project "Bad Influence"

unbarebable88xj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
colorado springs
jeepspeed is something i am new to so take it easy on my questions here lol. this is what i have so far a 89 cherokee donated to me with no drive train so i opt to got with a 71 ford 302 and c4 that i got cheap the engine and trans are already mounted in the jeep so now its on to suspension ideas. i know most guys run deaver packs in the rear but im on a budget and this is just a toy for me. so any ideas as far as what guys run other than deaver packs are welcome. then what are you guys running as front control arms and also springs and shocks. also need info as to where i can get seats,window nets, the air filter pump that hooks to the helmet for fresh air, i know where to get them just curious is one place is cheaper than others. any ideas and input would be greatly accepted thanks in advance. i would upload pics but i guess you have to be a member to do that
 
short arms and drop brackets will take you a long way. plate the entire length of the frame rails with 10g steel, watch race-dezert.com 's classified section for good deals on used parts like your seats and such. The bulk of your money should be saved and spent on good shocks (preferable something rebuildable/revalveable so you can dial em in and fix them if you blow them out), and good springs. The spring debate could go on for 100 pages, everyone has their own ideas on that one. Personally I think the shock valving has much more to do with making your suspension work right than the spring rate. Most of the go-fasters swear by deavers, but there are others out there like National, and even rusty's offroad makes a "jeepspeed" coil that's supposed to be somewhat decent. Truss your axles and plan on at least a basic cage to keep you safe in case all hell breaks loose.

Welcome to the most expensive thing you can do with your XJ without building a full on buggy :D Money spent in the right places now will keep you from spending tons of it later to fix the parts that can't keep up.
 
thanks for the info Grimm i have drop brackets and was planning on running those just didnt know if it was something to do or not. a bulk of my attention will be going to the cage itself i plan on a full cage from bumper to bumper with a beefed up drivers compartment. as far as shocks go i was told to run the 7000 series bilstein good or no? i have already started on plating the frame and still have to truss my axles and i will look into these other sites for my spring options thanks again
 
Bilstien makes some great shocks, 7100s is a good start but I would suggest going with a minimum of a 2.0 bodied shock, you're going to need the extra oil volume to keep from overheating them especially up front with that v8 engine. I run 9100 coilovers up front but that's a whole 'nother can of worms :D A used set of Fox shocks is probably the best bang for the buck and they can be found cheap on race dezert used and revalved for your needs easily and cheaply. T&J performance makes a great upper shock mount conversion setup to run shocks that have eyes at both ends which will greatly improve your chance of finding a set of used shocks that will work for you.

Also, you can host your pics on an image hosting site like www.photobucket.com for free and paste the IMG Code links it gives you here to show off your project.
 
jeep
t4.jpg


mounts getting welded in
t3-1.jpg


motor in the jeep
t2-1.jpg


t1-1.jpg
 
here's my pile of crap in it's current state, waiting for a big sack of money to fall out of the sky so I can finish it :D

DSCF3556.jpg

DSCF3329.jpg
 
You need to talk to a shock guy to figure out your valving. I am not him, lol. But, if you plan on going bilsteins shoot a PM to "RandomThoughtsRace" on here, his name is Joel and he's a shock tech for Bilstein's offroad racing R&D team. He can help you figure out where to start and once you get it in the dirt he can help you fine tune it to get the most out of your setup.


Also read through the thread of the month posts here: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1037602

We haven't really kept up with it every month, but there is some great info in those threads.
 
mike it should be plugged in the wall next to that table in the living room that we put the mail and stuff on


grimm im def digging the coil overs how much did those set you back? what leafs are you running in the rear? also the hood scoop and the fenders where can those be found. i def need a hood scoop no way around it.
 
The coilovers are prototype bilstien goodies, they set me back... well a lot lol. I got them from CrazyJim, who had Joel build them to his specs. There isn't another set like em, and trust me they're worth every penny.

I can get you some more pics of whatever you'd like, just shoot me a PM. The fenders are hanneman fiberglass 6" flat tops, and the hood scoop was built by a member here, I got ahold of it when he parted out his jeep. it's functional, feeds into a canister with the air filter inside that hangs under the hood and connects via a flexible hose directly to the throttle body. the front and rear of it are two separate sections, the rear vents heat out while the front sucks air in. It's pretty heavy, but I'm happy with it :D
 
you mentioned jeepspeed, this thing aint gonna race is it?
if no, forget the window nets... and i'd only buy a clean air system if i spent a lot of time in other people's dust....
 
you mentioned jeepspeed, this thing aint gonna race is it?
if no, forget the window nets... and i'd only buy a clean air system if i spent a lot of time in other people's dust....

very valid points. if you do plan to race it, it's not going to be in the jeepspeed classes with that ford engine.
 
From what i know of.......


this jeep isnt going to race anything other than "for fun against the clock" stuff out here. we have a growing population of ranger guys and full size chevys that think they are bad asses and the project is an undertaking to let them know jeep still wins....


but yes there is the plan to be around other people (in appropriate areas) using the jeep to its limits. hence the priority of the cage being in before it goes out
 
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