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My buggy build....... well, continuation of a build.

YELLAHEEP

NAXJA Forum User
Figured I should start a thread on the buggy I bought from Seth (proracedriver616)......

What I started with:

greenbuggy_zps1666a407.jpg


'87 XJ all cut up and tubed up.

- 4.0 AW4 and 242 with hack-n-tap SYE
- Iron Rock Offroad front long arm kit with customized cross member (tucked up nice!).
- LP D44 with 4.88's (open) and rear 8.8 with 4.88's and limited slip.
- Serious Offroad 1-ton steering
- Stock rear suspension set up
- Custom bead locks and 38.5x14x15 Swamper SX's.
- Cage work covers the full interior and braced to the boat sides as well as a rear bulkhead enclosing the 2 seat cab.
- Seth started the front dovetail chop on the driver's side, pass. side needs completed once the battery is relocated. '97+ header panel has been narrowed as well.
- Tucked and narrowed front winch bumper
- Very nicely built half doors



Plans:

-Finish the front dovetail and make sheet metal inserts to close in the engine compartment.
-More tube through the firewall and around the front to complete the cage work.
-Remove the stock dash, replace with sheet metal gauge panel and custom center "console" to house a RAD shifters Baja shifter.
-4-link the rear and chop off more of the rear XJ floor pan/unibody.
-Beefier t-case
-Beefier axles
-Better tires
-Etc.....
 
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Since acquiring this buggy, I've begun some of the mods/improvements:

-D300 t-case, flip kit and twin stick set up for an XJ
-Rear Ford 9" with 5:13's and spool, trussed.
-D44 HP F250 axle, 5:13's, TNT truss, alloys, Yukon joints, Warn Premium hubs and Detroit locker
-1" thick steel high steer arms and high steer DOM steering set up.
-17x10 SpyderLock wheels
-38x14x17 Goodyear MTR Kevlars


Started the axle swap stuff...... Finish it in the spring, just needed to get stuff under it and off my trailer.

The axles on their way home:

2013-01-05_13-11-42_543.jpg


Rear 9" under the rig...... Purple elimination kit and 4-link coming in the spring.

2013-02-17_15-53-00_77_zpsc870a4bf.jpg


Found a killer Craig's deal on some flex joints. Got 6 of the large ones, 5 of the small ones for $200

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Didn't get as far as I'd have liked today before the sun went down...... Had to deal with a stud busted off in the flat-top knuckle, remove a stripped out lug nut from the deep-recessed lug holes holding one of the SpyderLock wheels on (that was a hour long muddafugga). Woulda had the front axle in, but the upper 3rd link mount on the trusses is different between the axles so the upper control arm will need to be fabbed/modified. The lower control arm mounts are 3" farther apart on the new axle as well..... hoping the bolts and joints cooperate moving outward 1.5" each side....... :looney:

2013-02-17_18-27-35_998_zps87a5177e.jpg


Still gotta bust off a bunch of tires from beadlocks too....... that probably isn't gonna be much fun either.


.
 
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Troy, do you know who makes those joints? From the looks of them...it appears they are the joints that come with the Rough County long arm kits. If that is the case, I'd seriously reconsider using them. Unless they have came out with a better bushing in the past year, I personally wouldn't run them.

Reason being, I put a Rough County long arm on my Dad's TJ using those exact joints, and he toasted the bushings in 2 days out in Moab. The adjuster nut was as tight as it would go, and they had a ton of slop in them. We ended up tossing those piles in the trash and replacing them with Johnny Joints and all has been good.

I did a little google searching at the time and found I wasn't the only one having those issues. Now they may have came up with a solution since this has been roughly a year ago, but it's something to check out before you get everything assembled. Just trying to save ya some headache!
 
so what happened to that s10 blazer based monstrocity you had behind the fence

Sold that to a guy south of San Diego over a year ago. He came out to grab it just for the tires/wheels, Rockwells and the 203/205 doubler kit..... and I still put money in my pocket. From what I understand, all that stuff is under a tube buggy now.

Yeah, not one of my smartest purchases. I blame it on mid-life...... :looney:

100_0891.jpg
 
Troy, do you know who makes those joints? From the looks of them...it appears they are the joints that come with the Rough County long arm kits. If that is the case, I'd seriously reconsider using them. Unless they have came out with a better bushing in the past year, I personally wouldn't run them.


Yeah, I know they're not the optimal joint, but for $18 each, I figured they'd be worth beating on while I test and break in the rig. These aren't like Johnny Joints that can be tightened.......

And it's not like I go 'wheeling much as it is......:shhh:

:D
 
Sold that to a guy south of San Diego over a year ago. He came out to grab it just for the tires/wheels, Rockwells and the 203/205 doubler kit..... and I still put money in my pocket. From what I understand, all that stuff is under a tube buggy now.

Yeah, not one of my smartest purchases. I blame it on mid-life...... :looney:

100_0891.jpg

Well at last your not the only one that bought it
 
Plans:

-Finish the front dovetail and make sheet metal inserts to close in the engine compartment.
-More tube through the firewall and around the front to complete the cage work.
-Remove the stock dash, replace with sheet metal gauge panel and custom center "console" to house a RAD shifters Baja shifter.
-4-link the rear and chop off more of the rear XJ floor pan/unibody.
-Beefier t-case
-Beefier axles
-Better tires
-Etc.....
Soooooooooooooooooooo, are you going to wheel it this year?
 
If I get my new MTR's mounted on two of the SpyderLocks this week you can come get 'em.
 
Nope, once they're off the beadlocks, they're going on Craigslist. 3 are good, one is useable, but worn down on one side.
 
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