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Stubby
1997 TJ Wrangler
Table of Contents:
Stubby's History:
Project Manager: Mac
Project Details:
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Factory Equipment:
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Upgrades:
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Factory Equipment:
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Upgrades:
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Project "Real World" TJ:
Well, we've taken the time to re-think the direction this project will go. We decided that the "low-buck" upgrade was not the most reliable way to build a TJ, and the classic "Act-Like-It's-Not-Your-Own-Money" magazine build-up is more than most of us can afford. So, with that in mind, we are going to try a middle-of-the-road approach, using good quality, moderately-priced upgrades and accessories. In other words, we are going to use what works, without sacrificing quality, and without trying to break the bank.
So, instead of limited-slip or air lockers, we'll try a Detroit and/or an EZ Locker. In place of stock tires or BFG Baja TA's, we'll try BFG A/T's. You get the picture. While most of us cannot afford the elite products of the Jeep world, it's not worth being stranded in the middle of nowhere to use cheap parts, either.
We'll also be trying out a few other items, just to let you know what we think. We will be giving our honest opinion for these and all items, from installation, to use and reliability. If you have questions about any of the products we are using here, please feel free to e-mail us directly.
Our Wrangler is a daily driver, with off-road use mostly limited to established dirt roads and trails. We will also test it on some harder trails, including the Rubicon, to see how the Jeep holds up.
High Performance 4-Banger?
This is not your average four-cylinder. We've added a Turbo City Performance Kit, custom Flowmaster Cat-Back exhaust, Jacobs Electronics ignition system, dual Flex-A-Lite electronic fans, and K&N; Filter. With all these improvements, we have noticed a great increase in power. If you would like more information, please feel free to e-mail us.
While most upgrades do not a make a big difference by themselves, a few upgrades together can make a much noticeable and very welcome increase in performance. Overall, our TJ now performs better with 31" Goodyear mud-tires than it did with a stock motor and 205's!
Of all the upgrades so far, the Turbo City Kit offered the most noticeable change in performance. Next would be the Flowmaster, then the Jacobs Ignition Kit and Flex-A-Lite fans. Most items are easily installed by the average home mechanic in a weekend or less, and do not require special tools.
About Stubby:
Our TJ is by no means a "Trailer Queen". We drive it to all events (such as Easter Jeep Safari and Camp Jeep from Washington State, near Seattle) and back, and 'wheel the heck out of it while we are there. The whole purpose of Project TJ is to attempt to build a Jeep with a great combination of on- and off-road-ability.
As far as being our "daily driver", we use it for our one hour (each way) commute through Tacoma traffic on a daily basis, as well as the family wagon/grocery-getter. As of November 1999, we are sitting on approximately 75,000 miles in under 3 years.
Now on to the front locker; so far we have not experienced ANY of the negative characteristics commonly associated regarding an automatic locking differential in the front axle. In fact, in 2WD we can barely tell we have a locker at all! There is no binding whatsoever, only a mild clicking sound that you get used to rather quickly. While in 2WD, the front axle receives no torque from the driveshaft and does not actually "lock" the differential. In fact, Tony from TracTech says that it is impossible for the front differential to lock without receiving input power from the driveshaft.
This means that while the transfer case is in 2WD mode, the front differential can NOT lock.
Note: Since a locking front differential will spin the front driveshaft while in 2WD mode, front driveshaft vibration CAN occur under the following conditions: Improper front driveshaft angles (associated with suspension lifts) and/or an unbalanced front driveshaft.
Stubby Now:
Project Manager: Thomas
Project Details:
"Gimme your biggest, strongest, cheapest Jeep." A mostly budget-friendly build that's awesome on the trail while still being happy on the street. Not a penny-pincher Jeep, but not Mr.Moneybags either, just a nice happy middle ground.
Stubby's current condition is pretty stable, no serious issues other than a heater malfunction. It needs some maintenance done, and has a few parts sitting in it just waiting to be put in, but is drivable. After an oil-change on the Atlas II it should be ready to hit the trails. As for the future, there's still quite a lot we can do for Stubby, many of the upgrades we've done in the past are old and worn down, and importantly nearly impossible to find again, so we'll be exploring some other options for upgrades this time around.
That's all for now, see you guys soon!
If you have any questions about any of our project vehicles, you can Email Us Directly
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