What year is your XJ?? What do you like about the 5-speed vs. auto?? I found a 2001 with 5speed, but everyone says to stay away from that year.

 

It's a 1998. I like the 5spd because it gives me more control over my speed in normal driving. It also gives me something else to do. On a trail there isn't much difference in controlling the speed better with one or the other, but there's more of a challenge with the manual to keep from rolling back or stalling. I don't know much about the 2000 or 2001 other than they have a distributorless ignition system.

Hope this helps!

 

If you dont mind me asking , what is the total parts spend tally right now .. I am looking for a Jeep that i can use as a camping/ wheeling rig and yours seems to to set up quite well .. Are you still open/ open or are you locked in the rear ?

 

I've currently put ~$3100 into it (the bulk being five new wheels/tires) and I'm still open. I've had a front locker on my list for quite some time, but then I took it off after realizing I've never been in need of it with this XJ yet. I haven't been stuck enough to warrant using my winch so I decided I'll get lockers when I'm tired of winching myself. The only things left on my short-term list are gears and lights - still unsure when those will happen as I'm in the process of moving and changing jobs.

 

So what did your bds suspension consist of? I know you can customize it on their website and was curious as to what yours had on it.

 

I don't know for sure as I bought it with the lift already on, but I'm pretty sure it was just springs, leafs, and shocks.

 

After over a year with it hanging on the front waiting to be used, I can finally say the Detours backbone and my winch work quite well. With the recent snow we had, a neighbor got his truck high-centered halfway off his driveway which would also then be halfway down a slight cliff ledge. I had to anchor my XJ to another truck for additional weight and then we were able to pull the neighbor's F250 Super Duty back onto the driveway. He was so thankful that he gave me some boxes of Girl Scout cookies!

 

Question for when you did this. After you took the stock flare off, there is also a large black plastic covering that I see you took off aswell. the piece I'm referring to is cover much of the inner wheel well. My question is when you put your bw flares on Did the Flat flares inner flare cover the any open space? My flare on the front drivers side came off and to prevent the plastic covering (not sure of its name) from rubbing my tire I took it off and noticed that it was there to prevent debris from getting to the door hinges/hoses. Kinda made me a bit nervous whether I should have done that. I plan on getting the flat flares soon but wanted to know what your take on this is.

 

I did indeed have to take the wheel well covers off both fronts for the cutting and fitting of the new fender flares. I wanted to keep the covers after the job to help protect things (door hinges and such as you pointed out) from the elements like the original design intented. However, I had to trim the wheel well covers in order to fit the new opening. I messed up the first one I did by cutting too much off so it didn't fit as well and left a nice big hole for debris to fill so I ended up getting a stock piece from the junkyard and cut it better the second time around. If cut right, they can be held up by the Bushwackers to keep them from drooping.

Hope this helps!

 

That helps I just was worried with possible issues in the winter and didn't want salt getting in places I couldn't clean out. Any close up pictures of this coverings and new flares perhaps?

 

Sub'd, VERY VERY! Clean Build looks awesome!

 

This was the only shot I could get before my battery died and then it started snowing. It's a view of the left front wheel well.

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

I've been waiting to get a new battery, but the wait is no more. This weekend my battery stopped holding a charge and my wife doesn't want to use the clutch to start it if she needs to drive it, so I picked up a deep cycle yellow top Optima today. It's been on my list of things to get, but it wasn't this high...

 

Greetings from an east-coast mountain man (live 20 minutes from Mt Washington, highest peak in the northeast but small compared to your Rockies).

Nice clean functional non-hacked up build! As so many have also said, I'm building a similar style DD I but went in a different direction regarding the flares. I have to have the tires covered (state law) and didn't want to cut the body (yet) so I opted to use OEM wheels and retain the stock flares. Only problem with the 3" lift is that 31's rub the back flares when I'm out in the wilderness. So now I'm thinking about dropping to 30x9.5x15's. I'll be interested to see yours after you put 32's on. May have to go that route eventually or just go back to 31's. Also like seeing the photos of the flat flares on a 3" lift with 31's.

And that Detours winch mount looks great. I have his Tailbone swing away rear bumper (not installed yet).

Keep up the awesome work and the build thread.