My SUCHKA--the work begins

[EDELWEISS]

I finally got my SUCHKA. Its a 2006 Wrangler with RIGHT HAND Drive and very low mileage. I went to look at a 1999 Wrangler; but the Lil bitch caught my eye and I kept coming back to her. I was looking for a father/son project that didnt require much work to get started and yet take years to finish.

I know Im breaking lots of Jeep rules, but I wanted an automatic. I figure its one less thing to worry about teaching a new driver. Its a hardtop with an electric defroster and wiper; but Im adding a soft top for summer.

The RH drive is just too cool. I have no trouble driving it; but switching back to "normal" vehicles takes a second.

This is gonna be our Rat Patrol / LRDG / SAS / Popski jeep, so it won't be a daily driver, until daily drives require armed escorts. The current plan is to start adding gas and water cans and then mounts for as many RPKs as I can figure how to fit.

I was gonna put a pedestal mount in the back, then I strated thinking the roll bar may be a better point since RPKs are gonna require some custom work anyway. Im thinking a twin SxS RPK mount on the roll bar and perhaps a single RPK on the passenger side. This is where drums should work pretty good. Id still like to have a rifle mount with in easy reach and perhaps a way to store a PCC close at hand.

We want off road lights; but Id also like to have blackout drive capability and perhaps a IR source for NV driving. Im also giving some thought to low profile BLUE/RED emergency lights (legal-now- if the inline fuse is not in place) and an air horn. WigWags are another possibility.

A second full size spare would also be nice, as would a good set of pioneer tools and perhaps a piece of corregated steel for a traction plate.

Id like to add some commo gear. A CB and GMRS/FRS are the easiest; but hardly the best and most secure commo option. A PD/FIRE scanner doesnt seem like a bad idea either.

Any other suggestions???

[randyho]

For your AO, you'll be hard-pressed to find much in the way of rock-crawling terrain. Traction issues are gonna stand out more than those of clearance... for any place it'll go legally, at least. So, I'd start with just enough body lift to fit a tummy tuck. And prioritize protecting the rest of the undercarriage from the ... whatevers that exist everywhere. I'd start looking at Currie's stuff.

From there, go for traction. Front and rear truetracs will be much more snow-friendly than lockers, which can be not so much functional as exciting in MD's winter mixes (this would be the time to regear as well). Add just enough lift for 33x10.5's (Old Man Emu makes nice stuff) which fit fine on the stock rims, and are lighter than the more common 32x11.5's, and they'll give the pumpkins a bit more clearance. Or go no additional lift and get yourself some tube fenders and an angle grinder for the rear. Low CG on a TJ allows you to keep a lot more stock/cheap parts happy.

Taurus electric fan swaps may be worth investigating. Otherwise, the 4.0 is best left for what it is: a tractor motor. Mod it, and it will bore you. Leave it stock, and it will bore you for far less $$.

Definitely lose the carpet and bed-liner the interior. If you're swapping out for a real roll cage, that's the time to do it.

Space is ALWAYS an issue with a TJ. Work storage issues into all your mod decisions.

Since you're adding electrics in the way of lights (I'm partial to cibie and hella over the domestics/chinese), go over to painless performance and find a fuse or breaker box that'll meet your needs. Keeping the modded stuff separate from the original stuff eases trouble-shooting, IME.

Enjoy! I'm looking for a samurai for similar duty right now.

[Dr. Dan Choi]

Good aquisition, Edelweiss. I wouldn't worry too much about getting an automatic. You won't have to worry about burning out clutch plates going rock climbing. You didn't mention anything about metal bumpers and winches.

[ImFromTheGovt]

RHD is cool. I have a RHD Subaru Impreza STi Version 3 RA myself. Automatic is usually the choice for rock-crawler off-roaders, and IMHO it is a great choice for a dedicated gun-truck jeep like you are planning since it lets the driver use one hand that would have had to shift the gears to now fire a pintle-mounted weapon.

I can't wait to see pics, especially after some of (and *ALL* of) your mods are done!

[EDELWEISS]

Randy, I can get my face slapped in 4 or 5 languages; but Jeep isnt one of them YET. I managed a few phases here and there in your post... I didnt mention it but skid plates for the underside seem like a good idea. My plan was to stick with the tires it has now until they need changing theyre more than servicable now and aggressive enough for any limited off roading if necessary. A seperate fuse box is a great idea, that I hadnt thought of; but as I suffered repeated fuse blowouts (in my Durango) when trying to used the cigarette lighter as a power point, it makes sense. I eventually added a 800 watt converter.

Gasman, Im pretty sure the bumpers are standard; but thats a guess. I winch seems like a good idea as well.

This project started out as a "Could We" when my then 13 year old ask about building a lightly armored anti riot truck on a Toyota Tacoma, after seeing the movie DISTRICT 9 and the use of Toyotas by SF types in A-stan. Finding a suitable and suitably priced Tacoma proved harder than I thought, so we morphed the project to a LRDG type jeep. At first it was just an idea that we talked about; but he really sunk the hook when he asked if he could drive it. I told him it was gonna be something that you took to buy groceries, and he said, "No Dad. I mean like when we go to shows and stuff you and me, together."

[chad newton]

Only thing bout mounting a machine gun to a role cage, what I have thought a little about, is that you cant swivle to the rear very easy. Mout a pedistol and you will be covered.

[randyho]

Randy, I can get my face slapped in 4 or 5 languages; but Jeep isnt one of them YET.

Apologies. I did get my jeep nerd on there, didn't I?
Tummy tuck: This gets the transfer case up and outta the way of bad things. It's typically with a big skid plate that covers the entire center section of the jeep. But, in order to make room for it, you need to raise the jeep's body just a bit off the frame with some spacers. The spacers are a body lift. If you look around you'll see a lot of jeeps with bigger tires have this small gap between their frames and bodies. That's what goin' on there. Relatively large gains in clearance w/o raising the center of gravity too much.
TrueTracs (made by eaton): These are limited slip devices (lsd's) that limit the amount of rotation that one tire on an axle can complete before the other one also turns. TJ's typically have a lsd in the rear but the fronts are an open diff. Open diffs allow all the power to go to the wheel w/o traction. The resultant spinning will then cover you in whatever loose debris's available and make you stuck. Stuck sucks. The truetracs are a beefier lsd than what comes stock.
A lot of people choose what are called lockers. Lockers don't allow either wheel on an axle to spin independently. This works great in some terrain, and most hardcore rock crawlers use them. But, IME, they're a bear on ice and snow (until it's really deep). The jeep will want to go straight until it breaks traction and then it often will want to do something very exciting. Big tires on a hard surface also transfer a lot of stress to the drivetrain. And broken axles suck worse than stuck. MD's a better place for lsd's than lockers, IMHO.
Taurus Fans: Ford taurus electric fans are a rough fit for the TJ's radiator. Stock, the TJ comes with a fan powered off the engine's crank shaft. That's typically fine, until you aren't getting enough air past the rad' to keep it cool. Trudging through sand on Assateague would be a good example of when this can happen. The electric fans work independently of engine speed and will do a better job of keeping things cool. Louvers in the hood help as well, and look cool
All that said, a bone stock TJ will do some relatively amazing stuff with someone who knows what they're doing behind the wheel. Prioritize accordingly.

[YARP]

That's awesome news EDELWEISS! I'm glad there's still a father out there teaching his son about using his hands. Randyho-I wish I understood "vehicle" language better, excellent advice.

[ImFromTheGovt]

The other problem with mechanical fan is water crossing. If you get into deep water, the fan tries to become a propeller and tries to pull itself through the back of the radiator. Never fun to get stranded because your radiator has a big hole in it. Electric fans with a switch in the cabin that let you turn them off for the water crossing and eliminate that issue altogether. Electric fans also allow for more airflow than mechanical fan at rock crawling slow engine speeds.

[EDELWEISS]

Chad--Thanks you saved me (hand slapping forehead). I was warned to be careful of mounting a pedestal improperly on the floor board because of the torque of the mount against the thin floor. The roll bar seemed a better option but it never occured to me that it wouldnt allow for turning to the rear. I had thought about adding a stop to prevent it from pointing too low (into the cab or hood); but turning to the rear escaped me.

Yarp--I cant take credit for teaching much about hand tools, other than knowning the left thumb is the one that gets smashed when a heavy tool is held in the right fist.... This is more a "we desing it" then find somebody to build it. My son is in a high school GT Program for computer design, so I show him some historical and current military pics, add a few thoughts about MP gun jeeps that I crewed as a gunner and team leader; then he/we decide whats gonna work for us and how much I can afford "this month". Beyond that we've started doing airsoft together for tactics.

Here it is as I bought it:


I'll post mods as theyre completed.