Now that is quality work...Amazing job man. Cant wait to see more of your XJ.

 

thanks! things have been moving along pretty well so far. going to start working on a cross over steering and armor coming up, hopefully sooner then later.

Some other detail i left out but have had for some time. a K&N intake (free) a friend of a friend bought a Cherokee that had the intake but didn't want it so I traded for my stock air box...

I had a slight miss-fire once I rebuilt my engine and threw an injector balance test i found that 2 injectors where starting to clog, so i figured i would give the whole injector swap a try. Rather then wanting to run JY injectors on my newly rebuilt motor I opted to buy some already cleaned and flow tested injectors. all 6 for 119$ on sale (prices have changed a little)
www.precisionautoinjectors.com

32's with 3.55 gears and stock injectors 14mpg
32's with 3.55 gears and "upgraded injectors" 15mpg
33's with 4.56 gearing and "upgraded injectors" 17mpg
the biggest thing I noticed with the injector swap was how smooth Idle is now and the power band is smother as well. I didn't notice a power increase so much as it smoothed it all out and acceleration feels better but not really "faster"

and a pic of the skull welded onto the rear truss... i think it looks cool lol

 

I got a little bored today, so i did what i thought may be kinda cool and shined up the skulls. painted the eyes red and cleared them so they don't rust....
front diff

rear diff

 

Very nice build! I like the fact that you did it right and did a nice job at it.

 

looks good

 

Thanks guys! I am trying to get it all ready for the maiden voyage to moab in July. it will get its real test then... hopefully it has armor by then I am going to need it, most of the people I go with run 37+ so ill be the little guy pushed to the max lol

 

I also was not vary happy with the inverted T style steering as there is a "dead spot" as people refer to it. it really wasn't that bad but thats because I have been telling myself cross over is coming soon. anyway I ordered these Poly bushings from JCRoffroad.com that replace the regular soft rubber bushings under the tie rods to see is it is legit or not. I installed them and clocked my tie-rods and it was like night and day. my steering is a LOT tighter and then "dead spot" is almost nonexistent. I am still going cross over but with these it makes me not worry when... any who heres a link like the rest of the choices i have made...
http://www.jcroffroad.com



current to do list...
Sliders
fender flares from TJ (rears on all corners painted to match)
frame stiffeners front to back
longer shocks up front with limiting straps
gas tank skid
steering brace
durango steering box with cooler
bump stops
front and rear bumpers (maybe winch front)
add some Rhino lining to lower portion of body
Black steel wheels with custom rock rings welded in
Jcr steering box spacer
eventually step up to 35-37" tires without adding lift (probably a year or more out)

probably a few more just forgetting some lol...

 

Well i dropped off my drive line to "Slyco drive lines" today and gave them my max extension and max compression measurements and they wanted to know the measurement at ride height with the yokes parallel to the ground. which was 32 3/8" at ride height. I also figured while it was out i should have the CV rebuilt and all new U-joints as i don't want to have to take it out again. I also opted to have them put an extended HD slip spline on it to ensure smooth operation and allow for a little more stretch up front if i want it. went from 3" slip to 7 3/4" slip, which will also allow the drive line to work in the rear if i need to move it to the back for a way home on a long drive. I would recommend this place to anyone in Utah looking for a good drive shaft with a good price. they are great people who will lay out all the options and tell you the truth with what you need and what is overkill. they took all the parts and showed them to me as they gave me quotes so i could see what i was paying for! great place and people.

Soon I will have the rear drive line gone threw for sake of mind and reliability.

 

heres pics of the drive line, I am very happy with the quality of work.It only took them half a day with it but took me forever to find time to go get it...lol, I am excited to finaly get this thing out and test it all out in 4LO...

 

Awesome friends. Introduce me. lol. I don't understand why he would want it though.

It all looks really clean btw, the skulls add a nice touch. Can't wait to see it wheelin.

 

haha, his wife didn't like the noise on full acceleration... to me it is hardly noticeable. but no complaints

thanks, I am happy with how it has turned out so far. I am about to do some final trimming and put TJ flares on it painted to match, this is the part i am a little undecided on how i feel about how it will look lol. thanks for reading!

 

I decided to go a head with the TJ flares and do the rear TJ flares all around. I got the front all done. cut about 1 1/2" all the way around the fender and then mounted the flares, they are pretty secure and don't look to bad in my opinion, I don't think they look amazing but also aren't an eye sore.... let me know what you think. still tracking down a good set for the rear. I just flat cut them at the front of the fender as i don't want to have to cut them again when I build a front bumper. but the edge between the flare and front bumper corner looks a bit odd, but shouldn't be there to long. Almost fixed my rubbing, ut need to bump stop a little bit.

 

Great build. I really like how you did everything and thank you for sharing. after reading this I think Im going to use your ideas and bracket the same way you did. seems a lot more cost effective than using the pre built trusses like you said.

 

so the search for flat top knuckles at a good price is over. I tracked down a GM axle with flat top knuckles for 100$ complete. it also has locking hubs and everything from the inner C out is the same as on my waggy axle. brakes,spindle,bearings,hub ect. so lots of spare parts. the cheapest i could find flat top gm knuckles online was about the 200-300 range...


now i need to get the pass side machined and drilled then order an arm for cross over steering.

 

Lookin' good man. I'm in Utah as well. What shop are you doing all the work in?