Where do I go from here?

[silverslk]

Actually, I think the bottom truss is stronger than the top. The rock crawlers do the top for clearance issues but the racers (who see more force from whoops, jumps, etc) truss the bottom. His axle was built at Curt Leduc's shop in SoCal. I am willing to bet its set up perfect for what Grimm has in store for his XJ. haha

 

[DieselSJ]

not unless you have one built the same way with 4.88s in it

We have one. You will need to weld up the crack and fix the teeth on the ring gear, but we'll let it go cheap.

 

[J Money]

Grimm, I'm digging the lack of coil buckets... gotta love coilovers/airshocks eh?

Actually makes me wonder a little why you didn't truss the top instead (or as well), seeing as you don't have to worry about the coil buckets anymore, you would gain just as much strength as well as clearance just in case you wanted to do some crawling.

You have to watch out for oil pan clearance as well.

 

[XJfreakHO]

@Loki,
If your letting go of that Spartan Locker gimme a PM, Might have to pick it up for my XJ.

I also started a thread with our basic build plans for next season of ECORS if we can get it going. We are debating going 35's with an 8.8 LSD rear, but either way we are running the 8.8 rear for strength. Definately upgrade your U joints to the 5x760's. Probably go 33's and weld the 8.8 more than likely.

@ Others
Cages aren't required because this kind of racing isn't meant to cater strictly to people with money, A class is meant as the poor man's class. They now require atleast one fire extinguisher within reach of the driver seated, aswell as 1 mounted outside the rig somewhere.

I made it to 3 of the races this year, and had a blast at them all. Was at the race where Loki killed his ball joint/axle, but was on another part of the course when that happened.
ECORS is a blast, and its affordable with great prizes and even better people.

We are planning to compete next year, on a hellacious budget, and hopefully get some sponsors for the year after so we can buy some parts instead of salvaging them off junk or our personal rigs. Just depends how well it all goes, we haven't even bought another XJ yet lol.

 

[DieselSJ]

Cages aren't required because this kind of racing isn't meant to cater strictly to people with money, A class is meant as the poor man's class.

So only rich people are smart enough to run a cage when they race? If you are poor it is OK to get crushed when you roll?

Seriously, I cannot follow the logic of anyone that would race without the most basic safety equipment.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

Seriously, I cannot follow the logic of anyone that would race without the most basic safety equipment.

I have to agree here 100%. Running around having a good time is one thing, but in a racing situation where the object is getting from A to B before the other guys things safety should be your first concern - whether it is a class requirement or not. However unlikely a roll over or crash with another vehicle may be, if it does happen it may save your life.

I'm not sure if you've ever seen what happens to an XJ when it flips, but 90% of the time the first place to crush is the top of the A pillar, directly at your face.

Pics from this forum, I hope the owners don't mind me sharing them here but I think it is something to take into serious consideration.

See anything in common?

 

[XJRunner]

ha you posted some of my Jeep. That was 5 times down a mountain AT SLOW SPEEDS, not race pace. More from my little boo boo

and a before pic of both my jeeps

The fact that my friend Tommy and I both walked away unscratched after 5 rolls is a miracle. I will never go back on that trail and don't do any high speed wheeling till I have a cage. Cage it before you Race it. Period.

 

[DieselSJ]

And the difference WITH a cage -

That was high-speed. Notice how the passengers did not get crushed? Driver had a cracked sternum - that is how hard the impact was. See how the sheet metal formed itself nicely around the cage?

Something else you should address since you run a windshield is how are you going to get out if you roll and the drip rails fold down over the doors? That is very common in a roll. It would suck to roll and have the drip rails fold down over the doors and trap you in the car. Think about that...then think about that with a fire.