Time to beef things up! - - a build thread of sorts

[Gravesdiggerxj]

I dig those shackle boxes Eric, I'll have to build a set.

[EricsXJ]

Here's a short video clip from my last trail ride. I came down hard on the frame rail and only got a scratch.

video clip

[berettajeep]

Eric you take to long posting up here!
I need my daily Cherokee upgrade fix!!

[COJeepin]

Originally Posted by berettajeep

Eric you take to long posting up here!
I need my daily Cherokee upgrade fix!!

Yeah, me too Eric. I already have the rock rails added to my list of upgrades over the winter.

[wokkerk]

I like the video a lot Eric. That lift and those tires make a section like that look easy!

[familyxj]

Come on Eric! I know you have a cage or something else in the works to feed my addiction to this thread!

[EricsXJ]

Sorry guys! Cage won't be for a while but I still have a few other small projects that still need to be done. There will be updates!

[Yekcid]

Schweet build . . .

. . . now subscribed.

[MidnightRider]

can't wait

[TreddyoXJ]

Originally Posted by EricsXJ

Here's a short video clip from my last trail ride. I came down hard on the frame rail and only got a scratch.

video clip

"Thought you were going to do it backwards!"

That's pretty funny. I bet you wouldn't have any trouble doing that backwards, though. Your rig looks excellent. Props on all your recent modifications and fab work. I hope you write another book sometime that has all of this stuff included in it.

I have two questions related to earlier in the thread: Do you think that the T&T belly pan and LA's would have clearance issues with the exhaust and hangers in general, or do you think that your issues were a special case specifically due to trail damage? Second, are frame stiffeners a necessity with the T&T system? I'm not real hot on the idea of welding all of that to my frame (or paying for it), but if there are going to be catastrophic consequences for not doing, I suppose I'd have to do it. I'm not noticing any major issues with the rigidity of my frame right now, but I don't wheel that hard at this point. In the future, I imagine that I will go bigger and harder, but are stiffeners really worth the price and effort? Thanks for your input!

[EricsXJ]

Okay I've finally got some more updates!

So we all know that with a SYE and CV driveshaft, your pinion should be 1 - 3* lower than your driveshaft. I had achieved that using 6* shims. Well after making the shackle boxes which changed my shackle angles, I realized that my pinion angle was pretty messed up. It was actually 1* higher than my driveshaft! So I needed to use smaller shims, but I also wanted to add a tiny bit more lift, 1" or so because the jeep sat level unloaded. But when it was loaded for the trail and with the spare tire on the back I felt it was sagging and I really can't stand that. Originally I was going to re-do the shackle boxes yet again to gain a little lift, but I didn't like the guessing game on where my pinion angle would be, again.

Lucky for me my friend Bryan had recently changed his rear suspension also and got rid of some 1.5" blocks that happened to have a 2.5* taper to them. I figured my 6* shims where about 1/2" thick at the fat end so getting rid of those and installing the blocks should give me roughly 1" lift.

So here's a pic of the block installed and new u-bolts. It did give me a little more than 1" lift, but the biggest benefit is it corrected my pinion angle perfectly. (Now the pinion is 2.5* lower than the driveshaft)



And yes I know blocks aren't the best things, but they do have their place. Think of them as just a really fat shim.

[EricsXJ]

Then I've also been wanting to modify my rear tire carrier. Why? Because I can't leave well enough alone.

Here is how the tire sat before:




Since I've actually hit the tire before when dropping off ledges, and one time when I did that and forgot to lower the air pressure in that spare, it tweaked my carrier pretty bad, my goal was to raise the tire mount up and also angle it in to match the rear profile of the XJ.

Long story short, here's how it turned out:











And here's a link to another thread I started with other details and a few other pics of this little project: rear tire carriers - how close is your tire to the window?

[broncofire75]

Its cute!!

LOL awesome man I like it that way much better. Your jeep looks sick with bumpers, sliders and no doors!

[EricsXJ]

I only have a couple stickers on my rig.

[broncofire75]

Who makes the bumper?

Or did you make the whole thing?