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33s no lft? No problem.

J

jphoto

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Chatham, Il.
I posted this in modified tech but it'll probably die there. I think it's more fitting here

OK, so I have acquired, despite my better judgment, another XJ. I got it for next to nothing replaced the alternator and serpentine belt then drove it home.

It has some minor front-end damage the worst of it being a bent driver’s side bumper bracket. The bracket is bent all the way back making it pretty much unuseable. I’m debating on just cutting it and the passenger side off, tying into the frame with a longer aftermarket bumper bracket and maybe using the four bolts on the front of that cross plate thing between the “frame rails” just to mount a new bumper.








I’m a college student on an internship = broke. I do have a set of all terrain Dunlap 33s sitting in my garage with wheels off a dodge ram. A friend a while back bought me some spidertrax adapters for them to mount up to an xj. Now that I’ve got this wreck I think it’s time to build on the cheap. 33s and no lift!




First things first. I had to tear apart the front-end cause it’s junk, I’d buy a new front clip but that costs money. I’m going to pick up some welding material and fab something up, probably with round headlights. Then I pulled the driver’s front fender because it was making contact with the door when opened and needs hammered out. I cut the pass’s side fender but it needs a lot more trimming. The inner wells on both sides will need to be trimmed and hammered similar to the rear wheel wells….. I’ll update that part with pics as I get to it.

I trimmed the rear fenders as liberally as I think most do and pulled the rear sway bar. I’ll be test mounting the 33s back there this weekend but I’m already pretty sure what I’ve done so far isn’t gonna make enough room.

Then my girlfriend gutted the interior…. Technically this is her jeep…. I wanted to see how hard it will be to tub the rear fenders. I don’t think it’ll be terribly difficult but I’m trying to make this a thread that helps out all those broke ass college noobs like myself.

Found out this thing has a lot of “speed holes.” You can see the exhaust pipe from the pass side floor-board. I own a welder though so it’s no biggy.

I’m thinking if I lift I’ll start with the rear. I love the saggy soft and flexy stock springs and was thinking about adding a shackle relocation kit from H.D. offroad engineering and some TNT 1.5” boomerang shackles. Then I’ll just match the front end.


http://naxja.org/forum/[URL=http://...ack.us/img195/334e.jpg/1/w640.png[/IMG][/URL]
 
OMG! Please keep updated info and pics. I really want to see how this turns out because I may go the same way with 31's if I can find an XJ like that one. Thumbs up for innovative thinking. What School? I attend SIUE.
 
SIU-Carbondale, photojournalism - I'm at The State Journal-Register right now.

My girlfriend goes to SIUE.

31s will definitely clear with trimming. I've got 31in LTBs on the 99' xj in the background it's untrimmed and on a Rusty's 3.5" lift.

I'd recommend a pre 96' for your first heep, there's a lot you can do but stay away from the super rusty ones.... that's hard though in the midwest. This one is rustier than I'd like but the price was right and I own air tools ;)
 
Cool, I am in Phys Ed. @ SIUE. I have a 2000 XJ with 5" Lift but, I am pulling it off tomorrow to go stock for awhile. I have to pay some bills (Another thread about that). I had an 88 the rust free and sweet but sold it, the same kid is buying my lift and tires. Those 33's look huge!
 
HAHAHAHAHAH xj Stryker, I'm 23 been building Jeeps since I was 16 and have bought tools and been gifted tools since then. In the past 5 years the most I've bought has been some sockets maybe a wrench and some cut off wheels.

dj's 2000 xj, I think I might have seen your jeep on campus before I used to be over there about once a week. your lift sold or sale pending?
 
My XJ is the Chili pepper red with 31 at's and Hagens Outdoor Service stickers all over it. My work vehicle, for pulling bushes and logs out of the lake (Winches are handy). Lift is sold, once it is off. The kid said "I'll buy it, how much do you want?" LOL I am treating him right though. Good kid.
 
The De-lift went well. All back to normal, except I put my 31x10.50 pro comp AT's on it and they fit! I have 1" wheel spacers on all 4, and they are a short 31. Havent gone over bumps or checked the stuffed steering. I dont imagine they would well though. Just using them as rollers until I get a stock size found. Its weird to have the XJ back to stock. I did the alignment myself and centered the wheel but, I think I need them professionally done anyway.
 
OK so I got the 33s on front and rear. Pulled the rear sway and disco’d the front.

To make them fit I cut a little more in the front on the pass side fender to avoid rubbing. I also hammered back a lot of extra metal in both pass and driver’s side fender wells.

http://naxja.org/forum/[URL=http://...hack.us/img20/jp2e.jpg/1/w640.png[/IMG][/URL]


The tires were hitting right here on both sides so I cut it off. I started my cut between the two lower fender screws, you really only need one.

http://naxja.org/forum/[URL=http://...hack.us/img34/jp5e.jpg/1/w640.png[/IMG][/URL]


Then I put relief cuts in the extra metal same as on the rear fenders.

http://naxja.org/forum/[URL=http://...hack.us/img43/jp4e.jpg/1/w640.png[/IMG][/URL]


Then I hammered them back.
 
Then I tested it with the sway bars disco’d to see what hit. This isn’t close to full flex but I’m getting a better idea. It stopped rubbing at full turn and I’m not doing to bad in the front. I have to go back through and do some little things like cutting the bottom of screws in the front fenderwells.

[URL=http://img41.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jp9e.jpg]
[/URL]

The rear hits but it’s not terrible. I‘m wondering though if I should tub it. Although a lift shackle or shackle relocation would work well. I’d love to lift the front a little and pick up some used adjustable control arms.

[URL=http://img30.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jp8e.jpg]
[/URL]

All the extra cutting and hammering in the front was necessary.

[URL=http://img30.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jp7e.jpg]
[/URL]


All in all though I don’t think it’s that bad.

[URL=http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jp6e.jpg]

[/URL]
 
Uh....a photographer who can afford toys? And an intern to boot..... The paper I freelance the most for couldn't even afford to pay me for Indy 500 this year, good luck in finding a paper to work for. There were a lot of missing shooters this year, and even some new faces but the #'s were way down. Even pit road wasn't as busy as usual on race day. Pretty sad situation with all this. Anyway nice start on the XJ

JS
 
anybody ever see Debbie Downer on SNL? Its kinda like that.
 
Yeah, its a big FAIL in my book. It's just not going to function like it should at all and you are going to tear tires all to hell. It looks skateboarded out like some of the fag rides back in the early 90's. BUT, what did it hurt to play around I guess.
 
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