1997 Jeep XJ Country

[Callelle]

or HF ratchet straps...

Even if they are orange?



On another note:

LONG ARMS

ARE

DONE!




Finished at about 11 tonight, disconnected the sway bar and took it for a quick test run up a ditch that has a few somewhat challenging rock climbs. I can definitely feel a difference in how the front end acts. I'm guessing that it's a combination of the long arms and the frame stiffeners/belly pan keeping the vehicle itself rigid. Overall, VERY happy with it so far. Also, Spencer, normally the brake line is loose, with no tension on it. I just had it zip tied to get it out of the way.

[Wingman]

or HF ratchet straps...

Even if they are orange?

especially if they're orange!

[Callelle]

Got a couple small updates since the last time.

Replaced the broken grille with a maroon one which I sprayed flat black.


Painted the amber part of my tail lights with a transparent red model paint.


And scored a set of crap brand 50-60% tread 35x12.5s

[jACeL86]

Wild country's aren't horrible as far as imports go. It's one of cooper tires offshoot private labels. (Multi mile)

[Callelle]

Yeah, since I got them on I've been browsing forums and people say they aren't terrible. I'm gonna end up taking them off and putting my 31s back on anyway. The 35s are on rims with 5.5" of backspacing and they rub on my leaf springs. So I need to find a set of wheel spacers before I use them. A friend of mine says he's gonna be selling his 35" BFGs in the spring, so I might buy those from him and use these as spares. Wheeling is going to be minimal this winter so that I can fix a few other things on it and get it all set up for next spring, so I have plenty of time to get tires sorted out.

[Spencer]

I'll be selling my 33" swampers in the spring if you're still interested in considering those

[Callelle]

So I haven't really had much to update in a good while, haven't really had the finances to do anything. Had to sell the 35s I got due to getting fucked over financially, I atleast got what I paid for them. So upgrades have been low on the priority list. With the nice weather we've had over the past couple days, I did something I've been wanting to do for a while now.



Doors are fully removable and able to put back on. I haven't decided if I'm going to do the rear doors yet or not. So far the only issue I've had was that the bronze/brass w/e bushing inside the hinge was toast and I haven't been able to find a source for replacements. This causes the door to sag a bit when its open, but when closed it fits like factory. I've got a couple ways I've been thinking I could solve this. 1: Just leave it and deal with having to lift the door up a bit to close it. 2: Continue searching for replacement bushings. Or 3: Drill out the hole for the hinges to 5/16 and get an oil impregnated bushing from McMaster Carr with a 5/16 OD 1/4 ID. I'm kinda leaning towards #3 but because of how close the hinges are to the body, I could see drilling it out being troublesome. On another good note, I've got a good lead on a Job I'd really like and if I get that, first thing on my list is going to be tires. I'm sick of dealing with tiny 31s (30s by this point :/ )

[MrMindless]

Drilling out the holes for good pins and bushings is definitely the way to go.

[Callelle]

Drilling out the holes for good pins and bushings is definitely the way to go.

That's what I'm leaning heavily towards. After 2 days of looking, I can't find OE bushings without having to drop $40 a new hinge. The concern is just how close to the body it is. I'm not even sure my 90 degree drill will be able to get close enough without the hole being cock eyed.
Edit: Good news, 90 degree drill can get at it as long as I drill the top one out from underneath.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[fasteddie]

those bushings are available through dorman p/n 38439 pin 2 bushings sleeve & clip for like 7.50
.

[Callelle]

those bushings are available through dorman p/n 38439 pin 2 bushings sleeve & clip for like 7.50
.

Those are for the newer style hinges.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[MrMindless]

I had that same issue with Dorman HELP! stuff for my Ram - the diameters were all wrong and I'd have had to completely dismantle the hinges and drill out both sides. Wasn't worth it, I stuck another washer in the bottom hinge.

[Callelle]

So finishing some of the work on the passenger side has raised an interesting question. The brass bushings weren't in as bad of shape as the drivers side, so I greased the pins and hinges up and tried getting the door in. No dice. It seemed no matter how much I fiddled with the positioning of the hinge door side, I could never get it to line up to drop in. All I ended up doing was sliding the pins on top of the hinge and destroying what was left of the bushing. If I drill out the hole and get the replacement mcmaster carr bushings, will I just end up doing the same and destroying those? Or do I have to / should I take it to a shop that's had experience lining up doors on new hinges once I get the new bushings?

[MrMindless]

with bigger bushings and pins with more of a taper you may have better luck?

[Callelle]

Got the bushings from McMaster Carr a few weeks ago, finally got the motivation to finish aligning the pins last night because I needed to drive it and it was supposed to rain today. Every thing lined up and slides in and out easily, still have a little tweaking on the drivers side but it definitely doesn't sag when you open it any more. I love that I did all the work just because it was supposed to rain today and now its gorgeous out.