We've been building this Poison Spyder Customs Bruiser chassis for five years now. Although if we were actually working on it the whole time we'd be done with it by now. Truth is, in that time we've been sidetracked by two girlfriends, a home purchase, a Panel Wagon, two J-truck builds, a flatfender rat rod, a JK, and a 2.5-ton military truck. But that's beside the point. We decided to make it our summer goal to get the Juggy running and ready to hit the trail this winter.
Our buddies now refer to the Jeep buggy project as the Time Bandit. Not only because it has taken so long to build, but because many of the parts on it and ideas are outdated. That's all right; we'll simply tell people we wanted a retro Jeep buggy. Bad news is when you take this long to build something you find better ways and come up with new ideas that need to be implemented in place of the old stuff. In our case, this resulted in things like three completely different steering column buildups. Anyway, here's where we are on the Juggy now.
After the third attempt, we...
After the third attempt, we were finally happy with the steering column. We pierced the dash with a 1 1/4-inch, 0.120-wall tube and ran the 3/4-inch steering shaft through bronze bushings. The Grant Classic Model 5 steering wheel (PN 990) is attached to a Grant pinless quick release hub (PN 3024) that's welded to the steering shaft. The original designs would have resulted in a bent steering shaft the very first time we went all gorilla behind the wheel. This new column is much sturdier.
We pilfered the MasterCraft...
We pilfered the MasterCraft Rubicon seats out of a YJ project from many years ago and then stole the Crow Kam Lock harnesses from the Panel Wagon project before it hit the scrapper. The seats attach to the floor with Poison Spyder Customs mounts that tilt them back for more comfort.
We built a cradle between...
We built a cradle between the seats for the Art Carr gate shifter (PN 11071) and then painted the dash and other interior parts with Plasti-Kote Universal Gray (PN 202). We added Auto Meter Ultra-Lite gauges to monitor the engine, road speed, and tranny temperature. A Painless Performance sealed switch panel (PN 50332) and wiring harness electrify the Juggy. Under the dash is a gas pedal from an XJ Cherokee and a modified CJ-7 brake pedal that pokes through the firewall.
When we first started there...
When we first started there were no block-hugger headers for an LS1. It was still kind of a new crate engine. We attempted to use a pair of stock cast manifolds for an '03-'06 GM truck (bottom). We even tried to modify them to fit the Bruiser chassis with no success. We then went on to modify a set of JBA headers for the same model truck (PN 1850, middle). The idea was we could cut them up and weld on them without the cracking that the cast manifolds would get. Still no luck. So we put the exhaust on the back burner until two years later when Hooker began offering polished stainless steel LS1 block-hugger headers (PN 2314HKR, top).
The Hooker headers are unbelievably...
The Hooker headers are unbelievably clean looking, but more importantly, they fit without modification and give us plenty of room to run the rest of the exhaust. So what's the moral of the story? If you're making a cool and original swap, it's only a matter of time before someone will make it easier, if it truly is a good swap. Unfortunately by that time it won't be unique anymore.
According to the Advance Adapters...
According to the Advance Adapters instructions, the yokes on new Atlas transfer cases are not fully torqued. They must be tightened to 150 lb-ft (32-spline outputs) or 135 lb-ft (28-spline outputs). We opted to swap out our rear 1350 yoke for a larger 1410 non-CV yoke from Advance Adapters (PN AY1410) before cinching them home.
The lightened rear Dynatrac...
The lightened rear Dynatrac Pro Rock 60 features a matching 1410 yoke. Jim Reel at J.E. Reel Drive Line Specialists whipped out this 1410 shorty shaft with extra long slip splines. If the strap-style yoke on the axle gets abused and comes apart due to rock damage, we'll replace it with a U-bolt-style yoke. When the axle was built a few years ago this was not an option.
The lightened rear Dynatrac...
The lightened rear Dynatrac Pro Rock 60 features a matching 1410 yoke. Jim Reel at J.E. Reel Drive Line Specialists whipped out this 1410 shorty shaft with extra long slip splines. If the strap-style yoke on the axle gets abused and comes apart due to rock damage, we'll replace it with a U-bolt-style yoke. When the axle was built a few years ago this was not an option.
Up front we had to run a 1350...
Up front we had to run a 1350 yoke on the transfer case for crossmember clearance. A 1410 resides on the axle end. J.E. Reel built us another driveshaft for the front. This one is a little longer but also narrower to clear the TH400 transmission and exhaust. If you think you need big U-joints, Reel recommends running 1350s whenever possible. For the most part 1410 joints are overkill. The 1350 components are less costly and there are far more yoke and shaft options available. But if you still think you need 1410s on your project, J.E. Reel can make it happen.
Most driveshaft failures we've...
Most driveshaft failures we've seen have been caused by binding yokes. After installing our driveshafts, we cycled the suspension to make sure they didn't make contact at full droop. We used a die grinder to clearance the front 1350 yoke on the transfer case just a bit. While we were down there, we hosed the suspension and axles with the same Universal Gray paint we sprayed in the interior.
We ordered a 15-gallon RCI...
We ordered a 15-gallon RCI aluminum fuel cell from Summit Racing (PN RCI 2161A) and installed it in the trunk of the Juggy. We had to slightly modify the filler neck so it would fit. The tank is held in place with steel straps.
Fuel is routed from the fuel...
Fuel is routed from the fuel cell through 1/2-inch Earl's Super Stock fuel line. It necks down to 3/8-inch line at the fuel pump outlet. Always run a filter before and after an externally-mounted fuel pump on fuel-injected engines. This helps keep your fuel pump alive and ensures that debris will stay out of the expensive injectors. A 3/8-inch return line completes the system. The fuel lines and wiring are secured up high and out of harm and heat's way.
Next up on the to-do list...
Next up on the to-do list are the brake lines. Russell Performance offers all sorts of fittings and different lengths of stainless braided AN lines that we will use to connect our master cylinder to the four-wheel disc brakes on our Dynatrac axles.