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Here we are folks! Still not fully installed -needing longer bolts and also some bungee straps to further secure things in place but overall im pretty darn happy with it.
Still working on how i'm going to secure the spare axle shafts without having them rattle.
Thanks, siding more towards DD capabilities keeping it comfortable for the family. Been dabbling with the temptation of tube fenders and maybe an exo-cage but i feel it will lean too far into wheeling rig at that point. Less protection along those lines seems to keep me in check.
DTOR in kentucky was quite the change of wheeling style for us MI boys. Natural rock and everything was a hill climb, i got unlucky with some loose rocks and rock ledges and wound up sliding back down a hill right into a tree. Centered it on the tire carrier so the swing out bent in and trashed the hatch. Only bummer was losing my stickers!
The tire carrier has since been bent back straight and the hatch has been replaced. Got me rethinking a new tire carrier and possibly a tube wrapped setup - we'll see.
Picked up a set of these 2020 Gladiator Fox take offs to help smoothen out the ride. The fronts i will need to figure out how im going to adapt the 1/2" standard eyelet to the bar pin mount at the bottom - top already has post eliminators so thats a direct fit. Rears on the other hand have a larger bolt hole on top and still the standard 1/2" bottom eyelet which again mine is already setup for that. I figure im just gonna find a sleeve or have some made to fit. More on that later
I picked up a Nifty Shifter Jr and got it installed and setup. When it comes to wanting a specific gear while offroad this does just what i wanted. The best part is that it was basically all plug and play with no additional power supply needed.
I have this setup to engage 4th gear via the toggle switch on the shifter.
these grey shocks that i believe are rough country - were a little long as it was. Still great pressure but just wanted something better and i've had these Fox shocks in mind for some time now. Glad to finally get into this!
Overall the new shocks were about 2.5" shorter than the old shocks. Have a little trick to shorten that difference.
With the new shocks being eyelets on both ends and I wasn't really looking to make the "dogbone" setup work on the bottom, i found these adapters on ebay for ~$18. They did just the trick! They came with some grade 5 hardware but homie don't pay that - grade 8 status almost always!
Got it down to about 1" difference -im good with that
Had to cut down the factory spacing on the top so it would fit in my post eliminator for the top mount
giving these just a little shave to make sure there isn't any rubbing or binding. A little before and after
next was drilling some new mounting holes as the adapters are a little wider than factory.
Installed and even took it for a little spin and it was already an improvement. Smooth and subtle - just a little washy but im pretty sure its because the rear shocks. After i get the rear shocks installed i may try a ride along video - we shall see
So the other pair of shocks I actually forget if they were technically the front or rear originally in the gladiator but for my sake - the longer ones - the mounting holes in the eyelets weren't the standard 1/2" through hole like the others were. They are/were i believe meant to use a 14mm bolt. This was a little hiccup that i was aware of before hand to the effect of "those shocks run oddball bolt sizes" Well they were definitely right on that one! I didn't initially have a solution other that "oh ill figure it out". So i figured the options were to either drill out the mounts in the rear of the xj to 14mm to accommodate these shocks as a bolt in without modification. Have a special sleeve machined to make up the difference between the 1/2" bolts i was using originally in the back of the xj. Drill out the shock and xj mounts to a 7/16's bolt hole and deal with a very one off bolt application.
Well i really wasnt digging the idea of changing the 1/2" mounting holes on the xj - so that eliminated a couple of those options. I talked with one of our machinists at work and dimensionally if i went with a sleeve to adapt the factory 14mm hole to my intended 1/2" bolt, it would end up being pretty thin, about .038 to be exact and that could over time break up leaving me with slop. Then i stumbled on the idea of drilling out the shock eyelet a little bigger to accept a more standard sized sleeve to then reduce down to 1/2". Low and behold for $3.49 each i found these 5/8 outside diameter and 1/2" inside diameter 1.5" long bushing/sleeves. Grabbed a new 5/8 drill bit and had at em!
That smell of questionable chinesium metal heating up while its being drilled - lovely!
a little test fit and they are pretty snug
put a little red locktite on the OD of the sleeve and tapped them in with a small hammer. then i tossed a bolt and hardware in each end to contain the sleeve until the locktite sets up
gonna try getting them installed this weekend still and if i get to them, potentially a little ride quality video is in the future
Fortunately i anticipated needing some adjustability with these towers and it turns out the bottom hole is the optimal mounting setup.
new shocks installed
no ride along video, didnt really have a comparison on camera for actual ride quality. Its already smoother than before though. I've actually noticed some other clunks now that the shocks aren't the problem so thats a good thing.
Mud is not our forte, got pretty well stuck the first day trying to make it to shale beach before nightfall. Washed off the one side from Lake Superior.
To recap the damage from the trip... Said mud stuck(s) ripped my exhaust off and also killed my alternator... While trying to make it back to the cabin that night running on the battery alone we basically bonzied through some pretty rough terrain! If you haven't been on drummond islands trails to sum it up... Its like driving on the surface of a raisin and its all made of natural rock. Very bumpy where its solid rocks or boulders - average 5-6mph while on these rocks. Other than that its just rough or flat dirt roads before taking pavement. So the baja trip to the cabin got a little rough and a little louder as we kept going... turns out i popped the lower bushing slightly out of the sleeve and also blew out the radius arm flex joint. All the fluid on the ground is from the steering box which now the sector shaft has a bit of play to it.
Soo far the exhaust is all back together - $120
New 130amp alternator - $96
New bushing and also 1 replacement flex joint which actually turned into Rough Country sending me 2 newer style flex joints - $53
Other things - rear shocks need to be moved up in the towers because they are bottoming out, need to either move the alternator up or make some type of splash guard to protect this one from the mud. Potentially mount a factory front skid plate which might be somewhat challenging because all the factory mounting holes on the unibody have no threads.
The parts from Rough Country just showed up tonight and is the only thing keeping the jeep from wheeling again. Tomorrow being my garage night im shooting to close the book one these repairs!
Well its been a little bit soo i figure i'll throw in an update and hopefull plans for 2022
I DID get the upper flex joint replaced and my goodness this jeep is back to that koosh ride i was hoping for! Also adjusted the rear shocks for a little more room on up travel so they are no longer maxing out for collapsed.
I did also get that bad steering box swapped out but just my luck I put a poor condition used unit in its place. While it doesn't leak it does have quite a bit of slop which just will not do!
- So a new steering box is definitely in order whether it be a factory unit or a durango box with the travel limiters shaved for the full steering travel. (put this box on my MJ truggy and while its phenomenal for strength - the lacking of turning radius is annoying)
- Id like to ditch the current swing out tire carrier and build a tube style setup that wraps the back of the body but also ties into the frame and body *solid and dependable*
- While the storage rack i built for the back of the jeep has been beneficial - its just not space friendly enough for my liking. I've been doodling a few different ideas for a tubing structure and potential swing out system for storage that i will elaborate more on later once i start playing with the actual space.
- The floors have been ignored for a long time now and thankfully they aren't terrible but with a few other things in mind that justifies gutting the interior i think this will finally happen!
- I figure if the interior is going to be gutted then i might as well color match and replace the carpet and interior panels while its all out. I'm going for black interior panels and the clean dark shaded carpet the junkyard gods will offer me. My current badly stained grey carpet and miss-matched grey/black interior just isn't clean enough for my family wheeling desires.
- Id be spoiling myself to say the least but i'd love to have a slim roof rack setup to give me the option to haul things on the roof - this with the thought that i'd finally give myself the excuse to buy a kayak or two and get some exercise in and explore some of the waters around west MI.
This should do for now, like before i will dump the photos and explanations for my progress as they come along
Here we are again... Another lunge forward with some progress but per the usual - its unfinished.
The Roof rack build!
I scored 10 sticks of 1.5" (.086 wall) mild tubing for free from work - they are surface rusted but free light duty tube is too good a deal to pass up. With some sanding it was good enough for my needs.
Started out with the base and how it will secure to the jeep itself. I wanted to utilize the factory roof mounts over a drip rail clamp so i got some 1/8" drop sheets for $5 from the local steel yard and cut them down to 1.5" wide. 3 strips per side and each strip will tie in with 2 of the factory bolt holes. Drilled them out pretty snug and the threads actually protrude out of the jeeps roof so the plates actually sit just above flush. Then made a couple 1/8" washers using my hole saw to sandwich the mounts to the roof. Later i will sneak some rubber strips between roof and rack as a buffer.
Next came the base - 6'x4'~ with about 3" kickers front/rear for crossover bent "hoops"
tacked the base together and then notched the side tubes at a 45*. Then i bent them at 45* starting the die about an inch away from the inside notch. This sets the tube up for about a 3.5" seperation from the base tube.
Cut out 8 spreader tubes all notched at a 3.5" separation, tacked them in and then knocked out the front and rear crossover tubes.
Rear crossover tube is perpendicular to the racks base - planned on installing 2 flush mount smoked 6" oval Led trailer lights there. They are red in color to function with the tail lights BUT spoiler alert they didn't get installed! Not yet atleast
Front crossover tube is notched for about a 45* mounting angle for coverage over the Amazon lightbar by Nilight. FWIW i've run a number of these cheap LED amazon pods and Nilight has treated me well.
2x4 wood spacers to get a gist of mounting height
I failed at progression pics figuring out the mounting height for the rack - what i can say was it was Tricky! The jeeps roof is like a basketball and is far from completely flat. So the closest contact point from the roof and the racks cross bars is about 2/3's length towards the back and is about 1/2" from touching. I found some scrap pieces of 5/8" OD 3/16 wall tube and started chopping it up and fitting in between the racks base and mounting strips. 3 tie-ins per mounting strip and it felt pretty solid so it was time for a BURN!
Gave the rack a quick wire brush and scotch brite pad scuffing and laid it out in the yard for some paint
Finished for now to make a weekend overlanding trip
Absolutely not finished yet but im good with it thus far, I've got some ideas for capping the open tubes - maybe utilizing them to store my dune/trail flag and potentially a camp cooking tripod? We shall see
We have set our sights again on Drummond Island for a late fall trip. Soo with that comes again - another mini overhaul list of things to do.
Among those things are:
Repair floor pans
SYE and HD tcase build
make a lighter rear tire carrier that swings better than my crude bolt-through setup
With about a month and a half till we leave there's no guarantee's
For my experience - these floors aren't terrible, definitely not great but i've certainly fixed worse.
Cant say i'm planning on re-using the old carpet. Honestly have no idea what makes up the really dark stains present as they've been this way since i got the jeep. What can i say other than floor mats
I spent most of the time just clearing dirt/debris and rust flakes from the remaining floor pans and unibody. Also sprayed down the stained areas with a mixture of simple green and purple power cleaner(s). Letting it soak for a bit and then i'll be hitting it with the power washer. Even if i dont re-use the carpet this will at the very least give me an idea of how good a job those cleaners and a power wash can do.
Soo the floors are the least of my worries. I ordered a pair of full floor pans, D/P side from raybuck and they should be here this week. I must say, calling to place my order and verifying their stock qty was very re-assuring. The guy also cleared the air with an upfront "expect 2 weeks minimum for them to ship, could be quicker but on the safe side - 2 weeks". I can appreciate some upfront expectations and surprise surprise, 1 week later they have already shipped out!
Now this unibody/frame however you'd like to refer to it, I'll be honest here and say for the last week and a half i've been shopping for a solid shell at the very minimum. This XJ has a varying amount of rust issues in some of the awkward spots. Felt pretty defeated the more i uncovered really. HOWEVER with the prices XJ owners are trying to get out of their hoopdie'd out Jeeps, I think i'm just going to invest some extra time and money to kick this can along a little longer yet!
"Wow! what a hole"
This new metal is just shy of 1/8" material. Cut it out and bent it with a hammer and vice. My idea here is to mimic to factory unibody contour and then i'm going to get a pair of Barnes4wd center unibody stiffners to distribute and support the remainder of metal that makes up this jeep unibody.
There WAS about 2-3 layers that make up this section of unibody which also tie's into the x-member mounts. This RC long arm x-member uses 3 bolts on the main section and then the t-case skid uses 2 more bolts through the frame (which holes aren't there currently). Still rolling ideas around in my head because its soft~ metal inside and outside unibody but my thoughts are to make a channel that fits relatively snug on the front of seam section of unibody - then make a new nut strip from 3/16's-1/4 flat stock which runs the length of the mounting holes tie-ing all 5 bolts on this side to the bottom of the frame.
Clearing out more of this driver floor pan all is going fairly well. Absolutely more rusty than id like BUT those XJ prices are just ridiculous so might as well stay in this one. This outer seat mount was pretty flimsy at the unibody and while i initially planned to remake the entire bracket - I decided to just remove the flimsy metal and butt in some fresh steal.
With some break away and a nut welded to the remainder of the bolt - it was free and threads still looking healthy! Butt'd some new metal and then welded it in from both sides, then smoothed it back out.
Top view of the new metal for the outside of the frame rail. No welds yet, this was just mock-up. Utilizing the open space for now for easy access to keeping this flat and tight. This is also a visual reference of the inner unibody before adding new steel.
made a new tray that lays in nicely along the bottom of the unibody. Butts up to the factory seam towards the back and then also "nearly - just missed the mark :/" butts up with the factory inner support at the front. What i would describe as the side wings will get bent over to meat the inner and outer sides of the unibody.
next i grabbed a strip of 2" wide, 1/4" thick flat stock and added a few bends to match the contour of the unibody. Basically a full length spine that ties the 3 x-member mounting bolts and also the 2 tcase skid bolts together.
In preparation for fitting the floor pan - wire wheeling the entire inside of the unibody i find another hole in the frame. I had really contemplated just welding the floor pan in and being done with it but fortunately i decided to be a little more thorough.
this is right where the unibody over laps 2 seperate sections so replacing the rusted out sections was pretty simple. Remade the outside section and seamed it in place then remade the inside section and again seamed into place.
Rebuilt the inside of the rocker panel, Lets point out the obvious here.... i wouldn't say im fixing ALL the rust areas - just enough to get this floor repair over with.
1st step is a light layer of etch primer
next step is a single layer of POR-15. I'm planning atleast 2 maybe even 3 coats.
just checking the fitment and also the alignment of all my spot weld holes, everything is losing good soo far
. Haha. great job.
