Future Upgrades;

Drivetrain
-Hydro Assist (RedHead Steering Gears pump planned)

Armor;
-Quarter Panel Armour (Haven't decided between Valhalla Fab or DB Metalworx yet)
-EXO CAGE THIS *****!

Audio;
-Custom Ipad Pro 10.5 Dock. (Hoping to overlay this atop the current double din Pioneer and re-integrate the stock steering wheel controls, potentially with a bluetooth module vs. the standard stereo interface)

Future Wish List;

Suspension;
-Radflo bypass shocks

Armor;
-Full Belly Skid

Drivetrain;
-Chromoly or RCV Axle Shafts
-Ball Joint Eliminators
-Yukon Locking Hubs
-Artec Super Bearings or Equivalent

Interior;
-Driver and Passenger seat swap (Would be nice to grab a set of Corbeaus or Recaros)

 

FOR SALE;

**All components have roughly 192k on them unless otherwise noted**

PM me with that you're looking for and we can work out a reasonable price, photos and shipping methods. (P.S. - NOT shipping internationally due to costs)

Armor;
-Factory LIMITED Transfer Case Skid Plate
-Factory Transfer Case Crossmember

Drivetrain;
-Rear Factory Limited Driveshaft (Never had any issues but considering the mileage it wouldn't hurt to refresh the u-joints)
-Front Factory Limited Double Cardan Driveshaft (Recently rebuilt, all u-joints and centering yoke are new, no miles since rebuild, currently the spare during trips so may hold onto it.)
-247 Quadra-Drive Transfer Case (Ran with no issues when removed, swapped out for a 242HD)
-545RFE Valve body w/Transgo Shift Kit (Valve body has some wear but there are absolutely no miles on it since the Trans-Go kit was installed. Could pull parts and swap over to your transmission with less miles if desired)

Engine;
-Factory air intake (Intake box, tube & filter box with K&N filter)

Exhaust;
-Kolak 3" Catback Exhaust Kit (Has probably 70-100k on it, seen some better days, needs a hole patched, 3" cat on attached to system currently and seems good still, also cut in two pieces. Had to remove it for clearance reasons with the rear long arm upgrade)

Suspension;
-IRO Rear Fixed Short Control Arms (Less than 20K on them)
-IRO Front Sway Bar Links for 6.5" Lift (~20k on them)
-IRO Front Bump Stops (Still have bolts for them, ~20K on them, minor blemish and scraped on them)
-Rancho RS5000 Front and Rear Shocks for standard ride height (Maybe 50K on them, changed out due to the 6.5" lift, otherwise still solid shocks)
-Factory Front Upper Control Arms (Could use new bushings)
-Factory Front Lower Control Arms (Could use new bushings)
-Factory Rear Lower Control Arms (Could use new bushings)
-Factory Track Bar
-Factory Front UC Coil Springs
-Factory Rear UC Coil Springs

Interior;
-Factory CD Changer
-Factory CD Changer Enclosure (Taupe color)
-Quadra-Drive Shifter Assembly (Bezel is slightly damaged, plastic snaps that hold it into place broke, could probably fix with some glue or double sided tape)
-Selec-Track Shifter Assembly (CLEAN AF!!!, cleanest one I've ever seen to date, just don't want to swap mine out after upgrading the lighting in it.)

Exterior;
-Factory Limited Headlights (Need a good cleaning, no leaks, no moisture ever trapped in them, swapped out for Spyders)
-Factory Limited Receiver/Tow Hitch (Electrical was crushed in a minor rear end accident but the unit is straight otherwise)

Body;
-Front Bumper (Minor paint smudge on it and plastic is slightly tweaked, also removed the factory grill from it to keep in use on my Jeep)

Misc.;
-Factory WJ washer fluid reservoir (Still need to swap this out for the ZJ reservoir but will expedite if there's someone interested)

 

Looks like a nice ride :smile2:

 

Nice build so far. What tire size?


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Thanks. I've had her for nearly a decade and after someone put my ZJ into the median one winter I've always wanted to build a Grand.

Tires are BFG KO2 287/75/17. I was actually planning on the Falken Wildpeak A/T3Ws but after the shop ordered in the incorrect size they offered these for the same price, never ran BFGs so I figured I'd give them a try. Not as agressive on the tread as I would have liked but they'll do for now.

 

Thanks. I've had her for nearly a decade and after someone put my ZJ into the median one winter I've always wanted to build a Grand.

Tires are BFG KO2 287/75/17. I was actually planning on the Falken Wildpeak A/T3Ws but after the shop ordered in the incorrect size they offered these for the same price, never ran BFGs so I figured I'd give them a try. Not as agressive on the tread as I would have liked but they'll do for now.

Have you done any trimming? I'm looking at upping my 4" to a 6.5" with 35s

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Got a little cabin fever today (Currently unemployed, resigned from my last job after 6+ years and taking a break before getting back to the grind, seemed perfect timing for the WJ) and took a trek up to Crystal Peak CA. Took Dog Valley road from the north side of Reno.

Snapped some more pics while I was up there doing a little exploring and testing of the suspension on the trail...I realized I neglected to put the washers on the upper rear shocks...so that'll probably be a job for tomorrow. Clankity clank :|

Took a time lapse video I may edit and post later of the trail up.

 

Not really build related but first stab at come video editing using the GoPro on my trip up to Crystal Peak yesterday

 

Moving to the Grand Cherokee General Discussion sub-forum.

 

Thanks Jeeples! I wasn't exactly sure if I had started this in the correct location after reading some more build threads.

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Got the washers, er, 2 of them on the rear shocks today, must have left the other 4 at my shop in CA. Adding it to the list for the next trip up the hill.
-Used a strap to keep the tension on the shocks while I took the bolts out as I have no jack or ramps at the apartment when I'm in Reno. Worked pretty well.

Cleaned my K&N pre-filter cover...MAN! The filter looked as if it came right off the showroom floor when I took the pre-filter off. Highly recommend one of these if your running a cone filter. I drive in wet and snowy conditions for a good portion of the year and worried about the filter getting wet after removing the stock air box and filter. I'm sure the negate air intake a bit but nothing worth whining about.

Been having some AC/Heat/Air issues for a few months now I thought I would dig into;
-Read, cleared, and re-read the fault codes on the heat/air system - left with a 52 and 56 on the first reset by pulling the IOD fuse
-56 will most likely be there to stay as I did the blend door fix a couple years back. I have a real rebuild kit laying in the shop when and if I ever decide to pull the entire dash.
-Cleaned up the wiring on the blower resistor, they must have melted a bit from the blower motor overheating due to the recirc door being broken.
-Fixed the recirc door using the zip tie method, picture attached. Fix thread I referenced HERE
-Took her out for a test in the heat and the air blew cold...for a good 10min maybe...then back to warm/hot.
-Haven't pulled the fault codes again but it's hot out, I'll check again in the morning to see what comes up.

I'm assuming I have a leak and/or need to rebuild the system as it read low again after recharging. Grr...I loathe AC systems. Have a family friend that worked on freight AC systems, gonna have him check it out for me on the next trip to CA.

 

Dropped the Jeep off this morning for an alignment and have them servicing the front and rear diffs while they're at it.

Unfortunately they found the rear thrust washer laying in the bottom of the case on the magnet so that's in the works as well.

Also ordered some aftermarket headlights that look like the ones in the attached picture, I think they'll turn out well with my blue paint vs. the white in the picture. Will post when I have them in next week.

Looking forward to making the trip back up to CA to continue work on the transfer case swap, new skid plate and patiently *cough* awaiting the new drive shaft from tom Woods after the swap and measurements are sent. I know TW is pretty quick, generally a day or two turnaround, I'm just impatient when it comes to the build right now.

Thinking about doing the LED strip fix for the shift bezel during the swap as well since I was able to find a nice Selec-Trac shifter assembly at the local parts yard. Can't decide if I'll go with a solid red or use RGB so I can change the colors at will. I've started to become fond of the red lights as they're easy on the eyes during night, blue is really harsh on your corneas and the stock green is just plain ol' boring IMO. There's another post floating around for this fix so I'll probably document it and do a writeup for those interested or in need of a fix to their current bezel lighting.

 

Dropped the Jeep off this morning for an alignment and have them servicing the front and rear diffs while they're at it.

Unfortunately they found the rear thrust washer laying in the bottom of the case on the magnet so that's in the works as well.

Also ordered some aftermarket headlights that look like the ones in the attached picture, I think they'll turn out well with my blue paint vs. the white in the picture. Will post when I have them in next week.

Looking forward to making the trip back up to CA to continue work on the transfer case swap, new skid plate and patiently *cough* awaiting the new drive shaft from tom Woods after the swap and measurements are sent. I know TW is pretty quick, generally a day or two turnaround, I'm just impatient when it comes to the build right now.

Thinking about doing the LED strip fix for the shift bezel during the swap as well since I was able to find a nice Selec-Trac shifter assembly at the local parts yard. Can't decide if I'll go with a solid red or use RGB so I can change the colors at will. I've started to become fond of the red lights as they're easy on the eyes during night, blue is really harsh on your corneas and the stock green is just plain ol' boring IMO. There's another post floating around for this fix so I'll probably document it and do a writeup for those interested or in need of a fix to their current bezel lighting.

I haven't heard of this yet so I'm curious to see the light mod. Are you swapping bezels too?

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I'm swapping the whole shifter assembly actually. Found a mint one at the local yard, think I paid $30 for it when they tossed it in with the 242HD that they swore was a 242J....ha...their loss on the case! I think they actually have 2 more 242HDs on hand that they claim are Js still.

Woulda had the case in a couple weeks ago but I had to split it back open when I rebuilt it... I put one of the shift rings in backwards... Unfortunately when I was putting it back together for the second time the magnet fell and shattered. Couldn't find one locally so I had to order it online. Fingers crossed it fits as I've heard there are some tolerance issues with replacement magnets.

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I'm swapping the whole shifter assembly actually. Found a mint one at the local yard, think I paid $30 for it when they tossed it in with the 242HD that they swore was a 242J....ha...their loss on the case! I think they actually have 2 more 242HDs on hand that they claim are Js still.

Woulda had the case in a couple weeks ago but I had to split it back open when I rebuilt it... I put one of the shift rings in backwards... Unfortunately when I saw putting it back together for the second time the magnet fell and shattered. Couldn't find one locally so I had to order it online. Fingers crossed it fits as I've heard there are some tolerance issues with replacement magnets.

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Sweet man! That's a steal even if you have to play the waiting game. I think they are $140 at the pick and pull but I'm waiting until July 4 when they do their 40% off sale. Going to grab the case and rear driveshaft since I have a 247. Not sure about bezel. Might just do stickers

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Damn! That's crazy for a shift assembly!

I paid $300 for the case, so major steal in total. Sadly no driveshafts were available at the time but that's OK, the Tom Woods will ensure I do it right the first time but the SYE kit for the 242HD isn't exactly on the cheaper end either. I considered a hack and tap at first but didn't like the amount of output shaft that would be left, I'll get some pics up before I throw it in the Jeep, it's pretty short now.

Here's the only before shot I took, because why not.

Things are definitely adding up quicker than I imagined but when you get the sickness is difficult to rid it haha.

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That price is for the case. Lol then 60 for the ds and idk about the bezel. I plan to pull it, inspect, clean and throw it in. I don't want to sink a bunch of money in it if I can help it

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Finally got around to redoing my writeup on the custom enclosure to replace the CD changer that I had on JU. Wish I could have ported the original post over as it's been quite a few years since I wrote it and I'm sure it's not as detailed as it once was but it can be located HERE

Getting ready for the trip back up the hill to the CA mountains to work on the transfer case swap, transgo kit, shifter bezel swap, and a few other minor things while I wait on the Tom Woods shaft to be delivered.

 

Oh, also been tinkering around with the idea of a LED spectrum analyzer hidden behind the rear quarter panel glass to sync up with the stereo, it's been a project I've always wanted to build...Here's a couple picture of where I left off with it before I started working on the mechanical side of things. One thing I noticed was that it increases blind spots, at first I didn't think it would but quickly noticed I use the rear quarter glass more than I thought after test fitting everything. I plan on making them removable though.

Still need to figure out the controller and programming side of things as most of these types of builds revolve around WS2812 LEDs but I had a surplus of DMX512 on hand, which I'm more familiar with in realms of coding.

 

Got the Spyder headlights in today and finished rebuilding the 242HD case. Next steps are to pick a couple to a few days to decommission her, slap the case in, send measurements to TW and await the new rear driveshaft....decisions decisions...

I suppose I'll drop the transmission pan and valve body while I'm in limbo to do the transgo kit. Parking brake rebuild and install the IRO transfer case skid...man, that skid is pure beef!

Plan on doing the red LED in the select trac shifter bezel one of these evenings as well. Good thing I took it apart to see how it goes together as I tested the factory light membrane... Which turned out to be dead.

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Today was the day for the transfer case swap. Everything went pretty smooth aside from that top stud everyone has noted its a PITA to get to. I ended up using a starter wrench which worked well to get at it since I didn't bother dropping the cross member to do the swap.

Tomorrow's plans include chatting with Tom Woods to get the new rear double cardan drive shaft in the works. Also dropping the 545rfe pan and valve body to do the Transgo shift kit as well as new filters.

Got some LED turn signals, parking lamps, and dash indicator lights in route to replace the burned out ones and peeling amber coating on some. Will get some pictures up when it's done. Would have been done earlier but the carrier lost the package in route some how....

Also got some AC parts in route that will hopefully bring the cold back to life since it went out last summer. New expansion valve (Denso), new drier, o-ring & seal kit and valve core and cap kit (all GPD) from rock auto. Fingers crossed these will do the trick and I don't need a new compressor. I had a friend who worked on freight truck AC's for years take a look at it for me yesterday and he recommended those parts to get the job done.

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A quick picture of the red LED swap in the shifter bezel. It's a little on the bright side as I didn't have any low density tape light on hand so I'll have to figure out how to reduce the lumen output a bit without having to rely on the vehicle dimmer as everything else will be too dim for me. Thinking either a PWM controller (so I can fine tune the brightness) or a resistor (which will be a bit more difficult without cutting the voltage down too much and cut the LEDs required voltage input to power them).

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Sub'd... Like where you're going with your WJ. Do you know what the yard got the 242HD out of? I have a line on an 04 WJ Overland 4.7HO from Carolina & thinking about picking it up as my next build & want to do the 242HD swap on it if I can.

If you could let me know what you do to dim the LED's i'd appreciate it. I've been replacing all the old lights with LED's & have he same issue. The LED's are too bright when everything else is way to dim.....

Great Build. jealous how clean your rigs are over there. NY salts so much our older rigs just end up being a pile of rust.

 

It was either a 02 or 03 4.7 limited that the case came out of at the yard. I was shocked they had a total of 3 HD cases on hand. It's a yard where they pull the parts themselves and don't have the best records on what they came from.

I'll keep you and others posted on the light solution, as of right now I just found out a have to drop the transmission after the pin on the manual shaft lever got snapped off while assembling the valve body back into the transmission, not the greatest of news but will resume the lighting and other projects after that's fixed.

Thanks for the compliment, I've taken good care of her all these years aside from putting ~120k miles on it since the initial buy but she still runs great and has been very dependable.

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IRO transfer case skid plate and Tom Woods double cardan rear drive shaft in over the last couple days.

Have I mentioned how much I hate nut plates...! The 4 hole plate for the skid was a major pain for some reason. Overall the skid looks awesome and the clearance and approach angles look great at first glance.

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What TC do you have? I just installed mine on a 247 QD and the DS I got from Tom Woods was not the same as yours.

 

I saw yours earlier today, looks nice.

I ditched the 247 recently in place for a 242HD. I knew it was eventually going to nuke itself with a 6.5" lift and bigger tires... Plus... 2WD!

I really wanted to get rid of the slip yoke and full time 4WD.

If the front vari-lok axel goes anytime soon the plan is to swap out for a non vari-lok D30 unless something else comes up for a hell of a deal.

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Well that is a relief!! I thought for a second that I had screwed my order.

 

I did an LED swap in the map lights some time ago using tape light as I had it on hand vs. buying replacement LED lamps for the stock housings. Had some ghosting issues due to sloppy work that was shorting out on the metal mounting plates I used at the time and since I hacked the factory lamp sockets out I figured it was time to fix this, however this time around I wanted to add a night vision mode as the 5000K tape light is very bright on the eyes at night.

I didn't take enough pictures to do a writeup but it's fairly straightforward to do using a switch to flip the negative between the Red and the 5000K LED tape strips. I used some plastic this time around to ensure I had no bleeding of the voltage on the mounting surfaces.

 

Good news and bad news today after a call from the transmission shop here in Reno;

The bad; At nearly 200K the transmission is in need of some drastic love, had the old man and I not accidentally snapped a detent off the manual shift lever during the reassembly of the solenoid body who knows how much longer it would have held out...I hear these transmissions are pretty damn stout though. So this will most likely put a damper on phase 2 of the build for a while after I lighten the ol' wallet for the repairs and start setting funds aside once again.

The good; they're able to beef it up a little for me in the process for a couple hundred more and include a new external transmission cooler. I opted to forgo the temp sensor for now as that seemed fairly straight forward and I wasn't about to slap a last minute gauge somewhere in the cab without putting thorough thought into it. The plan for this is to somehow get it integrated into the Ipad once I have that molded into the dash.

Looks like it'll be done this upcoming Thursday but I'll be out of state until the following week while attending High Sierra Music Festival with some friends and family...major Jeep separation anxiety in these neck of the woods but at least the fest will be a good distraction in the meantime.

 

Good news and bad news today after a call from the transmission shop here in Reno;

The bad; At nearly 200K the transmission is in need of some drastic love, had the old man and I not accidentally snapped a detent off the manual shift lever during the reassembly of the solenoid body who knows how much longer it would have held out...I hear these transmissions are pretty damn stout though. So this will most likely put a damper on phase 2 of the build for a while after I lighten the ol' wallet for the repairs and start setting funds aside once again.

The good; they're able to beef it up a little for me in the process for a couple hundred more and include a new external transmission cooler. I opted to forgo the temp sensor for now as that seemed fairly straight forward and I wasn't about to slap a last minute gauge somewhere in the cab without putting thorough thought into it. The plan for this is to somehow get it integrated into the Ipad once I have that molded into the dash.

Looks like it'll be done this upcoming Thursday but I'll be out of state until the following week while attending High Sierra Music Festival with some friends and family...major Jeep separation anxiety in these neck of the woods but at least the fest will be a good distraction in the meantime.

I googled the festival just out of curiosity. Who are these people? ......by the way ,good work so far!

 

Also thinking something like these mini PWM dimmer/controllers may be a good solution to handle the dimming of the extra bright LEDs;

https://www.amazon.com/SODIAL-Contr.../ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1530636995&sr=1-11&keywords=pwm+dimmer+controller

My only concern is that I'm not sure how, or if, a PWM controller will affect the lighting circuit. Or cause any unwanted feedback on the electrical system. The risk seems low and at the cost willing to try it out to see how it goes. Will report back sometime in the near future once I have the Jeep back in hand and some time to work on it.

 

Roller for the trimed fenders, Hmm:mod: