FYi, the way you mounted the rear shocks. they are not doing anything.. I ran mine like this on my old XJ and it was a waste.. I would reconsider and look for other options.. I actually cut a hole in rear floor behind rear seat and ran mine up threw almost straight up and down and it made a HUGE difference
The Heepster 01' XJ Build
- Thread starter mglester
- Start date
mglester
Matt Lester
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Yeah, you're right they really need to be straight up and down. I kinda threw the cross member on there in a hurry just to have shocks again, but I've always wanted to do hoops through the floor just didn't really know the best way of going about it. What are your suggestions? Can I keep my axle mounts the way they are and just cut holes through the floor, or do I need to redo everything? Kinda sucks cause I got shorter shocks to accommodate the cross member, but running them straight up and down shouldn't be a problem if I do short shock hoops. Got any pics of your shock build?
Chuckman
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2005
- Location
- Huntersville
needs 35"s, stock gears, and a doubler
mglester
Matt Lester
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Oh okay yeah that's how most people have done it, it seems. I didn't wanna have to relocate the axle mounts, but I might have to. Unless I cut closer to the center of the floor, but that kinda defeats the purpose, right?
mglester
Matt Lester
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
mglester
Matt Lester
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Alright so I got a new project up my sleeve for next weekend, but in preparation for it I need to fill in the giant hole that I never finished when I rebuilt the front end part of the unibody. So here it goes...
What is looks like now:
Dummy me didn't plan for the future and I had to grind down the welds on the inside.
All cleaned up and ready for mockup...
1/4" plate mocked up and tacked... I hate cutting 1/4" plate with a angle grinder.
Welded up top, bottom, and both sides. Welds on the sides already grinded down... another thing I hate.
No more hole.
All cleaned up and painted.
How she sits now. Just waiting on something to come in the mail. I'll give y'all a hint. It has to do with a winch. I'll post next Monday when I go at it again.
What is looks like now:
Dummy me didn't plan for the future and I had to grind down the welds on the inside.
All cleaned up and ready for mockup...
1/4" plate mocked up and tacked... I hate cutting 1/4" plate with a angle grinder.
Welded up top, bottom, and both sides. Welds on the sides already grinded down... another thing I hate.
No more hole.
All cleaned up and painted.
How she sits now. Just waiting on something to come in the mail. I'll give y'all a hint. It has to do with a winch. I'll post next Monday when I go at it again.
mglester
Matt Lester
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
So I've been wanting to run another winch for a while now. I ran my buddies winch for a while with a home brew bumper he had made a while back, but he needed it back so I was winchless and bumperless for a while. Technically im still bumperless, but I had decided a while ago with my unibody situation I didn't really want one. So how do you run a winch without a bumper? I think I came up with a solution. I ordered a universal winch mounting plate off Amazon for $45 last week and it finally came in the mail and on my day off today I dove in head first.
I haven't seen anyone come up with something quite like this, but I made it happen.
First things first I had to cleanup the mounting location... keep in mind what im about to weld to is 1/4 plate.
Winch plate... just taking off the powder coat along the edges I gotta weld.
Winch plate and front end ready for mockup.
Winch plate centered, mocked up, and tacked (only temporary) to the front.
Now for the most important part... the gussets. Gotta add some strength to the winch plate obviously. I will be using 4 gussets to secure the winch plate to the front. These were a PITA to cut.
First two gussets mocked up and tacked to the winch plate. Straight up eye balled these ha. Worked out well surprisingly.
Other two gussets mocked up for a total of 4. Should be plenty strong once all burned in.
Took it back off to burn in the gussets to the winch plate. Much easier welding looking down than upside down...
Gussets all burned in! Ready for mock up again.
Winch plate with gussets mocked up and tacked ready to be burned in.
I haven't seen anyone come up with something quite like this, but I made it happen.
First things first I had to cleanup the mounting location... keep in mind what im about to weld to is 1/4 plate.
Winch plate... just taking off the powder coat along the edges I gotta weld.
Winch plate and front end ready for mockup.
Winch plate centered, mocked up, and tacked (only temporary) to the front.
Now for the most important part... the gussets. Gotta add some strength to the winch plate obviously. I will be using 4 gussets to secure the winch plate to the front. These were a PITA to cut.
First two gussets mocked up and tacked to the winch plate. Straight up eye balled these ha. Worked out well surprisingly.
Other two gussets mocked up for a total of 4. Should be plenty strong once all burned in.
Took it back off to burn in the gussets to the winch plate. Much easier welding looking down than upside down...
Gussets all burned in! Ready for mock up again.
Winch plate with gussets mocked up and tacked ready to be burned in.
Last edited:
mglester
Matt Lester
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Winch plate burned in along the top and edges. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Gussets burned in to the front.
Top view of everything burned in. Gussets definitely ain't going anywhere seeing that it burned the powder coat off the top.
Side view of everything burned in. I'm very happy with how the angles turned out. Everything looks straight with no gaps!
All cleaned up and painted. I'm very pleased how it turned out.
Front view in the driveway... kinda dark tho.
Now all she needs is a winch. Birthday's coming up soon so I already know what im asking for. I'm almost 100% positive im gonna go with the Smittybilt XRC 9500lb winch. When I ran the XRC8 I loved it, never had any problems and for $300 on Amazon you can't beat it. More pics to come when I get the winch! Tell me what y'all think.
Gussets burned in to the front.
Top view of everything burned in. Gussets definitely ain't going anywhere seeing that it burned the powder coat off the top.
Side view of everything burned in. I'm very happy with how the angles turned out. Everything looks straight with no gaps!
All cleaned up and painted. I'm very pleased how it turned out.
Front view in the driveway... kinda dark tho.
Now all she needs is a winch. Birthday's coming up soon so I already know what im asking for. I'm almost 100% positive im gonna go with the Smittybilt XRC 9500lb winch. When I ran the XRC8 I loved it, never had any problems and for $300 on Amazon you can't beat it. More pics to come when I get the winch! Tell me what y'all think.
Last edited:
mglester
Matt Lester
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Haven't been on here in a minute so lemme catch up. Last thing I did was a winch mount for the front, well I got the winch finally.
Had to modify the grill a little bit, but it turned out looking alright I think.
So my back tires being bald for a while now I needed some new shoes so I went with some MTR Kelvars. I really love the aggressive look. With new tires and a winch I was ready for opening weekend.
Ended up going to the Jamboree with the club and had a lot of fun. Jeep did awesome like always and didn't break anything, just kept bottoming out the rear shocks.
Here's the first ledge on Daniel. Pie.
Usually I have something to fix or improve after a URE trip, but nothing really came to mind until I remembered the rear shocks. A member on here who's outta Raleigh actually (BRUISER) suggested that I run the shocks through the floor. At first it seemed like a big job, but I'm always up for a challenge so I came up with a plan.
In all honesty I didn't have a plan I just started cutting holes in the floor, ordered some shock brackets from Ruff Stuff, and picked up some 2x2 tube and plate and went at it.
To get the shock to be close to straight up and down I had to put the brackets on the edge of the u-bolt plates.
Tacked the 2x2 in and mocked up where the mounts would go.
Plated the floor over the frame rails and added supports for the 2x2 with some 1x1.
Everything fit perfect with no rubbing so I burned everything in and painted. Finished product... and I still have a back seat!
All in all im very happy how it turned out. Welding to the unibody is a pain, but can be done with some patience. New shocks are in her future. Should be able to run 28" extended.
Had to modify the grill a little bit, but it turned out looking alright I think.
So my back tires being bald for a while now I needed some new shoes so I went with some MTR Kelvars. I really love the aggressive look. With new tires and a winch I was ready for opening weekend.
Ended up going to the Jamboree with the club and had a lot of fun. Jeep did awesome like always and didn't break anything, just kept bottoming out the rear shocks.
Here's the first ledge on Daniel. Pie.
Usually I have something to fix or improve after a URE trip, but nothing really came to mind until I remembered the rear shocks. A member on here who's outta Raleigh actually (BRUISER) suggested that I run the shocks through the floor. At first it seemed like a big job, but I'm always up for a challenge so I came up with a plan.
In all honesty I didn't have a plan I just started cutting holes in the floor, ordered some shock brackets from Ruff Stuff, and picked up some 2x2 tube and plate and went at it.
To get the shock to be close to straight up and down I had to put the brackets on the edge of the u-bolt plates.
Tacked the 2x2 in and mocked up where the mounts would go.
Plated the floor over the frame rails and added supports for the 2x2 with some 1x1.
Everything fit perfect with no rubbing so I burned everything in and painted. Finished product... and I still have a back seat!
All in all im very happy how it turned out. Welding to the unibody is a pain, but can be done with some patience. New shocks are in her future. Should be able to run 28" extended.
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2015
- Location
- Boone NC
nice build!! LOVE the front bumper and rear shocks. soon as i "accidently" mess up my interior..i will do shock mounts in the rear like that but for now my 88 xj seats/carpet/headliner is mint condition and gonna try to keep it that way as long as i can lol.
mglester
Matt Lester
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Thanks man! Man I wish mine was in mint condition. Hang on to it cause sometimes I regret tearing the carpet out, but I had to because of floor board rust. I've seen people do the shocks through the floor with carpet, just looks like a lot of extra work...
mglester
Matt Lester
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Btw I love the paint job on your XJ.
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2015
- Location
- Boone NC
thanks dude!! just looked over your whole build and i like it...i might do the shock mounts through carpet but yeah, its tedious and being careful. i love doing custom enteriors just as much as anything else but i'm too lazy right now LOL.
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2015
- Location
- Boone NC
since you liked my paintjob..heres a bigger one of it. i thought it was cool too. i like wacky paintjobs on my off road jeeps!!
