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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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#112 ·
Yes, 99 is a great year, Ive had two of em.

While not all were modded, I have owned several XJ's from different years. Two '92's, 96, 97, 98, two 99's, and an 01.

The 98 and 99s were arguable the most well equipped, but I really liked my 2 door 92 also. I never had any problems with my 01, but 91-99 is the best safe spot.
 
#118 ·
This is not directly Jeep related, but in time could be. My wife has a loaded Chevy Trailblazer LTZ in need of tires. Ive been eyeballing the Kenda brand for a long time. They are well known and reputable in making tires outside of the automotive industry, but arent well known within it. I just purchased 4 of their AT's in the 245/70/17 variety (one size up from what the factory called for) for 536 bucks shipped.

Kenda has a nice looking MT for not much more money, so I will be putting these through their paces to determine if they are of good quality, and if so may purchase them in the future. The AT's should be in by midweek, so longterm reviewing will start then. Even the AT's have an attractive looking tread/sidewall design for the price range.
 
#119 ·
VegasGT said:
This is not directly Jeep related, but in time could be. My wife has a loaded Chevy Trailblazer LTZ in need of tires. Ive been eyeballing the Kenda brand for a long time. They are well known and reputable in making tires outside of the automotive industry, but arent well known within it. I just purchased 4 of their AT's in the 245/70/17 variety (one size up from what the factory called for) for 536 bucks shipped.

Kenda has a nice looking MT for not much more money, so I will be putting these through their paces to determine if they are of good quality, and if so may purchase them in the future. The AT's should be in by midweek, so longterm reviewing will start then. Even the AT's have an attractive looking tread/sidewall design for the price range.
I dunno I prefer tread wrights to them. Keep us posted :D

Sent from my black box in my silver pos box
 
#120 ·
Got a lot done today! It was 60 degrees out, and I found some motivation.

Began the teardown of the front end for my RE 4.5" coils and LCA's. Already been through the front end once, so no real surpises.

Up on stands:


Old vs new


Lil trick I use to make lining up LCA bolts easily. Bottle jack to push the axle forward, and a jack under the wrench to keep everything straight.



Redrilled the trackbar while I was there. Took 5 minutes. Measured, marked, punched, and drilled. I used a 3/8 bit and ran it through the trackbar bushing to get a straight shot at the back hole. I wallowed out the 3/8's holes slightly to accept the factory size 10mm bolt tightly. Broke original trackbar bolt the first go around, so picked up a nice grade 12.9 replacement. Side bonus, nut on the backside is easily accessed now.

 
#122 ·
End result:






The rear has nothing but a full length AAL in it, and I had planned on deciding what size lift shackle to add on after I got the front on. Doesnt look like Ill need much! I actually kinda like the stance it has going on, but will like add a .75" shackle just because.

Needs an alignment bad, havent drove it yet though. Got sways unhooked, used to DD em like that a lot, may just roll into work that way tomorrow n bring back some memories haha.
 
#125 ·
Thanks man! Yea, I mean theres nothing particularly special about it at this point but it does drive nice, and I havent had to hack away at the fenders.

Id like to build some sliders soon, but now that it has "the look" I like, i need to get some small things in order. I think 1 of my speakers is working currently, and its driving me nuts lol.
 
#127 ·
Drove it to work this morning, went 70 the whole way, sways discoed and all haha. Drives incredible, feels just like anything else on the road. Still needs an alignment, but overall it still did great. Feels much bigger too. :D

I am going to check on my hook-up at Advance Auto about what kinda deal I can get on a V8 ZJ tie rod. I had plans on doing new tie rod ends anyway, so rather than fool with adjusting the puny and likely seized up tierod, Ill just go ahead and upgrade to the bigger rod and TRE's.
 
#129 ·
Lots of ways to do it, the best being an eraser wheel. But in a pinch I use these:


Get the double-side tape warm with a hair dryer, then use the spatula on the edge, pushing it over. They are rubberized and will roll the tape right off, and have a nice big handle to make it easy on your hands. Then use Goo Gone to get the rest off. Still not a real fun job but it goes pretty smooth that way.
 
#130 ·
VegasGT said:
End result:

The rear has nothing but a full length AAL in it, and I had planned on deciding what size lift shackle to add on after I got the front on. Doesnt look like Ill need much! I actually kinda like the stance it has going on, but will like add a .75" shackle just because.

Needs an alignment bad, havent drove it yet though. Got sways unhooked, used to DD em like that a lot, may just roll into work that way tomorrow n bring back some memories haha.
Looks real good man!
 
#131 ·
Thanks man!

On a "build" note, im getting into the little detail crap at this point. Ran new wiring to the drivers door speaker. Not real big into the whole audio thing, but I like some good tunes, and having a non-functional drivers side speaker is a buzzkill. All good now though. :D

Oh and parked beside a stocker today!
 
#134 ·
Picked up a new welder today to have something a bit more portable. Tiny little HF inverter arc welder, its cute to say the least haha. But a guy I know has one and loves it, and reviews have been real favorable for my hobby use of it so why not. I have access to heavier duty equipment elsewhere, but if this lil guy does ok to where I can do stuff at home, Ill be more likely to fab up stuff on a whim.

Ill be giving it a good shakedown first, and if it does ok Ill likely be starting on sliders or a bumper sooner than I planned. Most likely sliders first as I see more benefit from them at this point.
 
#137 ·
I just read this whole thread and I have to hand it to you I feel a lot smarter for it. Your build has been quick and it looks really good. I hope to do a build over the next year but I'm a starving student/father/husband haha. Anyway, keep the updates coming. I dig it like a shovel.
 
#140 ·
Thanks man! Im just warming up with this one, although the rest of the plans will be a bit more tedious. Im a father/husband as well so I keep things pretty budget minded myself, but luckily my intentions with the build dont necessarily require a huge budget. Im just trying to tailor the Jeep to my needs, not so much the "bigger is better" trend. I one day hope to be able to call it an expedition rig of sorts, but I have lots more to do before that. :eek:

As for that white XJ ('96 btw), it was my first and Im almost ashamed to say how it was lifted haha. I built 3.25" spacers out of 2.25" ID steel pipe, welded to a big washer to seat the spring. Rear was 2" blocks for a couple weeks til I got my donor s10 leafs to build a bastard pack. Ran stock shocks, spaced up with a ton of nuts and long bolts. It was ghetto-fabulous but I had the time of my life with it. Wheeled the crap out of it, blew out d30 spider gears and busted the 27spl 8.25 after 33s and a lotta throttle. Nothing special about it but I miss it sometimes.

For fun, same Jeep flexin on 235's. Next pic is after 33s, tore down mid swap (put in 29 spline).



Kinda hi-jacking my own thread here but that Jeep never got a build thread due to all the ghetto hackjob it started with lol
 
#142 ·
Good deal, 8.25 is a much better rear end for sure. Shouldnt blow that on 235s haha.

Im at a bit of a standstill on my build til the weather gets better. Pretty happy with my current setup, I would trust it to drive the 2hr road trip to LBL to wheel and come back home without any trouble. It has been so great to drive.

I need to order a .75" shackle, then I can gather materials to start building sliders. I dont wanna spend my first big wheeling trip *****footing around cause Im worried bout putting my rockers into the doors.
 
#143 ·
VegasGT said:
Good deal, 8.25 is a much better rear end for sure. Shouldnt blow that on 235s haha.

Im at a bit of a standstill on my build til the weather gets better. Pretty happy with my current setup, I would trust it to drive the 2hr road trip to LBL to wheel and come back home without any trouble. It has been so great to drive.

I need to order a .75" shackle, then I can gather materials to start building sliders. I dont wanna spend my first big wheeling trip *****footing around cause Im worried bout putting my rockers into the doors.
Shackle relocators and an inch shackle
Maybe an Aussie?

Sent from under my broken Heep
 
#144 ·
VegasGT said:
Good deal, 8.25 is a much better rear end for sure. Shouldnt blow that on 235s haha.

Im at a bit of a standstill on my build til the weather gets better. Pretty happy with my current setup, I would trust it to drive the 2hr road trip to LBL to wheel and come back home without any trouble. It has been so great to drive.

I need to order a .75" shackle, then I can gather materials to start building sliders. I dont wanna spend my first big wheeling trip *****footing around cause Im worried bout putting my rockers into the doors.
Get them built! Never trust rocks, not after they ate my door lmao
 
#145 ·
Haha I saw that. Thats a big reason why Im pushing for getting sliders done ASAP.

@Luke95,
I plan to eventually go with relocation brackets, but want to pick up a little longer shackle first and go from there. Once it warms up Ill be getting to work on the fun part of the build. Straying away from bolt-ons and building everything. Cant wait to get started.
 
#147 ·
Yea, I mainly want them now before I bang things up to make install go smoother. Im just trying to decide how I want to build them. I want them stuck out enough to give me some door protection, but I dont really have access to a tubing bender, so I may opt to build them out of 2x4 to get a little extra protection. I still gotta figure out who Ill be getting the steel from as well, got a couple places in mind.

After that it will be time for bumper builds. Cant decide if I wanna do something tucked up nice and tight or build out enough to do a single hoop. I NEED to build a rear bumper more than anything though, and when I do I will be mounting them via rectangle tubing inside the rail. Thats the only way Ill feel comfortable tugging on it I believe.
 
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