Picked up an LJ last Saturday. 2004 Light Khaki Metallic unlimited with 135k on the clock I already have a 2004 Rock Mountain Edition TJ which has the ultimate kit from DPG offroad and a few other mods that I have done. I plan on swapping all the parts from the TJ to the LJ and from the LJ to the TJ, and then I will sell the TJ. I already started the work but it is raining here for the next few days so I decided I would start a build thread on it.
the day i brought it back
Mods on TJ:
-JKS 1.25 body lift
-Old man Emu 2.5 HD coils
-OME nitrocharger sports shocks
-JKS adjustable track bar front and rear
-JKS quick disconnects
-Brown Dog Motor sports motor mount lift 1 inch
-Metal cloak front lower control arms and upper rear
-walker evans racing streetlock wheels
-33 inch bf Goodrich km3
-ZJ tie rod and drag link
-G2 Chromoly rear axle shafts
-Poison Spyder BFH trail stinger
-Old Man Emu steering stabilizer
-LED taillight conversion
-Speakers and sub
-Shifter cable
-upgraded battery cables
I may be missing something but you get the gist.
Lj is bone stock other than new soft top and 31’s with rubicon wheels.
I started by swapping the suspension lift. I though it would be best if I did the front halves first, and then the back halves second.
Taking the OEM shocks out of the Lj just wasn’t happening, so I broke them out and bought some cheapo shocks from the auto store because i don’t care what goes into the TJ now.
Shocks and springs out
Next I drilled holes for the bump stops in the spring perch and got the front springs and coils in.
Swapped the stock suspension back into the TJ and have a raked stance
Drag TJ
Anyways at this point the front shocks coils and tires have been swapped
Probably gonna leave the ZJ steering in the TJ and stock steering in LJ because the ZJ steering had a blown out ball joint boot so any day now some dirt might get in there and mess something up. Plus I don’t want to have to mess with allignment etc since this is my first time installing a lift. (My dad installed the lift on the TJ years ago).
The only steering components im swapping are the track bars and the steering stabilizers. I need to go get a 9/16 drill bit so i can ream the existing track bar mount hole to fit the new bolt for the JKS track bar for the LJ.
So that leaves me with the back coils and shocks, sway bar links, track bar, body lift, MML, shifter cable, control arms, and axle shafts.
Really hoping I can reuse the stock linkage from the LJ to put back in the TJ without hassle.
Also not sure if I want to put the body lift and MML in since I won’t have vibes without them anymore (LJ activities ). I do want proper clearance for my 33’s though so I am leaning towards yes. JKS body lift pucks sag over time though and are punching dents in my rear tub
Once rain stops and I can keep working I’ll update thread
If anyone sees me doing something wrong or has any advice let me know
the day i brought it back
Mods on TJ:
-JKS 1.25 body lift
-Old man Emu 2.5 HD coils
-OME nitrocharger sports shocks
-JKS adjustable track bar front and rear
-JKS quick disconnects
-Brown Dog Motor sports motor mount lift 1 inch
-Metal cloak front lower control arms and upper rear
-walker evans racing streetlock wheels
-33 inch bf Goodrich km3
-ZJ tie rod and drag link
-G2 Chromoly rear axle shafts
-Poison Spyder BFH trail stinger
-Old Man Emu steering stabilizer
-LED taillight conversion
-Speakers and sub
-Shifter cable
-upgraded battery cables
I may be missing something but you get the gist.
Lj is bone stock other than new soft top and 31’s with rubicon wheels.
I started by swapping the suspension lift. I though it would be best if I did the front halves first, and then the back halves second.
Taking the OEM shocks out of the Lj just wasn’t happening, so I broke them out and bought some cheapo shocks from the auto store because i don’t care what goes into the TJ now.
Shocks and springs out
Next I drilled holes for the bump stops in the spring perch and got the front springs and coils in.
Swapped the stock suspension back into the TJ and have a raked stance
Drag TJ
Anyways at this point the front shocks coils and tires have been swapped
Probably gonna leave the ZJ steering in the TJ and stock steering in LJ because the ZJ steering had a blown out ball joint boot so any day now some dirt might get in there and mess something up. Plus I don’t want to have to mess with allignment etc since this is my first time installing a lift. (My dad installed the lift on the TJ years ago).
The only steering components im swapping are the track bars and the steering stabilizers. I need to go get a 9/16 drill bit so i can ream the existing track bar mount hole to fit the new bolt for the JKS track bar for the LJ.
So that leaves me with the back coils and shocks, sway bar links, track bar, body lift, MML, shifter cable, control arms, and axle shafts.
Really hoping I can reuse the stock linkage from the LJ to put back in the TJ without hassle.
Also not sure if I want to put the body lift and MML in since I won’t have vibes without them anymore (LJ activities ). I do want proper clearance for my 33’s though so I am leaning towards yes. JKS body lift pucks sag over time though and are punching dents in my rear tub
Once rain stops and I can keep working I’ll update thread
If anyone sees me doing something wrong or has any advice let me know
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