Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted September 12, 2016 Platinum Member Share Posted September 12, 2016 ok, so I bought my XJ a few months ago, and I really enjoy it, but now its time to make it more 'me'. so here are a few pics of when I bought it, and a few things ove just done to it, new bumper and my childish gear knob lol. big list of other things to do, just need a big bank account to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted September 14, 2016 Author Platinum Member Share Posted September 14, 2016 lights now on, just need to wire them up and align them properly. really liking how this is starting to look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Fourpot Posted September 14, 2016 Platinum Member Share Posted September 14, 2016 Looking good there mate... I think you and I are both on a similar mission! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member davidsmith1307 Posted September 14, 2016 Platinum Member Share Posted September 14, 2016 Nice pokeball! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted September 14, 2016 Author Platinum Member Share Posted September 14, 2016 Nice pokeball! Ha Cheers, its a little tip of the hat to my childhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted September 14, 2016 Author Platinum Member Share Posted September 14, 2016 Cheers Fourpot, things left to do are lift it, rear bumper (not sure if I want the wheel carrier or not), roof rack, and maybe the arches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member boomer Posted September 14, 2016 Platinum Member Share Posted September 14, 2016 where did you get the front bumper? very nice. Doing a similar thing/things with mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted September 14, 2016 Author Platinum Member Share Posted September 14, 2016 where did you get the front bumper? very nice. Doing a similar thing/things with mine Bargain from ebay. A guy bought it and then changed his mind. So i got it cheap ☺ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Fourpot Posted September 16, 2016 Platinum Member Share Posted September 16, 2016 Cheers Fourpot, things left to do are lift it, rear bumper (not sure if I want the wheel carrier or not), roof rack, and maybe the arches Me too. Going for 3" lift and bigger tyres, same front bumper as yours and rear to match. Though about the tyre carrier but decided against so much weight being stuck out at the back (thus increasing likelihood of the rear swinging out on slippery roads etc). Spare tyre in the normal place keeps the mass closer to the middle. stock arches already junked - having the Rough Country ones that require a little metal work but nothing too taxing - lots of 'how to' videos on Youtube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted October 2, 2016 Author Platinum Member Share Posted October 2, 2016 ARRRGHHHHHH, my nice new bumper has been on for less than a month, and some unpleasant fellow hits is in a carpark, and didn't even leave a picture of the dent it left in there car. SOD IT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted December 15, 2016 Author Platinum Member Share Posted December 15, 2016 ok, its been a little while since ive been able to do anything on Charlie, but today I finally ordered a 3" lift kit for him, so once new year is out the way, he'll be standing tall and proud. happy chrismas Charlie :icon_santa: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member boomer Posted December 16, 2016 Platinum Member Share Posted December 16, 2016 Looks good! Doing similar things with mine. I've ordered some of those cree spot lights from ebay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162290607778?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Found this XJ under a hedge a couple of years ago and have been bolting things on and tinkering with it ever since. By far the best vehicle I've ever owned, and my favourite. [smg id=2749 type=preview align=center caption=20161216 131508 resized] [smg id=2750 type=preview align=center caption=20161216 131525 resized] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted December 19, 2016 Author Platinum Member Share Posted December 19, 2016 First bit has arrived. But my rc sticker has been cut in half? :gasp: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted December 29, 2016 Author Platinum Member Share Posted December 29, 2016 Ahhhhh. The rest of the new bits have arrived. And now he's got some official branding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Fourpot Posted January 2, 2017 Platinum Member Share Posted January 2, 2017 Fantastic! Good luck getting it all fitted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted February 19, 2017 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 19, 2017 ok, its taken a lot longer than first thought to get a weekend free to play with Charlie, but now its standing tall and proud. pics of the steering damper and rear set up below :) including our home made crane to lift the car high enough to put the blocks under. I love being an engineer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted February 19, 2017 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 19, 2017 and the front :) really happy with the result, just got to get it all aligned now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted February 19, 2017 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 19, 2017 I did find on putting the front back together that the trackbar seemed a bit short, do I need to get a longer one or is it meant to be a tight fit? I got it in, and its drives fine, apart from the tracking be out by a mile, unless that is caused by the trackbar. so confused lol :icon_eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Fourpot Posted February 20, 2017 Platinum Member Share Posted February 20, 2017 Ah yes the old track-bar conundrum. My '98 XJ has exactly the same 3" lift kit as yours. With the car resting on the wheels the track-bar does seem to be pulling the suspension over to the right a little, about 1.5cm. Of course as the suspension is compressed under load, the suspension will over to the left. If the car goes light and the suspension is extended, the track bar will pull it over to the right even more. This happens as the track-bar swings up and down like dial needle. I have had lots of thoughts and discussion on this forum about it, and am still considering an adjustable one so that I can get the suspension perfectly vertical with the axle in the middle when it's just sitting at rest. I spoke to Dave at Llama 4X4, who supplied me with the kit, he has a lot of experience and suggests waiting until the new suspension has settled and I have put the big heavy XRC front bumper on, possibly even putting some weight/people in the front seats to achieve a 'realistic' ride height, before making any decision. Certainly on most forums and Youtube 'how to fit an RC 3" lift kit' videos, very few, if any, have made any changes to the stock track-bar set-up. RHD adjustable track-bars are also expensive and not readily available in the UK. Alternatively, there is a method of doing a bit of welding and drilling to move the axle end locating bracket, but that doesn't change the radius of the track-bar's swing. Pythagorus would be a busy chap if he was around today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted February 20, 2017 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 20, 2017 Ah yes the old track-bar conundrum. My '98 XJ has exactly the same 3" lift kit as yours. With the car resting on the wheels the track-bar does seem to be pulling the suspension over to the right a little, about 1.5cm. Of course as the suspension is compressed under load, the suspension will over to the left. If the car goes light and the suspension is extended, the track bar will pull it over to the right even more. This happens as the track-bar swings up and down like dial needle. I have had lots of thoughts and discussion on this forum about it, and am still considering an adjustable one so that I can get the suspension perfectly vertical with the axle in the middle when it's just sitting at rest. I spoke to Dave at Llama 4X4, who supplied me with the kit, he has a lot of experience and suggests waiting until the new suspension has settled and I have put the big heavy XRC front bumper on, possibly even putting some weight/people in the front seats to achieve a 'realistic' ride height, before making any decision. Certainly on most forums and Youtube 'how to fit an RC 3" lift kit' videos, very few, if any, have made any changes to the stock track-bar set-up. RHD adjustable track-bars are also expensive and not readily available in the UK. Alternatively, there is a method of doing a bit of welding and drilling to move the axle end locating bracket, but that doesn't change the radius of the track-bar's swing. Pythagorus would be a busy chap if he was around today! yea I feel the same, mine already has the heavy bumper, so there it an extra 60Kg on it anyway. plus another 90Kg when im in it. ive just been talking to a guy on facebook about the hole drilling thing. ive also noticed on the way to work this morning that there is a fair bit of vibration when I go over 55mph, im going to drop the transfer case by an inch to see if that helps, and I need to get the tracking done yet as im sure its going to be all over the place at the moment. ive see the RHD track bars are about £230, and subject to availability, so drilling a new hole my be my chosen route. did you feel that the 'crashing over bumps' feeling got increased with this lift. and bump in the road and now the car just bangs over them. im going to go around the car when I get home and make sure everything is tight in case I missed something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member SavMan Posted February 20, 2017 Platinum Member Share Posted February 20, 2017 Don't forget bump stops if they are not included in the kit. Hockey pucks are good for the fronts but easy to secure before you fit the springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted February 20, 2017 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 20, 2017 Don't forget bump stops if they are not included in the kit. Hockey pucks are good for the fronts but easy to secure before you fit the springs. the old ones were knackered anyway, ive got a full set on order, with some longer brake lines as well. once the lines are fitted I can just swing the axle off to take the springs back out. the short lines where my biggest headache for getting the spring in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member SavMan Posted February 20, 2017 Platinum Member Share Posted February 20, 2017 Did you get extended bump stops? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member RichBris86 Posted February 20, 2017 Author Platinum Member Share Posted February 20, 2017 Did you get extended bump stops? no, I got standard ones, plus the pucks for the front, il going to make some extension brackets from box section to mount the rear ones lower down by 3 inches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Fourpot Posted February 20, 2017 Platinum Member Share Posted February 20, 2017 yea I feel the same, mine already has the heavy bumper, so there it an extra 60Kg on it anyway. plus another 90Kg when im in it. ive just been talking to a guy on facebook about the hole drilling thing. ive also noticed on the way to work this morning that there is a fair bit of vibration when I go over 55mph, im going to drop the transfer case by an inch to see if that helps, and I need to get the tracking done yet as im sure its going to be all over the place at the moment. ive see the RHD track bars are about £230, and subject to availability, so drilling a new hole my be my chosen route. did you feel that the 'crashing over bumps' feeling got increased with this lift. and bump in the road and now the car just bangs over them. im going to go around the car when I get home and make sure everything is tight in case I missed something I've noticed absolutely no change at all in how it handles, even with the rear anti-roll bar left off, I have spent some considerable time getting the steering centred and the tracking spot-on though. I drive a totally stock 2.5 XJ as my every day car, that's only slightly older and there's not really any difference on the road between the two. I am getting a tiny bit of vibration at 65mph plus, but have bought new UJs for the rear prop-shaft to try first. Since lfiting the 4.0 I've only driven it without any interior except the drivers seat, so it sounds very noisy and vibey compared to the 2.5. I'm trying to identify noises and vibes that I'm feeling on the 4.0 (also trying to figure if I'm hearing them or feeling them or both - I've driven it with earplugs in to see if that made a difference!) and then listening for them on the 2.5. If I find something common to both then it won't be due to the lift, it'll either be a normal noise or something that's worn on both. The 2.5 is in good shape so it's a good tool for comparisons. It's always worth checking every nut and bolt twice and then again after some miles and 'settling'.... and for spotting you've left out a split pin!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.