[scottL]

I have the c rok brace. They’re nice & beefy

[adriaanvn99]

Productive weekend for the XJ! Installed the JKS quick disconnects, RE 4.5” springs, replacement Moog coil isolators and new adjustable RE lower control arms. I was never happy with how far back the axle was seated in the well housing, so I adjusted the lowers to 17.5” which is essentially 1” longer than the recommended 16.5” length for a 4.5” lift. I adjusted the upper control arms until I had a 7° caster angle. I’m really happy with how the wheel is seated within the wheel housing now. The ride is much better than before, as I had a horrible caster angle due to fixed length lowers.

I have a big trip coming up this weekend so it’s importsnt to get a few of the smaller things out of the way. It’ll be the first longer trip up north for the XJ which is pretty exciting. I got a site for 2 nights at Cave Springs campground in Sedona. I plan to do Schnebly Hill and Broken Arrow trail as of now.

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[theksmith]

have fun on your tip!

[adriaanvn99]

have fun on your tip!

Thank you sir! I’m hoping to get some cool footage for a trip report...

Hi Lift Rear Seat Mount:

A Hi Lift jack to me personally is kind of one of those white elephants, where you’ll need it at the most random time. Although very useful for a wide variety of different things, it’s always a mission to mount it securely and out of the way. Earlier in the thread I mentioned a method where you can mount it under your rear seat, but that required cutting away some of the bellhousig middle member of the body. I later stumbled upon a mount which mounts behind your rear seat of the XJ made by River Raider . I decided to give it a shot. It just arrived and I just installed it, and I’m pretty happy for the most part. The Hi Lift seats securely behind the rear seat, and it provides options to install other things onto it too. I mounted my Fiskars shovel with fist clamps onto the handle of the Hi Lift. Pictured is also the ViAir compressor I installed, which I didn’t even end up having to make holes for. I used the stock spare wheel mount and the holes were already tapped into the frame. The new cargo liner also neatens up the trunk area a bit.

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New Ram mount installed in the dash area. Secures an iPhone 8 Plus very well (5.5 in screen)

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[adriaanvn99]

I've been on the hunt for a portable floodlight setup. I decided my best option would be to build my own from good components. I found everything on Amazon, and for just under $50 it turned out pretty well. I used the following:

- Hella LED Floodlight
- Blue Sea Systems 12v plug
- Magnetic base mount
- Cable sleeve
- 6ft 18ga wire

All connections were soldered and heatshrunk for a secure fit. This is the first time I have used this cable sleeve and it works surprisingly well, the "braided" effect pulls taught, gripping around the wire giving it a nice sturdy feel. The output of the light is a bright white, and the pattern is not too much of a 'flooded' effect. The one thing I have realized is that after an extended period of us (my case was 3 hours plus) the heat sink on the back got pretty hot, as in you could hardly touch it.

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[adriaanvn99]

Very pleased with the XJ's performance on the most recent trip. A regear to 4.56 gears will definitely have to be done soon. With a cargo in the back I struggled a little bit up the mountain grades. I am also going to be exploring roofrack options too...

Latest trip report under the "Trip Reports & Photos" section

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[adriaanvn99]

The XJ is rocking a new look! I took advantage of some of the holiday savings various manufacturers are having. Most notably is the JCR front Crusader bumper. I opted for the non winch version as I wanted the sleek look of the Crusader bumper. In future, I will get the Boostwerks Engineering comp winch mount which will allow me to run a winch with this bumper, and I will only have to make a cutout for the fairlead.

I also got the JCR Base Utility Rack. I’ve been wanting to run a rack for a while but was having difficulty in finding a low profile rack with multi functionality. The JCR Rack is pretty neat due to the modularity of it. You can get an adventure basket or a prerunner type hoop which goes around it. I ordered a tire mount and RotoPax mount for the rack but they haven’t arrived yet. The Front Runner racks are also very nice but cost almost $1100 which was hard to justify.

I also got a set of “Chinese” headlights, which are remarkably better than stock! I will post night pictures soon, but the cutoff is really good on these lights. I tested it at night coming in an opposite car and the lights weren’t disturbing at all. Aditionally, I am running Rigid D Series pods in the JCR bumper which are real neat as well as a set of KC Lazr Pods on the rack. Collectively, I have substantial amount of lighting which I’m really happy about it. The aestethics were kept fairly simple, but yet functional.

The 4.0 is also running a 62mm bored throttle body partnered with an AFE Stage 5 Cold Air Intake. The throttle responsiveness and crispness has definitely improved. Whilst under the hood, I went ahead and put in a new Accel coil and distributor. To my surprise, my stock ignition coil was completely cracked in half. Luckily we don’t get a lot of moisture here, but I’m certain if I went through a water crossing the engine would of cut out!

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[scottL]

Looking good Adriaan! Usually, ladies excluded, I am not a fan of big racks but I like the low slung profile yours has.

[adriaanvn99]

Looking good Adriaan! Usually, ladies excluded, I am not a fan of big racks but I like the low slung profile yours has.

Thanks Scotty, much appreciated! I was very skeptical too, but the look is starting to grow on me quite a bit. I’m hoping that it doesn’t look too “bulged” once it’s loaded up. Luckily it is reasonably light and not too difficult to take stuff on and off.

I just mounted my ARB 2000 awning today and it still looks fairly sleek. Still waiting for my RotoPax and tire mount...

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