osinrider04

Thanks! I am running 4.88 gears. I knew I had a lot of weight (and it's only getting worse) so I went with the most gear I could get with the D30/8.25 combo. There's an itch I'm trying to avoid scratching that would have me going to 1 tons. Might one day be necessary depending on what I get myself into but it would require new wheels and tires which I just purchased. Not to mention all the work in gears and stuff in the current axles. I stayed with 33s with these new tires kind of for that reason actually. A lot of weight and tall tires isn't the best design.


However, this is a good segue to the next chapter of my build. I have a little trailer that I am starting to build that will allow me to stow my RTT and other gear. The problem we have right now is breaking down camp to go out and explore. Everything is currently attached to the roof rack so mobility is limited. The trailer will have adjustable ladder racks attached so the RTT will be low to the ground during travel with the ability to be raised when camped for the night. Then I can detach the trailer and go out driving now. More pics to come!

husky_wolf

Pretty cool man! My build is similar to yours I plan on using it as an overland rig. How do you like the 33/4.88 combo? I just ordered 4.56 gears but I'm only on 31s plan on going to 32 or 33s. I'm also planning to have a RTT on a trailer for the same reason. I want to be able to set up base camp and take the XJ out wheelin or down to different fishing spots or even if I need to run into town for last minute supplies etc. Just read through the entire build. Sounds like you're coming along great. It seems like the list never ends.

osinrider04

The 4.88s are a lot for 33s honestly. I have great low end power for getting up to speed and changing lanes at highway speed. But traveling on a straight highway for hours gets to be a lot with my tire size. It’s kind of a catch 22 bc 4.88s are great for my weight, but not the best long distance highway traveler. I would say 4.56s would be fine especially if you can get some more power out of the engine to help. I don’t dislike my 4.88s but if you plan to do anything larger than 31-33s then just get the 4.88.

The reality is that our kind of overlanding requires lots of highway driving so having the proper gears for your highway speeds is important in my opinion.

And yes the list goes on. I have so much more still to do. Currently in progress is my trailer, a new front axle, and new fenders. Fenders will be here in a few days so expect to see some bad@$$ updates soon! Thanks for following and be sure to give me any ideas that you have!

-Ben

quicksdraw92

I'm assuming you are not going to sell anymore? I would hope not! Anyway, you and I have similar build plans. It's cool to see you out and about, I stuck with 4.10's when I did my upgrade due to the fact that overlanding requires so much highway travel. I don't think that I will go above 31's at this point due to the fact that I will be on the highway so much. If I do end up going bigger, I will probably suck it up and pay the money for 4.56 or 4.88 gearing. Glad to see you are still using your set up, hopefully you are not selling it! Safe travels.

husky_wolf

[QUOTE=osinrider04;3428239]The 4.88s are a lot for 33s honestly. I have great low end power for getting up to speed and changing lanes at highway speed. But traveling on a straight highway for hours gets to be a lot with my tire size. It’s kind of a catch 22 bc 4.88s are great for my weight, but not the best long distance highway traveler. I would say 4.56s would be fine especially if you can get some more power out of the engine to help. I don’t dislike my 4.88s but if you plan to do anything larger than 31-33s then just get the 4.88.

The reality is that our kind of overlanding requires lots of highway driving so having the proper gears for your highway speeds is important in my opinion.

And yes the list goes on. I have so much more still to do. Currently in progress is my trailer, a new front axle, and new fenders. Fenders will be here in a few days so expect to see some bad@$$ updates soon! Thanks for following and be sure to give me any ideas that you have!

-Ben[/QUOTE

I hear ya, I have no desire to go over 33s. I'm at 3in lift and going up about 1in more with my SRB and boomerang shackle in the rear and match front. I'm trying to keep my COG as low as possible. I'll let you know how the 4.56 gears turnout. Should be installing them sometime time next week.

My ultimate dream would be an ls swap but I do enjoy the reliability of the 4.0.

Do you plan on running flares or just replacing the existing fenders? Im ruining the napier precision V2. I really like them but if I had to do it again I'd go with a flat style like the one DBO offers.

osinrider04

The best part of my 4.88s is that in the really long and steep highway climbs in the mountainous areas, my jeep barrels right up it with no issues. Although 70-75mph is really the fastest I can go lol.

And no it’s not currently for sale 😬. I put it up on this site and didn’t have many people interested in the build type which I understand. If the wife and I ever decide to do any long trips out west for multiple months then I might consider a slightly bigger platform. Right now I’m looking forward to how a trailer will change things because space is so limited in the xj.

osinrider04

[QUOTE=husky_wolf;3428262]3" is a pretty good amount if you're trying to do true overlanding. The more modded something is the harder it is to stay not broken down somewhere. My setup is at 4.5" and you'll be at a total of 4 it sounds like. So you might end up buying 33's. I think a really cool build would be something 35s on 3" lift with tons of fender mods, but that's another story.

An LS would be fun. A friend of mine has one in his wrangler. I've never done a ton research on how well the stock tranny would hold up to the power though.

I'll keep the new fenders/flares a surprise for now :-p. I believe they should ship either today or Monday, and it's' 2-5 shipping. I miiiiiiiiiight be able to have them installed by the 15th so be on the look out for some updates in like 1-2 weeks.

husky_wolf

3" is a pretty good amount if you're trying to do true overlanding. The more modded something is the harder it is to stay not broken down somewhere. My setup is at 4.5" and you'll be at a total of 4 it sounds like. So you might end up buying 33's. I think a really cool build would be something 35s on 3" lift with tons of fender mods, but that's another story.
An LS would be fun. A friend of mine has one in his wrangler. I've never done a ton research on how well the stock tranny would hold up to the power though.
I'll keep the new fenders/flares a surprise for now :-p. I believe they should ship either today or Monday, and it's' 2-5 shipping. I miiiiiiiiiight be able to have them installed by the 15th so be on the look out for some updates in like 1-2 weeks.[/QUOTE]

I would've liked to stay at 3in but with the bad shackle angle and the amount of weight that the XJ is going to be getting I need it just a tad higher. I'm sure after everything is put on I'll be back around 3-3.5.
Haha sounds like you have something good brewing. If youre ever out west (Arizona) you should let me test drive your rig so I know what I'm getting myself into haha

osinrider04

A west coast trip is in order indeed! By next year I’ll be completely done with the xj so heading out your is a possibility. The trailer is about half done and I only have 2 major things left of the jeep itself. The wife used to live out west and it’s sounds great for exploring. TAT anyone????!

osinrider04

soooo fml. Jeep was leaking and I couldn't find the problem. Took it back to my shop that's been helping me with the things I can't resolve myself. Turns out just to be a valve cover gasket, even though I replaced this like 2 years ago.

While it was there I had a pretty intense shakedown test done to it. One thing I haven't really documented on this thread is my vibration problem I have at highway speed. At 25 mph I have a weird slow wobble--kind of feels like from drivers rear to passenger front. At 65+ it has a lovely harmonic/cyclical vibration that is actually pretty bad. We've had it on jack stands and ran it, then took off front and rear driveshafts to try and find the vibration. Turns out neither driveshaft removed makes the vibration completely go away. Yes, both driveshafts are from Tom Woods, rebuilt, re-balanced, etc. I have been chasing this shake for YEARS. I think we've finally found it after all this time. I had rebuilt the tcase so we never thought this was the issue. In fact, we rebuilt it twice. Split it apart, inspected, replaced seals, and put back together. We are coming to the realization that the reason the rear driveshaft isn't spinning perfectly around the center axis is because the yoke or rear output shaft is not straight. We have literally replaced every driveline moving part except for these 2 pieces. I am going to rebuild the tcase again with a new sye and fingers crossed it will fix my problem.

Doesn't end there. Found out my rear axle shaft on the driver's side is bent. This might explain some of that slow speed wobble. Thankfully that isn't a huge job. However, we measured the temp of pinion bearings and they were like 250+ degrees after driving. Not sure what's going on in there so I'm going to have to pull that apart and see/replace.

Still doesn't end there. My transmission was slipping on my last trip to Vermont Overland Rally. Ended up going backwards up a trail to clear for a convoy of like 6 other jeeps. When we got to the top of the trail the jeep wouldn't go into gear. Literally wouldn't engage at all. Turned it off and let it sit for about 5 minutes. When we turned it back on it went into gear no problem. However we've noticed it slips every once and a while even on the highway. Long story short, I'm going to be swapping in a donor AW4. Don't have the money to put in something stronger and from what I can read, this tranny is actually pretty strong. While I'm at it I will be putting in a tranny temp gauge, and tranny cooler. I'll also be wrapping the exhaust and placing heat shields where I can.I'm also going to treat and coat the underside with some type of rust preventer while I have the transmission and tcase out.

Front passenger side axle seal is pouring fluid. I have a bent C on driver's side so I am actually rebuilding an entire new axle with eaton e-locker and grand cherokee knuckles, steering, braking. It will be trussed, c gussets above and below, and control arm skids all from JCR. That will be going in in about 3 weeks.

Anyone want to help? lol. See you guys in a few months.

cbs_24

Ouch brother...Unfortunately, when it rains it pours. Sounds like you have a solid plan at least. I have heard a few stories of people having issues with their Tom Woods DS. Personally, I prefer Adams DS. Good luck with all your repairs.

osinrider04

The only actual issue I had with my tom woods was some of the ujoints were bad from the get-go, so it made chasing down my vibrations harder. When you've replaced something your brain kind of assumes it's not the culprit anymore. I will say that I called tom woods and they paid to completely rebuild the entire axle with new joints, and even lengthened/rebalanced it all for free. Not to mention they did it super fast for me and it not to mention it was probably outside their warranty window by the time I had shipped it back. I would definitely recommend them simply because of their customer service (if for nothing else).


And yes, it's definitely pouring on this jeep. Logically I should just dump it and get something new, but I like tinkering on this xj. It's going to be quite the overland build once everything is said and done. And one day when I do decide to sell it, someone will get a very unique and fun ride.

osinrider04

I found some leather seats to put in the XJ finally. They came out of a 2001 grand cherokee. Wait, you said leather? Those look like cloth seats...Yes I know. That's actually mold/mildew. This jeep sat unpaid-for at a mechanics shop for 2.5 years under a tree in the shade on the eastern shore of MD. They are heated and power too!



Rear seats. Nice and fuzzy too. They are 60-40 fold down so I'm going to have to find an old forum thread I saw where someone modified the brackets to work in the XJ. It's doable and I'm excited about this feature.



I took my chances and drove out there to pick them up. They were nasty but they have cleaned up way better than my expectations could have hoped for! I used CLR's mold and mildew remover WITHOUT bleach. The only 2 options I considered were this cleaner and a diluted white vinegar. Rather than going the vinegar route and then trying to deal with removing that smell, I tried this CLR stuff. Bought it from Harris Teeter grocery store and it works great.



After cleaning them I knew I wanted to add some oils back into the seats since I can only image what mold and then that cleaner was doing to the surface of the leather. This stuff was rather expensive at $16 but supposedly it's the best quality.



After putting this stuff on the seats had an amazing shine brought back to them!





I'm going to keep them in the sun and apply a few more light coats of leather conditioner before they go into the XJ. Stay tuned for final pix after install.

draposo

This is a great thread, thanks for detailing so much of what you have done. I used to have an 86 XJ and recently picked up a 2000 XJ I am going to be building out into a camping/overland rig as well. Your thread has definitely given me a lot of ideas and insights into things to look out for and think about as I get started.

I'm shocked how nicely those seats cleaned up, will make those highway miles a little more tolerable.

osinrider04

Glad the thread is helping you out--that's the whole reason I decided to start it. If you have any questions on anything let me know. There's still a lot to come for this jeep before the build is finalized. I'm hoping to wrap everything up over this fall/winter though and have a super busy overlanding season early next year!

Yeah I'm really surprised how they have turned out as well. Although, I've had to clean them a 3rd time because I noticed that inside the stitching of the leather sections you can still see some grim. Toothbrush to the rescue