Evolution of a ‘97 TJ Sport

[Creakydoor]

Doors off

A few weeks back, I took my doors off for the first time. I know it was the first time because the coated bottom nuts on the hinges were in perfect condition.

I had read horror stories about getting the doors off, but, fortunately, mine were very straightforward and only took a little bit of nudging. In looking at the pins, they had a little surface rust, but nothing that got in my way (picture attached).

I also got some side mirrors to keep my rear visibility good (picture attached). They were pretty cheap, and they worked ok. Like many mirrors like this, they whistled a bit, and vibrated a bit, but were usable overall. I also removed fuse #5 to keep the lights off when the doors were off.

I kept the doors off for a few days, but then put them back on since it's been a little rainy this spring in Colorado, and I didn't want to get caught where I didn't have any options to seal things up. I put a little anti-seize on the hinge pins so that it hopefully stays easy to take off when I do it again in the future.

All in all, I enjoyed it, and the Jeep looked great (picture attached). But it didn't really fit my needs for how I wanted to use my Jeep on a regular basis.

 

[Creakydoor]

A little bit of flare

In my TJ evolution, I've kept a bunch of things fairly stock since I like a lot of aspects of the OEM look. However, I also want to do branch out in some cases too.

There is always a debate of form vs function. Some are very practical and don't care what it looks like as long as it performs. Others do the opposite and you get some pretty looking vehicles, but they can't perform. I've been debating this one a lot in regards to fender flares. I've had the original ones on my TJ since the beginning. And they, like many, have that not so awesome gray faded look. I've seen a bunch of different posts about how to restore them, and some have had some great results. However, I've been wanting to get something that looks different than OEM in this case.

I've read lots of great posts on this forum about what actually add clearance. Short of full high line fenders, seems like not significant impact for anything. So a lot of choices go back to durability, style, $$$$, how much modifications are needed, etc. I've been keeping my eyes open based on all these factors to see if something popped up that caught my eye that had a good balance of those factors. It's all about trade-offs and each of our needs.

One day, on FB marketplace, someone posted selling some Bushwacker Flat Fender flares for $250. They were used for about 1 year, and still in good shape. That flat fender look was one that I liked, and the price was right. I know these represent some compromises that others don't like, but for me, it worked. So I jumped on it. When I saw them in person, they were in very good shape--not perfect, but definitely workable.

Installation

Reading about taking off OEM flares shows a lot of pain and angst due to those nutserts coming loose. I braced myself for a few problems, but, my historically no-rust TJ came through again. No issues at all with any of the nutserts at all. And no rust to speak of after taking off all the flares.

Installation was pretty straightforward as well. I was curious how well the flares would mount on the bases and stay flush with the body. My opinion overall is that it's ok, even for these second hand ones. There are a couple spots where there is a small gap on the end (e.g. 1/8"), but its livable, and I have a few ideas how I might be able to close it a bit. Wiring the LED blinkers was also pretty straightforward.

I've only had them on for a short while, so I don't have any details on durability. I know there are compromises in these, but I also don't do that crazy things as some of the others on here do. Functionality-wise, my OEM ones left me with 1.5-2" of tire sticking out. I liked that look. With these, they are flush with the edge of the tires. I'm still getting used to it. But I will say it definitely keeps the spray down a lot better.

In the end, I am quite happy with the look. It certainly makes the TJ look like it has an even bigger lift. And it makes the TJ look wider overall. But I know better than to think it actually gave me extra clearance.

Tons of pics are attached showing the whole install.

One more thing

The person who sold me the flares also gave me some smoke colored lenses for the front turn signals. Looks way different than the big block of orange from before (pics attached).

 

[Creakydoor]

Safety first...

I've been debating for a while whether to get a winch. What pushed me over the edge was that when I off-road, I sometimes go with friends who don't have a winch, so for myself, and all of us, I decided to take the plunge.

I opted for a Warn VR-8S. It was on sale so the price seemed right to get the Warn brand and quality. I have a stock bumper and opted for a raised winch plate. I also got the standard accessories of a snatch block, tree saver, winch cover and cable dampeners. My trunk is now half full of good recovery accessories, just in case.

Installation was quite straightforward. No gotchas with getting things off or on. Wiring was also pretty easy, and I was able to neatly tuck it all in cleanly.

One side effect is that I can no longer use my factory hooks since they conflicted with my winch plate and my fog light. I started a post on this with some questions and got a bunch of great ideas from that. Lots of options how to solve it, I just need to pick one and go for it.

All in all, I'm happy with how it turned out and I'm ready if/when I need it.

 

[Creakydoor]

Tow Hooks

I resolved my tow hook question. I got the hooks @Jerry Bransford mentioned on the other thread. Other options would have worked, but this was the fastest, least amount of work, and cost effective solution.

I re-used my factory mount bolts and left the washers on there that I had used when I installed the winch plate, which allowed the hooks to fit ok with the bumper pads. The bolts looked long enough to be fully engaged in the nut on the bottom (see picture), so I think I'm all good.

Overall, I think it looks fine.

 

[Creakydoor]

Flexibility

I've been running the stock sway bar links even after I did my lift, so the links were a bit short. Also, I've read a ton about how much better things are with a disconnected sway bar. I killed two birds with one stone and got some Rubicon Express quick disconnect links.

Installation was straightforward. No issues getting the existing links off. And everything went back together pretty easily. The new ones seem beefier than the OEM ones. During install, I had a question about sway bar angle (e.g. 10 degrees) that the instructions referenced. There's a "fun" thread about this on the forum if you're bored. I may have been overthinking certain things, but I genuinely didn't know, and just wanted to get it right.

After install, I drove it around a bit with the links on and off. Certainly a lot different on the road with the links off. I know some people drive it like that, but for me, it felt too "floppy".

I then took it out on a trail to test it out in the real world. Getting them unhooked took a bit of muscling, but was doable. Out on the trail, I could definitely feel a difference in the way the ride felt overall. Definitely an improvement when going through the bumpy areas. I was really happy overall and wished I had done this sooner.

I also found a nice rock to do a flex test on. Definitely more articulation than before. And I also found that I need to get some extended bump stops. I didn't change them out when I put the lift on, and, up until now, didn't need them since articulation was more limited. In my test, the tire was just touching the fender, and the bump stop was just barely touching the bottom pad. If I pushed it a bit more, I feel that the tire/fender connection would go too deep and the bump stop wouldn't be doing it's job enough. I plan on getting some extended bump stops to give me a little room. I'm thinking 1.5" ones will be fine to keep the tire out of the fender.

 

[bobthetj03]

I know it's a bit more work, but I'd advise against those jounce bumpers. Instead drill/tap the bottom spring perch pad and put your bump stops there. As the suspension droops the spring will arch and make contact with the jounce bumper. Adding a longer jounce bumper will be worse. Plus, those bumpers are poly and hard. It will make your ride harsher as you hit bumps and it make contact with the lower pad. Hockey pucks make a cheap bumpstop. Keep your factory jounce bumpers. They are way more forgiving.

 

[Creakydoor]

I know it's a bit more work, but I'd advise against those jounce bumpers. Instead drill/tap the bottom spring perch pad and put your bump stops there. As the suspension droops the spring will arch and make contact with the jounce bumper. Adding a longer jounce bumper will be worse. Plus, those bumpers are poly and hard. It will make your ride harsher as you hit bumps and it make contact with the lower pad. Hockey pucks make a cheap bumpstop. Keep your factory jounce bumpers. They are way more forgiving.

Interesting. Do you have pictures of this setup?

 

[bobthetj03]

Interesting. Do you have pictures of this setup?

I'll post some tomorrow.

 

[jjvw]

Interesting. Do you have pictures of this setup?

 

[Creakydoor]

I also found this video which covers the process.

Thank you for the advice. This will likely be the path I take.

 

[Creakydoor]

Rear sway bar links

While I was doing my front sway bar links, it got me to thinking about my rear sway bar links since I had never replaced them when I put my lift on. So I went and bought some new, longer ones. Not sure it was necessary, but now I don't have to think about it any more.

Quick and easy to install. Drove it a little on road, don't know that it felt any different in that capacity, nor did I expect it too.

Sway bar angle is more horizontal now on flat ground, and the e-brake cable is no longer constantly pressing on the sway bar.

 

[tonic]

Man that things came along way. Keep up the good work. I've got the same fenders and my pass side marker doesnt work anymore, looking for replacement as we speak.

 

[Creakydoor]

Rock on!

I have been running with OEM side steps, and I knew it was just a matter of time before I broke them, or my tub. So, about a month ago, I ordered some Rock Hard 4x4 Patriot Series Rocker Guards. I had read through the Rock Sliders forum post a lot, and was a bit torn on which to get. I ultimately opted for the Rock Hard sliders, based on price and they seemed to fit the general profile of what I would use them for.

While I was wheeling on a pretty tricky trail (Red Elephant Hill), I tweaked the passenger side step. Probably pushed it up about 1/2"-1", nothing major (see pic attached), but that was enough for me to take off the steps and get going on installing the rocker guards I had bought. Definitely felt taller with no step.

Installation was pretty straightforward. I was doing it on my own, so I had to make due with my floor jack and some wood to hold it in place (pics attached). I might need a taller jack in general.

Getting it lined up and fitting right with the fender flares took a little bit, partly because I wanted to not screw it up since I was going to be drilling holes in the tub. Ultimately got a good spot, and proceeded to drill and get it fastened. 5 holes on the sides, 4 holes on the bottom. Second side went 2x faster than the first side.

Nice tight fit with the flares and I didn't have to mess with them, so I was happy (see attached pics).

Overall, they seem solid, and I'm happy with the look, and am looking forward to not worrying about messing up my tub.

 

[Creakydoor]

(Not so quick) quick disconnects

A few months back, I installed Rubicon Express quick disconnects. In general, I've been happy with them. However, the other day, when trying to disconnect, I had to push it pretty hard to slide it off the bullet, and the bushing popped half-way out. Yeah, I know, I wasn't on flat enough ground when trying to disconnect. Lesson learned there...

Now the challenge was to get this bushing back in in one piece. It's all rubber, so I had to get a little creative since their wasn't much to push on. I also don't have a bench vise (haven't needed one so far), so I had to improvise.

For $4, I created a home made "vise" (see picture) and tried to press it in. That first attempt didn't work well enough and half the bushing was sticking out still (see picture).

Based on some advice from a friend, I tried using some dish soap to get it slippery. I pressed it again (see picture), and voila, back in. I love cheap fixes.

Side note: During the week that I didn't have time to fix it, I reached out to Rubicon Express for advice. They said it should go back in fairly easily, but if it didn't, they would send me a new disconnect. +1 for good customer service.

 

[Alex01]

(Not so quick) quick disconnects

A few months back, I installed Rubicon Express quick disconnects. In general, I've been happy with them. However, the other day, when trying to disconnect, I had to push it pretty hard to slide it off the bullet, and the bushing popped half-way out. Yeah, I know, I wasn't on flat enough ground when trying to disconnect. Lesson learned there...

Now the challenge was to get this bushing back in in one piece. It's all rubber, so I had to get a little creative since their wasn't much to push on. I also don't have a bench vise (haven't needed one so far), so I had to improvise.

For $4, I created a home made "vise" (see picture) and tried to press it in. That first attempt didn't work well enough and half the bushing was sticking out still (see picture).

Based on some advice from a friend, I tried using some dish soap to get it slippery. I pressed it again (see picture), and voila, back in. I love cheap fixes.

Side note: During the week that I didn't have time to fix it, I reached out to Rubicon Express for advice. They said it should go back in fairly easily, but if it didn't, they would send me a new disconnect. +1 for good customer service.

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The RE "quick" disconnects drove in insain. I was regularly finding a rock to beat them back into place after wheeling since they never went back in easily.

Since then I've installed an antirock and couldn't be happier.

 

[Creakydoor]

The RE "quick" disconnects drove in insain. I was regularly finding a rock to beat them back into place after wheeling since they never went back in easily.

Since then I've installed an antirock and couldn't be happier.

Up until recently, I didn't have any disconnects at all. I think I'll be bringing a rubber mallet next time to encourage them if they are stubborn. I've fooled myself with how easy they are on my flat garage floor.

I've thought about the antirock. Quite a bit more $$$$, and I drive on the road 80% of the time, on which I've heard the antirock is not as stable. If they keep annoying me, I'll consider something else.

 

[Creakydoor]

A little cosmetic surgery

I've generally focused my mods on being functional first, and looking good second. However, I recently did 2 cosmetic things to my TJ. Namely: black headlight surrounds, and rear tail light guards. Cheap, quick, and easy mods, and I like how they look. With the headlight surrounds, that was the last bit of chrome on my TJ (other than the rims).

To put the new headlight surrounds on, I had to adjust the headlights so the screws were accessible. I used the garage door as a guide so I could get them back to the same non-blinding level.

 

[Creakydoor]

What a difference a year makes...

Thought I'd post 2 pics - one from July 2018, one from now. Quite a difference.

 

[tworley]

I've thought about the antirock. Quite a bit more $$$$, and I drive on the road 80% of the time, on which I've heard the antirock is not as stable. If they keep annoying me, I'll consider something else.

Minor body roll, nothing extreme as made out to be. Its blown out of proportion. Plus, you can make it as stiff as you need too. Mine is a DD and I have had the antirock for 3-4 years now and probably 40-50k miles

 

[Creakydoor]

Minor body roll, nothing extreme as made out to be. Its blown out of proportion. Plus, you can make it as stiff as you need too. Mine is a DD and I have had the antirock for 3-4 years now and probably 40-50k miles

Good to know. I have heard great things about it off road. Nice to hear on the road is actually fine too. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.