Black-N-Blu...the slow build
05-27-2010, 11:11 PM
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
Black-N-Blu...the slow build
Hello everyone. A few of you may know me from other forums. I am finally posting a build thread here.
(Click any image for a larger view)
It all began in May of 2006 when I bought my bone stock 2000 XJ...
Got it stuck the first time the second day I had it...
I was lucky enough to get one with a power sunroof. Whoever installed this did a good job...
The first modification was a pair of JKS disconnects and I removed the rear sway bar...it was all downhill from there.
Flexed much better...
Next the plastic crap came off, I trimmed out the fenders, then added pre 96 front bumper caps...
Then, I bought some black steelies from a co-worker with 31x10.50s from a co-worker....they rubbed like heck. I got them cheap though.
Then came Herculiner across the lower half, she then became Black and Blue...
Roll ahead to September 2007 to the purchase of a RE 6130 4.5" super flex. If I had it to do again, I would have bought from another company....live and learn. I was glad to have a friend who owned a garage with a lift and he allowed me to use it.
October I bought a C4x4 Trailblazer winch bumper...
C4x4 rear bumper...
The D-rings came from a good buddy who works for a stage company. The two on the back came from a Bon Jovi concert...the two on the front came from a Hannah Montana concert.
They were free so I took them anyways.
Early in 2008 I bought a set of 5 31x10.50x15 TrXus MTs for $750 brand new and they even came with a set of Eagle Alloy wheels that fit on my CJ. Gotta love Craigslist...
A whole lot of wheeling in between.
I had a blast with it like that until early 2009 when the motor developed a knock. I am the type that says "If it breaks, replace it with better stuff." So I began building a motor for it. I went back and forth about stroking it but decided to go this route instead. I had my reasons.
(Click any image for a larger view)
It all began in May of 2006 when I bought my bone stock 2000 XJ...
Got it stuck the first time the second day I had it...
I was lucky enough to get one with a power sunroof. Whoever installed this did a good job...
The first modification was a pair of JKS disconnects and I removed the rear sway bar...it was all downhill from there.
Flexed much better...
Next the plastic crap came off, I trimmed out the fenders, then added pre 96 front bumper caps...
Then, I bought some black steelies from a co-worker with 31x10.50s from a co-worker....they rubbed like heck. I got them cheap though.
Then came Herculiner across the lower half, she then became Black and Blue...
Roll ahead to September 2007 to the purchase of a RE 6130 4.5" super flex. If I had it to do again, I would have bought from another company....live and learn. I was glad to have a friend who owned a garage with a lift and he allowed me to use it.
October I bought a C4x4 Trailblazer winch bumper...
C4x4 rear bumper...
The D-rings came from a good buddy who works for a stage company. The two on the back came from a Bon Jovi concert...the two on the front came from a Hannah Montana concert.
They were free so I took them anyways.Early in 2008 I bought a set of 5 31x10.50x15 TrXus MTs for $750 brand new and they even came with a set of Eagle Alloy wheels that fit on my CJ. Gotta love Craigslist...
A whole lot of wheeling in between.
I had a blast with it like that until early 2009 when the motor developed a knock. I am the type that says "If it breaks, replace it with better stuff." So I began building a motor for it. I went back and forth about stroking it but decided to go this route instead. I had my reasons.
05-27-2010, 11:20 PM
#2
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
Found a 93 motor with 160K on it and tore it down.
Bought Sealed Power Cerami-coated pistons with gapless rings...
Had the block vatted, bored .020 over, and decked .010.
Had the head decked .010 also...
I had the machine shop rebuild the head with Hesco Performance Valve Springs & Retainers #HESSPRSS6.
I built the rest of the engine. I installed a Hesco 4.0-4.2L Camshaft #RVOB6, a set of Push Rods 9.639" Length #PR-437, Mopar Performance double timing chain set, and Mopar Performance high flow oil pump.
Crank installed...
Timing chain set...
Pistons installed...
painted it all Mopar Blue...ready with a cerami-coated header...
Now comes all the 2000 sensors and brown dog motor mounts....
Then it was on to taking the old motor out...
Bought Sealed Power Cerami-coated pistons with gapless rings...
Had the block vatted, bored .020 over, and decked .010.
Had the head decked .010 also...
I had the machine shop rebuild the head with Hesco Performance Valve Springs & Retainers #HESSPRSS6.
I built the rest of the engine. I installed a Hesco 4.0-4.2L Camshaft #RVOB6, a set of Push Rods 9.639" Length #PR-437, Mopar Performance double timing chain set, and Mopar Performance high flow oil pump.
Crank installed...
Timing chain set...
Pistons installed...
painted it all Mopar Blue...ready with a cerami-coated header...
Now comes all the 2000 sensors and brown dog motor mounts....
Then it was on to taking the old motor out...
05-27-2010, 11:41 PM
#3
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
The old girl served me well, but time for the new blood....
Once I tore the old engine out and got the intake off, what do we have on number 5 intake port??
Full of oil....thats not good.....and yet another sign of no good...
Pulled the pan and what do we have here.....
Grenaded piston....
Pulled the head.....
I would think its safe to say the block is now a good yacht anchor.
Fast forward several hours and the new motor is installed....
Added a 1 inch tb spacer and a 2.5" exhaust with Magnaflow high flow cat and Thrush 304 stainless turbo muffler....
Then an Aussie locker came in for the 8.25 29 spline..
I dont think the new engine sounds too bad....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=4X-8ufkjJ4o
Once I tore the old engine out and got the intake off, what do we have on number 5 intake port??
Full of oil....thats not good.....and yet another sign of no good...
Pulled the pan and what do we have here.....
Grenaded piston....
Pulled the head.....
I would think its safe to say the block is now a good yacht anchor.
Fast forward several hours and the new motor is installed....
Added a 1 inch tb spacer and a 2.5" exhaust with Magnaflow high flow cat and Thrush 304 stainless turbo muffler....
Then an Aussie locker came in for the 8.25 29 spline..
I dont think the new engine sounds too bad....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=4X-8ufkjJ4o
Last edited by XJAbuzer; 05-27-2010 at 11:43 PM.
05-28-2010, 12:04 AM
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
Then came JKS ACOS (sorry, no pics when I was installing them), new wheels, upgraded to a Durango PS box with a TnT frame reinforcement kit. Somewhere in 2009 I also replaced the crappy worn out RE leaves for some BDS 5 inch packs and replaced the RE trackbar with a double shear TB from IRO and a IRO tie rod
Then it was off to Colorado last September. I towed a trailer that weighed about 1400lbs with all the gear on it. 700 miles one way, plus another 1000 miles of just plain driving throughout the week, and about 250 miles of off road trails, then the Jeep towed the trailer back. The only thing that caused us any problem was a worn out U-Joint and the guy who aligned my Jeep didnt get the jamb nuts tight and they backed off....I ended up eating up 2 front tires. I changed the u-joint out before it failed completely. I had to realign the Jeep with a tape measure, but no problems after that.
I installed Amsteel Blue winch line (5/8" x 100') before I left to replace my frayed Smittybuilt cable. I also mounted some KC lights to the cowl.
Then it was off to Colorado last September. I towed a trailer that weighed about 1400lbs with all the gear on it. 700 miles one way, plus another 1000 miles of just plain driving throughout the week, and about 250 miles of off road trails, then the Jeep towed the trailer back. The only thing that caused us any problem was a worn out U-Joint and the guy who aligned my Jeep didnt get the jamb nuts tight and they backed off....I ended up eating up 2 front tires. I changed the u-joint out before it failed completely. I had to realign the Jeep with a tape measure, but no problems after that.
I installed Amsteel Blue winch line (5/8" x 100') before I left to replace my frayed Smittybuilt cable. I also mounted some KC lights to the cowl.
Last edited by XJAbuzer; 05-28-2010 at 12:13 AM.
05-28-2010, 12:09 AM
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
Well, I will just quote from my review on JF to make it easier....
Rubicon Express does not stand behind their products. One of the RE monotube shocks started leaking a few months after I installed the lift. I contacted them about that and they said "You overflexed it, we wont replace it" HELLO....I bought the shocks to match the kit I installed on the Jeep....and they were bought at the same time!
I had a rear leaf start sagging and the other one was twisted, looked like someone wrung it out like a rag. Both rear leaves were worn the heck out after 2 years of being on my Jeep and it was leaning to the passenger side badly. I contacted RE to get them replaced under warranty but they refused stating "It was not a fault of the spring, you have something wrong with your Jeep."
Yeah right, even Bob Supplee from Supplees Offroad (who saw the packs in person and the one I purchased the original lift from) thought they should have replaced them.
I replaced them with BDS leaves and the lean was gone....and it rides much better now, better than it did when they RE leaves were new. Now I just gotta replace the worn out coils.
I later contacted them about replacement rubber bushings for the control arms. They replaced the bushings for free (due to a recall on the original ones, see document Bushing recall). Rubicon Express asked me how many bushings I needed and I told them "All the ones that come with the control arms in the 6130 kit." They sent me only the 2 bushings for the LCAs (figures) When I contacted them about the other 2 bushings, the reply was "somewhere in all of this the message that I got was that the problem was in the lower bushings.I will be more than happy to send uppers but somehow it looks like that got lost in communication"
...OK....whats so hard to understand about "I need ALL the rubber bushings for the control arms for the 6130 kit" I never said anything about just needing LCA bushings.
They did end up sending me the bushings for the upper arms.
So there is my beef with RE....not just one problem, but several, hence why I will never buy another RE product again.
I had a rear leaf start sagging and the other one was twisted, looked like someone wrung it out like a rag. Both rear leaves were worn the heck out after 2 years of being on my Jeep and it was leaning to the passenger side badly. I contacted RE to get them replaced under warranty but they refused stating "It was not a fault of the spring, you have something wrong with your Jeep."
Yeah right, even Bob Supplee from Supplees Offroad (who saw the packs in person and the one I purchased the original lift from) thought they should have replaced them.
I replaced them with BDS leaves and the lean was gone....and it rides much better now, better than it did when they RE leaves were new. Now I just gotta replace the worn out coils.
I later contacted them about replacement rubber bushings for the control arms. They replaced the bushings for free (due to a recall on the original ones, see document Bushing recall). Rubicon Express asked me how many bushings I needed and I told them "All the ones that come with the control arms in the 6130 kit." They sent me only the 2 bushings for the LCAs (figures) When I contacted them about the other 2 bushings, the reply was "somewhere in all of this the message that I got was that the problem was in the lower bushings.I will be more than happy to send uppers but somehow it looks like that got lost in communication"
...OK....whats so hard to understand about "I need ALL the rubber bushings for the control arms for the 6130 kit" I never said anything about just needing LCA bushings. They did end up sending me the bushings for the upper arms.So there is my beef with RE....not just one problem, but several, hence why I will never buy another RE product again.
Last edited by XJAbuzer; 05-28-2010 at 01:55 AM.
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05-28-2010, 01:10 AM
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
Next I wanted to prepare for 35s. First thing to order was the IRO longarm upgrade
No one should be without a shrunken head...
All stripped down for a HP 30 with 4.56 gears...
The HP 30 came from an earlier model XJ. This was taken before I swapped over the 2000 knuckles.....
Yes, I am wheeling a stock d30 with 4.56 gears until I am not DDing this rig and I have the time to swap in tons. I am just going to carry spare shafts.
Found a good use to the womans WK
....
(note....only kidding. The thing is great for driving around town)
I had a buddy help me install gears. The new front already had 4.56 gears so just dumped 4.56s in the 8.25 to match. I snapped some shots of the stock control arm mounts vs the arms. The arms had to come off, they were hitting...
3.55 on the left, 4.56 on the right....
Nice when your buddy has access to a lift big enough to lift 2 Jeeps at once. That is his at the front....he is installing tube fenders.
Took it out for a shakedown run that day. I am having a few issues with the transfer case that need to be ironed out and I need to trim the fenders some more....possibly add some bumpstopping.
No pics from today yet except for my buddies JK fender damage and the pic of mine in the driveway afterward.
No one should be without a shrunken head...
All stripped down for a HP 30 with 4.56 gears...
The HP 30 came from an earlier model XJ. This was taken before I swapped over the 2000 knuckles.....
Yes, I am wheeling a stock d30 with 4.56 gears until I am not DDing this rig and I have the time to swap in tons. I am just going to carry spare shafts.
Found a good use to the womans WK
....
(note....only kidding. The thing is great for driving around town)I had a buddy help me install gears. The new front already had 4.56 gears so just dumped 4.56s in the 8.25 to match. I snapped some shots of the stock control arm mounts vs the arms. The arms had to come off, they were hitting...
3.55 on the left, 4.56 on the right....
Nice when your buddy has access to a lift big enough to lift 2 Jeeps at once. That is his at the front....he is installing tube fenders.
Took it out for a shakedown run that day. I am having a few issues with the transfer case that need to be ironed out and I need to trim the fenders some more....possibly add some bumpstopping.
No pics from today yet except for my buddies JK fender damage and the pic of mine in the driveway afterward.
Last edited by XJAbuzer; 05-28-2010 at 01:29 AM.
05-28-2010, 01:15 AM
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
I had a buddy install the Treks 1.5" UBE kit because my welding skills arent that good and I dont have a welder... .
Everything that comes with the kit...
Stock shock mounts plasma'd off..
The only way we had to lift and lower the body on the axle to get everything set up...
Burning the new junk on..
Voila...everything nice and neatly tucked under there...
Before.....
After....
Everything that comes with the kit...
Stock shock mounts plasma'd off..
The only way we had to lift and lower the body on the axle to get everything set up...
Burning the new junk on..
Voila...everything nice and neatly tucked under there...
Before.....
After....
05-28-2010, 01:22 AM
#11
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
So, there it is...and how she sits today.
I see some people have already commented and I appreciate it. Here are some more pics and keep the comments coming.
Some HDRs...
...and your welcome to check out my youtube channel....
http://www.youtube.com/xjabuzer
I see some people have already commented and I appreciate it. Here are some more pics and keep the comments coming.
Some HDRs...
...and your welcome to check out my youtube channel....
http://www.youtube.com/xjabuzer
06-01-2010, 11:50 AM
#13
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
My transmission clutches have been sticking when the transmission is cold. Picked up a new-to-me transmission over the weekend. I paid $200 to a friend and I witnessed how well the trans shifted before his poor XJ was wrecked. The guy is giving me the steering column and steering shaft for free! (SCORE!) My ignition tumbler has been acting up and I have my upper u-joint in my steering shaft making loud popping noises. I should be picking those up this weekend.
06-01-2010, 12:18 PM
#14
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
what kind of primer did you use on those rear quarters before you put that bed liner on? I see alot of stuff w/ that rolling around where im at but i not to sure what it is.. not the usual gray 
06-01-2010, 01:00 PM
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 1993 4.0 not stock
Its merely for use for different colors of vehicles. Nothing special about it. A vehicle primed with the red primer will result in a darker finish than a vehicle primed with gray using the same color paint. Red is what I had laying around and it was getting bedliner so it didnt really matter....lol.
The different color primers are also used to locate imperfections in the metal before commiting with the final primer coats.
The different color primers are also used to locate imperfections in the metal before commiting with the final primer coats.