DRUNKEN DIXIE

Looks good, you got a great start.

OOdynamite

Thanks guys, I really love working on this, it's my new hobby. Unfortunately I can weld or anything so there won't be any crazy fab work or anything, just stuff that a college kid can do lol. Like I said I'll be sure to take lots of pics with all my other mods and stuff. Next on the list will be my magnaflow cat-back system.

Oh yea, and apple products rock!! Lol

OOdynamite

Ordered my exhaust kit today, hopefully it will be here this week that way I can put it on friday!!

chadh92

I know you said you don't do any fab work or anything too complicated...When you go to install that new exhaust, it WILL be a pain. It is your exhaust after all, so all the bolts you go to take out will 99% of the time be rusted out. Good luck though!

I'm a college kid as well and wish my Cherokee looked that nice.

OOdynamite

I don't mind complicated, what I meant was that I can't weld and won't be making a whole bunch of crazy stuff like bumpers and such. And I really only plan on removing the bolts that hold the J hanger on and maybe the hanger at the very end of the tail pipe.

OOdynamite

Alright, well I got the new exhaust kit on today, and I couldn't be happier!!! It's sounds awesome!!! It was dark out till we got it done so no pics yet, but I'll get some. Very easy install, took our time and had fun!

I'll get pics up either tomorrow or Monday.

OOdynamite

Pics


I do have a problem though, my tailpipe hits my bumper and rattles like crazy!! So I'm gonna loosen the last clamp toward the end of the pipe. I'm then gonna stick some washers on top of the pipe and clamp those too, that way I can force the tail pipe down

OOdynamite

Ok so the washers thing did not well at all. So me and my friend grabbed a pry bar and yanked down on the end of the tailpipe right after I had it running so the pipe was still hot. That really bent the pipe and now it doesn't rattle at all. So now it sounds great!! And I noticed a very significant power increase on my way down and back from Baltimore. Now I'm testing my mpgs and I'll let ya know how the results come out.

Not gonna do much for a while, I'm a little tight on cash right now. The next project should be TJ flares, unless something unexpected comes up.

The91XJ

Very significant power increase? I think the mean sound of the exhaust is getting to your head haha. I've put aftermarket exhaust on three different XJs and honestly, I've never been able to feel a difference between stock and aftermarket. I've installed dynomax, magnaflow, and flowmaster cat back systems. None of which gave me "very significant power increases". With a cat back system, you might gain a mpg or two, as well as a couple ponies, but nothing you'd be able to feel. Anyways, where did you purchase the kit, and how much did it run ya?

You're off to a good start, keep up the good work!

OOdynamite

Maybe it is getting to my head lol. I just noticed that when I passed someone on the high way, it used to shift down and stay in the lower gear at high RPMs till I backed off the gas. Now when I do it, it drops gears and almost instantly shifts back into a higher gear, like it didn't need to stay in the high RPMs to accelerate. That was my take on it atleast, maybe that is a horrible thing? lol.

Now I'm checking my MPGs. Oh and I got it from mudfrog in the vendor section for 100 dollars.

Thanks man!! I really love working on it, right now I don't have a lot of money to spend on it cuz I'm saving up for tires. But I have lots of plans!!

OOdynamite

Well I noticed a 2 MPG increase with my new exhaust system, so that's pretty awesome.

Also an update on lift and tires. I'll prolly go with the 4.5 inch lift and 31's. Rather then the 3 and 30's.

OOdynamite

Just an update on the to do list.

I decided to get the 4.5 inch zone lift and run 31 inch Firestone Destination AT's
I will also be beefing up the steering system, but not till like later next year

IZAREBL

31s are really small for a 4.5 lift, i suggest you get 32s or 33s.

and on a side note, destination a/ts suck. 2 of my friends had them on their trucks and they didnt last long nor did they do good off road at all. they also slipped in wet road conditions, like noticably.

XJ BoSS

31's on a 4.5 will make the lift look a lot bigger tho. And he won't have any rubbing and will have plenty of room to flex

OOdynamite

Thanks for the advice, but I like the look of 31's on 4.5 inch.

Plus Destinations are the second best AT tire on tire rack.com, with over 11 million miles reported, and a lot of people on here run them and love them.

Not trying to be a dick, just stating why I'm going this route.