Danbo1972

Hey everyone

So, I recently acquired a 2000 XJ from a guy on facebook market place. I had been looking for one for a while and suddenly needed to get one so I can commute to a new job in the mountains where snow is plentiful. As luck would have it, I found this beauty with relatively low miles and in excellent condition. The interior is like brand new and the outside has some minor front-end, rock chipping and a few small scratches on it from normal wear, but other than that, it is excellent condition considering it is almost 18 years old.

So, I start my new job today. The Jeep was taken to the mechanic yesterday and I wont be able to see her until it's done. I kind of wish I was able to do the work myself, but timing just wont allow it. Right now it is bone-stock, except for the wheels. Here is a list of what I am having done to it this week.

Rubicon 4 1/2" lift
Swapping 3.55 gears to 4.56 gears
33" tires
Smittybilt XRC front bumper and bull-bar
Smittybilt XRC Rear bumper and tire carrier
Slip yoke eliminator
Detroit Truetrac - rear
E locker - Front
Smittybilt XR10 winch with synthetic line
42" hi-lift jack
5 Gallon Jerry can
Cobra 49 DXIV CB
NOCO Genius boost jumpstart kit
AUDEW portable air compressor

If anyone has any suggestions about what I'm doing or what I'm missing, please feel free to chime in. I'd like to say it's going to be an adventure, but again, I'm having it done, not doing it. Should be fun to play with when it's completed though.

Danbo1972

I'm a little bummed out. I was supposed to pick up the jeep this last Saturday from the mechanic but the new drive line hasn't arrived yet. Tracking shows it being here on Tuesday, which means a Wednesday completion date. What to do with all of this anxiety? I know.... order more stuff for the jeep!!!

Danbo1972

So here is the progress so far. Still waiting on the drive line and the wheels. Looks a little lame with the tiny tires, but that will be changing soon.

Danbo1972

Here are the latest and greatest. By the looks of things, the next on the list is a diff cover and new exhaust.

5-Speed

Looking like some good progress! I didnt see anything on your list about a track bar. You will need one at your height. Did you pick one out already?

Danbo1972

There is one on the front. I'm assuming there is no need to have one on the rear. Or am I mistaking?

A little bothered today. Went to pick it up after the driveline was delivered and got a call saying to turn around, there was a lot of vibration from it. So, back to waiting again.

Danbo1972

The one that is on there is part of the Rubicon express set that I got.

Danbo1972

todays pics. What you see looks like rust but most of it is road grime . Honest!

XJIrish4x4

Looking good! I wanted to ask and maybe you already showed us in the other photos but did you install RE adjustable upper and lower control arms or just standard set ones? I too have a 4.5" RE lift going on my 1989 when I get home in a month and I'm upgrading mine with adjustable ones but wasn't sure if it were necessary for both U and LCA's.

XJIrish4x4

I can see yours are upgraded to the RE type but just can't tell if yours are adjustable or not.

5-Speed

I see it now! You are good!

Did you install the sye yet? If so, did you shim the rear end? I had to add some 3° shims to mine to get rid of all the vibes after the sye install.

Danbo1972

It is in but I don't think it was shimmed. I know he was talking about doing it if it needed it so we shall see. Maybe that's the cause of the vibration.

Danbo1972

Okay, so here are some updated pics of the project Jeep I've been working on. There is still a little vibration but it's not that bad until I hit about 70. Can't seem to get it figured out. Adding the rear bumper and tire on the back helped some as well as adding the front bumper and winch. I've also noticed that I am going to need a new stabilizer shock. I get a lot of jerky movement in the front end and the truck seems to follow the road a little more than I would like to see. It has new tie-rods and ball joints so the shock is my next attempt at a solution.

Danbo1972

What size tires can I put on my Jeep, XJ with a 4 1/2" lift? If that's what you Googled, let me tell you that you CAN NOT put on 33x11.5 tires on a factory body. This is a picture of mine when I tried it. As you can see, there was about 1/2" of room between the tire and the wheel well. I removed those and put on 32x11.5 and they seem to be doing the trick nicely.
That said, it may have worked ok but it didn't look right and left no room for things like, mud build up, snow chains, etc.
This is a 2000 sport with a Rubicon Express 4 1/2" lift.

XJIrish4x4

Most of those who run a 4.5" kit have to do some kind of trimming with 33" tires. Especially if they are going to offroad it and expect some flex. That and your turning radius depending on the back spacing of your wheels. Looks great and I love the bumpers!