1997 Jeep TJ Brute Suspension

With Teal Brute's new-found ability to soak up bumps, Feature Editor Robin Stover catches a little air at Pismo State Beach.

By now, most of you have probably noticed how our Teal-J project has been reborn into a trick AEV Brute Pickup. Fortunately for those of you who are saving up, the folks at AEV still offer the Brute conversion directly via www.brute-conversion.com or through well-known mail-order catalog Quadratec. We could go on and on about how the Brute Pickup conversion makes any plain-Jane TJ extraordinary, but this time our subject is suspension. It just so happens the guys from DC Customs of Ukiah, California, know a thing or two about setting up suspensions. And after they performed our Brute conversion, we asked if they could help fine-tune Teal's underpinnings for real-world moderate-speed trail use. The shop's owner, Dustin Chernoh, agreed to take on the project. Dustin convinced us that a larger tire would help flatten out bumps as well as make the rig look more grown-up. We agreed with his logic and concluded that a larger tire would also address a couple of Brute-specific shortcomings.

For instance, on 37-inch tires a steep break-over or sheer drop-off required some very tactful driving to avoid snags. Don't get us wrong, climbing steep ledges that might have normally made us think twice are now a cakewalk in the longer configuration. All in all, we've deduced that a slightly larger tire would in fact restore Teal to the point-and-shoot machine she once was (prior to this story, Teal rode on 37x13.50-17s). However, installing larger tires is not a simple bolt-on affair. Usually, larger meats mean more stress to drivetrain components, not to mention the stereotypical noise and ride harshness associated with aggressive treads. Bigger tires almost always require more lift and, at the very least, stronger steering and braking components. Luckily for us, Teal Brute already has 1-ton axles and a hydro-assist steering system to relieve a lot of steering stress. So basically all we needed was a little elevation change, new gears, and a suitable tire. Like many of our readers, we wanted a tire with good street manners, yet we also require durability for rocky trails. The wheels we wanted to run were 17s, so our tire choices got even slimmer. In the end, we went with the proven Goodyear MT/R in a 40-inch variant. Read along as we highlight what was necessary to stuff 40s under Teal, while at the same time improving suspension performance for higher-speed maneuvers.

1. This was the rear axle jounce bumper arrangement before we started this installation. Although adequate for slow-moving trail rigs, their capability to disperse energy simply won't cut it for the type of terrain we want to tackle.	2. Say hello to the new ACOS Pro adjustable coilover spacer with bump shocks. This kit features adjustable coil spacers packaged cleverly along with pneumatic/hydraulic bumpstops (aka air bumps). We love the idea of merging two great products into one. It makes the whole financial outlay thing easier to swallow. The kit comes with all the necessary hardware, illustrated instructions, and a set of 2-inch hydraulic bumpstops made exclusively for JKS by Radflo.	3. Once the Jeep was secured on a lift, we drooped out the rear axle, which allowed us to remove the rear coil springs and shocks. Using the threaded body of the ACOS Pro by itself, we traced a line around the cup portion of the upper spring retainer. This would serve as a guideline for cutting off the domed portion of the bracket.
4. This picture shows the upper spring retainer, minus the dome portion. The reason for removing this area of the bracket relates to fitment of the hydraulic bump canisters.	5. The next step was to C-clamp the threaded ACOS body to the upper spring retainer so that we could mark out where to drill holes.	6. We used a center punch to mark the exact location of each mounting hole.
7. Once the necessary landing pads were sketched out, Dustin installed the rear coil springs so that he could address any clearance issues between the hydraulic bumpstop and the coil springs at ride height. Although they looked suspiciously close to the spring when we shot this photo, Dustin assured us that once the axle traveled through its entire range of motion, the bumpstops would land perpendicular to the axlehousing.	8. Next, Dustin plasma-torched out two round discs from a piece of 3/8-inch-thick steel plate. These would serve as landing pads for the hydraulic bumpstops to strike as the suspension reached maximum compression. Due to our custom application, we couldn't use the typical arrangement JKS suggests in the instructions because the bumps wouldn't land properly. As such, we had to figure out our own landing pads. Dustin drilled out a hole in the center of each plate where a machined Allen bolt head could be welded in place flush with the landing surface.	9. The whole setup assembled, minus the coil spring. We liked the way Dustin's landing pads package together with the new hydraulic bumpstops.