setting up TJ for touring-help please

[stormsearcher]

hi i am a new owner of a tj 03.i live in the desert for now 150kms south of uluru. i want to set up the jeep for touring.
have been going thro the forums here.would like to know

how is stock suspension and tyres for touring -mostly desert/dirt.?(cross the simpson etc)
do i need a 2.5" lift-stage 1 kit from 4wd1.com-moab/rancho set up?

i think the jeep has bf goodrich all terrains.

i run goodyear kevlar mtr in my work landcruiser.like them tyres.
do i need 33"tyres ?metal or alloy rims?will stock rims take on bigger tyres?
also ARB roofracks/bumpers from either ARB or the 4wd1 mob-rugged ridge seems good.what about sub tank?saw 1 on the ARB website.

and whats the gig with the swaybar disconnects?can i do that to a stock vehicle?
please excuse my ignorance ,the jeep is a new gig for me.
answers/advice/suggestions most welcome. cheers

[Aaronsjeep]

touring u wont need disconnects.. stock sway bar should serfice.

If i was modding a tj for touring
I would update the suspension first.. Keep a low height (max say 2 inch lift) for touring- better ride when they are low. and u wont need it higher.
From there i would get high end shocks all round. somthing with some adjustment. or Some king smoothies etc.
Would update to long arms (even if its just the lowers) rides better and smoother.(not nessecary-but would be cool)

for ur driveline
SYE - and driveshaft
4.11 diff ratios- (if ur a little adventurous with trail choice some ARB lockers-but alot of cost which would be better spent elsewhere)

Barwork.
solid barwork allround. (ARB, WARN, any of the decent brands)
WARN winch -(id go the power plant model for touring., has a air compressor for air tools, tyres, whatever

Get some 32 inch All terrains, on some steel wheels of choice

Id get some sort of Long range fuel tank (and modify the rear bar to take a few 25L jerrys.

Engine. get a snorkle, and maybe a few other goodies. but wouldnt go nuts..
would look at updating the alternator

LIGHTS> make em bright, would get rugged ridge HIDS. (great value) get 2 or 3 for the front bar, 2 for ur window mounts

(if your going a roof rack system for ur gear. maybe another 4 more uptop. :D :D

Would be running harddoors and roof..

Interior
Some seat glovers (with all the pockets for ur stuff)
UHF- a good one also)
Update front and rear speakers, with a decent ipod dec, so u can listen to music.
Navman-with trail finder

Would take the rear seats out, and build a cargo drawer set up (some great example of this on ausjeep

Run a duel battery setup to power my lights

Depends on the work you can do yourself. but you could build the above for a decent price, and would be a awesome machine :D

[carvesdodo]

The TJ is not really a "tourer" ...... The more you load it up with bling and junk like a landcruiser ... the less places you will get too.

It can make an excellent long range, light weight "explorer" tho ... ;)

How many weeks on the road are you planning ??

Distances ??

Passengers ??

Towing a trailer ??

Basic needs:

- Storage ... remove rear seat and all brackets ... Gives you enough space for ... as an example ... 20 jerry cans. A shelf suspended from the rollcage is a handy thing.

- Rewire the headlights with relays and heavier cable & fit bigger bulbs. Extra driving lights as required.

- A rear bar that allows a hilift & jerry can storage ... Bling or make your own ... its your money.

- A front bar with enough height to offer protection from roo strikes ... Probably have to get a custom one. A well made aluminium one will take a few hits before needing replacing.

- 2" suspension would be good, and definitely swaybar disconnects ... or keep the tools handy to undo the factory links. Remember too, its coil suspension ... nice and comfy but not good for load carrying .... airbags are worth considering if weight becomes an issue.

- Tyre sizes and type that are readily available out in the boonies ... not bling stuff that needs to be airfreighted from the coast, everytime you stake a tyre.

- Roofracks ??? ... I wouldnt trust any of those yankstyle, weekender, pack racks for doing big miles, over long time periods on our roads ... Not without redesigning some mounts.

- Better radiator, and maybe a 185' / 190' thermostat, and a cooling system overhaul.

- Some vents like this in the bonnet ...


http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/itchy_666/Jeep/DSC02797.jpg

[Squall]

Doing a tourer build myself (trust me a lot of people will laugh at you when you say you want a TJ for touring). The stock set up has gotten me on a rough lap of the country already with some creative packing. You just have to remember to pack light and for go some of the luxury items that other people think are essential.

The biggest problem for the TJ and touring is fuel. 72Lt does not get you very far and I have had a couple of nervous moments in the bush between petrol stops. Tank options you can go for a replacement tank and boost it to 115lt (i think) or an auxiliary tank of 45lt ($1350 fitted just put the deposit down on mine). That or a couple of jerry cans will get you through most places. I did the gun barrel highway with just an extra two jerrys.

The other big ticket item is lift, you need a bit more hight to fit 32" or 33" tyres. But most importantly you need big bore shocks. The stock ones heat up way to fast and are really crap on coragrations. There are a lot of options out there for shocks but I think (about to install my own) Old Man Emu (OME) is one of the better options due to the large bore size and tough construction. Other lift kits are more about the flex then pure long range touring. But read a lot and find out what is good for you. Now I am also going to go for a 1' Body lift so I can get the transfer case skid plate removed and a flat one put in its place. You need to lift the body 1" and the engine and have a Slip Yoke Eliminator (SYE) to do it but it gives you better ramp over angles and a lot neater under carriage. Also good for those bigger tyres.

Next is Bar work, the stock stuff is not to bad until you start mounting spotties and aerials. So front bar is the priority for touring to protect against roos and other wildlife. ARB is good but very heavy and Warn does a nice solid bar as well (just keep away from those bloody chrome pieces of ****). A winch up front is a good bit of insurance considering the tourer is most likely out on his own and has to self recover. I have a Warn Magnum (now called a Tabor I think) and its a good budget winch that gets me out of the bad situations. Ironman are getting a lot more credit then what they used to and for $799 its a really cheep winch. But when you start looking at the more expensive winches just remember they are designed to work every day on farms or comps and you dont need that level of high usage, you just need that pull every month or so when you stuff something up.The rear bar is more important for having a swing away tyre carrier. The rear tyre mount will only handle a 31" tyre and once again a tyre that big and couragrations are just going to ruin your tailgate hinges so a rear bar is a good investment. Its also a place to mount a hilift jack (golden bit of kit). Also a good set of tow points down aft are a big step op on the stock one.

The roof rack options are fairly scarce Wooders (http://www.wooders.com.au/) garage stock the wilderness rack for the TJ that I have and its great. I have had a roof top tent up there no problems. But its also a good spot for a shovel and axe which always come in handy when touring.

Rear storage is my next project that I start tomorrow. There are a couple of option for ready made draw systems like black widow ($1650) or you can go custom if you have the time. But sorting out the back is very important for long trips. I have kept two jerry cans in the back on the long trips earlier on but its not advised due to the risk of fumes. A duel battery is important for me and ARB has a "Thumper" battery pack that looks just about right for what I want and it can be used as a cranking battery if your other battery is stuffed. A water tank option would also be a good idea for desert trips, but I have not figured out how to sort this one yet. I just use goon bladders washed out and filled with water. I carry roughly one for every day I plan to be between fresh water and when I dont need them I just roll them up with an elastic band.

Communications are a big player in the outback as I am sure you know. A good CB is a must. There are a lot of options and you just need one that is right for what you want. I had a look at HF options as well but for the $2500 set up cost I opted for a rental of a sat phone for a couple of months. I never used the thing but its that piece of mind that counts.

Navigation, well I mainly use a map and the Jeep compass (funny thing watching me do three point turns to take bearings of hills and trig points) but have a Navman for city driving and you can get the lat and long from it in one of the setting pages. I was looking at getting a net book and GPS dongle but I think it might take some of the fun out of getting lost. It is an option if you want to watch movie s on those long lonesome nights or to run hooked up to the stereo for music. But i dont like to rely on technology to much

All in all I would have to say a tourer has to be built tough and be totally independent. You need to be able to recover your Jeep from any situation by your self. Its so much easier for the weekend warriors who just need a snatch strap and a couple of shackles to get them out of most problems. I find on the most remote outback tracks you just need to slow it down and take your time. Better to spend an hour doing some track building to get up a hill then go spinning the wheels and snapping a CV in the middle of nowhere. Just remember Jeeps are built not brought

My build thread (http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81087&page=3)

[Jeeps]

i reckon go for:

1) 2" lift. SYE is optional but not needed.
2) 32" tyres & 4.11 diff gears & maybe a lockers or two. You might need wider flares.
3) Bullbar on the front and a swingaway on the back, maybe one with a jerry holder.
4) Decent steel sidesteps.
5) Hardtop & steel doors or fibreglass sliders if you're not planning on taking the roof/doors off regularly.
6) Air compressor, winch, uhf, dual batteries is carrying a fridge. Spotties are optional
7) Roof rack if not using a trailor.
8 ) Small trailor (3x4) to make life easier or a 7x4 camper trailor to make life much easier. You can do it without a trailor but i'd be getting a roof rack.


Having kids & such i consider myself a 'tourer' these days. I have a full camper setup that i tow behind the TJ which carries all our gear - fridge, toilet, kitchen, the lot plus 60+ litres of fuel if needed. On the flats & highways i can keep the fuel usage under 15L/100klm easily thanks to the 4.11 diff gears. I reckon for touring, a trailor is almost a must for a TJ... it makes life so much easier.






It started like this:


http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/jeeps_photo/trailor02.jpg



http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/jeeps_photo/trailor03.jpg



http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/jeeps_photo/trailor04.jpg


and ended up like this:


http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/jeeps_photo/Camping/austracknew.jpg



http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/jeeps_photo/3205.jpg



http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/jeeps_photo/Camping/Camping2009.jpg




cheers

[flexytj]

no need for big tyres or outrageus suspension or gears and lockers for a tourer
so kep it basic and reliable and easy on the wallet and steer clear of large
tyres as fuel economy will suffer.

stock suspension with upgraded shock like ome etc to handle corrigations

tyres some thing like a 30x9.50r15 mickey thompson atz 5 rib will give
good road manners and excellent milage with low noise factors and be fine for desert
work . keeping to a size like 235/75/15 or 30x9.5r15 will still be fine with stock
diff ratios if you go larger your tj will struggle to hold 100klm when you are loaded up
in top gear

front bull bar and winch like arb,s winch bar and a 8 or 9 thousand pound warn winch for self recovery and mount a couple of good lights on there too .

dual battery system , should be abe to fit a small deep cycle somewhere and use a optima for the main battery .

get an aux fuel tank or carry some jerry cans .

uhf

carry a spare unit bearing for the front and some spare unis etc aand rad hoses and serpantine belt if you go to remote areas

and enjoy it

[tigermuzza]

mate i did a simpson trip last september and for 2 people the tj is quite a amazing tourer, the only problems i had which were my fault anyway were:

make sure your bumpstop lenghts are right, mine wernt and i blew both rear shockies at 200kms from oonedatta. it made me appreciate how much work they do when i had to drive all that way with none

make sure your cooling system is spot on, mine was started to play up just as we started crossing the simpson but lucky for me it gave way after i made it to the top of big red

I had my fuel in jerry cans, pain in the ass. Davis craig make a 115 and a 125L tank

most people dont believe me but i got mostly 9km/l on road and 6km/l through the simpson and i weighted the old girl before i left and i had 700kg worth of gear, thats on 31'' and standard ratios.

I went with a GQ diesel LWB and i killed it at everything besides obviously the space limitation

[stormsearcher]

tx guys for the info.
i tour light.i tour on motorbikes and am used to carrying next to nothin.-usually alone.maybe in the jeep 1 other person.
have a 3 man compact tent/sleeping bag.a camping stove,etc.

i live in corrugation country.
so i am thinking will start with
OME shockers.do i need springs as well to match?
stock tyres for starters then upgrade to something little bigger-31" maybe?
what about warn rockcrawler bar with winch plate and grille bar?looks lighter than ARB.
I thought the jeep has a 70ltr tank.and few 20 ltr jerry should be ok.

and can you please explain this spambulance?
'carry a spare unit bearing for the front and some spare unis etc aand rad hoses and serpantine belt if you go to remote areas '
i like the set up with the trailer.looks great.but as i travel mostly alone i keep it light.
i take delivery of jeep sometime next week.will drive it arund and slowly figure out stuff.
please keep the info coming. its great.tx guys

[flexytj]

the reasoning behind the spare unit bearing is that i had one crap itself oneday in a bad way and it didnt drive to well and i couldnt imagine being in a remote area having to drive corrigated roads as i reckon a knackered unit bearing wont ast long so might aswell have the right spares there if you need them .

[Squall]

I thought the jeep has a 70ltr tank.and few 20 ltr jerry should be ok.

and can you please explain this spambulance?
'carry a spare unit bearing for the front and some spare unis etc aand rad hoses and serpantine belt if you go to remote areas '
i like the set up with the trailer.looks great.but as i travel mostly alone i keep it light.


My bad I never knew I had a 72Lt tank. Its like Christmas ;)

I blew out a UNI on my prop shaft once and it was a pain in the ass to fix on the side of the road, but if you have the spares at least you can fix it.

To add to my mega list add a good tool kit. Jeeps love to make trips interesting

[Jeeps]

most people dont believe me but i got mostly 9km/l on road and 6km/l through the simpson and i weighted the old girl before i left and i had 700kg worth of gear, thats on 31'' and standard ratios.


So that's 11.2L/100klm and 16.7L/100klm in the simpson?

I believe it. I can get under 12L/100klm onroad and i've done about the same taking it easy on the sand tracks up at fraser when it was chopped up. I average 15L/100klm or less with the 750kg camper trailor on the back.

And just shove it all in! You can pack more with the softop as it stretches a bit LOL ;)


http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/jeeps_photo/Rainbow05001.jpg


cheers

[stormsearcher]

how good are rugged ridge accessories?they are quite affordable and professional looking.

[bally12]

how good are rugged ridge accessories?they are quite affordable and professional looking.

The hid spotties are goodfrom what iv heard.

[Wooders]

Most of what I'd suggest has been covered by what the heck ;)
Tyres - 31" are the ideal. You want something that is going to be relatively easy to find if you need an extra tyre.
Rack - Something like the Garvin Wilderness is great for mounting spotties, ax/shovel/hilift and swags etc. (plus more) the Rugged Ridge are ok - but they don't have the versatility of the Garvin (IMHO). Also whilst you might have the wags, sometimes it's best to sleep as high as possible away from bugs, spiders, snakes, crocs or just off the cold ground.
Lift I'd consider minimum of 2.5 possibly as much as 3.5 get the belly out of the sand but also to allow for the extra weight.
Front bumper - get something that will offer more protection than the Warn for the grille for animal strikes. Make sure it's got good provision for recovery mounts, winchs & spotties etc
Rear bumper Swaing away get something rated for a much larger tyre than you plan to run Sadly many swing away bumper are not very rattle proof. My 2cents (trying not to be too biased) something like the ProtoFab.
Interior. Ditch the rear seat. The mount a full length underseat drawer (Tuffy), then moun larger storage box / fridge etc on top of that. Also look at the internal racks for maximum craming space.
Ideally I'd add but larger and auxilary fuel tanks rather than jerry cans - but this will often determined by the budget.
Mount a small gell-cell battery under the brake booster. Convert all the interior lights to LED's.
I'd also consider adding a Heat reduction hood (or similar).

[bally12]

heat reduction hood (or similar).

Would it be worth just having a few vents placed in the hood to have some cooler air flow through? Would probably be cheaper and the money could be spent on beefing up the cooling system, which will need doing with all the extra weight that the tj will be carrying not to mention the higher temps that you will encounter in the outback

[sloper]

I have set up two tourers, sadly selling the current one. Plenty of good advice above - doing what is right for your terrain and your plans is the key.
Consider the various opinions above about the lift and suspension.
I took mine(2002 model renegade) up Cape York for six months on stock suspension and stock wheels fitted with Cooper ATRs, no lift, never had a problem - and that was towing a heavy long neck trailer all the way.
I aimed to stay out of trouble and generally did, but was set up for it - ARB bar and Warn 9000lb winch, plus high lift and airbad jack. That stuff is a priority over lifting and putting bigger tyres on, in my opinion, if you are more about touring than rock crawling. As someone else said, ability to self recover is the priority. If you have the cash, by all means, do the lift work as well.
I also have an ARB rear locker, which I find mildly useful in deep sand, priceless in deep mud.
Most other stuff is well covered above, you will develop dozens of small mods of your own as you build (which is part of the fun). I will add detail on two:
Dual battery with a good isolator is a must. Do your homework on this and do not skimp. My first build had a full size battery in a marine casing in the back, which was expensive but gave me great power. Unfortunately it took up too much space. My next build put a small battery under the bonnet (which is a bitch, but can be done). Find a really good sparky to help you with this, as I went through 3 different batteries before I got one which lasted. Mine was primarily for a freezer, but there are so many times out there when some extra power will come in handy (like cranking the stereo all night at a campsite).
Someone else mentioned an mp3 player. I bought an fm ipod unit online (I think belkin make them) and mounted it to the dash with a small rack from a cb shop. Aside from providing as big a music library as you want, it means you can rip out the CD stacker (which I think is under your passenger seat in your model). Every bit of extra storage space is a bonus. On a previous build I also bolted a handgun safe under the passenger seat - not for a gun, but as safe storage for documents, money etc on long range trips.
Good luck with it, enjoy the experiments - oh, and get a quality backup set of torx bits. Nobody has them in the middle of nowhere.