83 Scrambler Build

[Busa]

Some of you know I am building the wife a Scrambler. She had a 92 YJ. It had Dana 44s front and rear. Cromo shafts, Detroit, 4.56 gears and 37 Krawler at the end. She broke both rear shafts and a front stub shaft and Katemcy back in November. So it was time for axle upgrades. Well we wanted to do a makeover on her jeep. It was getting bad. In the process of deciding what we wanted to do with it I found an 83 Scramble body for $1000. Like Scott her rig is going to be the family rig and with a Scrambler it would give us more room. So I striped her jeep down to the frame and sold it off. I made about $6000 sealing everything. I kept the frame for the new project.

This is the rundown of what it is going to get.

83 Scrambler body with louvered hood. Came with it.
Spider 9” front 60 outers
Spider 9” rear
5.13 gear
35 spline detroits
5.3 V8
4L60E
Atlas or Stack Tcase
Full hydo steering from PSC (double ended ram)
40 BFG muds or Krawlers.


My dilemma is to go links or stay simple with leafs. It is not setting it up that is the problem It is can I justify spending about $3000 more for links and coil over or air shocks.

Hear are a few pick of what i have done so far.

[Busa]

Here are a few pick of the frame stretch i had to do. I had to add about 23" to the back part. I also cut off the front of the frame and put new pieces there too. I had the body sand blasted and fond some rust in it. It was not made. The Finders were the worst so i cut the out and bade new one that have a wider opening. I will be adding rock corners to it so i was not worried about the being squared.

[tigweld]

unless you go with really wide axle's coilovers most likely won't fit in the rear without narrowing the framerails.

[Busa]

I have though of that and it is not a problem. I am going to go 68" wide so i can get 40deg of steering. This rig will be driven around town aswell.

[robertf03]

Did you already bob the tub?

mine might not be the most exxxtreme vehicle out there, but I don't miss banging shackles. I think the suspension is its saving grace. I don't think I'll ever go back to a leaf sprung off road vehicle. You end up getting half way there with antiwrap bars anyway.

[Busa]

I have leafs and go everywhere i wont. And no i did not bob it. I am going to push the rear axle back some and leave it stock body. I am leaning toward links but it is hard to think of all the extra money it takes.

[eight]

Link suspension isn't that expensive if you go with regular coils. About $40 x 16 for joints if you have 3 or 4 links front and rear, plus about $400 of tube, $300 for a set of coil springs. You can save on the joints if you use bushings on one end of the links. Comes to about $1400 in parts. I just checked and the 44044 leaf springs everybody likes are just less than $150 each. Then you still have the antiwraps to build.

I think coilovers on the front and coils on the back would be good. 3" tj front lift springs between the axle and frame on the back should give you good clearance for 40" tires, that'd be about 1" higher than mine. Ballistic Fab's air shocks are only $240 if you want to go that way, not much more than a coil spring and decent shock.

[Busa]

I think i would go with the polyperfomance kit. I can get on for the front that is a 4 link aswell. http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/...t-p-16802.html I know some guys that are running that kit and it works great. I would also go with the Sway A Way coilovers. That why it will cost so much to do links. If i am going to do it I will do it right.