10 degrees north american! XJ Build in Costa Rica

[XJCommand]

exactly how valuable are the D44's? would it be worth looking for them just to bring back?

 

[XJCommand]

Well, i looked into the differential question. I'm definitely running a D35 in the front and a C8.25 in the rear. not quite sure what that means, but i'll figure it out sometime.

as for the progress... not much over christmas, the roof welding is now complete- i'll start bondo and paint work tomorrow morning on it.

also was able to use a section of the old roof to weld up the holes in the floor pan. i think it turned out nicely. still have to grind and paint there.

anyway, it's looking like between the wiring and headliner, oh. and the whole transmission being out at the moment, i'll probably need to delay the trip to panama by at least a few days...
bummer.

 

[Blue 97 XJ]

jeeps never had a d35 in the front, you meant a d30. and you should be happy with that c8.25 they are stronger than the d35. think it will run by the time your girlfriend gets there?

 

[XJCommand]

So, it's been a while. computer has changed, files have relocated, and flickr doesn't seem to like windows 7 very much.
anyway, the body work is DONE!!
here are a bunch of pictures to catch you all up

so as you can see, a little grinding work, a little bondo, and some primer and paint, you can't even tell that the roof was changed at all!
got to admit, i'm pretty stoked at the result.

also, in the last picture is the newly repaired cowell. when the girlfriend arrived, the package she brought with her had been broken in two in-transit, but it seemed to hold together with some type of fiber/glue mixture the tico's knew about (tico is the word for costa rican nationals)

oh, and on a side note, (also as explained on other threads)(but now reiterated with pictures)
the way to remove the shifter handle on an automatic is to push in the button and pull straight up with both hands.
this is the ONLY way to change the surround around the shifter without breaking the plastic.

... scratch that, forgot to take a picture of the shifter sans handle. but that's what you have to do anyway!

so, that's just about project complete.
now i'm waiting on a sensor on the transmission (i think) that will fix the rough idle

i also got stuck for about a week and a half after a no-start issue finishing with the realization that the factory alarm system was what was cutting power to the engine. what a pain in the butt.

anyway, i'm just ready to have the damn thing ready. then i'll look into modified bumpers, roof racks, and wenches etc...
till then!
Pura Vida!

 

[Blue 97 XJ]

looks dam nice Scott, congratulations and you cant even tell that that cowl was broken. so whats next, lift, bumpers, cage, tires????

 

[jeeperjohn]

Well, i looked into the differential question. I'm definitely running a D35 in the front and a C8.25 in the rear. not quite sure what that means, but i'll figure it out sometime.

as for the progress... not much over christmas, the roof welding is now complete- i'll start bondo and paint work tomorrow morning on it.

also was able to use a section of the old roof to weld up the holes in the floor pan. i think it turned out nicely. still have to grind and paint there.

anyway, it's looking like between the wiring and headliner, oh. and the whole transmission being out at the moment, i'll probably need to delay the trip to panama by at least a few days...
bummer.

The axle in the pic is a D35 and the front will be a D30.

 

[x2elite]

BTW if you were able to find FRONT D44's down there that bolt into Cherokees then you could probably get around $800 each for them around here. Could make some money if you had a ready source of them for cheap.