Jp Trails

I remember it like it was yesterday, ordering opened for the new wrangler unlimited with lots of unanswered questions. How much more will it weigh? Will people actually buy these? When’s a Rubicon coming out? Ultimately it paved the way for a new 4dr Jeep the Jeep Wrangler JK.

Commonly referred by enthusiast as the Jeep LJ, The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited or LJ is one of the most Sault after Jeeps ever made. The dimensions were simple, the wheel base was stretched 10″ and the rear was stretch 5″ over a swb Jeep Wrangler TJ. To achieve this Jeep built an entire new frame and rear half of the Jeep 85% was shared with the Jeep swb TJ.  The end result was  13″ of extra cargo space and 2″ of increased rear leg room. The LJ also featured 1″ thick foam under the carpet for less road noise and a standard 30″ wheel tire group with a Rear Dana 44 axle with trac-lok (lsd). These additions allowed families to consider the Jeep Wrangler as a viable option for camping and exploring the back country. It also allowed the Jeep to be more comfortable and worthy of the interstate.

I found production numbers below, merely 20K more unlimited produced over the rare Jeep Scrambler. Will the Jeep wrangler LJ be rare like the Scrambler?  Who knows only time will tell, for now they do enjoy a radical resale value and the Jeep Rubicon LJ sells for less than $10K less than original MSRP.

2006 Production numbers

SE = 7,943

X = 23,759
Sport = 10,736
Rubicon = 9,818
Unlimited = 14,624
Unlimited Rubicon = 6,742
Sport (right hand drive) = 2,245

Break down:

2004 – 11,822 Unlimited
2005 – 7,450 Unlimited
2005 – 5,854 Unlimited Rubicon
2006 – 14,624 Unlimited
2006 – 6,742 Unlimited Rubicon

Totals:

33,896 – Unlimited
12,596 – Unlimited Rubicon
46,492 – Total

TEST

If your like me and love Jeeps but want economy your not alone.  I have been searching high and low but with little support from after market companies doing your own swap could me a nightmare! Now there is a solution…HPA Motorsports.  Hpa motorsports will be offering TDI conversions for the CJ/YJ/TJ in the very near future.  There are many versions of the TDI and if you want simple you can convert a electronic diesel back to mechanical pump injection meaning fewer wires and no computers.  The TDI typically produces 90HP/178Ft Tq which may not sound like its enough to switch to a TDI conversion. A simple turbo upgrade or intercooling can net 100-150Ft Tq so now the upgrade has your attention.  I am pretty familir with the TDI motor since I owned a 2005 Jetta PD TDI which I never got below 42mpg on average, my best tank being 47 1/2mpg. Now we’re talking about Jeeps and they are not designed to get into the 40′s….maybe the 30′s..maybe.  I am sharing a company newsletter which I recently received and wanted to share.  Also if your going to Sema the project YJ test Jeep will be there TBA.

http://www.hpamotorsports.com/tdijeep.htm

The past several weeks have been busy ones as our team has been working aggressively to finalize tooling and fitment for the Jeep TDI conversion while at the same time, augmenting our YJ’s running gear with a variety of upgraded parts.

To ensure our YJ was up to the task of transmitting the torque and HP of our TDI swap, both the Dana 30 and 35 axles have been torn out and beefed up. Precision Gear was called upon to outfit these small pumpkins with 4:10 gears and Alloy USA delivered unbelievable axles. The quality of these parts builds back our confidence in these OEM axles.

We have made some minor adjustments to our initial engine mounts to facilitate a seamless integration with the OEM rubber mounts. We have elected to supply a ready to install flywheel along with heat shields for the starter to protect it from the downpipe. Lastly, the downpipe has been re-routed to ensure it mates with off the shelf 2.5” exhaust systems. In our case, a Magnaflow has been strapped to the underside of the YJ.

Our Stage 1 Grouping is now finalized and is targeted to the “Do It Yourself” enthusiast. Take a browse through the product photo gallery to see detailed pictures of the installation. Note: Our engine mounts can either be bolted in or welded on. The installation images showcase the installation using the supplied bolts. Minor clearancing is required on the AX-5 bell housing to accommodate Bosch starter nose

The Stage 1 adapter set is as follows:

• CNC flywheel/crankshaft adapter
• CNC bell housing adapter plate
• Left and Right Male / Female engine mount set.
• (OEM jeep rubber mounts not included)
• Downpipe
• CNC machined Starter flange and heat shields
• (Bosch Starter not included)
• Flywheel and Crankshaft bolts
• Dowel pins for bell housing
• Turbo outlet adapter

Also included is a short OEM parts list to identify starters, engines etc. required for a successful conversion.

Stage 1 package $2599 USD

Our Stage 2 package’s intake track has been finalized. An air to water intercooler has been configured to optimize the space available under the hood, and sustain charge air cooling during low speed off-road applications. With off-road low gear terrain, air to air cooling intercooling as the factory TDI’s are equipped was simply not a good fit. Using a stand alone closed loop water system, our secondary radiator, cooling fan, pump and after cooler can maintain a steady state air intake charge best suited to feed our high torque output.

Our Jeep is bound for a debut at this years SEMA show. Once we return, we will develop the AX-15 adapter for late November release.

While many companies had new product to show or sell at the expo one company brought all the arsenal…Poison Spyder Customs.  Showing off all the latest JK swag PSC means business and all Jeep owners truly benefit.  While PSC is well known in the hardcore Jeep after market for the TJ/CJ/YJ they are hard at work showing the Jeep JK crowd that their Jeeps can be hardcore too.  The new Brawler light bumpers have great lines and require no modifications to be installed on a new JK.  PSC also has a new  Brawler light rear bumper with a tire swing out which is a plus for those using their JK as a DD.  Yes there is more!  PSC also showed off some new hardcore products like the BFH front and rear bumpers and the new JK fold tire spare tire and lets not forget the new 4dr JK boat side sliders.  With the current product offensive I am truly excited to see whats next from PSC.

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River Raider Off Road is becoming know for over the top creations like the River Raider ST and the soon to be RT Truck so it’s no surprise there’s yet another.  The newest project to come out of the creative mind of Kenny owner of RRO is the Rockster.  The Rockster inspired from the Mopar Lower 40  plays from different beat all together. The Rockster is power by a 440Hp+ Cadillac north star 6.2 installed by the Jeep Speed Show which has tons of torque yet is light weight in construction.  The rest of the power train is plenty beefed up including a Dana 60 front axle and a GM 14 bolt in the rear to handle the abusive horse power.  Rock Krawler handled the suspension with a 2 1/2″ long arm with a 5″ stretch.  Some of the mods include a chopped and laid back from window,Custom 3/16 plating,fold down tailgate and custom bumpers.  Inside  twisted stitch provided the seats and lots of billet everywhere.  Upon closer inspection there is a custom Spod along with an on-board air system right at the drivers feet.  All this while on 40″ tires with blinging 20″ wheels.  Lets not forget the very loud 2010 GM Synergy green which makes the Rockster visible from the Space station.  Now we just want a ride in the Rockster….E ticket for sure…..

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A very last minute trip out to the Pomona off road expo landed us in socal early Sunday morning..about 2:30am.  After sleeping in to 9:30 we headed over to the show.  The weather was nice about 80 in the morning but warmed up to 90 in the late afternoon.  The facility was easy to navigate although parking could have been closer but the trams certainly helped!  After walking in the entrance I first noticed a cool tack for corr racing trucks and a large ramp to launch motorcycles…but wait could it be?  The “Rockster” soon caught my attention!  This is a off road enthusiast dream every corner  baja trucks,pre runners,Jeeps and sand rails were everywhere!  Where do I start?  I ran into my buddy Greg at the show, so we ran around raising a little hell with the vendors.  Most of the booths were outside although 3 buildings were filled with toys and excitement.  A few booths that popped out were Poison Spyder’s display,River Raiders “Rockster”,Rockkrawlers “Victim” and Gen right had a nice display inside.  I also caught a few new products in which I will later write about in detail.  Enjoy the pics while I rest from my 700 mile 24 he road trip.

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For most of us TJ owners if you want to gain a better break over angle you need to upgrade to a tucked transfer case skid.  Adding this type of skid alone  will have side effects like no room for the transfer case to move up.  Then we need to add a body lift which makes room for the transfer case, now our engine sits a 1″ or so too low not lining up the fan to the radiator etc…

So now your in the market for a  motor mount lift or (MML) to re-align your drive train closer to stock.  There are several choices out there from replacing the motor mounts to adding a spacer below the factory motor mounts.  This is where Jks Manufacturing comes in by doing  just that by adding an aluminum 1″ spacer below your factory motor mounts.  By doing a spacer you retain factory OE mounts which have far less vibration that some of the alternatives.

Our long term test started in 2005 when I need a way to move the transfer case up.  Lets look at the five years of moderate wheeling with 37′s.

Part Type:1″MML

Part #:PN 8100

Manufacture:Jks Manufacturing

Length of test:5 years

Miles tested:91,500 miles

Test Vehicle:2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (LJ)

Drive train:Stock 4.0 auto trans

Tire Size:37″ BFG

Lift:3″ AEV/Nth/1″ Day Star body lift

Test Results:Moderate wheeling adapter bolt(s) snapped at 92K mies

Recommendation:Strengthen Adapter bolt from grade 5 to grade 8

Product Durability (1-5):4

Check out all the pics we took in Moab in the last week!  Enjoy!

Day 1

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Day 2

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Day 3

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Day 4

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Day 5

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