The Johnny Joint control arms...
The Johnny Joint control arms have urethane-encased rod ends that allow the full articulation of a rod end with the damping of a bushing. Each arm is made from 1.5-inch-diameter, 0.156-inch-wall DOM tubing. Johnny Joints are lubed through the supplied bolts and ORGS recommends frequent lubing, especially if you live in a particularly wet climate.
The boys at ORGS painted our...
The boys at ORGS painted our Currie Dana 44. Here it is positioned under the Cherokee and ready for the new suspension. Although we&8217re using this Dana 44, the 51/4-inch system works just as well on a stock Dana 30.
Before it begins any installation,...
Before it begins any installation, ORGS thoroughly details and paints the inner fenderwell of the vehicle. After that, it is necessary to grind away a bit of the bumpstop outer lip, because Hinkley has found it to interfere with the spring travel (this is a good tip for any late-model coil-sprung Jeep).
Next the new Johnny Joint...
Next the new Johnny Joint upper control arms can be installed. Although these arms are adjustable, ORGS sets them to the right length before shipping to ensure proper installation.
The new 3.5-inch Rancho coils...
The new 3.5-inch Rancho coils and ORGS billet aluminum bumpstops (bottom) and 1.75-inch coil extensions (top) can now be installed.
A bit of the metal around...
A bit of the metal around the track-bar axle mount is ground away so the bumpstop bolt can be installed easier with a socket. This bolt is red Loctited, because these bolts tend to wiggle loose over time.
The axle mount of the lower...
The axle mount of the lower control arms is installed next. It takes the right amount of ratchet strap and hydraulic lift to get the frame mount of the arm to fall into the correct position easily. With all four arms and both coils installed, we move on to the track bar.
ORGS drilled out the last...
ORGS drilled out the last 1/4 inch of the frame side of the track-bar mount, because the track bar uses a 9/16 bolt and a tapered sleeve. The lower mount for the track bar will not be installed until the vehicle is on the ground.
To utilize the 10-inch travel,...
To utilize the 10-inch travel, 24-inch full-extension Rancho 9000s (PN 9116), we had to get rid of the stock pin-style upper shock mount and use the supplied JKS upper shock mounts. ORGS recommends running the Nylok bolt down with an impact before installation, so that once it&8217s on the vehicle, the bolt will install easier.
The supplied JKS lower shock...
The supplied JKS lower shock mounts were installed with marine grease. The bushing was preloaded in the vise, because if this is not done, play will develop that can be felt in the vehicle&8217s handling.
Accessing the upper shock...
Accessing the upper shock mount (under the hood) is sometimes tricky. ORGS suggests removing the first two nuts on the proportioning valve bracket and pulling the bracket forward to get a socket on the bolt.
With a long travel suspension,...
With a long travel suspension, longer brake lines are a must. We chose to use the stock lines and remount them as low on the frame as possible. ORGS reports this will give us room to spare at full flex.
Due to the taller lift, we...
Due to the taller lift, we used the JB Conversions Heavy-Duty Slip Yoke Eliminator Kit. This provides an 18 percent larger output spline, will increase our transfer case&8217s strength by more than 50 percent, and will allow us to have a longer rear driveline. We also opted for the 4.00:1 low-range kit from 4 To 1 Manufacturing. This kit nearly doubles the stock 2.72:1 gears and is regarded as one of the best mods you can make for heavy-duty rockcrawling.
The JB Conversions 2-Wheel-Drive...
The JB Conversions 2-Wheel-Drive Low-Range Kit not only provides a 2WD low-shift position for our T case but also a true Neutral that mechanically disconnects the front and rear output shafts.
With the installation of the...
With the installation of the JKS sway-bar quick disconnects, our front end was complete. We mounted a trial M/T Baja Claw to see how much fender would need to be trimmed. Although the photo shows enough room for street use, we will need to do quite a bit of fender and flare trimming to get the 13.50-inch-wide 33s to fit at full compression.
In our first installment, we covered the buildup of our custom Currie Enterprises Dana 44s for our '97 Jeep Cherokee. The axles were built to stock width and loaded with ARB Air Lockers and 4.56:1 gears from Precision Gear. Upon completion, the axles were sent down to Off Road General Store (ORGS) in Laguna Hills, California, to be painted and installed along with the 51/4-inch ORGS suspension system. With some careful fender trimming, this will allow us to mount 33x13.50/15LT Mickey Thompson Baja Claws on 15x8-inch M/T wheels.
Off Road General Store specializes in Cherokee XJs and Grand Cherokee ZJs. After years of hard-core wheeling in these vehicles, ORGS owner Mark Hinkley has discovered a near bulletproof combination of custom and aftermarket parts to make these Jeeps no-compromise 4x4s--incredible trail machines as well as comfortable street machines.
Each part in the ORGS suspension has been extensively tested and selected because it works with the other components in the system. Up front, Hinkley found that Rancho 3.5-inch ZJ Grandy Cherokee coils provide the perfect spring rate (220 in-lb) and lift height when combined with his 1.75-inch billet aluminum coil spacers. Each stock front-suspension arm is replaced with an ORGS arm equipped with Currie Enterprises Johnny joints. The joints can be described as greaseable urethane-encased rod ends. For tracking and steering chores, ORGS uses a Johnny Joint-equipped Panhard rod or track bar that is adjustable.
Since this bar mounted in the stock location, and the stock pitman arm was reused, the steering linkage and track bar can cycle perfectly parallel to each other with very little bumpsteer. For maximum trail articulation, sway-bar disconnects were a must. Eliminating the sway bar altogether is something we've tried and can't recommend for a vehicle seeing street time. And the JKS units, much like ARB Air Lockers, provided the best of both worlds. JKS also supplied the adjustable tie rod and the upper and lower shock mounts that allow the use of normal eyelet-style Rancho RS 9000s.
In the rear, Hinkley used custom leaf-spring packs instead of blocks or an add-a-leaf. After testing five to six different combinations of leaf packs over the years, Hinkley thinks he has come up with the perfect compromise of ride quality and load-carrying ability without the dreaded spring sag. Like the front suspension, ORGS uses Rancho RS 9000 shocks in the rear as well.
With a taller lift on any newer XJ or ZJ, a transfer case short-shaft kit is a must. ORGS recommends the JB Conversions unit for its ultimate durability. This kit provides about four more inches of available driveshaft length, so rear driveline vibrations can be eliminated. JB Conversions also makes a slick two-wheel-drive low-range kit for the NVG family of transfer cases. This allows for the full transfer case reduction without front drive engagement. And speaking of transfer-case gearing, we opted to use 4 To 1 Manufacturing's 4.00:1 gears in our NVG 231. When combined with the 4.56:1 axle gears and automatic transmission's First-gear ratio of 2.90:1 and torque multiplication (approximately 1.90:1), these transfer-case gears should put our crawl ratio near 97:1.
The ORGS 5¼-inch Cherokee front suspension comes with replacement Rancho coils, billet coil spacers, bumpstop extensions, four Johnny Joint control arms, a Johnny Joint adjustable track bar, mini skidplates for lower control arms, a JKS tie rod, JKS sway bar disconnects, and JKS shock mounts.
Next time, we’ll set up the rearend, trim our fenders, and do some serious trail testing. With all these modifications performed on our 1997 XJ, all we’ll need is a winch to make this the ultimate Cherokee.