[Oregon187]

So this is my first jeep and I have many plans for it. I wanted to start with a stock jeep but I couldn't pass this one up when i found it.

This is how it looked when I bought it.

It's sitting on a 3" Rough Country lift complete with an adjustable track bar and some skyjacker disco's.

It has an AEM intake right now but I'm thinking about going with a snorkel system in the future.

The first thing I did was get some Goodyear MT/R's

And I picked up a Yakima rack from my brother.

Hopefully this spring I will be able to put in a SYE and raise my T-case back where it should be.

 

[Oregon187]

My next project is a roof tire mount for it. I have started that process with some old bed frame iron.

This is how I hope it will come together.

I don't have a welder so this will be weld free and I am going to try to attach it to the factory rails inside the Yakima rack. I'm hoping the Yakima fairing will help cut down the wind resistance. When driving a brick, every little bit helps right?:laugh:

After the tire rack I plan on putting this 10" sub into that useless panel space in the rear panel.

This speaker is pretty deep so I may not be able to make it as stealth as I wanted to. What can I say, my eyes were too big and I bought too big of a speaker :dunno: but I will make it fit even though my little amp doesn't even touch the sub's limit.

 

[NJXJ91]

Thats cool man I really like the Moabs and MTRs

 

[Oregon187]

Thanks man. I was going to get some falken AT tires originally but after 4 hours at discount tire they couldn't get the tires on my Moab wheels. They had to put my old tires back on. I opted for a mechanic shop and decided on the MT/Rs. They didn't have any trouble putting them on. I definitely like the MT/Rs better anyway.

 

[Oregon187]

I finished my roof tire mount today. The tire is all mounted and I'll just have to wait and see how sturdy it is going to be. I will get some pics up later tonight.

 

[Oregon187]

Here's the pics for my no-weld roof tire mount.

This is what I used to attach it to the factory rails. I cut the loops with bolt cutters and then ground them to more of a point so they would lock under the rails on the roof.

Mounting in progress.

All mounted up. I used some of the stock mounting hardware and a piece of all-thread to secure the tire to the center beam of the rack. The two outer beams are just for tire support. I also used some canvas belts to secure each edge of the tire to the outer beams just for extra stability.

Looks pretty good.

Hopefully it will be sturdy enough. I'll update after a few test drives.
BTW that whole Yakima fairing helping with the wind resistance thing, turns out my tire is wider than I realized.:dunno:

Edit 1/10/2012: This tire rack has been on for a month now and it is very solid. I haven't been wheeling with it yet but I don't see it going anywhere at all.

 

[ChiliPepperXJ]

Nice looking rig man.... I really like the moabs on there.. Any plans now?

Also when posting pics, use the IMG tag instead of the link ... That should fix it from now on...

 

[Oregon187]

IMG tag...that's what I forgot, thanks mate. I'm glad I could edit my comment though and include the pics.

As for plans, I want to install my sub in the rear panel and an amp under the back seat; I don't really need it to be deafening but this is my DD and I'd like to have a little fuller sound experience. My stereo isn't stock anyway but it is still pretty treble heavy.

I'm hopefully going to get an SYE after the first of the year. I'm not sure if I will go with the Rugged Ridge http://www.jeepinoutfitters.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=593 or a TeraFlex http://www.quadratec.com/products/52237_902_07.htm.

In the future I want to pick up some JCR bumpers, particularly for the rear so I can put the tire back there instead of on the roof.

 

[Oregon187]

Well, I redid the battery terminals and ran the wiring for my Amp and sub.

The wiring runs under the trim on the passenger side and then under the back seat.

The amp that I have right now is too small for my sub but I will be getting a bigger one that will still fit under the back seat where this one is.

The next step is to cut up the rear panel and start building my sub enclosure.

Oh, and I got this for Christmas from my wonderful Wife! :welder:

Now I just need some project ideas. I do plan on welding my tire mount rails together with some braces, to make it one unit.

 

[Oregon187]

I ordered one of these today, JCR Offroad DIY Front Bumper complete with tie-in brackets, and a pre-runner hoop kit. I can't wait to get started putting it together. I need a little more practice with my new welder though, I don't want to screw up my bumper.

 

[Oregon187]

The bumper came today :2thumbsup:

Time to learn how to weld.

 

[Sgt.Fuzz]

The bumper came today :2thumbsup:

Time to learn how to weld.

I admire your enthusiasm.:welder:

 

[Oregon187]

Thanks man. I love to do things for myself and this Jeep has given me lots of new things to learn how to do.

 

[Chrisp929]

keep up the good work ... i look forward to additional posts and pictures of your build .. please include pics of the welding, steps you took etc ..

i plan on doing the same thing .. i have a nice hobart Mig waiting to get warmed up again .. i'll be welding up my do it yourself bumper from jcr also ..

 

[MN_XJ]

Nice work on the jeep. I'm excited to see how you do welding that bumper, with the price of a pre-assembled & shipped bumper i'm considering purchasing a welder and doing it myself as well.

 

[Oregon187]

Thanks guys! I didn't have a lot of time this weekend to work on the bumper but I did get all the bends done (I'll post some pics later). It folds up just like the instructions on the JCR website show.

I did take a little time to address an issue that I have been having with heat soak in my Fuel injectors. On restart after driving for a while, it runs rough and throws a misfire code. After some digging, I found some advice about wrapping the fuel injectors with heat shield, so I did that this weekend.

Hopefully this will take care of the problem.

As a side note, my tire rack is very sturdy and hasn't budged a mil. I am thinking of taking it off and welding some straps across it to make it one solid piece, and to practice welding a bit.

 

[Oregon187]

Here are some picks of the bumper so far. All the folds have been done.

I used two crescent wrenches to bend it just like they show in the instructions. It worked pretty well but I had to use some leverage pipes over the handles to make it bend easier.

Hopefully I will have time to do some of the welding this weekend.

 

[Oregon187]

My new amp came in yesterday:

It's much more powerful than the Rockford Fosgate in the earlier pics and it will fit in the same spot. I just wish it would warm back up so I could work on some of this stuff. Small and non-heated garage sucks.

 

[nessbran]

hey did you pick that xj up at a dealer in indy??? swear i saw it down the street from my place a few months back

 

[Oregon187]

I did indeed. It was at Butler Kia around 56th street.