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LJ on a budget

51K views 238 replies 54 participants last post by  LJTim 
#1 · (Edited)
I'll try to keep a current pic at the start of this thread.
Wheel Tire Sky Land vehicle Car


After 3 seasons of great wheeling and mild building on my 99 XJ, I had the chance to score on a deal I could not refuse on a 2004 TJ Unlimited. I bought it with high miles, but it runs great now, and with he price I got it, I could replace the motor and still be WAY ahead. I loved the Cherokee's low center of gravity and great flex. Our family frequents Moab about 4 times a year. Now that my oldest son has an XJ of his own, it's finally practical for me to use a 4-seater rig for my wife, 2 other kids and me. A JK is just too far over my budget. The XJ was very practical and cheap to work on and fix-up, but I kept tweaking the unibody so bad it was starting to get pretty tough to open up the hatch or any of the doors. Plus I have always dreamed of a CJ 6, and ever since the LJ came out - that was my true wish for a reliable wheeler with a great wheelbase. I got a good offer for the XJ so I took it.





Here's the LJ when I bought it. I should take some interior photos. That's where she really shines.













My goal with this is to keep it affordable. I don't have much expendable income to spend on upgrades, but we love wheeling. It will be a slow, affordable build that I can hopefully gradually build up without my wife noticing the bank account. Overall goals will be 37's geared somewhere over 4.88, but I won;t go too crazy, because for now, it is my DD. I won't be running 37's for a couple years, because I have no funds to regear. I feel okay running up to 35's with the stock 3.73, although it is obviously pretty sluggish at certain speeds.
 
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#56 ·
We had another successful trip to Sand Hollow. On our way down, I picked up a Currie Antirock for the front. I threw it on the night before we hit the trails. Overall, I am happy with the product. Installation was straight forward. It is a little stiff for my style. I think I will back it all the way to the softest mounting hole. Below are some pics from the trip.

I also just picked up a HP Dana 30 with 4.88's in it. I've been saving for lockers for a while and will be dropping this axle in as well as lockers for the front and rear and new gears for the rear in a couple weeks. Pics will come when the makeover goes down.























 
#57 ·
Pretty excited about what this next few weeks will bring. I picked up an HP Dana 30 with 4.88's for dirt cheap. So I'll be picking up gears for the rear and OX air lockers for both. Adding some gussets as well. Just finished cleaning it all up and re-sprayed. I didn't worry about the cover, since they will be replaced by the OX covers. Crossing my fingers the new gears and the high pinion doesn't introduce any new vibes.





Oh, and I picked up some floor mats. Should help it perform much better.

 
#58 ·
The LJ just finished some fairly significant workovers. First was a new soft top for the summer. I'll be keepin the hard top for the colder months. I love the Bestop, but I'm concerned it won't be as easy and convenient to break down on the trail as I had hoped. We'll see though.

As previously posted, the HP30 I scored had mini gussets welded to the C's, upper and lower brackets.

I also added OX air lockers to the front and rear. After adding 4.88 gears to the rear to match the new front axle, I added chromo shafts to the rear.

I routed the switches to the front control area near the t-case lever. I ran a hose to the switches from a paintball air tank I have mounted to the roll bar behind the drivers seat. I couldn't be happier with the OX lockers. They engage instantly and use very little air.

I also installed my CB that I have had sitting around. My buddy and I are communicating very well. Nice and clear. But I hear it is important to tune my antenna, so that's next on the to do list.

We have a trip to Moab in 2 weeks. I'm excited to put the lockers to the test. This will be the first time I have ever had front and rear lockers.



























 
#61 ·
Drives well on the road. It's my daily driver. I commute about 40 miles a day. No death wobble. Steering and braking are straight. I cruise 75 all the time at about 2600 rpm. Combination of the tires and the soft top, it's not the quietest ride. I don't trailer it to my wheeling trips. I drive 3 hours to Moab pulling a tent trailer. And about 4 hours to Sand Hollow. I often have to turn off OD with the trailer, but that's not a big deal to me.

 
#62 ·
I thought I would share my latest improvements to my rear end. I started with Poison Spyder corner armor. It looked so clean, I couldn't put that crappy license plate back on. So I zip tied it to my roll bar while I waited for TNT to ship me their license plate bracket. I like this because I can use it when I go to Sand Hollow which requires the use of a flag. The final step was the tail lights. I went with LED tail lights from Savvy. These are billet aluminum and about 1/3 the depth of the factory lights. Since these bad boys are the most expensive part, I hesitated for a while to get them, but now that I have them, I couldn't be happier.





 
#65 ·
Great LJ build! I wish I had your fabrication skills, or more time...:( I recently started modding my wife's daily driver, an 05 LJ. A couple of comments/questions.

I like the license plate move. I, too, want to do that, but I will have to reroute the light to the bumper mounted spare carrier. I already did this with the 3rd brake light, and it's a PITA to make it look good. No spare carrier for you??

How is the soft top working out? I have a hard top, but no place to store it. I would like to go the Bestop "factory" top route. I have the Trektop NX, but it is very difficult to make the transitions, especially for my wife. I'm curious to know how easy the "factory" top is to put up/down.

Great looking Jeep, and thanks for your time.

LJ's ROCK!! :highfive:
 
#66 ·
Thanks for the compliments. I'm actually not much of a fab dude. Just a hobbyist. anyone who has any real skill would laugh at my work. Fortunately, there is so much available for TJ/LJ models, I haven't had to fab much - just modify the front bumper.

I don't run a spare tire. Never have. It may depend on your style of wheeling, but I stick with Moab, and other similar terrain in Southern Utah. Not saying I'll never have a problem, but I doubt it. And if I do, hopefully a buddy will have a spare :)

The soft top has been an absolute amazing addition. I still plan to run my hard top between Nov - April, but in San Diego, I would likely stick with the soft top, if I had to choose one over the other. I also highly favor the stock style top. Windows come off in 5 mins. I normally just run it with the top closed, keeping me in the shade with the windows and doors off. When I do want the top down, it is like 1 minute. I also like the factory style vs. because I like to have storage in the back. I drive to Moab and Southern Utah about 6 times a year full of gear and a family. I need that space.
 
#67 ·
in San Diego, I would likely stick with the soft top, if I had to choose one over the other.
That pretty much is the plan. Know anyone in Utah that wants a good deal on an LJ hardtop and a Trektop NX? I'll be glad to do the deal in Moab... :shhh:
Wife: "Why do we have to go to Moab?"
Me: "Because that's the only place I can get rid of the top. You want the top off of the back porch, don't you?" :rofl:

Thanks again for the write up and quick answer to my questions.
 
#68 ·
Ha! That's funny. Utah has a super active classified page on KSL.com. We hardly use Craigslist. I would post it on rock crawler parts section, and include that you are willing to meet in Moab. If you make a deal with someone, I'd be happy to take you around on some trails, if you wanted (unsure of your Moab experience). I make spontaneous trips to Moab all the time. I love it down there.
 
#69 ·
Great info, thanks! I was just joking, (well, a little) but that is something I'll have to check out.

I just recently went to Moab for the first time. The wife and I were on the way home from Colorado and wanted to kill some time. I suggested Moab since it was sorta on the way home. We ended up renting a JK Rubi and spending the day running the Dome Plateau trail. The wife absolutely loved it. She wanted to be able to do trails like that in her Jeep. That's when I started modding the LJ.

Now I need a trip back to test out the mods... :washme:
 
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#73 ·
I have your 'twin' so to speak, also a 2004. I did incremental builds years ago, got out of Jeeping, (still had a mild-built '95) and decided recently to get back into it. Bought a '16 Rubicon Unlimited Hard Rock, and couldn't justify getting Arizona pinstripes all over it! Sold it and found this LJ gem in AZ. Older build, prolly 11 years ago, RE 4.5" long arm in front, RE short kit in back, 4.88 gears, ARB in front, chromolly shafts in front, belly up pan, 2.5 inch body lift, engine lift, 35" KM2s, Anti-rock sway in front, Rubicon Mfg bumpers, cheap winch. LOVE IT! Going to Moab in Mid-October, can't wait.

 
#75 ·
I'm trying out some budget tires. I have searched and searched for a good aggressive all terrain that doesn't break the bank, and I keep coming back to these. I just ordered in a set of new Kanati Trail Hog 37x12.50r17 tires. To keep things on the affordable side, I scored a set of stock JK Moab wheels for $100. I think I'll be wanting to get some 9" rims when the dust settles from what is next to come. These 7.5" rims pull the side walls in nice and tight, but bulges my tread pattern. I'll have to drop some PSI to see if I can level that out.

I ordered some Metalcloak front Overline fenders with 4" flares. I haven't decided what to do with the rear yet since I have Poison Spider corner armor that I don't want to chop up. So, there will be some install pics when the cloaks are delivered. I can't wait to get them - at the moment, I don't quite have the clearance to wheel with the 37's.







 
#76 ·
Metalcloak surprised me and expedited my order. I pulled pretty much an all-nighter getting them installed. Pretty straight forward job. Took me about 8 hours by myself with only hand tools. The only tricky part was the driver side items that bolt to the inner fender. They didn't quite line up as nicely as the passenger side stuff did, but with some massaging and patience, they are all solid. Then the next day my winch guard showed up from A to Z Fabrication.

I still haven't decided what to do with my rear flares. The cloaks don't line up with my poison spyder corner armor. So I'm still trying to figure that out. I trimmed the rear fenders a bit, but I could still use 1" extra bump stop back there before I head to Moab later this week.

























 
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