XJ Build, again.

[Jeepedo129]

Next, I focused on the steering. As mentioned before, the previous owner was still using the stock track bar and steering setup with the 4" lift that came with the Jeep when I bought it. The driving experience was definitely subpar.

Currently, I haven't set up the D44 front axle yet. I've been ordering parts and brackets to get it ready for installation. I purchased Stinkyfab coil brackets, but unfortunately, they didn't work for my setup; they were JK brackets, which spaced the coils out too far. So, that axle is on the bench, waiting for me to weld up new brackets and install a new locker. I’ll share more on that later.

In the meantime, I kept the Dana 30 in the front and decided to install the WJ steering upgrade since all these components will transfer over to the Dana 44 when it’s ready. Given that the rear axle has 4.88 gears and the front only has 3.55s, I've left the front driveline off, so I'm currently enjoying a sweet 2WD Jeep until the front axle swap.

To start the steering upgrade, I visited the junkyard and found a 2001 WJ with Akebono calipers. I grabbed those along with the knuckles. I then purchased new parts from AutoZone, including 2003 TJ unit bearings, 2001 WJ rotors. I also purchased RuffStuff knuckle spacers TeraFlex extended brake lines, TeraFlex JK/WJ heavy-duty ball joints, RuffStuff tie rod end knuckle inserts, and RuffStuff 1-ton tie rod ends (high flex for the drag link and offset for the tie rod), along with 1.5" DOM tubing to match.









I decided to install a Bilstein steering stabilizer, but it took some time to arrive, so I drove around for a little while before getting it installed. That's why the rotors in the pictures don't look "brand new," but I assure you, they are!

To mount the stabilizer to the steering, I welded a bolt into the track bar bracket—an old head bolt fits perfectly. Once the stabilizer was mounted, I cut off the excess threads to ensure there was enough clearance for the steering. On the tie rod side, I used a tube clamp to secure it in place.

As for the track bar, I used a previously owned one made from 1.5" DOM tubing with 7/8" heims on either end. For the track bar frame mount, I utilized a StinkyFab mount, which I moved forward about an inch and welded to the frame.

Also, you'll see I have wheel spacers installed, (technically the previous owner installed them but I'm keeping them) these ones are junky and I have since been swapped out with some hubcentric ones that I bought from 4WP.









Once the steering was in place, I drove for a while without a sway bar since the WJ steering with the TRE flipped doesn't clear the factory sway bar mounts. After about a month of driving without it, I decided to go with the Currie AntiRock sway bar.

Installing the AntiRock requires cutting the fender side braces to allow for arm clearance. I also had to trim the lower brackets on my front bumper for the same reason. After completing the necessary clearancing, I flattened the sheet metal on the front frame crossmember where it intersects the frame. Fortunately, I have frame stiffeners in place, so this part was already covered. After that, it was just a matter of drilling bolt holes for the mounts, and the installation was complete.

On the axle side, I welded new, longer sway bar mounts to the inner Cs. While it's not the ideal placement, this axle is a temporary install for now, so it will suffice until I swap in the D44.

 

[Jeepedo129]

Since I don't think I mentioned it, I installed the Rear bumper and Spare tire. I also got the backup camera installed. I bought a JVC camera to match my head unit and mounted it to the rear license plate mount. The bottom of the mount has a perfect hole for a backup camera. I had to splice into the reverse light circuit for the camera to come on when shifted to Reverse. I tapped in right at the transmission control module which is conveniently placed on the driver side footwell just below the radio. Pin 17 is a brown/green wire that kicks on the reverse lights, so i spliced in right there. Works great, especially with a big spare tire hanging in the way of seeing anything back there.







I also had to take the jeep out for some poser pictures.







On one of my free weekends, I spent some time polishing the old girl. Same might say it's a waste of time to polish a 23yo jeep with scratches and rust spots, but I am very happy I did. I brought back a lot of life to the paint. Almost cant see a lot of the pin striping along the sides. The hood is a lost cause, but even it looks a lot better.

I started with a clay bar, and then moved on with some Griot's garage compound with a medium pad. I finished with Chemical Guys finishing polish and a fine pad. Couldn't be happier with how it came out. After all that was done, I put Griot's ceramic coating (Wash coating) and a poly wash to really bring out the shine.

 

[Jeepedo129]

For anyone that is on the fence with buying Trucklite's LED headlights, Just do it! I bought these to replace the factory Sylvania sealed headlights and WOW. What an upgrade. I had installed the upgraded headlight harness from JeepCables and it definitely improved the light output, but these LED headlights blow those Sylvanias out of the water. Clear bright white light with crisp cutoff lines and a focused projection of light right where you need it. Plus they look super sharp.

They are definitely not cheap. I got these on sale for 498 for the set on Amazon. (Right from RIGID's storefront) If you're gonna buy these off Amazon, make sure you get them from RIGID, cause there are dozens of Chinese fakes out there.








Also picked up some Weather Tech floor mats for the front and rear. These are super nice and fit like a glove.

 

[Jeepedo129]

Alright, Last set of upgrades. Didn't realize how much I've gotten done over the last little bit.

I finally got my ARB twin compressor installed. No one makes a bracket for mounting a compressor under the hood, So I made one.
I used some 1/8" steel and cut it to fit down on the passenger side motor mount bracket on the frame. That's what the 2 slots are on the bottom. I also made some side braces that attach to the fender and to the fuse box bracket. Came out pretty good if I do say so myself.
It's a sturdy little mount that is tucked right in there. The compressor barely clears the A/C hoses, but it clears, and doesn't move around at all.










As for a manifold, I bought a Viair manifold and some off brand air solenoids for the lockers. (ARB wants 120$ a pop for them things). The front Axle, once it's installed, will have the factory D44 Rubicon air locker which runs on 10-15psi. So i had to install a regulator to step the pressure down for the front locker. As for the rear, It's an ARB and runs on the full 150psi that the compressor puts out. I mounted it to the EVAP solenoid bracket with the included bracket that comes with the manifold. I also added a QD hose connection for an air hose to fill tires and what not.



I wired up all my switches to the "Factory Style" rocker switches that I purchased off eBay awhile back. I wired the compressor switch to be a "Master" switch for the lockers by routing power for the locker switches through compressor switch. This means the Compressor switch must be selected "ON" before the locker switches can engage. I did this in an effort to reduce the chances of an accidental locker engagement since it requires 2 switches to be turned on for the locker to engage. Also, if the fuse for the Compressor were to pop or If i turn off the compressor, power is also removed from the solenoids and the lockers will unlock,





As for wiring the compressor, I wired the power side harness into the factory fuse box under the hood. I don't like a bunch of loose wires tied to the battery and strung about the engine bay. When i was out at the junkyard, I grabbed a fuse box assembly to steal the internals. The factory fuse box has several open spots available in it, but you need the special blade terminals that clip into the fuse panel for the fuses. I searched all over and couldn't find a place that sold them, so robbing them from a second fuse panel was the only option. Getting the terminals out of the old box is a little finnicky, but with a small pick and a tiny flat blade screwdriver, I was able to release it from its home.




I sourced two wires that were on 50amp circuits, I believe these were for the starter motor and the blower motor. The ARB compressor has two 12v 40a fused circuits, so I installed two 40a terminals into the fuse box. I then cut and spliced the compressor harness and routed it to the compressor.
Looks factory, and I'm happy how it came out.

 

[Jeepedo129]

And for the final update: New tires and wheels!

Got the Falken AT/R4s in the 315-70-R17 flavor and i must say, these are some nice tires haha. I have them mounted on some Fuel Trophy Wheels that have -6 backspacing. Paired with my 1.25" spacer, these tires sit right where I like them.






I originally wanted to go with the Patagonia MT2s but after talking with several buddies that had the Falken's, I decided to go with them. The main reason I went with these was everyone I talked to said these tires were super quiet, and they are 100% correct. These tires don't howl at all on road and that makes me happy.







Haven't been able to take the jeep out and see how they do offroad, so I can't report on that, But I will as soon as I get a real trail ride in. Which I feel like is coming up soon. Hopefully.

I also installed a set of Morimoto rocklights, Cuz why not.

 

[Paradiddle]

Nice writeup. Any updates? Everything working the way you wanted it to?

 

[Jeepedo129]

I do have a couple updates actually.

Since my last update, I was able to get the front axle swapped out for the Rubicon D44. Took some work, but she's finally in her home.

I started with the broken locker.
I contacted the guy I had bought these axles from and told him the locker was junk and asked him if he had another Rubicon Locker that he could give me for parts. He was hesitant but eventually sent me a whole locker assembly.

I set forth to install the replacement locker into the housing. I had never done gears before, so this was a great opportunity to learn how to set them up. It defiantly is a game of patience. I removed and installed the ring gear and pinon probably a dozen or more times. The learning curve is steep, but once you figure out how the shims change the gear pattern, its simple enough to get the gears where you need them. Also to make my life easier, I purchased a clamshell bearing puller. They are expensive, but it's better than having to cut bearings off the carrier.

These were used gears, so getting a perfect pattern is almost impossible. But I ended up with .057 shims under the Pinion (Including the .032 slinger) and that netted me with .005 backlash. I probably could have increased the backlash a little, but the bearing kit that I had purchased from motive gear didn't have a good variety of shims. So .0055 is the best I could get with the pattern that I got.
After all that, I checked the locker operation and everything checked out good.



I moved on to installing all the brackets and coil buckets that I needed to install this pig. I originally purchased Stinky Fab coil buckets, but they didn't end up working for my set up. The ones i purchased were for a JK swap, so they were too large to fit between the inner C and the Diff housing on the drivers side.

So I ended up purchasing the Artec coil buckets, and I'm very happy with how they came out. They are very similar to the factory XJ buckets, but are 3x as beefy. I also picked up Artec's Trackbar mount and a upper control arm mount that matches the existing Artec truss that is installed on the axle.
As for sway bar mounts, I bought these extended mounts from Clayton offroad. These things are nice. They are thick .25" thick metal brackets that weld nicely to the upper part of the inner C. They then have a support rib that you weld down the side that adds even more beef.




These clear the over the knuckle WJ draglink that I Have installed, with a little trimming on the passenger side. I had to cut the tip off, and redrill the hole. Now its stubby, otherwise its perfect.






I removed my old dana 30, and began installing the D44 into the jeep. I transferred over all the WJ steering components from my dana 30 to the 44.






Got the axle all installed, Installed my new Adam's Driveshaft front driveline, installed my new FOX 2.0s, and did a shade tree alignment with tape measures. She drives and handles with no complaints. Drives straight and comfortable at 75-80 mph, which for me, is awesome.

I haven't gone and got a true alignment yet to confirm if the front knuckles are straight, but everything seems good so far........

I need to chalk the tires and see how the tires are riding. Right now I run the falkens at 30psi, but I feel like I may need to drop that down a little.

 

[Jeepedo129]

I also was able to go out on a couple short wheeling trips, plus some small local dirt road excursions.

Jeep handled great. I have a small amount of rubbing on the front bumper, but otherwise, the jeep did great.

We went out to Lone Pine, CA. and did a couple trails out that way. We did the Salt Tram trail in the Cerro Gordo Valley area, just west of Death Valley. It was a beautiful trail with some stunning views.

A friend of mine runs a youtube channel called "Daddy Daycare Offroad" and he did a pretty cool trip report on there.

At the summit, there is an old salt tram from the late 1800s that stands overlooking the Saline Valley on one side, and Owens Lake on the other. Great place to have lunch.

We did another trail a little further north, past Alabama Hills, there is a trail called Reward Mine. Fairly short trail, but it leads to the entrance of an old mine that you can drive through.

The mine goes down into the mountain for several miles and has several different veins that shoot off in different directions. For this reason, we only traveled in about a mile and got to a turn around area and stopped for a bit. We did a little bit of on foot exploring and checked out all the cool left over quarts and iron deposits all through out the mine. A little creepy, but overall a pretty cool trail.

 

[Paradiddle]

Great pictures. Those trails look beautiful - I will need to hit them once my XJ is done. What rear bumper are you running and do you like it?

 

[maxbraketorque]

Alright, Looks like pictures are back up, so I guess now is a good time to update the build.

...

Did you stick with that shackle angle? Looks a little steep, and as a result, the shackle may hit the back side of the shackle box on significant rear suspension compression.

 

[Jeepedo129]

Great pictures. Those trails look beautiful - I will need to hit them once my XJ is done. What rear bumper are you running and do you like it?

It's the SmittyBilt XRC bumper. Previous owner is the one who installed it. Its a good bumper. Its plenty beefy, and has a built in tow hitch. It has a couple things that I'm not a huge fan of. The tire swing latch is janky, you have to lift up the tire ever so slightly to get the latch to release. It's kind of a pain, and judging by the new SmittyBilt XRC bumper, it looks like they did away with the style of latch I have and went to a over center latch. which should be better. The other thing that bothers me a little is the amount the tire swing bounces. Bumps in the road cause it to oscillate, and when you have a 200lb tire hanging off the back, you can feel that through out the jeep. I'm not sure if this is the XRC's fault, or if that's just all tire carriers, but I feel like if the hinge and the latch were a little more stout, the oscillation would be less.

Did you stick with that shackle angle? Looks a little steep, and as a result, the shackle may hit the back side of the shackle box on significant rear suspension compression.

You are correct. When the jeep was empty, the shackle was fine, But once you put people or gear in the back it was bottoming out constantly. So i ended up moving it back one more hole, and that seems to have fixed it for now. Later on down the track, I'm planning on getting Deaver springs in the back, Or possibly doing a 4link. Not entirely sure which way I want to go yet.

 

[maxbraketorque]

.... Later on down the track, I'm planning on getting Deaver springs in the back, Or possibly doing a 4link. Not entirely sure which way I want to go yet.

Better leaves are certainly easier to install and less expensive than 4-link. Question is whether 4-link is significantly better.

 

[Paradiddle]

Better leaves are certainly easier to install and less expensive than 4-link. Question is whether 4-link is significantly better.

It depends on what you are doing with your Jeep. The 4 link is a superior system, but good leafs work very well. It really depends on how much usable flex and traction the type of wheeling you do demands.

 

[Jeepedo129]

My overarching goal with this jeep is to be able comfortably drive down slate rock roads at a good pace. I’m not talking trophy truck stuff, but most of the trails down here in Vegas are primarily rocky dessert roads with washboards and whoops. My current setup does ok but there’s always room for improvement. Right now I’m looking into some hydro bump stops. Probably going in the front first then figure out stuff in the back.

 

[XJEEPER]

My overarching goal with this jeep is to be able comfortably drive down slate rock roads at a good pace. I’m not talking trophy truck stuff, but most of the trails down here in Vegas are primarily rocky dessert roads with washboards and whoops. My current setup does ok but there’s always room for improvement. Right now I’m looking into some hydro bump stops. Probably going in the front first then figure out stuff in the back.

I've been very happy with my Deaver G9 leaf packs, but just ordered another leaf to bump them up to G10.......gives a little better load carrying capacity without squat when loaded down with tools and camping gear or hauling stuff in my 8x5 trailer.

 

[Paradiddle]

I've been very happy with my Deaver G9 leaf packs, but just ordered another leaf to bump them up to G10.......gives a little better load carrying capacity without squat when loaded down with tools and camping gear or hauling stuff in my 8x5 trailer.

What lift did you get with the G9? I assume you are running a boomerang shackle of some form since that's what they call for. What brand did you go with and does it also provide some height?

What front suspension are you running? I'm about to buy everything for mine and just doing a pulse check.

 

[Jeepedo129]

I've been very happy with my Deaver G9 leaf packs, but just ordered another leaf to bump them up to G10.......gives a little better load carrying capacity without squat when loaded down with tools and camping gear or hauling stuff in my 8x5 trailer.

How does it handle on road with the G10? Also curious as the the amount of lift you got from yours.