JBulls17

Your entire thread is badass. Quality pics and details.


I just got my stuff installed and my 5th 35" is sitting in storage until i get a tire carrier...I've pretty much been won over on the "Tire Carrier" thread i posted to the "Teraflex HD Hinge" Tire carrier. I notice you have one.

What do you think?!?

Greg@RME

Thanks! I've built several vehicles over the years and appreciate a detailed build with plenty of quality pics, so I do my best to share the same.

I love my TeraFlex tire carrier, it's solid as a rock! I was on the trail awhile ago with another vehicle that wasn't running a TeraFlex tire carrier and it was scary how much that spare wobbled around on his carrier. I looked in my mirror and mine was as solid as a rock! Something else I recently did.... I was trying to get a good photo, but needed a better vantage point... so I climbed onto my rear bumper, then up the spare tire and onto the roof rack for a high place to take my picture. I was surprised at how solid the spare tire was... I weigh 220#, so it's not like I'm a light weight!

JBulls17

Thats awesome, wow. I didn't know the thing could hold that much (no offense man!). I think my decision has been made by the Jeepers on the forum. Teraflex Hinge it is!

Greg@RME

lol.... Hey, I know I'm a big guy and I'm OK with it! I was super impressed with how solid my spare was with me standing on it! You're making a good choice!

Greg@RME

So I wrapped up the TeraFlex Alpine Long Arm upgrade over the weekend, it was a pretty big project and I wanted to take my time and make sure it was done right. First thing I did was read the directions, then watch the awesome install videos that the folks at TeraFlex have made. I decided to do one end at a time, starting with the rear. After dropping the rear driveshaft and gas tank (had about 2 gallons left in it, used my motorcycle jack to drop it), then covering up all the open fuel lines fittings, out came the torch. I cut off the factory frame brackets and started the grinding. That was probably the biggest part of the job, time consuming but I didn't want leftover bits on the frame so I took my time and did the best I could. Soon enough the frame was cleaned up and I started welding on the new rear frame brackets. There are some places that you have to work hard to get a good weld, patience is a very valuable attribute here! I hit the bare metal with some paint, let it dry and then started positioning the upper and lower rear long arms! It was a great feeling to get the rear all buttoned up!














I decided to upgrade my bent and abused transmission crossmember with a Barnes 4WD crossmember. The stock stamped sheetmetal crossmember was actually coming apart at the seams, so the upgraded was well justified! The Barnes 4WD crossmember is very beefy with 3/16" steel and the sides overlap for 3/8" thickness and fully welded... it should last a long time! I also feel better with this addition, since the front lower control arms tie into the crossmember.









I moved on to the front long arm install, moving brake lines and wiring harnesses out of the way and put the torch to work. The factory lower control arm brackets were a PITA to torch off, it took a lot of careful work and then a LOT of grinding. Eventually the frame was all cleaned up and I started welding again, the drivers-side bracket wasn't easy to fully weld, the exhaust is right in the way at the top of the bracket. I ended up spacing the exhaust away from the frame to get the mig welder in there. Finally it was all welded up, sprayed it down with paint and started bolting up the front long arms! I did the uppers first, then worked on the lowers... I made a rookie mistake here, I got excited to wrap it up and put my lowers on backwards. They need to go on the opposite sides... :( I was going to fix this today, but decided to go for a trail test instead. I'll fix them tomorrow.



See.... backwards... oops!







Since I had the JKU up on jackstands, I decided to get some other unrelated maintenance and upgrades done. First thing was changing the oil in the transfer-case, 2.2 quarts of Valvoline ATF4+ full synthetic. Then I swapped out my leaking rear diff cover (it got abused on the Rubicon this Spring) to a TeraFlex cover and a Lube Locker gasket, filling it with fresh Valvoline full synthetic gear oil. I took a picture of 2 of the lower bolts on the stock diff cover, they looked like they'd had a hard life! :laughing:












After getting it back on the ground, I tightened up all the control arm bolts (per TeraFlex instructions) and admired the changes!





Then it was time for a trail test....

Greg@RME

I don't think the paint was fully cured before I hit the road to Moab this morning! :greg: It had rained over night (mid-December.... rain?!?), then got cold enough to freeze early in the morning. I carefully made the drive to Moab, noticing how well the Alpine Long Arms had changed the way the JKU worked on the street. With stock-length arms and the heavier Outback coil springs there were some bumps and expansion joints that were a bit rough... but with the Long Arms, it rode very smooth! Those kind of bumps were reduced to hardly anything, just a cushy, smooth ride.

Once in Moab, headed to Poison Spider Mesa for the first offroad test. I aired down to 12 PSI in the rear and 14 PSI in the front... the first part of the trail is high-speed, so I disconnected the anti-swaybar in 2WD and cruised up the rocky road. I was very impressed with the changes, hitting rocks, ledges and bumps that would have been uncomfortable before were now hardly noticeable. The Alpine Arms have rubber bushings at both ends and really isolate the bumps in addition to the longer length of the control arm, letting the coil springs work with less restriction.

Once on the real obstacles that required 4 Low, the suspension seemed more compliant... more willing to simply work. It's a little hard to describe, but the change was very obvious. (My JKU is setup for overland travel, I'm sitting on TeraFlex Outback springs, which are made for a heavier load, and have SpeedBumps in the front, as well as limiting straps so my shocks aren't getting pulled apart under droop. With my setup I don't have a massive amount of low-speed wheel travel. If I were setting up a dedicated crawler, it would be a bit different but I'm happy with how my JKU works.)

Anyhow, here's some pics from PSM...















Then I headed over to Hells Revenge to play around... Hells is funny, I've been on it many, MANY times and it always gets my attention in certain areas!










Anyhow, I'm pretty impressed with the Alpine Long Arms... I kinda feel like my 35's are small these days! :eek:

PHANTZM

All I have to say first off is ...... NICE!!

I now have a few ideas for the progression of my Jeep throughout it's life with me. Your documentation of each part/step was really cool to see.

Keep the ideas coming so I can dream about my JK's future. 8)

Greg@RME

Thanks, appreciate the comments! I'm a fan of details & quality pics... and enjoy sharing my changes!

I'm not sure how many more changes there will be, I feel like I've done almost everything I've wanted to add/change!

Mean 69

Very nice and thoughtful build. Great info and pic's thanks for sharing!

Greg@RME

Thanks for the compliments!