04 LJ project

Hoboscratch

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Jun 20, 2020
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Location
MN
On deck: RMS and quote for frame repair
In the hole: more boring maintenance

I bought my LJ in May - black 2004 auto w 107k miles for $9500. I was pretty satisfied with my purchase; the tub looked good, the frame looked good, all in all it needed some maint but nothing too crazy.
I bought my LJ in May - black 2004 auto w 107k miles for $9500. I was pretty satisfied with my purchase; the tub looked good, the frame looked good, all in all it needed some maint but nothing too crazy.
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Got ‘er home and started picking through everything since the interior smelled pretty bad. The history on this vehicle is a little unknown. There are tow hooks up front so I know it was towed behind an RV for some of those 107k miles. It was filthy with gravel dust, and looks like it might have been sitting unused for some time. I picked it up from a small dealer in small town Iowa, and he had gotten it from a dealer he works with in IL.

The frame looked good on the outside, I’d come to find out later that there was a little rust damage that will need to be repaired (not pictured)
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I took all the carpeting out to find out mice had been living there for a while. That’s what that smell was... mouse urine.

I cleaned the carpeting thoroughly with shampoo and washed the tub multiple times. The smell was still there so I bought a bunch of Natures Miracle and doused everything. The carpeting still had a faint smell so I took it to an auto detailer who ozoned it for 2 days. Good as new

I was still very happy how clean the tub was
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A little surface rust but that was it

After a detail I looked into the leaking valve cover and replaced that gasket. Fel-Pro was what I used, no leaks up top anymore. The RMS and oil pan is still leaking but just slightly. I’ll tackle that another time. I changed the oil but the transmission fluid had been changed recently, it looked very fresh. Same with the coolant, a nice bright green. I also have gear lube and Lubelocker gaskets for the diffs that will need to be done.

Drove it everywhere! Doors off, top down, my 2014 F150 sat completely unused. Then the grinding started up front, from the passenger side
 
Started looking into that grinding noise, it was full metal on metal; wheel bearing.

Here is where I realized I never really inspected the front end when I was looking at it. It’s pretty bad. Very rusty, it looks like they drove this thing into the ocean. I put this pic up on a LJ owner FB page as well

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I started tearing everything apart! I still can’t believe this rotor
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I jumped in deep. Took off the wheel bearing assembly, took off the knuckle, ball joints, will do U joints today or tomorrow, then will start wire wheeling everything I can and try to paint it. Even when the rust comes back it will be more manageable that what I have now. I have zero plans to run this in salt so it should stay relatively clean.

I broke the wheel bearing getting it off, so had to resort to smarter tricks that I saw on this site.
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A couple more pics of the rusty parts
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I also ordered the ZJ steering upgrade. No way I’m putting this all back together with these tie rod ends. On a side note, I had a hard time finding the Spicer 706944x ball joints in stock anywhere so they aren’t going to arrive until week of the 29th, so that sucks. Will take longer than I thought to get back on the road, but that will give me time to clean and paint parts and get the rear diff fluid changed.

All in all, I had hoped it would be next year before I’d have to jump in like this, but it will be good to know that everything up front is new. I didn’t order new calipers though. They are rusty looking but they work fine and I will upgrade to a bigger brake someday, so unless they fail, they’re staying for now. I did get new rotors though haha
 
That front end looks real familiar. I've been there. Keep it up. If you don't drive it in the winter, it should stay pretty clean. That's what I've been finding. I've gotten rid of almost all the rust on my rig now. Next steps for me is a tub replacement, frame strip and paint, and then wait for the engine to crap out and go stroker.
 
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That front end looks real familiar. I've been there. Keep it up. If you don't drive it in the winter, it should stay pretty clean. That's what I've been finding. I've gotten rid of almost all the rust on my rig now. Next steps for me is a tub replacement, frame strip and paint, and then wait for the engine to crap out and go stroker.
Nice, yeah I know it takes a lot of effort to keep these northern Jeeps nice looking. I was hoping there would be a little less effort in this one, but it could be worse. I was pretty intent on a LJ so all in all I’m still very happy.

Like you, I’m just gonna fix everything I can that is rusty and then replace as it breaks
 
A few updates now. Still maintenance and I’m getting tired of not driving it!
Got the u joints replaced and painted the axles. I’m sure this won’t hold up but I’ll keep brushing, rust reformer, and Rustoleum when I need to. For now it’s looking better anyway. Also that wheel bearing wasn’t the only thing grinding from the looks of these u joints
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Also ordered new steering knuckles based on some advice from this forum. Probably wise...
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Also put my new Lubelocker gasket on the front diff, and got that ready to be filled.

Waiting on ball joints and knuckles to show up. Once I get them on I’ll have to mount my old steering back up because I forgot to take measurements when I took it down. I’m hoping I can get it pretty close and do a self alignment to get me by for the rest of the year. The tires aren’t great anyway and I’ll be replacing them before too long anyway. I will get an alignment done when I put on new tires.
 
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Nice find. If the frame and tub are solid, you have something great to work with. Brakes, ball joints, etc are always easily repairable. Looks like you will end up with a great LJ.
 
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Got finished up last week, didn’t take a ton of pics as I put it back together though. I was in way too much of a hurry and wanted to get back on the road. Ended up doing new stock calipers...someday I’ll get bigger tires and upgrade those but they’re cheap enough for right now

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Painted up the new knuckles too
 
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Also did my own alignment for the first time too thanks to the guide on this site!
 
As another '04 owner, great work so far! Keep after the rust and maintenance, then drive and enjoy it in stock form. Once you've had a chance to do that, and get a better feel for it, you can start modifying it based on the solid advice available on this site.
 
As another '04 owner, great work so far! Keep after the rust and maintenance, then drive and enjoy it in stock form. Once you've had a chance to do that, and get a better feel for it, you can start modifying it based on the solid advice available on this site.
Thanks! This site is fantastic, love the How To and Resource sections. Have gotten so much help from those two sections.

I like the LJ in your profile pic, especially the highline fenders and cut hood. Definitely on my build list. To your point about driving it stock, have to make sure the foundation is solid before I start to build...
 
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