Kevin's 01 XJ

[MudderNutter]

The time has finally come to get the chariot adventure ready! My girlfriend and I will be heading out to Colorado/Utah in June for some exploring. The rig was completely stock (well... besides JCR nut strips for the hitch.. does that count?!), and needed some upgrades to the 14 year old suspension.

Here's the Jeep with my buddy Dustin sagging out the leaf springs, and my dog Koa in the background looking intently at something:


I decided awhile ago that since I want to keep this XJ for awhile it's best to get started on the dreaded frame stiffeners...

I got in a set from HD Offroad, and am another one of their happy customers:


My buddy Joe and I decided that it would be best to tackle the rear and mid sections first, and then do the front while we were doing the lift. Nothing was complicated about the process. It just took awhile.

Prepping the rear:


Copperweld through primer... this stuff is great!!


Welding on the mids... I just really like this photo:


Finished with the rear and mid sections.. boy does this jeep ride much better!

 

[MudderNutter]

Next I ordered the 3.5 inch HD Ultimate kit from Dirk at DPG... what a great guy to deal with! Besides the basic kit added in a steering stabilizer as well.

Parts started showing up!


Time to do the front stiffeners and start the lift:






JKS adjustable track bar, and quicker disconnects... with a sneak peak of some JCR goodies


The front is all done. The height difference is crazy!


Getting the rear sorted out was not too difficult at all. My leaf spring bolts barely gave me any issues :ylsmoke:

 

[MudderNutter]

I decided that to compliment my lift I should get some sweet tires... I settled on some 31x10.50 r15 Cooper ST MAXXs. I have been driving around on them for about a week, and have nothing but positive things to say!



Made it out to the beach for a little test... man this thing eats! I love the OME :jumping:



To make things even better I picked up a new yak for the fishing season

 

[MudderNutter]

Next up on my list:

-Trim Fenders
-Install hood louvers
-Weld/install JCR DIY winch bumper
-Install Warn VR8000 I picked up on Craigslist (almost brand new for 200 bucks!). I really wanted the m8000, but couldn't pass up a deal.
-Install JCR T-case skid
-Build a sleeping platform

 

[stomperxj]

Lookin good so far. How does the DPG kit ride? I am having a hard time picking out my next lift...

 

[MudderNutter]

Thanks! I really like the ride so far. It's a little stiff up front, but I got the Heavy spring rate front and rear. I think it'll be pretty plush when the winch and bumper are on there. I will keep ya updated.

 

[F40]

Weight is your friend. My front bumper helped soften up my front end. The rear rides like a dump truck with my aftermarket rear bumper broken off and without my gear inside. Nice build so far!

 

[RiverRatXJ]

Solid build you got going man. Definitely watching this thread!

 

[JohnnyBoots]

Really digging this as well. It's right where I'd like to be with mine.

 

[MudderNutter]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys! I should have some more updates throughout this week.

 

[WKexpedition]

That looks great!!

 

[besthaticouldo]

That is an awesome looking XJ. Love the color and you've got a nice start going man. Well done.

 

[MudderNutter]

Took some poser shots yesterday so I could see how much fender I need to trim!









I am going to trim up the fenders, and take out one of my front bump stops (hockey puck). Then i'll be able to see how far she can go!

 

[OnSteel]

Your jeep is gonna be so boss Kevin! :safari-rig:

 

[MudderNutter]

Your jeep is gonna be so boss Kevin! :safari-rig:

Thanks bro!


So I had a pretty eventful weekend working on the XJ. The goal was to install my hood louvers, trim the fenders, and install some skid plates... but of course unexpected problems arose...

I started out by installing the hood louvers:


They came out pretty well!


Next up was trimming the fenders. I didn't get many pictures of this, because I was trying to work while I still had daylight. The whole process was way easier than I had imagined... and now I have zero tire rub!



After trimming the front fenders, my buddy Joe and I decided to call it for the evening. I woke up fairly early on Sunday, and was eager to show my girlfriend how good the install of the vents/ trim of the fenders went! She had concerns about my ability to make everything look even, but I did pretty well :wings:.... Unfortunately when we got down to the Jeep there was a big puddle of coolant under the Radiator. I guess the factory radiator decided to give up the ghost after 14 years. I'm just glad that it happened in my driveway instead of while I was out exploring!

So, I picked up a new radiator:

-So pretty!

While I had that out I decided it was time to just overhaul the cooling system. I installed a new water pump, fan clutch, thermostat, and hoses. I also thought it was a good time to install my transmission cooler. That went in as well.

I wasn't able to get the rear fenders trimmed, or my skid plates on... but i do have a new cooling system, and a tranny cooler now! I have never had a problem overheating, but it feels good to have confidence in the cooling system. I'm sure that 14 year old plastic pretty brittle by now.

Oh! I almost forgot that I threw on my roof rack that I got from the JY for 35 bucks to hold my spare.

Here is one more pic of how the jeep sits now:




I currently have no functional reason to trim the rear fenders, as I don't rub back there. I would just do it to keep things uniform... but i'm now I am second guessing whether or not I should trim them. I think it looks alright as is. What do you guys think?