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Project Unlimiton

8K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  JKUnlimitedSport_2010 
#1 ·
I started this thread on our local forum but I thought I would post it up here too.

Thanks to Stan for his build. It helped me out a lot.

I want to shout out to Ryan @ Ridgeline Off Road. He helped me get my parts list together, and when I did screw up, he got it handled fast for me. His prices were also AWESOME!!!

Next up would be the guys at RPM Extreme. Jon and J.P. were both very helpful and offered insight-O-plenty on my build. I also got some parts form them with speedy service and fair prices.

Here's a list that should cover most of what I used.

Axles:
Front - 2005 Ford F250 Dana 60 (If you go with an earlier version make sure it's a D60, some of the 04 and earlier models came with D50 axles)
Rear - 2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 AAM 10.5" 14 bolt cover (Get the 2500 gas burner axle, the axle that comes in the HD diesel 2500 is the 11.5" version. It probably won't fit)

Lockers:
Front - ARB pn# ARBRD167 (This is the 35 spline version for 4.10 and down gear ratios)
Rear - ARB pn# ARBRD114 (This is for 4.10 and down gear ratios)

Gears:
Front - G2 pn# G/22-2034-513RX (This is a thick, reverse cut, gear set for the 4.10 and down carrier)
Rear - G2 pn# G/22-2023-513X (This is a thick gear set for the 4.10 down carrier)

Gear install kits:
Front - G2 pn# G/235-2034
Rear - G2 pn# G/235-2023A

ARB Compressor:
ARB pn# ARBCKMA12 (For the lockers air supply)

Artec parts:
Front Truss - http://www.artecindustries.com/JK_SD_60_1T_Swap
Rear Truss - http://www.artecindustries.com/JK_14_Bolt_1T_Swap
Rear ABS kit - http://www.artecindustries.com/JK-1-Ton-14-Bolt-Factory-Disc-ABS-Kit-_p_532.html (60 tooth. For a factory disc AAM 10.5" 14 bolt axle. Drum brake axles have a different kit)

Dana 60 hub conversion:
http://spyntec.com/99-08_ford_spyntec_overview/
This replaced the unit bearings with hubs and standard hub bearings. The kit comes with the spindles, hubs, bearings, seals, lug studs, chromo 35 spline outer shafts, and Mile Marker locking hubs.
The 60 tooth tone rings are machined into the hub and the spindle has a provision machined into it to accept a Dodge truck wheel speed sensor (DORMAN pn# 970-052) that actually plugs right into the JK wiring harness. I asked to have mine drilled out to 8 X 6.5 to match my Chevy rear hubs. Spyntec did that for free. Did I mention no more unit bearings?

Brakes:
These axles have huge brakes from the factory so I sourced the proper replacement parts from a local parts place. Nothing special here. Just get the parts you need and use the axle donor vehicle information to ensure you get the right parts. I was able to use the extended brake lines that came with my MC lift kit with minor modification.

Track bars:
Front: Rock Krawler Bomb Proof TB
Rear: Rusty's adjustable TB (Thanks Johnny!)
These are obviously adjustable. You'll need it.

Diff covers:
http://www.riddlermfg.com/products
I went with these because I didn't want a fabricated front cover due to tie rod clearance issues. I figured these would have a slimmer profile.

Steering:
I used 1.50" DOM tubing for the drag link and tie rod. I got the rod ends, tube adapters, jam nuts, and misalignment spacers from Blue Torch Fabs.
Tie rod needs 7/8 X 7/8 rod ends. (7/8 bolt)
Drag link can use 3/4 X 7/8 rod ends. (3/4 bolt)
Using the above rod ends allows all your tube adapters and jam nuts to be 7/8".
The tie rod had to be bent on the ends a little to clear the diff cover.
GM 1 TON TREs WILL NOT WORK WITH THE 05+ KNUCKLES

Driveshafts:
Custom from Adam's with new flanges for the transfer case.

TOOLS:
If you plan on doing this yourself you'll need a way to handle the axles. I used an engine lift.

An axle stand will save your back help hold the thing in place while working on it.

I had some cheap moving dollies to put the axles on when they weren't on the stand. Moving them around was easy this way. THEY ARE HEAVY!

I pre and post heated the cast while welding to it. A weed burner worked perfectly for this. Also insulate the axle to slow down the cooling process. I wrapped mine in a welding blanket and an old sleeping bag. It seemed to work fine. Use high nickel content rods. I couldn't find the high nickel MIG wire.

You'll also need a press and some larger brass punches for bearings and such.

You'll need high quality 3/4 and 7/8 drill bits when working on the steering.

A spindle nut socket for the rear is a necessity. Plan ahead. The only place I could find it in stock was Westwood Auto Parts in Bessemer on HWY 150.

A good 220V welder, and someone that knows how to use it, is handy.

All kinds of sockets, wrenches and drive tools of course.



All of this being said I want to talk about my experience with this build for a sec. It was a lot of work and I can honestly say that without the help of several people I probably would have never been able to complete it. The whole thing seems straight forward on paper but it was one issue after another. I still have several things to sort out about axle placement and whatnot, but it drives good right now. I'm just happy to have it back on the road for now.

I spent almost the same amount of money on these axles as the new Ultimate Dana 60's from Spicer. You could save some money by not doing the Spyntec hub conversion and the HISTEER arm but on junkyard axles the unit bearings and hubs will probably need to be replaced anyway. The price is to close to ignore. I'll talk money with anyone that is considering an axle upgrade.


God bless posi-trac rear ends and footprint gas pedals!!!


Dirty pics coming soon :jeep2:
 
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#2 · (Edited)
A couple of thoughts about welding the trusses on.
1. Artec does a great job of cutting these pieces out but be ready to do some final fitting and clearance work on the axle.
2. The indexing notches on the pieces are pretty loose. This is good because it allows you a little freedom on placement but be prepared to make informed decisions about final placement. You can't just stick the pieces on there and start gluing.
3. When welding to the cast section, pre-heat to 400 degrees, weld with high nickel content filler rod and peen immediately after, then post-heat to 400 degrees and insulate to slow the cool down as much as possible. I didn't have any issues using this method.
4. Pay attention to the instructions provided by Artec. There's some good tips and info in them.





 
#3 · (Edited)
UPDATE!

Most of you know that the Jeep is back together. I'm going to update this thread with the rest of my pics and info over the next couple of days.

The rear axle I bought was a newer AAM 10.5" 14 bolt. It already had disc brakes and that caused a couple of clearance issues with the Artec brackets. The swap truss for the 14 bolt was designed around a drum brake axle I think. Anyway, a little grinding and drilling will have you sorted out in no time.
























Any questions on that?
 
#4 · (Edited)
The rear tone rings were set up using the Artec 14 bolt ABS kit.

http://www.artecindustries.com/JK-1-Ton-14-Bolt-Factory-Disc-ABS-Kit-_p_532.html

My hubs were machined locally so that the rings were a press fit and all was good.





I had to flip my sensor to the other side of the sensor bracket by pressing out the nut on the bracket and pressing it back in on the other side. I then just bolted my sensor on the bottom of the bracket instead of the top. The sensor was hitting the parking brake shoe so I took a grinder to the rib of the parking shoe to make a little room.



I ground down the area close to the middle where the retaining clip goes. This picture wasn't the last pic so I actually ground it down a little more than shown here.

On the front hubs I used the Spyntec hub conversion kit that replaces the unit bearings with hubs, includes chomo out shafts, and had 60 tooth tone rings machined directly into the hub.

This thing is beefy. They also drilled it to match the 8X6.5 Chevy lug pattern in the rear.

The kit also came with Mile Marker HD locking hubs and all bearing and seals.







To remove those beefy snap rings on the axle shafts in the factory unit bearings I used these pliers from Napa.


Ok so at this point the axles are under the Jeep and I'm starting to look at the steering.

I bought GM 1 ton offset TREs and high angle TREs.
DO NOT BUY GM 1 TON TREs!
THEY WILL NOT WORK!


The tie rod mounting points on the knuckles (FORD 05+) are too thick for the GM TREs so the stud is to short. I also think the Ford stuff is a different taper than the GM TREs.



Passenger knuckle
I have flipped those nuts since this was taken.


Drivers side tie rod mounting location


Straight tie rod with rod ends was a no go


Testing a couple of bends. The real tie rod has less bend than this.


Did someone say big tires?!


She's getting there.
 
#10 ·
Thanks! Good luck on your build.
Nice job on the Jeep and the writeup. The documentation is much appreciated.
Thank you! I figured that more information and pictures couldn't hurt haha.

What brake rotors did you go with up front?


Also hypothetical question, Is there a relatively easy way to take the 14 bolt you used for example and convert it to the 8x170 Ford bolt pattern without redrilling the hubs?
I used replacement Ford rotors up front and drilled them to fit the 8x6.5 lug pattern.

I did go to a couple of local parts places and had them pull just about every rotor I could think of but there were a lot of differences between the Chevy and Ford stuff. In the end it just seemed easier to drill the Ford rotors. The pattern is so close it almost looked like you could just open up the holes a little on the Ford rotors and they'd slide right over the 8X6.5 lug pattern. That's probably not advisable though.

I didn't look into drilling the Chevy hubs to match the Ford lug pattern because I figured I'd still have to drill out rotors and I made the decision to use the Spyntec kit pretty early in the process.

Very cool write up and build. It is crazy to think the JK is already 8 years old and these kind of swaps are probably going to become the norm...

RK
If I had it to do over again I'd look real hard at the Spicer/Dana axles. I spent almost that much anyway and I could've had them in on a Staurday.
I feel mine will be a little stronger though with the Artec bits and the ARBs.
#builtnotbought haha
 
#14 ·
Thanks man. I appreciate your help and all the time we spent talking about this. You should come to Chocco next month!

Guessing the majority of that is in labor? The interwebz says junkyard swaps are supposed to be cheaper in terms of parts.
Believe it or not, I didn't spend a penny in labor on these axles. It was all done at my house by some great friends/relatives and myself. It's about $10K in parts, including the cost of the axles. That doesn't include all the cans of paint, primer, flap wheels, grinding discs, welding supplies, brake parts cleaner, and other supplies. Don't forget the tools you may not have either.

Those axle gussets/trusses are hardcore
They are BEEFY haha.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Well I ended up at Golden Mountain in Sparta Tennessee. It was slippery but we got a little wheeling in. I trimmed up a bunch of stuff but still have several points of contact when flexed out. I can't add anymore bump stop so I may be moving the front axle forward. The rear still needs more trimming on the back of the wheel well.

Here's a few pics on the trails.







 
#20 ·
Thanks! For now I am using the Metal Cloak 3.5 " lift that I installed on the Jeep when I first got it. It seems to be holding up well but I do have plans to long arm it with ORIs in the future. I've got to wait a bit though.

Grab a set of drive slugs and never worry about breaking hubs again.
That's what I'm going to do I think. I have repaired the hub and taken it on a couple of rides with no more breakage, but most of the rides have been wet with limited traction.
 
#19 ·
Grab a set of drive slugs and never worry about breaking hubs again.
 
#21 ·
Awesome build! Can you elaborate on the 14 bolt build part a little more? Happy I finally saw the tone rings in this build!


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#23 ·
Thanks!

What would you like to know? That part was pretty straightforward compared to the 05+ D60. The biggest issue was clearancing all the Artec brackets to work with the disc brake system. I don't think it was designed to work with the newer disc brake axles. My axle was from a 2003 2500 gas burner. Also the 14B hubs barely needed any machining to accept the Artec tone rings. I machined mine down a little too much and had to flip the Artec sensor brackets to make them work.

Anything specific you'd like to know?
 
#27 ·
I am going to clean the stock ones up and maybe run them but I figure why not do it!


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