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After upgrading
the brakes along with the front axles, the stock master cylinder and
proportioning valve just didn't push enough fluid through the system
for it to work optimally. Greg upgraded to a slightly larger master
cylinder and 4-wheel disc proportioning valve. The larger master cylinder
required more vacuum assist to maintain the same pedal pressure required
when braking. So he had a dual-diaphragm vacuum assist mounted along
with the customized adapter required to mount it. Greg is now very happy
with his brakes, which are vastly improved over stock. He says this
was a critical safety item because his XJ's curb weight is now 4,540
lbs. vs. the stock 3,084. Even with the extra weight and large tires,
his truck stops better than when it was stock.
The additional weight
of the larger gas tank and additional gas caused Greg's truck to sit
about ¾" lower in the rear. To rectify this, he replaced
his 4 ½" Rubicon Express shackles with Summit Offroad's
greasable 6" shackles. He says these shackles are the beefiest
and highest quality that he's seen. Incidentally, one of his remaining
issues after installing his lift kit and the National rear springs was
that he was getting very little compression in the rear. Now he says
the articulation in the rear is outstanding and he attributes this change
to the longer shackles. The springs provide 4" of lift and of course
are longer than the stockers. Greg thinks the 6" shackles are about
optimal for his setup.
Greg also installed
a Permacool transmission cooler to lengthen the life and improve the
reliability of his transmission. And finally, he purchased a set of
factory service manuals which he says provide more gory detail than
he ever imagined.
Future
Plans
Phase IV is next
in which Greg will have the engine and transmission rebuilt. The engine
is getting tired, and just doesn't have the power to pull his heavier
vehicle. The transmission is also getting tired and starting to slip.
He plans to have
Clifford Performance rebuild his engine and fully balance and blueprint
it in the process. He is also going to install a set of Borla headers.
As for the transmission, Greg wants to beef up the AW4 automatic transmission
to handle the additional weight and power of his rebuilt truck, and
he doesn't want to worry about occasional towing of a boat or Sea-Doo.
He spent considerable time and effort searching for ways to beef up
the transmission. He finally found ways to do it from talking with Toyota
experts after he found out the AW4 is one of a family of automatic transmissions
used in Toyota and Lexus vehicles which are known as the A340 line.
He is planning to use a heavy duty friction material from Raybestos
made with Kevlar. It is made for heavy duty and tow vehicles and can
withstand much more abuse and heat than the stock friction material.
He also plans to use a larger torque converter with a lower stall-speed
to minimize heat generation and feels it would perform better for wheeling
than the stock torque converter which has a fairly high stall-speed.
One other big project
Greg has planned is to build a roll-cage that not only provides increased
safety, but also will be designed to resist the torsional stress that
causes XJs to develop cracks where the pillars meet the roof. He is
planning for an internal six-point roll-cage with the vertical pillars
extending through the roof where the halo will be mounted. This setup
will provide the safety and resistance to torsional stress that he's
looking for and will also double as a roof mounted storage rack.
Look for Greg and
his XJ out on the trails of Southern California.
If you have any
other questions, you can email Greg at gfried@earthlink.net.
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