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Thanks! I actually bought the tint pre-cut off of ebay and tinted them myself. its really easy and tint was only like $30
I thought about buying the tint and trying to do my windows. Then I watched a video of a professional window tint guy doing it and decided it's beyond my skill level. I'm not sure I've ever put a sticker on straight. Lol
I ordered a Smittybilt winch bumper on Friday and it was delivered BY UPS today.
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/BrianDunlap/media/junk%20that%20cant%20be%20deleted/C6123FF3-E23B-4350-81DC-2B94FD293F89_zps8gmt4bbl.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/BrianDunlap/junk%20that%20cant%20be%20deleted/C6123FF3-E23B-4350-81DC-2B94FD293F89_zps8gmt4bbl.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo C6123FF3-E23B-4350-81DC-2B94FD293F89_zps8gmt4bbl.jpg"/></a>
The box was trashed but the bumper was wrapped up well and seems to be in good condition.
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/BrianDunlap/media/junk%20that%20cant%20be%20deleted/D4E2417C-4439-4D60-B0D9-C02563F36BAA_zps748fpuyy.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/BrianDunlap/junk%20that%20cant%20be%20deleted/D4E2417C-4439-4D60-B0D9-C02563F36BAA_zps748fpuyy.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo D4E2417C-4439-4D60-B0D9-C02563F36BAA_zps748fpuyy.jpg"/></a>
I'm working a ton of hours right now so it will be Saturday before I'll have the opportunity to install this thing.
Buy the Smittybilt rear tire carrier bumper too so you can show me step by step how to do it.
I installed the Smittybilt winch bumper today. The bumper looks great and seems very sturdy. The finish, and welds look good as well.
The factory bumper removed
Passenger side bracket
Drilling out the final hole
Installing the drivers side bracket.
The drivers side fought me a little because I let the steering box drop a little and it took me a few minutes to get it lined back up.
Aside from the steering box hiccup the installation was fairly straight forward. It definitely helped having another set of hands, and a floor jack.
I like the way it looks and it gives me solid recovery points up front. I'd like to get a winch next but there's a few mechanical, and electrical issues I need to address first.
Last edited by Van_Homan; 07-23-2017 at 01:37 PM.
Reason: Photobucket policy change
I replaced the radiator today along with both hoses and it's actually running a few degrees cooler. It's always ran at 210, but on my post install test drive it stayed at 208. I drove it on the freeway and around town for about 45 minutes and never got above 208.
I'be been having an intermittent electrical issues, that have caused my mpg to drop to 10, and my driver's side window rolls up and down very slowly.
Since the battery is over four years old and the terminals look a little worse for wear, I purchased a new Duralast Platinum AGM. It was less expensive than an Optima Yellow top, and it's supposed to have some of the same features. I put on new terminals as well and it seems to have solved my electrical issues. MPG is now about 15
Last edited by Van_Homan; 06-29-2018 at 10:19 PM.
Reason: Photobucket policy change
The brakes have been less than ideal since I bought it so I thought I'd get them overhauled. I took it to a local shop and was told the knuckles were grooved and the cost to replace the knuckles and rebuild the brakes would be $1,200
I picked up the Jeep and paid them a diagnostic fee.
My neighbor said he could weld the knuckles and grind them down for much less so I went that route. After the weld/grind fix, new pads and turned rotors, I had them replace the u-joints. I was hoping that would take care of the repairs for a bit but the front hubs need replacing and the rear end is now making a grinding noise, so I'm now on the lookout for a replacement axle.
This XJ came from the factory with a Dana 35, ABS, and a limited slip differential. Although I was not happy about the Dana 35, it did drive really well in the snow with the LSD and ABS.
If anyone is close to Nashville, and has a complete axle, I'm interested in Chrysler 8.25, Dana 44's, or even a Ford 8.8
I picked up a Chrysler 8.25 for my axle swap and I'm making a parts list to try and minimize trips to the auto parts store during the process.
I'm hoping I'll be able to get the axle swapped this weekend.
I figure I'd replace the brakes, brake hose, brake lines, U joints, and retaining straps.
I'm considering doing the Grand Cherokee disc brake swap on the axle before I install it. I really don't want to put any money into the drum brakes.
Last edited by Van_Homan; 07-23-2017 at 01:46 PM.
Reason: Photobucket policy change
After reading dozens of threads about swapping the 8.25 for the Dana 35 I am more confused than ever. There doesn't seem to be any concise write up for my exact application. It seems having an ABS XJ introduces multiple issues for the swap as well.
I'm now considering selling the Jeep and starting with a new XJ. One with a factory 8.25
At least I have some spare parts now.
I know the D35 isn't very good, but did you at least look into the driveshaft? Or pull off the drums to see if anything was rubbing? These are both very plausible causes of a grinding noise. Especially if you are lifted without a SYE or TC drop, your DS ujoints probably have new wear patterns and could be making funny noises.
Replace the rear DS ujoints. Cheap, easy, and piece of mind. Then if that doesn't fix it, pull your diff cover and check for any wear or metal shavings. You could also pull the rear DS, and drive it in 4H and see if the noise goes away.
Don't sell the Heep. I'm sure there is a write-up on swapping axles.
I know the D35 isn't very good, but did you at least look into the driveshaft? Or pull off the drums to see if anything was rubbing? These are both very plausible causes of a grinding noise. Especially if you are lifted without a SYE or TC drop, your DS ujoints probably have new wear patterns and could be making funny noises.
Replace the rear DS ujoints. Cheap, easy, and piece of mind. Then if that doesn't fix it, pull your diff cover and check for any wear or metal shavings. You could also pull the rear DS, and drive it in 4H and see if the noise goes away.
Don't sell the Heep. I'm sure there is a write-up on swapping axles.
Thanks for the trouble shooting tips. It's definitely the bearings in the rear end. I was going to swap in the 8.25 and get rid of the abs. I spoke with the owner of a local 4x4 shop who specializes in gears, lockers, and all things axle related. He came highly recommended and seemed willing to go whatever route I wanted. He said the swap is very straight forward, but there's a chance that removing the abs could cause the vehicle to throw an error code when I go through our local vehicle inspection station. It might be ok and pass, but I cannot take a chance on turning this XJ into something that can't be registered. If it were a 1996 or older there would not be an issue. He said another option would be a Super 35 Kit, that would change the axle shafts to stronger 30 spline shafts and add an ARB locker. He said with 31's it should be fine for most light to moderate trails.
As bad as I hate to do it, I'm going to fix the Dana 35. I'm going to wait on the Super 35 kit for now.
At this point I just want it as reliable as possible.
Well I hope it all works out. Having an ARB locker would be pretty sick. There are plenty of people running D35's without much issue. Maybe a rebuild is all you need and you'll be good to go for a while.
I'm surprised that there isn't an ABS delete that will prevent any CEL's if you swap in the 8.25. But then again, I'm definitely no expert.
In Michigan we don't have to worry about inspections, but I would like to think you could explain that you swapped in a different axle, and they'd let you pass if you were throwing any related CEL's.
My XJ had a Dana 35 and 33" tires when I bought it. It work fine but I did not wheel it hard as I was and still feel like a novice on the trail. It was the gearing that was a problem. I just ended up retiring my son's jeep and my cost was minimal with swapping the axles over. If you take it easy you should be fine.
I think that when you start locking and gearing the axle lower that you should concern yourself with up-grading your axle shafts. Pretty pricey things to do so I would hold off until you know for sure it will be something you really want to do.
Last edited by JandDGreens; 12-10-2015 at 07:50 AM.
06-14-2015, 07:21 PM
