Evolution of the ElkTaxi

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I've never chronicled a Jeep Build, and kind of wish I had on my last YJ, so here begins the building of the ElkTaxi!

Yep, the name says it all! I live in North Idaho, and here, calendars are marked around elk season. You see, as of TODAY, I have 78 days until Elk Camp!

So having a reliable, capable, and fun Jeep, that I don't have to worry about putting a little custom pen-striping on several times a year via our grown over Jeep trails, fire trails and abandoned logging roads is an integral part of the life of this North Idaho elk hunter. No, I'm not talking a beater-with-a-heater, but not a prom-queen either. The ElkTaxi will be well used, but not abused and need great road manners on Idaho winter roads (I'm 60 miles from the Canadian border), and capabilities to go wherever I point it (within reason of course).

Recreational Rock-Crawling isn't on the venue list, but at least some degree of on-demand crawling ability is mandatory, as well as dealing with mud and snow. Too great road manners are essential, as I frequently drive 3-4 hours to get to some places before we leave the blacktop and gravel roads.

Since my YJ was a very capable rig (at least for my purposes), the quest for a TJ to replace it is a tall order.

So, for quite some time I cruised the local auto-trader papers, The Nickel's Worth, and Craigslist. I wanted something pretty unspoiled, no rust, mechanically sound to start with, electrical system unmolested and hacked, and in a price range I could justify using it as the ElkTaxi.

So, after looking at lots of polished rust buckets "(PNW winter roads are salted and calcium-chloride in some places), I had nearly exhausted my wife's patience with the quest. Then in February, I found this Craigslist posting.

1998 Sahara, 126k with 27k on new OEM long-block 4.0. 2nd owner rig out of Arizona with maintenance records since mile 000006 on the odometer, most all of it at dealer service centers. UV damaged paint on hood, and upper fender flare surfaces. Never off road, and retired couple owned it since day one.

The black folder in the passenger floorboard are the service records since day one, and the original owner's manual along with original purchase paperwork!

After test driving, doing some under-carriage inspection and then price negotiations, we owned the new ElkTaxi-to-be.

 

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Test driving the rig was interesting to say the least. We had just had a week of sub-zero weather compounded by multiple snow systems, one after the other. Even in Pasco, Washington (four hour drive from my house on good roads) where we drove to see this TJ had been hammered with their worst winter weather conditions in two decades.

This little jeep was ALL OVER THE ROAD! Tires had plenty of tread, but still couldn't hold the packed snow surface at all. Checked the DOT codes, and the tires were 10 years old... almost exactly! The rubber was dried out, hard and hazardous on those conditions is a polite term.

It was after 4 pm, and had a really treacherous drive home, and these tires weren't going to make the trip! So, a rushed hunt for rubber commenced. The little TJ had come with 30x9.50R15's, and I really didn't want to buy 30's, then live with them, I looked, and the only set of 31's in the entire area, after being hit with two weeks of extreme winter weather, was a set of Michelin Defender LTX's 31x10.50R15's. Certainly not my first choice for this rig, but mandatory for the trip home. So, after making the deal for the tires, it was 4:49 pm, and in the next eleven minutes, seven guys at the tire shop attacked the TJ, rolled it into the shop, and eleven minutes later I had four new tires installed, and the four old Firestone's safely stowed in the back of the pickup, ready for the trip home!

 

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The 212 mile trip home, after getting new tires installed, fluids checked, all gear-boxes checked, air filter, replaced front and rear windshield wipers, filled windshield washer fluid, and full of fuel, took just shy of nine hours!

My wife followed me home in the Ram 3500, and we crept our way NE past multiple slide-offs and stuck vehicles, all along the entire route, as snow was falling more than an inch an hour the entire trip, and 15-20 mph winds blew and drifted the snow along the whole route. We arrived home after 3 am the next morning, in one piece, and exhausted!

Here's a photo of the new-to-us TJ heading up our driveway the next morning.

Just arriving back to the home-place, I hadn't plowed yet, and the TJ was dragging about every part of the under-carriage through the snow!

 

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One of the first things I noticed on the trip home, was that the 31's were rubbing on the fenders in even mild road flex, and of course on the lower control arms in the front on sharp turns.

My springs were really sagged with 21 years of use, and the quest began for a lift solution that would fit my needs with this little Jeep long-term. That meant thinking ahead of the here-and-now and what my end goals would be. Too, it also resulted in LOTS OF TIME spent reading both on these forums and elsewhere, a learning curve I really hadn't expected after coming from the simple YJ life! These forums have proven invaluable to me with the archived volumes of to the point first-hand knowledge and experience shared! My hat's off to all, and my sincere thanks as well!

Shortly after buying the little TJ, a friend immediately bought my YJ. So, we negotiated a price for it, with me pulling off the front bumper and winch, the tires and wheels that were on it, and a few other odds and ends.

So, I had my relatively new winch and bumper, and I put it on the new ElkTaxi. Hmmm... thought I had sagging springs before, and a rake to the suspension. After putting them on I now HAD to deal with the saggy springs!

 

[Squatch]

As an owner of a '98 Sahara that appears to be a twin to yours (same color and a 5 speed), and as I am also looking to move to North Idaho in about six years, I'll be following this with great interest!

 

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Very Cool! It's an awesome place to live... if you bring your work with you, are retired, are financially independent or all three!

You can be a millionaire in North idaho in just five short years! Just bring three million with you to start with!

 

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So after a whole lot of reading, comparing ideas, components, and purposes, I decided on an OME spring lift.

The TJ actually came with a Skyjacker 2" spacer lift with shocks and bump-stop extensions in the trunk that had never been installed.

A Budget Boost simply wasn't a long term solution I wanted, and so after doing some reading, figured that since I already owned the Skyjacker shocks, (which have mixed reviews), I would try them when I added the OME springs.

 

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Finally had a break in weather, and some warming so working in the shop would be pleasant. Decided the time had come to install the OME spring lift. I had the good fortune, and good company of a great friend and hunting partner to assist with the project, and we made a great afternoon memory of the install.

First took some photos and measurements of the stock suspension as it sat with the winch and bumper installed.

 

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Time to go wrenching! Now to go to work.

Here's half-way there! I didn't chronicle installation, as there are lots of threads on here taking you step-by-step through spring installation, bump-stop adjustment, shock installation. I probably should have though, as clean as this Jeep is underneath, and we didn't have a single fastener even slightly corroded or rusty! What a blessing.

Here's a shot after installing OME springs up front along with a 1" spacer to hopefully level this rig out once the rears are done.

After about three hours total time, we were finished with the spring and shock installation, and felt pretty good about what we'd done for the day!

 

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Here are photos both before and after lift, sitting in the same place, same day.

Before: (morning shadows)

After: (Evening Shadows and SNOW MELT!!! Dirtier too, went and played a little after lift project.)

 

[Squatch]

Looks great with the lift! And I see now that it isn't the green color I thought it was in the first pics. Is it black, or a dark blue?

 

[S.McArthur]

I had enough trouble loading deer onto a cart, I can't imagine loading an elk into your Jeep. I'm sure you quarter them prior to loading; If you need an elk friend, I am willing to mooch off of you.

 

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Yep, they are quartered before loading! in 46 years of elk hunting, on Christmas Eve of 2017 managed to get my first elk hauled out whole! It was a late season cow tag, and a very steep hillside with crusted snow crotch-deep. My son and hunting partner had to get it out, as trying to retrieve it earned me heart surgery the day after Christmas!

Here's my son and I after getting to the elk.

A view down the hill where I shot from the timber line 464 yards away.

After getting it down off the steep part of the hill.

Skinned and butcher ready. First one of my own to get a whole hanging carcass home in one piece!

 

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Here's my YJ after hauling out an elk back to camp... the original Idaho ElkTaxi.

Here's a very wet soggy elk camp that next year... incessant rain made for quiet woods and soggy camp area.

 

[lowranger]

Just read your thread. Great write-up. I also bought my TJ for hunting. Hauled several Northern California Blacktail Bucks out with it.

 

[lowranger]

This little Samurai really gets around the narrow step roads on the ranch for deer, pig and Turkey hunting. I call it my DRV (Deer Recovery Vehicle).

 

[lowranger]

Our Archery deer season is just around the corner (July 13th). I like Idaho, have hunted there several times, North of Stanley. Got a nice 5x5 Mule deer 28" wide on one trip.

 

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Very nice little Sammi. I used to have an '86, it would go where UTV's would hide! It wasn't anywhere as nice as yours though. Mine was a rough little beater with a heater.

 

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Thought I'd post a few pix from the undercarriage when I was greasing the ElkTaxi a while ago.

I'm blessed it came from Arizona and hasn't been beat-on.

 

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I also mounted the fire extinguisher and mount I had made for the original YJ ElkTaxi.

It's a simple design similar to the Drake, but with a simple ball-detente pin holding it, with a bit of stainless aircraft cable tether both to pull the pin, and retain it from being lost. Took half an hour to make out of scrap steel in the shop and didn't cost $90 for the Drake. Aluminum beverage can shims remove all play and make it rattle-free on the trail. And, it's quick to deploy.

I'll soon have an additional Extinguisher, a 5 lb. bottle mounted under the front edge of the driver's seat as per the Jerry B. method found in other posts. For now at least, I have one fire bottle, albeit smaller available.