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: 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.
We had some comments regarding the location of the spare tire. It’s tough to fit the 40” rubber, but here’s what we had in mind at the moment (see photos) To keep it as low as possible to increased visibility and keep the center of gravity down, we are considering recessing it down into the floor a couple inches and trimming the tailgate to allow it to occupy the inside of the tailgate when closed. In doing so the thought is to build a fuel cell for the bed (between the rear seat and spare tire) that would accept the OEM fuel sending unit and allow us to use the OEM fuel door.
There’s plenty going on in the shop this week as we make progress towards a Liberty based trail rig. Nearly every day we’re receiving parts for the project and hopefully she’ll be mobile in the coming week(s) with new steering, suspension, axles, t-case, and driveshafts.
Stay tuned for updates as Project KJ starts taking shape. Follow along and join the discussion on Facebook, YouTube, BDS Blog, LostJeeps Forum, Jeep Forum and JeepKJ Forum.
The crew from BDS Suspension headed to Lima, OH for the 28th Annual Spring 4Wheel Jamboree Nationals this past weekend. Always a great event, the guys hung out at the fairgrounds all weekend long chatting with customers and showing off some of the new products. For more photos from the event, head to the BDS Facebook page.
Good people coming together for a great cause. This past weekend BDS distributor Eastern Truck & Accessories held their 11th Annual Open House and customer appreciation day at their shop in Norfolk, VA. BDS president Steve Olmstead and marketing rep Carter Reed made it out for the day’s festivities to show support and help with fundraising. Each year the shop invites customers, manufacturers, and more out for a fun filled day at the shop. Many come for the truck show, live music, special deals and BBQ lunch served. This year Grave Digger monster truck driver Dennis Anderson and son Adam Anderson, driver of Grave Digger the Legend, made it out for the show to hang out, sign autographs, and donate some monster truck memorabilia to the charity auction. Since the 1st open house, the event has grown in size along with the charitable donation raised for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This year was no different as the event raised over $25,000 for CF research.
After some morning showers, the rain held off and made for a decent day for the event. After surprising Dennis Anderson with a truck makeover last year on his ’11 Silverado 2500HD that included a BDS 6.5” Lift Kit, 37” Toyos, 20” Moto Metals, Westin bumpers, Amp Steps and more, this year it was Adam Anderson’s turn in to get an overhaul. BDS supplied the 6.5” High Clearance Kit with Fox 2.0 shocks. The rig also received matte black paint, 35” Toyo M/Ts, 18” XD Strikes. Amp Steps, Fab Fours Bumper and more.
It was a great weekend at Eastern Truck & Accessories. We had a blast and are already looking forward to next year’s event. Thanks to the crew from ETA for having us out and setting us up with vehicles to drive for the weekend. To everyone out at the show, thanks for chatting and for your continued support of us, ETA, and the CF Foundation. See some of the event photos below, and for more, head to the BDS Facebook Page at BDS Facebook Fan Page.
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.
At this point the guys down in BDS’s R&D shop are making progress on the Liberty. Cage is in and they’ve been going through finish welded all the seams. 1-3/4″ x .120 wall DOM tubing was used to secure the passenger compartment and extends forward into the engine bay to reinforce the frontend integrity now that the unibody and IFS subframe have been scrapped. Front and rear coil-over mounts are being built in as we’ll as we eagerly await the arrival of our new 14″ Fox 2.5 remote C/O and Fox 2.0 bumps any day now. Our PSC JK steering box is mounted to the front “framerail” after taking the time to sleeve and plate the unibody. OE steering shaft linkage bolted right up and won’t require much further modification. We’ll have more on this in our next post/video update.
Our wheels made it in from B.A.D. Wheels. They are a 17×10 with 3.5″ backspacing to get our desired stance and allow a bit more room for the suspension/steering components. They feature several cool design features for safety and rapid air deflation. For now we’re mounted them to a set of 40″ Maxxis Trepador radials to continue mocking up the rig. We’ve got a set of the brand spankin’ new 40×13.50×17 DOT approved Nitto Trail Grapplers on order with expected arrival at the first of June. We’ll have a closer look at the wheels and tires at that time.
For now enjoy a few pictures I grabbed while down at the shop today. As parts arrive we’ll see a quick transformation as this rig gets closer to being mobile again.
Stay tuned for updates as Project KJ starts taking shape. Follow along and join the discussion on Facebook, YouTube, BDS Blog, LostJeeps Forum, Jeep Forum and JeepKJ Forum.
Come out and see BDS Suspension at the 11th Annual ETA Open House in Norfolk, VA on May 18th. This annual event hosted by BDS Distributor Eastern Truck & Accessories is their chance to give back to their customers while raising money for a great cause, the CF Foundation. Truck show-n-shine, charity auction, BBQ lunch, and appearances from monster truck drivers Dennis and Adam Anderson are in store for the one-day show. BDS president Steve Olmstead will be hanging out all day along with marketing rep Carter Reed so stop by to see them and take part in the event. For all the info, check out ETA’s website at ETA Open House.
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