My XJ seems to be an expedition vehicle

[Steve F]

So I've had my XJ for 8 years now and living in Australia it seems to have evolved into not only a weekend warrior but an expedition vehicle. I've done plenty of long trips and lots of dirt roads etc in it but Winter this year I plan to take it to Cape York, the most Northern tip of Australia. To make the trip comfortable and to keep us off the ground at night (crocs, snakes, spiders etc) I decided to build a rack for a rooftop tent.

Anyway, first some specs. It's running around 5" of lift with drop brackets on the control arms and swaybar disconnects, 35" Maxxis Bighorns and Bushwacker flat flares. It also had a D44 in the rear with 4.56 ratios and a Detroit soft locker with OME LT shocks all round. There's a 120lt fuel tank replacing the stock tank, a homemade rear bar and tyre carrier, homemade front bar with 8500lb winch. A dual battery system is under the hood and a storage system in the rear with a 50lt Waeco fridge and additional 12v power points. There's homemade sliders, LED rock lights, Narva spotlights, an in car PC with GPS, topo maps of the whole country and street mapping as well as tons of music for the sealed road sections. Heaps more that doesn't spring to mind as well and all the usual stuff like SYE etc.

So the pics.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Jeep%20on%2035s/IMG_3624.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Jeep%20on%2035s/TM_7847_nonum.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Jeep%20on%2035s/TM_7890_nonum.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Jeep%20on%2035s/TM_7865_nonum.jpg

And the rack I'm building, low profile is the plan so it's pretty much done other than mounting the center gutter mounts and additional tabs for lights etc then paint.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4015.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4008nonum.jpg

Cheers
Steve

[rctr03]

nice xj!

jimmy

[1speed]

Welcome Steve. Nice XJ!

I'm sure the folks here would be interested in your trailer too. Yours was one of the trailers that inspired me to get off my butt and build mine.

[idaxj97]

Welcome to Expo, and a very nice xj indeed how hard is it getting parts for the cherokee in Australia.

[stomperxj]

Steve, Are you going to haul the trailer with you or not? If the Gall Boys can do it with their big double axle caravans I'm sure you can :)

Love your XJ...

[kc0tma]

That is a pretty slick jeep you've got there. The higher capacity gas tanks are one thing I envy about Aussies.

[Steve F]

Parts for Jeeps are easy to get here, a good mate fo mine runs a Jeep parts business and I also bring in the occasional bit from the US when our dollar is worth more than yours ;) Toyotas and Nissans are more popular but Jeeps are still well presented.

I wont be taking the camper to the Cape, firstly because I dont need it as there will be no base camp setups. Also because I wont be going the easy way like the Gall Boys did in the video I found that shows the Cape, I plan to go up the Overland Telegraph Line track which isn't really suited to trailers, that huge thing they Gall boys towed wouldn't even fit.

Also from Sydney (my home) to the tip at the Cape is almost 4000km so a 8000km round trip, thats a long way to drag a trailer when the around 5500km of that round trip is sealed road with motels etc ;)

Cheers
Steve

[cico7]

I like the rack you built, more pics? more details?

[Steve F]

I like the rack you built, more pics? more details?

I'll grab some more pics later in the week. Here are the details though. The outer halo is 1" tube 2.3mm thick, its tough and will take a hit without damage. The cross bars are 1"x2" and is thinner at 1.6mm thick. I can stand on the rack with the two (per side) gutter mounts with minimal flex, once I put the middle two gutter mounts on I dont expect it to budge at all. Its very sold and slim also not too heavy, I can lift it on and off by myself with a little effort.

I also plan to use it as a photo platform and since its longer than the RTT I may stick some simple stuff up the front that's bulky like camp chairs etc.

Cheers
Steve

[LUISJG]

nice! reminds me of my xj. ,,what a dependable vehicle !


..

[JeffRRC]

Sweet XJ. Please give us some more pictures of the rack.

[FrenchieXJ]

Welcome!

I am on my 3rd. XJ (2001) and really like them.

I may be headed your way in a year and a half. I plan on doing a 5 to 6 month drive about. I will buy a used vehicle when I get there for the travels. The wife will fly in for a couple of weeks before I return to the US.

I belong to a form 4X4 Earth and I am learning about the tracks I would like to do once I get there.

The XJ makes a great expedition vehicle. I use mine for all of my North American travels. When I have 10 or more clients on longer expeditions I do have to pull a trailer for the extra gear.

Again Welcome,

[Steve F]

Make sure you keep in touch when you come this way then, I'm in the Sydney Jeep Club (was president for 3 years) and we'd be happy to take you out for some trips on our local tracks :) That offer is open to anyone whos interested and comes to Sydney.

Cheers
Steve

[Steve F]

Sweet XJ. Please give us some more pictures of the rack.

Here's the only other one I have at the moment. Since I took this I've added 6 more brackets for the gutter mounts.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4012.jpg

Cheers
Steve

[BKCowGod]

I spy something fun, orange, and two wheeled in the background :roost:

Nice XJ, too!

[Steve F]

I spy something fun, orange, and two wheeled in the background :roost:

Nice XJ, too!

Probably not what you think, it was last years project, started with a $400 bike

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/CX500/1st.jpg

spent less than a $1000 and ended up with this :) Great fun and sounds like a cross between a Guzzi and a Ducati only louder :)

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/CX500/CX5001.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/CX500/IMG_3007.jpg

Cheers
Steve

[BKCowGod]

Probably not what you think

Definitely not what I was expecting, but waaay more awesome... Love it.

[bldeagle10]

hey nice xj.
would it be possible to post up some pix of the gutter mounts and exactly how they work? and if you bought them from anywhere the link to that?

i kind of want to make my own rack but the mounting has kept me stumped on this. ive never seen a rack in person that mounts to the gutters so...

thanks

[Steve F]

I got the gutter mounts locally so it might not help, the site is Powerful4x4 (http://www.powerful4x4.net.au) they don't have them listed on the site but an email to them confirmed they sell them without the racks, they may ship international if need be. Anyway, checkout their racks for pictures.

Here are a couple of mine if it helps. This was before I mounted them to the main rack. Under the outer clamp there is a raised section so as it is tightened it pulls up on the gutter as well as in.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4004.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4005.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4007.jpg

Cheers
Steve

[Frank]

Very nice XJ! Looks like you have some sort of comm system going on...I see a nice antenna.

[bldeagle10]

thanks for the photos and the link, ill deffinetly check them out and see if they would ship out here.

[Steve F]

Very nice XJ! Looks like you have some sort of comm system going on...I see a nice antenna.

Just a UHF radio, the standard for CB over here :) Great for convoys and depending on the dB of the aerial you can get good range on flat or hilly terrain. Range is around 5km to 20km dependent on the terrain but there are repeaters on hill tops etc around the place and can boost the range to 100km.

This pic shows the licensed repeaters around the country :)

http://www.tropinet.com/uhf-repeaters/allrepeaters.gif

Cheers
Steve

[CaliMobber]

Thats awesome, Wish our cb was a higher freq. current low freq(28mhz am) forces people to get some huge ridiculous antenna to try and get a decent signal.

I upgraded to Ham radio and got my licence which allows me a huge number of freq to choose from but most avg joe's dont wana go through the trouble.


Sweet rig though, Im trying to decide on a cherokee or a trooper for a expedition rig at the moment.

[kc0tma]

I'll bet that the one place you get stranded and need your radio is that spot out west square in the middle of the big blank area with no repeaters. :sombrero:

[Steve F]

I'll bet that the one place you get stranded and need your radio is that spot out west square in the middle of the big blank area with no repeaters. :sombrero:

If you end up out that way on your own and you breakdown a SAT phone is really your only real option, in fact any desert trip its a good idea, go look on google maps and zoom in a bit :) Luckily we can get sat phones from hire places pretty cheap :) In reality the UHF is for convoy and short distances.

Cheers
Steve

[bldeagle10]

heck yes. uhf/cb radios/walkie talkies make convoys, road trips and expeditions so much easier. no calling people on cell phones or stopping so you can say hey. we have to pee so were going to stop soon lol

[cico7]

heck yes. uhf/cb radios/walkie talkies make convoys, road trips and expeditions so much easier. no calling people on cell phones or stopping so you can say hey. we have to pee so were going to stop soon lol

Don't you hate stopping to tell someone you're stopping? Get a radio!!

[shogun]

I got the gutter mounts locally so it might not help, the site is Powerful4x4 (http://www.powerful4x4.net.au) they don't have them listed on the site but an email to them confirmed they sell them without the racks, they may ship international if need be. Anyway, checkout their racks for pictures.

Here are a couple of mine if it helps. This was before I mounted them to the main rack. Under the outer clamp there is a raised section so as it is tightened it pulls up on the gutter as well as in.

Cheers
Steve

Good to see you planned for the typical shortcoming of many racks, the inadequate weight distribution of factory, four mount design.

The roof on the XJ is not very load friendly, the factory rack only rated for 150# I think. The gutter and A, B, C, D pillars are also not very load friendly and you may see the welds cracking due to both rack load and unibody flex.

Using more than 4 mounts is a step in the right direction, hopefully over each pillar. But just a step. Why not do it right and distribute the load over the entire length of the rack?

Aesthetics usually wins out over function (put those gutter mounts over the pillars, not evenly distributed), but nice functional mods.

[kc0tma]

My factory rack seems like it is pretty much maxed out with only my canoe and kayak on top and that is only about 70 pounds, the thing is useless.

[Topgun514]

I love the Jeep but I am wondering if you are/ have done any upgraded steering?

[Steve F]

I love the Jeep but I am wondering if you are/ have done any upgraded steering?

At the moment the steering is pretty much stock other than relocating the steering damper bracket to stop it rubbing on compression. It's not so easy to upgrade the steering here, most of the components are different than the US and are not easy to get as the market is a LOT smaller for RHD. In saying that I've had no issues with the steering but then most of my trips include the family and I don't go smacking it into rocks etc and slowly pick my way through.

I do plan on an upgrade when I find something that works, failing that I'll sleeve the tierod and raise the swaybar mounts to give some more clearance between them and the tierod ends. I'd also like to find an angled tierod end for the draglink (pitman arm end) to reduce the angle the tierod end is on at the moment without having to have a drop pitman arm (more leverage on the steering box). Oh and my front bar mount does brace the steering box bolts.

I did upgrade the brakes though and run a 300mm rotor with much larger calipers.

http://www.dragtimes.com/images-classifieds-large/300mm-JEEP-BRAKE-UPGRADE-XJ,ZJ,ZG,TJ,WRANGLER-RUBICON-for-sale_170561812404.jpg

Cheers
Steve

[kc0tma]

There's a lot of steering upgrades you could do regardless of RHD or LHD. Have you ever considered a hydraulic ram assisted steering or even full hydraulic steering? There's other things that aren't quite as big of projects, like a Borgeson steering column or over-the-knuckle linkages, these aren't huge upgrades but they make things a lot less failure prone.

[Steve F]

There's a lot of steering upgrades you could do regardless of RHD or LHD. Have you ever considered a hydraulic ram assisted steering or even full hydraulic steering? There's other things that aren't quite as big of projects, like a Borgeson steering column or over-the-knuckle linkages, these aren't huge upgrades but they make things a lot less failure prone.

None of those would be road legal, we have an inspection every year if we want to keep it on the road. Even over the knuckle is tricky because we cant have weld in inserts on the steering knuckles.

Cheers
Steve

[OverlandZJ]

Welcome to Expo Steve! One of my favorite XJ's..

BTW, thanks for the gutter mount pics.

[kc0tma]

None of those would be road legal, we have an inspection every year if we want to keep it on the road. Even over the knuckle is tricky because we cant have weld in inserts on the steering knuckles.

Cheers
Steve

The weld-in inserts are the cheaper way to go, but if you're willing to spend a little more money you can buy whole new steering knuckles set up for over the knuckle steering. I know Teraflex makes some and I think there are a few other brands too. If that isn't street legal then its time to start thinking of ways to fool the system!

[Steve F]

The weld-in inserts are the cheaper way to go, but if you're willing to spend a little more money you can buy whole new steering knuckles set up for over the knuckle steering. I know Teraflex makes some and I think there are a few other brands too. If that isn't street legal then its time to start thinking of ways to fool the system!

And there's the issue, the knuckle is setup for a LHD, have a look at the pic showing my steering gear on the first page, I'd need a knuckle setup for OTK steering but for RHD. RHD steering is a mirror image setup of LHD and nobody makes a knuckle for OTK steering for a RHD, not at a reasonable price anyway. I've seen one offered here in Australia but it was $1500.

Cheers
Steve

[reece146]

WJ knuckles are available in RHD format.

You would still have to get an engineer to sign off but maybe it would be easier?

[Steve F]

WJ knuckles are available in RHD format.

You would still have to get an engineer to sign off but maybe it would be easier?

True, maybe one day.

Anyway, the roof rack is finished, it was too hot out to put all the bolts in but at least the paint got baked on nicely ;) You can see the other two holes on each mount that still need bolts, I'll put those in later this afternoon or in the morning when it's cooler.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4141nonum.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4136.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4135nonum.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Roof%20Rack/IMG_4139.jpg

Cheers
Steve

[Steve F]

Got a little more done, replaced the front dead OME LT shocks with some Bilstein 5150's also did BPE and pin to eye conversion. Rides nice and now I just need to sort out the back.

No where near flexed out but you get the idea.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Jeep%20on%2035s/IMG_4316.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/steveff/Jeep%20on%2035s/IMG_4318.jpg

Cheers
Steve

[wjeeper]

WJ knuckle swap requires a 1/4 unitbearing spacer to be welded in........might send up red flags to astute inspectors.

If your considering upgrading your steering and the LHD-RHD thing is an issue you could maybe install the steering off a v8 powered RHD ZJ grand cherokee. I know in the US they have thicker wall tubing and they have exactly the same outward appearance so an inspector would never know. Its certianly not as tough as other options here in the US, but its an upgrade.

Other countries sure have it rough.......some inspection stations here in Utah have a "if it made it made the drive to my shop it done did passed" mentality.....hell according to wikipedia 13 US states dont even have safety of emission inspections, scary, just scary :Wow1:

[Steve F]

WJ knuckle swap requires a 1/4 unitbearing spacer to be welded in........might send up red flags to astute inspectors.

If your considering upgrading your steering and the LHD-RHD thing is an issue you could maybe install the steering off a v8 powered RHD ZJ grand cherokee. I know in the US they have thicker wall tubing and they have exactly the same outward appearance so an inspector would never know. Its certianly not as tough as other options here in the US, but its an upgrade.

Other countries sure have it rough.......some inspection stations here in Utah have a "if it made it made the drive to my shop it done did passed" mentality.....hell according to wikipedia 13 US states dont even have safety of emission inspections, scary, just scary :Wow1:

No V8 ZJ Grand sold here, so I'm guessing they are very hard to find in RHD :(

Cheers
Steve

[BIGdaddy]

No V8 ZJ Grand sold here, so I'm guessing they are very hard to find in RHD :(

Cheers
Steve


haha, all these american tinkerer's (fix-it men). I don't think you ever mentioned being overly worried about steering, did you?

Just that you had you're eye out for possibly upgrades?

These blokes have your rig torn apart with grinders and welders flying...haha!!

:coffeedrink:

[saburai]

Hey Steve, Great XJ! Any pics of the engine compartment? I'd love to see how you did the dual battery set up...

[BigAl]

That is a sharp jeep, watch out for this buy on your trip
http://content7.flixster.com/photo/64/77/32/6477325_gal.jpg

[mudbutt]

That is a sharp jeep, watch out for this buy on your trip
http://content7.flixster.com/photo/64/77/32/6477325_gal.jpg

That was a sick movie.... "Head on a stick....."

[Steve F]

Trips all done :) Report is here (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/68267-Travelling-to-the-top-of-Australia)

Cheers
Steve

[Steve F]

Hey Steve, Great XJ! Any pics of the engine compartment? I'd love to see how you did the dual battery set up...

I'll see if I can grab a pic today. Dont know if it'll help much though as our engine bay is a bit differrent to yours with brake booster and steering on the opposite side but airbox and all that on the same side. Anyway, my second battery is next to the main battery and means the radiator overflow bottle is moved.

Cheers
Steve