Time for a build thread... 2001 XJ

[anthrax323]

After trying everyone's patience with stupid questions and hypotheticals, I'm finally starting my build thread (as my 3.5" lift from RE is arriving sometime this coming week). Aside from a ~1.5" cheapo/ghetto lift that I've had for a long time (spacers up front with load-adjusting SensaTracs in the rear), I'm finally starting to butcher my rig.

Currently it's sitting on ~30" Goodyear DuraTracs (245/75R16) on 16" Moabs. Yesterday, after much deliberation, I decided to purchase a set of Hella 700FF's which were mounted directly to the stock bumper and went ahead and did some trimming to eliminate what little rub I've encountered thus far. This installation is actually what prompted this thread, as I couldn't for the life of me find any pics of the 700FFs on a semi-stock XJ when attempting to choose between them and the 500s.

So, without further adieu, here she is the day I bought her.

After some fun with a RotoZip and my drill, here she is with the Moabs, DuraTracs, and the shiny new Hella 700FFs:

What remains to be done... Well, my RE6025 of course (minus the LCAs but add the adjustable track bar, as I have a full set of adjustable IronMan uppers and lowers awaiting installation), and now that I have a decent compressor, a high-pinion Dana 30 and spare 29-spline 8.25" will be sandblasted and torn down sometime over the next couple weeks:

I also have a 242 out of a 2003 WJ that will be going in once I figure out whether or not the main shaft has the teeth needed to drive the mechanical speedometer, and if so, once I convince Tom Woods to sell me their HD SYE with a mismatched core deposit (as the tail housing on the WJ model 242 is cast for a mechanical speedometer, but has not been drilled out).

Aside from these goodies, plans for the axles include:

• WJ front disc and steering swap (already sourced the parts, negotiating and deliberating purchase right now)
• KJ rear disc swap (the only complications I've seen thus far will involve the change in threading of brake lines, so maybe a little custom work will be required)
• TrueTracs front and rear, 4.10 gears
• Mild trussing for the HP30

Aside from the axles, I'm also planning on:

• A Detroit Slimline rear bumper with tire carrier (no 2" receiver as I plan on keeping the factory hitch as a bit of gas tank protection)
• Rigid FbW or FbG once I decide whether or not I want an integrated winch or a 2" receiver-mounted winch (as this would lend the option of pulling through an obstacle, or backing out of it)

Ultimately, this rig is being built as an "expeditionary" vehicle (though what I'll be doing hardly qualifies, hence the quotes). Not a big rock crawler - I'm more interested in reaching pretty much any destination I choose while retaining some semblance of road manners while getting there.

In any case, this thread will serve as the collection point for all my "Hey, look what I did!" posts. Time for some fun.

 

[userbmx1315]

havent really looked it up, but would the front drive shafts make a difference with the lp and hp? also you say that you got a c8.25, i'm asuming you have a d35, what do you plan to do about the abs?

what size tires are you planning to run?

 

[Original_MudButt]

Looks good so far... Keep it up!

 

[moparmansfield]

great minds think alike! ha. im pretty much doing the exact same build on the exact same xj with the same goals in mind. let me know how you like those iron man arms. im going to be buying the ironman adj u.c.as and keepin the r.e. lcas. also guna be buying ironmans heavy duty trac bar system with the brace. i did the 3.5 superflex, 29spl8.25 swap, t-case drop and 31/10.50s procomp muds, so far..
subscribed.

 

[anthrax323]

Very nice! Glad to see others with similar goals - glad to hear any input or tips you may have along the way.

havent really looked it up, but would the front drive shafts make a difference with the lp and hp? also you say that you got a c8.25, i'm asuming you have a d35, what do you plan to do about the abs?

what size tires are you planning to run?

I actually already have a 29-spline 8.25" without ABS, but got a good deal on the pair with a bench build in mind. This will allow me to spend some time to get things right without worrying about crippling my DD. Going to HP in the front (from LP) should allow me to keep the stock front shaft, fortunately.

 

[whitexj98]

What size tire are you going to run?

 

[anthrax323]

Whoops, my bad. Currently 30.5x9.5, ultimately I'm planning on going no larger than 31x10.5. For the types of wheeling I'm planning, I see no need for anything larger (and I'd really like to retain the stock body - that is, no sheetmetal trimming).

 

[anthrax323]

Well, Christmas came a little early... My parts were sitting on the living room floor when I got home, and my roommate never bothered to tell me they've been there since yesterday (been staying at my girlfriend's place all week).

In any case, in order to give me the opportunity to install this lift this weekend, I hastily bought a set of ProComp ES3000 shocks for ~4" lift from 4WheelParts, as they're right around the corner. Ultimately I was eying Bilstein 5100s for this, as you know...

Are the ES3000 shocks worth two sh*ts? I seem to read really mixed reviews about them, but generally they seem to be considered a middle-of-the-road shock for lifted vehicles (in the twin-tube arena). Should I even bother installing them, or should I return them tomorrow and just patiently await a set of Bilstein 5100s?

 

[clean4drxj]

return them and wait for the bilsteins

 

[austinaubinoe]

yes Bilsteins are worth the money. since your not gonna wheel it that hard those 5100's are gonna last a long while. I run 5150's which is basically the same shock, and they ride AWSOME!


Oh and I would go ahead and gear to 4.56. going from 3.73 to 4.10's isnt really worth it. Or better yet, get a 4cyl TJ axle ( HP really wont make a difference at that height, and 4cyl tj's are more common then XJ's) and pick up a 4.10 trac lok ford 8.8...... very easy to install.

just trying to save you a little coin.

 

[Oil Town XJ]

you will hate your jeep running es3000's

 

[anthrax323]

Well, I finally have some progress made... Thanks for all the tips on the shocks, I returned them and bought Bilstein 5100s all the way around (couldn't rationally justify 5150s for the front). In any case, I've got the front installed after many hours of being a moron and cursing the name of everything dear to me:

Right now I'm just a bit peeved at how high it's sitting... 3.5" my ass, this is more like 5". Is this normal with Rubicon Express?

I'm hoping to start on the rear this evening, so I'll continue to post pics... At this point, given how much of a royal pain in the ass replacing bushings has proven to be (managed to get the passenger-side front axle-side upper control arm bushing replaced after something like 3 hours), I'll likely avoid replacing the chassis-side shackle bushings until later.

 

[Begster]

Yes, probably the most notable thing about RE is that their lift heights are higher than advertised. Give it a little time to break in, and it will settle a bit (at least the rear will).

 

[rweaver138]

x2 about RE there lifts always sit high, they tend to settle after a while though.

 

[austinaubinoe]

dang the front looks high! might want to had a shackle to the rear, the coils dont settle that much.

 

[anthrax323]

Fortunately, in that pic, the rear leaves have not been installed yet (hence the *major* height difference).

Now that I'm working on the rear, I'm having a hell of a time removing the front leaf spring bolts... I picked up a 1/2" drive breaker bar (18" long, Craftsman), soaked the bolts in PB blaster (through the hole in the unibody rail), and used a floor jack to apply torque to the breaker bar but can't even get them to budge. The breaker bar simply torqued about 30 degrees without moving the bolt a single bit.

I've heard that a combination of PB Blaster and heat is the best way to go to avoid shearing. I've never had to heat a bolt to remove it before, so I have a few questions:

1) Would a propane torch suffice?
2) How long should I heat it each time?
3) Should I let it cool down before attempting to torque it again?
4) Should I heat it from the bolt head side (outside of the frame rail) or aim the flame into the hole in the frame rail to reach the nut inside?

Thanks a ton in advance... I really, really, really don't want to risk shearing either of these bolts as that would make this a new level of hell I'm not ready for.

 

[anthrax323]

Realizing I tend to make EVERYTHING more complicated than it has to be, I went ahead and approached the situation logically...

After heating the bolt with my torch for about 30 seconds on each side (after letting the PB Blaster soak for 20 min), the bolt came right out with surprisingly little effort. The build continues!

 

[Begster]

My bet is the rear will be higher than the front once installed.

 

[anthrax323]

New hurdle! I've done research but still find myself stuck...

The rear leaf spring bolt appears to be seized to the bushing sleeve, as it turns with resistance but will not come out of the shackle (I did manage to get the nut off). Slamming it with a 5 lb hammer has done nothing but mangle the tip of the bolt, although I can still thread the nut onto it.

Any tips? I've heated it, soaked it in PB, heated it, repeated... Still no go. I'd skip to a ball joint press but due to the limited space, I cannot get one in there.

Tips?

 

[XJOutsider]

I have used a mini cut off will in my rotery tool and cut the metal Sleve then split it with a chizle it apart.