An XJ build thread!

[upsidedownxj]

Hey y'all, been lurkin on here for a while. Finally had some time to support this site and put together a thread.

Project Jasmine

Acquired as:
1991 Cherokee Limited
160k
Silverstone Metallic (resprayed)
Some minor subframe damage
California Jeep
Never wheeled.. bought this thing as a street XJ
AEM CAI and street radials. Cat dump exhaust :dunno:
In need of general maintenance
Threw on a yakima basket and got a spare and this is how she sat.



Got to work pretty much immediately. (2 year process) :looser:
Rustys HD motor mounts.
New crossmember bolts (stripped out and missing when i got it)
Harmonic Balancer
Radiator flush, oil change, tune up.
Delta H4 kit
Proper exhaust.. Flowmaster 40 series
Freshly rebuilt aw4 (failed me on a tahoe trip)
RE 4.5" superflex kit

Post Lift



Slapped on a beefy Cavfab HD crossover steering kit and some Cooper 33x12.5x15s.

 

[upsidedownxj]

Started on a little fender trimming today.

 

[DocTremp]

Nice XJ! I have the same lift in my xj and I’ve been really happy with it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BigNuge]

Nice rig...


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[RCP Phx]

With those control arm angles you might find the ride a little rough, I see some DB's in your future along with a coil spacer to level it out.

 

[Peteinpeb]

Looks like a very nice build! In my opinion the 1991s were some of the best XJs every built. I used to have one. How do you like the CAV fab steering with those 33s?

 

[Evan03]

Sweet build

Keep sharing

 

[upsidedownxj]

Thanks for the props guys, shes a bit of a gem for sure. Almost zero rust too. 91 was my preference as well. H/O, non vacuum disco, H/p d30, 8.25 rear, np242. Still kinda AMCish.

With those control arm angles you might find the ride a little rough, I see some DB's in your future along with a coil spacer to level it out.

Most definitely on the list. As well as a shackle relocation kit. The ride is a bit ass puckering; even with the RE bilstein monotubes.

straight 90 :tear:


Hoping a proper 45 angle and a rear bumper with spare carrier will fix the rake.

 

[upsidedownxj]

Looks like a very nice build! In my opinion the 1991s were some of the best XJs every built. I used to have one. How do you like the CAV fab steering with those 33s?

Cav Fab is a great kit. Very high quality and probably more beefy than necessary... lol. If you are considering going with it, get the high clearance kit. My penny pinchin ass got the standard kit because its cheaper and I wanted easy alignment. Had to relocate my passenger side sway bar end link for drag link clearance. As well as my track bar bolt not clearing the tie rod. Still dealing with that. Anyone had this issue?

Heres a pic. Thinking I can find a slim head bolt with an integrated washer?


Synergy sway bar end link relocation bracket installed.

 

[upsidedownxj]

Installed a steering box brace today, courtesy of Kevin's Off-road. Great product. Pretty much bolts right in, besides having to install new energy poly bushings and brackets.




Also dialing in the steering geometry. My trackbar and draglink have about 9 degrees difference right now. Minor bumpsteer going on. Need to fix that :helpme:

 

[GordoSmasho]

I dont see 9degrees. They arent that bad. The line is from the mounting point to mounting point. Not the shape of the bar.

 

[upsidedownxj]

Thanks for the knowledge Gordo :dunce: Ill have to check but probably only a couple degrees off.

Doing all the work myself with basic tools and the wealth of knowledge on this site and some BleepinJeep assistance. So there is a bit of a learning curve. Hope y'all are safe and enjoying the down time to wrench on your rigs.

 

[GordoSmasho]

All good man. Build threads are great. Seeing build progressions and the story behind them is what makes the forums better than social media. Keep it up man.

 

[upsidedownxj]

Could not agree more brotha; as someone who has frequented forums since my youth and gained a lot of inspiration and know-how from forums like these.

Meanwhile, I gotta chop these fenders up. After I finish my homework. :flipoff:

 

[madmax]

Build threads are great. Forums are great. Having to third part host pictures.......total buzz kill

 

[GordoSmasho]

Build threads are great. Forums are great. Having to third part host pictures.......total buzz kill

I just use tapatalk. It hosts everything for me. Have been using it for almost ten years. Paid 10bucks for premium one time and done. Every pic i have ever posted is still there.
No links to copy and paste. All right from my phone. Actually easier than posting to ig or facebook. Gives you sizing options. It doesn’t host video though. So ill give you that. But youtube will do that for free.

 

[madmax]

That's some solid info. Gonna have to look in to it

 

[upsidedownxj]

Total ****in buzzkill. But sometimes you gotta sacrifice the ol' buzz for the greater good. Gotta get Tapatalk, been putting that one off for years.

Passenger side fender is trimmed. Progress is slow this week due to education

 

[upsidedownxj]

Some headway made this week. After much violence, swearing and victory beers, I replaced my upper control arm bushings. They were SHOT. Had been putting this one off but due to this crisis, i ran out of excuses.





For anyone considering doing this, I highly recommend it. Very much worth the effort. But a total PITA if you dont own proper air tools like myself.

 

[upsidedownxj]

I then finished trimming the front fenders and threw the basket and spare on.

:yelclap:





So much work to be done still. But this is a very rewarding stage. I planned on just making this Jeep an overland style rig but I am quickly realizing the tables are going to turn and it will become a crawler.. Happy Earth day fellas. Hope you all are well.