Yellow Jeep Build

Hey everyone,

Long time lurker here on the forum, finally decided to start a log of my jeep's build. Over the past five years, I've been working on my Frankenstein M38A1, and I thought it'd be great to share some of the journey with you all.

This weekend, my father and I participated in the Father's Day Rubicon Trail Poker Run with the Hi-Landers club. The jeep ran great... until it didn't. We had some minor issues that almost ended the trip, but thankfully, we were able to identify some weak links that need to be addressed.

Here are the main issues we ran into:

1. The clutch linkage popped out of the frame and transmission a couple of times, causing us to lose the clutch spring. Not sure if I’m experiencing frame bending causing the linkage to shift out.

2. It seems like my alternator is undersized for the load it's handling, particularly with the electric fan and ARB compressor running. I had to use a battery jumper box.

3. The ride quality is, to put it lightly, rough. It's more of a stagecoach kind of ride at the moment. Is this how older jeeps are or is it time for some fresh parts?

Despite these hiccups, it was a fantastic experience and a great bonding time with my dad. I'll keep you all updated on the fixes and upgrades as I go along. Any tips or suggestions from the community are more than welcome!

Happy jeeping,

 

Lurking since 2016, that’s impressive. Nice looking CJ. Glad you got to do that adventure with your dad.

Old Jeep frames definitely flex - clutch issues often result.
Rough riding is normal. Several more years of lurking and you should have a partial solution!

 

Sounds like a successful Rubicon run. Right on!

All the things you mention have common upgrades. There’s different ways of doing it of course.

1. The stock clutch linkage issue is common especially in Rubicon type terrain. The best fix is swing pedals. Many ways to skin this cat. All conversions are home built and slightly different. I will add frame stiffening / strengthening to this…then put in an active suspension, and let it do the flexing.

2. The most common upgrade is the 10si or 12si Delco alternator which can be found in 100-140 amp versions. Look at Quality Power. You MUST also upgrade to heavier wiring to run a high output unit. There are of course other alternators used as well.

3. An active suspension is real nice for this type of 4 wheeling. The most common and best upgrade is probably going to YJ springs. People have done other custom things as well.

With a little research here you’ll find solutions to all these little problems. They can all be accomplished in a reasonable time frame and without taking the whole jeep apart.

 

One of the small clips we got over the weekend.

 

Thanks for sharing some great advice on my current hiccups. I’ve done some searching here and noticed many people recommend the Rocky Road YJ conversion. It seems to be a pretty simple conversion to homebrew, aside from changing the front hanger location and widening them. The rear is a direct swap, correct me if I’m wrong.

 

Umm.... almost everyone here has had to fix/modify their Rickety Road purchase.
Taken from a guy who has both RR and DIY YJ conversion...... By the time you fix the RR garbage they send you, you can put together your own kit and save $500.
Either go with BDS 1-3/4" wide lift springs or do a DIY YJ conversion.

 

Details of all the problems with RR's product are here. To the best of my knowlege they have not done anything to correct the issues with their product.
Every RR YJ spring conversion kit suffers from these same issues, unless the end user has modified the kit to work properly.

http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?threads/121282/page-11

 

I didn’t realize the issues they’re pledged with. Thank you for steering me clear of that future headache. Just shows I need to do some more research on this. Thankfully, I’m close to J&W Jeep Auto Wreckers for some donor YJ parts when I’m ready to pull the trigger on it.

 

UGG..... J&W is really expensive.........
FB market place, Craigslist and the classified section here are your best friends for parts.
As far as the YJ conversion goes, Ruff Stuff and WFO are local to you and can supply you will all of the YJ conversion brackets.
There are a few good threads here showing the DIY YJ spring conversion. Do a lil research and you will find that it is not as daunting as it looks.

 

The RR kit was the right thing for me when I first built my Jeep. I had zero fabrication experience and very little experience with any old vehicles. I did gain the YJ springs softer ride and definitely improved the off-road ability of the Jeep. Now a few years later I’ve completely removed my RR kit for DYI as NorCal suggested.

 

Setting up a custom leaf spring suspension on an old CJ isn’t too difficult if you can weld decently, take good measurements, mark reference points and take your time. You can dial in shackle angle better, move the axles forward or back, address frame issues along the way. Lots more possibilities than some “bolt on” conversion thing that may or may not work right.

If you do this Rubicon run with the group you’ll see all kinds of different set-ups. Everyone has ideas and does stuff a little different. I love seeing all the different Jeep builds.

 

I'ld cut the leaf count in half, lengthen the shackles and use yj rear coilovers to bring back a bit of load capacity...

But I'm crazy...

 

For my clutch issue, I plan on following SFaulken's steps and keeping the floor pedals, using a Hydraulic Clutch Floor Mount kit instead of trying to add a swing mount. Hopefully, this will resolve the flexing of my clutch linkage. Here is the thread for reference:
http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?threads/145914/

 

I'm not knocking the hydraulic setup, but you can achieve nearly the same soft clutch pedal with a cable setup like this:
http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?threads/110768/page-15#post-1464873
I installed a bellow over each end of the cable allowing the cable to run in lubricant without collecting dirt.
That was 5 yrs ago and still going strong. I can provide more pictures if your interested.

 

If you don’t mind sending photos of your clutch setup. I’m assuming you’re clutch setup is moved off the frame correct? Thank you guys so much for the help and input.

 

I too am a fan of a cable clutch. When I set- up these swing pedals I was planning to go hydraulic. I read lots of stories about leaks and problems bleeding etc…I’m sure plenty of folks have no issues.
But I ultimately set it up with a cable and custom brackets etc. CA Push and Pull make the cable and will custom make any control cable you could ever need. Not much to go wrong. Easy to field adjust or repair and no mess. One major advantage of swing pedals is getting them off the frame out of a vulnerable place. Makes for easy access to your brake master cylinder as well. This clutch set-up is a little unorthodox but it’s simple and works well. Also going on 5ish years. Just more options.

 

How about some pictures? I'm about to do the same on my early CJ6.

 

Looks great thank you for those. For the life of I can’t find those rubber boots you have any chance you have a link.

 

These are what I used. https://www.mcmaster.com/5298K21/
They seem to have gone up significantly in price in the last 5 years!
I would google Rubber Cable Bellow and see if you can find something less expensive!