Time for a build thread... 2001 XJ

[anthrax323]

Oh snap. I completely forgot to post a pic of it all together:

Not a fan of the optics on my iPhone camera, but the point is there. I fabbed up my own license plate mount using a cheap-ass ball hitch (chopped with a sawzall) and some 3"x0.125" strap steel. Turned out pretty well in my opinion.

What's next? Well, I'm now ordering a few goodies from Serious Offroad to fix the issues presented by the lift (still can't get over how good his prices are):

• JKS ACOS (non-Pro)
• RE drop brackets and reinforcements
• RE1660 track bar
• RE1665 track bar bracket
• RE1670 track bar bracket reinforcement
• Either RE or JKS boomerang shackles (still need eye-to-eye measurements on both to determine my route)
• New OE or Moog YJ leaf spring bushings to replace the crap-ass, already-degraded stock RE bushings

After all that's done, I intend to enjoy it for a bit and figure out my roof rack options (need a bender with 1" square tube dies if I want to build it myself)... Then will come the fun stuff:

• Rear main seal and oil pan gasket replacement
• Transmission filter and pan gasket replacement
• Top-end tune-up, including new valves, valve springs, tappets, and a Mopar Purple cam (found one for $180 new, if his site is to be believed)
• Rebuilt 4-port injectors (can't remember the vehicles they come off, but they're the same specs as the factory single-port injectors and can be had for around $70/set from some sellers)
• New fuel pump to fix my failing check valve
• LineX the entire damn thing in desert tan, whilst retaining black trim/flares... Not a big fan of my current Michael J. Fox pinstriping jobs (gotta love mesquite)
• Re-gear to either 4.10s or 4.56s (tempted by the latter w/ 32's since this is no longer a daily driver)
• Determine a locker config (big if on this one - haven't needed them yet)
• Electronic speedometer corrector (don't want to re-gear the damn thing @$30+/pop each time something changes)
• TeraFlex 2-LO shift kit
• WJ disc and steering conversion on my benched HP30

Jesus... I'm gonna be out some money here pretty soon.

 

[anthrax323]

Update: none of the major work above has been done yet... Decided to wheel the piss out of it for a bit to break everything I could before dropping any coin.

As such, I now need to redo most of my exhaust... Lingering problems are now accentuated by a smashed downpipe and cracked headers due to overly-aggressive wheeling with a few beers in the system.

In any case, I have a few pics taken by a friend a few wheeling trips back (Hidden Falls in Marble Falls, TX).

Got to wheel with an FJ group a couple weeks ago and was damn proud to not only keep up, but lead the way (never thought I'd have someone accuse me of lying about having open diffs).

 

[anthrax323]

Just a quick update about what's been done since my last post (no pics yet):

• RE drop brackets
• RE1660/1665/1670 track bar setup
• V8 ZJ steering rebuild/replacement (grease boots on the Duralast parts I installed last May failed almost immediately, so I replaced them under their warranty while everything else was being done)
• ACOS installed (super easy - took 15 min/side with a reciprocating saw and a 3 lb hand sledge)
• New leaf bushings from Stengel Bros (RB-71 and RB-121)
• New control arm bushings from Andy at IronMan
• JKS boomerang shackles
• Both my oil pressure sender and my IAC failed within 100 miles of each other, so they've been replaced (cleaning the IAC did dick-all - it was still stuck in its extended/choking position)

Now, I'm the dumbass sitting on 5.5" of lift and 30's. Shocks are now a limiting factor up front, so I'm planning to pull them and find a ramp to measure for bumpstops and ideally some 12" shocks.


I also picked up a V8 ZJ sway bar from the junk yard yesterday, and subsequently learned there are *several* models that came on these vehicles (the 26mm I snagged was designed for the standard dual-bushing sway bar end links, whereas another one I saw was ever-so-slightly larger in diameter but built with smaller eyes for TRE-style sway bar links... Anyone familiar with this?). Need to do a little more research before I install it.


Ride quality is vastly improved, and I'm now finally focusing more on drivetrain and protection... I'm hoping to picked up a used Aussie or other grenade/lunchbox locker for the front while I save money and slowly chip away at the HP30 build I've been putting off (re-gearing to 4.56's, installing a full-case auto locker, and performing the WJ conversion). My exhaust is also in desperate need of attention, but that's going to be a wretched pain in the ass...

 

[anthrax323]

Pics for those who wonder what 5.5" of lift on worn 245/75R16s looks like (~30x9.5):

Also neglected to mention I bought a Trasharoo (which I'm stupifyingly excited about), and am currently talking to Brian from HDOR about a long-overdue set of roof sliders.

 

[yaromb]

OK, that's weird... Looks a it like my Jeep...

 

[anthrax323]

Now it looks even more like it - just finished my roof rack:

I absolutely love the DuraTracs, but now that I'm in need of new tires, I'm really leaning toward non-dual purpose tires (bought them while my jeep was a DD). I'm really wanting to go the pizza cutter route, so I'm looking at 255/85R16 BFG KM2's at this point (that'll justify re-gearing too).

Oh yeah, and I figured out the secret to redoing headliners: low-speed drill and a wire wheel.

Totally stripped (obsessively) in about 45 minutes total. Another 20 minutes for slathering on a layer of fiberglass resin (nobody ever told me how much of an exothermic reaction the hardener creates) and I was done for the evening.

Oh yeah, and 3M Headliner Adhesive (38808) is some nasty stuff. Tacks up in about 2 minutes (nowhere near the 5 they advise - I can't imagine that it's workable for up to 60 minutes like the can states) and allowed me to knock out my EZ Cool installation in about 30 minutes, all by my lonesome:

 

[Tony_SS]

Love the build... I like the 5.5" with the 245's too.. more room to flex.

Sorry if I missed it, what front bumper is that? Looks great.

 

[Lowrange2]

RigidCO

 

[anthrax323]

Thanks man. The lift/tire combo is a side effect of laziness and cheapness, but at this point I've set aside the money to go to 4.56's and get new tires... So I might go larger. I want to wait until I buy a tubing bender before going that route so I can cut deeper into the thing (rocker replacements, tube fenders, and so on).

Front bumper is a Rigidco FbG (2" front receiver that I built a license plate bracket for), rear bumper is a Detours Slimline. Both Terry and Mark (respectively) are extremely talented and build fantastic products.

 

[Redsnake]

Did you re-cover the headliner? I missed the pic, but was assuming you were. How are the results of the ezcool on the roof?

Nice build!

 

[bugout]

Subscribed! Originally from NE Texas!

 

[anthrax323]

Did you re-cover the headliner? I missed the pic, but was assuming you were. How are the results of the ezcool on the roof?

Nice build!

Yeah, I figured headliner work wasn't all that exciting so I didn't take any finished pics (plus, on the 2nd half of it, I got hasty and screwed it up in 2 spots... oh well). The EZ Cool does make a notable difference though. It seems to have eliminated the persistent heat that radiates from the ceiling/headliner after the car has been sitting in the sun all day. This made a huge impact on AC efficacy (on 100°+ days, I no longer need to drive the first 5 miles with the windows down).

Some of it may be placebo, but it was worth it in my case. Is it worth pulling the headliner just to do it? Meh, probably not.

 

[anthrax323]

Figured it was time for an update before I start collecting and uploading pics...

I've been running IronMan4x4Fab's original prototype short arms for several years now, and grew weary of the ever-increasing service interval on the polyurethane bushings (it was time for my third full set). They're fantastic arms, and Andy is awesome, but I wasn't ready to spend the money to convert them to Johnny Joints on the chassis side when it was more than half the price of new arms with clevite bushings (sorry man!), and I still would've had poly on one end.

That being said, I ponied up the cash for JKS 6100/7100 upper and lower control arms and installed them on Tuesday night. Ride quality is fantastic, and the XJ no longer pulls to one side while braking. A wheeling trip is scheduled for this Saturday to see how they do.

Last weekend, I also finally addressed the braking issues and installed Mr. Blaine's Black Magic stock-sized rotor/pad/caliper setup, along with some Rough Country 6" lift stainless steel lines. I finally feel safe towing with this thing again.

While doing the control arm installation, I realized that my Bilstein 5100's for ~4" of lift were limiting my front travel (now that I'm sitting at just shy of 5.5" of lift). New 5100's for ~5.5" of lift (model 24-185943) will arrive tomorrow and should be installed shortly thereafter (16.97" collapsed, 28.44" extended, meaning 4" more downtravel!).

When it comes to the rear, I'm beginning to realize it's time for some shackle relocation brackets, as well as longer shocks... But I absolutely dread the idea of replacing the rears again. I managed to hammer out the sheared-off bolt sand weld nuts, and fished in new flange nuts with a telescoping magnet, but I'm not too keen on doing that this weekend.

Once I get it on a ramp and on the trails after the shocks are installed, I'll also be doing a rear caliper flip in order to install Mr. Blaine's Wizard Brackets, as my E-brake is pretty much useless at this point (there's something cool about knowing that they'll increase the E-brake's holding power to the point that the tiny drums can destroy themselves).

Pics will follow.

Oh yeah, and to save a friend's car from being repo'd about 18 months ago, I bought his brand-new DuraTrac 265/75R16's off him, so the current tire size is more appropriate for the lift. Once these go, though, it'll be time to move over to some BFG MT's.

 

[iluv83vettes]

A group of us are going to Hidden Falls next weekend (26-28). You should come then.

 

[anthrax323]

Weather-depending, that's where we're going this Saturday for a day trip. PM me your contact info and we'll try to sync up the following weekend.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention in my last update that I also took my chances with the Omix-Ada/Rugged Ridge 3/16" steel transmission crossmember (since my OEM one was crushed to piss and back). It fit nearly perfectly, although I did have to bore out the transmission mount holes an additional 1/16" or so to get it to seat properly. Should make a solid base for a transfer case skid whenever I get around to it.

 

[anthrax323]

So I've been getting some things done (sorry I missed the trip - I'll start watching the Red River Chapter board from here on out), but dragging ass at the same time...

First, bump stop measuring flex pic:

Then I got Mr. Blaine's Wizard brackets installed on my rear parking brakes. Basically these parts were designed for TJ and LJ owners who wanted to outboard their shock mounts, made possible by flipping the brake calipers/backing plates from side to side on the vehicle (putting the calipers on the front side of the axle)... The side benefit to doing this is a MUCH longer pull on the parking brake lever, which makes up for the lack of leverage provided by the XJ's stock parking brake lever (as it was designed for 9" drums, not 6").

Seeing as I did a KJ swap, which uses exactly the same parts as the TJ/LJ, he confirmed they were compatible so I ordered a set.

Dear god, what a tight fit:

I see why he doesn't explicitly advertise them for use on disc rear XJ's... The leaf springs interfere with the brake components and cable routing far more than the coil setups on the TJ/LJ. Fortunately, everything fits, and the E-brake is actually useful for the first time since I did the conversion.

Oh yeah, and here's how the front looks now with the new 6" lift Bilstein 5100's and JKS arms:

Based on the bump stop angles (the above pic is with weight on the axle), along with my new-found steering twitchiness, I get the feeling I'm running very little caster... So I'll be doing a bit of an alignment this weekend.

I also realized that I hadn't looked at my rear driveshaft/pinion angles since I installed 4° shims years ago while I was running the RE leaves with stock shackles. After installing the JKS boomerangs some time ago, my pinion angle got all mucked up (we're talking 2°+ above the driveshaft)... Resulting in tons of vibration, along with a catastrophically failed U-joint a few months ago. I've removed the 4° shims and the pinion is now about 2° down from the driveshaft, and much smoother. I'll take some measurements this weekend as well to confirm these numbers.