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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.

 
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#132 ·
That's all the pictures we have, but I still have the videos that were made, including the ones of me crawling up the ledges on Daniel trail. I'll have to take them to campus and use the PowerMacs in the library to edit them together though because they are HD video and my laptop can't handle the CPU load. I'll eventually get them uploaded though.
 
#133 ·
It took my laptop 30 minutes to render this but here is the video of me on Daniel trail. I have a lot more video but there is no way I can edit it all with this piece of crap computer.

 
#137 ·
A couple of small updates-

I found another shackle in my grandfather's workshop that fits my receiver, so I put that on to give it that off road look haha. I had to grind it down a little to get it to fit but after a coat of paint you can't even tell.





And I decided to remove my back window stickers because I've realized that I like the clean look better.



Still sitting pretty.

 
#145 ·
Worked on the Jeep a little this week. Washed it, changed the oil, put a bigger bolt in the track bar bracket and tightened it as best as I can, and I took my drums apart and cleaned all the dirt out of them so they would stop squealing. It makes a big difference when all 4 brakes work instead of just the fronts.

I still need to replace my motor mounts. I have them but I keep screwing around and still haven't done it yet. And I am going to have to get an adjustable track bar to get rid of this bracket before it completely breaks and kills me. Not sure which one I want yet, looking at the Rough Country, Rubicon Express, and IRO options.
 
#146 ·
Finally got my new motor mounts in. It's a straight forward job but it is a pain just because you are working in such a cramped space.

Old mounts vs the new one in the center, they definitely were not that bad, but you can see how they have been squished and are starting to crack.



Tight space.





Also trimmed my bumper caps a little, no more rubbing for me.





Ordered my adjustable track bar today, should have that on by next weekend. I also took some measurements and decided that I am going to add my 1" spacer to the front at the same time I replace the track bar. Should help level it out pretty good and give my fender flares a break since they eat the tire every time I flex it out.
 
#147 ·
Quick tip- If you are looking to replace your motor mounts in the future and you have a transfer case drop, I recommend taking it off first and lining the driveline back up to its factory position, that way the bolts come out and go in easier. I thought to do this before starting and didn't run into any problems. Reinstall the drop after you are done replacing the mounts.
 
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