sandaddik2

Warning lots of pics


I got this jeep from a guy my dad knew, he gave it to me for FREE
heres what it looked like when i got it, it over heated but still ran but wouldnt pass smog so we did a motor swap (no pics of that).
the motor in it now i picked up off craigslist for 400 bucks a few miles away and put a few new things on it. I didnt do too much at first as it was just my dd




I hate how they look stock so i picked up a lift. got a rustys 3 inch lift off craigslist for 190 bucks


next came the lift and the tires, the tires and wheels came from a friend after that i drove it for about a year til i picked up a ford ranger

it looked like this about 2 months ago and i drove and wheeled it like this for the summer while i collected parts.





those tires are great by the way and quiet. theyre hercules ats,



As the heat began to die down ( well i thought it was)
i decided to throw it up on jacks to begin the long arm kit on a 5.5 inch lift and 35s and build a bumper which i also make to sell to other xj people


first i made the bumper on mine cuz it was the easiest thing to do first.


i ran the stock rear one until i destroyed it pulling my buddy out of the creek by my house then decided to make one but havnt done it yet



I drove across that prior to my friends attempt by the way but this is how my bumper got destroyed


as for the long arm kit, i began my getting quite a bit of material. i got a stick of 2 inch .250 wall dom for my lcas, my dad got some 1 7/8 inch .188 wall tube from his work for the ucas, i got about 10 base plates some 3/16 and 1/4 inch to use for misc things. next i bought 7/8 heims from ruffstuffspecialties.com along with weld in inserts, misalignment spacers, ect. i took the bushings off of my old rough country adjustable arms and used the johnny joints out of them


next came the cross member which is made out of 2x4 .188 wall tube





next i cut out some pieces of plate to help with mounting and supporting the cross member. im copying the clayton one mostly but adding a little to mine that they dont have.


heres a pic of it after bracing the lca mounts with some c channnel cut to fit and putting the plates one the side



then i got the axle strait under the jeep and measured out how long the arms need to be then cut the lcas and put those together










i also forgot to mention i HATE death wobble... so this will aid in fighting it incase my jeep decides to act up


Thats where im at as of today. i got the holes drilled in the frame rails but its windy as heck so ill wait for it to die down to do any more work on it.
my dad is also giving me his old 35s to put on it which have about 60% tread left on them

C.J.

Very nice. Did you build the trac bar as well?

sandaddik2

yeah i made it too. got the parts at the steel yard and ruffstuff specialties

C.J.

Very nice, love to see the home brew fabrication parts.

sandaddik2

thanks, i dont like buying my parts unless i absolutely have to, my trac bar is far better than anyone i have ever bought too and it was alot cheaper


the lights on top are sold so soon there will be 4 hella hids

xj8588

looks good man, hope you dont mind if i coppy you on your lift a little. i also prefer to fabricate my own parts when ever i can. just no so much income currently and welder out of gas . but ill get the lift under way sooner or later then talk to you about one of those beefy track bars, they look sweet and will save me some time. thanks and keep up the good work. im gonna start up a build thread as well in a few days just need to get the next paycheck or two lol

jonjon99xj

can you show more pics of how the arms are made? i want to know how to make them

Brian

awesome job I love how you made all those parts, they look great!
congrats!

sandaddik2

thanks guys,
as for how the arms are made ill take pics when i do the uppers tomorrow morning and get pics of it lifted. i got some springs from a guy for a supposed 4.5 inch lift but they look like they are going to lift my jeep as high as my dads xj which is at 6.5 inches, owell thatll work too as im going to 35s,
a guy near me has 5 goodyear mtrs with 70% tread for 300 bucks
anyone want to buy my old 31 inch all terrains? they have about 90% tread left thats worn evenly.

snowboard3r411

how long was that piece of tubbing you used for the stinger when it was stright?

sandaddik2

im not exactly sure, i build roof racks and my friend has been handling the bumpers for me in his spare time, he dealt with the cutting/bending but i do know it was just shy of 5ft

sandaddik2

go ahead and copy away its not like im trying to make money on the la lift that part is just for fun. do not copy my cross member, if you do put the brackets out towards the edge more, i put them about an inch in too far and i didnt realize that my drive shaft will hit the bracket
ill end up cutting them off and putting new ones on that sit further out on the cross member

take this



put it in this






and weld it together GOOD as this will be holding your axle and it makes this...









I got the whole kit together, i need to lengthen my ucas and adjust some things on the cross member then itll be finished and ill have pics. its a good feeling when you let the axle off the jack and it sits on the ground without binding while the jeeps up high enough to put 35s on. of course shocks and springs will limit the travel but i have a good feeling about the flex factor now

RENIXBEAST

Please post pics of the long arms installed. When you get a chance, thanks.

jonjon99xj

Where did you get this from??

sandaddik2

theyre out of my rc adjustable control arms but its just a standard johnny joint with a weld in bung from ruff stuff and the bracket is just a piece of 3/16 flat steel that i bent in my press.