BigNuge’s 99 XJ

BigNuge · Mar 15, 2020

Finishing touches done to the tire carrier, it is now complete.

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RoyalXJ · Mar 15, 2020

Very nice.

BigNuge · Mar 16, 2020

RoyalXJ said:
Very nice.

Thanks! Looking to get out and wheel this thing soon!

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BigNuge · Mar 16, 2020

Nice afternoon for a crawl through the apocalyptic countryside.

Found an old rotted section of bumper with a license plate still attached, 1969!!

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BigNuge · Mar 18, 2020

So I was wondering, anyone out there build their own swing out sore tire carrier and have any suggestions for a gas piston to help control the swing arm? The arm moves silky smooth, and extremely easy...almost too easy, so I have to guide it open so it doesn’t slam against the stop.

Any length and weight suggestions would be appreciated!

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BigNuge · Mar 21, 2020

Rear diff service today...nice warm afternoon/evening here in New England!

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ShoeterMcgav · Mar 21, 2020

Dign the build man... very similar to my Jeep- same color and even rust included!

The rear tire carrier came out sweet man! At first glance I thought the bit under the tire the holder/ cradle place form was unneeded weight- mainly cus I haven’t seen many like it. Then I realized it’s not just good for spreading the weight but also serves as a tire skid for that departure angle. Good stuff! How hard will it be to convert to hold a 35? Might be the only downside.... cus it’s not an if it’s a when- believe that! Lol

As for the gas piston.... haven’t thought about that, but a guy I used to wheel with just had a jy rear hatch one on his bumper. Did the trick but I can’t speak to how it held up

BigNuge · Mar 21, 2020

ShoeterMcgav said:
Dign the build man... very similar to my Jeep- same color and even rust included!

The rear tire carrier came out sweet man! At first glance I thought the bit under the tire the holder/ cradle place form was unneeded weight- mainly cus I haven’t seen many like it. Then I realized it’s not just good for spreading the weight but also serves as a tire skid for that departure angle. Good stuff! How hard will it be to convert to hold a 35? Might be the only downside.... cus it’s not an if it’s a when- believe that! Lol

As for the gas piston.... haven’t thought about that, but a guy I used to wheel with just had a jy rear hatch one on his bumper. Did the trick but I can’t speak to how it held up

Thanks! Yeah, that “cradle” for the spare was an intentional piece, and always a part of my design. I could easily tweak it for a 35, move the top mount up an inch. It wouldn’t be that difficult to make the top mount adjustable, I just didn’t bother to do it this time. If I bet did go to 35’s I’ll consider making it adjustable then.

As far as the gas piston, I’m going to buy a cheap Amazon one with mounts and see how it goes!

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BigNuge · Mar 26, 2020

Got a little time out in the shop this afternoon. Fabbed up the lower tie-in brackets for the bumper, and finally got to fabbing up a tailpipe hanger. Got them painted up, drying tonight.

Moved on to getting my ARB compressor mounted under the hood. I used an unused bracket that was let of an ATV winch mount kit. Worked out perfect, it was just the right size for the compressor mount.

I have to get some nutserts to get the bracket bolted up, then it will be mounted.

After I have the compressor mounted I will get to mounting my Spod relay box....it’s about time to add some electrical goodies.

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BigNuge · Mar 30, 2020

Wheel, wash, repeat...

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ShoeterMcgav · Mar 30, 2020

Not sure if I saw when you added the hood vents? but definitely a nice touch! I’m debating louvers and vents up front... Is there a bottom to the vents u got, like a 5.9 ZJ? Thinkn thatd be best if I located them at the front of the hood, not as far out as the ZJ more like yours but up front. Makes me think of Nostrils like a post off bull or something:shrug:

BigNuge · Mar 30, 2020

ShoeterMcgav said:
Not sure if I saw when you added the hood vents? but definitely a nice touch! I’m debating louvers and vents up front... Is there a bottom to the vents u got, like a 5.9 ZJ? Thinkn thatd be best if I located them at the front of the hood, not as far out as the ZJ more like yours but up front. Makes me think of Nostrils like a post off bull or something:shrug:

I added the vents a few weeks ago. They are cheep scoops, got them on Amazon. I positioned them up there because that’s the highest part of the hood, natural pocket of heat up there when stopped (they are open/functional scoops). I can see the heat pouring out of them while wheeling, and while stopped.

I try to get all my mods on the thread, once and a while I miss one...lol.

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BigNuge · Apr 5, 2020

Finished up mounting the sPOD today. Brackets came out great, nice and stable.

Got the switch panel mounted up, customized the OEM switch panel area. Retained one of the 12v ports for charging. Relocated the rear wiper switch and the rear defroster switch. Also got the compressor switch mounted and wired (cab side).

I’m waiting for a couple grommets for the firewall penetration before finishing up wiring. I’ll have it all wrapped up over the next week.

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BigNuge · Apr 8, 2020

Ok, so I need some input from the Jeep steering guru’s. This damn wandering is a problem. It drives like crap, especially above 35-40.

I did a bunch of research, found countless threads, and checked things several times over. Here’s what I came up with.

Suspension components, tight & new.

Steering components, tight and in good condition and/or new (brand new ball joints/all).

Had my wife turn the steering back and forth while I laid under the Jeep, everything moves nicely, no slop seen.

Measured/checked toe, found it toed “in” 1/8”

Checked caster, found it at ~14% which comes out to 7-8deg

I’m at a loss guys....what am I missing?

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Andy in Pa. · Apr 10, 2020

My experience is if everything is tight, you need to give it a bit more caster. Are your uppers adjustable? Try aiming for 9-10* caster. Push it to 9 and try it. 10-12* caster is not uncommon. Try not to make a large change, 1 to 2 degrees at a time at most. With larger tires, it is sometimes hard to get rid of that floaty feel without putting a bit more caster into the front end.

A.

BigNuge · Apr 10, 2020

Thanks for the input! I’m running adjustable uppers and lowers. I will try anything at this point to get the thing driving better. All the best wheeling is 1-2 hours away on highway roads. I don’t want to have to fight this thing back and forth to the wheeling spots, and I sure as hell am not trailering it back and forth!

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xCWolf · Apr 11, 2020

Ham radio? What's your call? kc1lwd.

Also what's that spod? is it just an aux controller? I went to the website but I'm not getting exactly what its for

BigNuge · Apr 12, 2020

xCWolf said:
Ham radio? What's your call? kc1lwd.

Also what's that spod? is it just an aux controller? I went to the website but I'm not getting exactly what its for

KC1AMU

The sPOD is a auxiliary power distribution panel. It can power up to 6 auxiliary devices, all controlled by a single umbilical that runs to the cab.

Basically, you mount the relay box in the engine bay, it has 4ga feed wires that go directly tot the battery (where auxiliary devices should be powered from), then run multi-conductor umbilical into the cab to a switch panel. It’s a single plug to the switches. Each devices has its own fuse and switch. My favorite function is the low voltage protection. When the sPOD detected low voltage at the battery it drops all accessories off automatically, saving the battery so you can still start your rig. A pretty important function for a single battery rig (like mine).

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xCWolf · Apr 12, 2020

BigNuge said:
KC1AMU

The sPOD is a auxiliary power distribution panel. It can power up to 6 auxiliary devices, all controlled by a single umbilical that runs to the cab.

Basically, you mount the relay box in the engine bay, it has 4ga feed wires that go directly tot the battery (where auxiliary devices should be powered from), then run multi-conductor umbilical into the cab to a switch panel. It’s a single plug to the switches. Each devices has its own fuse and switch. My favorite function is the low voltage protection. When the sPOD detected low voltage at the battery it drops all accessories off automatically, saving the battery so you can still start your rig. A pretty important function for a single battery rig (like mine).

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That's actually pretty cool. That's definitely cleaner than running a million individual wires I saw one for a wrangler but not for the XJ, is that what you're using?

BigNuge · Apr 13, 2020

xCWolf said:
That's actually pretty cool. That's definitely cleaner than running a million individual wires I saw one for a wrangler but not for the XJ, is that what you're using?

The one I have is a universal one. I had it installed in my Tundra for 7 years, just recently sold that, kept the sPOD for use in the XJ.

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