Castor oil and race gas. One of my favorites. That is besides the nitro cars that make me cry and not able to breath.

On to progress. Got the trans all stripped down. Just need to clean parts and transfer them over to the new one.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...5f4f53ad0c.jpg

After that, I pulled the clutch off. Yep its bad. Looks glazed and about down to the rivets. Not the stock one for sure.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...dd9b628646.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a2596664a2.jpg

I then realized that I now have 2 fun cars that I cant use. One has no motor, the other, no trans. Sad times.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...e0b40f13d1.jpg

I finally got the new trans all put back together. It is officially ready to go back in. Should be sometime this weekend.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...eed2f9e6ab.jpg

Looks good. Hoping to do some wrenching this weekend on mine. :cheers:

More work done today. It was crazy windy so im glad its in the garage. The trans finally made its way in. Went better then expected. I got the new clutch installed too. It feels sooooooo much better then the last one. Way softer.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...5b68bb3bbf.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...467c8bd7f5.jpg

After that, I threw the t-case shift in. Looks officially 4wd, but its not..

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...5c86de24d3.jpg

T-case and driveshaft also made there way in tonight. Need to hook up t-case linkage and fill with fluids. Then its driveable again. We will call it 3wd for now...

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...66fe481001.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...6827e0ec9d.jpg

I buttoned up the now 3x4 Jeep and took it around the block. The new clutch is so much better and the new trans shifts exactly how a new trans should. I am happy. I took it up to the top of the street for a couple quick pictures. I quickly realized that I need to do a lot more fender trimming.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...02c2821e4d.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...016faca1f4.jpg

After seeing how much more fender trimming I needed to do, I figured that I would just go a different route. There is pretty much no way that the stock flares were going to work if I keep the lift at its current height. So I ordered a set of Bushwacker flats. I was going back and forth between them and the Napier ones. The Napier seem to give more clearance, but the Bushwackers seemed to have a cleaner look. They will be here tomorrow and will get installed over the next couple nights.

Thats what happened with my white Jeep once I bought 31s. I ended up going the same route you did except the BW cutouts. I liked the stock flares, but life is too short to rub every time you turn.

What height lift did you have? My last xj had a 4.5 with 31s and I only remember trimming part of the front of the bumper. It did have longer arms which would have helped. And a different offset wheel. Right now it rubs the back of the flare. Im sure the new flares will solve the issue.

I love them big and brown! Im talking about boxes people. I know what you were thinking. Going to take its top off when I get home and see what beauties are hiding below. Guessing I will find some long hard black things. Yes flares, get your minds out of the gutter!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...49f5dab44a.jpg

So the flare installation went pretty good. Got 2 done tonight. Here is how it went down.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...3fb7bc4f2b.jpg

Pull factory flare off

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...d2754e0df9.jpg

Put on new mounts and trace the lower portion of the flare.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...6c518d8f69.jpg

Pull the mounts back off and you get this.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...d7ab7891f4.jpg

Trim across the line and put the mount back on.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...5a0dac6d53.jpg

Insert new flare.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...303838dbf4.jpg

Do the same for the rear.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a0162d3252.jpg

And done.

Looks good. Glad I never pulled the trigger on those. I cut wayyyy more out than that and actually plan on trimming a bit more lol

Im sure your tires are much bigger then my little baby 31s. I really dont plan on going any bigger so I figured these flares should do the trick. Over the weekend I am going to pop the sway bar links off, go up to the top of the street, and see if it rubs! I have a feeling I still might need to add in some small bump stops to the front.

3.5" Rubicon Express w/ Old man emu leafs

Flares look good! I cut way more on the first rear one than I needed to. Luckily, wised up on the second one.

I am actually kind of sad that the flares did not require more cutting on the rear. There was only about a 1/2" of material that got removed. Was hoping for more like an inch all the way around. But after looking at it, it seems like if you cut any further, you go in to a pinch seam... Dont want that either.

Yeah, that pinch seam makes thing a lot more complicated than it needs to be. That was my major concern while trimming.

What size lift are you running right now? 2 inch? I wanna lift my Xj but i don't want to go that high.

Yep its got a 2" on it right now. I will be going to a 3" pretty soon but thats it. I might step up to 33s but that will be way down the road with the long arm setup.

What brand lift did you use?

And did you use spacers in the front and shackles in the rear? This is what am looking at doing to mine.

I am pretty sure its a skyjacker lift. It came on the xj when I got it. Spacer up front and a shackle in the rear. They will be up for sale soon if you are interested.

You can always cut and fold. you'll gain more clearance without separating the pinch seam.

I gained about an an inch and a half all the way around when i folded mine.

No cut and fold for me. My 31s should clear the flats no problem. I mean it wouldnt be a bad idea seeing how crushed the panel is... a not so lucky find. Its pushed in at least 1/2". Going to say it got rear ended at one point in time. Unless all 97 and up look like this underneath the plastics...

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...7b2727cdf2.jpg

I will be interested if he's not.

I plan on running 31" tires with a fender trim and flares, so 2 inches would work great for me.

Well I got the flares all buttoned up yesterday. Decided to take the Jeep out on one of the local trails. It was a trail I never even knew existed thats about 5 miles from my house. My friend took his Renegade as the backup vehile. Well the trail was pretty washed out cause of the rain. We got about halfway up the trail and came to a washed out and very off camber section. The rear of my Jeep kept sliding in to the ditch so we called it quits and turned around. 2wd problems I know. While we were up there, I decided to see if my tires would rub. Well they do. I need about an inch longer bump stop up front. I would have pictures but my gf decided to drop my phone up there and cracked the camera lens...

So anyways, the first trip went good in my opinion. The Jeep went a lot farther in 2wd then expected. The low range of the t-case works so that means I assembled the sye right. Now back to sourcing out a d30...

Get those front springs put in and see if you still rub. :cheers:

Also for the rear you can always get some shackle relocation brackets which will not only give you more flex but a little extra lift to match the front.

Springs are going in once I get a d30. I am sure they will help but I have a feeling I will still need longer bump stops. I found out that I am missing the one for the passengers side so I need some new ones anyways.

I was thinking the same thing for the rear. 3" isnt much too ask for, so longer shackles and the relocation bracket should do the trick for the time being.

The track bar went in last night as well. Drilled out the axle side mount to 1/2" and everything was good. No old rusted bolts or anything.

Right on, im glad.

Plus the relocation brackets and proper shackle angle should help the rear flex nicely.

That's what I am hoping for! Need to get some longer shocks next. I am pretty sure the ones I have are standard length and limiting the down travel.

bumpstops are going to be your friend. You can actually have a very flexy rig with low lift when you get properly bumped and the right shocks. I'm going to be throwing in more bumpstop and getting longer shocks for my rig. Maybe even cut some more fender out. It's been an issue where I run out of down travel and don't even hit the bump stops yet.

Well I found out last night that my radiator is leaking. I saw that there was water dripping a few days ago but though it was leftovers from driving through a puddle. So sure enough, after sitting in the garage for a few days, it was still dripping. I got home last night, and there was a huge puddle. I checked all the hoses and they are fine. Looks like it is coming out between where the aluminum crimps to the tank.

Amazon has the OEM replacement radiator for 76$. Just put one in my 2000. Probably the cheapest you will find it.

Technically, eBay is cheaper if you like to live life on the edge, YOLO style.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/171706807303

Ya i think ebay was like $54. The only problem is that they all have a provision for the trans cooler. That means less cooling compared to what i already have. Might just go for one of the all aluminum 3 fan radiators.

I would honestly throw an OEM style radiator back in and freshen your stock system while you're in there. New hoses, thermostat, etc. I have seen a lot of poor reviews with those 3 fan setups since they don't flow enough air. The mechanical fan does the job no problem!

I was almost thinking of flushing the system first. That way I can free whatever gunk is left over in the system and clog the old radiator up instead of the new one. Then of course we all know the water pump will go out after the flush (never fails). So might as well do ALL the cooling components at the same time. Well everything except the heater core. Heater cores in XJs are no fun...

So now it comes down to a full aluminum radiator for $100 (still uses stock fans and mounts) or a OE style replacement for $50. Thoughts?

Just throw an OE radiator in. The stock cooling system works great for the cherokee

Sounds like a plan. I cant say I have ever had a Cherokee over heat so makes sense.

On another note, after 6 weeks of searching, I finally found a Dana 30! Its actually the cheapest one I could find and I dont have to pull it. Should be getting dropped off at my shop tomorrow. FINALLY!!!

Will it be 4wd and ready for KOH? Very very possible now. Sounds like I have a busy weekend ahead of me.

Yeah i would stick with OEM style. Just keep your cooling system up to par, and you should never really have a problem with overheating. i like to change my coolant once a year, it's cheap enough to just do that.