My 1999 amateur Rock Crawler build

[Andrew XJ]

well I saw everybody else had a build thread so I decided to start my own, I started out with a 1999 Jeep XJ that I found for 1500 dollars at a car lot. when I first saw the Jeep it had been sitting in a car lot with two flat tires I thought it might have been blown up. at this point in my life I have been looking for XJ for almost 3 years, me and my dad had been just riding around in his truck and I asked him if we could stop by and see what the deal with it was, the gentleman who sold me the car said it had been sitting for about 8 months in his lot and it has just had the transmission replaced so I ask how much he wanted for it he said 1500. the salesman pumped up the tires and me and Dad went for a ride, it sounded fantastic it shifted fantastic the four wheel box worked great but the front windows didn't work no air conditioning no light it had all the lights broken, but after 3 days me and Dad went up and bought the Jeep. I'd fix the front windows with the permanent metal screw replacement, put my JVC radio in it, put 4 brand new Bridgestone tires on and, replaced all the broken lights.

well that's all I have for now but soon to come much more.

PS while its on my mind the Jeep has developed a tick from the lifters I will be replacing the lifters and the rocker arms please tell me which brans will give me the best performance

[XJ Wheeler]

Nice start. You know you may have had a miracle if you get ANYTHING, especially a nice jeep, at a car lot for $1500. :P

Mine had the lifter tick when i got it and for several years after, but for some odd reason its stopped. I think it was about the time i started using a different oil for winters. Go figure.

Sent via messenger pigeon - i talk, he types.

[Andrew XJ]

the only reason I know for a fact it has a new transmission is because I saw the sticker from the same company i bought my Broncos transmission.

and as far as the motor goes I'm actually looking to make it a decent performance engine somewhere around 250-275 horsepower. looking to get the valves open just that little bit more for that little bit of horsepower going to throw a nice 2 piece header on it, dual flowmasters larger throttle body cold air intake mostly bolt on's except for the valve train I'm definitely gonna do some tweaking on the valve train.

[Dredwolf]

On any lifter tick with a used vehicle, I start off with a oil change and and some Marvel Mystery oil, run for a couple hundred miles, add a motor flush, run per directions and change.

Has worked on 6 vehicles so far, 4 of which sat for many months before I got them.

But your mileage may vary. :D

[Andrew XJ]

On any lifter tick with a used vehicle, I start off with a oil change and and some Marvel Mystery oil, run for a couple hundred miles, add a motor flush, run per directions and change.

Has worked on 6 vehicles so far, 4 of which sat for many months before I got them.

But your mileage may vary. :D

to be honest my motor is worrying me the tick is getting worse one of the lifters very very worn. so I'm going to take the money from my lift kit fund and buy a cam push rods and lifters

[Andrew XJ]

today I ordered my new steel front bumper from Virginia fabrication.

[Dredwolf]

today I ordered my new steel front bumper from Virginia fabrication.

Good deal. Did you pick out a lift yet?

[Andrew XJ]

Good deal. Did you pick out a lift yet?

Rough Country 3 inch with add a leaf but I may go to the junkyard to make a bastard PAC with S 10 leaves. I'm pouring concrete at work tomorrow and then I'll be done get pais and have it ordered

[Andrew XJ]

got my Virginia fabrication bumper in today. very easy install and looks awesome.

3584

3585

3586

[XJ Wheeler]

Good to hear, bud. Looks clean!

Sent via messenger pigeon - i talk, he types.

[Andrew XJ]

just ordered my Rough Country 3 inch lift should be here in a few days

[Andrew XJ]

well my 3 inch lift was delivered today and it should be installed within the next week.:bacondance:

[bluedragon436]

Sounds like it is coming together nicely... Look forward to seeing pics of the install... What ever happened with the engine tick??

[Andrew XJ]

Sounds like it is coming together nicely... Look forward to seeing pics of the install... What ever happened with the engine tick??

it's still just a tiking away but I am about to change the oil

[bluedragon436]

Yeah I'd def say change the oil out and maybe even run at least one rotation of the Marvel mystery oil... can't hurt.. I know mine had a slight tick for a bit, but I swapped the oil and tried running a different stations gas w/ an octane booster, adn haven't really had the tick return since... and I've driven it quite a few thousand miles since...

[Andrew XJ]

Yeah I'd def say change the oil out and maybe even run at least one rotation of the Marvel mystery oil... can't hurt.. I know mine had a slight tick for a bit, but I swapped the oil and tried running a different stations gas w/ an octane booster, adn haven't really had the tick return since... and I've driven it quite a few thousand miles since...

to be honest I knew well before I bought a Jeep that the 4.0 ticks that's just one of the things it does

[Andrew XJ]

I finally installed my lift kit now I just have to wait and get new tires longer break line so I can flex more without worrying about my lines and the steering needs to be aligned other than that all done but I have driven around and luckily I got no death wobble and I was doing 60 with no death wobble I'm surprised I figured the steering will be all out of whack but really not too bad. there's a slight vibration from the drive shaft but only at 30 to 35 miles an hour not sure what it is though not overly concerned but I am worried.

here are some before and afters

[4.3LXJ]

Looks good, you have a good start there

[Firemanray]

I finally installed my lift kit now I just have to wait and get new tires longer break line so I can flex more without worrying about my lines and the steering needs to be aligned other than that all done but I have driven around and luckily I got no death wobble and I was doing 60 with no death wobble I'm surprised I figured the steering will be all out of whack but really not too bad. there's a slight vibration from the drive shaft but only at 30 to 35 miles an hour not sure what it is though not overly concerned but I am worried.

here are some before and afters

Your brake lines should be ok at 3" lift. You can easily re-locate the steel to rubber connector to gain some slack. I've got 6" lift with great flex using stock lines that are re-located ( I'll try and catch the Xj at home and snap pictures).

You can also do an easy homemade transfer case drop that might help with the vibes, here's a link to get you started: http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4234&highlight=transfer+drop



.

[Firemanray]

Here's the photo of my brake line re-location:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd11/firemanray21/brake_zps64da41df.jpg (http://s223.photobucket.com/user/firemanray21/media/brake_zps64da41df.jpg.html)
And here it is with 6" of lift at full extension:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd11/firemanray21/Shilo014.jpg (http://s223.photobucket.com/user/firemanray21/media/Shilo014.jpg.html)

[Andrew XJ]

well here's the newest update for my build, after careful thought I decided to go with 33's instead of 31. I decided it would give more ground clearance and give it a better stance.
so good by 225 70 r15 and hello 33 12.50 r15.

[ArmyGuy45]

well here's the newest update for my build, after careful thought I decided to go with 33's instead of 31. I decided it would give more ground clearance and give it a better stance.
so good by 225 70 r15 and hello 33 12.50 r15.

Congrats on the new tires but you will need a bit more lift for those puppies.

[Andrew XJ]

Congrats on the new tires but you will need a bit more lift for those puppies.

all I have to do is cut the fenders according to a bunch of the guys on a couple of the xj groups on Facebook I'm a part of and then put bump stops to stop the wheel before it hits the quarter panel

the red Jeep is 2 inches with 33's the green Jeep is 3 inches with 33's

[bigjim350]

Yeah with trimming you'll be fine with 33's. Have a friend that had 33's with trimming and did great offroad. As far as the ticking goes. My motor has had alot of top end noise since I bought almost 4yrs ago. Has been wheeled super hard and reved way past its red line and still runs great. The 4.0 is a super tough motor. I wouldnt be worried until it stops making weird noises.

[Andrew XJ]

well after I changed my oil I put semi synthetic in it actually helps a lot

[bigjim350]

Ive ran regular oil, reg oil with additives, and synthetic oil. Mine still sounds like a diesel. And that is with only 150K miles, with the last 30K miles being VERY VERY hard miles.

[Andrew XJ]

I will say the synthetic oil definitely improved my engines performance and sound but my oil pressure is scary low what's the motors warm and I'm only idling at 900 RPM's wile warm I am only at 5 psi
but at 1100 rpm while warm I am at 20 psi

[NW99XJ]

Have you done a compression check?
Seems kinda low to me. 1100rpm I would think you should be higher than 20psi.
Does the engine have any substantial oil leaks?
Good start by the way! In My Opinion, the 99's were the best year. (but I'm a little biased) :D
What ever happened to the new lifters and push rods?
Did i skim over that part too fast and miss it?

[Andrew XJ]

Well what happend was, before i decided to go to GED classes i was going to have a week off but now i am going to school every day so I can't take the time to pull my motor appart.

And I never thought about a compression test

[Andrew XJ]

can anyone tell me what bump stops I should use to run 33's on my 3 inch lift?

[4.3LXJ]

Bump stopping should be done on a case by case basis. It is done according to shock length and fender clearance. Your stops should not allow the shock to compress all the way, allow about 3/4" travel left and should not allow the tire to hit the fender with one side stuffed and the other dooped

[Andrew XJ]

I got my new tires today I decided to go with 31 inch all terrains I would have gone with 33's but the tire shop where I get the massive discount did not sell the size that I needed

[4.3LXJ]

Looks better now :thumbsup:

[XJ Wheeler]

And already got em dirty. Nice work. :D

Sent via messenger pigeon - i talk, he types.

[Andrew XJ]

I got to test out my build set up today I don't have any pictures of my ring in action but I do have two pictures of the hardest hill climb of the trip.

it was about a 50 degree incline with large pot holes scattered throughout and at the top was an off camber turn.

four of us went trail riding two 2012 Jeep JK's and two XJ's including myself this picture was taken from one of the JK's we sent them up first because they both had winches.

luckily I made it up with no problems other than forgetting to put my transfer case low range.

[Andrew XJ]

ok fellow jeepers so I have a big paycheck coming and I was able to make sure that it all goes towards my jeep I have around 400 bucks but I have to buy rear axle bearings and a tensioner pulley bearing so I was looking for opinions on what to do with the remainder around 320 dollars I was thinking about putting a locker in my rear end since I will already have it open for service.

what are your opinions on upgrades?

[4.3LXJ]

Locker would be great, as long as you don't have to drive in snow or ice. The automatic lockers grab one side then the other and make the rear fish tail. But you could get one from LOKKA for about $225 shipped and have enough left over for something else. Maybe they will sell you half a LOKKA for the front :D

[NW99XJ]

ARMOR.... really, nothing is more important as far as upgrades go.
At the VERY LEAST get yourself some rock rails.
Traction is cool and all, and definitely gives you bragging rights, but if your Jeep is destroyed by the time you finish the trail, ....whats the point?

[ArmyGuy45]

what kind of intake is that on the JK?

[Andrew XJ]

Things on the Jeep are moving right along I got a new tensioner pulley so I'm no longer squeaking everywhere I go to my locker is on the way for the rear end. I finally feel like things are starting to get done with the Jeep but i know i will never be finished.

[4.3LXJ]

They never are. Always something to improve

[Andrew XJ]

I got my locker today and installed it sorry guys no install pics it works great went and did some donuts and both rear tires we're spinning so I'm happy and it handles just like it did when it was stock on the road

[Andrew XJ]

I forgot to mention about 4 hours after that previous post I got the locker installed it works wonderfully I went to an off road park all day today and went over some extreme obstacles that even Cherokees with super swampers with open diffs couldn't make it through some of the stuff I was going through on all terrains

I also got into some spots wedged into some rocks where I thought I was about to hear my axles snap so that really shows how strong this thang actually is

[Andrew XJ]

wow so its been awhile since I've been on the forum and I've done a few things I found a CB radio in some of my brother's old crap so I hooked it up and me and dad made a sound bar so I can pull my doors off once it's not freezing outside.

the mount for the CB radio my dad made out of magnets and steel so that there's no damage to the overhead console if I ever decide to move the radio, the good thing is that they are industrial strength super magnets so it will never fall it takes about 300 pounds of force to pull them off my roof, unless you put two of the same polls together so they force each other apart and just pop off it's pretty cool.

[NW99XJ]

Now all you need is a headliner!

[Andrew XJ]

Thats right 34x10.50xR15.on 3" lift with no triming or rubing!!!!

[Andrew XJ]

It has.been a while since I've updated this thread but so far I have put on 34 inch super swampers trimmed my front fenders made a homemade snorkel yes I'm aware it does not look good at all and put a flowmaster 44 on.


today I finally got the chance to really test out my snorkel at a local mud bog, I got stuck with water halfway up the doors definitely over the original air box and my engine stayed running, the problem is there was so much back pressure on my exhaust that I had to stay in the Jeep in order to keep it running I had to feather the gas and the two guys who pulled me out tonight hooked up to my bumper improperly so now that is broken ( buy broken I mean broke the welds and I can't find the eighth inch steel plate no clue where it went) then without my knowledge they hooked to my core support and bent it very badly luckily they did not break it but I did get me out, I'll have it bent back tomorrow, also my friend also ran into me because his Jeep doesn't have good tires so the second hit the brakes started sliding but luckily it didn't damage my snorkel beat up my finfer pretty bad though. On the way back home, after all of the incredible stress I put that motor and submerging it under water, my Jeep overheated and I did not know my temperature gauge said 210 which is normal for my jeep and then I started smelling it but it still said 210 so I believed it in about 15 minutes later I looked down and its at 260+ so now my engine has developed a weird end that sounds like the pushrods making noise but it's much louder.

[XJ Wheeler]

Sounds like some safety training may be in good order! Hope you get it fixed up soon.

[Andrew XJ]

okay so I haven't posted in a while and it's because I broke my old phone got a new phone couldn't get into my email address then I couldn't get my password for the site recovery but that's okay because I'm back


so long story short my Jeep was blown up the timing chain had WAY WAY too much slack I had one millimeter between my valves and my pistons kissing I had three rod knocks and tomorrow I should be able to start it for the first time since she has been down but my power steering pump decided to be a shithead and break as I was putting the new pulley on it so it won't be drivable until I get enough money for a power steering pump which sucks.

another problem is that in order to fix the Jeep I had to sell the street tires so I have to drive on my super swampers which causes me to death wobble incredibly bad at 40 miles an hour which is the speed limit on most of the road here so I need opinions on balancing beads and what you guys think of them.


usually I go back and spell check and form proper sentences but to be honest I really don't feel like doing it right now I'll probably do it tomorrow morning.

I am so glad to be back!

[Andrew XJ]

oh yeah I also found out that I have a 91 block with 91 lower internals a 2001 head 99 intake and exhaust manifolds 99 computer and wiring harness, I assume the previous owner blew it up and just threw a motor back in in.

super happy I have that 2001 head though the super strong head according to XJ TALK, Wikipedia and a few other sources.

[4.3LXJ]

Glad you are back Andrew. I have heard the balancing beads are effective. Those swampers are fought to balance due to the amount of weight required sometimes. Being bias ply doesn't help either.

[Andrew XJ]

well I was going to have the balance conventionally and if they're not able to balance them well enough to stop the death wobble I was going to put beads in them as well as having the balance weights.


also even after fixing my engine its only going to last a few more months so I think I'm actually going to go through with the 4.3 vortec swap.

[Andrew XJ]

well I was going to have the balance conventionally and if they're not able to balance them well enough to stop the death wobble I was going to put beads in them as well as having the balance weights.


also even after fixing my engine its only going to last a few more months so I think I'm actually going to go through with the 4.3 vortec swap.

[4.3LXJ]

It is a lot of work, but gives you some good potential

[bluedragon436]

:welcome: back Andrew!! Glad to hear you got her back up and going, and that does sound like quite the engine mix that was in there to begin with.. I think the 4.3 swap is an awesome conversion, and look forward to seeing it as you build into that..