"Project Blue Thunder" from rags to riches, An xj story
 

To start off with, i bought this jeep after almost a year and a half of searching. Living in eastern canada makes the xj community pretty scarce, but nonetheless i found my dream truck, a 2000 xj with an ax-15 5 speed and it was bone stock with next to no rust. The first thing on my agenda was a lift kit. So after searching high and low across the internet i decided on a 4.5" in lift. Being a highschool student at the time i was i little strapped on cash so i had to settle with rough country. A bought the standard SA lift with AAL. Which i plan on replacing with long arms and a full leaf pack or a bastard pack.

After choosing a lift, the waiting game started, untill one day it arrived.

3 days of busted knuckles, ciggarettes, and beer it was in. Although not prefect... steering wheel was upside down, and the new springs drove like ****

However nothing a front end allignment and and some time wont fix though....

Forgot to mention that the jeep came with a free aftermarket "warrior products rockcrawler bumper w/ brush guard"... even though the brushguard was a complete wright off well before i even bought the jeep..... I am also very fond of the black 98 style black grille so i put that in just for something to do one night when i was bored..... Also would not suggest wiring up roof lights through your interior, After removing my dash it was a permanent god awful squeek then i cant get rid of.

so no more upgrades for a while, still searching for tires... but ive been doing some wheeling with a set of old worn out 31"s i got off my friend. Who also drives a 2 door xj.

Then something happened to me that was a sign to upgrade to 33".... my tire decided to blaze it own trail without me, literally....

and after a new rotor, new wheel studs, and all new u-joints i was on the road again.... and on back on my crappy little winter tires.... untill i find some 33s

Also picked up an old grille guard from a buddy for 10 bucks... looks like crap but its staying for now.

Then i found some 33's... didnt cost me a dime either so its a win win.... and then after looking at big tires without offset rims i made up my mind that i hate the look of stock backspacing and bought these.... 75$ a pop at my local national4wd.... looks much much better.

Went wheeling with my brother and did some minor flexing... not a lot with the front sway bars connected, but after pulling a brake line out of the front caliper with no sway bars ive decided to leave them hooked up for now.

and then my family lost a beloved member....... to a stray moose on the winding back roads.... no one was hurt thank ****



RIP 99' TJ

Whoa! Glad family is all well.

So i decided to take my steel bumper i made off my old 4runner and modify it to fit the xj.... heres how i did it

had to trim the edges a bit with the plasma cutter and a hand grinder.... took most of the morning but its done with now, did i really sloppy job but oh well its only temporary..... and after cutting the stock bumper brackets to house my custom bumper i was in the home stretch

bumper finished......