Ask Joe: Project XJ Continues

Transforming one busted-ass Jeep Cherokee XJ into a work of automotive art, one fender flare at a time

By Joe Bovee

The XJ is now lifted, running and looking decent!

When we last left off, the front suspension was complete, and we were waiting to give the rear some attention. Well, I’m happy to report that the rear is now sitting level with the front! For the rear suspension, I used the Trail Master 2” lift shackles, which not only lifted the back end but also added strength to the spring mount as well. To take it up the remaining 3” that were needed, I went with Skyjacker Suspension Add-A-Leafs. Normally not a fan of Add-A-Leafs, these Skyjacker units were really nice—a full-length leaf that provides great support to the spring pack. The Add-A-Leafs were easy to install and shouldn’t affect the ride overmuch, and they provide decent flex. When working with suspension or steering, I highly recommend using penetrating oil in advance of the work. This will save your knuckles, as well as prevent your children from learning any new bad words. And also make sure to follow all safety instructions and have all the right tools for the job on hand.

After the suspension was taken care of, I needed to address the fender flares. We were able to get our hands on a set of Bushwacker Cut-Out Fender Flares. These particular flares required a bit of fender trimming, which allows us more tire clearance with out adding anymore lift. These flares are a high quality unit, made from some super secret polysomething material. But aside from the material that they are made from, the product itself was very impressive. The flares were accompanied by step-by-step instructions letting the user know exactly where to trim and what tools were needed for the job. The kit also included all hardware needed to install, and the driver bit needed for the trim screws. After trimming was complete we were able to attach the flares with only a few glitches. (Check out the blog, blog.vanvoice.com, for tricks to make your job easier and to avoid self-inflicted glitches). The end result was more than worth the effort of the install. These flares are also paintable, and are accompanied with instructions on how to prep, and what kind of paint to use. After we were done with the install we also had a better idea of what wheel offset we needed for the project.

We were also fortunate enough to have a local shop custom fabricate front and rear bumpers for our project. The rear bumper spans the full width of the rear, supplying great body protection and also includes a 2” receiver, giving us a great recovery point and allowing the use of many receiver accessories. (such as a multi-mount winch). It’s a nice tubular design with plenty of strength to take whatever I might be able to throw at it later down the road. The front bumper is also a tubular design with a box-steel main body. The front bumper uses the factory bumper mount locations on the uni-body and is constructed 1.5” tube 3/16 thickness. The bumper mount also acts as a steering box reinforcement, which is a must on any XJ using a tire larger than 31”; this also gives strength to the mount as well, preventing damage to the uni-body. The bumper also allows future mount of a winch plate. Our particular bumper gave us custom light mount points for our PIAA lighting as well! We also got a set of the new Rock Sliders; these were prototype pieces that they will for further production! They mount to the uni-body (using steel welded to the uni-body for added strength) and are then welded onto the brackets. (For more info on the manufacturer and make of the bumpers, email me @ vanvoice.askjoe@gmail.com)

Once we had the bumper in place it gave us the chance to mount and wire-in the Off-Road lighting from PIAA. PIAA is a local company based here in Portland and has an extensive array of lighting available. They are one of the elite lighting manufacturers on the market, so to get a set of their 520 series Off-Road lights was a big treat! The lighting included all wiring and hardware needed for the install. The wiring was great to work with, and the harness itself was fantastic, using PIAA’s heavy duty relay pre-wired into the system (which saved a lot of headache and ensured a moisture tight seal). PIAA stepped up to the plate again when we were in need of H4 bulbs for our conversion housings. We used the Super White H4 Bulbs, which have a brighter output without putting additional stress on your electrical system. They are the equivalent of a 135/125W (W = watt) bulb while only drawing 60/55W (factory wattage), which puts them at 3800K (4000K equaling the brightness of the sun). These bulbs have a piercing, bright low beam and an Xtreme white high beam when you need that added extra light. The bulbs also have a coated tip, giving a silver appearance to our clear housings when off (which really looks good with the Plasma Ion Yellow Fogs). We also got a set of their Super Silicone wiper blades. (These are a great product that I have actually been running on my personal vehicle for over a year now.) With the great lights and the superior wiper blades, the equipment will make us safer on the road and a leader on the trail!

To help us out on the trail, VIAIR supplied us with one of their new products: the Constant Duty Onboard Air System (part number 10007), designed to provide the user with a constant reliable air source via their 450C model VIAIR air compressor. The 450C aired up our 2.5 gallon air tank (that comes in the kit) to 125psi in about 96 seconds! The compressor is also designed to run longer, and to be more reliable than other makes. And so far, it has acted flawlessly while airing up our tires. The air system comes with everything you need to completely install the compressor and tank, and comes with a heavy duty coiled air hose for filling up your tires.

So, that’s it for now. In the next installment, we’ll be looking at winches and paint (finally!), as well as having the professionals at Sign-A-Rama putting on some custom graphics (they specialize in custom logos and graphics, check them out at www.signsandtrophies.com).

Until then…