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Time for a build thread... 2001 XJ

kastein said:
Did you use copper crush washers? You are supposed to have a copper crush washer between the end of the line and the caliper, and another one under the head of the banjo bolt. They make it so you don't have to crank the hell out of the banjo bolts, at least not so much.

Also, keep an eye on those brake lines, if you don't twist/preload them correctly, they can end up rubbing on your sidewalls with the steering/suspension in certain positions. This can happen even with stock size lines. I caught one of mine on my MJ when it had already worn through the outer rubber, braided metal, AND part of the inner tube :shocked: inspect frequently, if they seem like they're rubbing on anything, unbolt the caliper and get them twisted/positioned differently and see if it helps.
Click to expand...
Sure did. They came with two copper washers each (not crush washers though) but they still required a good amount of torque to stop leaking. One issue encountered was getting the caliper end of the lines to sink in flush to the mounting face (as there's a raised lip there for alignment of the hose end). It was a pain, but they're on there now.

Thanks for the tip on pre-torquing the hoses - I did take care to do this when installing them and they should be fine. Worst case scenario, I'll loosen the hard line fittings and twist the hoses around as needed to adjust.
 
You shouldn't need to loosen the hard line fittings unless you need a half-turn to get them to sit right - I hate bleeding brakes, so I avoid it whenever possible. Just unbolt the caliper from the knuckle, remove it, turn the whole assembly till the line sits how you want, and bolt it back on.
 
anthrax323 said:
For those who own the Rubicon Express 3.5" lift (coils and full leaf packs) - does the ride soften at all over time? I know I can expect the rear to sag a bit, but at this point I feel like I'm driving a leaf-sprung lightweight F350.
Click to expand...

The rear RE 3.5" lift I installed never softened up. Part of the problem is the RE main leaves are 3/8" thick, where the stock XJ mains (and most aftermarkets spring packs) are a 1/4" thick.
Leaf thickness makes a big difference.

I first tried removing the shortest leaf, in each pack, which dropped the lift a 1/2" without much improvement in the ride. To soften the ride, I ended up replacing the RE main leaves with a good XJ mains and adjusted the height with an extended shackle.
The addition of plastic liners, between the leaves, made a huge difference in ride quality.
You can get liner from Eaton Spring.

The RE 3.5' would be better for an XJ with a lot of added weight.
Their rear springs were much too stiff for my mid-level, 4000-lbs XJ.
 
lazyxj said:
The rear RE 3.5" lift I installed never softened up. Part of the problem is the RE main leaves are 3/8" thick, where the stock XJ mains (and most aftermarkets spring packs) are a 1/4" thick.
Leaf thickness makes a big difference.

I first tried removing the shortest leaf, in each pack, which dropped the lift a 1/2" without much improvement in the ride. To soften the ride, I ended up replacing the RE main leaves with a good XJ mains and adjusted the height with an extended shackle.
The addition of plastic liners, between the leaves, made a huge difference in ride quality.
You can get liner from Eaton Spring.

The RE 3.5' would be better for an XJ with a lot of added weight.
Their rear springs were much too stiff for my mid-level, 4000-lbs XJ.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips on the RE packs... At this point, I'm riding around with 400 lbs of concrete in the cargo area. I have yet to see any sagging, but the moment they dip even 1/8" I'm going to remove the payload and see how it rides. For now, it's helping correct my driveline angles until I get an SYE and double-cardan shaft.
 
anthrax323 said:
Yeah, without a doubt. I was hoping that the RE 3.5" lift would be a true 3.5", but unfortunately (as I was warned over and over and over), it is not... Thus, my 30x9.5's look a little small.

The largest tire I want to run is 31x10.5. Only marginally larger, but they'd fill out those gaping wheel wells considerably better and most likely avoid any rubbing.
Click to expand...

anthrax323 said:
Thanks for the input VAhasnoWAVES - I agree that 31's will look much more appropriate under it once done.

For now, I managed to level it out:

Click to expand...

Ummmm, I hate to tell ya buddy, but if you spend the money on a set of 31x10.50's, you're gonna be pissed! A 245/75/16 is the SAME EXACT height as a 31x10.5R15. The 31 is wider, obviously, but they are the same height. Goodyear lists the specs on your 245 duratracs at 30.5" overall diameter, and you guessed it, 30.5" overall diameter on a 31x10.50R15
 
it is your rear that sits a little high right? i wouldnt stress it too much man. after 3 years mine is still raked out. and to be honest id have the back higher rather than the front. just tell yourself, "once i get that rear bumper/tire carrier and roof rack and have all my camping/fishing/wheeling gear in there itll be sitting proper." :)

and i agree that the 245 is almost exactly the same as a 31x10.50. i didnt notice that the first time around. :doh: little tires mean lots of flex though. haha. get 4.10s in first and see where you wan to go. your build plans may change by then. the problems with those rims and bigger tires is going to be backspacing... are you running spacers?
 
Thanks for the input guys - oddly enough, Goodyear specs the 265/75R16 as being 31.7" in diameter:

http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodyeartireselector/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Wrangler%20DuraTrac&mrktarea=Light+Truck

I don't think I'll be able to sell these though (not in big demand), so I'll be re-gearing to 4.10s and wearing these all the way down... When it comes time to buy new tires, I'll decide if it's worth stepping up.

No spacers currently - the 16x8 Moabs have 5" backspacing, which seems to be plenty.
 
anthrax323 said:
Thanks for the input guys - oddly enough, Goodyear specs the 265/75R16 as being 31.7" in diameter:

http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodyeartireselector/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Wrangler%20DuraTrac&mrktarea=Light+Truck

I don't think I'll be able to sell these though (not in big demand), so I'll be re-gearing to 4.10s and wearing these all the way down... When it comes time to buy new tires, I'll decide if it's worth stepping up.

No spacers currently - the 16x8 Moabs have 5" backspacing, which seems to be plenty.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and a 32x11.5 measures out at 31.8".....that's just how it works my friend! Like I said, you already have 31's
 
keep0njeepin0n said:
No sir...how can you say 30.5" and 30.5" are ALMOST exactly the same. In my school, they taught me that it was equal!
Click to expand...
you have obviously never written code that works with IEEE-754 floating point numbers :roflmao:
 
F*ck floating point calculations. I'm quite glad I'm no longer a programmer (gotta love *nix administration, though).

Just spoke to Mark with Detours - fantastic guy to say the least, and I can't wait to fork some of my money over to him (first thing tomorrow morning... gotta love bonus day).

In any case, I'll be putting my order in for a smoothie Slimline with the tire carrier... Looks like it'll be a 20 to 25 day turnaround, but I have faith things might work out quicker. He's switched to FedEx exclusively as his carrier, so I also trust it'll arrive in one piece (UPS can burn in hell).

We also spoke about modifying the Backbone to use a 2" receiver rather than a fixed winch... In the course of our conversation, he concluded it would be feasible without too much difficulty if we retained most of the winch plate for structural support. He did raise a valid argument regarding receiver-mounted winches, though - most baskets cannot and will not hold up to indirect pulls (off-angle), which could make for a bad situation. This gives me more to consider my need for a receiver-mounted winch before asking him to start fabricating one. He had experimented with a hinged winch basket for indirect pulls, but it ultimately didn't work out as he had hoped.

Another good note - he's up and running with his new machine shop/manufacturer, so new orders should push through pretty quickly. The site still reports that the Backbone and Tailbone are unavailable, but don't trust it - just give him a call.
 
Just placed the order for my Slimline rear bumper... I went ahead and opted for the edge cut (diamond plate rocker panels) after discussing it with Mark for a few minutes. Looks like the diamond plate is theoretically a hair stronger, but more importantly the textured surface makes it a bit more "slippery" on rocks (makes sense to me) as the potential contact points are smaller. In the end, it'll be somewhat hidden by the Raptor Liner, but should give an interesting look.

At this point, he said to expect 20 to 25 days before it ships. I can't wait.
 
Hehe. After quite some time with no bonus, I was happy to actually get one this year :D

Just ordered the XB double-cardan shaft and Super Duty SYE from Tom Woods. Should receive it early next week, and will document the installation process (since I've done a crappy job of doing so thus far). For those who are curious about the Super Duty SYE, it has an output flange (rather than yoke) and a hell of a guarantee:

http://www.4xshaft.com/SD231.html

The guarantee alone is worth the extra $50 in my book.

Next up is a quick CAD mock-up of a Backbone design I pitched to Mark over at Detours (to allow a 2" receiver instead of a winch plate)... It's feasible in my head, and he expressed interest in seeing it, so we'll see where this goes. It'll involve multiple pieces in place of the pressed winch/main plate, but it very well might work (and leave options regarding receiver placement - above bumper, in bumper, and below bumper).
 
Looks like the driveshaft and SYE are out for delivery right now... Reminds me of waiting on Santa or the tooth fairy as a kid.

Now, the question is this: should I install the kit with the transfer case in the car, or remove it and do it on a bench? If you've got experience with both, I welcome your input - I'll do whatever is the best compromise between ease of installation and estimated time for each route. I'm leaning toward removing it just because I won't be stuck under the damned car for so long, and it'll give me a practice run for installing the 242 I have on the bench in the future (the only reason I opted to upgrade the 231 is because I haven't yet had a need for full-time 4WD, I still need to locate a shift gate/indicator plate and appropriate linkage, and determine whether or not the output shaft is splined for a speedometer gear since it's from a 2003 WJ).
 
I'm planning to start tearing my 231 apart tomorrow since I have the day off, and did some more research in anticipation of this... As a result of this, I'm curious about the following:
  1. I picked up a tube of black RTV, but I seem to see a lot of people who prefer the red variety. The black I picked up is made by ProSeal (Harbor Freight) and is rated for up to 500 degrees F, whereas the red is rated for up to 600. I assume the transfer case will never see temperatures in excess of either of these ratings - should I be okay with the black variety?
  2. I'm still curious as to whether or not installing the Tom Woods SYE would be easier with the transfer case still mounted, or if I should remove it and do it on a bench. I do have a decent impact wrench for the yoke nuts (well, really just the front yoke nut) so I'm not sure whether or not there would be any real advantage to keeping it in the vehicle.
  3. I did some research on junkyard upgrades for the 231 and have been toying around with the idea of doing the wide chain and 6-pinion planetary gear swap. If I was to take this route, I would either need to find an NP241C or NP231HD donor, correct?

Let me know your thoughts... This will be my first transfer case tear-down.
 
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