Joining the Jeep family again

[crunky]

After many years of good service i have decided that it was time for a change with my 2003 Nissan Xterra, it needed some work and i wanted to make it a bit more offroad capable.....



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So I traded it in on a 99 TJ !!!


Meet Peachy !
( I've been told every Jeep has to have a name )
It's got 100k on it, and it's in current state of some attention from people that actually drive jeeps.
It's got a 4 inch lift and it's on 35's. The lift is some " kit " that anyone can buy out of the catalog and with home depot tools can have a big lifted jeep on big tires.
Ugh 35's on stock 3.07's.... who the eff does that ?!?!?!








It's only been in Massachusetts two months according to the carfax and my title, and if you're not familiar with New England weather combined with the salt and chemicals they use on our roads you're lucky !! I couldn't get over how clean this thing truly is... I have been looking at TJ's and Cherocars for months now and have seen 2004's with rot. I couldn't say no. Even if I decide to put it on jack stands and cut her off at the knees I still have a super clean little sahara that I'm into comfortably. Screw dealing with rusty bolts and breaking stuff.
well, breaking stuff will come later

The lift is a hodge podge, it's either rough country or rancho lol. Complete with typical jeep sag, It's got aftermarket front lower control arms, and the rest are stock. It's also got a transfer drop as opposed to a sye... It does have a drop pitman arm and I think the front track bar is aftermarket, but non adjustable. I didn't buy it for the pretty jeep on big tires, I know it needs attention. The thing is just so clean and the deal was right for my Xterra, that even if I rip all the lift and tires off it and return it to stock, I still have a really clean 99 sahara that would be exempt from emissions testing next year.



Im in the market for ideas. ( as well as maybe your used parts hahaaa )
Need more pics, just ask.
I'm looking to run it on 33's for sure. Just can't make up my mind if i like 10.5 or 12.5 flavor.

looking forward to hearing from you, please just go easy lol

[Lentsnh2012]

Good looking Jeep! I had an '04 and I loved it. Another TJ is on the list for down the road.

Well, to be honest, I had 3.07s with 36" bias ply Iroks and it did me just fine. It did turn into a 4 speed but that was fine with me considering it was a weekend warrior and around the city put around-er.

In my opinion, 12.5 wide rim is WAYY too wide. 10.5 or narrower is better.

I think it looks very nice as is.

Specs on mine:

Rough Country Crawler series 4" lift
OXIM-ADA SYE kit with Adams driveshaft
36x13.50x15 Interco Iroks
Novak Adapters Cable shifter
Corbeau Racing seats with 4 point harnesses
V8 draglink and tie rod
Cragar Soft 8s
Smittybilt front bumper
Rubicon Express adjustable panhard
ALOT of dents, scratches and tears (those rocks and tress just pop up out of no where!)
Other odds and ends

[crunky]

Nice rig man.
My wheels are 10 inch wide.
I meant tires 33x12.5

[Lentsnh2012]

Originally Posted by crunky

Nice rig man.
My wheels are 10 inch wide.
I meant tires 33x12.5

Sorry for the whorish posting and slightly off-topic pictures

I'm following you now. 33"s that are 12.50 wide look like squares going down the road and I don't really care for that look, personally. If you could find a tire that had a VERY aggressive side wall and tread that was a 10.50, that would look more appropriate. You have a lot of options with Jeeps though. They are the Civic's of the off-road world. Sad but true. I'm also suprised at how clean it is!!! Whoever owned it before you definitely had it out only in the Summer time. I know you'll have great times with it. Also, even if you're only going with 33" tires, I highly suggest installing the Jeep Grand Cherokee Tie-rod. It'll keep you from having any problems down the road. You'll laugh out loud at the size difference.

[JeremyH]

Is that harness bolted to the floor:
http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/x...9/IMG_3301.jpg
?

[Lentsnh2012]

Yes and no.

Yes, the lap harnesses are. They are bolted to where the stock seatbelt and seatbelt buckle were.

No, the shoulder harnesses were not. They were attached to the lowest point on the seat on the thickest metal assembly I could find.

Even though they weren't installed correctly, They kept me locked into the seat and they were A LOT more reliable than the stock seatbelt with the seatbelt buckle that would pull out of its casing.

Reason why I didn't drill into the floor was because the Jeep was my DD, it was Open/Open with a D30/D35, stock cage and 3.07s as mentioned before. When I did wheel, I was also very conservative. I never attempted anything that were out of the limits of what I or my Jeep could do. I have rolled in other friend's rigs and don't care for the feeling of flopping or rolling.

Before I sold it (Those pictures were for the FOR SALE ad), The plans were to swap to a D44 and a Ford 8.8 with a BTF cage. However, those plans were cut short when I lost my job. The Jeep was more to get to my job and to get back home; it was maybe wheeled 5 times in 8 months or so.

So, in short they were installed incorrectly but also keeping me safer.

[JeremyH]

The upper part of the harness should be bolted to the vehicle pretty close to shoulder level.

[Lentsnh2012]

Originally Posted by JeremyH

The upper part of the harness should be bolted to the vehicle pretty close to shoulder level.

I know that but I didn't have anything to bolt it to. Reason why I had it mounted where it was.

[JeremyH]

IMO, regular lap belts are safer than an improperly mounted harness.

[Lentsnh2012]

Originally Posted by JeremyH

IMO, regular lap belts are safer than an improperly mounted harness.

It wasn't all installed wrong. It still had strong attachment points for the lap belt.

I'm still here and uninjured... Again, the attachment points were supposed to be only temporary until I got a BTF cage but I lost my job.

[JeremyH]

When you install the shoulder belts below your shoulders, it will compress your spine during an impact.
Safety – Restraints – Seating Positions | Simpson Racing

Crunky, sorry for the derail.

[DroopysGarage]

ive owned a few Cherokees over the years and wish I could get a wrangler but the wife said that a Cherokee is more family friendly considering we have a rugrat. being part of the jeep family I think is something you are always part of even if you have moved on to something different...most ex-jeep owners will eventually get another one. wife gave the thumbs up to the idea of a nicely upgraded xj so we can do some camping trips and so we can have an extra vehicle. that wrangler looks awesome but im only allowed to have the 1/10 versions

[crunky]

Ok, I think the smoke has cleared and I can come back.


whew, finally got it off those 35's !
went down to 33's on a 7.5 inch rim as opposed to 10.5

photo shoot from yesterday...




to today...





it was hard to see those pretty wheels go, but i really like the new look !!!

[BJoe]

Nice find, and those new wheels look better, how much more did you did you get for the aluminum rims than you paid for the steelies

[crunky]

Originally Posted by BJoe

Nice find, and those new wheels look better, how much more did you did you get for the aluminum rims than you paid for the steelies

yea i know... hey the steelies are brand new at least. the tires are in better shape than those huge 35's.

the jeep runs like a different jeep now.

[BigSki]

I like the way it looks with the smaller tires and steelies. I have a WJ, I was floored when I was looking at TJ's when I saw the prices for worn out/ beat to hell and back Jeeps or else they had 4 bangers under the hood.

[crunky]

Started the addiction to a very addictive habit...

Plasti-Dippin !





A little learning curve, but fun none the less. Can't wait to do more, and more, and more.....

[crunky]

got into the dip again.

[BigSki]

Aerosol Plasti-dip?? The finish looks great.

[crunky]

Originally Posted by BigSki

Aerosol Plasti-dip?? The finish looks great.

Yes, the same shit you coat tool handles with. It's not permanent, but I used it to see if I really wanted to go with this color.
In theory it pulls right off leaving an undamaged finish under it.
We will see when that time comes.