What are you doing to your rig - the continuing saga

Bushings at both ends. Again, it was an unexpected round of modification. We made the panhard bar by kutting apart his Kevin's Offroad (I think) adjustable panhard bar. When we were trying to figure out how to build one I offered up some of my 3/4-3/4 heims from my traction bar on the YJ but we didn't have any tubing adapters and no way to get them. We had to get the Jeep done that night so we adapted and got a bit creative. As it turned out his aftermarket panhard was 1.25 OD so we cut the bushings off the ends and sliced it up to get rid of all of the bent bits. Then I welded the bushing ends back onto the threaded section and the other on a 8" piece of the original tubing. We also took a good 10" of the threaded tubing from the other ends. Both pieces of that original tubing were then slid into some 1.5" .120wall ERW I had. Welded at the endsa and plug welded along the length of the tubing. We were already discussing going over to a heim at the frame end once the mount there is revised to get the angles and lengths exactly the same on the drag link and panhard. Might do a heim on the axle side too. Either way though I want to make it to where both ends are threaded so that you can adjust it w/o removing the panhard.
 
Cleaned and detailed the XJ and added a bottle opener to the bumper that David built me a month or so ago... This is a rare view of a clean XJ... Look at that paint! Hard to believe she is a '95... I didn't wax her this time, its the same old crap that was put on in September before the weather started to turn...

(dont mind the front diff vent tube hanging down... I need to get a fitting on the axle and plug that back in...:doh:)
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Clean2.jpg

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Also.... I'm looking to go up to 33"s soon... Anybody have a set that wants to come over and swap tires with me for a few minutes so I can see how they will fit/rub and such? Anybody else wanna sell a set on proper offset rims? ;)
 
looks like a bushing at the axle end? why not hiems at boith ends?

I am seriously in debt to Dutch for this one. The plan had been to just put in the 1.5" heim steering and channel the plate diff cover to clear. We had drilled out the knuckles and pitman arm and put the tie rod in place when we discovered that the axle-side track bar mount didn't clear. But by that point we didn't have a way back and there wasn't a way to pick up fab parts on a Saturday. So we decided to forge ahead and relocate the track bar. Dutch pulled a miracle out of thin air and came up with a way to build a new straight track bar out of pieces cut out of my existing track bar, and built a new axle-side mount out of 1/4" plate he had in his garage. If we could have just driven to RuffStuff and picked up heims, tube adapters, brackets, etc. we certainly would have. The more I look at it the more impressed I am with the results. It just sucked that it took 12 hours with the both of us working on difference pieces at once.

I still need to go back to Dutch and have him finish some axle-side LCA mount improvements and to reinstall my sway bar link mounts.
 
Angles look Phenominal. Why did you have to chunk into the diff cover? Is it that much thicker than other diff covers? - never seen one hit the cover before ofther parts. Dutch did a great job for ya man
 
It is (was) a Ballistic Fab diff cover. I measured almost 7/8" from the inside of the cover to the ring gear, plus the 1/4" of plate. The channel is 1.75" OD .120" wall tube that was cut in half then set in. I think it's around 1/4" from the ring gear at the closest point. Yes. Dutch is the man.
 
Correction: I made the panhard mount out of 3/16 plate.

Its really not a huge deal man. It was a lot more work than I was counting on for a pair of shackles and what-not, but I'm actually thinking more and more I'm going to do the exact same thing on mine.

Of course I'll makes sure mine looks better and probably integrate a truss into it as well. .!.. :D ..!.
 
finally got around to leveling out the rake with some 1" spacers, and tossed the wheel caps in. I hate my DIY discos, I think I'll be purchasing some VERY shortly. Ordering an IRO double sheer adj. track bar and that SYE driveshaft next week. should be fun!

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are those black steelies? what backspacing do you have or is is stock backspacing? good job guess. way to be creative and make it work, that takes skill.
 
Looks good! How do you like those dynapro tires? I just ordered a set for my trailblazer. Couldn't beat the price.

so far so good. they suck in the snow in 2wd, but in 4wd they kill it. Pretty good mud traction and they ride quiet.

Same as you, I got a killer deal on them. Figured I might as well try something new- there's always retreads
 
Looks familiar....

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