neXtJeep Build Thread

Shreddinlettuce said:
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I don’t crescent anymore and can torque to spec I do 110 for jam nuts on control arms
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Those make shitty metal benders, sheet metal straighteners and make shift hammers unlike the bigass crescent wrench
 
Got some help from @jeepinmatt junior this evening. Here’s a picture of the bumper I’m not gonna have time to install that he wanted to open.
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Shock mounts showed up right after I finished getting the calipers on, so I promptly burned them on.
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New welder works great, it’s a shame I didn’t leave space for the u-bolt between the perch and the mount :rolleyes:
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Fortunately there was enough clearance on the inside of the mount and the angle isn’t terrible, so it’ll work I guess. But not ideal.


Wrapped all that up and slung the rear under it.
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Then went to install the driveshaft.
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W.
T.
F.

Weren’t bottomed out or anything.
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So obviously that’s a bummer, but that’s a problem for later when I have no patience left 🤣 So I moved on to the front and got it hung.
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Stopped for supper and to put kids to bed, I guess it’s time to go back down to the shop and fight with some tiny ass bolts, or maybe just go online and find a 1310 yoke in stock somewhere local to pick up in the morning. Axle seal was leaking anyway, so I should probably replace that while the yoke is off too. Wish me luck. Clock is ticking!!!
 
Got the rear buttoned up and done. Remembered that I had that D30 front sitting in the floor that I pulled from this very jeep just a couple nights ago, so I snatched the yoke off of it. Also had a brand spanking new pinion seal in my D44 axle setup box! :D
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Then I got the front in and everything connected. Still need to torque down a bunch of bolts and bleed brakes and go for a test drive, but it at least has axles under it! 👍 Also may have to shorten the front driveshaft, but hoping not. It’s too short when the axle is at full droop hanging on the lift, but I haven’t had it at ride height yet. To see how different they are.
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Jody Treadway said:
FYI I'm like 99.8475% the stock D300 output yokes are the same as D30 and D44 too. Just in case you run into a yoke issue up front too.
Looking good buddy
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Yeah, I definitely ran into it up front too. Debating whether to get the $90 one from Advance that’s at a store 25 minutes away, or steal one off the D44 in the front of my TJ.
 
I have a stock 300 yoke around here somewhere if it gets to that point. Hit me up if I need to bring one. Hopefully you'll get it taken care of before you leave tho.
 
R Q said:
I have a stock 300 yoke around here somewhere if it gets to that point. Hit me up if I need to bring one. Hopefully you'll get it taken care of before you leave tho.
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Thanks. I'll pull the one off my TJ before I leave without sorting that issue out though. Much easier to do on the lift than on the ground. I'm hoping @Scott86MJ has one since he's 5 minutes down the road, but I don't wanna call and wake him up yet and there's plenty of other things to work on for now.
 
So the Jeep did great at Uwharrie. The only real issue I had was the right front shock bolts coming loose, which was a pretty easy trail fix thanks to @CLRracer random bolt collection and the battery drill with unibit I had packed in the jeep. Stock bolts were 5/16” and we only had 3/8” but 5 seconds with the drill and the unibit made the shock holes 3/8” 👍 Also the rear shocks are completely blown. They were old, rusty, and for a 4” lift, plus when I put the shock mounts on the new axle it raised them up about 2” and I only had about 2” of up travel. So not too much of a loss, haha.

The ol XJ made it up everything I was able to point it at, even with just “open” diffs and 31 inch “street tires”. The Torsen style rear limited slip worked so darn good I wouldn’t bother with lockers if I didn’t already have them in the axles. The Falken Rubitreks had fantastic grip and no chunking anywhere that I saw. And wheeling with rocker protection is a hundred times better than not haha. Also the 4.10 gears are perfect for the tire size and tranny/t-case gearing. Glad I went with 4.10s instead of 3.73s.

After a good shakedown, here’s the list of what is needed.

Purchase:
Shocks
Steering Damper
1.5-2” front coil spacers
ZJ/WJ/Other seats
Xmax fender flares
Fuel return line
Rubi air locker compressors and switches
Rear Bumpstops
4.6 Stroker

Labor:
Install Barnes skidplate
Install Rear Bumper
Relocate front bumper D-rings
Alignment
Replace shocks
Install steering damper
ZJ/WJ/other seat conversion (vented front, headrest rear)
Mount/secure spare tire in cargo area
Organize junk behind seat
Fix door locks
Install Xmax fender flares
Replace fuel return line
Install Rubi air locker compressors and switches
Replace rear bumpstops
Paint diff covers
Stroker swap
Secure headliner at rear
Change diff fluid


Overall not too bad. Most of it is self explanatory.

Shocks: I’ve read JK stock shocks are a good option. Anybody know of a better option? And/or have a set for cheap? :D


Seats: Some kind of seats with rear headrests. Wifey doesn’t want me to take the kids on the road without rear headrests. And I wouldn’t mind a fancy set of seats out of a newer Commander/Liberty/Grand Churky that I could hotwire some cooled seats in the front. Just not sure how well that would work in the back. If anybody happens to have a set for cheap, I’m interested. Otherwise it’ll probably be a set of ZJ or maybe WJ seats.
 
I think I tried JK shocks on my xj and found them too stiff. I'd put a set of (I think?) the quadratec hydros on my brother's xj some years back and really like the way they ride. I have doetsch on mine I believe and would go with the quadratecs over those.
 
Started doing some locker pump research, and could not bring myself to spend $150+ for a used OEM locker pump, or nearly $400 for a new one. Turns out all these items are the same pump, typically used for 4wd system activation, just with a different mounting bracket:
Suzuki - 2794065D03,2794065D00
KIA - 51030-3E100, 510303E100-TAO
GM - 91177534-TAO, 91177534, 91175575
Mitsubishi – MB664381
Mopar – 5127835AA, 5127834AA, 5127836AA

Found the Kia version brand new OEM for $180 on eBay. That’s more like it. Now to decide whether to buy another or just rig some stuff up with a ball valve or 12v solenoid. Anyway, figured I’d post that list up here in case anyone happens to be looking in the future.
 
Got tired of feeling unproductive on this rainy day so went out to the garage this evening and started swapping the Rough Country bumper on. Since I had installed the gas tank skid back in October, all of the bolts had been de-rusted and broke loose, so that part went relatively smoothly. Took about 2hrs and was relatively straightforward, just annoying with heavy metal stuff and knuckle busting and rust and dirt falling in my eyes. I’ll get it the lights installed and tighten everything down tomorrow.
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jeepinmatt said:
Got tired of feeling unproductive on this rainy day so went out to the garage this evening and started swapping the Rough Country bumper on. Since I had installed the gas tank skid back in October, all of the bolts had been de-rusted and broke loose, so that part went relatively smoothly. Took about 2hrs and was relatively straightforward, just annoying with heavy metal stuff and knuckle busting and rust and dirt falling in my eyes. I’ll get it the lights installed and tighten everything down tomorrow.
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How come you didn't use your lift? :popcorn:
 
justjeepin86 said:
How come you didn't use your lift? :popcorn:
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Would have made it too tall and I wouldn’t be able to reach it :flipoff2:

Also the Cherokee was already parked in the garage, and putting it on the lift is its own nuisance. I was just gonna pull the little plastic side covers off and see what was involved in pulling the stock bumper. I had no plans to do anything, which is apparently the best way to get anything done. I either need no pressure at all, or all the pressure, haha!
 
untchabl said:
How was the fitment and quality of the RC bumper?
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I was very pleased. It all lined up great and was easy to install. All of the holes are slotted so there’s room to tweak the alignment. But everything was within 1/4” before I tweaked alignment anyway. Really all I had to do was lift up on the back so it would line up with the back edge of the quarter panel. Came with D-rings and LED pods and wiring with built in relay and a switch. If I had one complaint it’s that the LEDs are a 30 degree spot instead of a flood, which seems dumb for the application. But whatever, it’ll be fine. A lot of product for sub $500 shipped.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Seats: Some kind of seats with rear headrests. Wifey doesn’t want me to take the kids on the road without rear headrests. And I wouldn’t mind a fancy set of seats out of a newer Commander/Liberty/Grand Churky that I could hotwire some cooled seats in the front. Just not sure how well that would work in the back. If anybody happens to have a set for cheap, I’m interested. Otherwise it’ll probably be a set of ZJ or maybe WJ seats.
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I have a 2005 Grand cherokee limited grey leather interior with a bad hemi engine you can come and get the seats if you want them I know they are heated just don't remember if they were cooled. I'm just holding onto it for a JK hemi conversion that will probably never happen.
 
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