Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

Zamkan's '02 TJ Sport

96K views 311 replies 70 participants last post by  tj99 
#1 ·
Table of Contents:
Springtail organizer - Post 6
Groundpounder Fab rear bumper - Post 15
Hartop Lift - Post 25
Rear disc brake conversion - Post 42
Flare painting - Post 62
ARB Comprssor Installation - Post 78
'03 switch bezel installation - Post 80
Hi-Lift Mount on Bestop Tire Carrier - Post 94
Rockhard harness Bar & 4 point harnesses - post 108
JKS ADCO installation - Post 130
Olympic Mountaineer Rack - Post 131
In Cab winch controller - Post 136 & 137
ZJ Tie Rod - Post 139
Badlands ORV Park - Post 140
Fuel Rail wrap - Post 141
Aux reverse light - Post 147
Corbeau XRS Suspension Seats with heaters - Post 150
Aux fuseblock & seat heater switches - Post 160
10 blade rad fan and HD Fan Clutch conversion - Post 163
Mean Green 200A Alt - Post 164
265/75R16 GY MTRs - Post 179
Currie UCAs and Tranckbars - Post 188, 194
AA SYE Kit & CV Driveshaft - Post 189
TnT Rear Spring relocators - Post 196
Currie Anti-Rock - Post 199
DeRale Power Steering Cooler - Post 201
Brown Dog Motor Mounts & Engine Brackets - Post 204
UCF N0 BL Trans Skid - Post 204
Bilstein 5100s - Post 215
Overhead CB Rack - Post 216
PSC Steering Box - Post 218
ARB Headlight wire loom - Post 218
Gas tank overhaul - Post 255
Exhaust, Cat, Xfer Case sight tube, Rear TB braket - Post
Currie HD Steering - Post 292
Tie Rod Flip, Raised Swaybar mounts & Currie JJ Housing Kit - Post 298
NV241OR xfer Case Upgrade - Post 299

Wheeling Trips
2009 French Lick JJUSA - Post 40
2010 Drummond Island JJUSA - Post 74
2010 French Lick JJUSA - Post 91
2011 Drummond Island JJUSA - Post 153 & 154
2011 Laurel Highlands JJUSA - Post 171, 172, & 173
Sedona, AZ Jeep rental - Post 177
2011 French Lick JJUSA - Post 183 & 186
2012 Badlands JJUSA - Post 222
2012 Laurel Highlands JJUSA - Post 233
2012 French Lick JJUSA - Post 244
2013 Laurel Highlands, French Lick, and Williamsburg JJUSAs - Post 297

Well, after 18 years of thinking about owning a Wrangler, I came across this gem (at lest to me it is :thumbsup:) and had to pull the trigger on it. Despite what my wife thinks, I love it. To me, it' s the perfect vehicle for Michigan (4x4 for the winter and dunes, and top down for summer!)

2002 TJ Sport
Solar Yellow
4.0L
5 Speed
D44 Rear w/ 3.73 gearing
Hardtop
New BFG's - 30x9.5x15s
While it has 93k on it, it's not a DD, so be it.




 
See less See more
4
#139 ·
Minor update:

Went to Napa and picked-up a ZJ V8 Tie Rod:

Tie Rod End - Napa #269-2788
Adjusting Sleeve - Napa #269-1134
Tie Rod - Napa #269-6085

Thanks to http://www.stu-offroad.com/steering/zjtie/tierod-1.htm for the part numbers!





Here's a comparison to the stock TJ TRE:


Also purchased 4 bottles of Lucas Gear Oil:


Just have to find the time to get it installed and re-aligned.
 
#140 ·
Well, this past weekend, my wife and I traveled dow south to meet up with some of the guys from Jeeps Going Wild (5scents, Imped, Idiot Magnet, Apocalypse) and others, HikerXJ, XJ_Renegade, and Fergyjk and wheel the Badlands in Attica, IN.

We had a great time! We ended up towing the TJ down as it was a 700 mile round trip, and 6 hours each way. Too long to sit in a TJ. :laugh:
Many thanks to 5scents, Apocalypse, and Imped for leading up around the park. They were excellent in pointing out various lines to take, rocks or trees that may have our name on them, and great care for those of us stockers. :cheers:

Our favorites were the Creek Trail and the Orange Trail.

Group shot in the sand dunes:


In the creek:




Hanging out in the Quary:


On the Orange Trail:


HikerXJ making the decent like a pro:


I wish I had more pics, but I know many in the group had a lot of cameras between them, so hopefully they can post up.

If JGW plans another trip, I'll do what I can to make it to wheel with a great bunch of guys. Thanks again everyone!
 
#141 ·
Post Badlands analysis.

1) Lockers worked as expected. They allowed me to go in places that would be difficult at best as pure stock. Even with ATs, I could trudge through the mud much easier. Made for a more enjoyable day.

2) 4 Point Harnesses - really saved some wear and tear. Keep us secured in the seats so we weren't bouncing around. :laugh: Going to start researching suspension seats. They should save some hard hits on the rear end. Planning on having them in by mid/late-summer.

3) Power steering cooler worked like a champ. No overflowing of fluid. No system leaks. :thumbsup:

4) About halfway through the day, I started getting a heat soak issue and eventually threw a CEL. When I ran the code, it was P0303 (misfire in #3). So, did some research upon my return, I bought some heat shield material and wrapped the injectors & fuel rail. If you look at the #3 injector, you can see why it has the potential for heat soak / vapor lock. It lays closer to the manifold than any other injector. WTH was Chrysler thinking??????





Fingures crossed.

5) Painted my rear ARB Diff Cover:


Future plans:
1) ARB D44 Diff Cover & change fluid - May '11
2) ZJ Tie Rod upgrade & aligned - May '11
3) Suspension Seats - Sept '11
4) Tummy Tuck - April '12
- UCF 3/16" Steel no BL style
- Brown Dog motor mounts
- Novak Shifter cable
- Currie UCAs Rear installation
5) 245/75R16s - Goodyear MT/Rs w/ Kevlar - mount to Moabs- Sept '12
6) Corner Armor - TBD
- Rokmen Shorty Corners
- Warrior Lic Place bracket
- Kentrol Black SS Tailgate hinges
7) Banks Exhaust - as needed
8) Rokmen GTS - As needed
 
#142 ·
It finally is starting to feel like spring around here, so I was able to get out and get some wrenching time in yesterday.

1) D30 - drained, inspected the gears, and new fluid:


2) D44 - drained, inspected the gears, new ARB diff cover, and new fluid:




3) Installed the half doors and my "new" upper door sliders:


Front view of my winch mounted, grille guard, and PIAA ATPs:
 
#144 ·
Found some time to finally get a little garage time this week.

Been playing around with the rear suspension spacers.
I previously had a set of Daystay 3/4" spacers and OME 10mm trim spacer back there (I know, I know, one should NOT stack spacers.)
So, I picked-up a 1 3/4" spacer, removed the OE EPDM spring pad, drilled / tapped / installed a JKS 3/4" bumpstop extension, and cleaned / painted the rear frame & GTS.



The 1 3/4" provided a very slight front rake that I needed. Comboned with the front JKS ADCOs, it is up 1 1/2" over stock.

While under the Jeep, I noticed my rear pinion angle was not correct.

So, I had a new set of Currie UCAs waiting to be installed when do a TT, but they were moved up on the install plan.

Hence:




About 2 hours to install the UCAs. Hardest part was getting a drill in to drill out the bolt holes to 7/16".

This morning I took it out for a spin.
WOW - much better ride with a full rear JJ control arms over stock!
 
#145 ·
Well, after the installation of the 1 3/4" rear spacers, I noticed the rear axle was a bit off center. So, ordered an OME trackbar bracket.

Install was more a PITA as trying to line-up the trackbar after installation of the bracket. Between a large ratchet strap and floor jack, I was able to get everything was lined up.



Installed:


Ended up getting the axle close to being re-centered. If it is off, it's <1/8", but hard to tell otherwise. Better than it was before.

After putting some miles on the Jeep this past week with a set of JJs in the rear, I called up Currie and ordered a set of UCAs for the front. :2thumbsup:

So, I have been re-evaluating my future plans and made some adjustments.

Future plans:
1) Currie UCAs - Front - May '11
2) ZJ Tie Rod upgrade & aligned - June '11
3) Corbeau Baja RS / XRS Suspension Seats - Sept '11
4) Corner Armor - June '12
- Rokmen Shorty Corners
- Warrior Lic Place bracket
- Kentrol Black SS Tailgate hinges
5) Tummy Tuck - Sept '12
- UCF 3/16" Steel no BL style
- UCF LoPro Trans Mount
- Brown Dog motor mounts
- Novak NP231 Shifter cable
- Banks / MBRP Exhaust
6) 245/75R16s - June '13
- Goodyear MT/Rs w/ Kevlar
- mount to Moabs
7) Rokmen GTS - As needed
 
#146 ·
Well, timing updates:

Ordered the Currie UCA-Front, but they are on back-order for 3 weeks. Thus, I'll postpone installation until I return from the JJUSA in Drummond Island, MI (June '11.) Then I'll install the ZJ Tie Rod, UCAs, & have the Jeep aligned. That way, when it get aligned, I can have toe & caster properly set.

In the meantime, I just placed an order for new seats:
- Corbeau XRS Suspension Seats - Vinyl/Cloth - Black
- Seat adaptors
- Seat Heaters
They should be here in 7-10 days.
Then my 4 point harnesses will fit properly on my shoulders and save my butt when in the rocks.
 
#147 ·
Minor upgrade:

Replaced my aux back-up lights with a single 4 5/8" fog light.The original lights I installed flooded during my trip to the Badlands on the creek trail. I wanted something higher up, and with more candle power for the pass side of the Jeep.



I again used a PIAA light bracket as they are strong, easy to position around my Bestop tire carrier. Just needed some minor trimming to clear the welds of the carrier:



Seats arrived last night. Need to run to the shop and pick them up.
 
#150 ·
4 days to Drummond :2thumbsup:

Thanks for the offer for help Hiker!

Big upgrades this weekend.
Picked up my new Corbeau XRS Suspension Seats with heaters.



Here's the underside with the adaptor brackets installed and the heater plug:


OE slider bracket installed:


During the process:


Installed along with the seat vests I previously had installed (a tight fit, but they fit):


They feel really nice vs the stock '02 seats.
The leg bolsters are much higher, so when you get in, you feel like you are climbing to the moon to get in. lol
The side bolsters are just a tab bit deep than the stock ones.
The shoulder bolster really keep you in.
Once you snug up the 4 points, you can't go anywhere. What I wanted.

Just have to decide where to mount the seat heater switches and relays.

Now I need to get ready for the Drummond Island, MI JJUSA.

:cheers2:
 
#153 ·
Last weekend (June 16-18), I attended the Jeep Jamboree USA's event on Drummond Island, MI.

http://jeepjamboreeusa.com/trip-detail.cfm?TripID=12

For those who do not know where Drummond Island is, it is at the far eastern end of Michigan's UP. About 50 miles east of the Mighy Mac Bridge.

Just after crossing the bridge, I came across this:
Image uploading. Refresh page to view


Waiting for the ferry at DeTour Village, MI to cross over to the island:
Image uploading. Refresh page to view


Drummond Island Resort - home to the JJUSA, tech inspection, and trail sign-ups.:
Image uploading. Refresh page to view


The weather wasnice. Warm and sunny both days, with highs in the upper 70s. No rain for the last week, which made the famous Drummond island water holes / trails very dry. I'm still tasting dust. :laugh:

This year had about 82 participant jeeps, with a total of 212 participants. As I did last year, I decided to sign up with the red group. While this is a stocker / noob group, I really enjoy the trail guides. At Drummond, most groups all run most of the same trials (Marblehead Point, Schale Beach, and the Turtle Ridge ORV Park). About 1-2 trails are diffenent between the groups, so you don't miss too much between the groups.

Our group had 13 jeeps with 2 trail guides. We had JKs, JKUs, TJs, XJ, and a YJ. Only two in the group were Rubis. Most were pretty close to stock as one can get. You can say I was in a group below my TJs capabilities & experiences, but again, I enjoy the guides and you run pretty much the same trails, so......

Morning of day 1 - breakfast, group gathering, and driver's meeting:
Image uploading. Refresh page to view


Image uploading. Refresh page to view


Image uploading. Refresh page to view


Marblehead Steps:
Image uploading. Refresh page to view


Image uploading. Refresh page to view


Marblehead Point:
Image uploading. Refresh page to view


Image uploading. Refresh page to view


Image uploading. Refresh page to view
 
#154 ·
Day 2:




Conner's Hole (about 900 ft long water run)






Turtle Ridge ORV Park - The Citidale:






The Ledges:


This year I tried the "V-Notch" at the Ledges. It was about 4 ft wall face of rock. I could never dream of doing it last year, but lockers and a small lift I made it without even scrapping too much metal!



Loaded up and heading home:


I'm sorry I don't have many pics,most of my stuff is videos and need to get those on YouTube when I can get a moment.

On the ferry home:


Drive to and from was 700 miles round trip. 6 Hours each way. Averaged 11.8 MPG on the Durango.
 
#155 ·
Post trip analysis:

The Jeep ran great the entire weekend. No vapor lock, no breakdowns. Maybe I'm getting to the point of this build where I can wheel it without worries for the wheeling that I like to do. Maybe......
I took the Jeep wherever I wanted to go and challanged myslef as much as the opportunities presented themselves. Slight lift, lockers, tons of armor, and a flexy suspension make for a solid Jeep, in my mind.

The suspension seats & harnesses were a nice feature. The belts really keep you secure, and the seats take away most of the shock you see on your rear when going over rocks, etc.

Half doors can become a PITA on the trail. Having to remove the uppers, store them, and then eventually re-install them at night or if it gets too dusty on the trail. Next trip I'm going to run with my full doors. That way I have operating windows for every condition. Yes, you lose some visability, but oh well. Trade-offs. I'll keep my half-doors for around town and summer weather.

Garage analysis:
No leaks, nothing broken.
Minor scraps that need to be painted.
Minor adjustment to the drag link to align steering (1/4 turn.)

Immediate plans:
Install a ZJ V8 tie rod.
Professional alignment
Fab up a cabin air filter similar to this:
http://www.stu-offroad.com/body/cleanair/cleanair-1.htm
 
#156 ·
Installed the ZJ V8 TR & TRE.

Here is a comparison of the stock TJ vs the ZJ V8 TR:


Installed:


Had it aligned:
Camber L - 1/4 R - 1/4
Caster L +5 1/4 R +5
Toe In 0

Drives really nice. For once, straight. Took it on the freeway on the way back and had it up to 70 MPH without issues. :thumbsup:

Future plans:
1) Tummy Tuck - Sept '12
- UCF 3/16" Steel no BL style
- AA SYE / CV Driveshaft
- Brown Dog motor mounts (MML)
- Currie UCAs - Front
- Banks / MBRP Exhaust
2) 265/75R16s - June '13
- Goodyear MT/Rs w/ Kevlar
- mount to Moabs
- OME 2" HD Rear Springs
- Currie CE-9120TJS Front Adj Trackbar
3) Savvy GTS - As needed
 
#157 ·
Looks like a fun JJ, I would like to make that trip sometime. You've done a fantastic job on your build.

I've been reading up on your ZJ tierod swap, I might have to copy that.
 
#158 ·
More pics added to posts 153 & 154.

TJ98 - Drummond is a fun time. Not the most difficult wheeling, but nice and senic. It's nice to have a JJUSA in your home state. :cool:

Thanks for the complements on my build. Might not be the biggest / best TJ out there, but it's built to wheel where I go.
Looking forward to see how your axle swap goes.

As for the ZJ TR, I can't take any credit for that idea. I got it from Stu's website.
 
#159 ·
On Saturday, August 6th, a friend and I went to Bundy Hill ORV park which is south of Jackson, MI.

http://www.bundyhilloffroad.com/

It was both our first time there, so we learned the layout as we went. It opened 2 years ago on a gravel pit.. It's not large, about 300 acres, but has lots to offer for trails, sand pits, mud holes, and rock runs.

Not many pics, but about half way through the day, we came across thsi 4 dr JK stuck in a pit. He tried to self recover, but ended up getting in worse shape.



I pulled my winch cable and had my buddy's 2 dr JK as an anchor point. I was able to pull the 4 dr about halfway across the pit, then he hydorlocked.





I tried, but with only 8000 lbs of pulling power, I was done. My winch was hot, and my battery needed a break. At this point, 2 V8 Land Rovers came by and tried to help. They even tried a double snatch strap pull, but didn't budge the JK.



Eventually, a loader was called in and pulled the JK to dry land. The Land Rovers pulled the JK back to the parking lot.



Overall, a fun day. Got some recover experiences, and continue to gain knowledge and confidence being offroad.

 
#160 ·
Decided to upgrade my electrical system.

After many electrical additions:
ARB Compressor
PIAA ATP Lights
In cab winch controller
Seat heaters
Aux rear cargo area fan (for dog)

I picked up a Painless Performance 7 circuit fuse block. Ignition powered, water and dust proof:



Installed it to the left of the clutch pedal for easy access:



While I was at it, I installed the seat heaters and switches:

 
#162 ·
Decided to make some minor improvements to help with some noticed flaws in my build.

Ordered everything I need to:

1) Engine runs a tad warmer than I'd like.
- Plan is to get more air moving through the radiator.
- Hayden HD Fan Clutch 2793
- Ford Explorer 10 blade fan
- Remove my rad screen
2) Cabin air
- Add a cabin air filter under the cowl
- Clean out cowl drain
- Seal HVAC inlet from water
3) Alternator
- Ordered a Mean Green 200 Amp (90A idle) alternator
- Having a winch, ATP lights, heated seats, etc need some more juice.

Plan is to have everything here first part of next week and get everything installed prior to the JJSUA in Laurel Highlands, PA on Sept 15th.
 
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