Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

My Purple People Eater Build

41135 Views 188 Replies 48 Participants Last post by  PurpleTJ
5
The Jeep's story: '98 Sport (no d44) deep amethyst pearl coat, I6, currently 64k. My uncle bought her from the dealer brand spankin new. My brothers and I, when we visited him in Illinois, would get to drive around on hot summer nights with the top down. I absolutely loved it. My uncle passed away from pancreatic cancer Thanksgiving '07. I turned 16 January '08. My dad inherited the Jeep, and I got her for my birthday. She had just under 60k, no body damage, minimal surface rust underneath, and virtually nothing wrong with her (reverse bulbs were out, thats about it). My dad and I drove down to where he lived in Illinois during winter break that year and tower her back up to Michigan on a trailer behind my dad's '06 F150.

Shortly after, we put on some 30" BFG ATs. I wanted to put a brush guard or bumper on it, and after researching for a long time, being careful about the cost, I found what I wanted. I decided against a whole new bumper due to the cost, and the fact that I didnt see the need for one. When I put this thing on, I had to remove the stock fogs, and while removing them, we busted the bolts that held them on. So I headed to autozone and picked up a pair of those Baja fogs for $25.

Here she is with the tires, brush guard, flares and fogs:



Some pics of the painting process for the flares:






Eventually, I will repaint both bumpers, and take the jugs off. I have already tried with the jugs, but the bolts just keep spinning :confused: If anyone has advice on that one, i'd love to hear it.

Edit: sawzall'd the jugs off, and painted the bumper. Page 3 for pics.

I have also replaced the factory speakers in the sound bar. I followed a guy's write up from here somewhere. I dont have pics, but i can get some if you want. (Edit: page 2 for a pic)

PLANS (eventually)
-Re-coat the frame -done
-Upgrade the d35/30
-BL, MML, skids
-Swing out tire carrier / bumper
-Possibly Raptor liner

Oh, and I also ordered a tuffy security console. The 3rd day I drove it to school, someone slashed the window and broke the console open (it wasnt even locked. there sure are some smart people out there). This was all during the school day, in the school parking lot. Sweet, right? :thumbdown: So i ordered new windows about 4 months ago, and just ordered the console.
Edit: Pics are a few posts down

Edit: also repainted the chipping passenger side mirror. Pics are a few posts down

Thanks for reading!

Daniel
See less See more
21 - 40 of 189 Posts
I'm just curious, is a 2.5" lift the magic number before changing over to a t-case lowering lit, dropped pitman arm, bumpstop extensions, slip yoke eliminator, etc???
i sure thought it was. im still confused about bump stops, but read here to learn up on them
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/b...es-size-help-me-iron-out-fuzzy-points-734737/

as for tcase drop, every jeep is different. some will need them, some wont. im trying to install mine now. you should be fine without all those other things though.
finally got the tcase drop on today. she drives SO smooth. i love it. no more bummin a ride to work.

edit: oh and the rear track bar bracket. rear axle re-centred :)
looks good man!
i bet getting those springs in were a pain in the ***, I remember putting mine in, believe it or not, I did it myself, and just man handled those springs in, real harsh on the back aha.
Keep the pics coming!
looks good man!
i bet getting those springs in were a pain in the ***, I remember putting mine in, believe it or not, I did it myself, and just man handled those springs in, real harsh on the back aha.
Keep the pics coming!
yes, those springs were a ***** to put in. ill take plenty of pics once i get a new camera (im actually leaving to get one in about 15 minutes). the old one was acting up, we took it back to the store to get it replace, ends up they dont sell that camera anymore because it sucks. we got our money back though
11
got my new camera, and i went out and took a bunch of random pics, just 'cuz i could.

heres a before shot i forgot to put up


and after



and some random pics




my brothers stock XJ


JVC head unit (was already there when i got the Jeep)


new kenwood speakers


my sweet $10 wal mart shifter. it has blue LEDs in the top.


VIPER security system. if anyone knows how to work this thing, please let me know. i read the manual did what it said, nothing happened. there are green and red lights blinking every few seconds. i have a remote for it with 2 buttons.
See less See more
wow. my new camera is great :2thumbsup: much better quality than the old one
after the lift when on, i started noticing a nasty rubbing sound when steering all the way left or right. i figured out it was the steer stops, and they needed to be adjusted. found a write up, for i had no clue even where to look, and learned that it was a really easy thing to do. i got under there and threw 2 washers on either side. 15 minute job, and no more rubbing! woot!
looks good im still building mine what a slow process being in Kollege
Your wrangler is cool. Purple is a color that you dont see to often. Good luck with future mods.
Your wrangler is cool. Purple is a color that you dont see to often. Good luck with future mods.
thanks! its literally the only one of that color that i've seen in person. and theres only one other that i've seen online.
4
painted my front bumper

before

yuck. all nasty and dirty (doesnt come off when going through the car wash, and i got tired of scrubbing it myself)

during



after


MUCH better :)

oh ya, and i took the jugs off FINALLY. i had to sawzall them, 'cuz all the bolts in it were spinning
See less See more
Looks awesome
thanks :thumbsup:
u need to undercoat her, loose the brush guard and fogs and imo it will look badass
u need to undercoat her, loose the brush guard and fogs and imo it will look badass
undercoating will get done next summer. as for fogs, i agree, i dont like where they are, but i couldnt find anywhere else to mount them, and i dont want to get rid of them altogether. as for the brush guard, im really dissappointed, 'cuz now i dont like the look as much with the jugs off :( and after spending almost 200 on it and not using it for even a year, i dont want to get rid of it yet.
painted my front bumper

after


MUCH better :)

oh ya, and i took the jugs off FINALLY. i had to sawzall them, 'cuz all the bolts in it were spinning
Paint job looks great!

I took the milk jugs off, too (and had the same problem with the bolts spinning). Recently added rock crawler type end caps from Quadratec.

All the best!
Paint job looks great!

I took the milk jugs off, too (and had the same problem with the bolts spinning). Recently added rock crawler type end caps from Quadratec.

All the best!
thanks! :wave:
Looks sweet man :thumbsup: when are the D windows and 32's coming?
Looks sweet man :thumbsup: when are the D windows and 32's coming?
hm, must have missed this post, sorry. i plan to get my 15x8 D windows and 32x10.5 KM2s next spring. however, i heard KM2s were hard to find, so im not sure if i will be able to get my hands on a set.

no other updates yet. just been drivin back a forth to school and work everyday.

oh and thanks for the compliment :)
just got back from bundy hill in Jerome, MI. i had the best time of my life. my little semi stock TJ and my friend's fully stock XJ were doin things i never dreamed we could ever do. ill get some nice pics up in a few. we took over 300 pics during 5 1/2 hours of wheeling, so ill have to sift through them all
21 - 40 of 189 Posts
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