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05-01-2005, 08:45 PM
Well I figured I might as well start a thread about my POS.
My first vehicle was an 89 Isuzu Trooper II; a hand-me-down from my dad. This really got me into 4x4's and offroading although it was completely bone stock. I didn't do any of my own work to it at all, the only thing I did do was go to the local trails about every day. Of course beating and bashing on it took its toll and although it was the most reliable vehicle ever it got about 9 mpg and had a head gasket leak among other problems. Here she is:
After trading in that $800 SUV for $3000 towards the purchase of the ZJ in 2002 I was pretty siked to get it for a bargain. In all her stock form it was given a 4.0L inline 6, NV242 tcase, D30/D35 with 3.55's, infinity gold sound, among other features that the trooper lacked. Of course we all know what a stock ZJ looks like.
First order of business was to get this thing off the pavement. After visiting these local trails yet again about every weekend I was surprised at how well it did considering 90% of these vehicles don't see anything other than mall parking lots.
This is when things went downhill.I started frequenting JeepsUnlimited.com and learning ALOT. This was before every thread was about tire sizes, budget boosts, or equally lame topics. I think most on here remember the good ol' days. The first mods are always the lame poser mods but what can I say? I was in high school and it was the shiznit back in the day. This consisted of RE 3.5" lift, DT shocks, homemade roof rack, 4 hella 500 lights, 32" BFG at/ko's, and flowmaster/carsound exhaust.
Last edited by ELLLLLIOTTTTT; 11-14-2005 at 12:52 AM.
After a meet and greet with a few JU people we went wheeling in Raleigh at a place that was definatley beyond my wheeling capabilities. Needless to say I was not used to anything other than big hillclimbs and donuts in the mud, yes very lame. I quickly realized most of the bolt-on junk on my ZJ was useless.
After this epiphany I decided to modify my jeep not to look good but to be better offroad. This consisted of chopping up my front bumper, getting some skids from the junkyard, new AR-767's, and upgrading the suspension that consisted of:
JKS lower control arms
Tera upper contol arms (thanks Brandon)
JKS rear trackbar
Kevins/JKS front trackbar conversion
JKS quicker disconnects
1" coil spacers
This probably made the biggest difference offroad. I was now able to flex 10x better than before and could bash the gas tank, tcase, and front skids without worrying about getting home in one piece.
Those are some nice red X's
Being the slave I am to the JU for sale forum I found a good deal on a bumper that my friend had Carolina Rock Shop made for him. The guy that bought my friends jeep decided that he didnt want it to be lifted/modded anymore for some reason so he parted out all the good stuff on it and I was able to snatch the bumper for about 1/2 of what it originally cost to be constructed. Keep in mind I'm a 19 year old college student so finding this for a bargain was key. To anyone interested in anything Carolina Rock Shop has to offer, I highly reccomend them, they do good work and this bumper has been through hell and back, definatley good stuff.
Chopping the front to slide in the mounts...
How many idiots does it take to mount a bumper?
imagestation = suckOriginally Posted by OverkillZJ
Those are some nice red X's
works MOST of the time though
Finally after a bumper I could safely cruise the mall/grocery store parking lot without fear of runaway carts!
Wierd point of view but this is like a 75* hill
This bank didn't agree with my cladding...
I soon realized that even on east coast terrain that consists mostly of mud, small rocks, hilly terrains, etc, I needed sliders. After shopping around and looking at Kevins, Rusty's, Claytons, and others, it would be about 10x easier and a little cheaper just to make whatever I wanted. I started out trying to design some sliders like the ORGS because I thought they would give the best lateral protection without sticking out as far as Kevins.
What I was going for:
What the original design turned out like:
And how it actually turned out. The brackets are welded to the unibody and I know that you are thinking bad idea but it was the best method to securing them to the jeep and has held up to whatever I've thrown at it.
And I accomplished what I set out to do. Make some sliders with a design that doesnt compromise ground clearance and doesnt stick out so far like Kevins or comparable sliders. Heres a view from the side.
Lookin good
I'll sell you my engine so you can stroooooke it.
Originally Posted by ATL ZJ
At this point I thought I would be done for awhile and just wheel it as frequently as possible. This didnt last long, the next time I went to Uwharrie my rear end got its rear end kicked.for a bad joke! Anyway after clocking my front driveshaft, f-ing up my pinion seal, tearing out my rear gears, etc it was time for a new upgrade. On the upside my sliders worked great.
So basically while juggling a 17 hour semester, 25 hour work weeks, a girlfriend and family to give time to, among other responsibilities I had to get a new rear end in my daily driver. This is where ghetto turns ghettoER. Being the PWT that I am my ZJ sat on jackstands in my apartment parking lot for a good 2.5 weeks just like this.
And of course whats a D35 pic without the obligatorypic?
We loaded up the POS D35 and my 8.8 from a 2001 mercury mountaineer into my friends truck and hauled it to a more suitable workplace.
For more details on this process click the link below.
http://www.mallcrawlin.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1294
Anyway we got the old brackets off the D35 which was ALOT cheaper than a $300 TJ bracket kit that only 1/2 works. Here are just a few production pics.
I'm not one for ridin' spinna's so we welded the tubes to keep them from rotating in the diff.
Set pinion to 11* and coil perches at 0*.
Ever taken a picture of welding in process? looks like a bad acid trip.
Miller > *.*
FINISHED PRODUCT:
So currently I have a MOUND of parts sitting in my basement/shop.
4.56 ring and pinon (8.8)
4.56 ring, pinion, and carrier (HP30)
master install kits for both
Lockright locker for 8.8 (thanks Gabe!)
TJ shafts for HP30
new 760x u-joints
This is all waiting on me to finish the buildup of my $15 HP30. I spend alot of the weekend stripping it to the bare housing, tearing out the seals, and sandblasting it. Matt you're right, sandblasters completely suck ass. Basically thanks to LouisianaZJ I started checking out NAXJA more often and found a guy selling several HP30's. Did I get the one that was in perfect condition with 4.56's and a true-trac? hell no, I have horrible luck. I got the 16 year old axle that has been sitting in his backyard for several years. The good points, I could build it myself knowing it was done right, it had no chance of being bent (wasnt under a trail rig), and hell building is 1/2 the fun. Here is what the $15 HP30 started as.
So I should be done sandblasting and POR-15ing the housing this weekend (not to rip off your idea Dirk!) so I'll update this as soon as I have anything relevant to show. Now time to get back to work, its exams week but I'll be done in less than a week.
Looks good! Whare were the first set of wheeling pics taken? (not the picture of the front tires on a pile of dirt)
Uwharrie National Forest
Is that a V8 badge on the back of an I6..........what a sin.
I like the yellow, adds mallness factor to it.
B
sweeeeeet looks good
haha I got my hp30 for free... AND it had fresh gear fluid in it
best mod you posted: rewf rack, jayyew sticker, and kj lighting thrown in dumpster
oh contrare, "rewf rack, jayyew sticker, and kj lighting" sold on JU for twice its purchased amount.
Originally Posted by ATL ZJ
Looking good man. Keep the pix coming.
way to make me realize i will be missing my jeep even more, especially with the whole, "her she is the day I got her" shit.
It's the yellow fan shroud that really sets off the whole build.
Originally Posted by ATL ZJ
Originally Posted by Alaska ZJ
what yellow fan shroud?
Ahhhh.... Uwharrie Orange.... I love and hate that color....what yellow fan shroud?
Love it when I get the wheeling itch, hate it when I'm working on my junk.
Haha yeah its horrible. I still get mud in my eye from the first time I went wheeling every now and then (I can tell the color difference)Ahhhh.... Uwharrie Orange.... I love and hate that color....what yellow fan shroud?
Love it when I get the wheeling itch, hate it when I'm working on my junk.
Originally Posted by ATL ZJ
That's some messed up shit when your working on your Jeep and a clud of mud falls down and you remember the trail and when you ran it. haha.
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