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Smooth Trails Ahead: Installing Skyjacker’s Slip Yoke Eliminator Kit for Your Jeep Wrangler TJ

Upgrading your Jeep for better off-road adventures sounds awesome, but sometimes it can cause unexpected problems. For example, when you install a Skyjacker Rock Ready-Double Flex Suspension Kit, you might notice your Jeep vibrating more than usual. That’s because the lift can mess with how the transfer case and rear axle line up. Luckily, Skyjacker has a solution called the Slip Yoke Eliminator (SYE) kit. It not only stops the vibrations but also makes your Jeep’s drive shaft stronger. In this guide, we’ll walk you through installing the NP 231 Short Shaft “Fixed Yoke” Kit. We’ll cover everything from the tools you need to important things to think about before you start. So, if you’re eager to boost your Jeep’s performance, keep reading to learn how Skyjacker can help.

WHO’S YOUR CADDY?

One day, Ron Jones was walking around a consignment lot looking for his next rodding project. He had gone there with the intention of checking out a particular car, a ’29 Ford, but while there he noticed another vehicle that caught his eye. Tucked in the back of the lot was a ’49 Cadillac sedanette. It was mostly white and in rather poor shape, with dents, body filler and a little rust as evidence of a neglected existence. But Jones saw the car and knew he had to have it.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Intellitronix LED Digital Dash for Squarebody GM

You know your Squarebody’s little habits. The fuel gauge you don’t quite trust. The speedometer that leaves you doing mental math. The temperature needle that makes you wonder whether the engine is getting hot or the gauge is giving up. You might have learned to live with all of it, but that doesn’t mean you should.

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Hot Rods Abound in the Nichols Garage

Jerry Nichols Has a Backyard Shop Filled With Cool Projects

Few things are more fun than spending a day doing a good old-fashioned garage crawl. No, that doesn’t mean getting down on your hands and knees looking for the washer that just rolled across the floor; we’re talking about doing the tour—runnin’ from one garage to the next just to see what folks are building, what kind of cool tools and memorabilia might be around, and of course, spending a little time swapping lies. Yeah, a garage crawl day is pure fun.

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Gerry Burger

Story & Photography

The Crawl Guide: Big Al Casteen

On this particular day, our “crawl guide” is none other than “Big Al” Casteen, and we’re motoring through the countryside of Smithfield, Virginia, on the way to Jerry Nichols’ house. Jerry drives a very nice ’36 Ford coupe that we had seen the weekend before at the NSRA Richmond Nationals, so his garage was a must-do stop so that we could also shoot a feature on his five-window coupe.

First Impressions of Jerry Nichols’ Garage

Like so many great garages, this one is nestled behind his house, and since just one end shows from the driveway, we were a bit surprised to see how big the shop was. There was plenty of room for building hot rods in this shop, and to that end, there was a lot going on inside. From an air-conditioned, two-bay shop to a dedicated bay just for painting, Jerry Nichols has built a great shop and some very cool cars.

Exploring the Projects Inside

Inside the garage, we found everything from a ’54 Mercury awaiting paint and bodywork to a very cool Model A coupe that was once the primary focus in the garage but now awaits its turn for more attention. Jerry swears he’ll finish the car, “unless I get an offer my wife won’t let me refuse,” he says.

Then there is the all-original ’39 Ford coupe. Well, okay—it’s not all original, with a later Flathead under the hood and 12 volts pumping through the wires, but beyond that, this is one rock-solid stocker. And there’s a ’37 Ford coupe in the mix that has already had all the floors replaced and rides on a chassis with Mustang II-style front suspension. All the parts to complete the coupe are in the shop with the exception of rear fenders and running board. And we almost forgot to mention the ’56 Lincoln that will someday make a great cruiser.

Cool Extras in the Shop

After spending some time going over all of these projects, we were busy checking out some very cool coolant recovery bottles that Jerry makes, in addition to some of the cool old stuff in his garage.

A Lifetime of Projects

We really enjoyed seeing all of Jerry Nichols’ stuff, and like so many of us, it appears he has a lifetime of projects going in his garage. Having said that, he has a great place to work, and what better way to spend your time than building cool hot rods in your backyard?

Wrapping Up the Garage Crawl

Of course, we took plenty of photos to share with you before heading off to our next stop on the one-day garage crawl. Check out the photos; we think you’ll agree that this a very neat shop filled with great projects.