zr2toxj

Well, I've been lurking here for a couple of months now. As my name implies, I went from a 98 Blazer ZR2 to a 99 XJ.

I love it so far, much easier to work on. I can't wait to get it done.

It's a 99 with ~ 145K on it. 4.0/231/D35

Aint she purty?




Body is obviously rough, but it was the cleanest I've seen underneath it; banged up a little but solid; haven't found any rust at all which is unusual for the northeast. A lot of it looks worse than it is; molding glue, pinstriping glue, etc. Someone had pinstriped flames on the hood so this guy sprayed primer over the glue.

- 4.5RE lift with RE shocks, but has blocks, so I'll eventually get the RE leaf packs.
- 4.56 gears installed in rear
- ARB air locker installed in rear
- 4.56 gears for front with kit (new)


- Viair 400 compressor (new)
- Viair 2.5 ? gallon air tank (new)



- Currie Correct steer HD linkage installed



- New Cragar black steelies, 15X8's look like 3.5 backspacing
- Sony FM/AM/CD player with crossovers & tweeters JL Audio



- Axles, Driveshafts, 5 steelies
- KC titanium driving lights complete kit (new)



- Magnaflow cat and muffler, tailpipe (new)

Interior is in real good shape.








I think that's it. I found out the rear has been upgraded to 30 spline axles I think, because the ARB is for the Super 35. I've got to have someone check that out though, it's making more noise than I think it should and it blows gear oil out the vent. So I was looking in the ARB install book and it says some axle housings need to be ground at the bearing seat with a dremel so the oil will drain back into the pumpkin. So that needs to come apart again. I hope he didn't damage the ARB by running it like that. He claims it was professionally installed, but you know how that goes. I did pull the cover, and there is no filings, and the fluid looked good, so did the pattern on the teeth of the ring gear, but something isn't right there. It makes noise when lifting off the pedal.

I did find when I was pulling the exhaust off, that it has a header so no worries on the cracked manifold.

Now the fun begins. It was a long day going to Springfield to get it, so I hope it was worth the trip.

I figured the parts alone were worth more than I paid, so it came home. LOL

I've already torn the front body apart and done a lot of banging out dents and other body work. I installed the Gen2 disconnects. Got the old exhaust off and ordered the new headpipe.

My wife already had to poke her head out last night at 11:00 asking if I had to work today.

SO I've gone to the dark side & got sucked in to the Jeep world....ah, never mind you wouldn't understand.

OnlyInMyXJ22

Welcome

fixitman

thats a nice load of parts u got there
how much did you pay?

COSXJFAN

Welcome to CF from COS!!

zr2toxj

2800 for everything you see. I don't think I did too bad from what I've seen around here. I haven't found any rust anywhere, which is unusual.Just a few dents to bang out.

Thanks for the warm welcome.

If anyone knows of a used D30 ARB for 4.56 gears, let me know! I have the gears & install kit, just need the locker.

BuckB91XJ

Welcome to CF from Buck in Western Washington State. Post some pics of your new XJ. It sounds awesome!!

davy

Hi from the UK

a1racer

welcome from socal and dang that is a lot of parts you got there

zr2toxj

Thanks, guys. Yeah, I've been having a hard time focusing on one task at a time. LOL I'm making slow progress though. I hope to get to a point soon where I can stop tearing it apart and start putting it back together.

ME4x4.org is already planning trips....wish I could take a 2 week vacation and spend it in the garage.

Here's how it looks now, well actually I took both fenders off tonight, and am working on the passenger's side door.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...XJ/MyXJ029.jpg

a1racer

looks like a lot of work ahead of you there but when it is done it should look great and work well

zr2toxj

Hope so. Labor is cheap. LOL

0311kenn

Welcome.

zr2toxj

Progress is slow. Damn job keeps getting in the way. :laugh:
3/25/09: I got the exhaust system on. Sounds great, very throaty, but not so loud it's overpowering in the cab. I had a hard time finding the head pipe for some reason but finally had NAPA in Winthrop order it. The O2 sensor for the front wouldn't come out so I order 1 from Rock Auto along with some new tail lights.
I ended up repairing the header panel with some fiberglass & resin. I've got a little finish work to do to it, but it will be good. I took both fenders off & pounded out the dents with a body hammer & dolly. Also took the interior panels off and tried to get as many dents out as I could.


I put on some new sway bar bushings on the front & while I was at it, took the Gen2 discos apart, cleaned them up, painted some parts here and there & put everything back.
Fixed a power steering pump leak & replaced the fan clutch that was in bad shape.
Straightened the front frame horn where the bumper attaches.

Took all the flares off. I think I'm going to use the Rusty's flex flares instead of BW's. Anyone have experience with them?
I even took it out to see how it flexed, just couldn't wait any longer. LOL


I was very impressed. That snow bank was a good 3 feet & it climbed up it in 2wd. I don't know if I can fit 33's with those wheels. I was considering some 33x12.5 TSL's but I think they'd rub even after trimming for the flares. I may run 31's on these wheels and get some others for the 33's with less BS.
This shows how close the 31's are, of course I can trim a lot on that fender, but these 31's are small.

I'm also considering a used ARB for the front. It needs the O-ring and some other parts, the seal, switch & bulk head fittings that are another $200 or so, but for that price, I figure it's worth it. What do you think? Anyone interested in that compressor?
Here's the link, let me know your thoughts on it. http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwi/pts/1090924496.html
That didn’t work so well, after a struggle with the seller, I returned it because there were a lot of internal parts missing too, so I’ve decided to buy a new one with a truss later down the road.

zr2toxj

4/10/09: I've being doing a lot of body work. Almost done & ready for paint.

Also worked on the OBA a little.

I think I'm going to get the rear locker hooked up, leave a Tee for the front solenoid & save for a new ARB & front truss. I would have ended up with over $600 in this used one which is the outdated RD30. The new design is the RD100, that's for 3.73-4.88 gears.
I'm going to spray it with a single stage urethane, same color, gunmetal.
I took the exhaust back apart, cut a hole in the pipe after the cat & had Parker's Garage in Winthrop weld it up. Good guy, BTW, he was busy as hell, asked what I needed, said come back in 15 minutes & charged me $10 to weld the O2 sensor boss in & paint the area. Nice job. So I got everything back together & modified the rear hanger so the tailpipe is up tight against the body.



Here's some pictures of my OBA set up. I haven't really decided if I like it there or not. I was originally going to do like Eric's XJ did & mount it in the cubby hole on the other side, but I'd like to use that space for a subwoofer.
So I started looking at the tire mount on the other side. I found there's a lot more metal there to attach things to. I took the floor bracket out & bent it & cut it down so I could bolt my angle iron to it. This is what I ended up with to mount the compressor.



I found some flat plate about 8" wide & started looking at how to mount the tank. Some have mounted it under the vehicle, but I figured it would rust fast there. I knew I didn't want to have it block the cargo area. So I did this.



I'll probably mount this Wilkerson filter/regulator on a bracket here somewhere:

I also have this manifold I think I'll mount under the compressor. I figured I'd come off the compressor with a 90 to the tank, the pressure switch is already mounted to the tank on the other end, then on the port next to the 90, go down to the filter/reg, over to the manifold for air chucks, lockers, gauge etc. I want to have an air chuck up front somewhere as well.


Took my Gen2 discos apart, greased them up, tightened a lot of the bolts & mounts & drilled the body for the pins & installed them. While I was doing that I noticed the swaybar bushings were bad, so I installed those.

Also got a new set of taillights from RockAuto:

That's about it for now. It looks like this weekend is out. Got a big party that I've got to do a slideshow & movies at, then headed to Wiscasset for Easter.
I did some more sanding last night. I hit it again with some 320 before I do the primer/sealer. I made the mistake of driving it outside the garage cause it was so nice last night, but a couple of the neighbors stopped by looking it over & asking questions, so I didn't get a lot done.
I got everything hooked up, wired up & operating correctly. It took a lot of time to get things right.

zr2toxj

4/12/2009: I've decided to modify that plate. I think I can find a tin-knocker somewhere around. In fact the Pipefitters may have a break in their shop.
Anyway this is what I want to make to replace the one I have. I took an aluminum bracket that I had, put it in the vise & bent it so it's the correct angle. If I take a peice of plate 14"x14" and bend it like this I can not only secure it where I did originally but also on the vertical part to stiffen it up even more. I also decided to add a flange to the front so I could mount the air manifold or other parts & pieces.

Whatcha think?



4/18/2009: Found a pleasant surprise tonight when I decided I was sick of sanding & pulled the wheels & tires to check things out. The rear axles are new 30 spline Alloy USA's. Sweeeet. I wish it wasn't in a D35, but I think it will be fine. That kit runs about $260.

I adjusted the rear brakes & cleaned them up. Stops a little better. I think I may bleed all 4 corners to see if that helps.

So when I was out testing the feel for the brakes in the driveway, guess what I did? ???

Ran over my header panel that I worked so hard on repairing. LOL What a dumbass. I was going back & forth in the driveway & hit the brakes hard, it fell in front of the wheels & crunch.

Forgot that it wasn't bolted on. :-\

[Chris Farley voice] IDIOT, Damn, I'm such an IDIOT [Chris Farley voice off]
Thought that might add a little humor tonight. :laugh: