Streetable trail rig budget build take 2

[bsr26]

I may have some Lower Rusty's arms made for stock wheels and 3" lift up for sale hopefully next week. If your interested. I gotta get my RK 3-Link on.

 

[WTF]

Update:

I took the rest of the winter off of wheelin after camping in 15 degree weather at Gray rock where I laid the jeep on the side, and waited for warmer weather.

I replaced the transmision mount in the down time. The two bolts that hold the mount onto the tranny were finger tight . The mpount was shot and everything is much better now.

This past weekend, I went out on the first wheelin trip of the spring to River Rock orv park in Milledgeville, GA. It's an awesome park!!! lots of 'big rocks' and bypasses around the extreme stuff for us little guys.

I rode for several hours on Saturday morning with mostly rigs on 37's and up locked f&r. I attempted to keep up and was really pleased with how well my low lift budget beater did as far as keeping up with 'the big dogs'.

Carnage for the weekend was a popped bead while being winched up the position on the ledge pictured below and a lower radiator hose failure. (the previous owner had just replaced the radiator when I bought it in Dec, but apparently replacing the radiator hoses was too much additional effort :smsoap:.) I spent the rest of the day getting to town to get hoses and replacing both radiator hoses and bleeding the hellish closed cooling system.

all in all I was pleased with the performance of the jeep, but I decided I wanted an additional inch or so of lift on both ends, trim the bumpers at all 4 corners, and a locker for the front is now on my shopping list.

 

[WTF]

I added back the longest leaf of the stock XJ pack into the S-10 leaf mix that I had in there. This change netted me an additional 1.25 inches or so. This puts me around 3.5 inches total in the rear.

Results are pictured here with my new 32x11.5 dayton a/t street tires that i scored for 10 bucks off craigslist.

I like this stance better than the last, but it isn't as soft as before which I liked.





Up next; surgery on the bumpers and rear quarters!

 

[roXJeepr]

Hell yeah! Now you're jakked WAY up in the air... like mine :roflmao:

Now... if you'd just learn how to drive you coulda got up that spot instead of winch :moon:

Dale

 

[Georgia Mike]

COOL! I love it when someone puts together an XJ on a budget! Congrats on the D-44, too. I could only have dreamt of finding a 44 under my XJ when I found it, but no! It had a 35 in it.......assgas:

 

[WTF]

Hell yeah!...
Now... if you'd just learn how to drive you coulda got up that spot instead of winch :moon:

Dale

It was super dry and dusty out there this weekend; very close to sand wheeling, everything was under a solid layer of powder several inches thick. The front end just wasn't grabbing there; if i was locked up front i think i would have had a good chance to make it out.

Also I can't drive, and thus why I buy parts to add and make it look like i can ..

But I also didn't want to flop and further hold up the 'big dogs' i was running with with a flop extraction

Hopefully I'll get a run in between now and the crawl to further fine tune the waggy. My brother will hopefully be bringing out the big XJ to the crawl and we can 'chinese firedrill' between the two rigs and the two of us:spin1: .

 

[WTF]

COOL! I love it when someone puts together an XJ on a budget! Congrats on the D-44...

Total investment has poked into the 4 digits after the tranny mount, hoses, Street rollers, and the LCA's (Rustys [ :explosion ], that I picked up used locally for next to nothin, went in before the weekend too; forgot to mention it) ; $1120 thus far. Knowing the rear axle is worth ~75% of that on ebay helps me rationalize the whole investment

I can't wait to check out your new rig at the crawl!:thumbup:

 

[bmanga]

Good stuff Andrew!! BMan from Offcamber here......

I do have to say a "REAL" wagoneer looks like this though..yank....yank .....O I'm going to pay for that!

 

[WTF]

Hacked up the front bumper this evening. relocated the vacuum bottle and the horns while I was at it.

And yes, I'm aware that they aren't quite even; the saw caught on the pass side and i had to just gol with it. A rock contact or two later, you will not be able to tell anyways

I had hoped to get a good start on the rears but sliced up a finger or two pretty good while trimming a bumper corner and called it an evening. It sucks not having a garage big enough for a workbench to work on.

 

[bmanga]

Your down in Peachtree City GA aren't you? I was going to say your always welcome to come over and use mine but it's a drive to Marietta GA.:banghead:

 

[MELKORsXJ]

looks good man... i hope to find myself a project XJ sometime soon... and it'll definetly be on a budget!

 

[roXJeepr]

Also I can't drive, and thus why I buy parts to add and make it look like i can ..

Just ribbin ya man. I've seen you on lower 2... so I already know you can't drive. Again... just ribbin :laugh: I wanna see the Acura on the trails dammit!

Dale

 

[WTF]

I wanna see the Acura on the trails dammit!

As soon as I'm done making payments on it, I've got a little something in mind for it:firedevil

 

[TheDiabetic]

Your Jeep makes me happy. Can't wait to see mine with some 32's my lift looks stupid on 235's

 

[bmanga]

As soon as I'm done making payments on it, I've got a little something in mind for it:firedevil

Now that's funny I don't care who ya r! :laugh:

 

[WTF]

....I decided I wanted an additional inch or so of lift on both ends, trim the bumpers at all 4 corners, and a locker for the front is now on my shopping list.

UPDATE:

I put an extra leaf back in the rear end; it's at the height I want it but I feel like I lost some of the flex I had before. Decided I'm happy with where the front is at for now...

All 4 corners have been trimmed.

The front is now locked up (all 4 wheels are pulling, so I can now only blame my driving inadequacy on tire size and ground clearance). Build cost has been pushed to just over 12 bills :greensmok:
I'll try to get pics tomorrow

I've got some general maintenence to do before the crawl next weekend and will report back after getting her back on the trails.

 

[WTF]

Delayed update:

Took the rig to Tellico for the Cherokee crawl. It performed as well if not better than I could have expected. I ran lower 2 only having to get one tug through a V-notch because I just didn't have enough clearance at the rockers.
Of course, I have no photos to prove this and only appear in a few seconds of video ( I think the bigger guys didn't want proof that my P.O.S. made it .) ; there were witnesses, but you'll just have to take my word on it :illegalflipoffsmiley:

I also ran several other trails (pinch-rock, guardrail/heliscopter pad, bypassed because I didn't want the fan to eat the radiator and I turned around at the ledge at upper 2; I could have been winched up it and probably destroyed the passenger side but I like to have my glass because the rig is stored outside)

The gas tank self clearanced and probably holds a few gallons less now in its new shape. My motor mounts revealed that they were pretty much shot and the radiator fan made contact with the fan shroud whenever I got on the throttle too judiciously.

For now my only plans are to replace the motor mounts, armor up the gas tank, tranny pan, and oil pan.

I could not be happier with what this rig is capable of for the very small investment I have made in it.

 

[WTF]

Update;

Finally hit the trails again... I replaced the motor mounts sometime last fall and made the trip to Morris Mtn, AL last weekend with a local jeep club. The jeep performed very well and did pretty much what I wanted it to. It was wet and sloppy out there with all the recent rainfall.

I beat on her pretty hard and everything held together well.

Carnage tally:
-2 blown tires (1 sidewall gash, 1 tread separation 2 miles out of the park)
-1 broken shock mount
-1 bent t-case skid
- a few new battle scars


Plans:
-pick up some TSL Swampers
-Build a beefy t-case skid
-build or buy a fuel tank skid
-1/2 selection mod on the tranny.

 

[shelbyluvv]

Andrew, It's Bo from the SJ ride. I was your jack man for the NASCAR pit stop. And I was in the gray WJ. It was a blast watching you beat the tar out of that thing on the trail.

Hit up NEVER MONDAY on SJ and tell him you want the tank skid. It was supposed to be mine but I sold the XJ. You can have it if Pat will give it to ya for free.