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.
Thanks man, been something Ive wanted to do for a while. Ive considered doing the 2 tone like you are talking about. I did that on my last 99 out of necessity (paint imperfections), but I never got around to it here cause the paint is in good shape.
Next step is at the rear. Cut n fold rear quarters and starting on rear bumper build. Getting tired of the quarters hanging down, almost smashed them last time out.
Thanks man, i think it fits in a lot better with everything else.
Got a better shot of the start of the rear bumper. Tried to get a good compromise of keeping it high and tight while still offering some protection if I back into something. Hope to have it mostly finished my the end of the week.
Thanks man, i think it fits in a lot better with everything else.
Got a better shot of the start of the rear bumper. Tried to get a good compromise of keeping it high and tight while still offering some protection if I back into something. Hope to have it mostly finished my the end of the week.
Also....are you gonna extend it into the frame/unibody, and tie into the same mounts as a trailer hitch/gas tank skid plate does?
This would be a little harder, and a bit more work, but WELL worth it in the long run.
As it sits currently, its mounted to factory location. I trust that enough to keep it from falling off on a bump and thats about it lol. I will be welding up angle iron and tie in to an additional 4 hitch mounting holes per side. I will be building my own nut strips out of 3/16 and the angle iron will be below the rail to sandwich the whole area. I feel that will be plenty.
@Weeder1,
Aesthetically, I originally intend to pull the sides in to flow with the hatch. It just makes sense, but I know I could also benefit from the extra protection in the taillight area if I did not do this. With that said, Ive done about a million measurements to get the main tube to sit exactly where I want it. As is there are no gaps visible when looking down at it from above, and even at the sides it is still tucked in a good bit more than the factory bumper.
It looks a bit funky right now since its still a blank canvas, but once I get the ends angled/capped, side wings on, taillight gaps taken care of and 2" receiver integrated it will all really come together.
Lol Im about burnt out on all the little work tied up into this project already.
Got a couple hours of work in after work today. Burned in main tube to the mounts solid, cut the ends and cut off the beginnings of the side wings.
Also got drivers side quarter cut/boxed/sealed to prepare for building the wraparound portion of the bumper.
I have to say, all the writeups on the cut n fold had me expecting it was a big job. I honestly think it just sounds complicated with measurements and all that. This was by far one of the simplest things Ive done to the Jeep lol.
Rocks are pretty big down there where I wheel. I scrape everything still because Im on that "bypass trails are for *******" mindset, even when I get into **** I probably shoulda avoided. I need to look into a belly and tank skid soon, and stiffeners before I beat the rails up anymore haha.
Ive been careful not to crunch the lower quarters in the past two trips, but now that I know it wont be an issue theres no telling what Ill **** up this time. Im going down early Sunday and staying all day, Ive got til Saturday night to get the bumper at least mostly finished. I at least will get the side wings burned in and everything capped off, then just do the receiver/tie-ins/taillight fillers when I get back. Ima try and go hard and finish it if I can tho, without halfassing it of course. Ill go bumperless before I rush the process.
Well, time has run out today, Ive got wheeling to do in the morning. Taillight fillers/receiver/hitch tie-ins still need completed, but this is my stopping point til I get back. All the measuring paid off on final fitment.
That looks super nice. Very good work. I'm gonna need something to tie my bumper into the quarters when I do my Cut and Fold. What coating product are you using. It looks like works pretty well.
Thanks man!!! Im using rattle can Duplicolor truck bed coating. Trick is priming the bare steel then using several coats of bedliner from a good ways away. Creates a nice durable texture.
I have to say, all the writeups on the cut n fold had me expecting it was a big job. I honestly think it just sounds complicated with measurements and all that. This was by far one of the simplest things Ive done to the Jeep lol.
Thanks man! Im going to finish it up when I get a chance but I am really happy with how it came out, and I really enjoyed the extra clearance/protection over the weekend.
Didnt get many pics, wife stayed on board most of the time but heres a few. My bud brought his XJ down, first time he's ever had it out. 4.5" on 32s also but open diffs. Got a couple videos on the same obstacle that really shows how invaluable the front locker is haha.
Got the vid whipped together. Nice comparo of how much the front locker helps. Shows my buddies green 98 and I started from the same spot. Both 4.5" and 32" MT's, only major difference is open/open versus my locked 30.
As usual, vid doesnt do anything justice but as you can see from me and his GF walking around, its pretty difficult to even walk around on. The whole trail itself is pretty long, this area is at the very top. Its very soft, loose, mulchy ground (aka you sink when you walk on it) that leads up to a big rock ledge, with a second smaller ledge above that on pass side that kicks you hard left. You get kicked too hard left and let the left rear fall back down the ledge, you go on a very loud express trip to the bottom on your lid.
Ima give my bud some cred, even with open diffs, sometimes the best asset on the trail is a "dont give up attitude". Skinny pedal and determination goes a long way.
Got the vid whipped together. Nice comparo of how much the front locker helps. Shows my buddies green 98 and I started from the same spot. Both 4.5" and 32" MT's, only major difference is open/open versus my locked 30.
As usual, vid doesnt do anything justice but as you can see from me and his GF walking around, its pretty difficult to even walk around on. The whole trail itself is pretty long, this area is at the very top. Its very soft, loose, mulchy ground (aka you sink when you walk on it) that leads up to a big rock ledge, with a second smaller ledge above that on pass side that kicks you hard left. You get kicked too hard left and let the left rear fall back down the ledge, you go on a very loud express trip to the bottom on your lid.
Ima give my bud some cred, even with open diffs, sometimes the best asset on the trail is a "dont give up attitude". Skinny pedal and determination goes a long way.
Very cool, and nice video comparing two basically identical rigs, one locked and one open. If this doesn't convince someone contemplating a front locker then nothing will.
Did everyone notice how much gentler Vegas was on his rig getting up that climb. Lots of people think Lockers are harder on parts and you're sure to break an axle shaft. While that might be true at times the reality is you can approach an obstacle with a lot more finesse and a much lighter throttle. You can drive with your head instead of your foot.
Nice work, your Jeep is awesome and your driving skills are coming along nicely too. :2thumbsup:
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