Jeep XJ simple mods

[kuojo]

Ok... so I am still relatively new to the forums and I love reading all the posts about your different types of mods and ideas, but I am a college student with not a lot of money and about the same amount of time. So I was curious what some cheaper simple mods would be that wouldn't require welding preferably and figured some of our other younger or poorer users would appreciate this. For starters I was curious what others have done for body armor. I know on mine I am gonna remove all the lower paneling and recoat with rino bed liner. Anyone else got any ideas?

[XJ4IV]

Im gonna be your bestest friend... Im a cheapy LOL everything I did was on the cheap and youd be amazed at my build! best thing you can do without welding as for a bumper is get a GREAT drill and some GREAT drill bits and use grade 8 , my front bumper was alllll bolt on for three years also get a ryobi 4" grinder and buy some metal cutting blades from home depot, I built my front bumper for about 30$ as for armor, thats kinda difficult cause once you drill into the frame youve weakened the body so the welding aspect helps a BUNCH,
I bought a cheapy harbor frieght welder and I DO NOT recommend getting one from there if your looking for strength ! craigslist is your good friend too, I bought a Lincoln arc welder for 200 and it was in great working order and best of all no gas and the welding rods are fairly cheap!

[kuojo]

I was curious if yall had some different ideas? Like I said I am gonna paint part of my car using rino liner to add an armor like substance :D It will also had even more character then it already has ;) I am just lazy and still new to this so I wanted to know if yall had some good ideas

[XJ Wheeler]

I personally love this thread and sounds perfect for some ideas for ya.
http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8603&highlight=cheap+cool

[TimmyTXJ]

Hi Kuojo, I'm new here too. The first "simple" mod I plan to do is to remove the rear sway bar to improve articulation. But, my jeep is a secondary toy that won't see much highway action. This might be a questionable mod if you plan to drive your jeep every day. Removing the sway bar will increase body roll in the corners and could potentially be dangerous if you turn at higher speed.

[Mudderoy]

Ok... so I am still relatively new to the forums and I love reading all the posts about your different types of mods and ideas, but I am a college student with not a lot of money and about the same amount of time. So I was curious what some cheaper simple mods would be that wouldn't require welding preferably and figured some of our other younger or poorer users would appreciate this. For starters I was curious what others have done for body armor. I know on mine I am gonna remove all the lower paneling and recoat with rino bed liner. Anyone else got any ideas?

:welcome: The good news is your 4x4 Jeep Cherokee is very capable stock. The cheapest, best mod would be tires. Get you something that will improve off road traction. Yeah I know they aren't cheap, but that one thing will make the biggest difference between go and stop.

The other thing you'll need to worry about is recovery points. Front and rear, because you WILL get stuck. You can build full bumpers or better yet fab up some d-ring mounts and attach them to the uni-body.

That's really all you need! Later if you wanted to install a winch, well now you can un-stuck yourself in most cases.

[kuojo]

Well I took care of new tires today :D I was able to fit 31x1050 stock with some trimming to the wheel well so I am super happy! I will work on getting some bumpers with d-rings and a lift to help accommodate the new tires. Thank yall!

[kuojo]

I personally love this thread and sounds perfect for some ideas for ya.
http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8603&highlight=cheap+cool
Already saw and thought there may be other ideas out there

[4.3LXJ]

A lot of it depends on what you mean by cheap. One good cheap mod is recovery points at least in the front. Was a factory option if you can find the brackets. Do you have all the factory skid plates. One in front, tcase skid and gas tank skid? Better headlights can be had by going to H4 bulbs and new housings. Best lift for the dollars spent is the 3" lift using new front coils and S10 bastard pack springs. Lunch box locker runs $250 - 300

[TimmyTXJ]

kuojo, what kind of tires did you put on your rig? Wheels and tires are on my list after I finish bringing the beast back to life. I ventured over to that other thread too... lots of great ideas there!

[AwesomeXj]

Rotate your rear view mirror 180* to give you more view out of your windshield

[kuojo]

kuojo, what kind of tires did you put on your rig? Wheels and tires are on my list after I finish bringing the beast back to life. I ventured over to that other thread too... lots of great ideas there!

Lol I was able to fit 31X1050 stock after I found some in a junkyard in decent condition off a dodge ram. 200 for a full set. I had to a little bit of trimming similar to here. http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6194

I am pretty sure I can't offroad though since i have only 1/2in of backspace in the front wells. But I am lifting it soon so that should help.

Good ideas 4.3LXJ! I am definitely gonna keep an eye out for that stuff.

[XJ4IV]

never heard of that mirror thing, Im gonna have to give that a shot tomorrow!
a GREAT and reasonably cheap mod is to do a Ford 24lb injectors, search on here for an injector thread which also incorporates a adjustable MAP sensor, this modification will set you back about 130$ and give you phenomenal throttle response as well as save you a bit of MPG.
You can find the injectors on ebay and there WAS a member on here that was selling them as well along with the MAP sensor just gotta root around!

[kuojo]

Sounds good to me since my gas mileage just dropped with the larger tires and the lift

[07Negative]

A Powertraxx lunchbox locker for the rear is pretty cheap. I've used em for both front and the rear and I have no complaints. The H4 headlights are a must! Cheap as hell too. Front recovery is cheap and easy.
I know it entails welding, but frame stiffeners are so worth it! There are quite a few folks making bumpers that are really affordable. Look at the DirtBound OffRoad bumpers. Chances are you can find a Warn winch on craigslist or ebay.
You can piece a lift together for somewhat cheap. coils are about $150 new. I've got some short arms available (both uppers and lowers) that I took off my 4.5" lift. I'm pretty sure they would work well on a 3.5" lift b/c it would keep the axle centered. Just needs new bushings.
Brake upgrade from a newer XJ. Explorer rear disc conversion in the rear (assuming your drums are trashed). If you have a D35 a Chrysler 8.25 (29 spline) are a dime a dozen and rather cheap. For whatever reason everyone thinks they need a D44 or D60 on 33's.
Bored throttle body.
Before modifying anything though. I would make sure your jeep is all maintained. Brakes are safe, fix leaks, that kinda stuff. I'm not sure how expensive a port and polishing the head would be. I've never paid for it. But if sure makes a difference. I've never tried Ford injectors. Would be interesting to try. I've seen a ton of posts on it. Just didn't know if it is like the throttle body spacer non sense.

[TimmyTXJ]

A Powertraxx lunchbox locker for the rear is pretty cheap. I've used em for both front and the rear and I have no complaints. The H4 headlights are a must! Cheap as hell too. Front recovery is cheap and easy.
I know it entails welding, but frame stiffeners are so worth it! There are quite a few folks making bumpers that are really affordable. Look at the DirtBound OffRoad bumpers. Chances are you can find a Warn winch on craigslist or ebay.
You can piece a lift together for somewhat cheap. coils are about $150 new. I've got some short arms available (both uppers and lowers) that I took off my 4.5" lift. I'm pretty sure they would work well on a 3.5" lift b/c it would keep the axle centered. Just needs new bushings.
Brake upgrade from a newer XJ. Explorer rear disc conversion in the rear (assuming your drums are trashed). If you have a D35 a Chrysler 8.25 (29 spline) are a dime a dozen and rather cheap. For whatever reason everyone thinks they need a D44 or D60 on 33's.
Bored throttle body.
Before modifying anything though. I would make sure your jeep is all maintained. Brakes are safe, fix leaks, that kinda stuff. I'm not sure how expensive a port and polishing the head would be. I've never paid for it. But if sure makes a difference. I've never tried Ford injectors. Would be interesting to try. I've seen a ton of posts on it. Just didn't know if it is like the throttle body spacer non sense.

Awesome tips! I've been looking at bumpers with good recovery points and am flabberghasted by how proud most retailers are of them. I'm going to check out dirtbound.

[fasteddie760]

Awesome tips! I've been looking at bumpers with good recovery points and am flabberghasted by how proud most retailers are of them. I'm going to check out dirtbound.

I am too!! I might have re-inforce the stock one till i save the mullah.

[AwesomeXj]

I am too!! I might have re-inforce the stock one till i save the mullah.
Keep an eye open in your local area for fabricators. Look on CL and local jeep forums. Just because a bumper or sliders are made by a local fab guy doesn't mean its not just as strong as a name brand. Many times you can have a much more extensive bumper for less than a basic name brand. OR pick up a DIY bumper kit and weld it yourself.

[AwesomeXj]

Cut or disconnect the cables that limit the hood from opening all the way. You'll be able to open the hood 90* vertically.

[AwesomeXj]

INTERIOR/EXTERIOR PRETTY STUFF:


lebaron hood vents -12$ each

scored a plug in factory trailer wiring harness from the junkyard.

On the earlier models you can get the clock off the dash and bolt it on.

Factory fog lights and switches

I've seen XJs with factory stereo amps under the rear seat.

When I go to junkyards, I always look for someone who has upgraded their heaadlights to the Hellas or any with the replaceable H4 bulbs.

'97+ mirrors are a direct swap to the older '84-'96 models and allow you to fold them on the trail and get a slightly larger mirror as well.

For the MJ folks: Some may not realize that the pre '96 XJ buckets are bolt-in as well as the XJ consoles (both full and mini).

Also for those who already have buckets, some early buckets had a tilting seat bottom as well as the seat back. The mechanism for this feature was contained in the seat mount and if you can find the mount with it you can swap it in under your original seats gaining a lot more adjustability (my first MJ had these seats and I could never get comfortable in my XJ until I scored a set of bases outta the same '87 Poineer I got my 4.10's from).

Some police versions have rubber liners (like pickups) instead of carpet.


SUSPENSION & AXLES:

WJ front LCA's
-same length as stock XJ LCA's but have a bend for clearance of wider tires
-slightly thicker steel than XJ LCA's and made of boxed square tubing instead of channel

ZJ Pitman Arm for a 1" drop.
MJ shackles for 1/2" lift.
95+ or any ABS equipped XJ for the 297 front axleshafts.

- rear sway bar axle mounts as bar pin eliminators on your shocks -free$$$,
- newer xj's have longer sway bar end links by about 1-1.5", cheap at 8$ each to clear coils on a small lift

-all skids at picnpull are 13$ in CA, (gas tank, t case, front skid too!)

for my rear lift I had bought early 90's 4 door blazers and 3" add a leaf. Been almost a year and still sitting square and at 6" I used all the leafs from both plus the add a leaf. Still flexes decent.



Rear brake line option. 84 dodge ram van is 12" longer than a stock hose and works great.

chevy truck brake lines in the front and dakota line for the rear. more than enough for 6in.


don't know if it's been mentioned, but a "free" mod is just using the stock rear swaybard mounts as BPE's. Use 1/2" x 2 1/2" grade 8 hardware with the bushing pressed out of the swaybar and pressed into the new shock eye. Works perfectly well, beats buying the same thing that comes with a fancy sticker..except I guess my rig might go faster with stickers on it :lol:
here's a picture, stock shock on the right and rear MJ shock with the aforementioned BPE attached on the left. Good for 3-4" of lift.



the rear lower control arms on the geo tracker 90-99, suzuki sidekick, and chevy tracker, all 90-99, are 2 inches longer than the xj front control arms, and will fit directly, with a little love. they are round stock, and torque pretty good.



http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/re_db.html website to calculate the amount of LCA length you need to correct your camber with lift.


The longer (rear) WJ LCA's would add caster to your front end.
WJ rear LCA's
-don't have the tire clearance bend but are 2” longer than stock XJ LCA's
- slightly thicker steel than XJ LCA's and made of boxed square tubing instead of channel
-can be modded to fit XJ by cutting down the bushings to fit in the XJ's LCA pockets

ZJ
V8 coils give 1” of lift on a XJ
gastank skid can be made to fit a 97+ XJ
rear discs can be swapped onto a c-clip D35 or corp 8.25
V8 tierod is much stronger than the XJs and is a direct swap.

Early to mid 90s ford crown vic rear disc brakes are almost a direct swap to an XJ d44 or non c-clip d35. All that is needed to bolt them up is a spacer that goes between the outer bearing retainer and outer bearing seal to make up the difference in thickness between the caliper bracket and drum bracket to give the proper bearing preload. On the XJ d44 you can use the factory outer retainer for a TJ Rubicon d44 (mopar pn 1-05083678AA) after it is redrilled to correct axle flange bolt pattern. On the non c-clip d35 a custom spacer must be fabbed up. A 1/4” tall section of 2.5” od tubing with a ~.120 wall thickness should work.

The following vehicles rear leaf packs can be used in combination w/ an XJs mainleaf to lift the rear end (cut the eyes off of the mainleafs). Trial and error will determine how much lift.
Dakota leafs
S10 leafs
MJ leafs
XJ leafs

YJ rear brake line is 3” longer than the XJ's and is a direct swap.


S-10 chevy rear leafs - when using the main eye and bottom most leaf with the rest of a stock XJ pack it will yield about 3.5" of lift.


V8 ZJ stock coils - about 1.5" taller than stock XJ


I got my 4.10 axles from a 4 cylinder rig...most of them have 4.10 gearing. (also in the v6 2.8)



Vehicle OD Wire Dia Free Turns Free Length Rate lb/in Lift inches
Chrokee 5 .5512 7 18 209 0
72 F-150 5.3 .6299 7.5 16.5 287 .250
94 TBird 5.0 .6299 9.0 18 297 1.93
75 E-150 5.5 .700 7.5 17 409 2.16
70's F-250 4wd 5.38 .685 8.5 17 356 1.67
65 F-100 5.13 .6772 7.5 ? 448
73 E-150 van 5.50 .748 8.75 ? 473



ENGINE BAY:

90 XJ pressure bottle
I was having problems with my 90 XJ pressure cap holding pressure, the local NAPA didn't have one in stock and I was noticing a crack forming in the bottle.
Of course there were none to be had at he local U-Pull-It, so I started searching for an alturnative to changing over to the 91 and later system (I had just changed the rad over to a new copper and brass 2 row unit. My search of the wrecking yard came up with 2 possibilities, late 90's Ford Crown Vic or Dodge Intrepid and its cousins, being an old MoPar guy I chose the Intrepid.

I removed the old bottle and the shelf it was mounted on, the Intrepid bottle fit like it was made for the XJ.

The lower hose was almost a exact fit, I didnt have to but I replaced it with a short piece of bulk 5/8" and it was a exact fit on both ends.

The upper hose was a little bit of a problem I had to adapt from 5/8" to 3/8", a trip to the hardware store and I found the brass adapters I needed.

The total project including the trip around the junk yard took me 2 hrs and looks like a factory installation

click this link for pix.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...LE/IM000465.jpg




I have a 2000 XJ, and added cruise from the junkyard for $30!!

You need the underhood servo, with its vacuum line and throttle cable. The holes for it are already in the pass fender. The wiring plug was there also. Even the throttle cable bracket and throttle body were set up to accept the cruise cable. The vacuum line at the servo mounting point even has a "T" fitting with a small cap on it. Just take off the cap and plug on the servo's vacuum line.

You will also need the switches off the steering wheel. This means you need to take off the airbag so be sure to disconnect the battery. Needed a small torx bit to get the switches off. They bolt right on in place of the "blanks" on my steering wheel.

You also need the clockspring that sits behind the steering wheel. Pull you own wheel first so you know what tools you need. The first time I went I was not prepared. You need a good steering wheel puller. The clockspring is what connects the wires from the airbag and switches to the rest of the wiring, allowing the steering wheel to turn.

BE CAREFUL--apparently the switches from 98 or 99 and down and 99 or 2000 and up are different EVEN THOUGH THEY LOOK IDENTICAL. Sorry I don't know exactly, I wasn't paying attention when I pulled my first set but they did not work. I went back and got some off a 2000 (after doing some research) plugged them in and BANG the green "cruise" light on the dash lit up when I pushed on. Works like a charm and easy.

Sorry don't know how much work is involved in the earlier models.

I also scored a newer style intake manifold from the junkyard, and got the power steering bracket that is required to install it



Forgot about an other good mod that I had to do.
converting from the close system to open without changing your radatior using junkyard parts. Go to the yard and look for dakotas or durangos with a 4.7 and grab the upper hose to get there fill cap. Cut section out of the upper hose and install into it and find an any over flow bottle that will work. Block or elimitate the T'ed lines in the heater core and your done.




zj's and 97+ xj's come with a plastic fuel cell with the pump assembly on top, not too ugly either, perfect for an incab fuel cell on the cheap that will still take the stock fuel pump.


don't forget the late model Ford taurus dual electric fan to replace the mechanical on the 4.0 96-98 ford taurus, dual speed electric fans, like 4000cfm air combined.


A Dodge Durango steering box will work as an upgrade also. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71626


95-96 XJ power brake booster - great replacement to the renix crap.


350 or 351 power steering pump - works alot better than what we all have now especially with 35+ sixed tires. Mounts easily does take some welding.


The alt. from a 98 era 318 grand cherokee or dakota will bolt in with a slight exchange of parts. My stock alt. was 117 amp the grands was a 136 amp...and some of the older xjs were only 90 amp. Wiring should probably be taken into consideration if going from 90 to 136 though...



If youve scrapped your renix AC for OBA - use the existing AC cooler and plum it into the power steering gear box, you use alot more PS fluid but wont get the "whine" when turning at crawl speeds.


(transfer case mod)
How about the guts from a Dodge truck 231? Wider chain and so on for an upgrade on your 231...
There have been posts here before regarding this mod, might be a cheap T case junkyard upgrade for those lookin to do some mods on the cheap
Consoles for shifters (if anyone cares) are modular - If you need to downsize from full to shorty the shift indicator from an auto will fit into the hole left when you pull out the manual rubber boot - and vice versa. The sheet metal tabs sticking out of the tunnel have screws buried under all the dirt and will come out. However, carpet patching is necessary, if you bother.


92+ HO 4.0's - almost everything is straight accross swapable with the non HO engine. If your not a wiring geneous as I am not, use everything that doesnt need the computer, head, intake, exhaust, etc. Use your renix TB, injectors, etc. I did this just recently and noticed a considerable change in power. The HO head is ported much better along with the intake and exhaust.


A Comanche overflow tank mounts on the fender next to the stock air filter if you have (converted) to the open radiator. The 18" hose that comes with it is almost too long - beats the 3+ foot hose and gangly tall factory thingy behind the battery.

The old chrome custom oil breathers from small block chevies are PVC sized and pop right in to the valve cover - NO more oil on the air filter. Yes, the hood shuts. I am also looking for a mid 90's Pontiac oil separator/breather from the quad 4 (?) which even includes a finned cast aluminum body and oil return line to the nearest point. I looks like it was styled by the same guy who did the valve cover, and is my latest search item when out junking.

Mid 90's caravans have a nice tranny cooler the size of Hayden's smallest 400 series - but they are plate style, not fins, even better. Get them with the bracket and hoses.

Get an extra jamb switch to install 12" down from the hinges on the hatch - so you can actually get the back light on when it opens, instead of tweaking the hall effect sensor weekly . . .

[XJ Wheeler]

INTERIOR/EXTERIOR PRETTY STUFF:


lebaron hood vents -12$ each

scored a plug in factory trailer wiring harness from the junkyard.

On the earlier models you can get the clock off the dash and bolt it on.

Factory fog lights and switches

I've seen XJs with factory stereo amps under the rear seat.

When I go to junkyards, I always look for someone who has upgraded their heaadlights to the Hellas or any with the replaceable H4 bulbs.

'97+ mirrors are a direct swap to the older '84-'96 models and allow you to fold them on the trail and get a slightly larger mirror as well.

For the MJ folks: Some may not realize that the pre '96 XJ buckets are bolt-in as well as the XJ consoles (both full and mini).

Also for those who already have buckets, some early buckets had a tilting seat bottom as well as the seat back. The mechanism for this feature was contained in the seat mount and if you can find the mount with it you can swap it in under your original seats gaining a lot more adjustability (my first MJ had these seats and I could never get comfortable in my XJ until I scored a set of bases outta the same '87 Poineer I got my 4.10's from).

Some police versions have rubber liners (like pickups) instead of carpet.


SUSPENSION & AXLES:

WJ front LCA's
-same length as stock XJ LCA's but have a bend for clearance of wider tires
-slightly thicker steel than XJ LCA's and made of boxed square tubing instead of channel

ZJ Pitman Arm for a 1" drop.
MJ shackles for 1/2" lift.
95+ or any ABS equipped XJ for the 297 front axleshafts.

- rear sway bar axle mounts as bar pin eliminators on your shocks -free$$$,
- newer xj's have longer sway bar end links by about 1-1.5", cheap at 8$ each to clear coils on a small lift

-all skids at picnpull are 13$ in CA, (gas tank, t case, front skid too!)

for my rear lift I had bought early 90's 4 door blazers and 3" add a leaf. Been almost a year and still sitting square and at 6" I used all the leafs from both plus the add a leaf. Still flexes decent.



Rear brake line option. 84 dodge ram van is 12" longer than a stock hose and works great.

chevy truck brake lines in the front and dakota line for the rear. more than enough for 6in.


don't know if it's been mentioned, but a "free" mod is just using the stock rear swaybard mounts as BPE's. Use 1/2" x 2 1/2" grade 8 hardware with the bushing pressed out of the swaybar and pressed into the new shock eye. Works perfectly well, beats buying the same thing that comes with a fancy sticker..except I guess my rig might go faster with stickers on it :lol:
here's a picture, stock shock on the right and rear MJ shock with the aforementioned BPE attached on the left. Good for 3-4" of lift.



the rear lower control arms on the geo tracker 90-99, suzuki sidekick, and chevy tracker, all 90-99, are 2 inches longer than the xj front control arms, and will fit directly, with a little love. they are round stock, and torque pretty good.



http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/re_db.html website to calculate the amount of LCA length you need to correct your camber with lift.


The longer (rear) WJ LCA's would add caster to your front end.
WJ rear LCA's
-don't have the tire clearance bend but are 2” longer than stock XJ LCA's
- slightly thicker steel than XJ LCA's and made of boxed square tubing instead of channel
-can be modded to fit XJ by cutting down the bushings to fit in the XJ's LCA pockets

ZJ
V8 coils give 1” of lift on a XJ
gastank skid can be made to fit a 97+ XJ
rear discs can be swapped onto a c-clip D35 or corp 8.25
V8 tierod is much stronger than the XJs and is a direct swap.

Early to mid 90s ford crown vic rear disc brakes are almost a direct swap to an XJ d44 or non c-clip d35. All that is needed to bolt them up is a spacer that goes between the outer bearing retainer and outer bearing seal to make up the difference in thickness between the caliper bracket and drum bracket to give the proper bearing preload. On the XJ d44 you can use the factory outer retainer for a TJ Rubicon d44 (mopar pn 1-05083678AA) after it is redrilled to correct axle flange bolt pattern. On the non c-clip d35 a custom spacer must be fabbed up. A 1/4” tall section of 2.5” od tubing with a ~.120 wall thickness should work.

The following vehicles rear leaf packs can be used in combination w/ an XJs mainleaf to lift the rear end (cut the eyes off of the mainleafs). Trial and error will determine how much lift.
Dakota leafs
S10 leafs
MJ leafs
XJ leafs

YJ rear brake line is 3” longer than the XJ's and is a direct swap.


S-10 chevy rear leafs - when using the main eye and bottom most leaf with the rest of a stock XJ pack it will yield about 3.5" of lift.


V8 ZJ stock coils - about 1.5" taller than stock XJ


I got my 4.10 axles from a 4 cylinder rig...most of them have 4.10 gearing. (also in the v6 2.8)



Vehicle OD Wire Dia Free Turns Free Length Rate lb/in Lift inches
Chrokee 5 .5512 7 18 209 0
72 F-150 5.3 .6299 7.5 16.5 287 .250
94 TBird 5.0 .6299 9.0 18 297 1.93
75 E-150 5.5 .700 7.5 17 409 2.16
70's F-250 4wd 5.38 .685 8.5 17 356 1.67
65 F-100 5.13 .6772 7.5 ? 448
73 E-150 van 5.50 .748 8.75 ? 473



ENGINE BAY:

90 XJ pressure bottle
I was having problems with my 90 XJ pressure cap holding pressure, the local NAPA didn't have one in stock and I was noticing a crack forming in the bottle.
Of course there were none to be had at he local U-Pull-It, so I started searching for an alturnative to changing over to the 91 and later system (I had just changed the rad over to a new copper and brass 2 row unit. My search of the wrecking yard came up with 2 possibilities, late 90's Ford Crown Vic or Dodge Intrepid and its cousins, being an old MoPar guy I chose the Intrepid.

I removed the old bottle and the shelf it was mounted on, the Intrepid bottle fit like it was made for the XJ.

The lower hose was almost a exact fit, I didnt have to but I replaced it with a short piece of bulk 5/8" and it was a exact fit on both ends.

The upper hose was a little bit of a problem I had to adapt from 5/8" to 3/8", a trip to the hardware store and I found the brass adapters I needed.

The total project including the trip around the junk yard took me 2 hrs and looks like a factory installation

click this link for pix.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...LE/IM000465.jpg




I have a 2000 XJ, and added cruise from the junkyard for $30!!

You need the underhood servo, with its vacuum line and throttle cable. The holes for it are already in the pass fender. The wiring plug was there also. Even the throttle cable bracket and throttle body were set up to accept the cruise cable. The vacuum line at the servo mounting point even has a "T" fitting with a small cap on it. Just take off the cap and plug on the servo's vacuum line.

You will also need the switches off the steering wheel. This means you need to take off the airbag so be sure to disconnect the battery. Needed a small torx bit to get the switches off. They bolt right on in place of the "blanks" on my steering wheel.

You also need the clockspring that sits behind the steering wheel. Pull you own wheel first so you know what tools you need. The first time I went I was not prepared. You need a good steering wheel puller. The clockspring is what connects the wires from the airbag and switches to the rest of the wiring, allowing the steering wheel to turn.

BE CAREFUL--apparently the switches from 98 or 99 and down and 99 or 2000 and up are different EVEN THOUGH THEY LOOK IDENTICAL. Sorry I don't know exactly, I wasn't paying attention when I pulled my first set but they did not work. I went back and got some off a 2000 (after doing some research) plugged them in and BANG the green "cruise" light on the dash lit up when I pushed on. Works like a charm and easy.

Sorry don't know how much work is involved in the earlier models.

I also scored a newer style intake manifold from the junkyard, and got the power steering bracket that is required to install it



Forgot about an other good mod that I had to do.
converting from the close system to open without changing your radatior using junkyard parts. Go to the yard and look for dakotas or durangos with a 4.7 and grab the upper hose to get there fill cap. Cut section out of the upper hose and install into it and find an any over flow bottle that will work. Block or elimitate the T'ed lines in the heater core and your done.




zj's and 97+ xj's come with a plastic fuel cell with the pump assembly on top, not too ugly either, perfect for an incab fuel cell on the cheap that will still take the stock fuel pump.


don't forget the late model Ford taurus dual electric fan to replace the mechanical on the 4.0 96-98 ford taurus, dual speed electric fans, like 4000cfm air combined.


A Dodge Durango steering box will work as an upgrade also. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71626


95-96 XJ power brake booster - great replacement to the renix crap.


350 or 351 power steering pump - works alot better than what we all have now especially with 35+ sixed tires. Mounts easily does take some welding.


The alt. from a 98 era 318 grand cherokee or dakota will bolt in with a slight exchange of parts. My stock alt. was 117 amp the grands was a 136 amp...and some of the older xjs were only 90 amp. Wiring should probably be taken into consideration if going from 90 to 136 though...



If youve scrapped your renix AC for OBA - use the existing AC cooler and plum it into the power steering gear box, you use alot more PS fluid but wont get the "whine" when turning at crawl speeds.


(transfer case mod)
How about the guts from a Dodge truck 231? Wider chain and so on for an upgrade on your 231...
There have been posts here before regarding this mod, might be a cheap T case junkyard upgrade for those lookin to do some mods on the cheap
Consoles for shifters (if anyone cares) are modular - If you need to downsize from full to shorty the shift indicator from an auto will fit into the hole left when you pull out the manual rubber boot - and vice versa. The sheet metal tabs sticking out of the tunnel have screws buried under all the dirt and will come out. However, carpet patching is necessary, if you bother.


92+ HO 4.0's - almost everything is straight accross swapable with the non HO engine. If your not a wiring geneous as I am not, use everything that doesnt need the computer, head, intake, exhaust, etc. Use your renix TB, injectors, etc. I did this just recently and noticed a considerable change in power. The HO head is ported much better along with the intake and exhaust.


A Comanche overflow tank mounts on the fender next to the stock air filter if you have (converted) to the open radiator. The 18" hose that comes with it is almost too long - beats the 3+ foot hose and gangly tall factory thingy behind the battery.

The old chrome custom oil breathers from small block chevies are PVC sized and pop right in to the valve cover - NO more oil on the air filter. Yes, the hood shuts. I am also looking for a mid 90's Pontiac oil separator/breather from the quad 4 (?) which even includes a finned cast aluminum body and oil return line to the nearest point. I looks like it was styled by the same guy who did the valve cover, and is my latest search item when out junking.

Mid 90's caravans have a nice tranny cooler the size of Hayden's smallest 400 series - but they are plate style, not fins, even better. Get them with the bracket and hoses.

Get an extra jamb switch to install 12" down from the hinges on the hatch - so you can actually get the back light on when it opens, instead of tweaking the hall effect sensor weekly . . .

Try saying that five times fast.

Seriously though, great list. A lot of the stuff you listed I've never heard of.

[ArmyGuy45]

Ok so, this might not work in all parts of the world but it works here in Phoenix, AZ. Right now the mornings are about 80 degrees outside and my Jeep is 'cool' from sitting out all night. I normally run the A/C on fan speed '1' when going to work and '3/4' on the way home ( its around 105 degrees ). Well, I have been able to get 1 more mile per gallon by not running my AC on the way to work but having the air hit my windshield instead. What this does is allow the air to be cooled by the window and feels like the A/C is on. So if you are trying to save some money and hate having the windows down when you are going 70+ mph this might be an option for you.


Granted, I haven't done the research to see if the A/C runs to defrost the windshield but it doesn't sound like it does. I am seeing an improvement in gas mileage though.

[XJ Wheeler]

Ok so, this might not work in all parts of the world but it works here in Phoenix, AZ. Right now the mornings are about 80 degrees outside and my Jeep is 'cool' from sitting out all night. I normally run the A/C on fan speed '1' when going to work and '3/4' on the way home ( its around 105 degrees ). Well, I have been able to get 1 more mile per gallon by not running my AC on the way to work but having the air hit my windshield instead. What this does is allow the air to be cooled by the window and feels like the A/C is on. So if you are trying to save some money and hate having the windows down when you are going 70+ mph this might be an option for you.


Granted, I haven't done the research to see if the A/C runs to defrost the windshield but it doesn't sound like it does. I am seeing an improvement in gas mileage though.

It does, to dry the air to help defrost the windshield. Because a/c is a de-humidifier.

[ArmyGuy45]

It does, to dry the air to help defrost the windshield. Because a/c is a de-humidifier.

Well damn, then I do not know why I am getting the extra mileage.

[gary63]

I don't know why but in the owner's manule it said for better mileage to set the air flow to the defrost. Maybe the A/C just doesn't run as long when on defrost.