Well. The lift took longer than expected. I didn't get anywhere near as much time as I thought I would. 6 hours Saturday. Then the next two days the garage I was doing my work in was closed. So first thing Tuesday. I was stoping by on my lunch breaks to do an hour a day. Before I do all my post let me say this. If you are someone who did a lift by yourself. Or without air tools. Major major props! And lastly. I'd like to say piss on this upper control arm bolt Attachment 363881. Life ruining hardware . More to come tommorow

Guess what is finally in my driveway!!!!

Attachment 363879
A cute lady! never thought id have my own!
And she was willing to stand next to my jeep after i finally drove it home from the Airforce base auto skills shop. However.... thanks to these wonderful little things... Attachment 363880

I had to drive it the 2 miles without rear shocks. Also i had my front swaybar dq'd since my quick discos from rough country were at home and i needed to get it home. holy moly does this thing feel loose...


So two issues. One, i cannot get the factory bolts that hold the sway bar links to the axle out.... for the life of me. rough country instructions say a hammer.... but... im going to disagree. and it wont unthread out of the axle attachement thing. any suggestions? also... The shock bolts broken inside. i read a few how to's saying hit it with an air hammer. Didnt work, tried a punch and BFH. That didnt work. Im thinking ill dremel whats sticking out of the shanks off and drill the rest out of the holes. I already have new hardware.

So since i couldnt get the stock sway bar links off the axle. i didnt use the quick disco part. and just used the new sway bar links from rough country and bolted them down. The instructions for it sucked. And i took it for a ride around the block. Keep in mind i have not had it aligned yet. but it feels sooooooooooooooooooo loose even with the links connected that i fear for myself to drive it over 25 mph...

On top of that. one of my treadwrights is leaking. called them up, the same day they shipped out another one and are letting me keep that bad one. of course i have to show them the leaks and whatnot. but if i had plugged it myself i would have voided the warranty. so i made my claim first. they are sending me a new tire. and now i have a full size spare for free :D SO Customer service of the year defanitly goes to treadwright. They gave me a direct number to contact them at. No bS of calling and connecting through a series of touch tones...

So in conclusion, if anyone thinks the super unstable feeling is just because its not aligned, or my shocks arnt in the back, It would make me feel way better. Because right now i feel like its my fault and maybe i screwed something up on the lift, or control arm drop brackets.

thanks in advance guys, Keith

well, until i have access to the auto skills center on base after work on Wednesday here's what has been going on.

i woke up this fine sunday morning and skipped my cup of joe in my favorite mug.
Attachment 363861

Went right outside. To see this. The leaky tire from treadwright lost a little more than expected in 14 hours of sitting still.
Attachment 363862

Pulled the heep from the driveway into the garage to check over all my bolts now that ive driven it about5 miles since the lift install. And so i could jack it up on a level surface pull the leaky tire and plug it. NOTE TO OTHERS. If you get a tire from treadwright. Document with photo's of leak and make your claim before you attempt to fix the tire. Otherwise you void the warranty. And since they have amazing customer service they're sending me another one at no cost. Shipped the day i made the claim. Told me to fix the leaky one and enjoy the full size spare :D

EPIC CUSTOMER SERVICE, so i used the magic leak finding water. (dawn and hose water)
Attachment 363863
Attachment 363864
Plugged and slimed for a second measure.

While the black and decker air comp filled the tire back up i started checking the rear end suspension for any loose items. Aside from the shocks being out.

first place i check, i find this..
Attachment 363865
I blame ratm for this :D since he did most of the rear end passanger side :D
just kidding man, Thanks for your help.

Checking all the others, I was reaching up high to the old uca spot to check the drop brackets bolts for tightness accidently arced the starter :rofl: i need to replace the lower tranny fluid cooler line anyway since i had to cut the fitting off when i put in the csf 3 row anyway and damaged it.

picture of the drop brackets and whatnot for everyone else to see
Attachment 363866
Attachment 363867


So back to these shock bolts that i broke off, My daily commute is about 1.2 miles each way. and i never go over 25 mph. So im not really fretting the idea of no rear shocks for that drive. I want them, because i want to drive more than just to work. but these little buggers...
Attachment 363868
probably cant see it in the picture, but i attempted to drill them out. and it was going at a decent pace. until about 2/3 of the way through the screw it just stopped making progress, and then it happened... The drill bit broke off inside. I think im going to just take this to a shop in the local area and say. Attachment 363869
Three bolts for them to torch out. shouldnt cost to much, well worth the efforts saved. i hate cleaning metal shavings off. ill install the shocks after that.

So basically i gave up on the shocks and decided it was time to finally change my brakes since the great brake fire of 2012. roaring 1 inch flame off my rotor. lost alot of good men that day.

heres the old stuff on the passanger side (the side that didnt catch fire)
Attachment 363870

rotors came off pretty easy. i couldnt do it by hand but one clean hit with a ballpeen knocked them loose enough for me to get them off.
Passanger side was clean. One hit on the drivers side knocked all this stuff out
Attachment 363871

While i had it all down i put in my new rough country SS brake lines that came with the kit. Pretty legit. straight forward. Remember before you disconnect to depress the brake pedal. This closes off the MC, And when you open the line it only allows the fluid in the lines/calipers to bleed out. Not your whole resevoir. Ask me how i know :D
Take the caliper off the rotor first, otherwise it will be clamped down and you cant get it off lol.
I used my jack bar and my wonderful electric seats to hold the brake down while i worked on it.
Attachment 363872

Attachment 363873
Rotors off

Old next to new Centric premiums.
Attachment 363874

Put them on, Put the new calipers on and the new brake pads. EBC yellow stuff. Aswell as the wheel spacers. Which i didnt really need to put on, but since i bought them initially i figured id see if i liked it. I dont think i do so they might be up for sale soon.
Attachment 363875
With the 10.5" tires my stance looks a little wide...

It doesnt really stick out to far past the stock fenders..
Attachment 363876

But it looks kind of to far out for those skinny tires. Like my axles are to wide or something. Ehh ill see if it grows on me. If not ill have a Set up for sale.
Attachment 363877

So i got my wife to help me bleed the brakes. Never done that before so i hope i did it right. The brake light went out. and the brakes apply soooo. I guess i did it right. lol
I know i used the right method. Just not sure if i did it enough.

Took it for a ride to the bx, I like to park out far so no one touches it! :D
Attachment 363878

Cheers guys, ill have more up here on Thursday. Wish me luck on the hNt, And with the alignment and sloppy ride issues.

Well its been about 2 weeks since the lift kit, And about 3 weeks since the motor rebuild So i changed the oil and Re tightened all the nuts and bolts with my good friends airtools :D:D:D:D:D

Anyways, Pics First Talk second.

of course i go out of my way to park next to stocker's i see on base. Especially when they make more money than me :D
Attachment 363843

And the vibes were pretty Freakin Epic in a whole variety of speed ranges.
I bough the Iro HnT A while back, As well as the refurbed Ds And the bit's and tap. 20 dollars well spent in hindsight. BUY THE BITS. Worked like a charm. Tapping took forever. Slow and steady wins The race. So Here's how it went down.

First of. Spend 30 bucks. Buy this bad boy.
Attachment 363844
Second, When your buying that. Buy the two Cut off disc. FOR METAL. they are like 1.30 each. Buy a few incase your a twitchy twicther and end up shredding a disc into your face like so.
Attachment 363845

Yes that is me. And relax mr safety. He was just smoothing some bumpstops down on his fancy pants toyota. My eyes were protected.

So, You disconnect your Stock D/s Down at the Rear axle pinion. 4 bolts. Pull the little brackets off and keep them safe. It might take a good knock with a hammer of choice. Who cares your not re-using this DS. it wont take much so dont go all hulk Smash on this thing. Just a good love tap. Let it know you love it but your still in charge.

then slide the drive Shaft off of the stock 242 Output shaft and move your old DS to the Scrap bin (or craigslist like me)
Attachment 363846
Then take your measurment provided On the Iron rock offroad Instructions. For others. This task was very intimidating for some reason Pre operation. After you start doing it though. It is so simple. Relax. Your Xfer case will be fine.

So take you measurment. And mark it well. I used Some epic Tape aswell as the sharpie. Then start your motor. Put it in drive and let that baby spin.
REMEMBER TO GO TO NEUTRAL and let it stop spinning when your done! not just right to park! their I said it.

Feel The Power!
Attachment 363847
I only had one glove on my hand closest to the action. AND SAFETY GLASSES! DO NOT SKIP the Glasses. Sweet jesus protect the googlies.

Cut and cut, And you end up with this. Attachment 363848

I have a video of the whole thing. But it wont upload Right now.

Then you Find your center. I put the new yolk over the Output shaft and used a hammer and punch to hit center. Dont freak if its not perfectly Center.

Also your drill is going to walk when you first start. Be ready to compensate for that.

Throughout the drilling process back in and out. And try to provide some sort of cutting/cooling lubricant. I used P/b Blaster and it worked fine.
Then after you get the recommended distance inside the shaft (HEYO) blast some air in their and clean it out. Then Do it all over again with the Larger Drill bit provided by IRO. Then Tap it. Easy peasy....
Attachment 363849

Slide the new Yolk on. I Used some RTV to ensure the nut stayed in. and tighten it down. The tap provided By iro worked perfect with their hardware.

And Iro provided 4 stock length Xfer case bolts so after you install the Sye/ds you can take it back to Stock height and gain back that clearence you lost with the Drop kit im sure most of you were running.

NEW D/S Installed.
Attachment 363850

Drive SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH SMOOTHER. Feels so much better.


And as soon as i was done that i ended up helping my good friend for the next 4-5 days installing a 12" lift on his 2012 tundra so he could clear 40's and make me feel insignificant Running 32's.... (same guy earlier in my thread with the 4 runner) here's some pics of the tundra project "project RAWR!"

Attachment 363851
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Attachment 363856

Just when i was starting to think i drove a big(er) truck.
Attachment 363857

Then i went To the junkyard for some Lebaron Hoodvents for my next project.
No dice.
Attachment 363858
I need to take a break from the vehicles (mine and friends) for a few weeks. My wife Attachment 363859is starting to get a little mad. With good reason. It's been like a second job for the past month or two between mine and my friends.

I did get some time this weekend however to Detail My Vdub.
http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/q.../iphone431.jpg
Attachment 363860

Well After i had the lift installed, Had just changed the head 800 miles ago, and changed my whole drivetrain/brakes. Of course the biggest fear would happen.

I lost compression in 5/6 cylinders. FML

Anyway. I always use something breaking as a sign to replace (and upgrade) at the same time.

So a stroker was on my list of "eventually s" well eventually came knocking right after i spent 2000 on all my other stuff. So i ended up spending another 1600 total to get my stroker build and swapped in.

Hopefully selling the old short block and a few other parts will put me back at 1000$ invested to have a disgusting torque monster installed in my heep.

Enough chat, time for pictures.

First of all to get some of this money i went on a little excersize with the military, and i had a little tumble.

Attachment 363836

Thanks co worker!

So i get back from that with about 600 bucks and it couldnt have come at a better time.

Since i lost compression i started searching for short blocks/other options.
when i stumbled onto a gem.

Prebuilt stroker short block from a fabricator in florida. (for the most part prebuilt)
The machine work had been done to the block, and all the parts for the bottem end had been purchased, machined and collected.

The owner had 2300 dollars invested so far in the project when times got tough. He was willing to let it all fall into my hands for 800 doll hairs.

I had to pinch pennies for a week or two because i couldnt pass that deal up.

I was however intimdated by the task, i had worked my own suspension, and changed the head myself, but the idea of buying a stroker dissasembled and trying to figure out all the stuff that needed to be done to make it work was insane. but if you just knuckle down and troll the internet (some call it discipline) i call it desperation.

Attachment 363837

8 days later i have this sitting in my car port

Attachment 363838

Took it to a local machine shop to get all the tolerances checked and the crank/pistons/cam and all that jazz installed

once it got home
Attachment 363839

Checking clearance (i didn't mill the deck or the head)
Attachment 363840

Everyone said to go with the double roller type timing chain, but ive heard it's easier for them to jump a tooth.
so i kept it real with the stock one

Attachment 363841

Picture of the cam. Attachment 363842

here's the info on the block

92' 4.0 Block that had 55,000 miles bored over .030
bathed checked and machined by a shop in South Florida
Calculated CR of 9.6:1
4.2 Short nose crank. I belive thats the 4 coutner weight one.
6.125" connecting rods from 92'
amc 242 timing chain cover 92' cast
OE timing chain and gear set- NEW
Sealed power speed-pro Hypereutectic pistons for amc 242 4.0L .030" (new)
Sealed power main, Connecting rod and Cam shaft bearing STD. (new)
Crane cams Truck torque Cam For Amc 258 4.2L p/n 753905 (NEW)

Crankshaft stroke = 3.845
Rod lengths = 5.875
Piston diameter = 3.905
Piston height = 1.592
Head gasket height= .043
Quench height = 0.081
Deck Height = 9.453
Deck Clearance = .038

along with the 0331 head that's measured to 56.5cc's and got these specific to my build

8.86:1 CR
276.3 cubic in
4.53 liters (bear in mind the 4.0L is really 3.965 and the 4.2 is 4.129)

So whenever i was trouble shooting it before i realized i lost compression. I thought it was an electrical issue, i tried in my off time for 13 days. Then i threw in the towel and had it taken to an electrical specialist. Never in my life have i paid someone to fix something because i couldn't.

This made me want to cry
Attachment 363820

Then 8 days later i get a call. "yeah man you lost compression, We can replace the rings for you but it will be a 1200 dollar and 2 week job"

**** that, so i towed it home with the help of a friend.

And tarped it. At this point i didnt care if god struck this thing down.
Attachment 363821 This is what defeat looks like.


So i pondered on it for a few weeks.
My wife and i looked into a jk.
I was going to build something along these lines. Attachment 363822

But i had put to much work into it already to throw in the towel.

That's when i did the research that lead to where it is now, a stroked 2k limited xj. Defanitly the best looking xj in south carolina IMO :D

But we needed another vehicle for the time being, so a friend hooked us up with this little guy. Attachment 363823

Anyway, here's more pics from the engine swap. Attachment 363824
after the head was out.

Attachment 363825

ready to come out
Attachment 363826


my pops who drove from va to help
Attachment 363827

me giving it the salute
Attachment 363828


that was the first day.

Then we Relax like american's
Attachment 363829

New block built up in my dining room (my wife was totally okay with it) Im so lucky!!! (she helped pay for the stroker too!

Attachment 363830

Attachment 363831

Attachment 363832

stroker with the head swapped over

Attachment 363833

for referance

this is the old block. At full stroke (the blue line is full stroke on the stroker)
so you can see the differance in length
Attachment 363834
Getting me excited!!!

And guess what, at midnight on july 28th It started The first try!!!
i tried to upload the video, but it wont work.

ran it up, did my 20 minuite break in on the new cam. Drained the oil.

That's enough updates for today.

(im at 100 miles on the new engine. no issues.) knock on wood. well a few minor ones. a little coolant leak from my Brand new csf radiator, which they better replace. and my starter sounds like its on its way out.

Time for a mean green?

anyway. Party on garth.

these guys know how to party!
(the set off the fire supression system by accident)

Attachment 363835

take it easy guys

just wanted to report back a while later to say im at 800 miles on the stroker!

Great stuff!!!
Subscribed.

so many updates, ive neglected my cherokee forum thread. Excuse me all 2 subscribers :D

I swapped axles, im geared, locked,shafted, and long armed now.

Let's see some photos!

Dude! You cant end it like that! Although the grilling pic almost made me spit my beer out... Hell of luck you got man. Would love to see the end result tho! Hows the power of the stroker?

Just read through your build. It seemed like mechanical failure after mechanical failure, but looks like you pulled through in the end! You should keep the thread going for sure! - subscribed. On a side note, how are those treadwright guard dogs? I'm thinking about getting some eventually, but I'm scared they will not preform well in winter conditions.