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Innojazz
02-01-2015, 04:31 PM
Hi there,

I've been lurking around here for just about a year now so I figured I should go ahead and start my own personal build thread for my 2000 XJ. Mostly I want to document it so that I have a record, of everything that I have done to it, all in one place. Just about 1 year ago I purchased my first Jeep. This 2000 XJ was local to me and fairly cheap so I brought it home. Here is a picture of the morning after I bought it.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-01-25105131_zps5a955ca1.jpg

It had 141,000 miles on it and had lived in Michigan it's whole life. I knew it had some kind of issue when I bought it. PO told me that it burned a little oil but ran strong. I've been wrenching on cars for most of my life so I wasn't worried about it. I did the normal tune-up stuff the first weekend in preparation for DD duty. New air filter, oil change, trans fluid and filter, etc. So I drove it to work for the first week. Well, burning a little oil it wasn't. Drinking a little antifreeze it was however. I would fill up the overflow bottle each night when I got home and it would be empty by the next night. A quick read through the interwebs (which landed me here) and I learned of the 0331 head issue. So, retired from DD duty after only one week.
So, in the barn it was pulled.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-10153705_zpsb48a50d2.jpg

Innojazz
02-01-2015, 04:41 PM
So I read a lot over the next week and decided I would just take the head off and have a looksee. What's the worst that could happen right? Well, here is what I found in under the valve cover.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-10165232_zps80d58dda.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-10165245_zps5cddedde.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-10165400_zpsb6f008d3.jpg

Certainly all of the signs of an antifreeze leak in here somewhere. Unfortunately there were also plenty of signs of engine neglect. Lots of almost clogged oil passages and oil sludge on everything. So I finished taking the head off to see what I could find.

Yep, certainly has an issue.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-11200059_zps98377440.jpg

And here is the smoking gun. Cracked head between cylinder 3 and 4.
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-11200940_zps831f5f49.jpg

Innojazz
02-01-2015, 05:24 PM
At this point I had made up my mind. There was no way I was going to let this engine run in this Jeep again. This thing had to come out and get a complete rebuild.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-11200047_zpsfb921040.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-26180614_zps74664972.jpg

So out it came.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-26194329_zpsdedd2966.jpg

Empty bay

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-26194344_zps018a863e.jpg

Close up of some nastiness

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-02-26195406_zpsbd0555cf.jpg

Brasscatz
02-01-2015, 07:28 PM
Glad you found us :thumbsup: So, you bought it about a year ago and pulled the motor about a week after? I'm guessing the rest of the thread will pop up soon :D Can't wait to read

XJ Wheeler
02-01-2015, 08:40 PM
That is a bummer for sure, but glad it didn't get ya down and got to work on the mend. Look forward to seeing the progress.

Innojazz
02-02-2015, 06:10 PM
You guys are very wise in your observations on time! I ran out of time last night to continue the thread. Something about 12" of snow coming down distracted me.

Anyway, on with the story. I began researching all of the different ways to rebuild the 4.0L. Should I build a stroker? Should I leave it stock? What cams are available? After all of the fun reading, I stumbed on an add on Craigslist from a guy 15 minutes down the road. Turns out he rebuilds 4.0L's from time to time and happen to have one freashly rebuilt. Unfortunately when I called him I was informed that the one listed was a rebuilt 2000 with the stock 0331 head. We talked for quite some time and he totally understood my aprehention against the 0331. After all, I already had 1 boat anchor! Just so happened that he had a '97 engine in the shop still and was planning on finishing that one up and listing it next. That sounded a lot better to me so we made a deal. He took my boat anchor on trade for a nice discount. He sent me pictures and measurements on everything during the build so I knew what I was getting. Great guy to work with and he did an excelent job with the build.

Here it is the day I went to pick it up.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-02163329_zps67b6c849.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-02163320_zpsc0e1f27f.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-02163301_zpsa81454da.jpg

Happy and safe in the barn

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-09104234_zps17d47475.jpg

Innojazz
02-02-2015, 06:17 PM
So my original intent to reuse the intake and exhaust from the 2000 went south when I found this small issue. Not sure how or when it cracked but certainly wasn't going to be able to put this one back on.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-09104252_zpsd05f7719.jpg

So back to CL I went. Found a guy selling a '97 intake and exhaust for super cheap so I picked them up. Here is the intake getting cleaned up. I know, not the best choice but the price was right and readily available. Moving back to the 2000 intake is still part of the future plans.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-09104210_zpsacefa822.jpg

XJ Wheeler
02-02-2015, 06:22 PM
That's strange. I pulled an intake manifold at the junkyard a couple months ago that had a chunk missing in the exact same spot. Wonder if its a problem area.

Sent via messenger pigeon - i talk, he types.

Innojazz
02-02-2015, 06:25 PM
So once I had the engine thing all figured out, it was time to turn my attention back to the jeep itself.

This is what I was looking at

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-10165520_zps485abbd2.jpg

I had this nice new, freashly painted engine, and I just could not bring myself to put it back in that nasty dirty engine bay! So more stuff had to come out.

This mess was first:

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-10165533_zps035c761b.jpg

Cleaning and degreasing was the plan. The only problem was that I live in Michigan and the barn is not heated! Cleaning is tough when all the water turns to ice. So I had to be patient.

Innojazz
02-02-2015, 06:36 PM
So while I was waiting for the weather to give me a break, I took everthing I thought necessary out of the engine bay. So this is what it looked like when I was done.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-28201404_zps96649e58.jpg

I figured this would give me enough room to wash, rinse, degrease, grind rust, prime and paint the engine bay.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-28201523_zps385d6e3d.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-28201535_zpsd58adb35.jpg

So finally we got a nice day! I pushed it outside and got the hose and scrub brush out. Here is how it turned out.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-30125447_zps5b61b507.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-30125459_zps1c8ed9a8.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-30125531_zps989d2dbf.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-03-30132222_zps6b3a31ef.jpg

Innojazz
02-02-2015, 07:28 PM
That's strange. I pulled an intake manifold at the junkyard a couple months ago that had a chunk missing in the exact same spot. Wonder if its a problem area.

Sent via messenger pigeon - i talk, he types.
I've had a few people tell me they had the same thing happen to them. Must be an issue. Wondered if it had anything to do with being overheated at some point in it's life.

XJ Wheeler
02-03-2015, 10:25 AM
I've had a few people tell me they had the same thing happen to them. Must be an issue. Wondered if it had anything to do with being overheated at some point in it's life.

Hmmm, making me wonder now. Picked up a whole one a while back but i wonder what can be done to keep this from happening. Time to research!

Sent via messenger pigeon - i talk, he types.

Innojazz
02-03-2015, 06:40 PM
Yeah I was wondering if maybe the mating surface wasn't flat or something. Looks like one of those things where there was an irregularity between the manifold and block so when the bolt was torqued, it snapped the ear. Wonder if these came from the factory this way and nobody knew it until they took the intake off. With as many miles as 4.0L's get on them before any real work needs to be done, it wouldn't surprise me if it took a long time for people to find this. Let us know if you find anything interesting.

Innojazz
02-03-2015, 06:47 PM
Seeing as the weather stayed nice for a couple of days, I had time to grind out the rust spots in the engine bay and prep them for paint. Then I got the paint out and went to town. I wasn't overly worried about appearance as much as I was going for coverage. This isn't a show truck after all, but it is getting an engine with 0 miles on it. I wanted to do everything I could to make sure that the body lasts as long as possible too.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0429_zpska5flxbn.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0430_zps7scc3uyk.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0431_zpsyiz5fifo.jpg

Innojazz
02-03-2015, 07:36 PM
While I was painting I did the bell housing on the trans and the intake manifold. Then finally after 2 long months, I started the reassemble process!!! :bacondance:

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0416_zpstrvwkhjz.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0418_zpsvltn5ukz.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0419_zpshuahdjyc.jpg

Just an interesting photo of the injectors that came in the '97 intake manifold (top) next to the ones that came out of the '00 (bottom).

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0417_zpsnl6ryzfw.jpg

Innojazz
02-03-2015, 07:43 PM
Right around that time I found a deal on a nice set of new tires that happened to be mounted on XJ wheels. Seeing as I needed new tires anyway, and I really didn't care for the snowflake wheels to begin with, I took this opportunity to jump up a bit in tire size too.

New 30x9.5x15's on black steel wheels:

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0451_zpsxuxfgk6o.jpg

Also bought some Brown Dog engine mounts and got them mounted in place.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0453_zps7jzyodjy.jpg
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0454_zpshb92fmfx.jpg

I honestly hated putting all of the pieces back into the engine bay after I had just got done cleaning and painting it. I really wish I had time to go through a wire tuck in there to make it a little nicer....but I had to keep reminding myself that this isn't a show truck.:banghead:

Innojazz
02-04-2015, 06:34 PM
Next up on the list was dealing with the electrical system. Thanks to all of the good advice I had read here on XJtalk, I figured that I would upgrade the main wiring sytem as I reassembled everything.

First thing was to upgrade to the 136A alternator. My plan was to jump up to the 160A from the 5.9L Durango but the only one I could find through my local parts store was in W. VA. and it would have cost me $250 to get it to me. That was a bit excessive for me at that point so I settled for the 136A.

Picture of the minor bracket grinding that is necessary.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-05-18%2008.42.27_zpslw4rayfn.jpg

I also figured I would upgrade the wiring to and from the battery, alternator and PDU while I was at it. I have a local mom and pop auto store here in town and it turns out they make really nice custom length wires for a very reasonable price.

Picture of one of my new 2ga wires next to the stock ground.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0466_zpsrf9nrgas.jpg

And the rest of them. All in 2ga.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0465_zpsn6eegr6b.jpg

Innojazz
02-04-2015, 06:59 PM
There were a couple other tings I did while I was in there with the engine out but I didn't take pictures of them. First thing is I replaced all of the hard brake lines from the MC all the way to each wheel. Super easy when you can stand in the engine bay to do the front passenger side one. I'd hate to try that one with the engine in place. Also got new tubing for the front dif breather and transfer case/trans breathers. Put a new trans mount on the trans cross member before putting that back into place as well.

Soooooo, now it was finally time to put the engine back in place!!! You can see here that I also decided to paint the fuel rail for good measure while I had it out.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2014-05-18%2010.22.34_zpsdvrumcys.jpg

Most everything after this was fairly uneventful and mostly just hooking everything back up. Hence no pictures.

A couple of modifications I did while on the way were fun to research and decide on.

First one was the big dilemma on which injectors to run. Well after reading a ton of information I new I wanted the 4 holes and decided on the Bosch 0-280-156-007 so I order them up and installed them. They are neon green though so they look a little funny next to my red fuel rail.

Next up was to dump the coil rail in favor of the stand alone coil with wires. I did a fair amount of research and decided on PN 56032520AC from the 05-07 Chrysler minivan (amongst other vehicles). I started the install by making a small bracket that wraps around the coolant overflow tank. I mounted the coil to the bracket and then measured to see how much length I would need to add to the harness. IIRC it was close to 12" of wire needed. So I spliced in the wires and made the extension. Next was to order the new set of Taylor 8mm spark plug wires, in red of course, to match the fuel rail.

4.3LXJ
02-04-2015, 07:04 PM
You will enjoy that wiring upgrade. I cannot believe how chinsy the factory is with their copper

Innojazz
02-06-2015, 06:17 PM
You will enjoy that wiring upgrade. I cannot believe how chinsy the factory is with their copper

Agreed. It is obvious that the power I get on a daily basis is very clean. Nothing dims the lights. No sluggish fan. Love it. Well worth the upgrade.

Innojazz
02-06-2015, 06:35 PM
Due to the switch from the 2000 exhaust manifold with the dual drops to the 97 manifold with the single drop, I needed to fab up some kind of exhaust pipe that would allow for the O2 sensor to be hooked up. I had little pieces of the original 97 exhaust laying around along with some of the pieces from the original 2000 pipe and welded up one really ugly, but functional down pipe.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0472_zpsqkxk1utv.jpg

Innojazz
02-06-2015, 06:56 PM
A few more items needed wrapping up but I was getting a lot closer by the week.

First item was to redo the entire rear brakes. This was before I knew of the disk brake conversion so I just redid all of the drum brake parts. The only thing I didn't do while in the rear was to replace the wheel cylinders. I realized later that this was a mistake. The brake bleeders on these original wheel cylinders would not open when I went to bleed the brake system. That was a bummer. Not a huge issue because the disk brake conversion is on the short list of upcoming upgrades.

Next up was to install the new B&M trans cooler. I like to run coolers on my trans for cheap insurance. The original trans still shifts awesome and I don't want that to change any time soon. So, no big deal but simple install with no issues.

Last thing was to replace all of the u-joints in the drive shafts. Turns out my front drive shaft is pretty worn out. There is a bit of slop in the slip joint. So far it is functional but I can hear it knocking around every once in a while so it will be on the short list as well.

Innojazz
02-08-2015, 06:03 PM
So all this brings me up to the end of May 2014. The last major thing I wanted to do while I was rebuilding was to rewire the headlights. A friend of mine clued me into this upgrade. I used the original passenger head light power wires as switch wires to relays. I mounted the relays, one for high beam, one for low beam, on the same bracket that my new coil is mounted to. I then ran 12ga wire from the PDC to the relays and from the relays to the headlamps. Also made new head light socket connectors too so that it is now 12ga wire the entire length. I'm sure these aren't as bright as the LED's and what not that are out on the market but I sure am pleased with how bright they are. I notice other XJ's on the road and they seem to have yellow headlights. I look at mine and these seem very much white. Overall, I'm happy with them for now.

So with all that said and done, it was all put back together. Nothing left to do but give it a crank. So I called the wife and kids out to the barn for the big show. These are the times when you really hope you caught everything. After staring at the engine, crawling under the car and going through every step in my mind 100 times, I figured what the heck.....

Happy to report it fired right up on the first crank with no hesitation at all. I revved it up to bring up the oil pressure as fast as possible and it when straight to 70psi. My kids kind of looked at me funny at this point. They had that look like, "You called us out to the barn to watch you start a car!?" So, with no real fan fair, they went back to the house and I pulled it outside to let it warm up completely.

The first day completely road worthy, May 31st 2014.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0546_zpsyeox76jv.jpg

A couple of days later "flexing" on a dirt pile in the back yard.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/IMG_0578_zpssutlb4yt.jpg

Innojazz
02-14-2015, 12:04 PM
At this point I began slowly introducing the XJ into DD duty. I wanted to do a proper break-in period for the engine so I spent some evenings driving around at different speeds and RPM's just to get some miles on it. Changed the oil at 100 miles and then again at 500 miles. Everything has gone really smooth with the engine so far. Runs like a top!

So here I was with a 2000 XJ with 140K miles on it and a brand new engine. Now it was time to dive into the rest of the Jeep. Obviously there are a ton of wear items that tend to go bad after 140K miles. First thing was to replace the sway bar bushings. The original ones were worn to about 2X the diameter of the sway bar, and hence a bunch of clunking in the front end. New poly bushings tightened things up considerably. But, like anything, as you fix one thing, the next weakest link shows up, this time literally. I was exiting the hwy on the way to work one day and hear a loud POP from the front end. Nothing felt funny so I just assumed I hit something in the road. Well on the way home the front end clunking came back. Turns out the passenger sway bar link snapped clean off the sway bar. Well, seeing as I had been eyeballing the JKS web site anyway, I decided that the only proper way to replace broken sway bar links was with JKS Quicker disconnects. So I ordered them up and installed them once they arrived. That took care of that little issue.

Innojazz
02-14-2015, 12:19 PM
I've been slowly working my way through the front end piece by piece. I'm still not done but it's February in Michigan and my barn time has reduced proportional to the temperature.

I needed to tighten up the steering a bit because there was about 10 degrees of free play in the steering wheel with nothing happening at the tire. Turns out that most of the issue was that somebody thought it better to loosen the set screw on the top of the steering box. Once I got that put back where it was supposed to be, everything was much nicer. Now that there was more correlation between the steering wheel movement and the tires, it was easy to see that I needed a new inner tie rod end. Picked one up and installed that one evening after work. Much better road manners at this point.

Innojazz
02-14-2015, 12:43 PM
Next up on the list was to do something about the worn out shocks. Now, I knew there would be some sort of a lift coming in the near future but I just couldn't deal with it any longer. I found some new in box rear shocks on CL for $40 and then stopped at the local parts store and picked up new fronts. I managed to break off all 4 of the rear upper shock bolts as soon as I showed them the wrench. This gave me the opportunity to get the hole saw out and make nice access panels in my floor so that I could drill and tap the nuts to a slightly larger size. The fronts went on with no such shenanigans.

Even for the cheapest factory replacements, the ride improved a ton! Well worth the time, and now my rear shocks will be easy to replace once I get the lift.

Innojazz
02-14-2015, 12:56 PM
Back to the front end work. The passenger side unit bearing was howling something fierce so it was time to replace that for sure. Go the bearing and a U-joint for the passenger axle shaft at the same time. Figured if I'm going to be touching this thing, might as well only do it once. (Right, like I really believe this will be my last time in here!) Anyhow, new unit bearing and u-joint installed with no issues. Found out while I was in there that someone had recently done the front brakes and replaced the calipers with brand new ones! Score for me!

Now that the passenger unit bearing was quiet again, it became very obvious that the drivers side one was also on it's way out. So, back to the parts store for another unit bearing and u-joint for the drivers side. Installed the drivers side without incident and then back on the road. Nice and quiet up there now!

I really think that this was one of those cars that was neglected it's entire life. Everything is original on this thing but many of these little jobs had long since needed to be done. I'm assuming it was just one of those things where they drove it until it was completely dead then offed it. No big deal to me though as I now have a personal record of everything that has been replaced and exactly when.

Innojazz
02-14-2015, 01:03 PM
After seeing DD duty for about 2 months, the remaining pieces of the steering systems began to show their age. Seeing as I was still at stock height, and never plan on going higher than 3" anyway, I made a trip to the parts store to upgrade. Ordered up the remaining pieces of the drag link and took the opportunity to upgrade to the V8 ZJ tie rod setup. That is one amazing difference in size/strength/weight between the stock XJ hollow piece and the solid link of the ZJ. I was amazed and pleasantly surprised. So with the previous TRE and all the new pieces, the steering system is completely new.

I believe I'm still looking at the original track bar though so I'll add that to the list of future upgrades. I'll probably upgrade to double shear when I get around to it just because I can and prefer that setup over the stock ball joint.

4.3LXJ
02-14-2015, 01:06 PM
Sounds like real progress. Any well used vehicle has issues like this that have to be straightened out

Innojazz
03-15-2015, 04:22 PM
Moving right along...

This brings us up to the Halloween time frame and a local event called Jeep Creep. Loaded up the family to make the day trip and enjoy our first offroad experience in the XJ. Took a few hour trip down some ORV trails. Nothing too extravagant but tons of fun. We all had a blast and the XJ worked awesome!

Family after the trail ride:
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/20141025_161853_zpshs8yzssx.jpg

Trail:
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/20141025_142144_zpsqf2wobrb.jpg

Other nice looking XJ's:
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/20141025_163322_zpsqjrfdnmt.jpg

And the JCR Offroad XJ! Love this thing:
http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/20141025_112626_zpsefhx8tiw.jpg

Innojazz
03-21-2015, 09:29 AM
The very next weekend we took the XJ to a new ORV park demonstration that is being built 1 mile from my house. The proposed park is slatted to be around 400 acres when complete. This was a trial run that was open to the public to help county officials see first hand what this "Jeeping" thing is really like. It was a very well organized and safe event and everyone had a really good time. The park is in the process of being built with a tentative opening around summer 2016. Only 1 mile from my house....hmmmm might need another Jeep.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/20141101_095508_zps6anagvu2.jpg

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/20141101_111158_zpsshuy5kvl.jpg

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/20141101_101956_zpskdzxf4m9.jpg

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/20141101_101924_zpsuiukjulg.jpg

Innojazz
03-21-2015, 09:48 AM
So this brings us up to Thanksgiving break 2014. I had slowly gathered all the parts for a 2.5" lift. Rough Country 2.5" front coil springs, 2.5" AAL for the rear, Rough Country rear shocks and new u-bolts. Took the long weekend and got everything installed. Everything went pretty smooth, no major issues. Took it out on the road and immediately noticed the drive line vibes. I had a hunch I was going to have to go SYE after this. Just so happened that a local guy had just posted a brand new Rugged Ridge SYE kit on Craigslist for $180. Cheaper than new, local and brand new in the box! :bacondance: Turns out when I get there, he also has an XJ front driveshaft in great condition that he sells me for $20! :bacondance::bacondance:

So after all of this, I ended Thanksgiving weekend with 2.5" of lift and a new SYE installed with a like new driveshaft! I was a pretty happy camper. I did measure my driveline angels and there is still some work to be done. The pinion angle is 7 degrees and the driveshaft is at 13 degrees. There is still a little driveline vibe but not nearly what it used to be. I ordered up some 4 degree shims and new center bolts but I haven't had time to install them yet. Now that spring is in the air, they should be getting installed sometime soon.

Innojazz
03-21-2015, 10:15 AM
Couple other improvements happened over the winter time as well.

First and foremost, I got a new Sony radio installed so I can now stream the XJtalkshow straight from my phone!!!

Second, I took the rub strips off of the doors. I personally think it gives it a cleaner look. I'm also in the process of painting the fender flares black but I only got the fronts done before the temps dropped here for the winter. As soon as it warms up, the rears will be matching.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2015-02-21%2016.36.48_zpsu08lcmqj.jpg

Third, I picked up a set of ZJ leather seats from a local guy. Came with power everything but the base is just too tall for the XJ. I swapped them over to the manual bases from the XJ and got them installed. Fairly straight forward install. The rear is a little challenging but not a huge deal. More time consuming than anything else.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/20150127_191357_zpszpghwn98.jpg

So that is where I left my spoon!

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/20150127_191350_zps7tee2fu0.jpg

And forth, I installed my CB and antenna. That about gets us up to date I think. Stay tuned for more work to come in the very near future!

4.3LXJ
03-21-2015, 10:24 AM
Love the seats. I have power leather seats in mine too. Very comfy

Innojazz
03-21-2015, 11:07 AM
I love them too! I was shocked how much road input they absorb compared to the stock cloth seats. The wife and kids are way more comfortable too. I like that the kids now have head rests too, just in case.

4.3LXJ
03-21-2015, 11:27 AM
I like that I can now recline and sleep if I want to. The wife too, since her role is to sleep while I drive :D

bluedragon436
03-21-2015, 11:39 AM
Looks and sounds like it is coming along nicely... And def nothing wrong with having an ORV park only a mile from you house... I currently have to drive almost 4 hrs to get to the closest one... Look forward to seeing more as it comes along to where you want it to be... And I pulled the side door molding off my 98 cause I thought it looked cleaner without it... still debating if I'm going to on my 97, as it is color matched...

OldFaurt
03-21-2015, 06:24 PM
Couple other improvements happened over the winter time as well.

First and foremost, I got a new Sony radio installed so I can now stream the XJtalkshow straight from my phone!!!

Second, I took the rub strips off of the doors. I personally think it gives it a cleaner look. I'm also in the process of painting the fender flares black but I only got the fronts done before the temps dropped here for the winter. As soon as it warms up, the rears will be matching.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/2015-02-21%2016.36.48_zpsu08lcmqj.jpg

Third, I picked up a set of ZJ leather seats from a local guy. Came with power everything but the base is just too tall for the XJ. I swapped them over to the manual bases from the XJ and got them installed. Fairly straight forward install. The rear is a little challenging but not a huge deal. More time consuming than anything else.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/20150127_191357_zpszpghwn98.jpg

So that is where I left my spoon!

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u542/Innojazz/Jeep%20Build/20150127_191350_zps7tee2fu0.jpg

And forth, I installed my CB and antenna. That about gets us up to date I think. Stay tuned for more work to come in the very near future!

Ya know, Spooning means something TOTALY DIFERENT!
But hey, You have a great looking Jeep coming along there!

Hate to tell you this, Jeeps are addictive!