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Finished a few small projects since the last update. Extended the front brake lines, stopped the fenders from chewing up my tires, and finished the rear recovery point.
For the brake lines, I picked up front lines for a GMC 1500 2wd pickup.
Part #s:
95 GMC c1500 2wd lines - 15$ each
Left - Napa PN #38620
Right - Napa PN #38621
There was a little modification involved, but with a basic set of tools you can get the job done pretty quickly.
If you use these lines, you may have to:
-Drill out a mounting hole so that your original torx bolt will fit
-Grind down part of your caliper
-Grind down part of the hose(This is so that I could install them in a way that wouldn't rub the tire)
-Bend the mounting piece on the hose outwards so that it can be moved up. This is to give you more hose to work with, and can easily be clamped back into place with a vice/hammer.
It's important that the hoses are installed so that there won't be any tire-rubbing action going on.
The next thing I did was mess with my front fenders so that they would stop slicing my tires. None of the cuts were deep, but it's just cheap insurance. My fender cutting was limited because of the windshield wiper reservoir.
I did exactly what it looks like. Cut out a length of door trim, filled it with silicone, and stuck that sucker on the fender. Cheap and easy! Sure, fender flares look nice...but it's easier to get the jeep muddy if I do this instead! Painted over it afterwards to keep it from looking bad.
Last on the list for the day was finishing my recovery point. Finished welding it up, painted it, and now I'm just waiting for it to dry before installing it.
Made it with some scrap 3/16" plate, rebar, and hardware. Cut the plate metal into 3 strips and drilled holes down their lengths (Don't own a drill press...all holes done with a cordless drill). Welded them together through the holes, and then welded the sides together for good measure. Also welded on a piece of bent rebar for chain/rope to hook up to. Behold...my DIY garage-welded tow point:
The only downside to this piece is that it's really only useful when pulling straight back. There's no support for sideways pulls. I'll probably sell it cheap to someone in the area once I get a bumper made.
Finally got the jeep muddy for real. Obviously got stuck in the picture, but used a come-along to help out a bit. After a little pull and driving back and forth, we got enough speed to get the jeep out. Fun stuff
Not me in the first picture. The new tow point got the job done, and ended up pulling out a buried wrangler the day before as well. Put the XJ in 4 low, and was able to pull him out with absolutely no issues. Made a point of checking the fluids too since water ended up coming up into the cab.
Think I might need a snorkel or something similar after seeing how much water got into the engine bay. Not really a fan of the snorkel look though...guess it all just depends on if you actually use it or not.
Think I might need a snorkel or something similar after seeing how much water got into the engine bay. Not really a fan of the snorkel look though...guess it all just depends on if you actually use it or not.
I would suggest getting a "Cowl", it redirects your intake to up near the antenna area, and requires cutting a hole in your firewall. They run about 180 if you dont make it yourself. It works just as great a snorkel,(because who dunks a jeep above their head?) and it is low profile!
Plus it removes that stock airbox, so you have room to fit a second battery or some other doodad
I would suggest getting a "Cowl", it redirects your intake to up near the antenna area, and requires cutting a hole in your firewall. They run about 180 if you dont make it yourself. It works just as great a snorkel,(because who dunks a jeep above their head?) and it is low profile!
Plus it removes that stock airbox, so you have room to fit a second battery or some other doodad
That's a good idear...but what about when it rains and snows? Or if water splashed into the cowl?
Having some extra wiggle room in the engine bay would be nice though. I suppose it could also be made out of large PVC pipe.
It's been a while since I posted. Some pics of what I've been dealing with lately:
Took the engine out with almost 240,000 miles. Why? Because it was making an awful noise. Why? Take a look:
The number two piston skirt decided to quit on me. It was definitely a bummer...
Before pulling the engine, I made this up quick to help with removing the head to see if it was a bent rod, blown piston, or bad lifter. Since the skirt is what broke, I wasn't able to identify the problem until removing the oil pan.
I also took the opportunity to modify the oil filter adapter. The torx bit wasn't able to get enough grip on the adapter to break it loose. This was my solution.
One of my co-workers is friends with a man who owns a semi-local machine shop. I was told that he does very good work, and decided to give up my 4.0L to him for an overhaul. Nothing fancy, just a stock rebuild. I was told that the engine was bored out 30 thousandths while it was there.
He was a very meticulous man and insisted on all factory parts and a new head casting. No complaints on my end - I wanted it done correctly.
You know those top two bellhousing bolts which are a huge pain to remove? A buddy and I had to break them loose by removing the shifter plate inside the cab. It was the only way to get a good grip on them. I did NOT want the deal with stripping those out.
Anyways, I replaced those with dowels instead of bolts. Made the install of the new engine MUCH easier.
It doesn't match the rest of the engine bay at all...ah well.
Installing the engine definitely took much less time than removing it. It was a pleasant surprise!
Just finished the break-in procedure for this engine earlier today, so once the Jeep is registered, ill be ready to wheel! I've got some other short term projects I plan to tackle like making a snorkel, rear bumper, and getting adjustable control arms.
While waiting for the engine to be rebuilt, I made up a front winch bumper for this:
Pics of the bumper build coming soon in the next update.
Nice! My XJ has had a noise that I have lived with for 3 years. (since I bought it) you hear it when it is under a heavy load. but does not affect performance. I have been considering a crate engine. But I have only used the XJ for off road since I bought it. Now my wife and I are using it for camping and longer trips so I would like to do it as soon as the funds are there.
I have the same winch. It's a good bang for the $
Hope it serves you well.
Nice! My XJ has had a noise that I have lived with for 3 years. (since I bought it) you hear it when it is under a heavy load. but does not affect performance. I have been considering a crate engine. But I have only used the XJ for off road since I bought it. Now my wife and I are using it for camping and longer trips so I would like to do it as soon as the funds are there.
I have the same winch. It's a good bang for the $
Hope it serves you well.
Good to know that my winch choice was a good one! Do you notice any lights dimming when using your winch or any other electrical issues? I've put a new alternator and battery in this XJ. I'm hoping that I won't have any problems.
As for the crate engine, that would probably be the better choice. I was told by a few people that rebuilding the 4.0L engines isn't the greatest idea since they're so cheap. Unless you're looking to squeeze more power out of it.
At least with a crate engine or reman, there will be some sort of warantee.
Time for pics of my front bumper. Most of it was made with 1/4" and 3/16" that I had at the house. The plan is to make the winch removable with the use of a trailer hitch.
Cut out some of the frame plates so that I would have some more surface to weld. The drivers-side mount was cut so that I could avoid the power steering bolts.
Cutting a hole for the receiver
Brought the bumper to work so that I could use the 240v mig after hours
So basically, I made a park bench for the front of my XJ! Planning on adding a grill guard as a precaution. If I were to hit a deer, I'd rather it go under the jeep than over it or through the grill.
Started making something similar for my buddy. He isn't planning on installing a winch though. Just wants something with recovery points and a bumper that's little more sturdy than the stock one:
Nice bumper, If my XJ did not already have the bumper it has, I would do the same type of set-up. I went snow wheeling with a guy that had a similar set-up. He wired leads to the front and the back receiver hitches and could plug his winch in and pull in either direction. The one thing I ended up having to do was burn in front frame stiffeners. I developed the crack by the steering box during that particular wheeling trip. found that the P.O. put the mounting brackets on the wrong side. The one for the steering box side would have beefed up the area.
I have a good Yellow top which I think helps with the load on the electrical system. I have bought the battery cable up-grade from XJWonders on this site (should get here by next week end) and the headlight up-grade from jhc7399 also on here. I have not installed either yet will do them together. I want to have that done before I up-grade the alternator. I think you will find the winch will operate fine as long as it is the only accessory you use at the time. My wife and I are wanting to do a lot of camping in the future so adding another battery in the cargo bay is also planned.
Nice bumper, If my XJ did not already have the bumper it has, I would do the same type of set-up. I went snow wheeling with a guy that had a similar set-up. He wired leads to the front and the back receiver hitches and could plug his winch in and pull in either direction. The one thing I ended up having to do was burn in front frame stiffeners. I developed the crack by the steering box during that particular wheeling trip. Found that the P.O. put the mounting brackets on the wrong side. The one for the steering box side would have beefed up the area.
That's the plan for me as well. Thinking about running the wires through he subframe to make sure that they're well protected. I'll worry about it when I get to that point.
This is something that I'm actually a little worried about. I traded my 33s for 31s since they rubbed pretty badly. Should put a little less strain on the steering box/subframe. Shouldn't be that hard to weld on some scrap metal to the subframe.
Thanks man! You might like this thing. 6.5 horsepower of Harbor Freight fury:
I will admit to it not having any brakes as of right now. I've only taken it up and down the street so far. Still fun though. Surprisingly, the chain stays in place very well without any sort of tensioner.
08-19-2015, 06:27 PM
