my 1996 XJ El Guapo

[motownXJdad]

well i traded my 10 Bears Comanche for an XJ trail rig. and  after seeing it in my drivway for awhile was not happy with it. The previous owner cut a rustfree 88 2dr for tire clearance. so i sold all 3 of my XJs, the 88 2dr, 87 2dr, and 2000 4 dr, and was Jeepless for about a week. i finally found a southern rustfree 2 door pre 97 XJ in moss green pearl with light tan interior and an automatic trans!!!😁😁😁😁. iv wanted this combo for a long time, i had given up finding one when i bought the 10 Bears Comanche. So here is my new project along with the first couple mods ive done so far. i swapped in my country woodgrain dash bezel, and i installed some long forgotten TJ wrangler Hella driving lights off an LJ i owned 10 years ago. soldered the wires to the factory harness and viola! they work! i installed 2 way switchback LED bulbs i found on Ebay. i love it so far, i still have all the parts i stockpilef for the comanche so next is the new 4.5" Zone\Rusty's  hybrid lift ive put together with Fox2.0 IPF shocks and Rustys off road front lower arms and rear leafs. i have Comanche eliminator wheels ill be running with some good used 31-10.5-15 BFG a\t's  to start and if theres room, 33s or 35s down the road. but i will not remove the flares or cut this jeep. ok so here is Elenor

[motownXJdad]

here's the XJ country trim level woodgrain dash, i also added factory 2 switch bezel next to the steering column where it was originally a single switch. all the faded factory switches will be replaced with new Carling style switches as i add lockers, lights etc.

[motownXJdad]

here is the TJ driving light install. this is temporary until its lifted and i install the ORfab tube bumper i have for the front

[motownXJdad]

i also installed new hatch shocks too, this is usually the first thing i do on any car i buy that has them because bumping your head is not fun

[motownXJdad]

got a few little things done today. new window crank handles and a new shifter knob. also got the ZJ console armrest in with the rear cup holders. ill paint the armtest to mach with SEM interior paint. i picked up some nice used BFG 31s for 100$, for decent rollers after the lift is installed, i can't wait to get the Comanche Eliminator wheels on it. i like the shifter, but its too flashy, so ill paint it trim black when the weather is warmer.

[Pete M]

the 10 holes are going to look goooooooooood   

[motownXJdad]

ive had those wheels for almost 4 years, i can't wait👍

[NHMJXJ]

 

Love me them two doors.  Nice find!  

[motownXJdad]

7 hours ago, NHMJXJ said:

 

Love me them two doors.  Nice find!  

thank you👍

[motownXJdad]

no more hard knock life for this one, first time ive parked my daily in the garage in 8 years, lol. first it was our camper, sold that and had a boat. then i had the 87 holy grail XJ 2 door in there for 4 years, Christopher Mitchell picked up the 87 today. i hope to see it restored some day. I'm now down to 1 XJ, and it actually kinda feels good👍

[motownXJdad]

this SuperClean cleaner is awesome. squirted it on the wheel and tire, let it soak for maybe 1 min. a light scrub with a brush is all it took. these wheels are gonna clean up nice when i really put some elbow grease to them. got the 31s mounted and balanced today.

[Greenjeans]

You reminded me that I need to fix my head knocker..  early on in my project, I grabbed some Liberty struts from the JY not even researching lengths etc.  they are too short…. I did buy some new ones just been lazy..

 

I like the round fog lights.  I was going to get some KC’s until I found out what they cost.  I only wanted them for the retro look 😁

 

my shifter knob is similar, but no button, you just push down on the knob itself.  It hasn’t come off but there’s nothing holding it on.  I want to put a set screw or something in it..

 

lookin good, can’t wait to see it with the tires!

[motownXJdad]

On 5/9/2023 at 11:02 AM, Greenjeans said:

You reminded me that I need to fix my head knocker..  early on in my project, I grabbed some Liberty struts from the JY not even researching lengths etc.  they are too short…. I did buy some new ones just been lazy..

 

I like the round fog lights.  I was going to get some KC’s until I found out what they cost.  I only wanted them for the retro look 😁

 

my shifter knob is similar, but no button, you just push down on the knob itself.  It hasn’t come off but there’s nothing holding it on.  I want to put a set screw or something in it..

 

lookin good, can’t wait to see it with the tires!

thank you, some times you can find the stock TJ wrangler fog\driving lights like those cheap on market place👍. my shift knob does have a set screw and if i thought about it i would have painted it today, lol. 

[motownXJdad]

i picked up a gently used Ares fab true 1 ton steering set up for 150$ off marketplace from a local fellow XJ owner. well today i broke out the dawn dish soap, Super Clean cleaner, and a brown scotch brite pad and knocked the grease, dirt, rust, and old black paint off em. then i repainted them satin silver and gloss black on the TREs. I'm ready for my lift install day on June 15 at Mumbly's off road. i can't wait👍

[motownXJdad]

just a sneak peak, shes not ready for the full reveal yet, i have a few more things to do, and a really good cleaning. but I'm liking it so far. 4.5" of lift with great control arm angles and all quality made in USA parts (mostly made in Michigan actually) 👍

[Pete M]

fox!  fancy   

[motownXJdad]

well here she is, the 31s are a little small, but theyll do till the fall or next spring. i also made my own export turn signals for under 20$ for both, they are 45$+tax each new from Quadratec. so far i love the way it rides, its like an extra dampened stock suspension. its not at all a rough ride or like a horse buggy like my 3" short arm lift with bilstiens was on my 2000 4 door. can't wait to restore the interior over the next winter, and have the body repainted next year. still lots of work to do👍

[NHMJXJ]

Looks great! 

[motownXJdad]

On 7/19/2023 at 8:30 AM, NHMJXJ said:

Looks great! 

thank you👍

[motownXJdad]

the deeper i dig into this XJ the happier i am. the undercarriage and unit-frame are unbelievably clean and rust free, even the HP Dana30 housing is incredibly rust free. i figured i would have to remove a bunch of rust scale to repaint and make it nice but it looks like just a scuff and repaint to look like new again. super happy that i can spend money on the fun stuff instead of rust repair and rehab.

[motownXJdad]

not exactly sure why it posted my pics upside down, i didnt do that, Comanche club did.

[Pete M]

sorta.  it has to do with how a camera saves the orientation of the photo.  it's been explained to me and... it's complicated.    I've found that if I rotate the image, than rotate it back and resave, it usually uploads properly. 

[motownXJdad]

lol, i did try that. I figured id outsmart it if i rotated them upside down and saved them, and then when i upload them here, it stays upside down lol. Oh well

[Pete M]

15 hours ago, motownXJdad said:

lol, i did try that. I figured id outsmart it if i rotated them upside down and saved them, and then when i upload them here, it stays upside down lol. Oh well

 

are you using a phone or laptop to do that?  whatever program you're using isn't overwriting the original orientation tag. 

[motownXJdad]

i got my A-pillar lights installed. they are highly rated Nilight 3" cubes from Amazon with some super cool KC covers i had lying around in my garage. i like the look. next on the list is to install my NLA tube bumper from ORFab👍