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2000 Xj Trail Rig


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Just picked this up last week for 1k

 

 

 

 

 

Sold my 98 POS trail rig this spring. Time to make a new one.

 

Found this one locally through a car soup ad. "Tires on last leg, ticking time bomb" used in the the ad. Perfect!

 

139k, 4.0/AW4/242 LP30/8.25

 

As it sits it was used for drug store deliveries up until 2 weeks ago. It's leaking coolant slightly from the water pump and the turn signals don't work. I took it for a spin down the highway but it drives like crap do to the terrible tires.

 

Plans are 3-4" lift with 35s.

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There's always more plans then cash!

 

Got a few neat things I wanna do. If this one turns out too be a little too rusty, ill wheel it till it folds like a taco and buy another one.

 

First thing on the list is stiffeners and suspension.

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Started the tear down of the factory plastic and front bumper tonight. Too friggen HOT. I don't know how you folks from the south can live in 90 degree heat all summer. Cold front coming early next week...

I have all my suspension components as of today. Still waiting on one part but its not the end of the world. Brittany is hauling my wheels/tires to town tomorrow to get mounted up. Ball is rolling!

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Who did you go through for your suspension components?

 

...Brittany is hauling my wheels/tires to town tomorrow to get mounted up...

 

Tell Brittany that she's awesome for supporting the cause.  :thumbsup:

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WHITE WALLS IN!!!!!!Excited to see this together. Planning on about 5" lift with 35's on my 01 xj

Sorry to disappoint...

 

 

Getting rid of the plastic..

 

 

Awww rusty $#!&! Cutting it out anyway so it doesn't matter.

 

 

Plenty of Austin fuel for the build. Supposed to cool down Sunday, Monday so ill start tearing into the suspension then.

 

 

The table of goodness. Iron Rock Offroad components. AAL for now, cheap shocks, bar pin eliminators, adjustable lowers, dbl shear track bar.. Tonight I also bought fluids to change them all and the water pump.

 

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WHITE WALLS IN!!!!!!Excited to see this together. Planning on about 5" lift with 35's on my 01 xj

Sorry to disappoint...

 

 

Yes! Love it... if a tire has raised white letters you just have to show them off!  :clapping:

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WHITE WALLS IN!!!!!!Excited to see this together. Planning on about 5" lift with 35's on my 01 xj

Sorry to disappoint...

 

 

 

Yes! Love it... if a tire has raised white letters you just have to show them off!  :clapping:

Its all opinion, I just prefer to keep them out of view. The tire company is definitially not paying me or giving me a break to run there product, nor do the white letters stay white on my wheelers.

Either way, looks good.

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WHITE WALLS IN!!!!!!Excited to see this together. Planning on about 5" lift with 35's on my 01 xj

Sorry to disappoint...
 Yes! Love it... if a tire has raised white letters you just have to show them off!  :clapping:
Its all opinion, I just prefer to keep them out of view. The tire company is definitially not paying me or giving me a break to run there product, nor do the white letters stay white on my wheelers.Either way, looks good.
Wheeler, letters out.

DD, letters in.

Haha That's what I like!

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This morning the jeep looked like it did in the last photos. Got a few things done today. Well I started at 10am and just got in the house at 11pm. Long day.. Here's how the day went.

 

Shocks of all things fought me to no end. Had to cut them out. (Fronts.) Had a little mishap with the DS one. Holy mother of god!

 

 

Broken bolt on the tracbar mount. Right side bottom, one of the bolts that goes into the frame horn. All the others came out fine.

 

 

Started pulling other stock front end parts to replace and got pissed messing with the LCA bolts, soooooooo I went and bought a new toy which speeded up the process a bit.

 

 

Had to take a pic of this one. The axle side tracbar bolt actually came out. First time EVER for me!

 

 

Remember the broken bolts on the tracbar mount? Well I got my welder working again and instead of wasting half a day to cut the thing out, I bolted in the 3 bolts and then welded it too.

 

 

Drivers front pretty much done. If you look close you can see the IRO bar pin eliminators. BOLT TO SHOCK FIRST! Will save you a big headache. Ask me how I know!

 

 

Knew I wanted to bolt the tire up, I decided to do some body work.

 

 

Finished. Cut and folded the inner seam and removed the washer bottle. Thinking about using a 96 or older bottle or just saying screw it. I don't know. Minor details.

 

 

Working on the passenger side..

 

 

Done

 

 

Front tires on! Moved outside so I could sweep the floor before I started in the back.

 

 

 

Used a full length AAL for now. You guys seen that before.. Started working on the cut and fold quarter.. Also modded the rear bumper for more clearance. Better pics tomorrow of that.

 

 

 

Done for now. Have a little paint work to sort out... Someday

 

 

Drivers side done! Well done enough so it can sit on some tires! Called it a night. Passenger side still needs leaf spring clamps and cut and fold bodywork. Also tomorrow ill attack the rear shocks. But after 11 hours, I'm finally able to see what this thing is going to look like! Remember that's a 3" Short arm lift with 35" tires. AAL rear and IRO adjustable lowers and 3" coils. Simple simple!

 

 

 

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Finished the passenger side.

 

 

Couple glamor shots.

 

 

 

Next to my 01

 

 

Got a paper in the mail saying I had a package at the post office. My headliner for the Wyomanche! So I bolted up my spare Neohicbuilt front bumper quick and took the Jeep to town. "To town"is 4 miles of 2 lane and 4 miles of interstate type highway. Jeep cruises very nice at 70 mph. No annoying vibes either.

 

 

Worked on the DS rear shock mount today. The axle side broke when I removed the old shock. Here's a shot of the bar pin elimator for IRO. Whoever designed how the rear shocks mount on a XJ was a moron! I got 2 bolts out. One on each side. Welded the opposite side of the bolt side.

 

 

Crap pic the 5/8" bolt I welded to the stock shock mount. Hope it holds for awhile. I plan in the future to outboard my rear shocks and put in a shock hoop to run longer shocks.

 

 

Done

 

 

Painted the front bumper and tossed it back on. This is temporary till my winch bumper comes in.

 

 

Two full days of work and this is what I have. Cannot wheel yet... Gotta work on bump stops yet.

 

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Bump stop time. Very easy job. Just a PITA to rip everything out to do it! The reason I didn't do it right away is because I didn't know what I was in for. I bought Daystar rear extended front and rear bump stops.

 

Measuring. Rear tire is hitting steel, had to stop.

 

 

 

Dropping everything to get coils out.

 

 

Here is what I did with the back. I order new spring pads when I ordered my suspension parts. I took my used ones, and bolt them onto the new pads using only one ubolt. Just like a older Ford that has a bump stop landing pad built into the u bolt plate. I know it's probably going to bend. I gotta make something to bolt or weld in but only if I have issue. The bump stops themselves are Daystar units. Full bump.

 

 

 

 

Headed out for a shakedown run tomorrow. Last pic of the scratch free body.

 

 

I'll have Britt with me. Hopefully get some good pictures wheeling.

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Ride went well today. Rode with another club member Al with his CJ7 on 36" Irocks. Very slippery trail made for some frustrations but we got by ok. Trail in the following pictures is the Mesabi Mountain Grant in Aid ORV trail in Eveleth/Gilbert MN. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ohv/trail_detail.html?id=58

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I broke a tailight and dented the hatch a bit. Also thinking I need a crank sensor. Jeep would idle funny and actually shut down on me a few times throughout the day. Also a rear locker is moved to the top of the list. I also ripped off a fuel tank strap. It was junk anyway due to rust.

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