10 years with the XJ.

[Jes]

Well, it's been quite a ride, the longest I've ever owned a vehicle and the most miles I've ever put on a vehicle. 10 years and 130,000 miles.
I bought my black '93 two door sometime in early April 2000 and a week later I had it up near Lake Pillsbury camping for a weekend...

The first "mod" was some 30X9.50 tires. Here I was on Swamp Route in September 2000...

In early 2001 I added front and rear tow points, crappy rock rails, and a Rubicon Express 3.5" lift with some other random parts.
Up on Bald Mountain...

Later I added a Custom4X4 rear bumper and tire carrier and then bad things started to happen...

I fell into the wrong crowd and added lift, a rear Dana 44 axle, regeard to 4.56s, added OX lockers front/rear, TJ flares, and went to 33" tires.
This was late 2001 on Mormon Immigrant(I think?)...

...testing out the new mods.
Here it is in April 2002 right before the first BOTW...

...

 

[Jes]

At BOTW in AZ I got my first taste of real rock crawling, here is day two on Predator...

...I got a serious education on that trip. A few weeks later I made my first trip over the Rubicon...

Why I had a tire and fuel can on the back I do not know. :confused1
In October I made my first trip out to Moab for the Fall Fling. Here's Mikey's Hot Tub...

Then in November I drove the Hammers for the first time. First it was Jackhammer then Outer Limits...

...note the "clearanced" front bumper.
Over the winter I got a winch and custom bumper made by Mark Hinkley(ORGS MFG.) and also ditched the rear tire carrier since it is not needed with a two seater. I think at this point was when I installed my first AtlasII transfer case as well, it was a 4.3:1. Then in April 2003 tested it all out on some trail known as Back Door...

Later during that trip I ran afoul of a shopping cart on Wreckingball and got a small dent...

...the next round of mods were to commence.

...

 

[Jes]

Before heading to BOTW in Colorado I had "fixed" the little dent by fabbing up some custom corners with LED lights. Here I am on HWY 50 somewhere between Austin and Eurika...

I was really happy with my rig at that point. It ran flawlessly and was quite capable.
BOTW and Die Trying in Motrose...

Later that Fall I headed back to Colorado before the Fall Fling to run 21RD. again...

Rusty Nail in Moab...

...

 

[Silver60th]

Nice pictures. It makes me sad to say that you have owned your XJ for the better half of my life. It looks like you have had an awesome 10 years with it though. I wish you 10 more just like it.

 

[Jes]

So I wheeled it a bunch over several years there and it was also my daily driver. I routinely put 30,000 miles a year on it. The only mods I had done to the Dana 30 were the gears, locker, and spicer 760 joint axles with full circle clips. I started driving it harder. Earlier in the year I had broken my first front axle shaft ever on Lower Terminator in AZ. Later that year in Johnson Valley I broke my second on Outer Limits...

I then broke again a month later on Wreckingball. I ran pretty much all of '04 without breakage but then broke again on Wreckingball, a right front axle. I knew it was time to do something about it. That was the year it dumped snow on us and I had to use 4WD for quite a ways getting back to Barstow...

Problem was, I couldn't drive on the highway with a front drive shaft installed so I was under my rig pulling the shaft as the snow melted on me in freezing temps. Definately time to do something.
Over the winter Andy(CRASH) and I built a Dana 44 front axle and a three link front suspension...

Almost forgot, in early 2003 we added a roll cage to my rig. Hard to remember when everything happened.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

very cool man
i like the build

 

[Jes]

The shake down run for the new mods was BOTW in AZ, February 2005. Here's Lower Woodpecker...

This thing took me everywhere, here's a dry lakebed near Silver City Nevada...

This is the vehicle I wish I still had.
Snake Bait in the Mojave Desert in early 2006...

Defense Mine near Panamint Valley...

Billings Canyon near Grand Junction Colorado...

...it started looking a little beat by this point.
The begining of the end, November 2006...

I recommend that you DO NOT get a tow rig and never take your doors off. Before this trip to Johnson Valley I added door bars to my cage, made the doors removable, took the hatch off, and the rear windows out. None of that stuff was ever reinstalled...

 

[brothrDave]

nice history lessonatriot:

 

[Jes]

When you don't have to drive it home you're hauling home JUNK...

Over that Winter I reworked my custom corners and built a new high clearance rear bumper since I knew the hatch was gone for good.
So, for May 2007 BOTW was in Utah. First trail was the Wrecking Yard...

...and during this trip I really learned that I no longer cared at all about body damage and I learned that I HAD to cut some uneeded stuff off my rig...

The rest of the trip I tried to crush the back part of my roof as much as possable and even let an expert in body damage drive.

...

 

[Jes]

Sometime during that Utah trip I lost compression on my high mileage(220,000+ miles) 4.0 Litre. At that point I started collecting parts for a 4.7 stroker. Also, since I was no longer driving to the trails I had to do something about my yearly tire bill. I was cutting about three tires a year and by early 2007 I had cut three tires in three trips. I ended up going with some used bias ply Maxxis Creepy Crawlers in a 37" size. I haven't cut a tire since.
By Chrismas eve 2007 I had completed my rear hack job. Here's Bryan C. driving it up Isham Canyon near Trona CA...

Over that winter the heart trasnplant ensued...

Breaking in an engine in a snow storm with no doors and windows is not recommended...

Many trips happend that year including Rubicon, Fordyce, Swamp, Panamint Valley, and Fall Fling, Moab 2008...

So, at this point I was still running the origional rear Dana 44(regeared to 5.13s) and had swapped in a 5.0:1 Atlas when I did the front Dana 44/3 link. I am still amazed that I never broke a rear 30 spline axle shaft. The housing was bent but serviceable, the R&P did finally give it up on my first triumph up Back Door in Johnson Valley that November.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb5fJm8rjlE
The stroker does sound good though. The aftermath...

What did I do after that?
I drained out the broken bits, buttoned it back up, and wheeled on it throughout 2009. :laugh2:

 

[Jes]

Over Christmas 2008 and early 2009 I made some modifications to the front end for better clearance...

...I also ditched my windsheild(thanks Crazymoose!).
Since my rear Dana 44 was junk I had already been saving parts for a rear Dana 60/dual triangulated four link swap. I was laid off work in early Summer but fortunately had already saved up all the parts so by mid August I had my junk on jack stands ready to do the swap. Before the November Johnson Valley run I took it for a shakedown run on the Rubicon...

...I was very happy.
Here I am opening a new trail called Army Ant in January 2010...

This is how the rig sits now. Although it does work well I am sad about it because I don't have a streetable rig like this...

...and I don't have a buggy like this...

Someday I will build another streetable two door. Someday...

 

[srmitchell]

What an awesome rig man.

I was 8 or 9 when you got it. haha

 

[fyrfytr1717]

Sweet pics, can't believe how many times you've been out to AZ. It's interesting to see the progression (regression?) of your Jeep over the years. While I can't relate, I can understand your disappointment in not being able to DD it. Since I can't wheel my Jeep every day, it's nice to be able to just cruise it around. I think my favorite stage in your build up was right around here:

Still streetable, very wheelable. Hope I get to wheel some of the sweet trails you've been on some day...

 

[Bryan C.]

I fell into the wrong crowd

I know the feeling. :anon:

Nice build thread.

Cool pics man, thanks for posting them up.

 

[Coastie]

I think that is the natural evolution of all our XJ's I know that when I sell my little truck and buy a larger one for a tow rig the heep will change a lot.

Nice rig, I think you went a good direction with it.

 

[Jes]

I think my favorite stage in your build up was right around here:

Still streetable, very wheelable.

Yep, me too...

...the only things I would have added were a nice wraparound rear bumper like I built for Mr. Ed and the 4.7 stroker. Oh, and get rid of all the body damage.

 

[FlexdXJ]

Its awesome to see the progression from DD to all out trail machine. Your rig and Macgyvr's are perfect examples of that!

 

[Letterman]

Nice build thread.

Yes, very nice build thread!!!

I first met Jes at a group buy for winches in early 2002.

He has let me tag along with him to some great places:

I got to watch him work his Jeep, and I have learned a lot from him:

It's like a good education just to watch:

People come and go in your life:

I am lucky to call Jes my Good Friend:

Jes that photo of your junk on Backdoor with Andy next to you is just crazy!

 

[SanDiegoOverland]

very cool. thanks for posting the pics!

 

[Letterman]

10 years old and still a highlight in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQfAPttb25Q