92 XJ Sport - Resto Mod

[Jeepin_JD]

(New Member) I have been working on a 1992 XJ for about a year now. It is going to be a daily driver (in Wisconsin) when I'm done. I don't need another trail rig. I don't need another stock Jeep or Willys. I have plenty already. However, this is my first XJ. I am the second owner of this tired Jeep. It was exceptionally clean until a Moose decided to bump into it while I was driving home from Wyoming. Amazingly, it only damaged the passenger fender, door, and windshield. I need to stress, this is not a trail rig. I don't want to chop it up, or put a big lift on it, or make it look like DeXJ's stuff. It will be a daily driven pavement princess with the ability to handle mild offroad stuff. On a RestoMod, I prefer to use as many factory parts as possible. When aftermarket parts must be used, I try to make them look stock.

Initially, I was just going to get it fixed and drive it, but then the damned internal slave cylinder went out. I converted it to an external and that started my journey into modifying it. I decided to do a RestoMod and create a Rubicon XJ and make it look like it was built that way from the factory. No crazy lifts or axle trusses. No aftermarket bumpers. No exterior armor, except for the IronRock molded rocker guards and frame stiffeners. I can make those look stock and they strengthen the body. I am going to try to fab up a stock looking front bumper from 3/16s plate. If it works, I'll do the rear as well. Otherwise, it will be stock tin.

PLAN: I'm planning to run 31" tires on JK Rubicon wheels. Why, because I like the way it looks. The entire Jeep will be painted (haven't picked a color yet). The interior will look stock, but will have several upgrades. There will be no backseat, that space is for my dog kennel. The front seats are coming from a Mercedes, the dash has already been restored and upgraded to all dimmable LED bulbs. There will be a lot of sound deadening added to quiet down this tin can: doors, floors, overhead, and hood. Tint all of the rear windows. Add a multi step anti-theft system. I'm swapping the transfer case from a 231J to a 242J and will add an SYE. Add a few discrete skid plates to keep with the Rubicon theme. And, rebuild and upgrade the engine... no swaps, no stroker.

AXLES: I have several front and rear axles to chose from. An XJ D35 with 3.08 gears. a C8.25 with 3.08 gears, a TJ D44 w/discs, Detroit, and 4.56 gears, and an JK Rubi D44 w/3.73 gears. For the front, I have a low pinion D30 w/Detroit and 4.56 gears, I have two HP D30s, one w/3.08 and one w/3.55 gears. I have a set of welded/converted WJ knuckles I can use on the D30s. I also have a JK Rubi D44 with no gears or diff. I have two different sets of JK Rubi wheels that both look good on the XJ.

DONE SO FAR: I put Skyjacker TJ 2.5" dual rate springs on the front and Deaver 700 ppi leafs on the back. It sits perfectly level front to rear. It's basically 2" higher than stock in the front and and 1" in the rear. Though that's just a guess. The original springs were very tired and compressed when I picked up the XJ. It sat very, very low. On the bright side, It turns the XJ wheels and tires and articulates without any bind or rub, thanks to running WJ lower front control arms. I tested it with the JK Rubicon stock tires (285/70R17 - 33") and the front rubbed the inner fender liner when turning. The back rubbed when pulling into a steep driveway. Then I tested it with 18 JK wheels and tires (255/70R18 - 32") This was much better, but still rubbed in the front when turning up a drive way or pulling up onto a small (12") rock. The rear did not rub at all. So, I can either lift it more, or run smaller tires. For now, I'm going with smaller tires. This was done with 1.5" hubcentric wheel adaptors. I would have used 1" adaptors, but the rear wheels only had an 1/8" clearance from the leaf springs due to the deep backspacing.

DILEMMA... I can (1) Spend money regearing the shit D30 and C8.25, then converting the front to WJ brakes and the rear to KJ discs, then using wheel adaptors to use the JK wheels... or (2) just convert the JK axles I already have to fit the XJ. Damn, if it were only that easy. The XJ axles with wheel adaptors on them are 63" hub to hub. with this set up, the JK Rubi wheels and tires fit under the factory fender flares. However, with the wider axles, they will stick out about 3/4 of an inch on each side. I simulated this by stacking wheel spacers in the front to create a 65" wide axle. (No, I did not try to drive it this way) I discovered the tires will not turn in either direction without hitting the fender. The issue here is the front wheel opening becomes to small to accommodate a 32" tire and a 65" axle. The second issue is up travel. With the wider axle, the top of the tires would hit the fender when I articulate or hit a hard bump. Being that the XJ was designed to use 28.5" tires, the use of 31 or 32" tires on the JK axles and a minimal lift setup will require front wheel opening to be bigger... and I want to use factory fender flares. If anyone has modified one of these fenders to make it look stock, I'd love to see it. My though was to open it up by 1" in all directions. This would make the opening 2" wider and 1" taller. As for the fender flare, plastic weld two or more together.

AXLES: I'm leaning toward the JK D44s, but that creates a whole different group of problems. New steering, new drive shafts, upgraded master cylinder, modifying the wheel openings, and modifying stock fender flares. (yes, stock). I'll need to find a 3 1/8" axle perch kit for the rear, and modify the front to fit properly. Then I have to tackle the e-brake cables. Then there is the front steering; the issue here is that all of the steering kits and front swap kits are for 3.5 inch or higher lifts. Sorry, but no... I don't want to hear "You can't." I want to hear how I can without lifting it any further.

SO... has anyone had success with using WJ tie rods or drag links on the JK axles? Both axles are 65" wms to wms. I could run a stock JK tie rod, but that still leaves the drag link issue to solve. I'm guessing a WJ unit will likely work with a little modification. Then there is the track bar. All of the aftermarket stuff is telling me I need to lift it higher, so no.... that crap is out. not to mention most of it is way over priced. As for the axle mounts and spring buckets... I'll probably fab that up to look stock. Or, I'll do what everyone says I can't and just mount it as it is. The axle mount points are only 3/4 of an inch wider center to center for both the top and bottom brackets. The big concern is the spring buckets.

Thoughts, suggestions, and wise-ass comments welcome.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Sounds like a great project - keep us posted on progress, and please share pics!

A few thoughts below:

D35 rear axle: I'd just scrap it, they're not called "turdy-fives" for nothing. Not worth upgrading.

C8.25 axle: Depends on the vintage - 95 and down, they use 27-spline shafts and there's less support for aftermarket stuff. 97 and up use 29-spline shafts and are comparable in strength to a D44, and there's a good selection of locker options. A 96 could be either - depends on when the truck came off the assembly line and whether they had the older or newer version on-hand at the time (applies to a lot of parts for 1996, they're real oddballs that way). I've seen plenty of folks running 33s (maybe even 35s) on 29-spline 8.25s in the rocks with a locker and not have a problem. For your planned usage I see no advantage to the JK 44s over a 29-spline 8.25.

I know you want to stay "OEM Plus", but if the rockers on this rig are in need of rust repair, give serious consideration to building 2x6 (1/4" wall) box tube rockers instead of the molded guards - I had that done on my own rig (also a 92) many years ago. Being 2x6 they only stick out about an inch from the doors (so they offer a little protection from stuff coming at your sides) , and they reinforce the body quite a bit themselves (I am only at about 3.5-4 inches and 31s, and no frame stiffeners).

Other ideas:

- Upgrade to 97+ side mirrors: They bolt right on, though if you want power you'll have to cut off the 97+ connectors and splice on the older connectors so they'll fit through the openings in the door structure. My rig didn't come with power mirrors or the wiring for them from the factory (even though it's a Laredo package), so I bought an OEM switch at the dealer and some door-harness connectors from a part-out and built my own standalone harness that I laid under the carpet. When I did the power mirror conversion back in 2008 I just got power versions of my original manual remote mirrors, I only went 97+ a couple years ago. However, with the factory control switch in the OEM spot by the handbrake lever, you'd have to either know or get under the console and carpet to tell it's not a factory job.

- 97+ headliner with integrated speaker bar: I did this a while back when the original headliner sagged because it saved me the work of stripping/recovering at the time, and it got the rear speakers up so they weren't muffled by the stuff in the back. The pinout of the dome light power connectors in the 97+ lights was different from the orignal ones, but that was easy to figure out with a voltmeter.

- RF Keyless upgrade: My jeep came with the old RF keyless system and an inoperative remote. I found someone* that was able to replicate the hard-wired, non-programmable single-button remote and ran one of those for quite a few years, until the aforementioned headliner upgrade. Rather than cut a hole for the IR sensor dome, I did some research online and discovered a writeup on swapping to the keyless components from mid-90s LH sedans into a ZJ (link), which had a fully standalone keyless entry module (keyless in 97+ XJs depends on a BCM that the older models don't have). With the writeup in hand, I scored the receiver module and a matching remote from a 95 Concorde on eBay and used my FSM wiring diagrams to hook it up for basic lock-unlock functionality (have to press twice on unlock to trigger the XJ to unlock all, and the trunk button does nothing, but it beats having to put the IR remote in contact with the window to get it to work).

* that someone that could make the non-user-programmable IR remotes was "Piland Electronics", I found them on the old "thejeep.com" website. Unfortunately, the Piland site went offline around 2015-2016 (I don't know why). They were the only place I know of that was able to make remotes compatible with the old non-programmable IR systems; Mr. Piland told me when I first reached out to him for a remote that he'd worked out how to decode the little codes into the correct combo of high/low/float pins to get the right code out of the remote, but I don't have any idea if that knowledge was preserved by anyone when he closed up shop.

Link to the now-defunct Piland site on the "wayback machine" for historical interest: Site

 

[Jeepin_JD]

Sounds like a great project - keep us posted on progress, and please share pics!

A few thoughts below:

D35 rear axle: I'd just scrap it, they're not called "turdy-fives" for nothing. Not worth upgrading.

C8.25 axle: Depends on the vintage - 95 and down, they use 27-spline shafts and there's less support for aftermarket stuff. 97 and up use 29-spline shafts and are comparable in strength to a D44, and there's a good selection of locker options. A 96 could be either - depends on when the truck came off the assembly line and whether they had the older or newer version on-hand at the time (applies to a lot of parts for 1996, they're real oddballs that way). I've seen plenty of folks running 33s (maybe even 35s) on 29-spline 8.25s in the rocks with a locker and not have a problem. For your planned usage I see no advantage to the JK 44s over a 29-spline 8.25.

I know you want to stay "OEM Plus", but if the rockers on this rig are in need of rust repair, give serious consideration to building 2x6 (1/4" wall) box tube rockers instead of the molded guards - I had that done on my own rig (also a 92) many years ago. Being 2x6 they only stick out about an inch from the doors (so they offer a little protection from stuff coming at your sides) , and they reinforce the body quite a bit themselves (I am only at about 3.5-4 inches and 31s, and no frame stiffeners).

Other ideas:

- Upgrade to 97+ side mirrors: They bolt right on, though if you want power you'll have to cut off the 97+ connectors and splice on the older connectors so they'll fit through the openings in the door structure. My rig didn't come with power mirrors or the wiring for them from the factory (even though it's a Laredo package), so I bought an OEM switch at the dealer and some door-harness connectors from a part-out and built my own standalone harness that I laid under the carpet. When I did the power mirror conversion back in 2008 I just got power versions of my original manual remote mirrors, I only went 97+ a couple years ago. However, with the factory control switch in the OEM spot by the handbrake lever, you'd have to either know or get under the console and carpet to tell it's not a factory job.

- 97+ headliner with integrated speaker bar: I did this a while back when the original headliner sagged because it saved me the work of stripping/recovering at the time, and it got the rear speakers up so they weren't muffled by the stuff in the back. The pinout of the dome light power connectors in the 97+ lights was different from the orignal ones, but that was easy to figure out with a voltmeter.

- RF Keyless upgrade: My jeep came with the old RF keyless system and an inoperative remote. I found someone* that was able to replicate the hard-wired, non-programmable single-button remote and ran one of those for quite a few years, until the aforementioned headliner upgrade. Rather than cut a hole for the IR sensor dome, I did some research online and discovered a writeup on swapping to the keyless components from mid-90s LH sedans into a ZJ (link), which had a fully standalone keyless entry module (keyless in 97+ XJs depends on a BCM that the older models don't have). With the writeup in hand, I scored the receiver module and a matching remote from a 95 Concorde on eBay and used my FSM wiring diagrams to hook it up for basic lock-unlock functionality (have to press twice on unlock to trigger the XJ to unlock all, and the trunk button does nothing, but it beats having to put the IR remote in contact with the window to get it to work).

* that someone that could make the non-user-programmable IR remotes was "Piland Electronics", I found them on the old "thejeep.com" website. Unfortunately, the Piland site went offline around 2015-2016 (I don't know why). They were the only place I know of that was able to make remotes compatible with the old non-programmable IR systems; Mr. Piland told me when I first reached out to him for a remote that he'd worked out how to decode the little codes into the correct combo of high/low/float pins to get the right code out of the remote, but I don't have any idea if that knowledge was preserved by anyone when he closed up shop.

Link to the now-defunct Piland site on the "wayback machine" for historical interest: Site

* I figured the stock D35s weren't worth anything. But, here in farm country, there's always someone who needs your junk.
* The C8.25 is from a 97 Cherokee. It has 3.08 gears and an open diff. It's clean and in great condition.
* I have two HP D30s. One with 3.08 gears, and one with 3.54 gears, though its a bit rough.
* I was already planning to upgrade the mirrors. A Moose removed my stock passenger one already. So I figured I would upgrade. I may upgrade to 97 and newer front doors as well.
* As for the Rocker guard. The one I like is a true structural rocker guard from Iron Rock Off Road. [Link] It is an upgrade to the standard 2x6 tubing.
* I'm not a fan of the overhead speakers. Since there will not be any kind of backseat, muffling wont be an issue. I have an idea for a false floor with storage that I am working on. There might be a metal screen separating the passenger compartment from the rear storage area. What used to be the backseat will be a dog bed. Or, the whole back area will be a dog bed. I have two 100 pound German Shepherds that love to go everywhere I go.
* As for the security system, it will be homemade using an Arduino board with both a Bluetooth and a Proximity module. I'll be able to use my phone to arm and disarm the alarm as well as lock and unlock the doors and roll the windows up or down. Yes... there will be a crap ton of wiring to get this done, especially since I don't have power locks or power windows. That being said, I will be removing the entire interior and all of the factory sound deadening to get the paint and body work done. The priority is anti theft and vehicle immobilization. That part is actually pretty simple. Fuel, Ignition, and ECU can be interrupted. As for the anti theft, that requires a secondary locking system to keep the doors and steering wheel locked even if you crawl through the window and break open the steering column. When it's working, I'll post a video.
* The XJ D44s. My biggest hurdle. Mounting is pretty easy. Since my first post, I have already figured out the steering and linkage issues. I'll use the stock Rubicon tie rod and cut and weld an old Rubicon Extreme TJ track bar that I have. I am not going to move any of the control arm mounts. I'll use adjustable my old TJ double sheer upper and lower control arms, also from Rubicon Express. (I put over 80k miles on these things with no issues) The problems I have left to solve is tire clearance and fender flares. My son says I should go with a JDM style wide body kit. Too bad Jeep never made one. I may have to suck it up and go with some ugly ass off road style flares until I can come up with something better.
* I want the D44s because I'm worried the C8.25 can't handle my right foot. If I get the engine rebuild right, I will have about 180 to 205hp to the tires. I plan on scrapping the stock ECU for a Holley, adding a cam, throttle body, injectors, and a bit of finesse. If that doesn't work... then there may be an engine swap in the future.

I plan on doing the build in stages because I want to drive it sooner then later. It currently runs and drives, just not with the wheels and tires I want to use.
Stage 1 - Windshield, Interior mods, Doors, Mirrors, Alarm, etc..
Stage 2 - Frame stiffeners, Rock guards, Fender trimming
Stage 3 - Axles, Brakes, Suspension tuning, Bumpers
Stage 4 - Paint and Body restoration. Hopefully with some wheel flares that look somewhat stock... no boxy junk, no pocket holes, no exposed rivets or bolts, no Chinese crap!!! I want it to look like a factory modification. If I had a big-ass 3d printer, I would just make them.
Stage 5 - Engine and Exhaust. This is last because I have not completely ruled out an engine swap. I love the 4.0, but lets face it, it's pretty limited on performance and efficiency. The newer jeep v6 is too damned wide and not known for it's reliability. So, I've been looking at the LV3 Ecotec V6 (LS based 4.3 V6) that would fit very nicely under the XJ hood. It's E85 compatible and makes about 300hp - 300ft-lb on 87 octane. If I use this engine, it will make a little more than that after a cam swap and a tune. And besides, the XJ originally came with a GM V6. (before anyone asks, "Why not a V8?" I'm just not interested in copying everyone else. BTW, the cam for this little V6 is called a "BTR Truck Norris Jr."

 

[Jeepin_JD]

Here are a few photos of my project.

What it looked like before I bought it.



My son bought it for me and drove it to his house in Idaho. He switched out the wheels and tires with some stuff he had in his garage.



Then I flew out and did some basic maintenance before making the trip to Wisconsin. I left after lunch and headed home. Around 11:45 at night, I was somewhere between Jackson Hole and Casper when a Momma moose decided to headbutt the passenger side of the Jeep.



You can't really tell from the pictures, but the door was a lot worse before I pulled on the door handle. I've since straightened it completely. Right after this, the clutch started giving me issues. I couldn't put it in 1st gear or reverse if the engine was running. I figured the slave cylinder was leaking. So for the rest of the trip home, I had to stall it at every stop sign, shift into first, then start it up and go... Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.



When I got home, the first thing I did was upgrade all the bulbs in the entire Jeep to LED, including the headlights. I wish I would have had those headlights driving home. They make such an extreme difference and are worth every penny. Then I decided to tackle the clutch issue. I converted the transmission from an internal to an external slave cylinder using the complete kit from Advance Adaptors. I also added an Aluminum clutch master cylinder and steel braided lines.



This is what caused me to start the project... I can't leave well enough alone. That Genesis in the back ground is my last project it's not stock anymore. The engine went a week after the warranty expired. So, since I worked at a Ford dealer, I sourced a Coyote V8 from a wrecked F-150 and wedged it in there. It really wasn't that difficult since the car originally came with a 5 liter V8... It's just that this one is more reliable. Did you know they put D44s in the back of those Korean cars?

 

[Jeepin_JD]

SO... I wanted to just put JK wheels on my tired old XJ. But no... the bug had already bit me. So I started the research. Because of my other Jeeps, I just happen to have a few parts laying around as well. I came up with the idea of a resto-mod. I tried a few things first. After a bit of hit and miss, I refined my plan. Here's a few photos of what I've done to make the wheels fit.



The rear axle I modified was the original D35. It now has a Chry 8.25 under it that has also had the holes redrilled. In the front, I am using modified WJ knuckles and WJ unit bearings. I had to put on wheel spacers and use WJ lower control arms to keep these tires from rubbing. Though, If I hit any kind of bump when turning or if the axle articulates in the slightest, it catches the fender. It sits level front to rear. It has a great ride. It just needs more wheel clearance. These tires are 285/70 R17. They are roughly 33 inch tires. My other set of JK wheels has 255/70 R18 tires (32s)



Yes, that's my Costco lunch... These tires fit significantly better with minimal rubbing. That being said, I like the other wheels better and will have to get smaller tires for them.

This is where I'm at right now. I got a great deal on a set of JK Rubicon axles that I was going to use on a TJ Rubi-truck conversion for my youngest son. That project also took a different turn and left me with another set of axles. My thoughts are to use them on the XJ because of the better brakes and the lack of the need to use wheel spacers or adaptors. I'm going to have to modify the fenders anyway... so why not. And, I don't have to regear them.

Working full time with variable hours makes the project take a lot longer than I would like. I'll update as I make progress.

 

[Anak]

I love the project.

I have an affinity for white XJs with manual transmissions.

Glad the moose didn't do more damage than it did. That could have been much worse.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

* I want the D44s because I'm worried the C8.25 can't handle my right foot. If I get the engine rebuild right, I will have about 180 to 205hp to the tires. I plan on scrapping the stock ECU for a Holley, adding a cam, throttle body, injectors, and a bit of finesse. If that doesn't work... then there may be an engine swap in the future.

Stage 5 - Engine and Exhaust. This is last because I have not completely ruled out an engine swap. I love the 4.0, but lets face it, it's pretty limited on performance and efficiency. The newer jeep v6 is too damned wide and not known for it's reliability. So, I've been looking at the LV3 Ecotec V6 (LS based 4.3 V6) that would fit very nicely under the XJ hood. It's E85 compatible and makes about 300hp - 300ft-lb on 87 octane. If I use this engine, it will make a little more than that after a cam swap and a tune. And besides, the XJ originally came with a GM V6. (before anyone asks, "Why not a V8?" I'm just not interested in copying everyone else. BTW, the cam for this little V6 is called a "BTR Truck Norris Jr."

For reference, here's a thread on D44 vs C8.25: link

If nothing else, sticking with the 8.25 for now would give you more time to prep the 44 (although if you're going past 300HP, maybe an 8.8 would be the better option?

 

[Anak]

I have two 100 pound German Shepherds that love to go everywhere I go.

This thread needs pics of the German Shedders.

This was my 100lb German Shedder:



He actually made to 110, but that was because his Varmint was too generous with his feed. We got him back to his healthy 100lb weight.

 

[Jeepin_JD]

For reference, here's a thread on D44 vs C8.25: link

If nothing else, sticking with the 8.25 for now would give you more time to prep the 44 (although if you're going past 300HP, maybe an 8.8 would be the better option?

That's what I'm doing. I'm using the wheel spacers for now. I nee to figure out the fender flare issue before I go with the wider axles.

 

[Jeepin_JD]

Here's a few pictures of my two GSDs, Guardian and Lor. I also included a few pictures of my other Jeeps. My youngest is next to my first TJ (He just turned 20 today).