Jeeptech's SAK (swiss army knife) XJ build FINALLY 4X4

[Jeeptech01]

I saw yours when you did it. Looks good! I gotta say Im stoked about how well they came out. Another tech walked past and couldnt even figure out what I did to it. He knew something was up by the pile of metal on the floor though.

[IndyZJ]

That took a lot of convincing

I've never liked that extra bit of metal down there. The quarters look a lot less bulky with it folded up. How much clearance do you gain behind the tire?

[it usually runs fine]

Pics mang pics

[Jeeptech01]

I guess I gained a bit of clearance except now the tire will come up to more of an edge. All the metal is rolled in though so it shouldnt hurt the tire at all. Im gonna seam seal it and rosette weld all the panels up in the next day or two but when I get tires I may revisit the rear wells and open them up some more and redo the outer section of the wheel tubs.

As requested..







What do you guys think. I'll be building a bumper that wraps around the sides.

[Poser 5.9]

Looks nice and clean.

[it usually runs fine]

a liitle black paint and it will look bitchin.

[Jeeptech01]

I was gonna use some red factory matched stuff but I figured the bumper would back up to it and be sprayed in bedliner so it would look stupid so after all the finishwork and seam sealer I sprayed it with the same bedliner as the front bumper. It came out sharp! I was just about to start masking off the fender lip and a good ole Florida thunderstorm rolled up and shit on my productive day. Oh well I still got alot done. I'll post some finished pics later this week when the fender lips are done.

[Jeeptech01]

Ok I finished all the finishwork to the rear quarters and it looks good. Hopefully I'll be starting on some new projects this week.

My list of to-do's before the LS swap is as follows:

repair front clip and paint grille
8.8 swap
33's
front middle and rear stiffeners
rear bumper w/ integrated hitch
truss refurbish and install HP30

I also realized a flaw with my cardboard tire.. I didnt take into account the loss of height due to the tire bulging roughly 3/4" under the weight of the rig. So I fixed that and my uptravel appears to be a bit more doable for the time being.

Gonna build a small shield or mod the stock one for the filler

[dp96zj]

Damn that looks great. Very clean work, like always!

[it usually runs fine]

Damn dude thats looks nice. Wish i would have taken more time to trim my fenders and surrounding areas. It was like 3 in the morning and the dremel died so I just used a grinder.

[downtowncb]

I like it

You should add to that list of to do's a real front axle to go with that transfercase you installed Just sayin you might want 4wd in that purdy Jeep...

[WJJEEPIN]

Sexy. You wanna come to cali and cut my quarters and weld em up??

[Jeeptech01]

Damn that looks great. Very clean work, like always!

Thanks! Anal retentiveness struck again LOL.

Damn dude thats looks nice. Wish i would have taken more time to trim my fenders and surrounding areas. It was like 3 in the morning and the dremel died so I just used a grinder.

Body saw, die grinder with 36 grit sanding disc, and a shitload of masking tape

I like it

You should add to that list of to do's a real front axle to go with that transfercase you installed Just sayin you might want 4wd in that purdy Jeep...

Ha yea I forgot about that. I plan to have the 30 trussed up and under there before the swap so I dont have to guess front ds clearance. I havent put it in yet since Im afraid I'll be too tempted to wheel it. I know if I wheel it it will = demise of wounded 4.slow. Right now it just goes to work and back which is all highway and very little traffic so as long as I change the oil/water crankcase mixture every 2.5k it is happy. For some reason it is not intermixing the two and making milkshake. Not sure why honestly but I have never seen a 4.0 intermix with a hg or head issue.

Sexy. You wanna come to cali and cut my quarters and weld em up??

Cali.. hellz yea! I'd love the vacation. Lemme know if you need an address to send the plane tickets to.

[AgitatedPancake]

Haha yeah man that looks great! The previous owner of my friends Cherokee did that, but not nearly as clean. It's a great increase in clearance though!

[Jeeptech01]

Thanks! May have to boatside after lookin at all your newfound ground clearance.

[Jeeptech01]

Well its been a rollercoaster of emotions for me this past week. The Buick is finally sold and for a good price but I'll be a bit disappointed to see it go. Alot of positives come from the sale though. I bought the wife a super nice "pre owned" low mile Explorer to replace the other one. I also was able to pay off some bills and show the XJ some love. Now I'll also have more time to dedicate to my family and hopefully soon wheelin with my son.

So with my slice of the pie I ordered a ruffstuff 8.8 bracket kit, ruffstuff 8.8 diff cover, H.D. offroad front middle and rear frame stiffener set, and 4 285 75 16 Guarddog MT's from treadwright. WOOT!

The 8.8 bracket kit and diff cover from Ruffstuff came in today. Awesome discounted price, high quality parts and fast shipping!! This stuff is pure beef. Still waiting on the other stuff but I should have it all by the end of next week. Progress pics should follow soon.

[Gb02WJ]

I cant wait to hear how you like the guard dogs

[IndyZJ]

Glad to hear the Buick sold for a decent price and you're getting to spend time with the family.

Ruffstuff parts are very nice and customer service is always top notch. Anything I haven't felt like making for my YJ has come from Dan. All of the stiffeners should help it hold up to a real motor

[Jeeptech01]

I cant wait to hear how you like the guard dogs

I've talked to alot of people with them and done alot of internet searching so I think they'll be great. I promise a full report.

Glad to hear the Buick sold for a decent price and you're getting to spend time with the family.

Ruffstuff parts are very nice and customer service is always top notch. Anything I haven't felt like making for my YJ has come from Dan. All of the stiffeners should help it hold up to a real motor

Tks. Im feeling more and more like a responsible adult. UGH. It has its rewards though LOL.

I'll def be purchasing more from Dan in the future.

Im also working on a few other ideas to stiffen this thing up. More on that later..

[ajmorell]

Im also working on a few other ideas to stiffen this thing up. More on that later..

Viagra? Cialis?


Can't wait to see the rig with the new tires on it.

[downtowncb]

Bob has a few tips on how to stiffen it up.

[Jeeptech01]

Cant see the pic at work so Im assuming it isnt very constructive

[Jeeptech01]

Well the Buick got loaded up last night and is headed to its new home in Va. It felt really wierd letting someone else hop behind the wheel. Well maybe not wierd.. more like someone kicked me in the balls so hard that I threw up in my mouth a bit.

So I swept out the garage and cleaned out my parts stash both Jeep and Go fast stuff. I'll be putting stuff I dont need up for sale in the next few days to begin funding the ls swap parts.

I spoke with treadwright today and it looks like the original 2 week eta for my tires was a bit off. They say that they should arrive in 7-10 more days. I can live with that as long as the quality of the product is as high as I have read.

So right now Im kinda stuck since I wanted the tires on before I began any of the installs on the other stuff I ordered. Which has all arrived already.. go figure.

[it usually runs fine]

You are destined to roam the earth tireless.

[Jeeptech01]

Whaddaya mean I still got my bald 29's.

I tested the whole will the aw4 shift normally in 4lo today. Cant remember who was asking me. The answer is yes it does up to 20mph. Didnt go any higher.

AFAIK the aw4 has no idea what range the t case is in and nor does it care.