xj build up advice

Dylan W.

Dylan W.

lone resident of Bro-Lite Island
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Location
Mocksville NC
:confused: I have an xj that i plan on wheeling. Probably take the family more now. I just sold my tj, that i wheeled most any where i wanted. I know one thing, the xj will not fit in all the places i took the tj. I already have it locked f/r with 4.88s in d30f and 8.8r. I also already have sliders,front and rear custom bumpers and a warn. Its a 4.0 automatic and looks really good. (to me anyway).

My question(s) are....

Should I back half the thing?

Exo-cage? too save looks and safety

Interior cage? interior is perfect now

The fenders are cut and i wanted to keep it low slung.

Should i run my new IROKS(36s) OR trade for smaller tires?

If so , which tires? not much highway use at all

If anyone has advice, comments, or pictures of a back halfed xj, or any cool xj...It would be appreciated.

Thanks, Dylan
 
Yeah,its mostly done. Ive seen them roll,I need some sort of cage for family safety. Inside or out is tha main question. Also when the glass breaks will it go everywhere(like in 3 yr old eyes) or , wont the tint hold it together?
 
KInda depends on what you want...

if you want it to save your life in a hard roll then do an internal cage built well..

if you want it to save you and "protect" the body then do an exo..

if you do an exo if will weight more then an internal due to more steel.

mostly comes down to what you want and the loook you like..
 
I would model it heavily based on what Farmboy did with their XJ...

Factory tint isn't a film, so you may want to apply some film on the glass...

If you're gonna wheel it, the interior is gonna get nasty anyway, the outside is gonna get trashed, don't worry about some little plastic pieces.. :D
 
I wouldn't worry about the exterior and go with a internal done right. Since you sold the TJ you should have the bucks, not taking away from any other builders here, I saw one Zuber did and it looked awesome! And While in a roll you will crinkle the sheet metal, it's what inside that is most important. Keeping the back intact is what I would do. Dry storage is kewl on trips like Robinsville, where we camp on the trail. Not to mention any trail we go on and have bad weather.
 
Rich said:
I would model it heavily based on what Farmboy did with their XJ...
Factory tint isn't a film, so you may want to apply some film on the glass...
If you're gonna wheel it, the interior is gonna get nasty anyway, the outside is gonna get trashed, don't worry about some little plastic pieces.. :D
Click to expand...
Are there any pics. of farmboys rig? What about the back half chop? I think ,when done right , it looks kinda cool.

More opinions please!!
 
I wouldn't chop it. You'll want that space for crap.
 
This is when I first started the cage. It is not done and will get some changes. There were some braces added since these were taken and there will be some more added.

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ai16.photobucket.com_albums_b25_xjghost_NP203_20205_203_205003.jpg


I will run it as is right now and add some stuff to it. The thing you need to remeber about cages in an xj's is that they need to reinforce the unibody. I will most likely change the front of the cage some. The seat over the 203/205 was higher then I thought it would be. But this will give you some ideas. You may want to pop into NAXJA advanced fab and search arround.
 
It didn't seem to need to much upgrading to me. IIRC that thing was highly capable just the way it is. If it was mine I would reinforce the unibody, add a sweet interior cage and put a Twizzler dispenser on the ceiling, then call it done.
 
greg slade said:
It didn't seem to need to much upgrading to me. IIRC that thing was highly capable just the way it is. If it was mine I would reinforce the unibody, add a sweet interior cage and put a Twizzler dispenser on the ceiling, then call it done.
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Why on the ceiling? We are both to short to reach it there!!
Anyways, I like Skittles and Candy Corn:flipoff2:
 
Dylan W. said:
What do you think about removing all the side glass and replacing with plexi or lexi ?
Click to expand...

Or just leave it out all together.. Is it getting driven on the road a lot? The plexi is nice since it want shatter just push out but it scracthes quickly..

If it's a 96- XJ then glass is a dime a dozen at any pull a part...
 
Its a 97 model. It wont be on the road hardly at all. Just from parking areas to the trail, when nesessary.

I figure plexi is lighter and wont shatter in anyones face.
 
ghost said:
Yea it is nto fun. What tires are on it now?
Click to expand...

I have a brand new set of Iroks that galloways donated to southern raffle. I bought them from the winner and can trade them for about anything. I have wheeled Callalante w/ 36 iroks one time. It did ok, but i bet 34 or 35 would be easier on it. I just wished they would make a smaller IROK!!
 
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