"Mossy" the family hauler XJ build

doogie

New member
Very nice build. Tell me how bad the install was on the hack-n-tap sye? Did you run your engine with the tcase engaged to spin the shaft as you drilled to better keep it centered when drilling?

Also not to continue to take up your thread with tire talk....but I want to know what you think about the Falkens after you run them some. I have BFG AT's now and they are no quieter than the MT's in my opinon. I do alot of interstate miles and the Falkens have been on my mind for a few monhts. Especially since they have 3 ply sidewalls just like the BFG's.
 

VW Jeeper

Observer
Very nice build. Tell me how bad the install was on the hack-n-tap sye? Did you run your engine with the tcase engaged to spin the shaft as you drilled to better keep it centered when drilling?

Also not to continue to take up your thread with tire talk....but I want to know what you think about the Falkens after you run them some. I have BFG AT's now and they are no quieter than the MT's in my opinon. I do alot of interstate miles and the Falkens have been on my mind for a few monhts. Especially since they have 3 ply sidewalls just like the BFG's.

I've installed several SYE's in the past, both hack-n-tap and traditional SYEs with the new output shaft. My preference is traditional SYE with new output shaft and standard yoke like Advance Adapters kits, I just feel its a better design and more solid. However my Jeep has the 242 t-case so the options are limited mainly to the hack-n-tap style of SYE. IF the Jeep had a 231 tcase I would have gone with the replacement shaft. Regarding the hack-n-tap strength, I ran one on my old '91 XJ for several years going through various tire sizes finally ending up on 38" TSLs on full width axles and the hack-n-tap never gave me a problem

That being said the install went smooth, nothing too difficult, just put the Jeep in reverse like the instructions say and let the cutoff wheel do the rest. The worst part of the install is the drilling. The kit from Dirtbound offroad came with a bit and and tap but I chose to only use that bit at the very end and it wasn't very high quality. I started with a small bit and stepped up in size 2 or 3 times until I was able to finish with the supplied bit. Hope this helps in your decision

I will say that the driveline of the Jeep is silky smooth now with the SYE, I'm always amazed at how much of difference they make in a lifted Jeep.

Regarding the tires, I've only put a few hundred miles on them so far and it's been all road miles so I don't have much real world feedback yet. I can tell you that they are very quiet with hardly any road noise which is a nice plus. I'll follow up with more feedback as I log more miles on them, hopefully in the dirt :sombrero:

Very nice XJ

Thanks
 

mike94yj

New member
I am curious also about the tires. It was between the Falkens and Destination AT's. I got the Firestones, just got a better deal. I have heard nothing but good reviews on the Falkens. Very happy at about 20,000. p.s. Have run my fair share of BFG's over the years, have not been happy with the last couple of sets as far as noise, wear, or traction.
 

CA-RJ

Expo Approved™
Bravo on purchasing a set of Falkens! I've been spreading the word on them since I bought my first set late last year. Who needs BFG's at $50+ a tire more when the Falkens work just as good!?
 

Jay S.

Observer
I'll input on sliders....JKS! I've got some on MY 98 XJ Limited and love them. I welded them to the 'frame' after I installed TnT stiffner kit.

By the way, I'm down here in Greenville, South Carolina.....let's go wheeling!!!!
 

VW Jeeper

Observer
Bravo on purchasing a set of Falkens! I've been spreading the word on them since I bought my first set late last year. Who needs BFG's at $50+ a tire more when the Falkens work just as good!?

Thanks CA-RJ, I'm still very fond of BFG ATs and MTs but the price was right on the Falkens and I like to try new products so hopefully they will live up to expectations.


I'll input on sliders....JKS! I've got some on MY 98 XJ Limited and love them. I welded them to the 'frame' after I installed TnT stiffner kit.

By the way, I'm down here in Greenville, South Carolina.....let's go wheeling!!!!

The JKS sliders are certainly in line with the high quality of the rest of the JKS product line I'm just not sure they are in my budget for this Jeep. I will probably go with a set of JCR Stage 1 sliders or just have my brother build a set.
 

BIGdaddy

Expedition Leader
Thanks CA-RJ, I'm still very fond of BFG ATs and MTs but the price was right on the Falkens and I like to try new products so hopefully they will live up to expectations.




The JKS sliders are certainly in line with the high quality of the rest of the JKS product line I'm just not sure they are in my budget for this Jeep. I will probably go with a set of JCR Stage 1 sliders or just have my brother build a set.


JCR is good, AJ's are pretty good, too. I'll probably eventually go with either one of those.
 

VW Jeeper

Observer
As anyone with kids can relate our need for room to haul more "stuff" has signifigantly increased. This gave me an excuse to explain to the boss (wifey) why we need to go ahead and get a roof rack. I've done a LOT of research racks and really wanted an ARB rull length rack, but with several other items on my wish list for the Jeep I couldn't swing $600+ it. After reading several reviews on Expo and other forums I decided to go with the Rola Vortex rack with the added extension. It's certainly not the "best" rack out there but for our needs it fits the bill and is a GREAT bang for the buck. For $249 shipped to my door in 2 days it hard to beat.

Having never seen or worked with a Rola rack before in person I was a little unsure of what to expect. To my surprise the rack is solid and seems to be built well and looks good on the Jeep. My only complaint is the joints where the 2 halves (3 in my case with the extension) slide together the seams don't line up the best. I did seal the joints and bolt holes with RTV before final assembly, but down the road I may end up fully welding all the joints together for a better fit.

Overall I'm very happy with the purchase and look forward to the added cargo capacity. I didn't have time to snap but a few pictures with my Blackberry after installing the rack so please disregard the poor quality.

Rack3.jpg

Rack01.jpg

Rack2.jpg
 

GriffsXJ

New member
Great Jeep! I have one that could be its twin!!! I wanted that interior but had to settle with grey (good price) Great looking jeep!!!!!
 

GriffsXJ

New member
Oh here is another thought on the rack. Try to find you another cross bar for your roof rack and put a third bar in the middle. You can pick up another set of anchors from rola. It helps with the support if loaded down (Kids = Stuff) Mine is mostly hunting gear but it worked great on my 89' trying to find one for the new jeep though.
 

VW Jeeper

Observer
Mossy got some rear axle beef and new rear brakes over the weekend in the form of a 29 Spline Chrysler 8.25 from a '99 Cherokee. I had bearing or two starting to really make strange noises in the dana 35 so like any good Jeep owner I used it as a excuse to upgrade :wings:

We also relocated the shock mounts on the 8.25 and added a set of rear disc brakes from ZJ Grand Cherokee with new pads and rotors. This is certainly not a new mod in the XJ world but for anyone unfamilar with the swap, the ZJ rear disc brakes are basically a bolt on fit to any XJ dana 35 or 8.25 rear axle. I did have to slightly enlarge the center hole on the ZJ backing plates in order for them to slide over the 8.25 axle tubes and I replaced the lug studs on the 8.25 axle shafts with the longer ones from the ZJ shafts. Otherwise the swap was straight forward and I'm happy with the new braking set-up.

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