My 1999 XJ build thread

cleanEG

Observer
Hood vents might be a good idea to help with the overheating.
I have holes cut in the hood to help with that and it works great on the trail when I am slowly crawling. I recently flushed the cooling system again and so far, no issues. Although to be fair, temps have not been 100+ lately.
 

cleanEG

Observer
Oh, and what roof rack are you running? I like how it hugs the roof more than a lot of others.
Thanks! the RaptorLiner is awesome! Well worth the amount of time to spray it and prep it. The roof rack was built by a guy locally and it's served me well the last 3 years I've had it.
 

cleanEG

Observer
Isn't that tablet mount right in front of the passenger side airbag?

Thats gonna make one hell of a projectile with an airbag deployment
That's a good point, because I'm not sure! Although I sometimes wonder if the airbags would deploy with the heavy steel bumper on the front of the Jeep.
 

ThePartyWagon

Active member
What are your thoughts on the Raptor Liner? I'm waffling between a Monstaliner kit and the Raptor Liner. Raptor is attractive because it comes with the spray gun but there are more color options from Monstaliner. Maybe they're the same difference. I'm going to be doing my roof and my lower doors/rockers for rust/salt protection. Any other suggestions prior to application?

On a different note, what are you considering for your stroker build/purchase? Did you look at the supercharger or turbo options on the market?

Best, MG
 

cleanEG

Observer
What are your thoughts on the Raptor Liner? I'm waffling between a Monstaliner kit and the Raptor Liner. Raptor is attractive because it comes with the spray gun but there are more color options from Monstaliner. Maybe they're the same difference. I'm going to be doing my roof and my lower doors/rockers for rust/salt protection. Any other suggestions prior to application?

On a different note, what are you considering for your stroker build/purchase? Did you look at the supercharger or turbo options on the market?

Best, MG

I love the RaptorLiner Product! It's been very durable and as a first time user, very easy to apply. The tintable version allowed me to mix in the factory Jeep anvil gray base paint. To get the desired texture I didnt use the Schutz gun that comes with the kit. Personally, I'm not a fan of the thick texture the gun produces. Instead I used an HVLP primer gun and mixed in some reducer. I then adjusted the pressure to ~ 29 psi to get the finer texture. If you decide to go this route, I highly recommend testing out different pressures on cardboard until you are happy. With all paint applications, prep is key. I spent the majority of the labor sanding the surface and removing any surface rust.

Because I have 275k+ miles on this motor, it's time for a rebuild. Also living in CA , I'm limited to what I can do and still pass emissions. If you want to see more pictures, check out my IG @getoffgrid. There are more pictures there of the painting process.
 

cleanEG

Observer
Started putting together the 4.6l stroker motor. Russ Pottenger @bishopbuelracing provides a nice kit suited to your needs. This beast should be around 290hp 340tq @the crank

IMG_20191029_194543.jpgIMG_20191130_145153.jpgIMG_20191204_212649.jpg
 
Last edited:

jeepmedic46

Expedition Leader
Nice looking XJ. I have a 2000 I’m starting to work on. Looking foreword to see what you do with your motor. Will it be street legal. I may decide to do something similar but my Jeep is a daily driver.
 

cleanEG

Observer
Nice looking XJ. I have a 2000 I’m starting to work on. Looking foreword to see what you do with your motor. Will it be street legal. I may decide to do something similar but my Jeep is a daily driver.
Thanks! Yes, the motor will be 100% street legal and pass CA emissions which is very strict. I have a good friend that did a similiar build and difference in power/torque is night and day. Can't wait to drive this thing when it's done.
 

cleanEG

Observer
Looking forward to seeing the end result. I saw Russ quote someone between $4000-6500 for a stroker engine depending on parts and goals. Would you echo that price range?
Yeah, that's about right. I was looking to build a daily driver, off-road rig. It's not a trailer queen or Jeep speed rig so I elected options with that in mind. I splurged on a nitrided camshaft, ported intake manifold,balanced assembly.. It's great that Russ gives you a custom kit tailored to your needs and it includes everything you need. I'm doing the assembly so that helps. In addition, I bought new plugs,wires, distributor,tps,62mm throttle body, and some odds and ends. It's not cheap but I'm already invested in this rig and can't see myself ever parting ways with it.
 

cleanEG

Observer
Finally finished the new 4.6 stroker build and dropped it in the Jeep. Night and day difference! It's so nice using part-throttle to climb hills in 4th gear that previously required full-throttle and 3rd gear. Not only that, but the fuel mileage is definitely much better. Once the engine is fully broken in, I'll have more data to share. Puts a smile on my face every time I drive it now!

The swap itself took a long time and I ran into a problem with some faulty wires. The C107 connector between the Fuse Box and the PCM that supplies power to all the sensors, injectors, etc was nasty. Years of heat, mud, dirt and 280k miles later the insulation on the wires came off and I had a short. After a trip to the junkyard for a new harness, I fixed all the wires.

Here's some pics....
IMG_20200103_161228.jpg
IMG_20200105_121742.jpg
IMG_20200106_190507.jpg
IMG_20200117_231501.jpg
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,534
Messages
2,875,615
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top