IDK...I don't see cutting and replacing a piece of exhaust being a problem for you....should the need ever arise. I appreciate you posting your builds.

thanks - happy to do it, especially if it helps someone on their build

Exhaust is tacked in place - ordered fresh rubber isolators and it all seems to have just enough 'give' to handle the shaking and jarring while also keeping it located in place - should work good. Opted for a Cheery Bomb 'salute' straight-through perforated muffler for my resonator, and re-utilizing the OE Wrangler muffler. Taking a page from past builds I'm using the awesome Walker multi-layer band clamps to hold it all together. Now to weld the seams, send the y-pipe to Jet-Hot, fab the front heat shield, and bolt it all in for good.

...would like to avoid having excessive heat soaking into the trans bellhousing and surrounding linkage etc. so I fabbed up this simple heat shield - it'll have DEI Tunnel Shield II on the inside to reflect heat away - should work good.

trans heat shield is painted, baked, lined, and installed - aught to work great 👍

appears to me to be a well thought out and executed design.
you have very good fab skills in my opinion.

Oh that's nice, really like the updates.
How is the insulation attached to the metal?

thanks guys. It's 'peel-n-stick' DEI Floor and Tunnel Shield II - I've used it on many many machines with great results - https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dei-050503

...front and rear suspension is finally dialed in...

Made 3" diameter towers that bolt to the coil perches, with removable top caps for a smooth face -








5/16 bolts hold the caps in place


at max compression the shocks still have about 1/2" of travel before they blow out -


Out-boarded the rear shocks because the body would impact the frame at max compression - have just shy of 12 inches of total travel...and that'll have to be good enough.




Relocated the track bar frame mount to clear the shocks, and same as the front used matching 1.25" solid bar to redesign the bar so it can be straight instead of having the curve in the middle - way more awesomer :thumbsup:


Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you, and everyone else, as well.

...over the weekend I completed a very successful and completely uneventful 1500 mile trip to bring this home - it's a 2014 Ram 4500 crew cab 4x4 with the 197.4" wheelbase and 4.10 gears - this is the basis for what will soon be our new crawler hauler



My mind's eye looks like this -


...which is essentially one of these but different...


...and a Ford version -


What I'm gonna do is ditch the service bed and fab a dovetail flatbed like this to haul the Jeep




...works great in 1/64 scale

Can't wait to see this project move forward! Its going to be great too.

thanks

...it's taken two months but the suspension is nearly complete - rear track bar is the last bit and it just needs to be finished...



out-boarded the rear shocks for more clearance (the body was impacting the inner frame) -

...and the y-pipe is back from JetHot - looks and should perform awesome -





with engine/trans shield in place -

all the work you have done on this is top notch, in my opinion !
if i may ask, where did you purchase the retainer straps [for lack of the proper name for them] that look like they will keep the shocks and suspension from topping out ?

His work is really good. top notch.

The "suspension limiting straps" look to be tow straps you put around axles to tie a car down on a trailer. At real towing strap making places, you can choose the length you want. The straps I used way back in the day to hold my dirt track car onto the trailer were a 12" long one and a 15" long one, and I ran the short one over the rear axle and ran a chain through it and around the trailer frame, and the long one wrapped around the K member and I hooked my winch cable hook through it.

'preciate the props fellas - it adds a bunch more time to the projects but I try hard to have my stuff look more like fabrication and less like fabricobble

The limit straps are from UTV Distro units I found on Amazon - time will tell if they hold up but they're pretty stout - plenty for handling the 1-ton running gear -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6KMDYTF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

- Sam

I wanted to tie in some other threads I have here in Moparts that relate to this build, and thought they might help out others on their project planning.

Magnum water pump nipple upgrade - https://board.moparts.org/ubbthread...-intake-to-water-pump-bypass-nipple.html

Magnum oil pan upgrade - https://board.moparts.org/ubbthread...an-intel-dakota-durango-vs-ram-jeep.html

Magnum exhaust manifolds - https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/3149775/340-manifolds-or-magnums.html

Magnum lifters - https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/3098237/1.html

...so it's a minor mod...but since I'm under there...I went ahead and modified the exhaust hanger prongs to make removing the rubber isolators much mo' simplah, and a lot more 'snug', which should help reduce the exhaust 'shaking' to a minimum -



used a 1/2-13 tap -

that's a pretty good idea !

That's a really good idea! I recently fought some of those boogers...no fun.