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Hi guys. I impulse bought a XJ some six months ago, and instantly got bitten by the Jeep bug. This is a learn-as-I-go project as I haven't done much car tinkering since my youth (in the nineties), so please bear with me..
1990 2 door 4.0 4WD AW4.
Recent pic. 5.5" lift and 33s.
List updated January 15, 2015.
Mods on it when I bought it:
Lifted ~4" in front with spacers and ZJ V8 springs.
~3.5" rear with Pro Comp AAL and Teraflex shackles.
Skyjacker Nitro 8000 shocks.
Pro Comp steering stabilizer.
JKS Quick discos.
RC extended front brake lines.
C-Rok steering box reinforcing kit.
ARB Diff cover for Dana 35.
Bushwacker fender flares.
33/12.5r15 Federal Couragia mud/terrain tires.
Mustang injectors.
Modified air filter.
OMP steering wheel.
So far I've done/added/fixed this:
New brakes (rotors, pads, drums, lines).
Fixed oil leakage (rear main seal).
Cleaned up the wiring: removed a lot of dead ends, replaced cables and refreshed a lot of ground connections (and suddenly I had working wipers and electric windows ).
Replaced upper&lower ball joints.
Sun visor.
Smittybilt XRC bumper with bull bar.
8500 lbs winch (some Chinese brand).
1.25" wheel spacers.
New reclinable bucket seats on ZJ power seat frame.
New headlights.
New turn signal lever.
Rugged Ridge floor liners.
Exterior rust repairs.
Matte black paint.
YJ stainless steel rear brake line.
Fitted aftermarket keyless entry.
Dressed dashboard in black faux leather.
White LED dash lights.
Onboard air (inflator).
Repaint in matte dark grey color.
Front air intake holes.
White gauges.
4.5" RE coil springs + 3.5" RE leaf springs
LED auxiliary lights.
RC 1-2" adjustable shackles (at 1").
RE adjustable trackbar and RC fixed LCA's.
2" coil spacers.
Preliminary plans for the future, in no specific order:
control arm drop kit.
replace stock UCA with adjustable.
replace RC fixed LCA with adjustable.
Hack'n tap SYE.
Clock transfer case and fab a flat cross-member.
beef up or replace the tie rod and add flip inserts for over the knuckle.
Fabricate a rear bumper.
TrueTrac LSD in front axle + new diff cover. Regear to 4.56.
Replace rear axle with a Ford 8.8, regear and add a locker.
Quarter panel armor.
Fabricate rock sliders.
Pull out the carpet and bedline the floor.
Build some tool storage in the back.
Build a enclosure for a 10" sub in the rear side compartment, and build panels for 6.5"s in the doors.
Move air filter to passenger side cowl.
Dual battery.
Re-tint windows.
Hood lifts.
Hood vents.
Work lights / rock lights.
Rear parking sensors.
Rear high mounted brake light.
Replace motor mounts.
Paint or replace headliner.
Rebuild exhaust and replace muffler with one from Flowmaster.
I love the windshield visor �� I'm trying very hard to find a lighted one lol
Very nice rig! Sounds like you have a solid plan set up.
I would love to have a lighted one myself, but here in Norway (and most of the EU, which Norway is not a part of) they have some retarded regulations against auxiliary lights. You are only allowed to have two aux. lights, and the total light output cannot be more than 480 lm. In Sweden though (where I'm from) you can have an infinite amount of aux. light if you want..
Originally Posted by TMC
Welcome to the forum!
You've got one nice looking 2 door there my friend.
From those interior shots, it seems super clean for being 24 years old lol
I've got a 91 2 door myself, so....
...subscribed!
Originally Posted by GreenXJ98
Love the matte black paint job, also those seats look super nice. Looking forward to seeing it lifted some more!
Originally Posted by JeepMN
Wow those seats are sick!
Can you talk more about them? Where'd you get them and how much?
Originally Posted by Gary Briggs
Absolutely beautiful where you live!
Thanks!
The faux leather I sprayglued on to the dashboard really helped a lot to make it look clean. The dash was full of holes and the grey plastic was sunbleached and ugly. I'm planning to do the door sides too when I'm putting in speakers. An easy fix for an old interior I think.
The seats are cheap bucket seats from a local store. PO had mounted power seats from a ZJ, but they where not reclinable, so climbing into the backseat was not an easy task.. I went out and bought these and welded a frame out of some scrap metal to fit them onto the base of the power seats.
A question to anyone who feel like helping me make up my mind:
1. Buy 3.5" leafs and keep 1.5" shackles in the rear, and get a 5" lift. Paired with 4.5" springs in front.
- or -
2. 4.5" leafs, no shackles and 4.5" springs front.
- or -
3. 4.5" leafs + shackles and get a 6" rear lift, paired with 4.5" springs + 1.5" spacers front.
Hmm. I guess what it boils down to is whether I should order 3.5 or 4.5" leaf springs... Shackles and spacers is something I can play around with afterwards.
I guess 4.5" leafs will give me more possibilities, so that's probably what I'm gonna end up buying. Any thoughts? I'm thankful for any input here.
I say if you're wanting to lift it that high, go with 4.5 inch leaf springs and coils. Amazon has 4.5 inch coils from Rubicon Express for under $80, super good deal.
Thanks for the tip! RE is the brand I was thinking of buying so that's perfect.
After further forum prowling I've come to the conclusion that a 4.5" lift with 33s is probably optimal for my use. Looks good and is not too big a compromise in ride comfort and on-road handling. Also non-stock cars are frowned upon by the police here in Norway, so if I lift it more I'm only gonna increase the risk of attracting unwanted attention...
I'm planning to get another XJ next year and build a brutal bastard trail rig out of it to have at my cabin (in Sweden). There I have some 30-40 acres of hilly country where I'm gonna set up a trail. I guess I can quench my thirst for a ridiculously modified jeep with that one, and keep this one in the somewhat "normal" range.
09-29-2014, 05:02 AM
Scandinavian blacked out 2 door.
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