Jeep XJ H.D. Offroad Relocation Brackets install...by my 11-year-old daughter!

We ordered, and just received our H.D. Offroad Engineering XJ Shackle Relocation Kit for Mira's XJ 2-door (comprehensive build thread HERE) a couple days ago. I stumbled across this set-up here on . Because we need a little additional height in the rear (the front will have 2" BB spacers, and this kit adds ~0.5-1.5"), and to get a better shackle angle and better articulation, I ordered up the kit from Brian over at H.D. Offroad Engineering. There are some offerings from other companies, but this looked the most stout and heavy-duty to me.

Here's what the pre-installed set-up looks like. It includes bolt-in brackets w/welded studs, anti-crush brackets, shackle brackets, new shackle bolts, and grade 8 washers for the frame bolts (if needed for a H.D. bumper, gas tank skid, etc.). The driver-side mount is shown below.


Just because I'm a perfectionist :spin1:, I rounded off all the corners a bit with a grinder & sander, then prepped the shackle relocation kit (along with Mira's T&T Dana 44 truss) for paint.


After the first coat of Eastwood primer (and prior to Eastwood Extreme Chassis Coat Black paint)...



Mira is a little apprehensive about using the MAPP Gas torch...can you tell? :laugh3: She's heating the upper shackle bolt to help free it up for removal.


Because I'm a nice dad, and because Mira would have gotten completely bent trying to break the bolt free :laugh:, I loosened (slightly) the upper shackle bolt, and then turned Mira loose with the 1/2" ratchet. Despite being a relatively rust-free Jeep, the upper shackle bolt was still stubborn, and a bit crusty.


I mentioned previously that this Jeep build would be full of teaching moments. This is one of them. Teaching moment = Rusty Jeep bolts are a PITB (pain in the butt). :eeks1: Even after I broke it free, and after Mira added heat, the bolt was still somewhat tough to remove. Note the look on Mira's face. After spouting off a few comments in a seriously annoyed tone, I explained to Mira that this WAS a teaching moment, and this is one of the things that us "Jeep folk" deal with on a regular basis. I then became "Mr. Nice Guy" again and removed the bolt the rest of the way for her.


Shackle removed from the mount.

Here's the upper portion of the HD Offroad Engineering kit in place. NOTE: Any high-dollar paint you use on this upper insert portion will likely be scraped up/off when pressing it in place. Tolerances are tight...nice fit. If necessary, the boxed shackle mount on the unibody can be pryed open just a touch to allow for easier install. Note the 3 holes on the underside of the unibody frame rail. The H.D. Offroad Engineering kit comes with Grade 8 washers for use with these mounting holes, if you need them. Mira's XJ won't have a hitch, but will have a H.D. JCR Offroad rear bumper, and some sort of gas tank skid (yet to be determined).


That being said, a set of JCR XJ Rear Frame Nut Strips are currently en route, and will allow us to easily bolt the shackle relocation kit to the underside of the frame rail. Also note in the very first photo of this thread that the bolt-in brackets & anti-crush brackets have elongated mounting holes. This allows you to sandwich a gas tank skid and/or trailer hitch in-between the shackle relocation kit and the unibody frame rail. Flexible design...we love it!


Here's the actual multi-position shackle mount after having been bolted in place. For most installs, the offset (long portion) of the shackle mount bracket will extend forward. However, if you wanted to run longer leaf springs and extend your wheelbase, you could simply reverse this mount, and gain several inches of wheelbase. Again, it's very flexible in its design.


Here's Mira reinstalling the original upper shackle bolt, which now holds the shackle relocation kit in place. Once the JCR XJ Rear Frame Nut Strips arrive, we can proceed with the shackle relocation install.



The install is still underway, as Mira had to get ready for bed. Not bad progress, though, for an 11-year-old kid on a school night. More to come shortly.

Craig

Awesome! Thank you for not posting picks of her welding that truss up. That would have been depressing.

jasnmoore said:

Awesome! Thank you for not posting picks of her welding that truss up. That would have been depressing.

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:spin1:

Ironically, when I originally asked Mira if she wanted to build a Jeep together with me, her response was, "Can I weld on it?" I told her, "Absolutely"! She had helped me with some tack-welding on a military trailer project of mine. We haven't done any further welding yet, but she does have her own welding helmet and mini-welding apron. Woot, WOOT!

How can you NOT love that?

Craig

1x1_Speed_Craig said:

:spin1:

Ironically, when I originally asked Mira if she wanted to build a Jeep together with me, her response was, "Can I weld on it?" I told her, "Absolutely"! She had helped me with some tack-welding on a military trailer project of mine. We haven't done any further welding yet, but she does have her own welding helmet and mini-welding apron. Woot, WOOT!

How can you NOT love that?

Craig

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Yup, ya gotta love that! Inspires me to finally learn to weld.

Man that's depressing for me because I tried to install the V1 of the relocation brackets onto my XJ. Gave up when the brackets wouldn't line up with the frame holes. Granted she's installing V2 but still...

Awesome work. Hats off to you for getting your daughter into jeeping and more importantly into working on her own jeep. I hope you know just how valuble that will be when she is older.

But know you are going to have one hell of a time beating the boys off her...:twak: Especialy when they figure out that she can install the lift kit on their truck and fix it when it brakes down.

That is great. You should be teaching her about safety glasses too though.

1x1_Speed_Craig said:

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I hope, when i have kids, that they will want to work on my heep with me! and it's HER jeep?

Awesome father daughter project. My daughter's help isn't very helpful yet, but it sure is fun.

ZipperheadXJ00 said:

I hope, when i have kids, that they will want to work on my heep with me! and it's HER jeep?

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Cool. Yes, it's her Jeep.

basalt51 said:

Awesome father daughter project. My daughter's help isn't very helpful yet, but it sure is fun.

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Thanks! Attention span is short, so it takes a while to accomplish stuff.

Craig

I cant wait till my kid is old enough.

John D said:

That is great. You should be teaching her about safety glasses too though.

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Noted...she usually wears them, and always when cutting/grinding.

Craig

I'm reading the build thread as i'm typing this... Awesome!

Having your 11 year old Daughter engaged in the Jeep build=Awesome!!

-Ron

Thanks guys.

For anyone interested in checking it out, I created a separate "full build thread" with a ton more photos & details HERE.

Enjoy! :cheers:
Craig