The Homebrew Jeep Mod Thread
#1427
CF Veteran
#1428
Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: 4.0
#1429
We all get them sooner or later, hot spots especially when crawling those long slow trails. In my case, it is my muffler. It gets hot enough to make my carpet stink. I know of another XJ that has the same problem. The solution, make a heat shield. There are lots of things you could use, but the best and cheapest I have found is my wife's worn out aluminum cookie sheets. They are double walled and made not to transfer too much heat through and burn the bottom of the cookies. You can see from the construction, the bottom of this one is dimpled, holding the two layers apart and making a good all metal insulator.
I also chose to use self tapping sheet metal screws at the dimples to secure it.
The next little trick is to use a spacer, in this case a 1/4" nut to space the cookie sheet away from the floor thus making another layer with air between it and the shield
I had other goodies to shield on this side of the frame too, so I bent it. I used a sheet metal brake, but they are soft and easy to bend with hand tools
After putting the muffler back in place (red mud and all) it looked like this.
So did it work? Absolutely. I wheeled all day in very warm weather with the windows up and AC going without that hot carpet smell. I am looking forward to more cookie sheets from the kitchen
I also chose to use self tapping sheet metal screws at the dimples to secure it.
The next little trick is to use a spacer, in this case a 1/4" nut to space the cookie sheet away from the floor thus making another layer with air between it and the shield
I had other goodies to shield on this side of the frame too, so I bent it. I used a sheet metal brake, but they are soft and easy to bend with hand tools
After putting the muffler back in place (red mud and all) it looked like this.
So did it work? Absolutely. I wheeled all day in very warm weather with the windows up and AC going without that hot carpet smell. I am looking forward to more cookie sheets from the kitchen
#1430
CF Veteran
Thanks. I have since found a good source of this stuff. I am parting out a ZJ and noticed it has a long flat piece of aluminum with the same type of construction. That will be coming off for future use on the XJ
#1431
CF Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: west chester, pa
Posts: 19,216
Likes: 0
Received 39 Likes
on
35 Posts
Year: 1999
Engine: 4.0
Originally Posted by 4.3L XJ
Thanks. I have since found a good source of this stuff. I am parting out a ZJ and noticed it has a long flat piece of aluminum with the same type of construction. That will be coming off for future use on the XJ
#1433
Member
#1435
CF Veteran
Did some work to adapt WJ brakes to my D44 front. I took the old bracket off and drilled some 3/8" steel to match twice then cut it in half
Cut some 1/2" steel plate like this and welded it on to the back of the plate
Had the rotors turned to fit on a standard D44 hub, then drilled them to 5X5.5 lug pattern and put it together
Cut some 1/2" steel plate like this and welded it on to the back of the plate
Had the rotors turned to fit on a standard D44 hub, then drilled them to 5X5.5 lug pattern and put it together
#1436
CF Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Pasquotank, NC
Posts: 1,679
Likes: 0
Received 15 Likes
on
13 Posts
Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Very nice. Think it'll hold? 1/2" and 3/8", that's some stout brackets. What did you use to cut the 1/2"? Plasma table or free hand? Got any pics of the backside of the assy?
#1437
CF Veteran
Pic of the backside, sorry no right now. I used a drill press and hole saws, metal cutting band saw and a sawsall. Drilled and tapped with the drill press to get the holes straight
#1438
CF Veteran
I did another little mod the other day. I built a 3 link and put WJ knuckles and brakes on the D30. Sway bar links just didn't work for that mod. So with a soft rock crawling suspension the Jeep was wallowing around like a round bottom boat in a storm. (I was stationed on one of those) So I needed a sway bar to make the XJ more road worthy and keep it from having body roll in off camber situations, which made them worse. So I got an Isuzu front sway bar and built a couple of simple brackets for the cross member, which is made of 2X4X3/16" wall tubing.
I have since moved the back of it above the brackets. Had to make some room
This sway bar is full articulation (13" of travel in front) and does not need to be disconnected to wheel
I have since moved the back of it above the brackets. Had to make some room
This sway bar is full articulation (13" of travel in front) and does not need to be disconnected to wheel
#1440
I really LIKE the Tool Drawer , good job Alfredo Guerrero. i have a two tool boxes and they seam to take too much space . A tool drawer would probably store more