Van_Homan

Thanks for the info. I'll add the track bar to the list. I'm guessing I should wait on the alignment until I have the track bar installed?

Van_Homan

The "to do" list is getting long. Some of the items on this list are just wants and will have to take a back seat to the more pressing and needed items.

Mechanical:
Oil change
Tune up
Possible wheel bearing replacement
Brakes
Alignment
8.25 rear axle


Electrical:
New headlight wiring harness
New headlights
Wire and mount the aux lights


Interior:
Headliner
Carpet
Floor matts
New seats
New stereo and speakers
CB

Exterior:
Rear bumper w/tire carrier
Front bumper
Rock sliders
Mount for the Hi-Lift

Van_Homan

I mounted my old lights to the rack. They're Hella 700FF. I'm not happy with the old mounts because it positions the lights higher than the rack and interferes with the kayaks. I'm planning to build a new mount that can tilt forward out of the way when the boats are on the roof.
A new style light bar would solve this problem but the ones I've seen start at $300. I think I can build a new mount for about $25

Van_Homan

I saw a JK with a paracord wrapped steering wheel and really liked the way it looked and felt.
Then I saw a few people in here that had done the same,
so I picked up a 100' of black 550 and wrapped mine.
I like the way it turned out.


I also picked up a couple of spares while I was at the JY. These are 30x9.5'Cooper AT's. I'll eventually replace them with matching 31's but these will work for now. I got a longer mount to accommodate the thicker spare so I could mount one in the factory spot and one on the roof. I'm planing to get a rear bumper with swing out carrier down the road. I'll take the spare off the roof at that point.
I'm going to work on a secure mount for the rack before I take it out.

TFitzPat87

Love the build! I sounds like you and I have the same ideas. I'll be following this one!

Van_Homan

Thank you.

Van_Homan

Changed the oil tonight and took a really good look at everything underneath.
I discovered the source of the cluncking I've been hearing. Passenger side u-joint is bad and I've got a wheel bearing starting to make noise. My plans were to replace the wires, plugs, cap and rotor next, but I'll have to put that off until after the u-joints and hubs. It's going to be a few weeks before I have time.

Van_Homan

I got a chance this weekend to tweak my light mounts so they're more secure. I also painted them along with the axe and shovel mounts. I put everything on for a test fit and it all feels very snug.






I'm considering a set of shackle relocation brackets to help with the shackle angle and to provide 1-1/2" of lift. I'm not sure if I should give the lift more time to settle. It seems to me the rear is lower at times, and I'd like it to sit level, or a little higher in the back to accommodate heavier loads when I'm out camping.

TFitzPat87

^^^ Relocation brackets are a great idea! I plan on running some at some point. The only issue there is, sometimes you need longer shackles to allow necessary travel in the shackle/leaf with the relocation brackets. Unfortunate side affect when you're already getting lift out of the brackets themselves.

I'm personally going to wait and see how my leafs settle, but I need to get my lift on in order to do that! Hopefully this weekend!

Van_Homan

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to research more on the relocation brackets vs boomerang shackles.

RedStar

Your old 4x4 didn't happen to be an Isuzu Trooper did it? We may have more in common than our white XJ's haha.

EDIT: Nvm, read further down after your introductory post. I used to post over on Planet Isuzu when I had an Axiom. Cool to see you here. If you do what you did to your old Troop, yours will be a favorite for sure. You had one of my favorite Isuzu's on there.

Van_Homan

Ahh yes, the old Trooper. I really loved that truck. It was great for small local trips but wasn't designed for long trips at highway speeds. 70mph was a white knuckle ride for sure. Lol
Good to see a fellow planet member here.

Van_Homan

I finished my light mounting brackets, and got the lights mounted on the rack nice and secure but misplaced the wiring harnesses. I found the harnesses yesterday so it was time to get these things wired.




Hella supplies a decent wiring harness with relays and fuses. The only thing I didn't use were the cheap splicing connectors. I used heat shrink tubes for the splices, ring terminals for the ground connections, and approximately 25' of 14 gauge wire.
I mounted the relays on the passenger side close to the battery for convenience.


I routed the wires through the fender and up the A-pillar using the windshield channel.
I had to remove the fender screw located in the passenger door jam, and loosen the ones under the hood. Prying the fender out slightly allowed the wires to slip underneath and be completely hidden.
I wrapped a little white tape around the 3 or 4 inches of wire that could be seen. I used the main grommet to route the wires through the firewall as there was already a hole in it.

Once inside I ran them up under the steering column to the main dash.
The previous owner had something mounted in the dash just to the right of the steering wheel at some point as there were two mysterious holes there when I bought the vehicle. I figured this would be a good place to mount the switches. I used my Dremmel to enlarge the holes so the switches would fit.





The instructions called for splicing into the high beams on the headlights and came with two fused leads that made it very simple.
I used a tester to figure out which wire to splice and I'm glad I did, my first guess was the purple wire which wasn't correct. It was the red wire on mine (1998). A quick test and everything seems to be working.
I really like that I can leave the light switches on and operate them with the factory high beams. The switches are also illuminated so I know when they're on.









I know there are super powerful light bars out today that put out massive amounts of light, but I really like the way these look.
It also helps that I already had these laying around collecting dust. Don't get me wrong I really like the new light bars and I might switch over at some point. Especially since these will probably get in the way of the canoe and kayak, but for now these will do.

I'm going to test them out on some rural back roads tonight.

Sequoyah

To solve the issue of your off-center steering wheel, you have to adjust your drag link. A track bar aligns your axle to the body of the jeep. So that means a track bar won't solve your steering wheel issue.

Van_Homan

Thanks for the tip. I watched a YouTube video on that the other day. I might go out and adjust later if the rain stops.