Awesome Unlimited, Part 1

It was killer; we had the ultimate buildup plan for the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, but no Jeep to build on. DaimlerChrysler wasn't exactly giving them away -- that is, unless you manufacture tacky fiberglass wings, neon lights or tinted Lexan wing-dings to show off at the SEMA show. And no one on this staff would be buying a new rig anytime soon unless the dealer was taking a kidney as a trade-in. So while assembling our plan to steal one from the local lot, only for a "short" testdrive of course, we got a call from a friend who had just purchased one. We quickly conned him into letting us cut up his brand new ride with 250 miles on it.

This first installment covers most of the suspension. We wanted a long-arm lift not only to get plenty of twist and flex but also to get some high-speed bump-sucking travel from the rear. So we shot out a call to Rubicon Express for its Extreme-Duty long-arm kit. The Wrangler Unlimited (LJ) is virtually the same as a TJ from the transfer-case skidder forward, but the rear arms are considerably longer on the LJ. We'll show you the rest of the buildup in upcoming articles. Here's what we've done to our long Jeep so far.

After hoisting up the new Jeep, we began tearing it down. We removed the original short control arms and set to work on the factory frame brackets with a reciprocating saw and a grinder. Don't cut into the frame; you need that part.	The heart of the Rubicon Express long-arm kit is in the replacement skidplate assembly. The new longer front and rear links will attach here, so additional mounting points are needed. It's a three-piece unit that allows skidplate and drivetrain removal without disassembling the suspension. With the outer parts in place, you can mark where the additional holes need to be drilled (there are 10 of 'em) with a 1-inch hole saw.	The included bosses need to be inserted into the drilled holes and welded to the frame. Grind the welds flush to the frame so the outer portions of the skidder line up properly.
Lots of different names have been attached to the new Jeep Unlimited. Why do we call it an LJ? It says right here on the VIN tag under the grille (arrow). Check the tag on a TJ and you'll find a TJ designation here.	Up front, the factory four-link is converted to a radius-arm suspension with the Rubicon Express long-arm kit. These are the same arms that would come in a short TJ kit; they allow some minor wheelbase change and pinion angle adjustment. A smart cookie will notice we swapped out the axles. With our planned 37-inch tires, dumping cash into stock stuff just didn't make sense, and we'll show you why, along with our trick steering and front track-bar arrangement, in an upcoming issue.	To clear and control BFGoodrich 37-inch Krawler tires, we opted for the Rubicon Express 5 1/2-inch coils (7 1/2-inch lift coils are also available). Rubicon Express shocks, longer stainless braided brake lines and sway bar extensions/disconnects finish up the front.
With a 104.5-inch wheelbase and rear links over 40 inches long, there is no doubt that our LJ will handle bumps and jumps at speed better than a short TJ and still flex well without any handling drawbacks. Like the front, these arms have adjustment for slight wheelbase and pinion angle changes. We did a little measuring, and it looks like some 10-inch travel coilovers would fit nicely under the body in an angled mounting location for, say, 12 to 14 inches of travel. For now, our LJ sports the Rubicon Express 5 1/2-inch coils and shocks out back.	Looking from the front back, you can see the whole shebang, including the upper and lower long arms, replacement track bar and high-pinion rear axle... Oh wait, how'd that get in there? Stay tuned.	Here's the assembled three-piece skidplate with the links in place. To service or remove the transfer case, you can simply unbolt the flush-mounted screws, take out the center portion and leave the suspension parts in place. With our non-stock rear axle, we were able to retain the factory slip-yoke-style driveshaft with the 512 inches of lift.

With the lift mostly complete, we rolled out the rubber. We wanted an extra-strong sidewalled rockcrawling tire that looked aggressive and cool. BFGoodrich 37x12.50 Krawlers were picked for durability and extreme traction on just about any surface. Plus, the really aggressive tread scares children. For now, we mounted them on 17x9-inch aluminum wheels with 4 1/2 inches of backspacing. Of course, our real bead locks were on back order at the time.

Project Awesome Unlimited, Part 1
Project Awesome Unlimited, Part 2
Project Awesome Unlimited, Part 3
Project Awesome Unlimited, Part 4
Project Awesome Unlimited, Part 5