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Snobrdrkid's WJ Build Thread

420K views 7K replies 99 participants last post by  snobrdrkid07 
#1 ·
I figured I would start one of these for the fun of it! Unfortunately no lifts yet. But my WJ is at least not bone stock anymore! :D

I will start from the beginning.

The build Sheet
Code:
Sales Code:  ---    Description:
*E7 Cloth Low-Back Bucket Seats
-L5 Taupe
ADC Convenience Group
AHT Trailer Tow Group
APAS Monotone Paint
A24P 4.0L Engine(ERH)/4Spd Auto Trans(DGK
BAZS 136 Amp Alternator
BC6S 625 Amp Maintenance Free Battery
BRYS Anti-Lock 4-Wheel Disc Brakes
CACS Low Back Bucket Seats
CBWS Highline Door Trim Panel
CFNS Rear 60/40 Folding Seat
CGUS Child Seat Anchor System-LATCH Ready
CG1S Next Gen Multistage Front Air Bags**
CKDS Floor Carpet
CKNS Cargo Compartment Carpet
CKTS Cargo Tie Down Loops
CLE Front & Rear Floor Mats
CLHS Cargo Trim Panel w/Storage Net
CLPS Door Sill Scuff Pads
CSC Cargo Compartment Cover
CSRS Passenger Assist Handles
CUDP Mini Overhead Console
CUFS Full Length Floor Console
DGBS All 4-Speed Automatic Transmissions
DGK 4-Spd. Automatic 42RE Transmission
DHAS Lock-Up Torque Converter
DHPS Selec-Trac Full Time 4WD System
DJJS Dana 30/186MM Front Axle
DMEP 3.73 Rear Axle Ratio
DRMS Dana 35C/194MM Rear Axle
ERH 4.0L I6 Power Tech Engine
GBBS Tinted Windshield Glass
GCBS Front Door Tinted Glass
GEGS Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass
GEPS Flipper Liftgate Glass
GFAS Rear Window Defroster
GNAS Rear View Day/Night Mirror
GNVS Sun Visors w/Vanity Mirror
GTNS Power Mirrors, Fold-Away
GWA Power Sunroof
GXMP Remote Keyless Entry
GXXS Sentry Key Theft Deterrent System
HAAS Air Conditioning
HGAS Hood Insulation
HGDS Deluxe Insulation Group
I38S Route 38 - UP, Mesquite, TX
JAYS Instrument Cluster w/Tach
JCBS 120 MPH Primary Speedometer
JHAS Var Intermittent Windshield Wipers
JHBS Rear Window Wiper/Washer
JJBS Dual Note Electric Horns
JKAS Locking Glove Box
JKPS 12V Auxiliary Power Outlet
JKYS Power Accessory Delay
JPBS Power Locks
JPDS Power Windows, Driver One-Touch
JPSS Power 6-Way Driver Seat
KRSS STRIPE/BADGE/MOLDING/COLOR
KWSS STRIPE/BADGE/MOLDING/COLOR
K4SS STRIPE/BADGE/MOLDING/COLOR
K5SS STRIPE/BADGE/MOLDING/COLOR
LACS Illuminated Entry
LAGS Warning Chime
LAZP Vehicle Information Center
LBBS Courtesy Lamps
LBCS Glove Box Lamp
LCES Rear Courtesy/Reading Lamps
LDBS Cargo Compartment Lamp
LETP Traveler/Mini Trip Computer
LMBS Halogen Headlamps
LPSS CHMSL Lamp
MDAS Front License Plate Bracket
MFTS Body Color Grille
MHAS Black Windshield Moldings
MT2S Trail Rated Badge
MVCS Jeep Badge
MWES Side Roof Rails
NAS 50 State Emissions
NBGP Federal Tier 2, Bin 9A Emissions
NFPS 20.5 Gallon Fuel Tank
NHMS Speed Control
PB8 Midnight Blue Pearl Coat
QB8S Midnight Blue Pearl Coat
RAAC All Radio Equipped Vehicles
RBKS AM/FM Compact Disc Radio w/Chgr Ctrl
RCGS 6 Speakers
RDDS Fixed Long Mast Antenna
SBAS Power Rack and Pinion Steering
SCAS Steering Wheel
SDAS Normal Duty Suspension
SUAS Tilt Steering Column
TBBS Full Size Spare Tire
TBLS Inside Mounted Spare Tire
TTB P245/70R16 OWL All Terrain Tires
TZAP Goodyear Brand Tires
WDQP 16" Steel Spare Wheel
WDRS 16X7.0 Lux Alum Silver Wheels
WLYC All Steel Wheels
WLZC All Aluminum Wheels
XFJP Class III Receiver Hitch
XFKP 7 Pin Wiring Harness
XFLP 7 to 4 Pin Wiring Adaptor
XPFS Protective Coating and Remover
YAAS Build To U.S. Mkt. Specifications
YGCA 7 Additional Gallons of Gas
ZKFP Spring - Left Front
ZKYP Spring - Left Rear
ZYFP Spring - Right Front
ZYYP Spring - Right Rear
Z6DS GVW/Payload Rating
1AAS U.S. Dealer Retail
135S Zone 35-Washington
2TEA Customer Preferred Package 2TE
26E Customer Preferred Package 26E
3FTA Convenience Group Discount
39BA New Price Tracking
4X7A Virginia Chapter-90 Recovery
5I1S WJ-Vehicle Family
5I4S Four Wheel Drive (4WD)/(4X4)
5I8S Left Hand Drive (LHD)
594S Vehicle Order Tracking
6USS U.S. Specifications Label
647S Virginia Ship to State Code
947S Virginia Sold to State Code
My 2004 Grand Cherokee was bought brand new in 04, It was the family SUV until it was given to me in the Summer of 2010. I have been driving it and loving it ever since!

When I got the Jeep - could not wait to start making it my own
  1. New Steering Stablilzer
  2. 4 Skyjacker Nitro 8000 Gas charged shocks
  3. New tailgate lift struts. (June 2010)
  4. Projector and Halo headlights (Aug 2010)
  5. Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X794 Head Unit (Aug 2010)
  6. Interior white LED's put in. (September 2010)
  7. New Yokohama Geolander All Terrain 245/70/16's (November 2010)
  8. Memphis Coax 3-way 6x9's Fronts and Memphis Coax 2-Way 6.5 Rears. (which are freaking loud) (November 27th 2010)
  9. 55w H1 HID Lights at 6000K Color Temperature (December 1st 2010)
  10. Alpine MRP-M500 amp with Alpine 12" 1223D Dual Voice Coil Subs running at 2-Ohms (500 watts RMS)
  11. Alpine MRX-F30 amp for the doors pushing 75 watts x4 (August 2011)
  12. SuperChips - Flashpack
  13. Painted the bottom part of the bumper to look like an Overland.
  14. Got the Front Windows Tinted
  15. Put on a set of Overland Rims
  16. Electro-Luminescent Overland Gauges

Table of Contents
1. HID's
2. Halo Lights
3. Subs
4. Snow Jan 2011
5. Kenwood Headunit
6. Factory Build Sheet
7. NC Pictures, OBX
8. Fuel Filter Change with Picture
9. Mopar Skid Plate
10. Auto-Dim Mirror
11. Rear 3/4 Inch Spacer Install
12. Front Bumper Painted Silver Strip
13. Yard Work
14. Left for VT
15. Front Drive Shaft
16. Sinking Creek - Potts Run 1
17. Double Din Face Plate
18. Highlights from Callalantee, Mountain City, TN
19. Maintenance Day
20. Hit the 4Runner Pretty Good with the Trailer - Pictures
21. Idle Videos
22. First Look at the OME HD Coils
23. OME HD and JKS Adjustable TB - Pictures
24. Overland Rims 1
25. Gear Oil Change and Differential Pictures
26. Overland Rims on
27. Overland Rims 2
28. Window Tint Pictures
29. Rock Light Switch 1
30. Rock Lights On!
31. Car Show - Jeeps!
32. Ready to go back to Tech
33. Rolled 100,000
34. Overland Gauges Came in
35. Overland Gauges at Night!
36. Mountain Lake Wheeling
37. To-Do List
38. Kickdown Video
39. Snow at VT
40. Another Wheeling Picture
41. Wheeling Aftermath Clean Up and EVIC disassembly
42. Rear Axle Seal Going
43. Cleaned up
44. OME HD Coil Spring Update!!
45. 0-60 Videos
46. Back at VT - Spring 2012
47. K&N Filter Numbers
48. Cold Start Up Video
49. HID's driving
50. Auxiliary Transmission Cooler 1
51. Auxiliary Transmission Cooler Install
52. Copperhead Wheeling Pictures
53. Copperhead Rocks with the WJ
54. Mechanical Fan Hitting the Electric Fan
55. Noob Lift Chart
56. Turbo Encabulator
57. Freedom Roof Rail Teaser
58. Freedom Roof Rails Installed with Pictures
59. Cam Talk
60. Can't Trade in my Jeep
61. City Driving and Acceleration Videos
62. 2/10 Would no Drive - VERY FUNNY
63. OME HD LIFT - FINALLY
64. Trunk LED's
65. Painted Rear D.S.
66. Cleaned Up with the Lift
67. Moog Order - Open boxes
68. Stillen Brakes
69. Moog TRE - Measurements
70. Brakes and Tie Rods Installed
71. Rear 5100's
72. JKS Track Bar Movement 1
73. Air Box Mod
74. 4.0 Wheel Spin
75. Front D.S. Angle :(
76. IRO Control Arm Info
77. Broken U-Joint
78. JKS Track Bar Movement 2
79. AP Run-Down
80. Results from Southern Performance

Pictures:


Current:



 

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#6,399 ·
Blue loctite for getting it loose again, red if not.
Have a Nice holyday Michael :)
 
#6,400 ·
Ugh, no Loctite on service items. You think pulling off a 24mm x 1.5mm jam nut is going to be fun with Loctite on there? No way. I'd go the opposite route - anti-seize and then torque the F out of that guy. There's no reason for it to come loose other than mis-torquing in the first place. For me, the 24" crescent wrench (aka: Knucklebuster 3000) is the one for this job.
 
#6,401 ·
This is a good point. The first time mine came loose, I imagine it was from not being tight enough in the first place. I know it isn't going anywhere but I'll have issues in the future busting it loose.

Knucklebuster 3000 - nice! Haha! :)
 
#6,403 ·
I got myself a big pipe wrench and just took as much force as I could to it. It wouldn't go any further regardless if I put any more pressure on it. It sure fixed the clunking, pretty happy it was simple. Just took me awhile to figure it *what* was clunking. :eek:
 
#6,404 ·
Tires are finally ordered! Got the Silent Armors in 245/70-17's!
 
#6,405 ·
^^^Thumbsup M!!! You will like them :)
 
#6,406 ·
Hope everyone had a great Holiday!
 
#6,407 ·
Finally got the tires on!



Balloon feeling is def gone! Still have some wobble? But going in for a alignment this week and will probably back off caster to around 5.0-5.5 with the new adjustable UCA. Will also look into finally doing the 9/16 track bar bolt upgrade.
 
#6,408 ·
Congrats with the tires, you have been urghing for them a long time, enjoy them :)
Jeep is looking Sharp as always, Thumbsup!
 
#6,410 ·
Thank you! I'm at 33/34 PSI front and rear respectively. Think that may be a little much?

It seems like I'm feeling a little more bump steer then previously too.
 
#6,411 ·
Yes. The patented Billzcat1 formula for tire pressure...

Weight of Jeep
+ Weight of typical cargo/passengers
Multiply by 1.15 (safety factor)
Divide by 4

Divide this number by the load rating of the tire.
Mutliply this result by the maximum pressure of the tire.

For instance - this is my Jeep.
(4440lb Jeep + 500lb cargo/passengers)*1.15/4 = 1420.25 lbs per tire

1420.25/2039 = .696 (% load on tire)

.696 x 44psi = 30.6 PSI.
 
#6,412 ·
Nice calculations! (Wow that sounds nerdy, haha.)

The average weight of the Jeep based on the previous weigh in was about 4800 pounds. I'll drop them down to 30 psi cold.
 
#6,413 ·
I've used and distributed said patented calculations. I dig em! The only time the resulting number confused me was on the J-10 with a recommendation of 20.5 psi. Must be the tires that cause the number to be low...
 
#6,416 ·
Yeah, this happens a lot with E-rated tires on Jeep applications. You're dealing with a 10-ply tire that A)doesn't need as much internal pressure to support the sidewall and B)is rated for extreme weights, temperatures, and loads. A lot of the Wrangler guys with E-rated tires in 33-35" sizes wind up in the 16-20 psi range for normal driving... so while it seems low it seems right on the money for the application

It would be awesome if they made aggressive, large off-road tires that weren't E-rated so Jeep guys could get lighter, more flexible tires for the application. I can't tell you how many times I've seen 33s/35s on Wranglers that barely deform even when aired down to practically nothing. I think the BF-G Krawler (which no one can runs on casual trail rigs due to expense and extremely soft compound) is the only one that really works as it should on a Jeep.

Anyway, that formula is really a good estimate that I whipped up - it's still helpful to try the chalk-on-tread tip and to keep an eye on your wear. Another thing to consider is if you have done anything that might alter the weight balance - I assume about a 50% front/50% rear distribution for that calculation which more or less works for a Jeep with passengers and something in the cargo area. If you've added a big steel bumper up front, add a PSI or two to the front tires. It's a lot simpler to do that. Recalculating pressures based on guesses as to weight distribution isn't going to make your numbers any more accurate than a rough guess.
 
#6,414 ·
I guess you got that low number because your tires may have been load range E's.

I definitely need some new rear control arms, the torque steer is terrible. On the gas going to the right, off the gas and you're going the other way. (Could be vise-versa, but none the less)
 
#6,415 ·
billzcat1 said:
Yes. The patented Billzcat1 formula for tire pressure... Weight of Jeep + Weight of typical cargo/passengers Multiply by 1.15 (safety factor) Divide by 4 Divide this number by the load rating of the tire. Mutliply this result by the maximum pressure of the tire. For instance - this is my Jeep. (4440lb Jeep + 500lb cargo/passengers)*1.15/4 = 1420.25 lbs per tire 1420.25/2039 = .696 (% load on tire) .696 x 44psi = 30.6 PSI.
I like this calculation! According to it, my tires should be at about 33.1 psi. I always run them around 35 in hopes of extending treadlife as much as possible without over/under inflating. Perhaps I'll set them at 33, maybe I'll notice a smoother ride?!
 
#6,417 ·
Put the front tires to around 30-31 PSI according to my gauge, didn't seem to make much difference. I kept an extra pound or so in the rear because of all the junk in tha trunk. :teehee:

The Jeep seems more twitchy with how it reacts to bumps in the road. I have No idea why. I am going to get the RC-X steering stabilizer again. My old RC-X SS with 30k+ miles on it still had way more "omph" than the new Moog STB. Maybe I recieved a bad one, was pretty soft out of the box.

Lastly, I *need* to buy some new Rear LCA's. The torque steer was ridiculous today. Off the gas, steers one way, on the gas, the other way. I don't need adjustables, I don't want to pay $185 an arm from the dealer. :/
 
#6,419 ·
I don't know what else to do. I figured if the Moog was too soft, it's letting the steering bounce around. I'm not sure how else I'd combat bump steer.

When the Jeep was stock, I replaced the worn stock SS with the RC-X (before I knew much about anything) and the steering was as solid as I ever remember it being.
 
#6,420 ·
Bump steer usually comes about as a result of the track bar and drag link being "unparallel". I know you had about a zillion things gon through - but did you consider that the worm gear in the steering box may be worn? I pulled off the steering linkage and found some slightly play in my steering box that was independent of any of the downstream links or joints. Another thought is that your front axle may be off-center and track bar needs readjustment.

Pretty much everything you have is new, and to be honest at >3" lift you shouldn't have to experiment with various combinations of parts to make it work right. At this point the list of things that haven't been replaced already is pretty small. I'd suspect either one of those few items or something fundamental like poor alignment. How about ball joints? I don't recall if you had those replaced yet.
 
#6,421 ·
I had *thought* it would still be parallel still, even with a hair off center? But I guess I may be wrong, so if the track bar is a hair to short or long that can bring up some bump steer. I took ChrisHager's amount of threads exposed from his JKS bar and based mine from there. It's lined up well and has only taken a slight pull to line up the final bolt. I am willing to bet still that its *pretty close* to center. What is the best way to measure? Can I reference off of the fenders? I've read where people unbolt the track bar and just wiggle the Jeep around and where it settles, is "center".

If the steering box is f'd, so am I. I actually have very little play in the steering with everything being as new as it. If I had to guess, a few degrees of the wheel now translates to the road.

When I did the LCA's to increase caster, I think I did wrong. I could go balls to the wall down the highway at 75+ and not have any major shimmy on all 4 stock control arms at 4.4°. But when I added LCA's and got caster settled to ~6.7-6.8° it'll now shimmy on the highway at that speed, sometimes nasty. I am not sure if I ever mentioned that observation. This was on the JKS bar, same bushings, same tires, same pressure, and the only difference was the caster angle.

*Edit* - and no, the ball joints are still stock. I checked them again last week and couldn't get movement with a pry bar.
 
#6,422 ·
[quote="billzcat1] Pretty much everything you have is new, and to be honest at >3" lift you shouldn't have to experiment with various combinations of parts to make it work right. At this point the list of things that haven't been replaced already is pretty small. I'd suspect either one of those few items or something fundamental like poor alignment. How about ball joints? I don't recall if you had those replaced yet.[/quote]

^^^X2, check balljoints by push/pull wheel at 12 an 6 o'clock, when its off ground. Axle off center or bad aligment Are my best guess, Get those checked out.
 
#6,423 ·
I've checked them, multiple times, recently even. I'm going to take it for an alignment check tomorrow or the day after, and I'll post what I get.
 
#6,424 ·
Here are some more pictures for fun.







Also spent New Years Eve and Day in the Outer Banks, Corolla, NC






 
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