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Nate's crappy 93 XJ

Nate's crappy 93 XJ "Snowflake/Ice Princess"

Owners Name & City- Nate, West Jordan, UT


Make, Model & Year of Vehicle- Stripped-down 1993 Jeep Cherokee Country buggy thingy


Engine- 4.0L, HD motor mounts


Transmission- Aisin Warner 4-Speed auto, gear selection switches, big tranny cooler


T-Case- NP231, stock


Axles - HP Dana 30 front w/4.88 gears, Aussie locker, Torq-Masters Chromo shafts with JK joints
-Chrysler 8.25 rear w/4.88 gears, Aussie locker, Riddler diff cover, shaved a bit


Suspension- 3" coils + 2" spacers in the front w/custom 3-link mid-arm, center limit strap, hockey puck bumpstop extensions; stock leaf packs in the rear with additional springs added (7 total) + lift shackles, homebuilt traction bar


Wheels and Tires- 35x12.5r17 Maxxis short course stickies on Raceline Beadlocks


Winch- Guys pulling on a strap usually does it


Favorite Trails- Hell's Revenge, The Maze, Green Day, Nasty Half, Sliplock, Pritchett


Other- Cut in half; power steering cooler; Custom heim steering & tracbar; JCR skid plate; RCI Race cell with Walbro pickups; LED rock lights; Unibody stiffeners; custom boat-sides & bumpers

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SpeedyVic

SpeedyVic

Registered User
Location
Logan, Ut
xj_nate said:
Worked on it on saturday for a few hours and again today. I forgot how bad is SUCKS to cut off the old "frame"-side LCA brackets. It took a lot of time, made a big mess and used up a handful of cut-off wheels.
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I tried the cut off wheels thing. Gave up. Went and got a 12" Sawzall blade and cut each of them off in one pass. Took like 5 minutes to do each one.
 
zukijames

zukijames

Well-Known Member
Location
not moab anymore
Door are nice

doors are heavy
doors make it hard to see

doors make it warm/cool


If I had heater,a/c, windshield and didn't need supports for my cage that would make a door pointless I would have doors and maybe some half doors or skins for half doors
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
zukijames said:
Door are nice

doors are heavy
doors make it hard to see

doors make it warm/cool


If I had heater,a/c, windshield and didn't need supports for my cage that would make a door pointless I would have doors and maybe some half doors or skins for half doors
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I don't have A/C so that's a non-issue. I have taken the driver's door off a bunch of times and I love the visibility. I am trying to see all the pros and cons about removing the doors for good and not do what comes naturally... Just say screw it and keep them off.

I worked on it some more today and got the passenger side brackets all cut-off and most of the frame plates done and welded on. On saturday I made the frame-side LCA brackets. Now I need to make the UCA bracket (I have it planned) and start on the axle mounts.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
I got the three link pretty much done, just need to align it and build some lower shock mounts. I also need to build a new tracbar but that's not a huge priority right now.
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I threw in a "truss" while I was putting in the UCA mount. It's 3x1/4" strap.
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The "frame" UCA mount is braced like nobody's business. I tested everything at full bump, droop and flex and I'm so happy with the way everything clears. I have 8" of vertical separation at the axle with only 3" of lift!
 
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N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
I also picked up this gem on Saturday. Now I just need to fight the temptation to cut my jeep in half, at least for a little while...
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N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
sixstringsteve said:
lookin good! It's going to be nice to have a 3 link vs radius arm up front.
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Thanks! I'm excited to see how it handles compared to the trashed control arms that were on there. I need to get a tracbar built so I can really tighten-up the whole frontend. I already have the heims for it, just need to figure out what tube I want to use.

I agree with the 3-link VS radius arm too. It took a lot more work to package the 3-link than a radius arm but it should definitely be worth it.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
sixstringsteve said:
I hope you don't chop it up anytime soon. You've proven just how capable a full-bodied XJ can be on the cheap.
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Thanks, you're always so nice about my dump ride :rofl:

I'd need a good reason to chop it up. Something like swapping in tons and 40's. At that point I would be tempted to build a buggy so we'll see what happens. I suppose the more work I put into this shell the more likely I am to continue using it but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I do love having body panels to smash


This is one of my favorite pic threads of all time: Pirate4x4 pics of beaten rigs

Clean rigs are neat and all but I absolutely love rigs that you can tell have been used and abused.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
I got everything reassembled and drove this thing last night! I'm very happy with the way everything clears and handles. I do need to spend a little more time aligning it, both the steering and the arms. I plan to do that when I get the tracbar built.

Went to Midnight 4x4 today (for the first time) on my lunch hour and got the tube I need for the tracbar. I can't say enough good stuff about them. It honestly reminded me of how things were back in the old school RockLogic days. I will be going back for some other stuff, I'm sure!
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Got some work done on the cage today. It's different but I like it a lot
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Bye bye b-pillars... Building a new one out of tube
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N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
The c-pillar spreader has uprights that come through the roof. That's all that is holding it on right now.
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Bending and notching is a lot of work but it's getting easier with each one. I had a good time with good friends working on it today
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
"Finished" the jeep at about 2 AM wednesday, slept for a few hours and towed it down to Moab. Had an awesome time with my wheeling family even though we had some breakage. Pics:

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N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
I almost forgot to mention the awesomeness that was Ruffstuff down in Moab. I had a temporary shock mount prove to be even more temporary than I thought so I ran over to the Ruffstuff trailer and they welded on a new one for free! My friend's upper control arm tower also started ripping... literally and they welded it right up. Super nice guys and they wouldn't even accept a tip other than a donation to a children's foundation. I was impressed and it made me happy that I have bought a bunch of stuff from them in the past
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Decided that my hatch window and rear quarter window had to go cause I'll end up breaking them anyways. Also took a bunch of garbage out of the hatch... Speakers, wiper, power door lock actuator, tons of wire etc.
I weighed all of it together (for kicks) and it was 31 pounds. Now the hatch opens up so fast!
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I'll probably end up ditching the hatch eventually anyways but it's still in fine shape and I want to smash it up some first. Plus I have an extra one that is even white if I decide to hang on to it.
 
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N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Roomy
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Loving this idea
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Gathered some parts from Evco and summit, just waiting on some finishing stuff
 
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