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VegasGT's "Clifford The Big Red Unibody"

274K views 3K replies 88 participants last post by  S8NNG8 
#1 ·
EDIT. Current Photos as of 10/31/14:




Not new to XJ's by any means, Ive had several and I had no intent on making a build thread for my latest. I have no extreme plans, as the Jeep is my primary DD. Things never go as planned though, and my original plans of Rubi wheels and no lift were quickly tossed out. However the new XJ is pretty clean (dent and mostly scratch/rust free), so the build will be based around the ideaology of a mild yet capable rig thats easy on the eyes without going all out on spending.

Jeep is a solid '99 XJ, 4.0/AW4 with hp30 and 8.25. Bought it off an old man that took good care of it and stayed up on maintenance for the most part. Has lots of new gaskets and everything is in nice shape in and out.

Heres a few pics to get started from the day I got it.





More to come!
 
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#487 ·
Yea it does. Technically makes the TRE's the weak point but Id rather that be the "fuse" in the setup. I have spares and thats an easy trail fix. Much easier than trying to straighten a mangled factory rod lol
 
#488 ·
Well, today is the day I tackle something Ive been puttin off for a while, unibody rail repair. Im halfway done but am taking a beer break before I burn anything in.

For safetys sake, I pulled the tank. Went super smooth, and I manhandled it out with no problems. Note the shadetree mechanic status I got going on, doin it all on my back porch slab like a boss.


With no tank in the way, my view and peace of mind is much better, on the pass side rail near the bumpstop you can see my problem.

Inside the rail:

Outside (yikes):


Im still a little unsure how this spot got so much rust, the rest of the Jeep is very solid. My last '99 had rot in the same area, strange. Either way its gotta come out, so starting with the outside rail I cut out the rust on that side and grinded down to metal around it where the new 3/16" plate will be burned in. As u can see in the pic, I had original made incisions to cut a rectangle out but realized most of that metal is still good so I went with a trapezoid.


Thats where Im at for now. Ive precut the 3/16 plate to run about 15 inches down the rail, and contoured it to the slight bend. Plan is to burn it in on the outside, then weld it from the inside of the rail before I do the inside plate. Then after doing that I will cap it together with bottom plate and call it good.

Ill update this later on once I get more progress in.
 
#489 ·
Despite my welder acting up and burning through the rail at one point, I got the outer plate burned in nice and solid. Tomorrow morning I will finish up plating the inside and bottom of the rail. Its already greatly improved the areas rigidity, I could flex the whole rail prior to this.



After that was done, I took the time to violently remove a mole or two from my property. :D
 
#491 ·
Thanks man! Its funny how the first half of the build was mostly cosmetic stuff and now for the most part I wont buy/do anything to the Jeep if it doesnt help me on the trail in someway.

I still need work on making my welds pretty lol, they always look so good on the bench but when I started burning the steel onto the Jeep it didnt turn out as well. But its all solid as can be so ohh well. Still not bad for a small 110 stick welder.
 
#492 ·
VegasGT said:
Thanks man! Its funny how the first half of the build was mostly cosmetic stuff and now for the most part I wont buy/do anything to the Jeep if it doesnt help me on the trail in someway.

I still need work on making my welds pretty lol, they always look so good on the bench but when I started burning the steel onto the Jeep it didnt turn out as well. But its all solid as can be so ohh well. Still not bad for a small 110 stick welder.
Its crazy how that **** works once you start wheelin.
As for welding try to get as close and as comfortable as you can. Practice on the bench welding the same way you would on the jeep (vertical, upside down, etc). What kinda arc are you using?
 
#494 ·
****ty Harbor Freight special run reverse polarity DC for the 6011 rods. Tinkered with a lot of settings til I found a sweet spot. My biggest problem I think is being able to maintain a good arc length and angle in awkward positions.

That and I really need a 220 connection out here, Im used to welding on a much bigger unit but I picked up my lil 110v job to do odd things around the house, its been great for a wide variety of things but it has been VERY inconsistent during this whole process. There was a couple instances where it would have a weak arc and stick the rod, then moments later it would pick up and practically blast through the rail. All with no settings touched. First time it has done that.

Going to try and build a garage in the next year and have me a nice hosscat of a welder for my duties then. For now though Im moving on with what Ive got. Went ahead and cut out the rotted inside edge of the rail, although it was about to come out on its own, heres one piece that stayed together.



Now that Ive got that opened up, I plan to also weld that outer plate from the inside of the rail before I cap everything off.


I also believe I will leave a hole in the bottom plating for drainage. Ive had 3 XJ's now that have had rust in this same spot, 2 of which were totally solid otherwise. No signs of rear end collision. I can only assume water getting trapped there plus exhaust heat has caused this over time. Once its buttoned up I plan to pump ATF in the rails from time to time to help prevent future issues with corrosion. I HATE RUST, and the unibody thing makes me fear it even more.
 
#493 ·
VegasGT said:
Thanks man! Its funny how the first half of the build was mostly cosmetic stuff and now for the most part I wont buy/do anything to the Jeep if it doesnt help me on the trail in someway.

I still need work on making my welds pretty lol, they always look so good on the bench but when I started burning the steel onto the Jeep it didnt turn out as well. But its all solid as can be so ohh well. Still not bad for a small 110 stick welder.
2 things 1 your right
2 **** you you cursed my tie rod so it bent haha

Sent from my xj
 
#502 ·
Been there....done that.....
Prob fine for the very light trail driving....
But if you think you're going to find yourself in the rocks at all, I would prob think about a stronger upgrade..... the IRO Tie Rod is a good start, but I think that still uses the OEM XJ Rod Ends.....
I've been thru 3 stages of steering upgrades myself, and if I were to do it all over again, I would skip the first two. Good learning experience (wouldnt trade that for anything) but here's why:

From left to right......
-XJ TRE on RC Upgraded Tie Rod (basically same as the IRO Tie rod upgrade.
-ZJ Tie Rod and TRE
-1 Ton GM TRE


Here is the XJ vs ZJ comparison:

And a Closer look at the XJ vs ZJ TRE's


1-ton "Inverted-T" steering set-up (bottom) vs ZJ "Inverted-Y" steering set-up (top)




ZJ set up


VS.
1-ton OTK (over the knuckle) Inverted T


For anything larger than 30" tires, the stock cherokee set-up just cant handle much more than DD duties..... for 31-33" tires, the ZJ stuff is fine for LIGHT wheeling, and DD duties, but for 33 or larger, and more than just dirt road wheeling, you'll want to beef things up a bit more.....
YES I went a little above and beyond, but like I said, I've gone thru several phases of my own steering upgrades. My first ZJ set up bent like a buttered noodle the first rock it com into contact with..... the problem with the ZJ Tie Rod.... is that it already is bent..... they come from the factory bent, in order to retain proper geometry and diff clearance.
Once bent, its easy to bend further..... now going with the upgraded chromoly/DOM tubing Tie Rods from companies like IRO or RC is good, but your weak link is then transferred to your TRE's..... and of course the rod itself is still low hanging fruit ready to be plucked by the occasional stump or rock. I did my 1-ton OTK set up completely on a budget, its not all that hard to do, it DOES require some modification and some light fab work, (mainly just welding) ...... but its WELL worth it in the long run.
I did a very pic-heavy write up of the whole procedure in my build thread in case you want to check out some of your options.
 
#503 ·
Good post NW99XJ. I read your in depth experience with this in your build a while back. Sounds counterintuitive based on your recommendations but your findings are actually what pushed me to do the IRO rod. Obviously the factory rod is a twizzler, so I was needing an upgrade. For reasons you mentioned I never really cared for the ZJ V8 rod. As you said, a one ton inverted T setup is the best choice, but as you discovered it causes a lot of clearance issues. One day when I decide to go OTA with the trackbar I intend to do the 1 ton setup with it, but the IRO setup was just in my best interests at this point. The stock TRE's are certainly the weak link there but for now thats much easier to sort out on the trail than a wadded up factory rod.

At 66 bucks its certainly a cost efficient option. Ill have big boy steering one day haha.
 
#504 ·
Good post NW99XJ. I read your in depth experience with this in your build a while back. Sounds counterintuitive based on your recommendations but your findings are actually what pushed me to do the IRO rod. Obviously the factory rod is a twizzler, so I was needing an upgrade. For reasons you mentioned I never really cared for the ZJ V8 rod. As you said, a one ton inverted T setup is the best choice, but as you discovered it causes a lot of clearance issues. One day when I decide to go OTA with the trackbar I intend to do the 1 ton setup with it, but the IRO setup was just in my best interests at this point. The stock TRE's are certainly the weak link there but for now thats much easier to sort out on the trail than a wadded up factory rod.

At 66 bucks its certainly a cost efficient option. Ill have big boy steering one day haha.
You have the right mindset..... and I think with where your build is at, you'll be fine until that "one day" comes.

Obviously the factory rod is a twizzler
:rofl::laugh::rofl::laugh: LMAO!!!!! THIS!!!!!!:thumbsup:
 
#506 ·
Work has been wide open, so as usual Im stuck in my pre-wheeling trip crunch time. Ill be back at WBR to wheel again in 3 days, and still a lot to do. Tonight though I did manage to get everything welded up on the rail, then put the tank back in and fired it up. First time its been started since last week.

Before grinding/paint. My out of position welding is booger worthy at times but its burned in solid, my mini-sledge performed that test lol.


Im going to start on the Aussie install tomorrow afternoon.
 
#521 ·
Its unreal how much it really helped. The biggest advantage over being open is it really let me slow my pace down and pick just the right line. Before I had to be a bit more careless in some cases to keep momentum going. The locked front just dug and pulled up onto everything. Money well spent!!! :thumbsup:

I didnt get hardly any pics this go around, spent so much time exploring new parts of the park I was afraid to go before. I didnt keep track of the odometer but I wheeled for hours, no telling how many miles I covered out there.

I did manage to obtain a bit of carnage first thing this morning.


It was in need of replacing anyway. Been hanging somewhat low, surprised I didnt rip it off sooner.
 
#524 ·
Heres a shot my buddy took of us while we were taking a break. His is the beater 84 up front there. He bought it for 300 bucks as a stocker and threw some craigslist finds at it, plus welder front and rear. It has practical no floors, carbureted 2.5l, but its his second time with us down there and its held up great and been very capable. The Razr back there really impressed us as well, as well it should for the price tag it comes with. :D

 
#526 ·
Yea, was messing around with the front Aussie and climbing up the tree. Slid back down off it though and got to test the corner protection on the Dirtbound bumper lol. All good.
 
#529 ·
For ****s and gigs, after the rocks ripped my exhaust off we decided to fire up one of the hills at the Playground. The video doesnt do the hill or even the obnoxious sound justice haha

 
#530 ·
Ill try and run through the Aussie install, I took several pictures but once I got the carrier out things got pretty messy and I didnt take any.

Obvious first steps is to get the Jeep on stands, pull the front wheels, brakes, then hub assemblies and slide the axles out about 6 inches or so to let the carrier come forward out of the housing.


Then grab something to catch the fluid and remove all the diff cover bolts except the top one (leave it loose). Seperate the cover and let the fluid drain out, then pull the cover off and set it aside.


Once everything was opened up I took brake cleaner and cleaned the oil off to make things easier to work with. From this point forward is when being thorough is mandatory. The carrier needs to come out, and ring gear has to be removed from the carrier to get the center pin out. My pin would not clear the 3.55 ring gear. Everything in here must go back exactly as it was. Mark the bearing cap retainers in a way that you will know their original orientation. They must go back on the same side and bolted in with the same end facing up as it is here. Using a punch, I lightly tapped one mark into the top of the drivers side retainer, and 2 in the top of the pass side.


Now remove the 4 bolts holding the carrier, then remove the retainers and set all the aside. The carrier is now ready to come out, it took a little gentle prying but mine popped right out. Note: as you are doing this, keep an eye on the bearing caps if they fall. They need to go back on the same side as well. Now the housing should look like this.


Back to the carrier, I used plastic bags and a couple of my wifes hair ties (oopss) to seal up the bearings from dirt during the rest of the process. After this is where I quit snapping pics however. Also, it is important to look at your spider gears, give them a smirk, and tell them "**** you and good riddance"


The Aussie directions cover the install fairly well, although they are somewhat general for many applications. Ill just kind of mention things that were of importance.

Wrap a rag around the carrier and stick it in a bench vise. Using a permanent marker, mark the ring gear to carrier orientation so you can match it up again later. I marked 3 spots in case I wore the permanent market off one. This turned out to be a smart practice.

The bolts are torqued to 80 ft/lbs, something with nice leverage will help. Remove the ring gear, tap out the roll pin, the the center pin and rotate the spiders out, CAREFULLY watching the thrust washers! These must go back where they came from well. Aussie had good instructions for putting the locker together, just make sure you use feeler gauges to measure the two gaps they call for, making sure they are in spec. I used a lot of grease to keep everything together in the process.

After everything is in there, slide the center pin in and secure it with the roll pin, then match up the ring gear and torque in a star pattern. Then its just a matter of installing everything in the housing just as it came, clean off old RTV and use brake cleaner on everything one last time before applying new RTV and putting the cover back on.



I installed my IRO rod at this time also.
 
#562 ·
My pin would not clear the 3.55 ring gear.
When I took mine out for some other work, I went ahead and notched the offending ring gear tooth so that future access would be easy. :thumbsup:

I just realized how little your XJ is actually modded.
Most of the rigs here are overbuilt for what they're actually used for. Keeping them simple, sane and cheap is definitely the way to go. :wave:

Oh, and washed it today.
I don't usually go for red on a 4x4 but there's no denying that's a beautiful XJ.
 
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