B2XJ - Low and Fast

[loki_racer]

After shopping XJ's for months, I finally settled on a 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo. It already had 33" Maxxis Bighorns (amazing tires), roof rack, and........a CB. Can't ask for much more. The previous owner had ripped out the carpets and headliners, and put some Hello Kitty seat covers on the front. It was love at first sight.

In the first year of ownership, I put in a Spartan D30 locker, slapped on some Deaver springs and Fox 2.0 4" Air Bumps, added some armor, and raced it at ECORS Harlan and DPG.

First Year of Mods:
- JCR Transfer Case Skid
- JCR Sliders
- JCR Lower Rear 1/4 Armor
- OR-Fab Upper Rear 1/4 Armor
- Spartan D30 Locker
- OBA
- Fox Air Bumps
- Deaver Springs
- WJ Knuckle Conversion and TnT HySteer
- C-ROK Steering Box Frame Reinforcement Kit
- Mustang Injectors
- IronMan4x4Fab Extreme Duty Control Arms
- IronMan4x4Fab Motor Mounts
- Hood Vents
- Currie Steering Brace
- Riddler D30 Diff Cover

Clicking any photo will take you to a relevant photo gallery.

When I picked it up (April 2010):


Quick stop at Schwabe Offroad to test out the new-to-me XJ:


First real trip, The Gultches (May 23, 2010):


JCR Lower Rear 1/4 Armor:


Riddler Diff Cover:


The Flats (July 24, 2010):


Hood Vents:


WJ Knuckles and TnT HySteer:


ECORS Harlan - Upper passenger side control arm cut the transmission coolant line about 15 minutes in to the race (August 14, 2010):


OR-Fab Upper Rear 1/4 Armor:


Fox 2.0 Air Bumps:


The Farm (October 30, 2010):


ECORS DPG - snapped the driver D30 shaft and broke the lower ball joint 10 minutes in to the race (November 13, 2010):


I've decided to move a completely new direction with B2XJ. This XJ is already built to handle speeds of 60+ MPH on Trail 10 of Harlan, clear berms at DPG, and catch Class B rigs before the second checkpoint at ECORS Harlan. I'm not sure I could as for much more out of a vehicle that as far ask I know still has the stock motor and transmission after 240,000 miles. It hauled my family (wife, kid and camping car to the roof) 12 hours round trip to Harlan to race. I'm more than confident that if I were a little nicer to it, it could compete in ECORS without missing a beat.

However, I've decided that making it a trail (don't count me out of ECORS just yet, I'm searching for my $500 race rig right now) and expedition rig is what I want to do.

The first step of this build was to sell the 33" Maxxis Bighorns and 15" Soft 8's.


These were replaced by 35x12.50R17 Maxxis Trepadors from Rides of Conover and 17" Raceline Monsters from 4x4GroupBuy:


Next I stripped the interior and bedlined it with some U-POL Raptor:



Mods to come:
- Satin black exterior
- H4 fronts
- interior/exterior LED conversion
- 4 Corbeau Baja RS suspension seats
- custom rear brackets for suspension seats
- custom B and C harness mount bars
- rear cargo rack from Wilson Fab
- rear window racks from Wilson Fab
- quart crate from Artec Industries
- Chrysler 8.25 rear axle
- 760 u joint and shafts for D30
- over the knuckle swap with GoFerIt
- matching front and rear bumpers
- N231D wide chain, sprocket and 6 planetary gear swap
- headliner
- new dash
- AntiRock Sway Bar

 

[REDLYNER]

Can't wait for the paint to go on.

Looking good man!



By the way, don't worry about fender trimming- We'll just head out to The Gulches and DPG next month and let nature do the rest.

 

[brokeass4runner]

Looking good Chris. Sorry we couldn't get those Grabbers for you but that wheel/tire combo you ended up with there is very cool. Cant wait to see it all come together.

 

[tlucier]

Nice looking XJ...

 

[loki_racer]

Will at 4 Wheel Parts Charlotte called to tell me the 4 Corbeau Baja RS seats came in today, two days early.

Going down in my wife's Mini Clubman S to pick one up today. The others will have to hang out at the store until I get the XJ running.

 

[chris]

Wow, I remember when mine used to be nice.

 

[StrokedWJ]

Nice man! It was already a pretty cool rig, but that things gonna be tits when you're through with the build.

 

[loki_racer]

Got the seats home. All 4 fit just fine in my wife's Mini Clubman S:


Mounted up the front seat with no major issues. I am 6'3" and need to have at least three inches chopped off the Corbeau bracket because my head is slammed in to the ceiling (without the headliner) now:

 

[1stgenxxx]

Super nice XJ man. How do you think the Dana 30 is going to like the new tires?

 

[loki_racer]

How do you think the Dana 30 is going to like the new tires?

I ran a D30 on 35's in a TJ for a couple years and never had problems. I'm fairly light on the throttle when rock crawling and have upgraded it to the 760 joints.

I guess I'll find out how well it does. If it blows up, it blows up, and I will figure something else out.

 

[chris]

My D30 loves my 38s! Have you done anything to strengthen the d30? I'm running chromo shafts, just ordered a set of nitro 300M joints. Hopefully I'll quit breaking joints now. It's undergoing a WJ knucle swap and steering upgrade. Part of the project is to somehow strengthen the inner Cs. I am also switching to a stronger ball joint made by raybestos. These are supposed to be solid and not move like your traditional ball joint. Hoping they will stand up to the 38s better.

 

[jeepeater2003]

I had a dana 30 under my YJ with 36 tsls and a heavy foot. The only thing I managed to break was both upper and lower ball joints and that caused the axle and ujoint to go...

But other than that I never really had to much of a problem with it. Had 4.56s and a lunch box...

Good luck

 

[loki_racer]

Have to get all the lights wired back up so I can get the XJ to the paint shop:

 

[ChrisAyers]

Who makes those tail light housings?

 

[loki_racer]

JCR - http://www.jcroffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=XJArmor

Other options include:
http://www.thor4x4.com/html/xj_corner_guards.html - don't fit my model
http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/mercha...Code=rustys&Product_Code=RA-TH&Category_Code= - don't have 2" side market holes (stats say vehicles with side amber side markers are something like 30% less lightly to be hit in a wreck)

LEDs are from www.superbrightleds.com - Amazing customer service, shipped same day I ordered, and they are in STL, so ship times are fast.

 

[drkelly]

Rig looks good and is shaping up to be a really nice trail rig. Wise move not racing that one, and looking for a $500 beater to race.

 

[chris]

Rig looks good and is shaping up to be a really nice trail rig. Wise move not racing that one, and looking for a $500 beater to race.

If only I someone had told me this a year ago. Oh well, now i have my beater!

 

[Foxracin]

looks good. Ive seen it around the Mount Holly area a time or 2.

I like the hood vents. Might have to borrow that idea.

 

[loki_racer]

looks good. Ive seen it around the Mount Holly area a time or 2.

I like the hood vents. Might have to borrow that idea.

I live right by the Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd bridge going in to Mt. Holly. Just hit me up and you can come take a look at them. I think it cost me a total of $8 to to do them.

 

[REDLYNER]

Is that heep painted yet?

Have you received an estimate?


Gulches, DPG, Flats (ECORS)..........Tick tock.





FYI- may be heading up to Rides on Friday, let me know if you are interested.

 

[loki_racer]

Ordered Motive Gear 4.88's for D30 and 8.25 today. The 8.25 is paid for and should be pulled from the donor this weekend. Anyone have a good deal on a 29 spline 8.25 locker? Lunchbox is fine, just needs to be cheap.

Door/truck seals and window .......things are on order as well.

I finally got all the tail light LEDs wired up. For anyone reading this, I figured out that the slow/dying blinker and inability to use tail, turn and brake lights at the same time was due to me having an old flasher relay. XJ's have a flasher relay and a hazards relay, and I replaced the hazards, thinking it was the flasher relay. I failed the 10% rule on that mod.

 

[loki_racer]

 

[1stgenxxx]

What are you plans for cage work?

 

[loki_racer]

Right now I'm just working on getting everything back up and running. A cage is on my list, but I haven't seen one (exo, interior, or hybrid) that I really like.

After this, it will be ready for Save the Gultches and ECORS The Flat.

 

[loki_racer]

I'm officially in crunch mode. ECORS website is almost done and I've got to get B2XJ up and running for the Gultches next week.

Motive 4:88 for D30 and C8.25. Also dropping in newer D30 shafts with the bigger u-joints and finally getting the JKS WJ knuckle spacer installed tomorrow. Also installing the Go-Fer-It OTK tomorrow.


Stealth lights



JCR Gas Tank Skid



Wilson Fab Window Racks


Wilson Fab Rear Racks