Canadian Expedition XJ

[Canadian Moose]

Well the twin is sold. A local club member (bigdog dad) bought it who also is a bodyman. I let it go for $1,100. I think its a win win solution.

Here is a photo of his 1993 jeep on a 6" lift and 35s. He will be moving the parts over this spring as his jeep was getting worn and he wants to start over.

 

[Canadian Moose]

Day 14

Day 14 TNT (or Treks Offroad) Bumper install.
TREKS Offroad Front XJ Bumper

The installation was very simple and straight forward. The tie in plates are very heavy duty.

I also purchased the steering box plate. This replaced the stock spacers between the box and the frame. The old spacers were really junky.
Many people have trouble removing the 3 grade 8 steering box bolts. I heated up the inside (threads) and they came out no problem.

I am considering making some brackets and relocating the aux lights. What do you guys think?

 

[Canadian Moose]

I will hopefully update the thread again tomorrow. :elkgrin:

 

[alexfm]

Well the twin is sold. A local club member (bigdog dad) bought it who also is a bodyman. I let it go for $1,100. I think its a win win solution.

Here is a photo of his 1993 jeep on a 6" lift and 35s. He will be moving the parts over this spring as his jeep was getting worn and he wants to start over.

I like where your build is going. Im doin a lot of the same stuff to my XJ. One thing though, could you get soe more pics of that Hummer? That thing is pretty cool.

 

[Canadian Moose]

Thanks! Its been a lot of work so far.

Here are some photos of the hummer as requested.

I think the neatest part about it is the rims/tires. Last run out with him he got a nasty side wall cut. He just diverted the air pressure to that tire and drove out.

 

[Canadian Moose]

Day 15

Day 15 RC 4.5" Lift install
Jeep XJ Suspension Lift

I initially wanted to go 6.5" long arm, but then reality hit. 4.5" with 33's would be best for this summers 40day expedition. It also keep the rig usable for daily driving. My old suspension was so shot I decided to get on this and leave the interior project till later.

The front was extremely easy. This could be because I have had so much practice on TJ's. The only problem is the drivers side brake line is to short. It will not even reach the extension bracket. The lift came with new lower control arms, which helps the ride quality but hopefully I will still be able to add the long arm kit.
This is the passenger side

The rear was a pain. Problems included:
Breaking one rear shock bolt
a stubborn shackle
and messing with add a leafs

The fixes:
Shock bolt. After I broke the first one I heated up the others extra good and they came out fine. I never used PB blaster or other products. To fix the broken one I simple used a punch and poped the old welded nut out. I ducktaped a new nut to a wrench and tightened the new shock down.

The shackle. I ended up cutting the rear upper bolt and prying it out. It was dumb lol.

AAL. I dont think I want to mess with these ever again. It was just a pain... and the rear sits 1-2" to low imo. I will probably replace it with 5.5" leaf packs.

Before

After

The numbers:
Measured from the ground to the bottom of the Front Fender just behind the bumper.
26.2 -->31.75 =5.55"

Rear Bumper
19.5 --> 26 = 6.5"


Big thanks to Phil, Nate and my Bro for help installing the lift.

 

[Canadian Moose]

So my 30" GSA's are just too small.

Up front are my 33's... but they are impractical to drive daily.

I am considering Purchasing some 31s and mounting them on the limited's rims. Featured in the rear in the photo. What do you guys think?

 

[Canadian Moose]

Day 16

Day 16 Wheel alignment and fender

Finished up the lift and installed the 33"s. I will be getting a wheel alignment tomorrow.

Side note about the tires. They are Nokian Vattiva M/T, 33x12.5R15. They are pretty rare but I like them. They are awesome in snow and mud. We got about a foot a couple weeks ago and I had all sorts of fun in the ditches (on purpose, rescuing ppl etc...).
They were a bit slippery on ice, probably because they were so wide. Definitely drivable though, I had no issues.

The next part of the project will be to attach flares ( law in Alberta).

I started off by sanding down the drivers side fender from the black limited.

My bro painted it.

I also painted up the stock flares. However I am getting some rubbing with the 33's. I dont think the XJ flares will work

Hmmmmmm

 

[Canadian Moose]

Day 17

Day 17
Rear Tow/Recovery Point and Fender Trimming.

In preparation for the run this Saturday I installed a factory XJ gas tank skid as well as a factory ZJ 2" Hitch using JCR Offroad nutstrips. XJ Cherokee Rear Nut Strip: JcrOffroad, Inc.

I laid out the skid and hitch and drilled matching holes so the nutstips would work. I ended up drilling 2 holes in each side.

Here is a photo with it on.

Only problem is that my stock bumper will not fit back on!
So I am thinking of building something like these two photos.... Or a mix of both.

I did some last minute fender trimming and folding late at night before the run. I don't have and photos but the trimming will be evident in the photos to come.
The rear was easy to fold. I simply cut some notches and folded them in. Gave me a bunch more clearence.
The front was more of a challenge. On one side is did the same folding method as the rear. This worked ok... but it was hard to fold as the fender is flimsy. For the passenger side I simply cut off / trimmed the fender. The downside to this is that the inner fender is no longer sealed off from mud...etc.

Big thanks to FlyinPhil for the late night help. If I am not working on my Jeep I am working on his... and likewise. For those interested here is a link to his build. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=569704

 

[Canadian Moose]

So that brings us up to date. Most of the work thus far has been mechanical.... expedition mods are in the works.

Immediate concerns: Flares and rear bumper.
- I am leaning towards Tj flares.... as long as I can make it look "right" (4 rear flares)
- Rear bumper, hopefully home brew with tire carrier and space for 2 jerry cans.


After that the interior. I have new carpet, leather seats and a overhead console waiting to go in. The tricky items will be wiring up rear power/ power inverter as well as building a rear drawer system.

 

[Black Dog]

Here are some photos of the hummer as requested.

The hummer is cool, but the location is better! Would that be the Banff Mountains in the background? Banff is a place I've always wanted to go but never have, huge mountains like that are awesome.

 

[mudbutt]

Great looking truck.....

If you still have the overhead console, sell it on E-Bay. I have seen them go for over $100.00 (U.S.)

 

[Waytec]

Hey you took the build down from NA. Looking good. I am thinking you should keep the 28s on it. :bike_rider:
The mountains are the same rang but that location is more the Jasper aria. Not in the Park but same mountains.

 

[purdueXJ]

Looks like you've made some great progress. Makes me want to get up and go install my lift that is collecting dust, if I only didn't have to be at work in 2 hours. I'm definitely jealous of the of the terrain up there, all we have in Indiana is corn.

 

[Waytec]

Come on up we will show you around.
Wheeling here id completely different them anywhere else that I have wheeled.