I should start by saying that I have been working on this build, on and off due to limitations of money, time or both, for the better part of 12 years.
I bought my 94 YJ in 2000, instantly falling in love, so the mods came quick. A 3.5” lift and 33s, brush guard and big tire carrier were among the first. After putting more than 240k on her in the salt belt, Chicagoland, she was not in the best shape. Mainly the holes in the tub, dripping diffs and TC, not to mention the fairly high-mileage 4.0L. Hating the thought of parting with her or getting a new Jeep, I decided to rebuild. As many know, this is a very slippery slope and can go in many expensive directions.
I planned on engine and body work mostly, which resulted in a rather large trickledown
effect of other various mods, many by necessity, some by my desire. After all my research came up with frame work a 93 SBC Chevy 350 TBI, my recently rebuilt AX15, a flipped twin-sticked Dana 300, Ford 8.8 with 4.10s, 4” DMW lift and, of course, a fiberglass grill with round highlights (I’ve always loved that classic look of round headlights on wranglers, this was my chance to make my YJ round). All of these modifications have required a myriad of adapters, customizations, and planning.
I made the tough decision to take it down to the frame. I still think this was a good decision but it definitely added a lot to the expense list and the build time.
After a long break, I’ve been able to make some good progress lately. I have the brake system completed, minus the calipers and rotors. Today I finished just the P/S hoses. It was a little tricky getting the right fittings but I went with -6an adapters from the gearbox and pump with braided hose.
While working today I noticed some rust and corrosion buildup where the intake manifold meets the cylinder heads. This engine has 0 miles, it was a newly rebuilt engine when I bought it. I have started it but only twice since the project began. The last time being probably 6 years ago. I think this may have caused the intake manifold gasket to fail due to the coolant sitting for so long. I definitely want to change the intake manifold gasket before going much further, obviously the oil too. Wondering if there is anything else I should be concerned with?
The photos below are the current state of the build.
I bought my 94 YJ in 2000, instantly falling in love, so the mods came quick. A 3.5” lift and 33s, brush guard and big tire carrier were among the first. After putting more than 240k on her in the salt belt, Chicagoland, she was not in the best shape. Mainly the holes in the tub, dripping diffs and TC, not to mention the fairly high-mileage 4.0L. Hating the thought of parting with her or getting a new Jeep, I decided to rebuild. As many know, this is a very slippery slope and can go in many expensive directions.
I planned on engine and body work mostly, which resulted in a rather large trickledown
effect of other various mods, many by necessity, some by my desire. After all my research came up with frame work a 93 SBC Chevy 350 TBI, my recently rebuilt AX15, a flipped twin-sticked Dana 300, Ford 8.8 with 4.10s, 4” DMW lift and, of course, a fiberglass grill with round highlights (I’ve always loved that classic look of round headlights on wranglers, this was my chance to make my YJ round). All of these modifications have required a myriad of adapters, customizations, and planning.
I made the tough decision to take it down to the frame. I still think this was a good decision but it definitely added a lot to the expense list and the build time.
After a long break, I’ve been able to make some good progress lately. I have the brake system completed, minus the calipers and rotors. Today I finished just the P/S hoses. It was a little tricky getting the right fittings but I went with -6an adapters from the gearbox and pump with braided hose.
While working today I noticed some rust and corrosion buildup where the intake manifold meets the cylinder heads. This engine has 0 miles, it was a newly rebuilt engine when I bought it. I have started it but only twice since the project began. The last time being probably 6 years ago. I think this may have caused the intake manifold gasket to fail due to the coolant sitting for so long. I definitely want to change the intake manifold gasket before going much further, obviously the oil too. Wondering if there is anything else I should be concerned with?
The photos below are the current state of the build.