I figure I should start this build thread now that I've got a load of parts and I'm waiting on my TJ to come back from the paint shop.
I say "my" TJ but it's really a joint "investment" between me and my wife.. but I do 98% of the work
2001 TJ Sport, 6 cyl / 4.0L, 5 spd manual
"Mutually Exclusive Package" (whatever that is)
3.73 Rear Axle Ratio w/ Heavy Duty Dana 44 Rear Axle
U.S. Dealer Retail, Zone 67-Charlotte / NC Ship to State Code / NC Sold to State Code
Black with Agate interior
Half Doors
purchased in Raleigh, NC in July 2017 for $6,000 with something like 202,000 miles. fairly sure I am the third owner, guy I bought it from said he bought it from a lady who would just drive it to the beach and back. a North Carolina original Jeep that has had limited exposure to salt on the roads. at time of purchase I could tell it hadn't been taken care of very well but the frame was solid with barely any surface rust, so I knew this would last me a long time (I'm not a welder).
Everything was stock except for the head unit and the paint ... it had been rattle canned ... the entire Jeep ... including the engine bay (WTF?). So there is a lot of paint peeling everywhere since they did a horrible job. The hood has a severe case of "all my clear coat is gone and most of the paint too".
replacing the sway bar end links was the first thing I ever did to it since one of them was broken.
since then I've done a bunch of minor stuff like new tires (they were different load ranges and different brands and one had a side bulge) at stock size, and replaced the windshield washer pump. also had a leak in the rear diff so replaced the gasket with a Lube Locker.
on the interior I completely removed everything and did Monstaliner. not that happy with the results since it's already scraped off in a few places (where the rear seat comes down and can make contact with the wheel wells, it's scraped that up pretty bad). i also painted all the interior trim pieces. again I've had mixed results with the paint (SEM), and I'm not sure where I've gone wrong. I've cleaned with everything possible (including SEM products) and in some places the paint just won't stay on.
So after 3 years of owning this thing I'm giving it a big overhaul and prepping for a beach trip in mid September (Outer Banks).
It's always had an engine noise which I am thinking is a lifter, but I've never dropped the oil pan to check it out. I will probably end up doing that once it cools off, with a few friends who have more engine experience.
I'll post pictures in this thread but I'm also going to host them all here: https://rdu-jeep.imgbb.com/
A few days after buying it (the GORUCK bumper sticker is my first mod )
I say "my" TJ but it's really a joint "investment" between me and my wife.. but I do 98% of the work
2001 TJ Sport, 6 cyl / 4.0L, 5 spd manual
"Mutually Exclusive Package" (whatever that is)
3.73 Rear Axle Ratio w/ Heavy Duty Dana 44 Rear Axle
U.S. Dealer Retail, Zone 67-Charlotte / NC Ship to State Code / NC Sold to State Code
Black with Agate interior
Half Doors
purchased in Raleigh, NC in July 2017 for $6,000 with something like 202,000 miles. fairly sure I am the third owner, guy I bought it from said he bought it from a lady who would just drive it to the beach and back. a North Carolina original Jeep that has had limited exposure to salt on the roads. at time of purchase I could tell it hadn't been taken care of very well but the frame was solid with barely any surface rust, so I knew this would last me a long time (I'm not a welder).
Everything was stock except for the head unit and the paint ... it had been rattle canned ... the entire Jeep ... including the engine bay (WTF?). So there is a lot of paint peeling everywhere since they did a horrible job. The hood has a severe case of "all my clear coat is gone and most of the paint too".
replacing the sway bar end links was the first thing I ever did to it since one of them was broken.
since then I've done a bunch of minor stuff like new tires (they were different load ranges and different brands and one had a side bulge) at stock size, and replaced the windshield washer pump. also had a leak in the rear diff so replaced the gasket with a Lube Locker.
on the interior I completely removed everything and did Monstaliner. not that happy with the results since it's already scraped off in a few places (where the rear seat comes down and can make contact with the wheel wells, it's scraped that up pretty bad). i also painted all the interior trim pieces. again I've had mixed results with the paint (SEM), and I'm not sure where I've gone wrong. I've cleaned with everything possible (including SEM products) and in some places the paint just won't stay on.
So after 3 years of owning this thing I'm giving it a big overhaul and prepping for a beach trip in mid September (Outer Banks).
It's always had an engine noise which I am thinking is a lifter, but I've never dropped the oil pan to check it out. I will probably end up doing that once it cools off, with a few friends who have more engine experience.
I'll post pictures in this thread but I'm also going to host them all here: https://rdu-jeep.imgbb.com/
A few days after buying it (the GORUCK bumper sticker is my first mod
)