Updated parts list. Everything here is what I've done to the XJ so far. Over the last few months I've learned a lot about racing and what it takes to be competitive in terms of the build. I've change a lot from my original plans as I realized what I wanted to build would not be strong enough. Racing in 2018 didn't happen but we should be much much much more prepared to race in 2019.
- Lift Kit (No Shocks)
- Full Traction 6” Long Arm 4-Link System
-Steering
- DirtBoundOffroad High Clearance Steering Kit
-Motor Mounts
- Brown Dog Offroad Poly Mounts
-Frame Stiffeners
- RuffStuffSpecialties XJ Chassis Reinforcement
- Stinky Fab Racing Steering Box Spacer/Reinforcement
- Boostwerks Engineering Ultimate Steering brace
-Drivetrain
- PORC 231J HD SYE
- Adam’s Rear 1310 Shaft
- Adam's Front 1310 Shaft
- 79' Bronco 9" Housing
- Yukon Nodular 3rd member w/ 3.25" carrier bearings
- Detroit locker (rear)
- 5.13 gears
- 31 spline axles (rear)
- big bore gm metric calipers w/ f150 rotors (rear)
-Tires
- 37x12.50r17 Cooper STT Pros on 17x8 Vision wheels
-MISC
- Ironman4x4 trackbar mount
- Dodge Dakota Master Cylinder
- Summit Racing Adjustable Prop Valve
I still plan on competing in class 2700. I put 37s on it and cheap shocks just to get it driveable while I build it up. We will have a seperate set of wheels/tires to comply with the rules.
Got the detroit in the 9". Only took me about 18 hours working in the corner of my shed with a small led light (electricity not run to the shed).
I've never done gears before so invested in a magnetic dial indicator, inch lb dial gauge, home made spanner wrench, and rented bearing/race press cups, bearing race puller and accompanying slide hammer from autozone.
I original was going to run a crush sleeve eliminator but the one that came in my kit was too thin and didn't have enough shims to even contact the bearings on the pinion. I went through 2 crush sleeves before find out a trick to make it easier to crush them.
I assembled the pinion and bearings into the Daytona pinion carrier and push the whole assembly in my press. Then pressed out all the slop until the bearings were seated in the support. Then put the yoke in my vise and used a 3ft breaker bar to tighten the pinion nut until I had resistance turning the pinion support.
I would tighten a little and then check the preload on my dial indicator.
Then adjusted backlash and verified on multiple sections. Spec is 0.006-0.010" and I'm at 0.008.
Then I ran a pattern with the marking compound and was able to get a good pattern. I started off with a 0.020 shim, went up to 0.045 then 0.027, then 0.035, and ended up at 0.039 asy final pinion shim pack.
I then ran a die over the housing Studs and cleaned up the threads. I still need to pull the 3rd member and put on a lube locker gasket and pinion support o-ring. I just stuck it on the housing so once I press on new axle bearings, axle retainer plates, axle bearing seal, and axle bearing retainers I can put the axles in and get my brake caliper positioning to weld on the caliper brackets.
Also holy crap caliper banjo bolts are ridiculously expensive. Almost $35/ea. Luckily Speedway Motors sells a stainless line kit for my rear calipers that was $49.99 and came with 2 lines 2 banjo bolts and the required tabs.
Ordered the wrong axle retainer plates so I made my own out of 1/4" instead of the 3/16" these came in.
Then cut off the old bearings and seals. Pressed new Timken bearings and seals. Installed the 3rd member with a lube locker gasket. Torqued everything down.
Got the 9" swapped in.
Stops much better now with disc's in the back.
Was 95° out and welding on the blacktop was so much fun and fun fact sometimes if you touch something you just welded you can hear your skin sizzle before you feel it lol.
I started at 2 and finished at 9. Only had to run to autozone twice (caliper guide pins, brake hard-line fittings). Although I do need to go back and return the fittings I didn't use. Wasn't sure on the thread size so I bought them all. Toss in a pizza break, and having to explain what I'm doing when my neighbors come to chat. The more I do to the Jeeps more and more people keep stopping to see what I'm doing now. I'm almost dead center of my development but my road is one of the main roads through the development so I'm collecting some fans
I may end up switching the caliper pins over to another set they had at autozone that has a cotter pin in the end so if the pin backs out of the caliper mount it cant completely seperate and will prevent you from losing a caliper.
Now it's a 98 Jeep Cherokee with a 79 Ford Bronco read end and 78-88 GM big bore calipers which can be found on the front of an S10 up to 2002 . The calipers I got from Speedway motors because they are affordable, came with pads, and have a larger metal piston at 2.75". These combined with the Dodge Dakota master cylinder upgrade the brakes work fantastic.
I ended up cutting the stock shock mounts off the c8.25 and used them on the 9" until I get bypass shocks and pull them up through the floor. I already have barnes4wd mounts to go on top of the axle .