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RADesigns Products-Mellow Yellow

R.DesJardin

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Clarkston, WA
Nope it's not Yellow and it shouldn't be Mellow. Starting a new build, it's an '86 XJ 2Dr, 2wd, 4cyl, 4spd, for now. Wanna build up a Pre-runner style go fast wheeler, be able to run 33's maybe 36's
The build list will be:
5.3 Chev
4L60e with a RADesigns shift setup
241C or D300 not sure yet
14 bolt FF, spool.
D44 high pinion, kingpin, converted to 6 bolt discs and alloy shafts for sure. Locked.
5.38 gears
Staring with the running gear and a box of parts I got from JT Diff's. So to get the project rolling I'm working on building the diffs first then bolting the suspension in, and of course reinforcing the Uni-body, building a full inner cage all before I drop in the 5.3 setup. Using a Jeepspeed as a model so roughly 12" of travel. I hope.
Started with the 14bolt first getting it all disassemble and building a truss for it.
The stock as you can 2wd Jeep as it sits now.
IMGP0038.jpg
IMGP0138.jpg


Taking apart the 14Bolt from a C&C.
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Stripped down and ready to start the real mods.
IMGP0149.jpg
 
Out of curiosity, why start with an 86? Wouldnt an 87+ with the longer engine bay be a bunch easier to make it all fit?
 
Out of curiosity, why start with an 86? Wouldnt an 87+ with the longer engine bay be a bunch easier to make it all fit?

Free XJ, I'll take what I can get.
But out of curiosity I guess I missed the short-long engine bay options. Thought that they were all the same everything, at least for wheelbase, body parts and such.
 
84-86 have a shorter engine bay. Different fenders, hood, etc.

Harder to squeeze big iron in there, and the body parts wont interchange and are hard to find. If I were you, I'd fix that 2.5 and sell it for enough to buy an 87+ that you can start with.
 
Thanks for the heads up all info that's good to know. But I'll keep this going with the '86, I've done similar swaps that couldn't be done so this one should be a tad bit easier. Since the '86 doesn't have power anything there is less wiring to worry about in this whole process. And like I commented it's going toward the race poser/prerunner setup. so modify body parts is no big deal. BTW this won't be any kind of DD, probably trailer it most places I go.

A little more background on this. XJ was free like I said, the 14 Bolt FF C&C I traded a shifter for, got the D44HP for the front really cheap with all the 6 bolt conversion parts. As with the other stuff the 5.3, trans and t-case setup was a good deal also. A 241C I hope to use will be next to nothing also. Steinjager will be providing all the rod ends I need, I've been a dealer for them for years and now am ready to use their parts for a fun build. Don't forget with my own CNC milling machines, lathe, tubing benders and misc fab equipment I'm ready to dive into this. In a timely manner of course. :D
 
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The pre runner aspect was why I mentioned it. You won't find any glass stuff that's going to fit it, and if you take damage it will be a lot harder to find steel to fit back on it.
 
The pre runner aspect was why I mentioned it. You won't find any glass stuff that's going to fit it, and if you take damage it will be a lot harder to find steel to fit back on it.

I have a plan for the fenders no worries. But all this info I do appreciate for sure. Yes I'm sure there will be damage at some point, its just how I am. Be kinda tough to sell a 2wd, 2dr, 4cyl Jeep around here, the guy I got it from had been trying to sell it for years, cheap and still no phone calls.
 
Very cool rig, not very many of the 84-86 2 door rigs left. This one started as an 85 2wd, 2.5 4 speed. I did cut a big part of the firewall from the donor 96 and welded it into the 85 to accommodate the 4.0. Since I was doing a harness and dash swap anyway it wasn't much extra work. I look forward to watching this build.

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Yeah 84-86 did not have the AMC I6 4.0, it only had the AMC I4 2.5 or GM V6. In 87 the front clip was extended to allow for the longer 4.0

And the firewall was significantly modified. I did a 4.0 swap into an 85 chassis and had to cut out the firewall and weld in a section from a '88. The front header was dramatically changed to take the 4.0 radiator also.
 
14b FF does not translate to go fast. That is WAY too heavy - too much unsprung weight. Go with a 9".

Well we don't have open desert here, so I guess go fast has different meaning. We have little sandy spots to play in that having a beefy drivetrain and suspension will make it more fun, as well as fall snow wheelin' that requires more hp and travel to have fun until te snow gets really deep. And after the uni-body falls apart I'm build a buggy chassis wheeler. All tube which will be a perfect use of the 14b FF. I have a plan, and this isn't the first swap I've done that "will be a pain to fit", try swapping a 429/C6 combo into a '67 Bronco, yeah it was fast, but not off road. The 80's were fun that way.
 
t-case setup was a good deal also. A 241C I hope to use will be next to nothing also. Steinjager will be providing all the rod ends I need, I've been a dealer for them for years and now am ready to use their parts for a fun build.

Hope they give you better prices than me... I don't know how anybody could make money selling their crap.
 
So you don't like their product or their pricing or both? I haven't seen much about them on the off road forums and haven't heard anything bad about them.


I like their products, they have a lot of unique builder stuff... but in my experience their prices can't compete in our 4wd industry that is dominated by Ruffstuff and Barnes. The quote I got when I was building my new shop rig was a slap in the face.

Shoot me a PM if you want to talk about the real underlying reason.
 
Since the axle is disassembled it was time to disassemble some of the parts. I pressed out all the wheel studs so I could remove the drums from the hubs.
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Then I set about trimming that massive lip off the bottom of the housing. It took quite a few minutes with the reciprocating saw to get it cut off then just as much time cleaning it up and smoothing it all out and matching it to the Barnes diff cover.
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Next step was to find the center line of the axle so I could do the measurements for the truss. 4 foot aluminum ruler was just the right thing to use. I then measured in 1 inch width increments the height of the housing then made a CAD drawing to connect the dots.
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I like their products, they have a lot of unique builder stuff... but in my experience their prices can't compete in our 4wd industry that is dominated by Ruffstuff and Barnes. The quote I got when I was building my new shop rig was a slap in the face.

Shoot me a PM if you want to talk about the real underlying reason.

this post sounds a bit DOUCHEY too me ....LOL !
 
Well to follow up on the 14B FF hubs after pressing the studs out and ditching the gigantic drums. I'll be doing a disc brake conversion with parts from Ruff Stuff.
Since I'm going to convert them to 6 hole I had to machine down the hub nose to be able to fit my wheels over them. I also trued up the OD of them just to make them look pretty.........
IMGP0161.jpg


Then I machined a special pair of vise jaws so I can machine the reliefs for the 6 new studs. I'll tap thread into the existing 8 stud holes to use to retain the calipers I have onto the hubs with Gr8 bolts.
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