Re-hashing my XJ build for the North Coast

[Skipper51]

WOW I never seen that bumper before, very nice.

Tire Rack said the my 33x12.5x15 MTR_K wont be here until 5/25 so the tire manufacturers must be gearing up for the summer

 

[Colin994]

WOW I never seen that bumper before, very nice.

Tire Rack said the my 33x12.5x15 MTR_K wont be here until 5/25 so the tire manufacturers must be gearing up for the summer

Took them like 3 months to get me my 37" mtrs. Ordered them at the beginning of the year so I assumed all the guys gearing up for KOH scooped them up before me

 

[#S194]

Tires should be here in the next few days!

Next up- Ditching the C4X4 rear carrier and going for the JCR adventure.

It'll be a shit ton of money all said and done but-
-I'll be able to store 4 gallons of fuel- Good for the long drives we do here
-Higher clearance behind the tail lights
-LED light provisions
-They said I can get the tire mount 5 on 5, from the JK carrier for free, so I can bolt up my new wheels.
-It locks open, something I always wish mine had
-Saving clearance from the integrated hitch

So my 255/85/16 KM2's and moabs will be up for sale shortly!

That's a good looking bumper, that's for sure. But the price tag...oh my.

 

[XJensen]

That's a good looking bumper, that's for sure. But the price tag...oh my.

I agree badass bumper. Wish it was in my budget.

Now you need to get back down here so I can check it out.

 

[srmitchell]

It is out of my budget too.

But consider this-
I plan on selling my wheels and tires for hopefully around 700.
I'm hopefully selling my current tire carrier and bumper to my coworker for around 500.

So I'll have a good chunk coming back to me after the tire investment.

This stuff is not cheap. lol

 

[Rob D]

I really like that bumper system. If I didn't already have almost $1100 into my 11 year old rear bumper/tire carrier I might try to score one for myself. Aw heck, who am I kidding. My wife would kill that idea before I even got close to the computer to order one. :rattle:

 

[srmitchell]

The new meats are on!

Super happy with these tires. They seem to ride a bit softer than my old e rated KM2's.

The size is 285/70/17, and I got 5. You can see also that my rear bumper is now off, I am ordering the new JCR setup very soon. The spare is barely squeezing into my trunk right now.

New shoes by Sean Mitchell 707, on Flickr

New shoes by Sean Mitchell 707, on Flickr

New shoes by Sean Mitchell 707, on Flickr

New shoes by Sean Mitchell 707, on Flickr

New shoes by Sean Mitchell 707, on Flickr

New shoes by Sean Mitchell 707, on Flickr

 

[KTMqdracer]

Lookin good man!

 

[GordoSmasho]

Looks really slick bud

 

[Rob D]

That Jeep continues to look great! Can't wait to see the bumper on the back too.

 

[srmitchell]

Thanks guys!

I ordered the JCR Vanguard last night. Holding off until I sell my tires to order the tire carrier portion. Holy hell is my wallet lighter.

It will look pretty damn good even just with the bumper. I ordered the side plates, and the whole thing powder coated.

Considering the weight of my last bumper, the carrier, and the hitch... I'm pretty sure I will be saving weight. The JCR set up is listed as 75 for the bumper, 75 for the carrier. So even at 150 lbs, that is likely 50-60 pounds less.

 

[831_xj]

Very nice choice in bumper and tires my friend!
Rig looks amazing

 

[831_xj]

Very nice choice in bumper and tires my friend!
Rig looks amazing

 

[srmitchell]

Yikes. I did it.

Sold the old wheels and tires, and ordered the JCR Adventure upper carrier.

Can't wait to get this mounted.

But I will have to... Looks like it'll be a 22 day lead time. Oh well!

 

[srmitchell]

So in my quest to make my bluejunk a bit better for longer trips, highway travel etc, I decided to go for the AFE Stage 2 intake. Holy shit, I am impressed.

I see a ton of these at work. As always, the quality is excellent and the fit was perfect.
While I enjoyed the peace of mind that my cowl snorkel provided, it just hasn't been necessary. I think the ABS tube was probably a bit of a restriction coupled with the stock air box.

Here the new set up. I can't even believe how loud it is. It pulls much harder in the 3-4K rpm range. The sound of the air induction reminds me of the 4.7 in our Grand Cherokee. I am very, very happy. Should help me get this 4200 pound brick up to the 60mph range easier.

60mph - Better with decent speakers or headphones. Click this screenshot if you want to hear it
AFE Highway Pull by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

AFE Intake for the Xj by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

AFE Intake for the Xj by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

 

[srmitchell]

Got an update from JCR offroad. Ordered May 4, and I was told it'd be a 17-22 day lead time.

Well, I called them and they are way behind. He told me it will probably ship June 7th. Whattttt. I have bad luck with this stuff. Took me 7 months to get my new drum set. Lol

So it has been 23 days. Anxious!

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Ask them nicely to throw in some extra swag or something.

 

[srmitchell]

Yeah, maybe. I know they're busy but they should have told me it'd be a month.

So I didn't post much about the Currie Anti-rock. It is awesome. Worth the 500 bucks. Much more stable in corners and no apparent reduction in usable flex.

However, it probably isn't supposed to be used on a shorter setup like mine. I have 3.5 inch RE coils with no spacers, and a winch up front. The endlinks they supply use a heim on each end, but they are left and right hand threaded onto a 6.5 inch link. This is way too long. Even at the shortest adjustment, the bar was way above level for me.

I thought it was just because I changed my bumpstops that I was getting a clunk, nope. The bar was hitting the inner fender. My option was either to cut and weld the link, or find a replacement.

I did some digging, and observations while at work. Turns out front sway bar links from a new JK are the perfect size. And since we lift lots of jeeps, we had some laying around. (I have 2 spares too.) The lower side is a bushing and the upper is a joint, so it shouldn't inhibit any travel. This is good news for anyone wanting to run an anti-rock at a lower lift like my friend Dillon (dfulks on .)

And best of all... This was free.

Before-
Extreme angle.
Currie Antirock Mod by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr
Currie Antirock Mod by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

After-
Currie Antirock Mod by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

Currie Antirock Mod by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

Currie Antirock Mod by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

 

[srmitchell]

Newest update from JCR- They say it'll ship on the 8th, maybe. I don't know. Hah

So if all goes as planned (to them) I will see it in 2 weeks. Damnn

 

[XJensen]

I do the same thing. Anxiously waiting then shows up and I rip the box open only to install it weeks or months later. Hope you get this mounted in less time then it took to build. Haha I never seem to these days