Backstory: My 98’ Sahara (Dana 30/35), after years of ‘deferred maintenance”... sitting at my parents house rotting while I lived in another state, looks to be at the point where anyone would typically just dump it and get a new Jeep. I started thinking this is going to cost me a lot more than I was thinking originally... Options:
Use: Going up the Rubicon trail and other Lake Tahoe and Northern California trails.
The Build:
Would love some thoughts and ideas, especially on the other misc. parts and pieces needed to make a complete chassis.
- $15k Dump it and get another with similar mileage (135,000) for around $10k but with a better frame and Dana 44 rear. Keep Stock chassis + $ of mods
- $25k - Dump it and get a ‘lower’ mileage Rubicon. Keep stock chassis+ $ of mods
- $35k - Rebuild it from the ground up
Use: Going up the Rubicon trail and other Lake Tahoe and Northern California trails.
The Build:
- Throttle Down Kustoms frame (galvanized because I am only doing this once....)
- 2” OME Lift + 1.25” Body lift
- 33” Tires (Undecided on brand/model)
- Currie 44 Front & Rear Axles w/ ARB Locker (4.56 with 33’s + AX15 Tranny?)
- Currie Antirock Sway Bar
- Slip Yoke Eliminator (ideas on make/model?)
- Transfer Case (keep stock, go to NVP 241, other options??)
- Outer Steering Knuckle & Brakes (not sure)
- Stock Gambler Rims (because they were on my 1st TJ and think they still look great!)
- Wheel spacers or adjust steering stops?
- Rebuilt 4.0 - Need some ideas on this one guys. Current 4.0 runs fine now, but there was a time ages ago when it has overheated a couple times because I was broke and then uneducated self thought I needed a new radiator when in reality it probably just needed a new t-stat....block has a bit of rust too. Rebuild it or get a rebuilt? Would love to keep it if I can, but haven’t ever done or seen a rebuild done.
- Banks Headers & Exhaust (headers already installed)
- ARB Front & Rear bumpers
- ARB Snorkel (needed? No. Want it because it looks cool? Yes)
- Warn winch
- Re-foam and reupholster seats. This will be tricky, I love my green and tan Sahara seats, need to find a place that can get the right materials to essentially remake them.
- Body - Repair the few rust spots and repaint. Keeping the Moss Green Pearl! PJN! What kind of undercoating?
- Interior Trim: Paint w/ SEM. Keeping factory colors
Would love some thoughts and ideas, especially on the other misc. parts and pieces needed to make a complete chassis.