Sandy Johnson
Harry Member
Yes, I'm right in the middle of scrambling to get my YJ ready for KOH this year. Yes, I also have a wife, two kids, a full time job, and a bunch of other hobbies. So when my dad called me up and told me his wheeling days are over, and he can't get much of a trade-in value on his 98 TJ, then asked me if I wanted it.... I immediately said yes. The first jeep I ever owned was a 1997 TJ, and my dad and I had so much fun in it, that he went out and bought his own the next year. My dad has always been into wheeling, but after I was born, the only thing with 4x4 he ended up with was a suburban. When I went out and paid too much money for a brand new jeep for my first car, he was skeptical. After our first trip to the desert he was hooked. So out he went to repeat my mistake and buy a brand spankin new jeep.
My dad back in 1957 driving my grandpa's 51 willys:
He immediately started beating on the TJ. Stock form on the squeeze in anza-borrego circa 1998:
We ended up with identical jeeps after my mom and I got some cash together to lift, re-gear, lock the rear, and add tires to my dads.
It was a sahara edition with a Dana 44 out back, so specs are as follows:
Stock 4.0
D30/D44 combo
4.56 gears, detroit locker out back, open front(I suspect the only thing keeping that poor dana 30 alive)
Transfercase lowering kit in an attempt to cut down on driveline vibration
3" Rubicon Express Lift
33s on 15 inch wheels.
aaaaand, thats it!
Because our jeeps were so similar, there was some trading back and forth. I think he liked mine because I put a flowmaster on it for maximum high schooler obnoxiousness. Here's a few pics of when I got my hands on it:
Tierra Del Sol.... not sure which year
Pismo Beach circa whenever rangers still had broncos.
Me learning that mud is dumb:
Which brings us to today. Not much has changed with the old girl except a set of all terrain tires. She runs, gets washed, just got a tune up from my dad, and sits out in the San Diego sun all day. So when I brought our motorhome down to San Diego to visit my parents this thanksgiving, I brought a tow bar and had a Currie/RockJock tow bar mounting kit shipped to their house:
Plan is to get this thing driving nice and hand it over to my wife for fun. We also want to have a chill tow dingy to go behind our motorhome when we go somewhere that tons, 40's, an atlas(can't flat tow, need to pull driveshafts), and a flatbed trailer aren't needed. A bunch of you guys told me to keep my damn hands off of it, but too bad, Imma touch it. So without any more history lessons or rambling, I give you Project: Bolt-ons For The Side Chick.
Step one is to get it driving nice:
Fix leaky oil pan seal
New ruffstuff heavy duty steering
Rebuild/clean up Johnny joints on the old Rubicon Express kit
Check caster(it feels twitchier than I remember, so I think that's off) and fix if needed
Ditch the craptastic transfer case lowering kit and replace with SYE and new rear driveline
Fix the leather around the fawking steering wheel. You wouldn't think that is a big deal, but it's shredded, then wrapped in baseball grip wrap.. then that shredded, and now it has an old man wheel cover on it making the whole thing like 1 3/4" in diameter and it sucks.
New tires. Existing ones have been sitting in the sun for 8 years and have scary cracks. We're definitely putting 35s on it. Reasons why in step 2
Kids car seat latches.
Surf Racks (special wife request)
Step two is to get it protected enough for my wife to run the rubicon.
My wife has a goal to build up a "girls jeep" for her and our friend's wife to take on the rubicon when we all go. Hence the 35s to make life easier.
Ditch crappy rear hitch and stock bumper, replace with low profile rear bumper with proper tow points.
Rear tire carrier so the stock one doesn't tear out of the tailgate.
Rear corner protection (aluminum)
Rocker protection (aluminum maybe?)
Front bumper that could one day maybe have a winch (also aluminum)
Full cage
Some sort of gas tank skid
Maybe flat belly skid?
Step three- we actually don't talk about step three because that means lots of work for me and that aint happening for a long time buuut...
D44 front with selectable locker
Ditch the detroit out back and replace with selectable locker (she wants it to play nice on the street)
Oh, actually I got it wrong. Step one was to take it to the desert for a day and enjoy the fawk out of it right now. Mission accomplished:
)
My dad back in 1957 driving my grandpa's 51 willys:
He immediately started beating on the TJ. Stock form on the squeeze in anza-borrego circa 1998:
We ended up with identical jeeps after my mom and I got some cash together to lift, re-gear, lock the rear, and add tires to my dads.
It was a sahara edition with a Dana 44 out back, so specs are as follows:
Stock 4.0
D30/D44 combo
4.56 gears, detroit locker out back, open front(I suspect the only thing keeping that poor dana 30 alive)
Transfercase lowering kit in an attempt to cut down on driveline vibration
3" Rubicon Express Lift
33s on 15 inch wheels.
aaaaand, thats it!
Because our jeeps were so similar, there was some trading back and forth. I think he liked mine because I put a flowmaster on it for maximum high schooler obnoxiousness. Here's a few pics of when I got my hands on it:
Tierra Del Sol.... not sure which year
Pismo Beach circa whenever rangers still had broncos.
Me learning that mud is dumb:
Which brings us to today. Not much has changed with the old girl except a set of all terrain tires. She runs, gets washed, just got a tune up from my dad, and sits out in the San Diego sun all day. So when I brought our motorhome down to San Diego to visit my parents this thanksgiving, I brought a tow bar and had a Currie/RockJock tow bar mounting kit shipped to their house:
Plan is to get this thing driving nice and hand it over to my wife for fun. We also want to have a chill tow dingy to go behind our motorhome when we go somewhere that tons, 40's, an atlas(can't flat tow, need to pull driveshafts), and a flatbed trailer aren't needed. A bunch of you guys told me to keep my damn hands off of it, but too bad, Imma touch it. So without any more history lessons or rambling, I give you Project: Bolt-ons For The Side Chick.
Step one is to get it driving nice:
Fix leaky oil pan seal
New ruffstuff heavy duty steering
Rebuild/clean up Johnny joints on the old Rubicon Express kit
Check caster(it feels twitchier than I remember, so I think that's off) and fix if needed
Ditch the craptastic transfer case lowering kit and replace with SYE and new rear driveline
Fix the leather around the fawking steering wheel. You wouldn't think that is a big deal, but it's shredded, then wrapped in baseball grip wrap.. then that shredded, and now it has an old man wheel cover on it making the whole thing like 1 3/4" in diameter and it sucks.
New tires. Existing ones have been sitting in the sun for 8 years and have scary cracks. We're definitely putting 35s on it. Reasons why in step 2
Kids car seat latches.
Surf Racks (special wife request)
Step two is to get it protected enough for my wife to run the rubicon.
My wife has a goal to build up a "girls jeep" for her and our friend's wife to take on the rubicon when we all go. Hence the 35s to make life easier.
Ditch crappy rear hitch and stock bumper, replace with low profile rear bumper with proper tow points.
Rear tire carrier so the stock one doesn't tear out of the tailgate.
Rear corner protection (aluminum)
Rocker protection (aluminum maybe?)
Front bumper that could one day maybe have a winch (also aluminum)
Full cage
Some sort of gas tank skid
Maybe flat belly skid?
Step three- we actually don't talk about step three because that means lots of work for me and that aint happening for a long time buuut...
D44 front with selectable locker
Ditch the detroit out back and replace with selectable locker (she wants it to play nice on the street)
Oh, actually I got it wrong. Step one was to take it to the desert for a day and enjoy the fawk out of it right now. Mission accomplished:
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