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college kids xj on tons build..

79K views 319 replies 50 participants last post by  Amadeus3 
#1 ·
Well I've been on pirate for a while and pretty much just read and tried to learn things and have slowly been building up my jeep and I think it is maybe finally pirate worthy. I definately don't have some fab skills and knowledge as alot of people here but hopefully I can get some insight on my build.

Well I got a stock 2000 xj a couple years ago started driving through mud puddles and all that fun stuff. Well I wanted to do a little more and lifted it with a re 4.5" kit and put some 33 mtzs on it. And wheeled it for a while like that.


Well I was getting into some "harder" stuff and did a little more. Put on a bumper and winch, aussie locker in front, sliders and some other little things. Kept wheeling it like this for a while, got to go to tellico before it closed and kept wheeling windrock.


I decided I wanted to go to 35s and knew I didnt want a dana 35 and wanted to polish the 30 a bit, yea a waste of money, so I did a 8.8 swap with 4.88s, lockright, and put yukon inners and outers in the 30 and geared that. I got a set a 35 ltbs brand new and went and wheeled the jeep with the new axles and tires on time before everything took a turn for the worst.

Only pics with the 35s, and no comment on the wheel weights. I wanted as smooth as a ride as possible and wanted them balanced.


Well I met a guy named Matt(rredalty) who is a horrible influence on my wallet but great for my jeep, and he insisted I go wheeling with him and some naxja guys. Well at the time he had his mj on tons with a stroker, and he was wanting to go to a built 30, 8.8 set to take advantage of the speed his jeep had. Well he gave me a pretty good deal and we traded axles and my wallet became empty and then the fun began. I give major thanks to Matt because like I said I dont have much fab skill and I wouldn't have tons if he didn't help me build my jeep and use his tools and knowledge to help me out. So we took my axles out and put them in the mj and started on the tons build. The axles are out of a 2002 f250-hp dana 60 and a sterling 10.25, geared to 5.38s, welded and solid diff covers. I also put in an essentially offroad cage, which we will be adding more to but for the time being it is better than nothing.


So the tons build started and in the process we pretty much re did alot on the jeep. We made a 3 link using ballistic joints, bushings and mounts and we built that off of the frame stiffners. Me and Matt swapped coils, so I'm running re 7.5 coils and the rear I still have the re 4.5 lift component and also a set of h.d. offroad engineering shackle relocation brackets. The tires are 38x14.50 toyo mt, with diy beadlocks. I do want probably 40s eventually, thinking about the ltbs.

We put the sterling in first and then put the 60 in.


Then it sat like that in the garage until we could make the 3 link and get that and the frame stiffners on. So we finished up that stuff and brought it over and bolted everything up. Overall I'm very happy with how the 3 link turned out, we'll see how it performs when it's not sitting in the garage but I think it will do good.


We then hooked up the steering and swapped in a durango mc and finally got it out of the garage!! And into the back yard...




Well we got it over to Matt's and finished the welding of the frame stiffners and got all the loose bolts tightened up and finished everything enough to drive it and took it for a little test flex.



The test was very satisfing and I think it will perform pretty great actually wheeling. We still have some stuff to finish up but hopefully, weather permitting, we will take it for a shakedown this weekend. We, mostly Matt, rebuilt the steering box today and tapped that for the hydro assist. I will be running a psc ram with a rebuilt box, and a cooler and all that crap. We have to tie up all the loose ends but we have mostly everything done so hopefully I will have some wheeling pics this weekend. Well tell me what you guys think and hopefully I wont get flamed away! I had more pictures but I had a limit, I probably will be needing to get the red star soon also.
 
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#4 ·
You need a longer trackbar.

:flipoff2:

I second the frame plating. I did it to my MJ, and from what I can tell, its 10x as stiff as before. It doesn't feel flimsy and toyish anymore.
 
#5 ·
Yes we realized that when we moved the axle over. So we took the coupler that goes from the trackbar to the pitman arm and had a longer one made, so right now I think it will work but we will have to see. And its sounding like more frame plating is in order.
 
#12 ·
cool. didnt' know the pictures were taken before you moved and centered. Yeah i can see how the pumpkin on a newer axle like that would pose a problem when placing the coil bucket. Good luck with the rest of your buildup. I'll probably be robbing ideas :) Got 1 tons in the garage, just amassing parts right now.
 
#25 ·
Thanks, and I suppose the woody is gonne be needing that engine soon! And there's a guy that works with my dad, and he's helped me with my jeep and I have worked on his with him a little, and I'm gonna start going with him. He's got a cj with 42s, tons, and all that fun stuff. Just he doesn't go alot since he has a family.
 
#28 ·
The draglink is stock, but it's pretty thick. I forgot what Matt said the tie-rod is made out of, but I know it is some dom tube and sleeved with some other tube or something like that. If you mean stock as in not high steer and all that stuff then yes, it's just over the knuckle and I would get some nice bling knuckles and run high steer but its not kingpin, and I probably wouldn't have the room for it or the money. I think it will work fine for what I'm using it for. And we can't all afford full hydro :flipoff2: And sick jeep btw.
 
#34 ·
Well just got done with the shakedown. The jeep worked great and I was extremely pleased with it, until I broke alot of stuff. Me and Matt went to windrock for a quick ride today, and windrock sucks when its rains cause everything gets nasty muddy, well it has been raining for pretty much two weeks, and it was raining real bad today but we still went cause we both wanted to wheel bad. Both jeeps did real good until I got to one spot and had a bad line with to much skinny pedal and bouncing I blew up the rear driveshaft. Ripped off the ears of one of the u-joints in the double cardan side, then on the axle the u joint spit the caps and the driveshaft rolled down the ledge. I also managed to pretty much completely rip off the passenger side 3 link mount. So overall the jeep did great but I'll have to spend some more money and fix some things. I'll get some carnage pics up when it's not raining outside.

To fix everything I think I'm going to get a full case sye instead of a hack in tap, then get a custom driveshaft from tom woods so I can run bigger u-joints and hopfully that will fix that problem. And for the 3 link were gonna weld it back up and brace the hell out of it. I also need to make a traction bar, which I knew I did, but it became very apparent today that should also help with the driveshaft to.
 
#35 ·
Well no big upadates. Took off broken driveshaft stuff today and tomorrow were going to make a new driveshaft. Hopefully it will be fixed in time for a windrock ride the 17th, and I might try to go to Harlan for the first time the 24th. Both this rides are with some big jeeps, so I don't know if I'll go to Harlan and slow everyone down.

But heres a couple pics of broken stuff. Actually these are the first things I have broken on my jeep.
Snapped both of the u joint ears at the cv part.



Spit the 1350 caps on the 1310/1350 u joint, and ripped up the u joint straps on the axle.




And where it bent the 3 link mount, the mount is welded on the frame stiffner and the frame stiffner bent and broke one weld on the mount.


 
#37 ·
Yea the straps suck, I have the u-bolts on the 60 but obviously not on the sterling. Building a crossmember is definately something to think on. For now to make it wheelable we will probably just weld it back up and do some more reinforcement. Later down the road a crossmember would be a good idea.

Thanks for the info!
 
#38 · (Edited)
word of advice sam.... if your building a new driveshaft send that combo joint off down the river, sonnys probably has a 1350 yoke or go pirate pull a part for one off of a ton truck and build it right, itll be easier to get the joint at a country bumpkin parts store if you need it.

As far as the link mount mine has a lot more weld surface on the stiffener thats why its still straight, originally i had planned on back welding the nut un the upper mount and welding it the whole way around to the frame itself, that will take most of the leverage and spread it away from the small weld area on the lower bracket. honestly theres no way in hell i would have epected it to last at all the way its welded now, it can be done without a crossmember you just have to remember tha your playing with a lot bigger poundage than me, 38's spun by 5.38 gears with a newer motor, a taller upper mount (even more leverage forces) not to mention 1000+ pounds of dana 60 means that upper is taking a lot of force, it should be braced and fully welded accordingly. your setup is good it just needs the bracing that all that weight requires... remember when i said awhile back i wouldnt put aton set under an xj without building a significant tube chassis around it first? this is why :flipoff2:
 
#39 ·
Doug, I went a different route on my driveshaft. I think you will like the choice I made. Also on the link mounts, me and Matt have been talking and I think we will be able to fix it and weld it up good and make it strong enough. And I don't regret putting the tons under it one bit, yea not having a frame sucks, but having tons is doable. I mean look at the forum I think there is one or two guys who have done it succesfully :flipoff2:


And some udates. Me and Matt made a new driveshaft today. I bought his old tom woods from him and we made it fit my jeep. It has a full 1350 rear u joint and some nice 1310s in the cv. Next weekend were going to fix the link mount and make the traction bar. And Matt came up with a pretty cool idea for the traction bar so it should turn out pretty cool.

And a couple pics.
The new shaft is a bit bigger.



 
#44 ·
Well finally some updates. I started on the traction bar today and were gonna finish it up tomorrow. Matts building a cage for someone so were going to have a long work day tomorrow to finish the cage finish my traction bar and fix the 3 link mount and get it ready to wheel. And hopefully we will finish everything and we plan on going wheeling Sunday.

A few pics of the begining of the traction bar.
Blue torch fab, brackets and bushings.


4130 cromoly for the bottom tube.


And it was fun notching with a flap disk!



Matt doing some welding.



And getting close to being done. But still some stuff left to do on it.
 
#46 ·
Well shakedown run part two was very succesfull. The jeep did good, no major breaks just have a leaky assist line and a few dents. I got a few pictures but I'll be getting some more soon.



Matt's stroker mj worked real well.






pretty happy with the flex



 
#52 ·
You are correct, 15 was nasty! It was the worst I have ever seen it from all the rain we have had all week it was just very sloppy mud covered rocks. And then we hit 3 which is a real fun trail ride, and we just played around for a while.
 
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