Knuckles...

I have high expectations for my front D44. Yes it is high pinion and yes it is the beefy 3/4 ton variety, but its still a D44. I also have big plans for it. Its probably going to be more expensive than any D44 should be. Even though it'll have some high dollar parts in it, some times the little things help out tremendously as well. I know what you're thinking. What little thing am I going to do that could possibly make a decent difference? Knuckle gussets.

Those inner C's are semi beefy as is, but it would make me feel better if they had some 1/4" plate gussets behind them. I plan on making boxed out gussets, similar to the Ballistic ones, but they've got my own twist on them. I started making a template for them, but got pulled off before I could finish. They will be beefy. There is the possibility that I could have some one to make a cad file for these. What does this mean? It means I need to find out how much my work will charge me for table time on their plasma table. If enough people want them to cover the cost of material and table time, then why not make a bunch of them? I don't know if I want to go through the hassle, but if it helps fund my build then I may consider it.

Its an option. Either way my D44 will get these gussets. If I have a day off during the week (which has been happening a lot and is a huge cause of my lack of money for my Jeep), then I'll try and at least finish my templates for the gussets and make as much progress on them as I can. Its a cheap and easy project that I can do right now with my work related lack of funding. I've got a few other ideas as far as cheap way to beef up the D44, but they're just ideas at this point. I need to do more research before I start talking about what else is in my head.

Very soon!

I have some promising news. While my hours at work have brought the suck hardcore and prevented me from picking up more much needed parts to finish my Jeep, I will more than likely start building very soon. The Mazda in front of my dad's shop is now gone, so there is room for my Jeep. There are a couple daily driver issues to work out, which shouldn't be a big deal, and some consumables to acquire. First on the list of parts to install is my Rokmen Hiline fenders. This will tell me how much room I will have to extend my shock towers up. I should be able to fit 14" travel shocks fairly easily. I have a couple things left to get before I can start and finish my front suspension. I need shocks, springs, TnT front stretch kit, ford shock towers, and a little DOM. The TnT stretch kit is the big expensive item. Everything else is manageable. Either way, I'm going to start on that first after the tube fenders. Then I'll move to the rear suspension. I'll get it rolling on new suspension and axles and then I'll pull the axles out and finish those up. Its going to be a long process, but it'll all get done in time.