Class 14?

[Sneaker]

This is my 99' XJ as it sits today. But because of economical downs progress has been halted for a while (till I get another job). I need to make a list of parts that are needed to make this into a class 14 race ready XJ. Under the pic I got what I already have and what I already thought of. If anybody has any suggestions on what else just add your 2 cents please, THANKS!

Already
Custom Front Bumber tied to the frame
Custom Cold Air Intake carbon fiber wraped
small 30' all terrains on stock wheels
Custom Full Size Tire Rack
Rusty's Fiberglass Front Fenders
Cheap A$$ hood pins
Procomp and PIAA lights

Future
Full Roll Cage
Rear Tube Bumper
62mm Throttle Body
ACOS Bumpstops
BDS Long Arm Suspension
King 2.0 dual rate piggyback reservoir coilovers up front
deaver long travel leaves in back
King 'Pure Race Series' 2.5 Bypass remote reservoir
Currie 9 inch gusseted in the rear (not sure about gearing), limited slip.
Dana 30 up front (also not sure about gearing), limited slip.
Frame strengthener.
33x12.50 BFG Bajas
American Racing ATX Mojave Teflon
Disk Brakes in rear
Light Rack on Roof
Motor Cage
4.7L stroker kit for 4.0
Mastercraft seats
Crow 4 point harness
Lawrence Baja GPS
Clean Air System
Trany cooler
Fuel Safe fuel cell

 

[tbburg]

What's class 14?(and which series?)
Couple of general racing thoughts:
For actual racing, you'll need 5- 6- or 7(!) point harnesses.(I have NO idea where the 7th point goes,..)
Again, not familiar with class 14, but except for the unlimited classes, a 4.7L is to big and to run in most of the classes XJs run in.
For racing, you may want to consider getting bump-stops/shocks from the same company, also only run one company's lights(it's a contingency thing)
You don't need an engine cage, but you will want shock/spring bucket reinforcement tied into the front of the roll cage.
Look here:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1011761
It's a Jeepspeed conversion kit from T&J performance. The part list will give an idea of what other bracing/strengthening you'll need for a competition rig.
The Bajas are great tires, but unless someone else is paying for them, the ATs and MTs are a LOT cheaper. Bunch of racers use both.
It looks like a nice DD/weekend wheeler now. If you race it, you WON'T be driving it on the street. Better get another daily driver.

By the way, don't knock those "small" 30" tires. I ran the Rubicon on 30" BFG ATs

EDIT: Welcome to our addiction!

 

[Ryan93]

this is a class 14 ranger
http://www.desertrides.com/features/vehicles/butcher/index2.php

 

[tbburg]

this is a class 14 ranger
http://www.desertrides.com/features/vehicles/butcher/index2.php

Oh,...

BITD class 1400 Trick Truck

My,..

Ouch.

Will they let wagons in the truck class? If so:
DX the engine size comment. Although you might want to swap in something even bigger.(like a stroked/bored 401 or whatever the rules allow,..)
Forget the rear spring packs. Check out Crazyjims build. Consider something like that:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=983758
For a race truck, the rear axle gets a spool.

 

[Baja_XJ]

You wont want those 2.0 King coilovers, 2.5s are better than 2.0s, but if you are going to do long like 250 and 500 races youll need 3.0s or they will fade out before the end. And making a XJ into a competitive 1400 will be ALOT of work and I hope you plan on putting out some cash.

 

[Sneaker]

haha.. yeah, i know 14 is a ranger class and im most likely never gonna get to race a station wagon with them. But i like the capabilities of that class... so i thought making a cherokee into working class 14 shape that would be pretty cool. Im just trying to find out what i missed. Thanks tbburg for the tips, i didnt know that you could only use one brand of lights.. im looking to use all PIAA HIDS.

Baja XJ, I just thought the 2.5 might have been too big, but i guess too big isnt a problem for endurance. And yeah... this project is gonna be a nice, slow, build... mostly custom stuff. I like your XJ.. i saw your build on that.

 

[Ryan93]

ever look into Jeepspeed unlimited?

 

[Baja_XJ]

To do 1400 you will be getting rid of a good section of inner fender and running 3" C/Os to the engine cage, no way around it lol to make a budgeted 1400 XJ you will be putting out over 50K...Like ryan said, Id look into Jeepspeed unlimited. Much more XJ friendly and still not to many rules to follow. Glad ya like my XJ, thanks. But seriously, 2.0s only last about 30 minutes before they start to fade..ask me how I know lmao and jim can vouche for that as well..its all about the oil capacity..2.5 is pushing it, 3.0 would be the safest bet

 

[JXPEEJ]

Just build a jeepspeed..unless your gonna link the rear, get you some equal length beams and swingset steering in the front.

 

[tbburg]

It's not a matter of running only one kind of light/shock/guage/whatever. No rule against it. Like I said, it's for contingency. Most manufacturers offer money if you win or place in a class, if you're running exclusively their hardware, and their contingency decal.
To use the example of your jeep: You put a PIAA contingency sticker on your truck, and place in class. They don't pay because of the Pro-comp lights. Technically, you couldn't put the sticker on the truck. Same thing with just about every other piece of gear on the truck.

In most cases, it's not a lot of dough, although Ford pays a BUTTLOAD of cash if you win driving a Ford(in many cases, more then the trophy prize) and BF Goodrich pit support is worth it's weight in gold. (which explains why so many racers are Fords running BFG tires )

 

[xcm]

if your building a race truck to win contingency money, your doing it wrong.

whats the fastest way to a million dollars in offroad racing? start with 2

 

[FordGuy]

1400 CLASS XJ? It is not practical, 50k might make a crappy 1400 unless you own a fab shop. Buy a used race car, the only way to go, plus you will get tons of spares, heck we have 30k in spares for our Pro-Truck.

 

[Sneaker]

Thats all very good info, thanks to all so far for your imput. Hey, baja xj.. right now im running like 1.5 inch monotube procomps... stock replacements, HAHAH... not the smoothest off road experience! How much travel does you XJ get? Does it get full class 14 privileges?

 

[Baja_XJ]

mines still far from 1400 wheel travel...I get 10 up front and about 13 out back. 1400 wheel travel look at crazyjims build or the loose nuts build..they are both insane. XJs arnt going to get massive long travel without dumping in alott of money, XJs are more of a mid travel type prerunner.

 

[tbburg]

if your building a race truck to win contingency money, your doing it wrong.

I wasn't trying to suggest contingency should be the only factor in decision making, but that it shouldn't be left out entirely. Lets be real: In many classes of off road racing,(especially the classes we play in) if you finish the race, there's pretty good odds you'll place. Why turn down money people are handing you just to use 1 off-brand gauge, light, or tire? Looking over my posts, I did kind of center on that aspect(or at least the discussion went that way) and I came off making it sound more important then it is. Sorry about that.

Back on topic:
Sneaker:
Probably the best suggestion so far here was the 3700 class ( Jeepspeed unlimited). If you actually want to compete some day this is probably the class to aim your build at.

Here's the rules:
http://www.jeepspeed.com/rules/rules.shtml
(clear at the bottom of the page, says "Click here for class 3700 rules" It's a PDF download.

If you do want to compete eventually:
First, you should attend a race or two, and talk to some of the drivers while they're waiting in line at tech/contingency. They'll be happy to talk to you. They have all the time in the world, and waiting in line for 4 hours is boring. It'll give you some insight into what it really takes to run a race car.

Read this thread:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1001813&highlight=cost

Figure out what you want to build(car, truck, wagon, etc)
Find out what class it falls in. Pay close attention to this.
Personal example: Me and another member here part time race a long wheelbase MJ(7 foot box, 120" wheelbase) We wanted to build it and run in Jeepspeed, but that's the one XJ/MJ/TJ/YJ/CJ/ZJ/JK that is specifically dis-allowed. We run in BITD 7100 class(mini-truck), but not by choice.
As you build the truck(car/whatever) make sure all the modifications you plan fit in the rules. Nothing is as frustrating as having to rip out new(and probably expensive)work and re-doing it to pass tech.

There's nothing wrong with building a toy to play in(we all have them!) and playing in a "pre-runner" is a blast. But if you plan to compete, turning a "pre-runner" into a "racer" is about the same as starting over, unless you planned for it to begin with.

 

[Sneaker]

Thank you very much tbburg, that is a lot of very helpfull info. Im gonna look into the Jeepspeed unlimited class and check out the tech specs. There ait nothing better than a raceable truck you can also play in!... and for a relatively less expensive price tag =)