I suppose I've been on here long enough to warrant a build thread on my XJ
the goal of this XJ is to ge a rockcrawler. its not there yet, its not even close. but I'm in college, working as hard as I can and learning as much as I can.
things are starting to pick up.
it al started with a RE 3.5" SF lift a Rusty's 1" drop transmission crossmember, and a Rusty's tie-rod conversion
here is how it sat, stock tires; just about 4.5" of lift netted.
after a few months, I went with 33x1050 on some pro-comp 1069. no fender trimming: bad idea.
Took it to big bear CA and wheeled on some trails.
next up is the upper control arms. the upper bushings were toast so I replaced them with a Currie Johnny Joint upper housing kit. bought through Savvy offroad and installed with the help of Joe Dillard.
the passenger side bushing is cut off about 4" above the tube, the JJ in the 1" flame cut post is welded in.
Then the drivers side bushing is pressed out. we used a balljoint press and a piece of the tube that fit around it cut to the right length.
then the JJ is pressed in reverse of the old bushing and CA's mounted up.
Installed a Clayton Offroad frame side Track Bar bracket.
I chose this one because they offer it without a drop from factory height but in double shear.
you can see in the first pic that I had to space out the heim with some washers since they only offer their bracket for a 2.5" JJ whearas my TB uses a 5/8" heim with 2" misalignment spacers so I had to take up .5"
extended the wheelbase 1.5" to correct a driveshaft issue... I was fully collapsing it at full droop and risking damage to the u-joints or transfer case. dialed pinion angle. replaced all bushings with Johnny Joints.
out with the old... in with the new
2.5" johnny joints replace ****ty RE hourglass bushings
Rokmen uppers.... almost 5 times as thick as stock... these ends go on my already installed upper JJ kit.
be a couple weeks before I get them installed :sadnono:
EDIT I have not been able to install the Aussie because my case has too much pre-load. we tried using a home-made spreader to no avail... once I have some extra coin (after taxes) I will get a shop to do it the right way.
my NP242 has some slack in the chain so I want to get rid of it
so
I picked up this little toy;
NP231 out of a TJ it needs a SYE and a driveshaft before it goes in
I also need a speedo plug, shift indicator plug, shift bezel, and shift gate from an XJ with a 231 to complete the swap if anyone has one lying around.
I know its not ideal for a rock crawler. but since I still DD this thing I need to get that tire out of the back.
it is not uncommon for it to see a trip to the mountains fully loaded with climbing gear and 3 or 4 climbers so getting the tire out of the back was essential... plus they look cool :rofl:
here is what I started with; that plate you see will be cut down and sit behind the wheel with the wheel bolted to it.
here is what the main bumper body will be made of: 5"x5"x3/16"...62" long
here is how far I got today; the carrier is 2"x2"x3/16"
The bumper came off again today. I wanted to add some internal gussets on each side to stiffen up the tire carrier spindle and latch.
spindle side:
I also wanted to take pictures of the unibody tie-in brackets. I used a piece of 1/4" flat bar along the length, a piece of 1/4" 2x2 angle as a stiffener on the body side, and 2 pieces of 1/4"x3" flat as stiffeners inside the bumper. this is the highest clearance system I could come up with while still keeping structure vertically for upward impacts like coming off a ledge and landing on the bumper.
The tie in brackets:
the internal gussets
also, the piece of flat stock that AtoZ sends with their T-handle was not tall enough for the way I welded the spindle on (I wanted the spindle up higher) so I welded it to a piece of scrap 2x2x1/4" angle and welded that to the bumper body.
I am also in the process of repainting it with rustoleum hammered for a light texture look. pics when its done.
the old balancer broke rather than coming off with the puller leaving the pressed on portion still on the crank. using a die grinder I was able to cut a notch in it and pound a chisel into that notch and breaking the remaining part off of the crankshaft.
the old balancer in place
finally off
had to pull the fan clutch, water pump pulley, alternator bracket, and AC bracket to get the timing cover off... cleaned and replaced seal.
the jeep is all back together now; just needs coolant and it should be good to go :knockonwood:
well, I went to the stealership and get the necessary T-case swap stuff ordered. my SYE has been ordered, and I need to finish up my new Xmember and skid plate for the attempt at going to a flat belly.
several guys on NAXJA have gone flat with a 231 t-case behind the AW4, so I'm hoping it works for me.
the tire carrier is in pieces, it will get welded back together soon, maybe tomorrow. I made a few modifications. :rofl:
im sure itll be fine. i wish i had went with an SYE with a yoke like that. makes having one spare driveshhaft that much easier. if you want some help with the t-case swap let me know.
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