Darkside Customs' 98 XJ

[darksidecustoms]

Hey guys, Nash here, new member to SJC. Some of you may know me from AJOR or facebook groups.
Here's a running spec sheet on our XJ that I'll try to keep up to date. Had it since our daughter was born June 2009 with 197,000Km - now sitting at 295,000.

As I bought it:
98 XJ Sport 4.0L Auto with black leather seats, "Gunmetal"
LSD rear, 3.55 ratio
NP242 transfer case
94 intake elbow
TJM alloy nudge bar

Mods since:
94 7120 casting higher flow head
K&N panel filter
VT commodore injectors
MSD coil & leads with 0.075 gap copper plugs
6-2-1 headers, high flow cat, custom 2.5" cat back with high flow mufflers
Oversized 3 row alloy radiator
Oversized PWR trans cooler with radiator heat exchanger bypassed
Belt driven fan replaced with 380W Ford Taurus electric fan fitted to stock shroud, Volvo 2-stage relay
Late update, higher blade count stock thermofan
3" total lift with combined 1.75" lift OME springs and 2" budget boost
Extended bump stops
Rancho adjustable front shocks, stock JK rear shocks
31x10.5" Hankook muddies on 15x7 King steel wheels, approx 4" BS
Rubicon Express Super Flex LCAs
Iron Rock Offroad over the knuckle steering with 5/8" hardware
Iron Rock Offroad double shear adjustable track bar
Corrected speedo gear
Alloy pre-update bull bar modified with super slim 18W flood lights as DRL, painted black, chin removed
180W Amber/white LED bar
55W 6000K HID converted LightForce 170 Strikers with combo covers (currently removed)
Straight6Garage Hawkeye LED Headlamps
LED bulbs in stock dummy corner marker lenses with DRL harness for mark and indicate like JKs
10W LED reverse bulbs
TJ rear flares all round
Custom removable mud flaps

Touring gear:
Spare on Mopar roof mount
2x2.5m Powerful 4x4 awning
180AH AGM deep cycle battery
CTEK D250S DC-DC charger
Narva fuse block
39L Aldi fridge/freezer
2x 12W camp lights on roof


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[darksidecustoms]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160131/4efcb057450172736a6a5e859e6bdf56.jpg


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[Dieselcon]

Nice work.... Im back in the market for a wheeling jeep... Something like an XJ would suit me well... Hopefully will catch up with you in Yalwal (Y)

[Hunno]

Nice work.... Im back in the market for a wheeling jeep... Something like an XJ would suit me well... Hopefully will catch up with you in Yalwal (Y)

I think I can source you a free XJ, Rup's brother inlaw has a replacement radiator($?) & from there we can get a blue slip pretty easy.

I will check up on it tonight.

[darksidecustoms]

I picked up my radiator on eBay just last week for $175, here is the link:
http://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/201493252631
It is for LHD so you need to modify the shroud mounts and also run some longer transmission hoses to the heat exchanger as its in the "correct" side, but in conjunction with the stock cooler should keep trans temps well under control.


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[Milky]

Hey Nash mate, I'm quite certain I saw your rig parked out front of my girlfriend's place in Sutho the other week!
Also if memory serves you might have also suffered from a busted rear driveshaft at Jambo, fun times!
Great to see another Jeeper on the better (south) side of Sydney. Also very nice looking spec sheet, not bad for ~6 years work!

[darksidecustoms]

Hey Nash mate, I'm quite certain I saw your rig parked out front of my girlfriend's place in Sutho the other week!
Also if memory serves you might have also suffered from a busted rear driveshaft at Jambo, fun times!
Great to see another Jeeper on the better (south) side of Sydney. Also very nice looking spec sheet, not bad for ~6 years work!

Thanks mate. Yeah I work in Sutherland so always parked around here. It was the spider gears we think busted at Jambo ;-)
You must have the black JK shorty with awning then?

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[Milky]

Cool, I thought I recognised that XJ from somewhere!
I trust your spider gears have since been repaired and stronger than ever before :)
Mine and Boof's Jeep is a white JK Unlimited, limited mods thus far but that is changing gradually over time.
Looks like our paths cross pretty well as I live near Sutho and work over in Kingsgrove, will be sure to Jeep wave if I see you on Alfords Pt bridge or similar!

[darksidecustoms]

Cool, I thought I recognised that XJ from somewhere!
I trust your spider gears have since been repaired and stronger than ever before :)
Mine and Boof's Jeep is a white JK Unlimited, limited mods thus far but that is changing gradually over time.
Looks like our paths cross pretty well as I live near Sutho and work over in Kingsgrove, will be sure to Jeep wave if I see you on Alfords Pt bridge or similar!

Nice. Yeah for sure. I also see a black JK shorty parked near my work too.
Ended up just swapping for another D35, don't really have the cash to upgrade to a Ford 8.8 and regear/lock the front at this point...


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[darksidecustoms]

Latest addition ;-)
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160307/81673c74bdd865e73bd4fb0e2c1c2ea3.jpg


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[Dru]

And THAT is a fabulous addition.

[darksidecustoms]

Did some wiring tidying on the weekend including fitting of a DRL kit for the LEDs up front. Finally got them dimming on low beam and they come back on full strength for high beam. Much less glare at night now.


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[darksidecustoms]

Only another 70,300 to the moon...
https://vimeo.com/163241580


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[darksidecustoms]

Updated my mods list, had a few things done the past 12 months or so.

Rough Country shackle relocators
Upgraded steering box bolts to grade 10.9 as I kept breaking them [emoji51]
Swapped the adjustable track bar for Iron Rock Off-road double shear
Swapped the stock booster and master for WJ
Iron Rock Offroad welded front right chassis stiffener to repair cracks (left/mid/rear still to do)
Swapped the radiator again (last one only lasted 18 months)
New Optima Yellow Top battery to replace the Exide unit that died
Cut & fold rear quarter panels
Custom fit TJ rear flares all round
Custom fit removable rear mud flaps
LED interior bulb replacements
DRL harness for front corner markers for both mark and indicate as I lost the side indicators with the flares (like JKs)
Swapped out the HID headlamps and crystal housings for straight6garage.com Hawkeye LED units
Simplified fan wiring from 5 physical relays to 3, including a Volvo 2 stage unit and adjustable thermoswitch for low speed, adding a second shortly for high speed as the radiator switch I fitted isn’t getting warm enough to trigger
Rear main seal, pan/rocker cover gaskets and other general maintenance

Still got a huge to do list and mounting pile of parts, but in the mean time here is a photo from today...
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171013/c036b0fa662d1c0af7879163a03c58c1.jpg


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[darksidecustoms]

So just after the last post the motor developed a bad knock and I pretty much just parked it up and only started to deal with it a few weeks ago. Turned out to be a broken piston skirt, so I decided on a full engine tear down and freshen up.

Here is my current key parts list for the rebuild:
- New Scat 4.2 crank
- Reconditioned rods
- New Keith Black HB pistons, Hastings rings
- Mopar performance .0043 head gasket
- Davies Craig Electric Water Pump and digital controller
- Melling high flow oil pump
- New bearings, timing chain & sprockets, lifters and pushrods etc
- 28lb injectors + adjustable MAP

The 7120 head has also had a DIY mild port polish and gasket match + mildly bored throttle body.

End results should be about 4.5L, 9.0:1 compression and around 185kW, 440Nm with stock bore, cam and valve train.

[Dieselcon]

So just after the last post the motor developed a bad knock and I pretty much just parked it up and only started to deal with it a few weeks ago. Turned out to be a broken piston skirt, so I decided on a full engine tear down and freshen up.

Here is my current key parts list for the rebuild:
- New Scat 4.2 crank
- Reconditioned rods
- New Keith Black HB pistons, Hastings rings
- Mopar performance .0043 head gasket
- Davies Craig Electric Water Pump and digital controller
- Melling high flow oil pump
- New bearings, timing chain & sprockets, lifters and pushrods etc
- 28lb injectors + adjustable MAP

The 7120 head has also had a DIY mild port polish and gasket match + mildly bored throttle body.

End results should be about 4.5L, 9.0:1 compression and around 185kW, 440Nm with stock bore, cam and valve train.

So exited to here how it turns out... wow[emoji110]


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