My 97 TJ Build Up Here in Jersey

[Diabl0]

Hey guys. I'm not "new" here, but I don't usually post. I tend to lurk and gather information, but I figured I'd finally post up about my Jeep. First things first, I'm 22 and I am a girl. I live in South Jersey not too far from the Pine Barrens. This thread is going to be about my TJ after I go through the rest of my Jeeps.

I got the Jeep bug back in 93 when my dad bought a 94 ZJ. I drove that through high school, and then lifted it my first year of college. Also my first year of college I got an 01 XJ 60th Anniversary Edition. I held onto that for a year and half and 30,000 miles (I drive my Jeeps hard and far ).

I traded the XJ in the beginning of 07 for a brand new 2006, Impact Orange Rubicon. I regret this very, very much but I did end up only keeping the Rubicon for 2 months and with 3,500 miles on the clock I traded it in for an 07 Scion tC and have been kicking myself ever since.

Somewhere between the ZJ and the XJ, I bought a 97 TJ. The greatest part was that I had the title to both the TJ and the XJ (should have kept the XJ). Fortunately, I will be holding on to the TJ for a long time to come. I'll take you through some pictures now...


The ZJ:


3" Skyjacker and 31x10.5 BFG ATs with 15x8 Cragars








The XJ:


This was mostly a street Jeep since I started off on the wrong foot, but right before I traded it 35's were in the works.

[Diabl0]

The Rubi:


2" REBB, JKS front adjustable track bar, RE rear trackbar relocation bracket, and a brand new windshield in the first 1,000 miles! That was warranty work though.


Got $9,000 for the XJ with 92,000 miles on it and they never even saw it until I dropped it off when I picked the Rubi up. They had to go to Georgia to get the Rubi since it was the last Impact Orange 06 with a 6spd manual and a black soft top.

[Diabl0]

And no one cares about the Scion.

[Diabl0]

Oh and my mom drives an 06 XK 65th.

[Diabl0]

The TJ was a complete impulse buy, but I just had to have it. Bought it with 136,000 on it for more than it was worth, but it has been more than worth it to me. I paid for it in full myself as I have with every vehicle I've owned so far. It's the first manual I've ever owned. Mom had to drive it home for me since I've never driven stick.


It had a 3" body lift with 33x12.5s and Mickey Thompson wheels. No rust anywhere.

[Diabl0]

I did get the price reduced $1,000 for the seat.






The first thing I did was to put new audio stuff in it. It had a really old headunit that didn't even have a CD player in it. And I didn't like the speakers. So I added a basic JVC headunit, Sirius, and some new speakers. I also put in Silverstars. Also threw in a CB radio so I could go on my first trail ride.

[Diabl0]

First trail ride:







Almost hydrolocked the engine. That's me waiting to be pulled out of the water in the last picture. Didn't run right the rest of the day. Kept sputtering and stalling and all the water crossings on the way back were pretty bad. Went home that night and ordered a snorkel and haven't had a problem since.

[Diabl0]

Signed up for a Jeep Jamboree and decided it was finally time to get the Jeep in gear and get rid of the body lift and also get a full sized spare. Was talked into a skyjacker lift instead of the RE , but it hasn't been that bad. Also threw on some Bushwackers so the cops would leave me alone. Somewhere in there a Viper alarm was installed.


Before and after:







Alarm LED:

[Diabl0]

Next up was the full sized spare, the Warn bumper, and some seat covers.

[Diabl0]

Mounted up my Maglite and then hit Jamboree!


The maglite doesn't interfere with the lid. When opened it sits flush with the top of the maglite.




A few Jamboree shots:

[Diabl0]

A few random pics of the TJ and the ZJ:

[Diabl0]

Went to the York Pa Jeep Show and hit up the Quadratec tent and stumbled upon some deals. Scored a brand new hilift jack for cheap and picked up a Skid Row front bumper at the Scratch and Dent table. It was just a return and was missing some hardware. Can't beat it for $250.









Installed some 6.5" Sony speakers in the soundbar:

[Diabl0]

Did some more wheeling...

[Diabl0]

Got the front bumper powdercoated to match the Jeep and mounted it up:






Took some pics of the Jeep in the newly cleared out backyard:

[Diabl0]

Mounted the hilift and got a few new decals:








Cleaned up the undercarriage a little bit:







Stainless steel brake lines: