Well, first build thread here. I am originally a BMW guy that got into off roading after taking a few rides in my buddy's modded 80 series Landcruiser.

Just a month or so after being introduced to the world of 4x4, my friend offered to sell me his 1996 4x4 XJ for $750. Needless to say I jumped on it. 125,000 miles, two owners. Some body damage, but mechanicals are solid.

Here it is the day I got it



First ever wheeling trip!


You can also see the body damage here. The door does still work though.

One of the first mods I did was to get rid of the stupid idiot lights and replace them with real gauges. And, of course, the truck overheats



Coming from working on an old BMW I'm quite used to cooling problems...this turned out to be largely caused by the fact that the aux fan was not plugged in. Simple fix. The truck still runs a little hot So I think a new radiator is in order pretty soon.

Got it stuck for the first time


SO onto the real mods... I was lucky enough to score a great deal on a set of JK takeoffs. $350 for all five of these!


They need adapters of course, which arrived in the mail today. Of course, I couldn't resist doing a test fit


There's less than a fingers width of wiggle room.


Looks like I need a lift Luckily I've got a rough country 4.5" on the way, should be here Friday.

So let's total this up so far:

Jeep - $750
Tires/wheels - $350
Adapters - $100
Lift - $475

That puts me at $1675. Not bad for what's going to be a decently capable rig. I'll have more updates once the lift arrives.

And, just for fun, here's my baby, my first love.


1987 BMW 325i, 2.7i stroker conversion, bilstein sports, IE stg 3 race springs, etc. It is a blast to drive, although it's getting a little neglected at the moment because all my cash is getting eaten up by my new toy!

 

Nice loving this so far. man you stole those wheels for $350 with tires. nice e30 too. I miss my VR6. not enough to sell the jeep though. I cant get speeding tickets out on the trails.

 

Lift is here! 4.5" RC. Should be going on Sunday. Will post pics.

 

Nice little project. good looking e30 I got into xjs after ralling with my budy in his xj then i took him on a bit of a ride in my old e46m3. now its down to two xjs and a e34 touring. lol keep up the good work

 

Nice..I have my eye on an E46 M3 as my first post-graduation car, once I'm making real money

 

It's always good to see an e30 enthusiast on here. I've had four so far.

 

Good start, I like the BMW as well, the red looks real clean. I miss my BMW, I had an e36 M3, loved that car.

 

Just did their 3" kit on mine.. best bit of advice I can give you; buy new rear shock bolts for the top mounts before hand. Like an idiot, I didn't and was left at 11pm last friday night cursing myself. If, and when those bolts do break, take some fishing line and tie them around the new bolts to feed them through.

Looking forward to pics!

 

Well, the lift is more than halfway done. Got the rear done on Monday. It was pretty difficult. Needed a huge breaker bar to get the shackle bolts. Nothing broke though!



It looks pretty funny

I was originally going to wait until Monday to do the front when my friend could help me today but I was bored and impatient today so I decided to start on it myself. And holy crap at how much easier the front is. So much more straightforward and everything is easier to access. After nearly having the whole thing fall on me due to a ****ty jack, I got the whole truck disassembled but had to stop because I need spring compressors. Will pick up tomorrow and hopefully finish!


The jack that failed




The reason I need spring compressors!


Can't get over how awesome this looks. With the tires mounted it will be beautiful.

Also, anyone have any tips for redrilling the track bar mount? It's the only thing I have reservations about

 

Get yourself a double shear track bar from IRO. Way worth it. Looking good so far.

 

Lift is in!







I'm in love with how this came out. It's not done yet though, I still have to take care of extending the brake lines, getting an adjustable track bar, and hooking up the front sway bar. I also didn't install the tcase drop kit that came with the lift, but I've heard a lot of people say these are unnecessary? Any advice on that?

 

love those wheels!

 

Looks so much better with that lift and the wheels together.

 

nice looking jeep! i dont really care for those wheels, but for $350 it wouldve been plain stupid to pass that up. the tires are worth twice that easily.

 

VERY NICE! Liking this. let me know how it rides with those short arms. I have longarms to go on mine, but I'm kind of thinking to keep it simple and get some short arms / 4.5" instead.