I have a lot of big plans for the XJ coming up, so figured I'd get this build thread started.
It's going to be lush.
I've had this rig since 2003 and built it some in NC and VA. That portion of my rig's life was as a daily driver, and off road trials were hard to find. Now that I'm finally in Colorado and there are orders of magnitude more miles of trails and I have a new daily, I'm focusing on building it out more how I've always wanted.
My build up to this point is summarized here on Cherokee Forum: http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f46/syn...-build-180050/
My build from here on out will be in this thread.
(as of 5/22/15)
What has happened in this re-build:
- New Clearwater HD cylinder head
- 6.5" Rough Country Long Arm Kit
- SYE (Advance Adapters) and CV driveshaft installed
- 31x10.50 -> 33x12.50 -> 35x12.50
- MC-CTIS (manually connected central tire inflation system)
- Alternator Splash Guard
- Bought a Miller 211 (my third machine)
- Welded track rod bracket
- Welded 2"x5" Rockers
- Installed all-aluminum radiator
- Welded front winch mount "bumper"
- Installed Transmission Cooler
- Bored throttle body to 61mm
- Installed hood louvers
- Relocated snorkel inlet
Installing Right Now:
- Chop Top
- Rigid Foam Fender Flares
- Steel Window Shield Things
Over the next year:
- Really crazy paint job
- Disc brake conversion - riding the brakes down the mountains is hard on drums with 35's
- Selectable front locker
- Buy a truck to tow this truck
- Truss, Link and Coil rear axle
Greater than a year or maybe a different XJ:
- Design a bolt on portal gearbox technology and sell those to you
- Exoskeleton
- Full width axles and 8" lift, if not the portal solution
Circa April 2015:
Currently Installed:
Purchased Hardware:
- 6.5" Rough Country Long Arm Kit
- 35x12.50
- Powertrax rear lunchbox locker
- Clearwater Castings Heavy Duty Cylinder Head
- Rusty's Steering Box Brace
Fabricated or Heavily Modified Hardware:
- [most of this just got cut off, list update after some project completion]
- HD Hood Louver (that's Dome Depot, not heavy duty)
Recovery:
- 12,000 lbs Badlands (Harbor Freight) winch w/remote
- 3x rear shackle mounts
- straps, tree savers, shackles, snatch blocks etc.
Electrical:
- 100W Renology Solar Panel
- Marine Deep cycle battery
- 750W Power Inverter
- Computer:
- - AMD dual core 64 bit AM2, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD
- - GPS, OBD-II, DAQ
Pneumatics:
- Compressor feeding clean, dry air to MC-CTIS
Aesthetics:
- The headliner.
Hang tight, I'll make some posts with pictures and stuff.