I wasn't going to bother posting this here. I might not even be the right forum anyways. Whatever. It's a fucking cherokee.


So I bought this peice of shit. It was a co-worker's girlfriend's DD. We had a drunken deal made that I'd buy it once she was too scared to drive it and bought something better. That deal was made sight unseen.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1010058.jpg

For the $500 it was a reasonable deal. After all, it was a basically functional 2dr XJ. Usual BS, 4.0L/AX-15/NP231 with a D35 in the ass end and a whole lot of sagging springs.

I'd planned to do some mild stuff, clean it up and add a little lift and use it to wheel the non-hardcore stuff and do some camping. Then I decided an expo rig would be more what I wanted anyways, so I modified those plans to include some general BS that could be classified as 'expo gear'.

The first major mod was to put some new rockers on it. Since the old ones were quitters.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1010091.jpg

So I bought some 2x6x.188 HSS, capped it off and welded it in place of the rust.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1000075.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1000092.jpg

All of that was pretty normal.

Other than I ran into a lot of rust around the leaf spring eye pockets. A little selective cutting determined there wasn't really much left for clean steel that could be used to brace off of or rebuild the pockets on.

So, my plan changed a little bit more.

I stripped the POS.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1010194.jpg

Then got out the makita plasma unit (better known as a sawzall, for the knuckleheads).

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1010200.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1010201.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1010202.jpg


After about enough blades and cut-off wheels to buy an actual plasma, I got to this point.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1010001-1.jpg

I then realized I didn't have much of a jeep anymore.

:flipoff2:

:eek: Hole-eee Shit! Wow!...:eek:

This is over the top.:eek:

I'm thinking you should trim this area up a couple inches higher... It looks like a rock magnet hanging down like that..... :flipoff2:

damn dude, hope you got this thing under control. lot of work you've done so far.

you going to drop that sucker on a truck frame? i've always wanted to try that.

Wouldn't it have just been easier to fix it up just a little bit and sell it for 1000$ to some dumb kid? Thats what I did with a 90 Laredo I recentl;y scored for 200$. It was actually a really nice budget boosted rig on 30's when i got done with it. Sold it for 800$

That being said, awesome work on cutting that thing up. So are you going to build a tube frame for it?

Wouldn't it have just been easier to fix it up just a little bit and sell it for 1000$ to some dumb kid? Thats what I did with a 90 Laredo I recentl;y scored for 200$. It was actually a really nice budget boosted rig on 30's when i got done with it. Sold it for 800$





Well, yes. But I'm too honest for that. Or perhaps I've been 'some dumb kid' too many times myself. I could have parted it out and got my money back, and probably then some, however.

This, however, is uniquely reflective to my own personal insanity.

Soooo....whats the plan?

Anyways, here's the rest of the pictures to get everyone up to speed as to of where the build is at right now. I got lazy last night and didn't post them.


Attempting to mate a NP241D to an AW4:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010004.jpg

The dodge tcase is out of a cummins truck. It's 23 spline, as is the AW4. The spline pressure angle is the same too, or so I assume since the dodge case is a 94 and they didn't change the spline style till 98 or something. However, the dodge case has a deep input ment for mating the case to a transmission in which the output is flush or recessed in comparison with the mating surface. The AW4 has some stickout on the output. Thus there is some bottoming issues. A 3/4" spacer/clocking ring should be the perfect solution, and I think AA sells one that would be perfect. However, I'm too lazy to call them anytime soon to confirm that, as I don't need to mate anything up anytime too soon.

And I broke NP231 front outputs before. So, no fucking NP231 for me. Thank you.

Of course, a guy needs a SYE, even with the beefier rear output of the 241. And after a little research I figured I'd try re-using some NP231 parts since I had bought and payed for them.

Tail-housing comparison:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010006.jpg

One is a stock 231, other is stock 241. You can figure out which is which if you're smart. The problem is they don't share the same mounting problem and the 241 case can't be redrilled to take the 231 pattern. Fuck. So, while I can reuse the 231 HD SYE output shaft, I can't reuse the tail-housing. Which pretty much screwed that idea all to hell. I might do a home-brew hack'n'crap on the NP241 if my rear driveshaft length allows me to do so comfortably. Otherwise there is a trick shorty unit on the market to the tune of too much money.

Or, if the economy starts looking up I might get a rubi-whore tcase or a stak or something instead. Time will tell.

Next update in a couple minutes, gotta take a shit first.

So now that I'm a little lighter, I'll explain my 'plan' (which is more like a bunch of disjointed ideas that will hopefully be made possible by unrealistic optimism).

The body was kinda crappy. There's some good damage on the one side, and general digs elsewhere. And a few good rust holes beyond what I'd already removed. Basically, it sounded like a perfect candidate to dump rediculous amounts of time into. Or maybe not.

I figured that I could simply remove the floor, uniframe, and pretty much everything that offended me and start over again. But build things a little more fitting to my needs.

Warning - there is no fancy jigs, frame tables, or laser alignment tools used in this build.

I started by making the frame rails for the belly area:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010009.jpg

It's just 2x4x.188 HSS, a bit thick but not the end of the world. I drilled some holes in it and sleeved in some tubing so I can run bolts through at a later date.

Then I tacked a few things in place.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010011.jpg

The peice of 2x2 running through the entire mess up front is temporary. The crossmember at the rear is for the upper links; I might regret putting it there. I plan to skin the quasi-boatside peices with aluminum and UHDP.

Then I built up the rest of the frame in the rear:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010002-1.jpg

It's actually not attached to the rear of the jeep in any way at this point. I'd left that big chunk of body hanging down (which is now between the frame rails) because it was helping to keep the body somewhat straight. Not that it really matters, because the body isn't straight, anyways. Oh, the butt-welds all over the fawking place - they are getting fishplates. I'm not entirely stupid.

And this is how the rear will be getting finished up:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P10100102.jpg

There's a hole in there for a tab to go through (shackle mount, or whatever) and the bumper will all be welded all over the place to the body. The tail-lights were on just for mock-up.


Anyways, my idea of what other shit will go on:
-4.0L/AW4 (manual control)/NP241
-HP D60 front, narrowed to 64"
-3-link with panhard front, regular old coil springs because I'm poor
-HP D60 rear, because I have an extra housing and no shortage of stupid ideas
-4-link rear, dual triangulated BS. Joints will be a mixture of shanked JJs and perhaps poly bushings or RE larges. Again, regular old coil springs.
-Larger gas tank, stainless and aluminum have been my back of the mind debate for the last 3 months.
-37s, on 16s or 17s. Not sure on much there, but I feel I need beadlocks.
-A mixture of internal and external cage... 1.75x.120 DOM will be the material, unless I become really cheap. And I need some better front seats and 4 or 5 points.

Shooting for about 4" of lift. Mild (12"ish) of wheel travel, maybe more if it works out. And I plan to drive it on the highway.

that is sick

You sure do know how to get around that unibody problem. :flipoff2:

Sick build so far. Look luck with everything. Looks like you have it under control.

thats going to be bad arse once its done

looks good so far man, I'm definitely going to be watching this one start to finish

...I'll explain my 'plan' (which is more like a bunch of disjointed ideas that will hopefully be made possible by unrealistic optimism).

-HP D60 rear, because I have an extra housing and no shortage of stupid ideas


Nice thread, full of tech and the funnay.:laughing:

Subscribed!

Very nice will be keeping a eye on this one

subscribed. can't wait to see what you do with this thing.

wow,

id say you got pretty carried away!!!

good luck.

And I thought I knew how to strip an XJ! :eek:

I wasn't going to bother posting this here. I might not even be the right forum anyways. Whatever. It's a fucking cherokee.


From this....

I did not see this coming...

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1010001-1.jpg

I then realized I didn't have much of a jeep anymore.

:flipoff2:

I like it!

You REALLY need to get that sawzall under control.... mine gets loose sometimes but it has never been that bad :D

This looks awesome. You have done some good work so far. I'll be watching this one.

wow! you have a LOT of work ahead of you! keep the pics rollin!!!!----BRIAN

Sick man! love how you built the frame. im gona wach this one should be bad ass.

I did some rear tire location mockup, and checked to make sure my intended axle width and such isn't totally unrealistic.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010025.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010020.jpg

That's where it would be with 64" wide axles, and 8" wide wheels with 3.5" BS. I can probably tuck the tire in about 1.5" more before my front hubs extend into the fodder zone, providing I run 10" wide wheels. But, I had to check that it definitely wouldn't work with the stock front width of 69.25" - I had no intentions of not narrowing the axle, but there's always that little voice screaming for an easier way out.

I need to buy some tube.

Do you have any more pics of the rocker guards/sliders. Ive been really wanting to do this but not 100% sure how things connect on the underside and what not.

Build looks amazing by the way :smokin:

Do you have any more pics of the rocker guards/sliders. Ive been really wanting to do this but not 100% sure how things connect on the underside and what not.

Build looks amazing by the way :smokin:


Thanks. And they aren't connected on the underside, really... They're welded to the pinch seam where the door seal goes, and around the A and B pillar, and along the rear quarter. I need to do a little more welding on them inside the B pillar. I then cut the floor out and put the 'boatside' style braces in, which will provide most of the rigidity for the setup. Otherwise a guy would have to somehow attach them the primary structure of the original uniframe; with enough cutting you could do it the same as I did.

If you cut your rockers open, it'll become fairly obvious.

If I remember, I'll snap another pic or two, but there's not much to see (now at least) beyond what I already posted.

Yea i had been thinking of putting in the 2x6 then a really small boat side kind of thing from the stock "frame" to the bottom of the 2x6. But was worried that it may crumble when i land on it.

Looking good. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Yea i had been thinking of putting in the 2x6 then a really small boat side kind of thing from the stock "frame" to the bottom of the 2x6. But was worried that it may crumble when i land on it.


Crumble? Which part? If you're worried about the framerails, weld fishplates made from 1/8" onto it where the boatsides connect. Leave lots of edge distance, weld the shit out of it, and it'll be fine.


I'm a firm believe that 'welding the shit' out of anything will probably produce an acceptable result.

Alright, got the other corner tacked in place. Just having the two corner guards tacked on has got the body a hell of a lot more rigid. It used to be you could push the whole back end around with your fingers.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010027.jpg

With tail-light on:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010029.jpg

Tire relation to corner guard (I was too lazy to move the tire from earlier, shhh)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010028.jpg


Excuse the mess in the shop, normally I at least sweep up before taking pics but I ran out of time.

fucking...awesome...

wow. this is sweet, i have been looking for something to help me with ideas for the wifes cherokee build (she wants 50" tires... and who am i to deny her?)

Alright, got the other corner tacked in place. Just having the two corner guards tacked on has got the body a hell of a lot more rigid. It used to be you could push the whole back end around with your fingers.


http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010028.jpg


Excuse the mess in the shop, normally I at least sweep up before taking pics but I ran out of time.

what are your plans on capping the rear bumper there? interested in seeing how you finish this off. I definitely like the look...

fucking...awesome...

wow. this is sweet, i have been looking for something to help me with ideas for the wifes cherokee build (she wants 50" tires... and who am i to deny her?)

like totally. you guys are teh greatest. My day has been fulfilled by the fucktard newbs. with their "fucking awesome" and their stupid dam 50" balloon tires.

Do you guys even know what you're even looking at? Or even spewing? Please log off. the both of you, and don't ever come back. :shaking:

what are your plans on capping the rear bumper there? interested in seeing how you finish this off. I definitely like the look...



It is capped, actually, but you can't tell because I didn't take a picture from a suitable angle (IE, below). I'm going to fill the horizontal gap between the corner guard and the bumper with weld and grind it flush, to give it more of a 'one piece' appearance.

I tell people all the time if your going to build a jeep your going to need a sawzall but you take it to a whole new level. Good luck with your build.

sweet....caught the title when I had forum home open last week, so subscribed, wanted to reply with I like, keep going...I like to see an XJ with a frame:D no idea where you find time to do all that work !

I think I'm going to be a nancy-boy and not build a HP D60 rear just yet. I have the spare housing to do it, which I molested the hell out of already. But... To speed the build up, I might go the nancy-boy route.

I have a sterling 10.25, out of a SRW truck. It came packaged with the 60 front I bought a while back. It was destined to donate parts and be thrown in the trash... But. I HAD to put a tape measure on it before I threw it out. Turns out it's about 65" hub-surface to hub-surface (NOT WMS). With the drum brakes on it's about 66" WMS. I have no intention of running drums, and I'm unsure of the thickness of the brakes disks I'd use. Alternatively, they can go on the back side of the hub, but I'd need to do more research on that...

So, I guess it comes down to this... Do I give a shit if my tires are sticking out 1" more?

It's curious that ford would run a rear that was 3" narrower than the front.

Any updates?

Looks good DIIIIRTAYY

I wasn't going to bother posting this here. I might not even be the right forum anyways. Whatever. It's a fucking cherokee.



http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/P1010001-1.jpg

I then realized I didn't have much of a jeep anymore.

:flipoff2:

Your missing somthing, but I cant quit put my finger on it :flipoff2:

So, I decided I'd try the sterling rear thing out... Of course, while it doesn't have quite as bad of ground clearance as it is often made out too, it could use some hacktastication.

So, I drew some lines on it with a paint pen to act like I actually plan things.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010037.jpg

Then I pulled the carrier out...

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010047.jpg

Then I figured MAYBE I should actually stick the rear end in place before I waste a whole bunch of time on it.

Of course, that is easier said than done.

I started by cutting out some simple tabs for my UCA towers:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010051.jpg

Then I modified some old poly brackets that I had lying around to make the frame side UCA mount.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010053.jpg

Not my best welding... It'll be fine.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P10100582.jpg

Then I made some lower link brackets from some more random poly stuff: (shown tacked in place because I didn't take a pic otherwise)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P10100672.jpg

This piece will also be added to those brackets: (shown upside down)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P10100602.jpg

Upper tabs, lower brackets (random poly shit again) in place:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P10100682.jpg

I had to clearance the pumpkin to get the lower bracket to fit. Was kinda a pain in the ass.

Then the whole fucking mess:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P10100662.jpg

I also cut out the piece that holds the hatch latch; it had to come out to allow it to be mated to a floor, so it will go back in.


The axle is at full bump. My links only have half the tube inserts in them, I didn't think to order them ahead of time (building out of stuff lying around). One of the JJ's actually has a 1" shank. Anything else you wanna bitch about? :flipoff2:

I'm thinking the drift punch isn't gonna hold up:flipoff2:

I'm thinking the drift punch isn't gonna hold up:flipoff2:


It's hardened. I figure with a little lock-tite retaining compound, to keep it in place, I shouldn't have any issues. :flipoff2:

I'm thinking the drift punch isn't gonna hold up:flipoff2:


Now way, drift punches are like Grade 20 strength. :D

Looks good man, definately coming along nicely. I like that you went with a Sterling rearend. My neighbor and I were just talking about how its oddhow people band wagon on certain axles and don't consider other axles of same stength to be worth a damn. It does make it easier to score a cheap axle though if you get away from the whole D60, FF 14bolt, and Ford 9" craze though.

Looks good man, definately coming along nicely. I like that you went with a Sterling rearend. My neighbor and I were just talking about how its oddhow people band wagon on certain axles and don't consider other axles of same stength to be worth a damn. It does make it easier to score a cheap axle though if you get away from the whole D60, FF 14bolt, and Ford 9" craze though.


The sterling does have a few drawbacks, but I'm sure any axle would. Aftermarket support is a little lacking, but that's a direct result of nobody using them. Also, the pinion is offset a fair amount, but I do consider that typical to 1-ton truck rear ends, but the piss off with that is they used two different lengths of axleshafts. Also, like an 8.8, one should weld the tubes to the housing as they used pressed in plugs instead of welds. I think one of the main reasons they aren't used is because of a stigma that they have terrible ground clearance. Minimum ground clearance on a stock housing is better than a 14B, and average clearance is similar. Removing the extra ribbing from the housing easily adds more average clearance, and it looks like I should be able to gain about 3/4" off the bottom with a simple cut and plate...

A shaved 14B cover stuck over a sterling, for the sake of it (stolen from the ford forum).

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/14boltsterlingcomparop.jpg

But otherwise, it's got 1.5" 35 spline shafts, a 10.25" ring gear, and a big fawking pinion.



Anyways, with my rear 4-link, the only thing that's nagging on me a bit is, I think I should have outboarded the lowers on the frame side, so that the link ends at the axle side aren't all clustered around the housing. I DON'T think it would fit peachy if I did. Does anybody else think I might be causing a lot of stress on the links/brackets by having them all nearer to the middle of the housing?

Anybody wanna guess what this was?

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010070.jpg

Here's a hint. I can't say I'd recommend using a 5" angle grinder to shave an axle. Something with a little more reach would make it a lot easier...

Now there's a big ol' hole:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010071.jpg

And this is a view of how much I removed:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010072.jpg

Versus how it started:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010037.jpg

Before anybody says anything, I don't wear sandals while working in the shop. Not any more at least. And if I was to I wouldn't be wearing socks with them, I have been told that is taboo by enough females...

Anyways, the grinding isn't done, it needs to be trued up a bit first. Then I'll check that the carrier can actually go back in... Then I just gotta stick a piece of .375" on it. Oh, and build a diff cover since I can't seem to find an aftermarket one that I could modify. And the stock on is much like an 8.8, about as thick as that coloured construction paper.

Also, I should pull the pinion out before I do the welding. I imagine the bearings are packed full of filings now anyways. I'm not sure how bad that will be, I'm thinking it should just pop out with a gentle sledge-hammering?

Anyways, with my rear 4-link, the only thing that's nagging on me a bit is, I think I should have outboarded the lowers on the frame side, so that the link ends at the axle side aren't all clustered around the housing. I DON'T think it would fit peachy if I did. Does anybody else think I might be causing a lot of stress on the links/brackets by having them all nearer to the middle of the housing?


it may be just the picture, but it looks like the lowers are angled in a little bit. so if you were to just straighten them out they would spread out more - BUT, having them angled will help the uppers with lateral movement. almost like having a dual triangulated 4 link.
anyway, having the mounts that close together will help it flex more, like inboarding leafsprings, might create alot of body roll. it shouldnt hinder things too bad.
that being said, if it were me, i would probably want to move them out 3-4"

also, how far off are your lower and upper frame side mounts looking at it from the side view? it looks like the lower mounts are about 6-8" further back than where the upper mount is. will that cause binding?

edit: good job on the shave and using an 'unpopular' axle :)

So, I welded this thing on. I pre-heated to about 500*... Welded 1"~ segments, peined the weld, blah blah. Used the MIG, and did it seriously hot...

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010073.jpg


Ground around the edge to smooth it all out.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010077.jpg


I shouldn't have made the plate as wide as I did, it was slightly counter-productive. Ohwell. Also, I welded the inside but neglected to take a picture.


And I hate wire wheels.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010076.jpg

it may be just the picture, but it looks like the lowers are angled in a little bit. so if you were to just straighten them out they would spread out more - BUT, having them angled will help the uppers with lateral movement. almost like having a dual triangulated 4 link.
anyway, having the mounts that close together will help it flex more, like inboarding leafsprings, might create alot of body roll. it shouldnt hinder things too bad.
that being said, if it were me, i would probably want to move them out 3-4"

also, how far off are your lower and upper frame side mounts looking at it from the side view? it looks like the lower mounts are about 6-8" further back than where the upper mount is. will that cause binding?

edit: good job on the shave and using an 'unpopular' axle :)


The lowers are angled about 10*. Body roll would decrease if I moved them out, according to the link calculator. So, yeah, you're right there. But I wanted to leave the minimal amount of triangulation that they had to help with the uppers... I played with it, can't really outboard them anyways, not without putting the frame side mounts in a less than ideal place. I'm still slightly undecided, everything is still tacked up and will be until I get all the needed parts to cycle it properly. And it shouldn't bind, but we'll see.

Anyways, there only seems to be minimal concern over the setup, so I'm fairly confident that I can run it.

Well, I finally both got the parts I needed to finish mocking up the rear suspension, or almost all of them... Nothing binds or hits anything it shouldn't, which is good. The pinion offset looks like a bit of a pickle when the right side is at full uptravel, but I should be okay.

That said, I'm not happy with the amount of flex-steer it exhibits. I don't think it will affect how it wheels terribly, but it does cause me to need a lot more clearance in the wheel wells than I'd like. Well, more than I actually can have, I'd say. I might stick a string on it tomorrow and figure out exactly how bad it will be.

I'm fairly certain I will change it all. If I do some grinding on the top side of the pumpkin, and live with welding my upper link mounts to it (w/e), I just MIGHT be able to squeeze this together as a dual triangulated 4-link. I think.

Oh, and apparently all you yanks take July 3rd off. It inconveniences my ordering parts, so you should stop doing that :flipoff2:

I was wondering if you were ever going to post this up here. Been following it on JF, but still had to read it from the beginning again. Love this build!:grinpimp:

Oh, and apparently all you yanks take July 3rd off. It inconveniences my ordering parts, so you should stop doing that :flipoff2:

Bolloks to you, I took the 2nd of as well. :flipoff2:


Can't wait to see more pics man, so hurry up and post em.

Bolloks to you, I took the 2nd of as well. :flipoff2:



Well, I took the first (Canada Day, our semi-equivalent holiday), showed up at work for the second but left after a half hour, and I'm off till the 12th. :flipoff2:


I'll post pics when I actually do something. I've been busy dog-fucking, camping, and doing a little landscaping for my dad.

I just MIGHT be able to squeeze this together as a dual triangulated 4-link. I think.

That would be nice.

You could make a rear axle truss using strap(plate), Weld the plate to the axle housing and to the axle tubes. Then weld your link tabs to the mild steal plate rather then to the casting. It will be lo profile and ease your welding concerns.
You can also make a diff cover that could bolt to the link mounts to help reinforce the upper link mounts.

That would be nice.

You could make a rear axle truss using strap(plate), Weld the plate to the axle housing and to the axle tubes. Then weld your link tabs to the mild steal plate rather then to the casting. It will be lo profile and ease your welding concerns.
You can also make a diff cover that could bolt to the link mounts to help reinforce the upper link mounts.


The plan thus far will be to smooth out the top of the housing, and weld on something like this http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Adjustable-upper-4-link-bracket_p_1182.html

I'll cut the plate that those tabs attach to to make it fit as peachy as possible. Then I'll take some misc. steel and make a truss over the top to integrate with those little brackets as best I can. And I might make the diff cover attach to the mess too, since it isn't a bad option. One way or another I order a bunch of misc. brackets and crap from poly and ballistic, so whenever they show up and I have time I will start playing around with it all. I feel a little bit like a sell-out for buying so many off the shelf brackets, but I figure I can always find a use for them. As it sits I am 99% sure I can build a dual triangulated setup that will work peachy without having to change my theoretical bumpstop location, or my theoretical ride height. It's just too bad I didn't see that BEFORE I built what is there. Sometimes you just have to do it to see it.


As it sits, the front frame is kicking my ass. It has a bit of a pickle with one piece that has to go in it. I think I will have it sorted by this afternoon and something in the way or pictures to show for it. Or maybe not. Also I'm fawking around with where my front links will wind up and where the steering will wind up. I'm just going to have to man up and weld something on, and cut it off later if it doesn't work out.

And lastly, there's a certain vendor on this board that is trying to sell me on a set of H1 rims. I shied away from them before because of limited tire selection. Actually, I wanted to run a set of the new MT/Rs w/ Kevlar on this thing, but they will never be available in a 16.5" rim. I don't think the G/Y 37" military surplus tires are very good for anything but pavement, but I'm kinda feeling up that route right now since they're so bloody cheap. Also, I'm trying to get my local interco guy to quote me on some Trxus M/Ts, since I think that's probably the best milder/streetable tire that interco offers. If the economics of the H1 route don't make sense, I'm intending to buy stazworks 17"s. We'll see.

So, I stuck some frame rails on the front:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010083.jpg

I wasn't smart enough to figure out how to make the piece between those frame rails and the ones in the mid area other than by sticking it all together and using the 'measure once, cut 40 times' method. Also, I put my hood on to give me that fuzzy feeling that I was making forward progress. I didn't use any bolts because that would be hard.


Then I figured I should test fit the 4.0L shaped peg into the roughly 4.0L peg shaped hole:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P10100882.jpg

The axle is in the approximate full-bump location, and is offset to compensate for not yet being narrowed.


Bad-ass homemade EGR delete:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010085.jpg

Just another mystery of this pile. Like the daytime running light installation...

In place, I think:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010090.jpg

The wood is just to wedge it nice and tight because I'm going to leave it there for a while, and the engine isn't totally level for that reason... I put the engine in basically the same place as stock, but my frame rails are narrower so the alternator didn't clear (I expected), and the mechanical fan is only a 16yo C-hair away from self clearancing on the frame. So, probably going to have to run dual Taurus e-fans. Clearance around the axle is good, and there will be room for the downpipe near the driveshaft. Also, the engine clears the stock brake booster, not that I really care since I was looking for an excuse to bolt on some hydro-boost.


I think I will remount the alternator something like this:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P10100822.jpg

But maybe not.


Shot from behind:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/dirtycomanche/Cherry/P1010094.jpg

That's an AX-15 in there. I'm actually contemplating the unthinkable, keeping it and using a box4rocks or similar NP231 doubler with my NP241. Probably not. But it isn't like me to make a plan and stick with it.


And in closing, I'm full on wallowing in wheel/tire dilemma land.

That's some major progress! It's looking good!
Billy

that is looking great, excellent work as always, glad to see it coming along so well.

More updates please :)

More updates please :)


Not for a while. I have to do some real work to rebuild my hours so I can get more time off... Which might take a while.


Right now I am trying to decide on my driveline decisions so I can order any needed parts now. I think I will make a separate post. But basically I think I'll need a lower low range. I'm thinking box4rocks and a D300 setup...

Three months long enough to get your hours back????

i needs tha updates

Three months long enough to get your hours back????

i needs tha updates


I had extra time, but had to move. So, no, I haven't got anything done.

We'll see.

Slightly off topic, but what happened to the MJ?

Slightly off topic, but what happened to the MJ?


It sits on the other side of the garage... Some other time. I didn't like the leaf springs, cut it all apart, bought this as a 'quick' project, wound up turning this into a 'not so quick' project, and haven't finished either.

I have a third project vehicle as well. :shaking:

I have alerted my friends that if I am to start talking about buying another project vehicle, that they are to beat me or restrain me as needed until the feeling passes.

handle the scandal my friend.

Bump this from the depths of pirate... what happened to this?

Bump this from the depths of pirate... what happened to this?


Nothing yet.

Work is slow, I'm not making money or time, blew my last 3 weeks of 'vacation' time to take a course (to the tune of $4300) to make me more employable (or harder to fire, whichever).

I'll get back to it eventually. It's just not on any sort of priority list right now.

Very sweet Build.

I'll be watching this as I get ready for my 2 door build..

Got tired of jeepforum i see :D

build's lookin good..

anything new with this?

hey! i we miss your updates over at BCJC as well man
sorry to hear about the work, ive got friends up north and they are getting hit pretty hard too
but it will bounce back

very nice build! you pretty much build it from scratch!

if you're that far in this project, why not you just drop in v-8?

if you're that far in this project, why not you just drop in v-8?

It doesn't fit with what I intend to do. I actually kicked around the idea of a 4BT (which would not fit) and a B3.3 (the little 4cyl cummins, but it is cost prohibitive).

The 4.0 works fine for what I want, so I'm not going to fuck with it... Also the frame rails in the front have to be rather narrow so that the tires clear at full lock, since I want the tires tucked fairly well. Space is at a premium. The only shitty thing about the 4.0L is it means I'll actually have a gas vehicle in my 'fleet' again, but I think I can live that down.


And for everyone else, no, I haven't done anything... And I don't think I will for a while. I *might* actually work a bunch in the summer, and get some time off in the fall, but I've heard that promise before.

It doesn't fit with what I intend to do. I actually kicked around the idea of a 4BT (which would not fit) and a B3.3 (the little 4cyl cummins, but it is cost prohibitive).


4bt would fit BTW. I know a guy with an XJ that has a 4BT in it.

Do the Cummins biotch.....:flipoff2: 4BT that is. With compounds. Your so far in you can't look back now. :p

4bt would fit BTW. I know a guy with an XJ that has a 4BT in it.

Do the Cummins biotch.....:flipoff2: 4BT that is. With compounds. Your so far in you can't look back now. :p


No it won't. It would fit in a regular XJ. Not mine. Yes, I know, you're looking at it going "But he fucking cut the whole thing apart, how can he not make it fit?" The 4BT is too tall, and I want to keep the rig as low as possible in a bid to avoid being a heat score, and to keep it as streetable as possible. As it is, I'll have very minimal axle to oilpan clearance, and that's with the 4.0L in there at a slightly higher position than stock (not by much, they didn't give you much hood clearance to play with in the first place).

I considered running a cowl hood to work around the height issue. I couldn't make it jive with the dimensions I had for the 4BT. And yes, I measured at least twice :flipoff2: Actually, I spent a ton of time on it. As much as it may surprise people, there is actually a complete 'on paper' plan for this thing.

I also considered some other diesel options. The Nissan SD33-T was one, but they're REALLY hard to source in Canuckistan. But I knew it would actually fit, and could be adapted to something. Everything else got kiboshed based on lack of info/availability.

If I stumble on something that I can use, I may well make it happen. But the 4BT isn't it.

mercedes om617? cheap, quality built, decent power, shorter than a 4.0. just gotta figure out how to hook it to a trans.

mercedes om617? cheap, quality built, decent power, shorter than a 4.0. just gotta figure out how to hook it to a trans.


It was on of the ones that got kiboshed... Just no info on adapting it to anything. While I'll admit none of this is rocket science, I'm not about to say that I'm up to the task of machining my own adapter. Or even being able to sit the two offending pieces down together and come up with a plan of how to get them to mate.

what ever happend to this??? Its such a sick build with awesome fab work.

Wow....what a build.

Damn lucky frame-haver.

Did you're other 2 projects start begging for attention?
Updates!!! This thing is sick!

hope you can finish, I'm pretty impressed !

I know this is a old thread, BUT what ever happen to this build?

I know this is a old thread, BUT what ever happen to this build?

Nothing :laughing:

Life is still cock-blocking me.

Maybe in the fall I'll fire up on it again... Maybe. I want to try to make as much money as possible this summer (no time off) so I can finally pull the trigger on a house. Wait, didn't I say this last year? Fawk :(

*7 months later*

Anything??:smokin:

This is a badass start of a rig.. what's the status? Hope your gonna finish it

No change.

I appreciate the kind comments. I just don't know when I'm going to get back to this. :(