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Cactus Jack's Build Thread

2K views 21 replies 8 participants last post by  cactus_jack 
#1 ·
OK folks so here's the scoop:
00 XJ Sport. Partial DD, Partial trail rig
I work for Napa so parts will come fairly cheap
Plans are: Budget boost of at least 4", 31's or maybe 32's. Eventually will have roof rack, armor, etc, etc,

Will be starting my lift soon. I have everything on hand for it now

96 Grand Cherokee coils-----NEW from work $60
2" Coil Spacers from eBay------------------$41
S-10 Leafs for bastard pack---------------FREE
All four RC Shocks-------------------------$136

I'll be starting my lift on my next day off of work so I will post pictures then.

Any suggestions or ideas would be cool. Look forward to sharing my build with you all :thumbsup:
 
#4 ·
OK, so I finished the front end today and was a bit disappointed with the outcome and the fact that I netted about 2 3/4 inches of lift instead of the 4 inches I had hoped for. I'll be starting on the rear as soon as I get a chance, been real busy with work and planning my wedding! Below are some pics, enjoy!


(Above) Stock height, just about to pull it in the garage


(Above) Sitting at roughly 30 3/4 inches in the front before starting


(Above) Went ahead and did a brake job while I had the wheels off...the little red jack was a bit of a pain in the *** to work with but it got the job done


(Above) That's how she stands today. I've since backed it back into the garage so I can get started on the bastard packs for the rear. I'll keep everyone updated

 
#5 ·
oh, and I have a question.....do I REALLY need the front sway bar? It's not much of a daily driver and I cant see a front sway bar making that big of a difference. I have new sway bay links but havent put them on yet (broke the old ones) So the sway bar is just sort of dangling there for now
 
#14 ·
I've driven with it disconnected between trails and didn't like it. I mean, why take a chance? You can modify your stock end links to be quick disconnects for $5 worth of parts at the hardware store. This is what I did.

I'd also be worried that if there were ever an accident and the insurance company saw that my front swaybar had been removed, I might have no coverage or a lawsuit on my hands.

Did you figure out your death wobble yet? Might start by checking out your control arm bushings and ball joints. Good luck!
 
#8 ·
You dont need it, but it could be quite dangerous driving without it, esp at highway speeds.

Some people here say it is horrible, and some say it isnt that bad.
I guess there's only one way to find out....drive it, lol

looks good for a budget boost!!! how do those RC shocks ride?
so far not too bad. I thought it would ride really rough but they're doing pretty good
 
#7 ·
looks good for a budget boost!!! how do those RC shocks ride?
 
#9 ·
Got the garage all ready to start the rear today. Had to build a work bench to put my new tool box on and stuff. Also picked up a cheapo grinder from Harbor Freight yesterday so I could start building my bastard pack. Will starting on the bastard pack tonight and will probably have it all done friday. I work throughout the day so evenings are the only time I have to turn wrenches...bummer.

Ill keep everyone posted
 
#10 ·
Joined the death wobble club today......sooo...instead of installing my bastard packs this weekend like I had planned, I will be diagnosing the source of the DW.

It was extremely violent too....so I'm sure something had to have broken or cracked because it happened 3 times on a 20 mile trip going 60mph.

Sucks because I was about to go spend my money on new wheels and tires but it seems now I'll have to ensure my Jeep is safe instead of off-road capable, lol
 
#11 ·
worked a bit on the rear bastard packs today after letting the nuts and bolts soak in some pb blaster. almost got the driver's side done but ran into some issues. The upper bolts that hold the shock on both snapped off inside the hole....soo...ive already broken 2 easy outs. Looks like I might have to drill and re-tap them.

Painted each leaf from the S10 with rustoleum and got them ready to stack. Had to grind the spring clips off with a cut off wheel. Should have the whole thing finished by the end of this week


 
#12 ·
worked a bit on the rear bastard packs today after letting the nuts and bolts soak in some pb blaster. almost got the driver's side done but ran into some issues. The upper bolts that hold the shock on both snapped off inside the hole....soo...ive already broken 2 easy outs. Looks like I might have to drill and re-tap them.
I have tried the drill and tap and they stripped out. I ended up removing the nuts from the cross member they are tack welded in like 4 spots I used a hammer drill set on hammer and punched them right out dropped bolts through which was a PITA but there solid and I know my shocks arent going pull off the body again. Also when you measure to see how much lift you gained try measuring from the center of the hub to the bottom of the fender flair front stock is 17.5 and rear is 17 inches.
 
#16 ·
Use the rear sway brackets and make up some bar pin eliminators.
Worked great for mine. There is a writeup on here someplace for home made BPEs

Good choice on the swaybar especially with the DW. Have a buddy push the jeep side to side
while watching the trac bar for any play.

On my S10 Batard pack I scored a full pack and used the main with the eyes cut off (this is the best way to do this mod) plus I used the 3 lower leafs.
I netted a 7.5" lift. :confused: way too much. I pulled the lowers and put the XJ ones back in and got 3.5"

I did my 00 and a 1" Tcase drop and still had vibes. Most of the 00-01s will.
If you do and do the SYE get the full SYE not the hack n tap. Its easy to do
and you get to change your fluids. at teh same time. Mine was $175 on Ebay with free shipping
 
#18 ·
I netted a 7.5" lift. :confused: way too much. I pulled the lowers and put the XJ ones back in and got 3.5"
:eek: holy cow 7.5"?! geeze i hope I dont get that much on mine. Im using my xj main and the full s-10 pack under it. Im having a hell of a time getting the upper shock bolts punched out so I can put new hardware in it. Ended up breaking all four. I've only punched out one nut, the rest wont budge. Ill be trying again this evening
 
#17 ·
You need the up country coils not the regular ones. Thats why youre disappointed :D
 
#19 ·
Got the bastard packs done yesterday and finally got those upper shock bolts out.
I took the less preferred route and cut the floor to access the welded nuts. It's no big deal because I'll just be welding it back together today. There was no way I was going to beat those things out with a punch and mini sledge.

So once I finished I netted exactly 4.5 inches in the rear. Not bad but now I have some pretty ugly noises coming from all over the jeep. There's the obvious drive-line vibration that I expected and then theres an odd groaning noise coming from the front only when I let off the gas and when the drive-line seems to be "floating" (not pushing or pulling...hopefully someone knows what i mean). It's not very loud but doesn't sound healthy either.

NAPA Part number for the u-bolts: 650-4028 <--cheap and come with nuts and washers
NAPA Part number for extended rear brake hose: 38846 <---Hose from a YJ, just a few inches longer. Havent installed it yet but have a feeling I'll need it if I plan on doing some hard wheeling.

Anyways, here's some pics






Overall I like the way it turned out. I may eventually tweak the front end to even it out a tad but not any time soon.
 
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