 Santiago's Revenge |
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This feature has been updated, below is a list of the pages that make up the feature. Page 1 (this page)
- Suspension and Axles When Greg bought a used '89 Cherokee Laredo in late '96, his plans were to keep it relatively stock and to use it as a weekend utility vehicle and for exploring the backcountry. About six months after purchasing the rig, he had a Trac-Lock limited-slip unit installed in the rear. With the Trac-Lock in the rear, Greg noticed a vast improvement in his rig's off-road ability, which only served to wet his appetite for even more capability, and so the modifications began... Greg's main objective was to build a rig that was as capable as possible off-road, while maintaining reasonable street manners and the utmost in reliability. On a scale of 1-10, where the low side of the scale is streetability, and the high side is off-road ability, he wanted something in the seven to eight range of the scale. Greg divided his buildup into four major phases: Phase I included the lift and drivetrain modifications along with new wheels for the new wheel-bolt pattern; Phase II, which just began, includes armor, tires, and fender modifications depending on the tire size; Phase III will include a winch, upgraded charging system components, and other goodies that are not absolutely essential; and Phase IV will be a complete engine rebuild with some upgraded components to enhance the reliability and/or durability of the engine. |
| To strike what he felt was the perfect balance between wheel size, articulation, and road manners, Greg chose the Rubicon Express (1-916-858-8575) 4.5" kit with 10-leaf rear spring packs from National Spring, and Rancho 9000's. This combo would allow him to comfortably run at least 32 x 11.5" BFG MT's on 15 x 8" American Racing aluminum wheels. Greg says that aside from the fact that Rubicon Express makes a great kit, one of the main reasons that he selected them is that the guys there are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. With all the modifications that were made at once, he knew there would be the inevitable "dialing-in" phase, and he knew he could count on them for whatever consulting was necessary after the installation. |
 RE 4.5" lift kit & 30 x 9.5" tires |
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After deciding on the lift, it was now time to think about axles. Greg wanted ARB Air Lockers front and rear because he likes to wheel in the snow (who doesn't?:), and there's just no substitute for selectable lockers in the snow. He also wanted to do something about the poor braking performance of the Cherokee, especially since he wanted to run 32" tires. Hesitant to invest in air lockers for the stock Dana 30/35 axles, and, because he desperately wanted to upgrade the brakes, Greg decided to "do it right the first time" and put in a Dana 44 up front, and a Dana 60 in the rear. After contacting many of the major suppliers of custom axles, Greg selected MIT Drivetrain Specialists of El Cajon, California (1-619-579-7727) to provide the axles and perform the installation of the Rubicon Express lift kit. MIT has performed these upgrades numerous times, and Greg felt this was critical in having a well-integrated system. Then, to eliminate any possibility of driveline vibration, Greg had MIT install their NP231/242 Slip-Yoke Eliminator and a 4" longer CV-style driveshaft. |
 Superwinch manual locking hubs |
The Dana 44 in front is a standard-cut unit since the pinion on a Dana 44 with reverse-cut gears sits several inches higher and won't clear the oil pan and exhaust without modification. Greg talked to several experts about using a standard-cut axle on the front because he was concerned that he would be sacrificing strength in the ring & pinion gears. (Standard-cut gears turn backwards on a Dana 44 when used on the front). The consensus however, was that it's not an appreciable loss of strength and the standard-cut Dana 44 was still much stronger than the stock Dana 30. One drawback of the new Dana 44 over the stock Dana 30 is the loss of the automatic locking hubs (MIT uses Super Winch heavy-duty, manual-locking, internally splined hubs for strength). |
| The Dana 44 was fabricated so that the spring and shock mounts are on top of the axle tube, providing an automatic two-inches of lift and keeping these critical components out of harm's way. To compensate for the extra lift built-in to the axle, Greg had Rubicon Express provide their 3" front coil springs in place of the 4.5" springs. The front brakes are made up of whopping 11" Ford F-150 rotors (compared to the stock 10.5" rotors) and Chevrolet ½-ton truck calipers and pads. |
 2" of built-in lift |
 Ford Explorer rear disc brakes |
The Dana 60 for the rear was selected over a Dana 44 because the cost difference was almost trivial, and the only drawbacks were the additional 60 pounds and ¾" less ground clearance compared to the Dana 44. Not only is everything bigger on the Dana 60, but the housing is made of nodular iron which is far stronger and resistant to breakage than standard cast housings. The 11" rear brakes are from a late model Ford Explorer. The rotor has a built-in mini-drum which in combination with a small set of shoes, serves as an extremely effective parking brake. Since disk brakes make poor parking brakes, this setup offers the best of both worlds. |
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Both axles are designed for wheels with a 5 on 5.5" bolt-pattern and 3¾" backspacing. This allowed Greg to choose from the huge selection of Jeep CJ wheels on the market before selecting his American Racing wheels. Greg is waiting to purchase his tires until he figures out the best combination of tire size and fender modifications. He expects that he'll end up with 32 x 11.5" BFG MT's, but wants to be sure he can't run the same tire in 33 x 12.5" instead. He is currently running his old 30 x 9.5" Dunlop XC's. For gearing, Greg selected 4.10s primarily because he does a lot of freeway driving, and he felt that while 4.56s would be great off-road, it would be too low-geared for frequent freeway use. Here are the completed mod's so far:
So far Greg is very pleased with how his rig performs, especially the stopping power and articulation in the front. He's still trying to decide on tires, and he thinks the rear springs might be a little stiffer than he'd like them to be. Stay tuned for updates as Greg continues his buildup...more pics are coming soon... If you have any other questions, you can email Greg at gfried@earthlink.net.    
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