Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

biggn235's XJ Sport build II

37K views 440 replies 31 participants last post by  biggn235 
#1 ·
Alright guys here it is, I finally started another build. I actually really missed having a thread to update haha. So anyway in case you did not follow my other build I used to have a '99 XJ with a 4.5" lift and 33s with a lot of accessories. Well for several reasons I decided to sell that Jeep, immediately get another, and start over. This Jeep will be more focused towards daily driving than trail riding, and I will do my best to restrain myself from buying a bunch of crap that I don't need haha. That being said this Jeep will still be built up although not quite as big as my last one.

Ok so enough with the typing and history lesson, here is the new Jeep the day I got it home (April 3, 2012) along with some basic specs:

Jeep specs-
'98 XJ Sport
Emerald Green
4.0
AW4
NP242
D30/C8.25
155k miles



Just a basic Jeep, and despite the fact that it has spent its entire life in the mountains, there is very little rust and looks fantastic compared to my last XJ. This one has been well taken care of; the leaf springs aren't even sagging.

The only modification inside is a Kenwood CD player with USB/Aux and a full set of Kenwood speakers.





The dude gave me a ton of extra parts and fluids, including the FSM and RM (and a crap Haynes manual), it filled up the entire cargo area.





Not sure if you can see in this picture but he changed out all of the battery wires with heavy duty cables. Apparently it is a kit you can buy off of NAXJA, he gave me the printed information and receipt for it but I can't remember what it is called exactly. Either way that is a good bonus for a Jeep that is going to be used in the cold mountain winter.

 
See less See more
6
#190 ·
I'll definitely be working that weekend, I probably won't be able to go wheeling again till spring. All the money I make from this job is going into the Jeep so I'm going to take as many hours as I can.
 
#195 ·
I hope so, it all started because I met a total mallcrawler today who had a more extreme looking XJ than me. After seeing his I decided it was time to make some changes.

Tomorrow when I get home from work I'm going to touch up a few things and snap some pictures.
 
#196 ·
I know how you feel, my friend and I both have 98's and we raced to see who lifts their jeep first, I won however now he is getting bigger tires than me. Im counter attacking with skid plates and lockers so Iv got him beat for a while.
 
#198 ·
Tomorrow for sure! I don't get home from work till after 7 and by then it is so dark that it is pointless to take a picture. I don't work tomorrow though so I'll be sure to get some.
 
#202 ·
Trimmed up





I also painted the rear quarters with paint that matches the rockers and doors



33x12.5r15 Pro Comp AT on Jeep steelies painted black



Pics are crap, it was getting dark





Finally got rid of the donut spare, look how tiny it is.



Threw one of the 31s in the back and bungied it down.



Threw the donut in the pile of other tires.

 
#203 ·
In about six weeks I am getting 33x12.5 Goodyear Duratracs mounted on the Soft 8s. In about three weeks I'm cutting out my rockers and welding in some 2x6 box steel. Sometime after that I will be adding V8 ZJ steering, SOLID diff covers, and some more stickers. Eventually I would also like to add a Hack 'n Tap and a rear tire carrier that uses a cut and fold rear bumper, maybe AJs carrier, we'll see.
 
#206 ·
Yeahhhh I'm really bad for saying I'm going to do one thing then doing something completely different when it comes to my vehicles haha. I gave up on trying to keep it simple as soon as I saw the mallcrawler with the XJ that was bigger and better than mine.
 
#207 ·
I took a few more pictures this morning. Having light really makes them less blurry.

Decorated for Christmas in my usual fashion.



With the bumper trimmed there really is a lot of room in front of the tires. I also went back and added the clips on my front hooks since I no longer have the bumper chin to keep the straps from falling off.





Parking spot is crooked, Jeep sits level on pavement.



I'm really liking my rear quarters. The factory paint is so dark you can barely tell it is painted black.



Cut and fold.



Close up of the textured paint. I left the gas cap unpainted, I like it.



Tires barely stick out of the trimmed fenders.



That will definitely change when I get the Dirtytracs mounted on my Cragars.

 
#217 ·
The backspacing is terrible. The tires were hitting the clamps on my OME leaf springs. I had to take the bolt out and hammer them in a little to get it to clear. The only thing it rubs now is the LCAs at full lock in reverse. The 33s definitely feel heavier than the 31s. I haven't taken it over 40 yet but it is definitely going to struggle a little more going up and down the mountains here in NC. My last two Jeeps ended up on 33s as well, it isn't that bad when you get used to it. The gas mileage sucks though.
 
#218 ·
Things are progressing slower than expected. The weather has been too warm for the resort to be open every day so I'm not getting as many hours as I had hoped. Less hours = less money = less Jeep stuff. But at least there are a few perks I can take advantage of. This is me every day after work.

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top