Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

Holm-z's TJ build... work in progress

44K views 298 replies 12 participants last post by  Holm-z 
#1 ·
This is my first attempt at a Build thread so bear with me... :rolleyes: I figured I probably should start one more or less for myself so I can remember all the things I have done, should have done, should NOT have done :brickwall: and what not. So here it goes, and in no particular order as Im just gonna update as I remember. :cool:


So Ive owned my 98 TJ since 2003, but only recently (last few years) started to build it up slowly as time and funds allow.

Ive wheeled it quite hard over the years and am extremely impressed with how well it has done. Of course I have been stuck numerous times but ive also been on trails where CJ's with 6"+ of lift and 35's had trouble and I still made it. :cheers:

This was my DD since spring of 2003 - fall 2008 so nothing too drastic of changes occurred in that time frame. Ill update with pics as I find them, although most of the work was done before I ever thought about taking pics to make a build thread. So bear with me and enjoy! :cheers2:
 
#90 ·
Thanks man, I followed Stu-Olsen's write up on his site and also this one too http://dailydriventj.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=674 . It was easier than I thought, I just took my time and marked out where I was going to cut. I used a dremel tool for the cuts and used a hand file to clean up the edges and to fine tune the cuts so the parts fit in place.

Next step is to start the wiring process... That should be fun. I mounted the Backup lights last night as well, no pics of those. Still have to figure out where im going to run the wires for that too. Ill probably mount the rock lights next week and finish up that part of the wiring as well.
 
#93 ·
Wired up my switches today, jumped all the grounds together and the illumination lights. Still have to do some wiring on the jeep before they are ready to be installed but its getting there!

Also just got my heater in the garage working again! now I won't have to wear a jacket and hat when im in there working!
 
#96 ·
Did a little more soldering on my switches, im not quite finished yet. Instead my buddies racecar showed up and we started working on that. Its a clay track car that he races up at Legion Speedway in Rumney, NH. Actually 2 out of the 3 guys in the pictures have cars, this is only one of them at the moment. Still have to have a place for my jeep!



 
#97 ·
So i got my switches finally wired to my liking. I wired all the 12V power wires to one harness and all the "outs" to another harness. That way in case I ever need to change out switches, the panel can come off quickly using the harness vs. unplugging all the wires individually.

I also just ordered 7" wide Rugged Ridge fender flares. They were $112 shipped without the hardware. My buddy works down at a local parts store so its easy enough for me to run down and get what I need for a few bucks instead of spending another $50 for a package of the same thing. That's one thing off my list for state inspection.

Ill add pics to this tomorrow. :thumbsup:
 
#98 ·
So i got my switches finally wired to my liking. I wired all the 12V power wires to one harness and all the "outs" to another harness. That way in case I ever need to change out switches, the panel can come off quickly using the harness vs. unplugging all the wires individually.

I also just ordered 7" wide Rugged Ridge fender flares. They were $112 shipped without the hardware. My buddy works down at a local parts store so its easy enough for me to run down and get what I need for a few bucks instead of spending another $50 for a package of the same thing. That's one thing off my list for state inspection.

Ill add pics to this tomorrow. :thumbsup:
how much backspacing do your wheels have?
 
#106 ·
I personally love the 12.5 wides. It has great contact for off road and I think they look great under a jeep. 10.5 wides are certainly better in the snow due to being narrower but ive never driven the 10.5's off road so I cant really comment on that.
 
#109 ·
I briefly used some 33x12.5's off roading, and they feel heavy and clumsy compared to their 10.5" counterparts. I am getting marginally better traction offroad with a 10.5" AT vs. a friend's 12.5" MT. Noticeably better grip through mud and wet boulders,rocks etc.........tires tend to steer easier and more nimble through the rocks,mud, on the pavement as well etc......and then there is on road ride quality......big difference there, alot less road noise and vibs through the chassis.

Looks is definetly a personal thing. From the side they look the same. From the front 12.5" wides don't look proportionate to me at all, look way to chunky. A 10.5" tire with a nice lightweight and narrow 15x7 rim with proper backspacing in the 3.5-3.75" range to widen the track a few inches and bring the tires right out to the edge of the flares looks right on to me be it either a 33" or 35" tire.
 
#107 ·
Here are the pics of the wiring I did. I jumped all the grounds together and go out to a single ground point. The yellow wires are all the switch lights that go to a dash illumination wire if I can find one, those are also jumped together as they pull minimal current. The Red wires are 12V powers coming in from the relays under the hood and the Blue wires are all the outgoing powers to each specific aux item. I put all the Power (red) wires & Aux (blue) wires to their own 9 pin quick disconnect that way if I ever need to change out a switch or pull the panel I will only have to unplug the two plugs vs. take all the wires out. Each wire is labed to which number pin on the disconnect as well as what Item it controls.


I then Ziptied all the wires together to keep them clean and managable when I finally install them on the dash.

 
#117 ·
I got them at Radio Shack. They are a standard 9 pin male/female interlocking connectors, I bought 2 males and 2 females. They had a bunch from 4 pin to 12 pin. I figured 9 was plenty, gives me a few spaces for further accessories.
 
#118 ·
so FINALLY got all the lights mounted and wired up as well as the relays and switches all connected. Only thing left for that is to clean all the wires up with zip ties and put them in the flex-tube thing and actually mount the relays. Also while I was under my jeep, I noticed my rear ujoint is basically blown apart. Great, another thing to add to the list... Good thing I found this before I did decide to put it on the road.

Im at work for the next few days so that will have to wait till later in the week. Im going to replace both Driveshaft ujoints since I'll have it all apart anyways.
 
#119 ·
just ordered some U-Joints so I can get that taken care of. Got all my dash put back together!! looks pretty good! now just to see if everything works! few more things to tinker on before she gets rolling though! Pics to follow!
 
#120 ·
Got some pics of the installed switches. Now waiting for my u-joints to show up. I bought some for my axles and my driveshaft that way I have some spares (only because I ordered the wrong ones to begin with!) :brickwall

 
#122 ·
Im going to start stripping my seats out then prep work for the monstaliner. I figured if its still not moving at the moment, might as well get going on that otherwise it will be another year before I get to it. :laugh:
 
#124 ·
good call! ive read somewhere that people use ear plugs so im going to buy a few packs of those soon. I cleaned all the stuff out of my jeep and there is like 1" of dirt im going to have to sweep, vacuum, sweep, vacuum, sweep and then vacuum some more before I even start washing and prepping back there!!
 
#125 ·
Sprayed PB Blaster on the seat bolts tonight, going to do it again tomorrow and really soak them. Ill try to remove the seats tomorrow night if i have time.
 
#127 ·
Got my seats and center console pulled!!:2thumbsup:
What a PITA with rusted bolts. Used 2 cans of PB Blaster and soaked the S*** out of them! Vacuumed and used a towel to get most of the dirt and debris up. Hopefully it will warm up some where I can roll it outside and hose the rest of it out.


 
#129 ·
Im having a real tough time with the rear seat bracket bolts... The front two broke off and the back two are just spinning. Looks like im going to have to drill the front two bolts out and get a sawzall and cut the other bolts and then drill them out as well. :brickwall
 
#131 ·
Yeah I picked up a can of this the other day... Used it all up on the racecar though lol. I bought 2 cans of PB Blaster and used both of them on my seats. The bolts just spin so I don't think any spray is going help. Im just going to cut the bolts off and drill them out. I don't use my rear seat much anyways so If I screw it up too bad I won't be that upset.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top