2000 XJ Beach Buggy/Camping build

sup fellas? been a while. getting my 98 xj fixed up to sell, picked up a 2000 xj my dad had sitting around for cheap.

2000 XJ Sport, LP D30/8.25, AW4/NP231

Big suprise... (not)... water in the oil when my dad bought it which we knew and he planned to fix, so I suspected the head was cracked. My dad has too much other stuff to work on so I told him I'd take the burden off his hands
Out of the mud/trail scene, and I just want a nice fun beach/camping vehicle, this thing is too clean to destroy!
plans:
-new reinforced 0331 head and head bolts
-new water pump/thermostat
-new radiator hoses/vacuum hoses (has new radiator already)
-new brakes
-new lift (probably 3-3.5)
-Big 3 wire upgrade (probably from kellyswip)
-15% window tint
-neoprene seat covers
-some sort of stereo system w/ cubbyhole sub
-rear mounted swingout tire carrier (detours hopefully)
-jcr DIY front bumper
-roof rack
-245/75/16 duratracs when the mtr's wear

When I first got it from my dad after a wash.

swapping stuff from the 98 to this one.
got the front done. smashed the eff out of my finger, well two of them. pinky came out a little worse. stupid broken bolt, and then the spring compressor got wedged... ftl.

so finally had time to get the rear lifts swapped out. finished pulling the door molding off and cleaned it up.
after that pulled it in the garage and decided to start working on getting the head off. pulled the fuel rail, electrical, fan, air intake, etc off and started working on getting the intake manifold off. the damn thing has 4 bolts on the underside that are in b/t the exhuast manifold ports, and a PITA. after spending 15 minutes working the socket onto the bottom back bolt, which was the last one... it is giving me hell. i got it half way backed out and about had the intake off and the socket slipped off and now i cannot get it back on. walked away for the day. jeep-2, me-0.

finally got the garage straight/organied where i could get it in the garage and got the valve cover off... revealing this...

so pulled the head off (by myself)... im 140lbs and with that 2" BB and tires made it way harder than I thought it'd be... that thing whooped my ass... but I got it off without breaking anything (except my back)
a lil inspecting and I saw what I guessed was the issue...


got a magnaflux kit to scope it out and sure enough....

so, it'll be a lil while til i get all the parts i need ordered/acquired b/c of working 72hr/wks until april, so i figured i would start cleaning up the wiring/loom, etc and do a lil cleaning/painting in the bay.
starting moving stuff out the way and taking old loom/tape off... what a friggen rats nest.


pulled the front clip to paint/clean/make it easier to work on... about 50 of these fell out...

boxes of stuff i've pulled off... (hope i don't have any pieces left over when it's done! lol)

cleaned up, a lil fresh paint and wire loom. still more to do

good on you for keeping your rig clean, and putting in the time/effort to get it looking good. after beating/building and uglyfying mine now... I think about tracking down a nice clean one for DD duty.

beakie said:

good on you for keeping your rig clean, and putting in the time/effort to get it looking good. after beating/building and uglyfying mine now... I think about tracking down a nice clean one for DD duty.

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X2 I on the hunt for a stock one that doesnt have yhe unibody flexed without stifners. Also this way i can build it up from scratch and ensure that everything is dne correct.

thanks guy. im really debating on running 265/75 or sticking with the 245's. I want to run a jcr front bumper (non winch) and a detours tailbone but not sure if it'll look goofy with just a 3" lift and 245's and that stuff.

beakie said:

good on you for keeping your rig clean, and putting in the time/effort to get it looking good. after beating/building and uglyfying mine now... I think about tracking down a nice clean one for DD duty.

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i have a 98, im selling, that i wheeled for a while. frankly, im over it. it's fun, but more of a pain in the ass in the long run. i'll be just as content taking it to the beach on the weekends and driving out there (we live on the coast) and making mountain trips for camping and hitting some light trails (5 hours from asheville/the wifes hometown)

i want this to be a nice, clean, reliable build. nothing over the top, just capable for what i need and comfortable.

Subscribing.........

That thing is clean.I wish I had started with a rig in that good of condition. So far its been repair rather than upgrade for me.

thanks guy. im really debating on running 265/75 or sticking with the 245's.

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I ran 265's on my last Jeep on a 2" budget boost, but I have to trim gratuitously to get them to stuff right. On 3" you should be kosher as long as you bumpstop accordingly. Looking forward to this build as well, after trashing my last XJ, I'm also trying my best to keep the current one mint.

And damn, do I love Wilmington. I was down there last year for the 4th. I've got a few friends that go to UNCW, and live over by Wrightsville Beach. Beautiful place, and driving on the beach is always a blast