82' 550 bobber conversion

Hey new here i bout an 82' xj 550 last fall, had to do some work to get it running right as rain, still need new exhaust tips on it since mine where the slip on goes is rusted out so there no baffles on it but im eventually (this winter) wanting to convert it to a bobber. i want to keep the rear suspension and not hard tail it but this would be my first "build" where i cut reshape etc etc yadda yadda but im just wanting some pointers on where to start, what parts i should look into, if i need to get a shorter suspension to remove some of the wheel gapping from the fender etc just looking for someone who has a clue of what they are doing idea wise to get the ball rolling thanks! as for the photos this is kind of what im wanting at the end vs how it looks currently (ps i know thats a 650 and not a 550 in the ref photo but its the look i want)

 

That's a nice machine your have.