My little baby needs a helping hand from time to time, but I have never not made it down a trail I wanted to go on under my own power. Everything on it has been custom made, the way to enjoy the build up and the trails.
Here is a short video (1.9M) of climbing out of a stream bed at Windrock OHV, Oliver Springs, TN.
Completed MODs
3.5" F>R lift - Took four long evenings of work, but it turned out nice. Click the link for more info.
The F>R lift gave plenty of room for the 31x10.5x15 BFG AT-KO. These tires were selected for their quietness, sidewall
strength, traction (mud/snow/rocks), longevity and good looks. The characteristics of the AT-KO makes it the one of the best
all-purpose tires for my family rig that is used for both road trips (like Charleston, SC to Wyonming) and off-road trips. I have not had
trim any components yet, but I have moved the tire wheel well plastic to the front side of the bumper lip to give me an extra 1/4" room in
the front.
Warn XD9000 on custom mount - Took two days of hard work, but built my own custom winch mount for a Warn XD9000. A few little things to do before all the i's
are dotted and t's crossed, but was able to test it out. When I had my daughter but her foot hard on the brake, the winch pulled the front of
the jeep down almost three inches and then dragged all four tires across the grass. Should be albe to get me out of anything I hope to see. More
details to come when I get a chance to do some web work, but too tired right now. Total cost about $850 ($800 for winch itself), so a whole
lot better than an ARB (which I didn't like) and the Trailready (which looks like a stealth fighter).
Rear Torsion Bar - Removed the rear torsion bar (more commonly referred to as "sway bar") to get better flex. While additional flex is gained, it is at a cost of stability on off-camber situations. Unfortunately, there is not suppose to be a way to just disconnect the bar as it will rub the tires when flexing if left in. I plan on taking it with me one day to the local hill and try some off camber situations with it on and off.
Hitch - Took a hitch from a 1981 Pontiac Gran Prix, cut the ends off, custom build two mounting brackets, weld together, and I had the
hitch for only $10. Plus, the mounting brackets will also support the fuel tank skid plate to come soon.
Fuel Tank Skid Plate - Using the brackets I made for the hitch as the mounting, I had the skid plate bent out of 3/16" steel. The
design not only mounts to both sides, but also has two bolts into the hitch for added strength. By letting the skid go back and
under the hitch, when the skid comes down on a log or rock, it will not get hung up on the hitch.
Trailer Lights Connector - For seven pin round connector use MOPAR p/n 822036166. This will provide Connector Harness and Relay Package w/Harness. This was a plug and play operation. The directions tell you to remove the "Taillamp access cover" which for a 98 ZJ is actually the panel behind the spare tire that runs from the lift gate to the back door. Total cost was $125 and took three hours becuase of my lack of experience with Jeep molding (with any Jeep molding experience figure about 1 hours). This does not include mounting of the connector itself.
Transfer Case Skid - Built my own skid using 1/4 steel plate. It only uses 3/4" of
ground clearance but provides a minimum of 1/2" clearance between the TC and the skid. The oil can be added and drained without removing
the skid. Here are three pics:
Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3
Removed the stock fog lights and trimmed the front bumper for better approach angle.
Rock Rails - Finally got energetic and made up a set of rockrails from 2x2x3/16 tubing and 1-1/2x1-1/2x3/16 for the stubs. Now that I don't have to worry about denting the rockers, have been having a lot more fun.
Trails
12/14/02 Uwharrie, NC: Rained on the Friday and had the trails all by myself. Despite the slippery conditions, didn't have any problems, but that is because I ran the easier one. Next day had some more fun sliding around despite the cold wind.
4/19/03 Uwharrie, NC: Members of Lowcountry 4x4 Club and Southern Mudders met for a weekend of wheeling. Ran Wolf Den, Falls Creek, and part of Dickey Bell in the rain on Friday. Saturday ran Wolf Den and Dutch John in the slick slop. Ended up spending 5 hours winching people up the hill. First you HAD to make the first 200' of hill to the first winch line which was 120' long. Then the second wincher would streth out 100' of line plus 60' of straps to pull the rig up close enough for the line itself to reach the rig. The wincher would then have to back down the trail so the rig just pulled up could get past so the wincher could get the next rig up. Long and tiring day, but fun.
7/23/03 Uwharrie, NC: With Southern Mudders again. Getting used to the setup so I took the hardest route on everything. Ended up bending the drivers rear lower control arm. But I did make it, even where the locked Wranglers on 35s had problems.10/16/03 Brown Mtn, NC: Some nice easy trails and beuatiful scenery. Skipped the rock garden because I still had the bent lower control arm and didn't want to inflict any more damage.
(c) 2006
