Halo Master Chief Cherokee XJ Build

[Bpebler]

I have been meaning to post this for some years now, but I am so busy traveling with work, family, working on the house and other hobbies that I just have not gotten around to it due to other priorities. Then I saw within the last year that rockstar energy had been fabricating a Halo Master Chief edition Jeep Gladiator that looked amazing - so they beat me to it! :dunce: I haven’t posted many pictures of my jeep online anywhere, so I believe their idea to be original, although I have been working on mine towards this final goal for years now! :clap: I’m also not a big company with tons of disposable funds so I guess that plays a part in timing of the finished product also. I have begun a general overview video and I will follow up with segmented videos on each part of the build of the Jeep that I plan on posting to YouTube before choosing an auction block to let go of this beloved vehicle of mine that I have owned for about 12 years now and even used to be my only vehicle and daily driver for quite some time. There is also quite an interesting story on how I obtained this Jeep that I will share in either a comment, different thread, or video as well. Originally, I have said that I would never, ever get rid of this vehicle for various reasons, mainly that it is paid off and we have put so much work into it but I just couldn’t imagine letting it go. And for this kind of build it actually does drive really smooth on the road in comparison to some other Jeeps where it spends most of its time still. However, I think my reoccurring back and hip problems have just kept me from enjoying this vehicle as much as I used to & I think I will get more into road racing (if I can handle it with a good, custom bolstered seat) or drag racing, although I’d prefer the turns. I’ve already sold my 99 Trans Am & the Jeep will be the next of the price is right. There are more mild builds than this one that I have seen on other sites, like bringatrailer.com for example, that go for around the 25k-ish range so I believe this one may go for more. There’s also some profound Halo Master Chief collectors out there & since there was only one other Halo Edition Jeep made so far that could have only been obtained by winning Rockstar Energy drinks contest, this would so far be the only other option to obtain a similar build - the only 2 in the world that I know of so far. For now, I will just be posting pics on this site until I add the finishing touches & make more videos. I will post the build & parts info, as well as what parts I already have that I still need to install soon. Thanks for looking! arty:

 

[Bpebler]

These are the most current exterior photos I have & reflect it’s current state, minus the WJ sway bar swap I recently completed - which has definitely helped at highway speeds & higher wind days A TON in comprising the the XJ bar. The light bar & fog lights are dual function lights from Rough Country that either has an amber glow OR a white glow via 2 way switch. I also have amber light covers for dense fog & to protect the lenses themselves.

 

[Bpebler]

Kenwood Excelon DDX9907XR Touchscreen CD/DVD Player with integrated backup camera & hands free phone operation. Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Awesome addition to the Jeep. Can upload off-road maps in addition to on road routes, play Spotify, etc. Painted bezel to match Black Rock wheels. Putco LED LightBlade added to rear bumper for better brake & turn signal lights than the light kit you order for the JCR steel taillight housings. Headlights work AMAZING after trying out several different kinds & upgrading to H4 wire harness - can finally see great through either dark or foggy roads or both. WJ steering & brake conversion - IRO pre drilled rotors & Wagner thermoquiet pads. Ruffstuff tubes with Moog & Barnes 4wd TRE’s. Fox Thru-Shaft Steering Stabilizer. Clayton Long Arm Kit. Ruffstuff frame stiffeners. Bilstein 5100 8”shocks in rear, 7100 12” dual reservoir rebuildable shocks in front. 6.5” lift with 33” Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tires - matching 5th wheel with Firestone Destination MT. Clayton 4.5” front coil springs with 2” spacer & Rusty’s 4.5” leaf springs with 2” Teraflex rear shackles. Magnaflow Cat with Flowmaster muffler - still need to finish tailpipe & tip. Brown Dog HD engine brackets & motor mounts soon to be replaced with Stinky Fab mounts simmering in the garage. Stinky Fab transmission mount. Rusty’s sway bar links with WJ sway bar & poly bushings. Steering box brace. Dana 30 trussed/gusseted with Powertrax Lockrite No-slip Locker - Riddler diff cover. Ford 8.8 from Ford Explorer Sport with LSD - 4.10 gears with Ruffstuff diff cover & disc brakes. :guitar:

 

[Bpebler]

256k on body, transmission, & transfer case with new chain, 100k on Jasper engine.

 

[Bpebler]

Pics of the recently upgraded WJ sway bar with Prothane poly bushings & copper colored sway bar locks with new Rusty’s disconnects. When we originally did the WJ steering & brake conversion, we used the RE sway bar drop brackets & XJ sway bar, but the WJ bushings clamps could not be reused in the same area this time & so to avoid cutting the brackets off I experimented by using one of the existing holes on the bottom side of the bumper & drilling a new one to match. The bumper is held on by 7 bolts on each side of the frame - 14 total, with the 3 going through the JCR steering box brace & paired with a frame-to-frame steering box brace. I also have a Stinky Fab track bar brace that I need to slightly modify for extra reinforcement, although it’s more of a preventative measure to keep the upper track bar mount from cracking. I noticed when we added the frame stiffeners that it had begun to pull away from the frame, so we boxed it in & welded it to the stiffeners & added triangular gussets on the other 3 sides. It rides tremendously on the highway in comparison now. 70-75 mph is smooth sailing, even on bumpy roads & windy days or passing a semi. Overall I’m really happy with it so far.

 

[Bpebler]

Monstaliner WWII OD Green & Black. Warn Epic Fairlead & Epic D-Rings. Factor55 rear hitch mount to add a center D-ring. Soon to equip with MAC D-vice as well for rebuilding on the trail. Added 117 novelty plate to similar place as Master Chief’s 117 on his left chest.

 

[Bent]

I don't recognize the cowl air intake tube.

 

[Bpebler]

I don't recognize the cowl air intake tube.

I’m sorry, I should’ve been more specific on that one. I keep going back to look at photos and trying to member everything I’ve done over the years. That is a discontinued Spectre brand cowl intake that I actually purchased new from a user on here, David Bricker. If I remember correctly, the Thor brand Cowl intake has the filter closer to the firewall and I like the position of this one I have better for ease of cleaning. Plus it’s a lightweight aluminum tig welded and just looks a little better than the high density plastic & should, in theory, have better paint adhesion. Painted it over 4.5 years ago & still looks good.

 

[Bpebler]

Spectre Cowl Intake (discontinued), HPS Silicone hoses, aluminum radiator, Banks TorqueTube Header ceramic coated in copper to match to be installed soon along with Harland Sharp roller rockers, Dorman valve cover, & Big 7 electrical cables upgrade. Bored throttle body from Boosted Technologies. This setup would be complete & correctly primed to install their supercharger kit. I had planned on purchasing the side mount XJ kit from them but will likely put it on the auction with everything else done except that kit so that the buyer has the option to choose. It just doesn’t make financial sense to put over $4k into it before selling since someone will likely not see the ROI on the sale post installation. RKF rock sliders, Rusty’s fender & door armor.

 

[Bent]

I like the idea of more room in the engine compartment. On the other hand I like having a very large filter. Catch 22. Seeing that your intake was not plastic, but welded is what caught my eye.

 

[Bpebler]

I like the idea of more room in the engine compartment. On the other hand I like having a very large filter. Catch 22. Seeing that your intake was not plastic, but welded is what caught my eye.

I agree with you there, having a big filter is certainly a good thing. The main purpose I went this route is to make room for the side mount supercharger, but likely not even going to go that route anymore. I’m told that the 1.7:1 non-adjustable roller rockers paired with the larger throttle body & intake/exhaust really wake up the 4.0 by giving the cam the added duration anyway even before adding the forced induction afterwards. Big thanks to CobraMarty for all the in depth info. I’m going to invest in some PRP elite reclining daily drivers seats with lumbar supports for now instead which are a pretty penny. The existing seats are in great shape but don’t match anymore (due to a mistake on my end in dealing with an idiot shop a long time ago) & my back needs some extra care nowadays.

 

[Bpebler]

The addition of the 1.7:1 non-adjustable roller rockers & Banks Torque Tube Header has made a significant impact on engine performance. The engine idles smoother with more acceleration available across the board, especially the high end. I’m able to finally pass people with ease if needed up hills. I’ve noticed that I don’t need to lay my foot into the accelerator nearly as much. Overall, it feels like the Jeep isn’t working nearly as hard to do what it needs to do. Very happy with it & highly suggest.

I plan on swapping some Grand Cherokee front seats & cleaning it up for sale in the coming months. I will post it for sale here first & if there’s no takers then I’ll check locally before going to bringatrailer.com for an auction. The only parts I haven’t installed yet is just DEI Injector Wrap (although I’ve never personally had heat soak issues), Big 7 HD Electrical Cables Kit, an additional custom track bar brace from Stinky Fab (although again, just a preventative & likely not necessary the way I have mine already reinforced), & some hood spacers.