96 XJ "Sally"

THE FIRST UPDATE Lucky for y'all you get to watch this one from the beginning! Due to living in the salt belt, everything is getting undercoating on, behind, under, everything... First mods are swapping the fenders, grille parts, and intake duct from Max. This one has 3.07 gears, so until I swap in the other axles, I'm hesitant to put the 33's on just yet. I still have to swap the bumper, electrical mods, engine mods, etc so it's not going to be done overnight. Though it is much nicer having interior panels and sound deadening in this one.
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NEW BUMPER!!! I tossed my old bumper on and decided it didn't fit this build. I proceeded to order a DIY kit and built that. The frame stiffener plates it came with are bolt on which seems senseless to me, so I cut the ends off to use as shims since the bumper was designed to have that extra material, and I'll weld both halves together and to the truck when I get to that point. for now, this should be enough. I don't plan on doing any wheeling as of yet, but where I live you never know when you need the winch... For those interested, I'm running a Smittybilt XRC9.5 which is a 9500lb winch. My last one survived years of abuse and a half dozen upstate NY winters not to mention being totally exposed to the elements 24/7. It finally died when one of the magnets in the motor housing stuck to the armature. I'll reccomend a Smittybilt winch to anyone without hesitation.
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Really thinking I need to get a camera or just go back to a smartphone.... Hit some trails yesterday for the maiden voyage, and really found out a lot about this rig. Time for some belly armor, axles and steering from my other rig, sway bar deletes, and more power... All of my off road toys have always been automatic and with never having a manual trans in a 4x4 I never got to attempt it. Seems the go-to is 4-lo in 2nd gear. The current axles have 3.07 gears and those are 31's. Hoping the 3.55's in my other Axles compensate for a bit since 4.11 gears are going to kill my highway milage. Also need to pick the front up a little more so I'll probably pull the factory front spring isolators and swap them with a pair of Rubicon Express lift pucks I got a year or two ago for a different project. Eventually once all of the trail armor, tire carrier, and other gear is on I may end up jumping to a 4.5 inch lift... Forgive the horrible photo quality, I have a simple phone.
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Hood spacers, homebrew cowl induction, a few interior changes, and a Cherry Bomb M80 with a homebrew 3 inch tailpipe. <<<<Unless you love the deep drone rattling your brain everywhere you go, just don't. The extra back pressure definately helped with some of the power issue since somewhere one of the previous owners put on a glasspack and dumped it right to the gas tank. I'll either go back to a Thrush Welded or a Walker Quiet Flow SS. More to come!0716190637.jpg
 
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ENGINE MODS!!!!! Finally got to start swapping over some of my engine mods the other night. Late model intake manifold, 4 port injectors (no, not mustang), wrapped the header down to the collector, replaced the PCV, and eliminated the mechanical fan. Made a world of difference, but still need a regear. Bottom picture shows cruising speed and rpm in 5th. Had to reset the ecm to accept the changes but the low end torque is unreal. Had the same results when I bolted all this onto my 92. Enough talk, here you go!
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Going to do a short write up on the headlight switch on an XJ since when I went looking for a pinout, all I could find is oppinins not answers. This will cover a 96 for sure, however it was different from my 92 so I'm not sure what years it's compatible with. First thing is the problem. Driving down a back road on a cloudy night (pitch black) at about 60 and the lights shut off. Having had this issue before I knew to pull the switch out and hold it. Because of an overloaded wiring harness and the lack of relays in the XJ this happens..
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So to fix it I made a switch panel of my own and added relays, a new supply wire for the headlights alone, and it allows me to turn on just the headlights if I wanted to. The pictures basically say it all.
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The little black switch under the green and orange is for the dome lights.
 

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It's still active, unfortunately my internet is horrible so uploading photos is a pain. Plus with it being winter, it's sorta rough to work outside and she won't fit in the garage. Only real change since the last photo is more power. Next up is 3.55 swap, spartan locker for the rear, and an axle wrap bar. Following that is a cam and kevlar clutch.
 
UPDATE*** So it's been a while but I'm finally wrenching on the rig again. Recently tore down the rear out of my old xj and started getting it ready to swap into the new one. Headed to the junkyard tomorrow for a new front axle since it's cheaper than doing a regear. Here's some pics! Bunch of time with the wire wheel and some fresh paint.
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I typically can only post or upload before 0800 due to garbage internet. Unfortunately the cable company has not made it to my house yet so what I have is what's available. So this update is from last night. It has begun. It was wet when I brought it in so it's had all night to dry. Toying with the idea of getting brake hoses but I'd really like the set from Rugged Ridge. Tossed a before picture in here that will probably get reposted later, but I hadn't realized the little tinker things I've done never got posted so there are a few differences. Crossed a few things off my checklist as well. The plan for today is all of the front end stuff. Axle, track bar, Rugged Ridge HD steering, coil spacers (temporary till I can get coils), longer bump stops, there's a bunch more bonus things not listed. Unfortunately with this virus shit my wife lost her job so I'm the sole income which means no budget to speak of. Hoping to get my hands on some other gear as well since I recently joined a local fire company and some of my old hand me downs are less than adequate. Enough talk. Thanks for looking.KIMG0255.JPGKIMG0258.JPGKIMG0259.JPG
 
Yesterday was a bust. No extra lift as planned I really don't care for the spacers in the front coils.i actually had to weld my ball joints in so the axle housing I got is beat. The ball joint literally fell out of the bottom on one side. Luckily vehicle weight will hold it in. Not to mention everyone had to stop by yesterday so I lost a few hrs. Looks like today is rear axle and finish the front. I have some pics but it got late.KIMG0260.JPG
 
Well this stage of the build is complete. Sorta. I have decided to build the old front axle since the housing is beautiful and hasn't really been abused. It came from PA which helps.

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The after shot.KIMG0267.JPG

Just a few of my favorite companies.
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Brief update for those following, I have a steering issue. So I've spent the last couple weeks eliminating possible causes for a shake over 55 and I believe I have found it. I'll be fabbing the mounts for a second steering damper to counter the effects of chopped knobby tires. Also got a set of rugged Ridge stainless brake hoses that need to be installed. To add to all of the chaos, I'm remodeling the kitchen and I'm an "essential worker" so the schedule is a bit tight. I have however added to my to do list and am finalizing prints for a one off trailer that will be built soon as well.
 
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