thenag

I am building a 99 xj, I had a 87 bronco so the lack of space is something I am getting used to. Under the hood of the bronco I had, a york, 2 batteries, spare front and rear driveshafts, a 460, some other things i can't remember and still had the factory air box.

Anyway I loved having two batteries in the bronco, everything just ran better so I thought I would cram them into the xj.

I didn't put one battery on the driver side because I have other plans for that space, and the factory air box will be coming out too. (serp belt york and auto tensioner...)

This is my holder



This is the space I want to put that second battery


second battery mounted, fuse box still loose


fuse box mounted, OEM battery location still needs to be done. (OEM battery tray is not in)


I still need to find a place for the cruise control servo and coolant reservoir. Also I think I can move the vacuum reservoir from the bumper to under my second battery. (above the coil spring)

I need to get a 160 durango alternator, re-wire the mains, paint the brackets...

photo album here;
https://picasaweb.google.com/thenag/...eat=directlink

Nathan
-99 xj... two batteries are in it... just not wired...

move over

Make sure thats secure or you will have one big fire also im not sure it's a good idea if you plan on leaving it sideways like that even if it is a sealed battery.Maybe the trunk would be a better option then you would not have to move things around.Either way good luck with it.

BRUNER247

Looks good. Might checkout Tj alt brackets to suk it up under your AC compressor(or York). I plan to do this soon also except dual batteries & dual alt. I don't use AC anyhow. Might as well have plenty of juice for a dozen lights, winch, stereo, ect. Could route airbox & vacuum canister into cowl.

thenag

Oh that thing is secure. Before I paint it it will get a few more gussets and maybe a couple more bolts. (it has 2, 3/8 inch bolts pictured, and 3, 1/4 inch bolts on the pinch seam)

One of the big advantages of an optima is that it can be mounted in any orientation. I have a friend who has had a blue top side ways under his bronco for almost a decade.

"An Optima AGM battery is also a non hazardous product, as it has no leakage or terminal corrosion it can be mounted on its side."
from;http://www.optimabatteries.com.au/
(I could not find that info on the USA site but I am sure it is there)


I have two problems with mounting them in back, fist you need a sealed box and an outside vent (even with an optima). Second you then have a huge run of cable that can ground out and cause a fire. (also if you can put it under the hood and keep the cargo space I think that is a plus)

Nathan

thenag

I am keeping the A/C. TJ's have the a/c on the driverside so it gets into a whole world of custom A/C lines etc. I would like the Alt up some but it isn't going to happen.

My york is going on the driver side. I am going to build a custom bracket that holds a PS pump, a york and maybe an auto tensioner. The york will be about where the OEM air box is.

Nathan

BRUNER247

No I ment Tj altinator bracket. It moves the alt up several inches from its stock xj location. It suks it up tight underneath where the factory AC is on xjs.

thenag

I'll have to look into that, I figured the A/C bracket was part of the Alternator bracket.

I don't see many tj's in my scrap yard though... zj's a plenty if that would help...

Thanks

Nathan

thenag

Ok so it looks like Chrysler used the same cruise control servo in most vehicles of that era. I went to pick n pull and found what looked like the same servo on mini vans, stratus's, other jeeps. I didn't check part numbers or wiring connectors, just a quick look.

All of them had varying cable lengths and the cable is removable. Some of them seemed to have a different hook up on the throttle body, this is something that may be made to work I don't know. The mini van's had really short cables, but I wanted to keep the servo in the general area it was to minimize electrical re-routing. As it worked out I didn't have to splice any wires.

I pulled a cruise control cable off of a 96 grand cherokee with an I6. The cable was a direct swap and about 18 inches shorter. This is just about the perfect length to mount the servo pointing straight at the engine. (OEM 99 xj it pointed toward the firewall)

I currently have it mounted 90 degrees from what it was, I can turn it if it doesn't work, I will just need to drill holes. (The electrical and vacuum connection were horizontal they are now vertical)

I also got to use the two holes that the prop rod used to be bolted into to mount the servo.

more pics








I also put a better pic of the 2nd battery mount attachment to the pinch seem;


whole album still here;
https://picasaweb.google.com/thenag/...at=directlink#