whatever you wanna call it XJ build

[warrpath4x4]

a tree fell in my yard this weekend in a wind storm so i cut it up and had to get it up to the shop so i made the jeep work lol



tonight i started to rip up the carpet and to my suprise it wasnt as bad as i expected.

[warrpath4x4]

here is the before pic



the worse rust spot after i hit it with the flapper wheel



first coat



second coat



today is definately turning into spring, after getting each coat done, it started to sprinkle rain lol. then it would stop and the sun would come back out. i have to wait till tomorrow to get the seats and stuff back in, it has to cure for 24 hrs, bit dont worry ill post dome pics when its back together.

[warrpath4x4]

today we (my dad and I) put the seats and most of the interior back in, im waiting to put the plastic back into the back of the jeep.

[warrpath4x4]

ok so the other day i started to take the front bumper off to build a winch bumper, nothing special just something to hold the winch. basicly all i got done was taking the bumper off and cutting the fangs, and i cut some of the material for the new one.





i had today off so i was hoping to get all/most of it done BUT as i wa making a cardboard template for my bumper mount i noticed something on the side of my radiator. it looks like there was a hole in the side of it and they stuck a good sized bolt into it and then tried JB weld. i touched it and it started leaking SO now i have a new radiator on order. > not happy.



after that i didnt even feel like working on it anymore but i made myself do it anyways and got one of the mounts cut out.



this shows how much further the mount will go back on the "frame" than the stock one. the driver side will incorporate the steering box bolts and i will add more on the passenger side also.



here is the center section of the bumper (not finished)

[warrpath4x4]

ok so this was what they had JB welded into the radiator



i got the new radiator in and of course with it being a closed cooling system it is fun to get the air out so i decided i was going to make it easier and installed a 92 thermostat housing and put a drain in, also drilling a small hole in the top of the thermostat flange itself to help get air out.

[warrpath4x4]

ok i got the passenger side bracket cut out today, also cut out the center section for my winch fairlead to mount to, bent it up and welded it on. looks like i might need to cut a little higher for the cable to come through.







my buddy had a bracket that fit on the fairlead that held his license plate and it would flip up or down depending on how it was mounted. well if it was flipped up you can see the winch cable spooling, and if its down and you winch upto something it will rip it off. so i am working on a bracket to flip the license plate out sideways.

[warrpath4x4]

ok, ran into some trouble getting the holes lined up for the bumper mount till i thought of this. tape some paper to the frame and use a crayon or color pencil to shade the holes.



got the holes drilled



mounted a ford starter solenoid



changed the battery cable terminals to a marine style (still need to nix the speaker wire lol)



dad putting the grill back in, we put it in upside down so we didnt have to cut it to fit, did have to trim the trim ring though.



all installed







the mounts tie into the steering box bolts