Fox Shocks for Project KJ
More goodies arrived today for Project KJ, the ’05 Liberty CRD being built to take on the 2013 Ultimate Adventure. This special delivery comes from our friends at Fox Racing who just dropped off a set of 14” stroke, 2.5” remote coilovers and 2.0 bumps to be mounted at all 4 corners. We’ll have more on these as they get mounted in place over the next couple days as we move closer to getting this chassis rolling again. One month to go until the start of the 2013 Ultimate Adventure. Follow along with the build up at BDS Project KJ buildup.
Project KJ special delivery… Gears, Lockers, & Axle Shafts
Special Delivery just came in from our friends at JustDifferentials.com, 5.13 Nitro gears, master overhaul kit, Ox Locker with air actuator for the front along with Nitro 30-spline axle shafts. In the rear we’re going with 5.13 Nitro gears, ARB Air Locker and 35-spline Nitro axle shafts. Both lockers will be plumbed into an ARB twin air compressor. All great parts going into our Project Liberty CRD. Stay tuned for more…
BDS Project KJ Update: Suspension Fab Part #1
BDS Project KJ Update: This week the guys are busy working on the suspension of our little Liberty CRD. Up front, lower control arms are fabbed up and the unibody has been reinforced to mount the LCA brackets. Upper arms and track bar mount going in soon. In the rear, a triangulated 4-link has resides to improve suspension travel and eliminate the need for a rear track bar as space is limited. Fox Racing 14” remote 2.5 coilovers and 2.0 bumps are in route to the shop to install next week.
After cycling the rear suspension, its becoming apparent that much more trimming will be necessary to clear the 40” meats. It’s something we had planned on with a modest preliminary cut, but the extent to which we will need to trim and rework the fenders will be extensive so we can get the full potential out of our new suspension.
BDS Project KJ: Suspension, Cage, & Drivetrain
BDS Project KJ: Suspension, Cage, & Drivetrain
It’s been a few weeks since we checked in on Project KJ, the ’05 Liberty CRD being overhauled in BDS’s R&D shop for this year’s Ultimate Adventure (UA). When it comes to building a rig for the UA, it’s got to be capable on any terrain; mud, rocks, dirt, sand, snow, and even asphalt. Reliability is key as each day of the week long 1000+ mile adventure is filled with trails, highway time, and varying weather conditions. The rig needs to carry driver/co-driver, food, camping gear, and spare parts.
BDS Project KJ Update: Cage Mocked Up
BDS Project KJ Update: Cage Mocked Up
Judging from the forums comments and some of the phone calls we got in the last day, we may have lost some of you with our last update about the roof chop. Group consensus was to go for it and we’ve got a couple ideas on how to cleanly finish it off that we’ll address a bit later in the build. With the roof off the guys got busy working on the rest of the cage. One thing we’re still deciding on is what’s the best option for mounting a fullsize spare. We don’t want to stick it off the back like a Wrangler and we don’t want it to half-hazzardly strap it to the roof. At this point we’re looking at options to get it inside behind the rear seats so it’s easily accessible but still gives the driver a line of sight out the back window. It’s times like this we wish we didn’t have 40s.
BDS Project KJ Update: From SUV to SUT
If this is your first time checking in on BDS’s Project KJ build, check out the rest of the buildup to see how we’re transforming this ’05 Liberty CRD into a capable slow-slung trail rig to take on the 2013 Ultimate Adventure hosted by Petersen’s 4Wheel & Offroad Magazine. (Project KJ Build Link)
After a few weeks getting sidetracked on new product development projects, the guys down at BDS’s R&D shop found some time to continue working on Project KJ, our ’05 Liberty CRD. The biggest change, the top is gone. We did this for a few reasons; it allows us to store a full size 40″ spare tire and gear, makes the cage much more accessible so we can tie it into the rest of the unibody, and it just looks cool in my opinion. At this point its just a rough cut, we still plan to cut a bit more before closing the cab back off for a weather tight seal (hopefully).