Rockwork Orange **DirtRiot XJ build thread**

Hello fellow XJ'rs :wave: welcome to my build thread. This will hopefully be a long and informative thread with the outcome being a race ready badass XJ. I want your guys input so if you see something you don't like speak up.

I dubbed this rig "Rockwork Orange"



Quick intro...I live outside San Antonio so most of the wheeling I do is in the South Texas rocks. I am lucky enough to live by a few top notch off road parks such as K2, the Canyons and Hidden Falls. I've always competed in some form of motorsports but as of late I find myself without a worthy vehicle fit for competition. The DirtRiot/W.E.Rock series has 3-4 races in Texas every season. Throw in a few local races and BAM I've got my fix.

Goals of this build are to create an XJ that can dominate the Mod Trail Dirt Riot class. I want reliability and BEEF everywhere. Ya can't win if you don't finish. KISS principle will be applied whenever possible. I'm trying to keep a reasonable budget of 5-6k so no Atlas 4.0 or Dynatrac axles sorry. She will be a trailer queen. I have no interest in keeping her street legal i don't want to have to compromise the vision.


I managed to swing 2 XJ's from a junkyard. The green is a '94 and the tan is an '88. Neither ran but I figured I could make one from the two. This is what I started with







I got both XJ's and a matched set of waggy axles for the killer deal of $600. The '88 was in better shape overall. The '94 had rust issues and the body was already cracked out in the door jams. The decision was made to build the '88 so I stripped the '94 of the drivetrain and a few other goodies and craigslisted it for $150. The '94 was an auto and the '88 had the Peugot BA10 piece of crap 5spd so I'm swapping the AW4 into the '88.

Breakdown of the build:

1988 XJ 2 door
4.0L out of a '98 ZJ will upgrade the camshaft/valvetrain and oiling system
Turbocharged with a t3/t4 hybrid, 8psi target boost
Running on strictly propane
hoping for close to 300hp flywheel

AW4/NP231 nothing crazy here. Will use an RA designs modified winters shifter to control trans. SYE on the 231 of course.

Dana44 waggy axles, 5.13 gears & spooled f&r, will swap out drive slugs for locking hubs, alloy front shafts...RCV's if the gods are smiling down upon me. We will see if I can squeeze it into the budget. Both axles will get trussed.

Suspension will consist of a dual triangulated 4 link in the front with 1.25" joints, 2x2" .250 wall box tube arms and 14" Radflo 2.5 airshocks. For now the rear will remain on leafs but a link upgrade is on the table.

I've got a set of 37x12.50 Interco SSR's and some sweet 15" Weld alloys.

Full hydro steering, Exo cage, custom bumpers...etc

I started this build a few months ago so let me get you up to speed.

First step was bolting the rear D44 into place just for mock up and to see how far I needed to push the axle back



I added a longer shackle, reworked my leaf packs and got this





I had a set of rancho YJ springs that I tore apart and ended using 2 YJ leafs and removing 1 XJ leaf from each pack. I got a bit of lift and the spring rate seems to be good so we will give it a shot.

My shackle angle is terrible...straight up and down and I know i need to push the axle back 2-3" so I'm going to combine RuffStuff 2+ spring perches for the stretch and a shackle relocater kit to correct my angles. Time to cut some fenderwells!!!



I'm not looking to chop this Jeep up into a Juggy or the like. I want as full of a body as I can get while still being able to stuff those 37's.

I need a rolling chassis so lets start on the front.
Still on the dana turdy but i wanted to get a feel for the stretch needed in the front as well. This is what we ended up with.





Time to start on the front axle swap and fab up our 4 link



frame stiffies are RuffStuff, axle truss is a TNT unit, misc brackets and tabs from RuffStuff and Ballistic.



have fun cleaning your frame rails...I did it with an angle grinder and rope wire cup. I would suggest a full face shield lol.



Ok 14 pic limit per post so I'll continue on in a bit

front control arms should be interesting.

if you don't get RCVs, I'd suggest 30 spline stubs, super joints, and Yukon hardcore hubs

Pics of front truss installed





In the end I opted to remove the upper arm mounts so I could use a proper 1.25" joint.



I have misplaced the pics I took while fabbing the 4-link. I'll get her up on the rack and snap some pics this weekend of how it all came out. These pics are of the MOCK UP...all brackets/tabs/plate will be boxed in and reinforced properly.



Alright now some pics of how she sits today...A lot left to do but I feel the most challenging part of the build is complete.



Manditory poser flex shots with the forklift. That's 38" between the ground & the bottom of the tire. The best part is how flat the rear is while flexed in the front. That tells me right there that I have very little binding going on up front. The front coils are some 4.5" just for mock up. She will be getting the 14" Radflo's soon.







The front axle got pushed forward 4 inches. I was able to package a stout double triangulated 4-link up front with no issues. I have plenty of clearance at all points. Again I'll post up better pics when she's on the lift. 4-link calc figures looked good and I'm optimistic about her performance on the trail.

That's it for now. I'll post updates as I make progress. Hopefully get time this weekend to get some shit done.

Looks good!

Friggin real sweet! Impressive you got a 4 link to fit fine up front

Just dont be this guy.. Full face isn't just for the dirt

DAMN he had a bad day. That looks like a good halloween costume.

Thanks for the props guys. More to come soon.

spoiler tag that sh%t

JESUS, I was not prepared for that lol...note, I will be using my faceshield more often now.

So I had a chance to get her in up on the rack this weekend. I blew the front suspension apart for some finish welding and paint.









And here are some better pics of it installed







Here is how she sits with 4.5" springs up front










So this is at full droop. At this point the front driveshaft is making contact with the left upper control arm.

The driveshaft was the biggest challenge. Trying to keep it between the upper & lower arm...I tried 3 different lower control arm mount locations before settling on what I have now. It's a compromise between ground clearance and suspension travel.

I know the lower mounts are going to get the crap smacked out of them thats why I used 3/8" tabs for all the crossmember link mounts.




I'll properly limit travel with bumps and straps of course. I still need to add some gussets to the crossmember and finish plating in my front truss.

I have to leave her outside so I wanted to get some paint on the freshly fabbed parts. I used tractor supply implement epoxy paint. Takes forever to dry...like 3-4 days...but it's tough shit.

Next on the list is the rocker box replacement. 2x6 tubing and blah blah blah. You've seen it before. I need to get some metal ordered up. I'll hopefully get at it next weekend.

Nice work on the packaging! Get those hydro brackets on the axle before paint!

Would love to see more pictures and some specs on the front 4 link. Just bought my first Cherokee, for the same reason you did. I have three wranglers, but this unibody stuff is new to me.

Mainly how you have the cross member/ subframe connected.

I'll take & post some better pics of that for ya GAdawg.

While I was installing my frame stiffeners I welded four 1/2" nuts to the top of the stiffie and drilled 4 matching holes in the bottom of the frame. When I welded my stiffeners in I had a total of eight 1/2" bolts to use as anchors for my crossmember. I'm going to add 2 more mounting tabs so I'll have 10 fasteners total attaching the crossmember to the frame.



in this pic you can kind of see the 4 holes on each side of the crossmember. I'm using 1/2" grade 8 coated socket head bolts to hold it on.

I sleeved the inside of the crossmember where the bolts go through with some 1" id pipe, the bolt heads are up inside of the crossmember so they don't drag on rocks or zombies.

That's pretty cool,and very clean. How well would a crossover or inverted y type steering work with this setup? For a dual purpose type jeep. Not going to be my primary driver, but don't want full hydro either. I see in a couple of pics where yours is hooked up.

build is looking real good!

GAdawgfan54 said:

That's pretty cool,and very clean. How well would a crossover or inverted y type steering work with this setup? For a dual purpose type jeep. Not going to be my primary driver, but don't want full hydro either. I see in a couple of pics where yours is hooked up.

Click to expand...

not very well, the bump steer would probably be to intense for the street, let alone off road

Yeah The steering linkage is on there just so I can push it in and out of the shop. Full hydro is in the works. Without a trackbar I would think full hydro is a must have.

BENZOMATIC said:

I'll take & post some better pics of that for ya GAdawg.

While I was installing my frame stiffeners I welded four 1/2" nuts to the top of the stiffie and drilled 4 matching holes in the bottom of the frame. When I welded my stiffeners in I had a total of eight 1/2" bolts to use as anchors for my crossmember. I'm going to add 2 more mounting tabs so I'll have 10 fasteners total attaching the crossmember to the frame.



in this pic you can kind of see the 4 holes on each side of the crossmember. I'm using 1/2" grade 8 coated socket head bolts to hold it on.

I sleeved the inside of the crossmember where the bolts go through with some 1" id pipe, the bolt heads are up inside of the crossmember so they don't drag on rocks or zombies.

Click to expand...

How is your driveshaft going to clear? I'm having a hard time picturing how it will fit. I'm guessing it will pass between the upper and lower driver side arms? Of course your image shows extreme articulation so that is probably throwing me off.

Very cool build.

Thanks PacEd. And yes the driveshaft passes between the upper and lower arm.



The contact between the drive shaft and the control arms is what limits my travel up & down.

This probably would have been easier to package with a high pinion axle but I work with what I have.

Has anyone here used Raceline/allied/eaton all steel beadlocks?

At around $165 per wheel they seem like a great deal.

I have been unable to google a decent review though. Any input is appreciated.

Alright guys & girls...I am in the process of purchasing a house and am liquidating some of my assets including {cry} my XJ project.

SO if anyone is interested I will let her go for the LOW price of $2000. This includes a long list of parts that will go with the Jeep including a spare motor, stainless header, propane conversion etc. Nothing wrong with the motor that's in there I just happen to have a spare.

Jeep is located in Boerne TX just 25 miles north of San Antonio TX.
I am willing to deliver to san antonio or surrounding areas.

Send me a PM if you want more info.

Thank you...Ben