep just kept driving on some nasty stuff, like it was flat ground.

Most excellent!
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  #9  
Old 03-04-2002, 05:45 PM
sethmark sethmark is offline
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Bitchin'!

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  #10  
Old 03-04-2002, 06:11 PM
Stu Olson Stu Olson is offline
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Really bummed!

All that and I thought I was going to drive it off the trailer!

Oh well, so glad to hear the shakedown cruise was a success. From the sounds of it, you have very little to make corrections on.....which is a tribute to how well it was thought out and built the first time around. Way to go Blaine!

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  #11  
Old 03-04-2002, 07:07 PM
Chris L Chris L is offline
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Blaine--
Congrats! You have poured so much time and thought into that project, glad to see that it exceeds your own {very high} expections. Glad to have been able to lend what little help I could. If it where not for kids and family and all the other hecticity {is that a word?} in my life as of lately, I would have been there to help more often. Look forward to seeing it in action.

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  #12  
Old 03-04-2002, 07:13 PM
Jeff Weston Jeff Weston is offline
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SWEET! Congrats Blaine, Kat & friends. That was certainly quite an undertaking that is sure to provide joy for years to come. I hope to see it in action one day and marvel at its abilities ... maybe ARCA? J/K, I know how you feel about that.

Lookin' Good!

Jeff
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  #13  
Old 03-04-2002, 07:18 PM
Tumbleweed Tumbleweed is offline
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What a masterpiece!
Great job all involved.
Now bring it to Idaho and play on the wimpy stuff, we know you can wheel JV!
How about a mid summer trip up some forest roads to a nice trout fishing lake @ about 9000' ?
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  #14  
Old 03-04-2002, 07:35 PM
mrblaine mrblaine is offline
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TJRON:
This picture is worth a thousand words! The tub is SO LEVEL!
http://www.justaddrocks.com/Johnson_...rch_2-3/09.jpg
Extremely Cool!
Are you happy with those front spring?

_I like the way my Jeep is now..... I'd just like it, well, a little higher off the ground with more ground clearance!_[/quote]

Ron- never gave them a second thought. They work fine and never left the spring bucket.

I'm not so sure your eyes are fine though, the tub looks a little tilted to me.

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  #15  
Old 03-04-2002, 11:09 PM
TJRON TJRON is offline
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I'm not so sure your eyes are fine though, the tub looks a little tilted to me. [/quote]

Well, considering how far up the rock you went, a little tilt is allowable.
I'm wondering how far up you could go before it gets "tippy"?
Pretty darn cool!
Ron

I like the way my Jeep is now..... I'd just like it, well, a little higher off the ground with more ground clearance!
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  #16  
Old 03-05-2002, 05:50 AM
Paradiddle Paradiddle is offline
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Blaine - congratulations - your rig looks amazing.

I can't wait to ride along on the next JV run.

Jeff

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  #17  
Old 03-05-2002, 07:01 AM
Scott Hill Scott Hill is offline
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Does this mean you are going to be there in April to spot us

Glad to see you have you Jeep back

a little TJ with a few mods check her out at www.real-jeeps.com
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  #18  
Old 03-05-2002, 07:32 AM
mrblaine mrblaine is offline
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TJRON:
Quote: "_I'm not so sure your eyes are fine though, the tub looks a little tilted to me. _"

Well, considering how far up the rock you went, a little tilt is allowable.
I'm wondering how far up you could go before it gets "tippy"?
Pretty darn cool!
Ron

_I like the way my Jeep is now..... I'd just like it, well, a little higher off the ground with more ground clearance!_[/quote]

I plan on finding out as soon as I take it to the muffler shop to get the exhaust re-done. You would get a big laugh out of what's under there now. Talk about a cobbled together mess. I didn't have time to get to Kevin's on Friday, so I just cut and splice parts a pieces from the three exhaust systems I had laying around.

There is a 30 degree ramp next to the shop and I am shooting for a 1000 on it. Don't think I will make it, but I am hopeful. That was my goal when I started the suspension re-design. It used to ramp 842 before I fine tuned some things.

Bear in mind that I don't place much stock in ramp scores. I just use them as a benchmark to see if stuff I have done is an improvement or not. We have a set way of ramping that always gives us the same reading each time. We use a spotter, tire in the middle of the ramp, vehicle square to the ramp, and a framing square to get the dimensions down to the ramp.

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  #19  
Old 03-05-2002, 07:33 AM
mrblaine mrblaine is offline
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Scott Hill:
Does this mean you are going to be there in April to spot us

Glad to see you have you Jeep back

a little TJ with a few mods check her out at <A HREF="http://www.real-jeeps.com[/quote]" TARGET=_blank>http://www.real-jeeps.com[/quote]</A>

I am always glad to spot, well, except for this one time on Sunbonnet.

It is impossible to ascertain the value of something until you have paid for it a few times.
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  #20  
Old 03-05-2002, 07:47 AM
Ace! Ace! is offline
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Blaine, congratulations. It looks like your hard work has really paid off.

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  #21  
Old 03-05-2002, 07:51 AM
Robert J. Yates Robert J. Yates is offline
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Well done Blaine and I was proud to be a part of things. Not much else to say but this;

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  #22  
Old 03-05-2002, 09:16 AM
Jason L Williams Jason L Williams is offline
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I'm not sure if Awe correctly describes what I think. Nice job. Can hardly wait to see it in action. Just don't drive over me.
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  #23  
Old 03-05-2002, 12:58 PM
speaceman speaceman is offline
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Congrats Blaine.

I'm glad to hear that it all worked out as well as you thought it would. I know I had fun helping out and I certainly learned a thing or three. For example, being mean to harbor frieght presses is generally not a good idea. There were a couple jeep building lessons thrown in there also.

Well, if you even get the hankering to build anything else up, let me know. I'll definitely be there.

Shalom

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  #24  
Old 03-05-2002, 06:32 PM
KevinF KevinF is offline
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Blaine:
Wow! It's great to see the rig work as a unit so well! However, with as much time/effort that you spent on each and every component, I'm not in the least bit surprised! You did a great job on it, and you'll reap the benefits every time you drive. Congrats on a job well done!!!!! Can't wait to see the beast in person.

P.S. Was out in your neighborhood this weekend...stayed at the Laguna Nigel R-C overlooking the ocean with a GREAT view of Dana Point. I'm envious of your neighborhood...it's REALLY nice out there! I love Phoenix, but would be damned happy living near Laguna Beach, me thinks!

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  #25  
Old 03-06-2002, 05:01 AM
Hellbender Hellbender is offline
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Looking good!!!

How did the "sticky" skid work? Or did you notice it at all?

Are the springs pretty well balanced (that's my next project)?

Looking forward to seeing it in action!

Brad

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  #26  
Old 03-06-2002, 05:23 AM
mrblaine mrblaine is offline
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hellbender:
Looking good!!!

How did the "sticky" skid work? Or did you notice it at all?

Are the springs pretty well balanced (that's my next project)?

Looking forward to seeing it in action!

Brad

2000 TJ 4.0L, A/T, all factory options.
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NRA Lifetime Member[/quote]

Brad- I put it on a rock a few times and it was a non-issue. Slides just fine. Seems to slide better than steel.

The rear spring is highly surprising. It is a lot softer than I expected it to be. It will not work on your rig. The fronts are wonderful and again, probably won't work for you. They gave me the same height as a Pro-comp with a 3/4" spacer.

The spring company is wonderful to deal with though and can do most anything needed.

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  #27  
Old 03-07-2002, 07:19 AM
mrblaine mrblaine is offline
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Joe Dillard:
Fantastic Blaine! I've read through most of the other thread about the projects you've been doing. William told me that he's enjoyed helping too. Great pics! [/quote]


Thanks Joe, you gonna get your rig done enough to go out there with us?

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  #28  
Old 03-08-2002, 03:49 AM
Jim B Jim B is offline
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Congrats Blaine!!

Glad it all worked out to your satisfaction.

Steering geometry looks perfect in the pic. And I'm glad in handled as you expected.

You sir... are an excellent fabricator.

Jim B.

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  #29  
Old 03-08-2002, 06:50 AM
mrblaine mrblaine is offline
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim B:
Congrats Blaine!!

Glad it all worked out to your satisfaction.

Steering geometry looks perfect in the pic. And I'm glad in handled as you expected.

You sir... are an excellent fabricator.

Jim B.

97TJ El Niño, Mods listed on Web Site.
JJB@worldoversea.com)
http://www.jeep.worldoversea.com
Jeep Rater Score: 42
[/quote]

Jim, thanks. I do alright for a bush league type of guy. What I am really good at is copying other peoples ideas and adapting them to my uses. The only original part my rig is the length of the arms. All else has been done elsewhere and I just duplicated it.

The rear sway bar is a copy of the front one designed by Currie.

I used John's J arms and made them longer.

I used a flat skid, nothing original there.

Everything I did is a copy or an adaptation of someone else's work. That is also essentially what I do for a living. I get paid to make stuff better.

It is impossible to ascertain the value of something until you have paid for it a few times.
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