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my 97 GC build thread "family hauler"

4K views 31 replies 21 participants last post by  Spike300 
#1 ·
So I bought my zj 2 years ago when my littel girl was born i always wanted one and the wife liked the idea of a suv for the baby. This was the day I picked it up, pretty good condition just under 200,000k miles 4.0 242 blah, blah.



Then I wheeled it a little to get a feel for the new toy.





Then came new tires 30x9.50 geolander ats's, and I built a roof rack tossed some lights on I had laying around and blacked out the wheels.



and then some stock flexing.



had it like that for almost a year then I picked up this gem for 200 big ones.



The guy I got it from said it got in a fender bender and just never started after so it has become my parts jeep. It was a 93 242 4.0 limited with a mixed RE lift that was roughly 5 ish inches of lift due to longer front coils and 2 inch pucks in the rear. so a swaped the lift sold a few small things from it to make back my $200 started my half doors and took the factory skids and some other small stuff so heres the lift out cleaned up and under my jeep.







so then i needed tires but my 30 9.50 were still like 80% tread so on a trade i scored these tj wheels and 31 10.50 bigfoot mts so then it looked like this.





Im going 32x11.50 or 33x10.50 when im ready to buy tires. Then I got this littel guy.



and im geting tired so i will continue this tomarrow.
 
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#3 ·
Worked on my roof rack this morning before work and didn't get much done. I'm mounting my high lift and 2 more light tabs off the back corners.







I also got one of my half doors almost done a couple weekends ago all I need now is the gray cladding and to make the door panel and build my cup holders and cut, bend and weld the driver door. I did put it on and drive around for a couple day and I like it I was dumb and built the passenger door first but i guess its motivation to do the drivers door now.







 
#6 ·
Well I got some more work done finished my doors and my roof rack got my skids painted and on and built a new shovel.



I guess i have to hurry up and build my bumpers and sliders so I can use my jack.


My new shovel its a aluminum jack handle and a piece of DOM tubing turned down and welded in the shovel head and its held together with a solid steel pin its pretty beef.









I'm also going to make a sledge and axe head for the handle too. heres my new light tabs off the back corners I'm in the processes of getting funds together for all new lights on my rack and for the frt bumper I'm going to build.



And heres my skids





I built a new switch panel with a 110 plug in and room for my light switches the switch that's on there is going to be replaced with ones i like better i just don't know witch ones yet.



Sorry no wheeling pics its still real dry around here and all the trial are surrounded by dry grass so as soon as fall hits I'll be wheeling it alot more.
 
#11 ·
Well I haven't posted in a while things have been going a little slow but I got to take the jeep out finally and it did pretty good. The doors work awesome I was in some tight wooded trails; its nice to be able to really lean out and see what your doing. My full doors went back on for my last outing since it rained off and on that week, so no wheeling pics with the half doors. I haven't made the door panels yet either.

so heres some new pics






yea poser shots but I was out bye my self it was more a test run than anything

I was going start a thread for my half door build and the rest of the stuff I'm going to build. Like my bumpers and long arms and what ever else i decide to build but ill just keep it all in this thread.
so heres some door pics

















and if a mod could move my thread to the grand Cherokee general discussion i would appreciate it.
 
#13 ·
Its been a longtime since I've done an update and some new stuff has happened.
well onto some pics
built a front bumper and rad support




Then I cut away what I felt wasn't necessary of the front unibody.
in this pic you can better see my bumper mounts. Each side sandwiches the unibody and is secured with 9 bolts per side.




I am also building a rear bumper it will have a tire swing when its all done

all tacked up




there's more i need to post up but thats for another day.
 
#14 ·
That rear bumper is saaaweet! i want it..

sweet jeep man!
:2thumbsup:
 
#24 ·
They are still open i never finished them because of winter but i have been wanting to run them now that the rain has stopped. the inside will be aluminum sheet swirled with a flap disk and no i didn't retain the switches the but the stock wire harnesses are in side of them because if the front door harness is disconnected the rear windows or door locks don't function.

I looooooveeee that rear bumper. Some rear bumpers are really big and ugly IMO. But yours is marvelous. Kudos.

And how heavy is your roof rack?? Out of curiosity.
its about 60 lbs maybe a littel less its lite material but still strong im up there loading camping gear all the time and i weigh 230 lbs.
im glad you like my rear bumper im rebuilding my tire carrier but here are some more pics.







heres the first tire carrier
 
#23 ·
I looooooveeee that rear bumper. Some rear bumpers are really big and ugly IMO. But yours is marvelous. Kudos.

And how heavy is your roof rack?? Out of curiosity.
 
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