98 XJ High School Build
 

Hey, little intro here. I'm 16, grade 11 and work at McDonald's, working 25-35 hours a week so I save quite a bit of money.

Earlier this summer, dipped into my savings a bit and bought this 98 XJ from a friend of mine. 98 sport, 329660 km's 3.5" Rubicon Express lift on 30's.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...2f5ac109a7.png

Started doing little things to it, painted bumpers and roof rails as they were chipped and peeling. Got LED pods for the front. New hatch struts as PO put in WJ instead of XJ ones. Cleaned IAC so it stopped stalling. Put Kenwood BT deck in and JL components up front. Changed rear drums and shoes that PO gave me when I bought it. Swapped rear drivers side door with one that wasn't dented.

Got into the bigger stuff for my safety, new header, muffler and whole catback system. Went with an ATP Y-Challenge header from Summit, Flowmaster 10 and a 2.5" Iron Rock Offroad Catback. Got both left side ball joints done.

Ordered Ebay Halo's and having a ***** of a time getting them wired properly as my factory harness is ****ed. They look great though
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...16b8068c05.png


Last night my 13 year old battery finally stopped starting so I got a new one, starts great now. Rims are ordered (Pro Comp 51 15x8, 3.75) and new tires (Ironman All Country AT's) are coming next paycheck. Will be uploading pics tomorrow :)

Welcome to the forum, good to see some other young guys getting into xjs, one piece of advice if you are interested, don't go cheap on something like tires, I don't know much about Ironman tires, in fact I've never heard of them so that leads me to believe they aren't too high quality. If you are looking for an affordable all terrain check out the general grabber at2, you can get them for around 150 a piece online with free shipping in the 31x10.5r15 size. In the long run a nicer tire will end up costing less by allowing more mileage.

I whole heartedly agree about quality tires. With that being said, I have heard good things about Ironman tires. I have a few diesel buddies running the Ironman MT on 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks, and they have great things to say about them. The couple who have had them on for awhile who also tow heavy loads frequently say they seem to be wearing pretty well.

Okay well it's good to hear he is making an reputable purchase

Thanks bro, they're made by Hercules and I've heard good things about them. My friend who I'm getting from his shop, said they're almost as good as the BFG AT's, and I'm getting them for 700, where the BFG's cost over 900.

I worked at my friends dad's tire shop for years and still help occasionally. The iron man's are flying out the door. Newer brand. They are cheap but so far rave reviews from customers

awesome build man! I'm the same age and bought an xj a couple years ago. I have the same RE 3.5" lift. maybe look at getting skyjacker swaybar disconnects next. when you need a new set of tires, you can trim the fenders and easily fit 33s. you might also consider removing the rear swaybar for more articulation off-road. let me know if you have any questions and good luck man!

It looks 10 billion times better with the 31's on Pro Comp steelies


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...952cac365e.jpg