Santiago's Revenge

Greg Friedman's Backcountry XJ

As you can see, Greg went a little nuts and combined phases II and III together into one, and added a few things in the process.

Tires and Wheels and Fender Trimming

  • BFG MT 32X11.50 Tires
  • Centerline Hellcat 15X8.5" Wheels
  • Moved Front Flares Up 1 ¾" to Trimline
  • Cut Front Fenders Even with Top of Bumper
  • Custom Front Fender Liners
  • Minor Rear Fender Trimming
Greg knew he wanted BFG MTs but he wasn't sure whether he wanted 32s or 33s. He chose to go with 32s because he didn't want to push the limits of the rear wheel wells and deal with a lot of rubbing back there. He's quite happy with the results and thinks 32s and the National Springs work very well together. He may go with 33s in the future, but that will require some difficult rear fender trimming and/or additional lift.


looking good in the parking lot


Hellcats
Greg had to replace the American Racing wheels because 3 ¾" backspacing caused too much interference tucking into the rear wheel wells. The new Hellcats have 5" of backspacing and are 8.5" wide. He says they seem to be just the right setup, tucking in well with no rubbing on the inside of the wheel well. He discovered a pretty big downside to the Hellcats, however. The outside edge of the wheels does not have the usual lip around the wheel near where the tire bead is. On a particularly hardcore run through a very rocky riverbed, the outside of the wheels got scratched up very badly. This would have happened to any wheel with time, but he says he pretty much thrashed the outside in one day.

The front flares were moved up 1 ¾" and the excess metal was trimmed off. He also cut the fronts of the fenders off level with the bottom of the frame that goes around the lights. He has only very minor rubbing on full compression, and that can easily be fixed with a ½" - 1" hockey-puck style bumpstop if he gets around to it.


fender timming


fender trimming and liner
Moving the flares up and cutting the excess metal off required Greg to toss his stock fender liners since the original mounting holes were removed with the metal. Some people just leave them off, but Greg felt that too much mud and other crud would lodge itself in the huge cavities that are exposed when the liners are removed. Plus the power antenna needs the protection of the fender liners to keep it free of debris. After considering a variety of materials to use to make custom fender liners, he decided to use a roofing material called Rubberoid Torch which is made by GAF. It's fairly pliable and strong, and will hold up to the weather and all the rocks and mud that will be slung into it. On the outside, he used the new holes that were drilled in the fenders for the flares, and he drilled additional holes and used small bolts to secure the inside.

There wasn't a lot that could be done in the rear other than some minor metal trimming and the removal of the inner plastic liner of the flair that just gets chewed up anyway. The only rubbing he has is on the rear side of the outside fender well. The trimming helped some, but the rear of the fender is still what limits his compression. He says he could roll the lip up so it's flat with the rear part of the wheel well, but then he would lose the stud-holes for the flares. This is what he'd like to do once he figures out a good way to secure the flares without it looking like a hack job.


Riding high

Armor

  • Custom Transfer Case Skidplate
  • Custom Front-End Skidplate
  • Northwest Metal Products 32 Gallon Gas Tank
  • Custom Fuel-Tank Skidplate
  • ORGS Super Nerfs
  • Front/Rear Differential Cover Protectors ("Chin-Guards")


custom crossmember skidplate


custom front skid plate
Greg wound up getting all custom-made skid plates after purchasing Tomken's and sending them back. He says that Tomken's skidplates are fine for the price, and definitely better than the equivalent Mopar products, but he felt they were not up to par with the rest of his XJ. He didn't like the way they fit, nor did he feel they would stand up to the abuse they would get when he goes wheelin'.
Rather than invest in a Mopar gas tank skidplate, which Greg feels is a pretty good product, he wanted a larger gas tank. He selected a Northwest Metal Products 32-gallon tank made of 16 and 14 gauge steel (the 14 gauge for the bottom is a custom add-on). He then had a skidplate custom made with ¼" steel that simply goes between the bottom of the tank and the straps that hold the tank on. Although the folks at Northwest Metal Products will weld a skid plate to the bottom of the tank, they strongly advise against it to prevent the tank from warping. Greg simply had the straps stitch-welded to skidplate. He lost about 2" of clearance with the new tank, but with the heavy-duty skidplate and the fact that the tank angles up in back, it works very well. Other than some minor scratches, there have been no significant dents caused from rocks or other obstacles. And the added fuel capacity is one of his favorite upgrades.


32-gallon tank and skid plate


Four X Doctor diff guards
After a day on Santiago's Revenge, Greg dented both his front and rear differential covers. The shop that made all of his skidplates (Four X Doctor in Burbank, CA) also makes some trick differential cover protectors (called "Chin-Guards") fabricated from tubing that go around the bottom half of the covers. This is one of those things that costs more than the cover that it protects, but if the cover is bent bad enough, it could hit the ring gear.

Greg selected Offroad General Store's (ORGS) Super Nerfs for his rocker panel protection. Not only do they look great, but he felt they were the best design available with how the mounts are welded to the frame, and the Super Nerfs bolted to the mounts. The inner tube is also bolted all along the body providing critical strength where it's most needed.


ORGS Super Nerfs

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