Eric's cage build

[EricsXJ]

Thanks for all the comments!

Nice cage work and all the tie-ins. What did you do with the grille suround? I could use one!

The front clip is going back on, but I am going to paint the cage and fenders first.

 

[Gravesdiggerxj]

nice work Eric

Sheet metal work is so fun!

 

[jeepfreak1020]

So where did you relocate your washer fluid tank o?

 

[EricsXJ]

nice work Eric

Sheet metal work is so fun!

Yes I know. Grinding down all those spot welds I made is turning out to be quite the chore!

So where did you relocate your washer fluid tank o?

You can see it in this photo:

It's a washer bottle from an older XJ. I relocated it way back when I had a snorkel.

 

[EricsXJ]

I was asked to take some pics with the wheel on so here are a few more.

This is at ride height and that is a 35x12.50 tire.

Here is with the "stock" fenders:

And here is a front shot:

 

[Phil]

Good luck getting your header panel back in! I just fabbed my front bumper with the header panel in place.

 

[EricsXJ]

Good luck getting your header panel back in! I just fabbed my front bumper with the header panel in place.

I've already worked on that. It was a bitch and took a lot of creative cutting but it will fit. :thumbup:

 

[XJ&CHZ4ME]

Looks great man, clean design and well thought out. It is nice to see these kind of projects instead of just another hack job thread. Keep up the good work! :thumbup:

 

[JP]

Very clean Eric and nice documentation. Gives me some good ideas to finally finish off the front end of my junk.

 

[s7tech]

I was asked to take some pics with the wheel on so here are a few more.

This is at ride height and that is a 35x12.50 tire.

Here is with the "stock" fenders:

And here is a front shot:

This is what I wanted to do. Looks like you won't scuff up your fenders on the Rubicon this year. Looks good Eric. See you later.

 

[XJumpmaster]

It must be nice not having to cover the tires for inspections! LOL

Very sexy, by the way. I need to get caught up on the rest of your build before going for the tube fenders! Been concentrating on building up the tool collection first. Oh and another daily driver. I don't think Tamara knows that she's getting kicked out of the garage for a while once that happens! LOL

I need to remember to look you up next time I have to drive through!

 

[ford boy]

are u going to run doors on it now. wonder how they sit compared to the tubing. it gets cold here so i want to keep my doors

 

[EricsXJ]

Yes I'll still run doors in the cold months and doorless during the warm.

 

[EricsXJ]

So I used some seam sealer to cover the spot welds on the fenders. It says it is best to apply above 70*, and can be sanded when fully cured... so I've been heating the garage with a space heater but haven't got it dry enough to sand, even with adding direct heat. I proceeded to primer the interior tubes and I went ahead and added primer to the fenders. The seam sealer just looks like crap so I ended up stripping the paint off and hit the seams with a wire wheel. I'll let it dry for another week, sand it down (hopefully) and finish painting.

Here it is before stripping the paint off the fenders.

 

[98XJRC]

looks terrific, if I ever get to this point in my XJ, I'm going to be highly considering this route.

 

[EricsXJ]

Okay, so finally after three attepmts I finally got the seam sealer smoothed out and the fenders painted. I also had trouble deciding on how to paint it - all tubes black to match the rest of the cage or keep the fender all tan. I ended up doing all tubes black except for the small vertical tubes, but they could easily be changed to black later on if I want.

I also figured that with the grill removed, now was the opportune time to install some hood pins. Well that and the fact I also noticed that the safety latch was no longer catching the striker when the hood was popped.

 

[Char-Broil]

very nice! I just have one question: why didn't you make the front portion modular? i.e. wouldn't it be useful for it to be somewhat removable?

 

[SharkXJ]

Looks great Eric. Your attention to detail really makes this a nice build. Can't wait to see it on the trail.

 

[Letterman]

I ended up doing all tubes black except for the small vertical tubes, but they could easily be changed to black later on if I want.

Little photochop help, I think it looks good ether way:

 

[XJensen]

It turned out great from design to final construction. Can't wait to see it up close at SierraFest.

Josh