High Mileage 2001 Sahara Build

jodomcfrodo

Antagonist and Dick
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
3,439
Location
Illinois
Hi all,
With all the modifications and maintenance I'm doing to my TJ lately, I thought it might be smart to start a build thread. I also want to use this thread to keep track of my Jeep over the years. I'd like to be able to look back on this thread in 10 years and have a pretty detailed look at my TJ's history.

June 2nd, 2001:
My Dad buys my Jeep brand new.

Fall 2009:
This is the first time I went off-roading in my Jeep. The Jeep had about 40,000 miles on it at this point. These are the earliest photos I have of my TJ. Here is my TJ at an off-roading 101 course in Rausch Creek:

55100


My TJ parked next to some cooler Jeeps:

55101



October 2013:
This is the first time my TJ entered Wyoming. The Jeep had become a daily driver in 2009, so it now had 172,000 miles on it.

Driving through Yellowstone in a snow storm:

55103

55102


Spring 2015:
This was the first time the doors had ever come off the TJ.

55104



February 2016:
The Jeep now had 191,000 miles on it and was pretty tired. I took it to Salt Lake City and had Currie suspension, air lockers, 33's, gears, and a ton of other stuff put on.

55106


I spent the remaining year and a half of high school exploring forest service roads in western Wyoming.

55107


55108


73565


September 2017:
I left Wyoming for Chicago and so did the Jeep. Nothing much to talk about here.

July 2018:
I crawled under the Jeep and realized that my frame was much more rusted than I had initially thought. The frame was going to need immediate attention.

55109


September 2018:
I found a frame in southern Tennessee and headed down to look at it. The frame looked straight and besides a little internal surface rust, was 100% rust free. Bought the frame, rented a uhaul trailer, and left for Chicago.

55110


The Jeep currently has over 231,000 miles on it. I have a lot of plans for my TJ in the next few months.



Here is a list of everything I've added to my Jeep:

35" Maxxis Trepador Radials
Ion 174 Wheels
Currie 4" w/ Antirock
Currie Currectlync Steering
Currie Mini Skids
Savvy 3" Springs
JKS Rear Track Bar
Front G2 4.56 Gears
Rear G2 4.56 Gears
Revolution Front 4340 Big U-joint Axle Shafts
Revolution Rear 4340 Axle Shafts
Front ARB Air Locker
Rear ARB Air Locker
Black Magic 15" Brakes
Savvy Front Fox Shocks
Savvy Rear Fox Shocks
Savvy Under Armor
Savvy Engine Skid
Savvy Front Bumper with Hardcore Upgrade
Savvy Transfer Case Shifter
Savvy 1.25" Body Lift
Savvy 1" MML
Savvy Rock Sliders
Savvy Gas Tank Skid
Savvy Tail Lights
Savvy Steering Box Skid
Tom Woods Driveshafts
JB Conversions SS SYE
Warn M8000 with TRE Synthetic Line
Genright Rear Plate Bumper
Genright Rub Rail Tie Downs
OR Fab Tire Carrier
PSC Power Steering Cooler
Blue Monkey Speedohealer
Borla Touring Exhaust
Uniden CB Radio
Grabars






Latest Photos of my Jeep:

86246


103710


gdxawbkyrp-li9fumjzrxg-jpg.jpg
 
Last edited:
This site contains affiliate links for which Jeep Wrangler TJ Forum may be compensated.
After staying in Indianapolis last night, I dropped my new frame off at the shop today. They approved the frame and said there wasn't anything clearly wrong with it. They're hopefully going to be stripping it down and getting it to powder coat tonight. I'm also going to be ordering some parts from Savvy and JB conversions tonight. I'll be getting a tummy tuck and all the necessary supporting mods from Savvy and a super short SYE from JB conversions.
 
Last edited:
Thanks! I have almost an unlimited supply of Jeep photos. They are mostly from Grand Teton National Park and Moab. Here is a dump of some of my favorites. Don't want to lose them so I guess I'll upload them here.

You just made my entire day! Have you submitted any of these to the monthly contest?
 
  • Like
Reactions: jodomcfrodo
Turns out my new frame is actually bent by an inch. I thought I had measured pretty accurately before I bought it but I guess I was off by quite a bit. The frame is getting straightened sometime next week. I'm not going to install it if it isn't within factory tolerances after straightening. Does anyone happen to know what those tolerances are? How much can it be out by before I should worry? I would rather go find another frame than put a crooked one under my Jeep. Thankfully, the shop doesn't seem too worried about it (and I trust their judgement) so I probably won't have to go find another frame.

In other news, I placed my order for all the parts I need for the tummy tuck:
  1. Savvy Tummy Tuck Kit
  2. Savvy 1" MML
  3. Savvy 1.25" Body Lift
  4. Savvy Transfer Case Shifter
  5. JB Conversion Super Short SYE
  6. Blue Monkey Speedohealer
I'll be replacing the rear adams driveshaft with one from Tom Wood. I'll be able to keep the front one but will likely be replacing that with one from Tom Wood within the next year or so.

In addition to the Tummy Tuck, my Jeep will be getting:
  1. New Body Mounts
  2. New Brake Lines
  3. Rear Main Seal, Freeze Plugs, Timing Chain (maybe, see below)
  4. Power Steering Cooler
  5. Dynamat Under Carpet
In terms of the timing chain, does anyone have any input on that? My 4.0 has 225,000 miles, but the timing chain isn't making any noise. Should I replace it just to be safe?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
What did you not like about Adams drive shafts?

I've had nothing but problems with them. I've put about 34,000 miles on the Jeep since it was lifted. I'm on my second rear driveshaft and my third or fourth front driveshaft. One of the front driveshafts didn't even last 3,000 miles. They always sent me a replacement free of charge, but I'm sick of replacing driveshafts. There is nothing wrong with my driveline angles and my Jeep runs 80 with close to no vibrations after putting a new shaft in. But the slip joint on the front driveshaft gets loose over time and causes vibrations at highway speeds. That has happened to me two or three times with adams. Hoping to have better luck with Woods.
 
Last edited:
I've had nothing but problems with them. I've put about 34,000 miles on the Jeep since it was lifted. I'm on my second rear driveshaft and my third or fourth front driveshaft. One of the front driveshafts didn't even last 3,000 miles. They always sent me a replacement free of charge, but I'm sick of replacing driveshafts. There is nothing wrong with my driveline angles and my Jeep runs 80 with no vibrations after putting a new shaft in. But the slip joint on the front driveshaft gets loose over time and causes vibrations at highway speeds. That has happened to me two or three times with adams. Hoping to have better luck with Woods.

Just wondered. My situation may be totally unrelated, but I've been chasing down a vibe for 2 years now after re-gearing and replacing both front and rear drive shafts with Adams shafts, twice. I came to the conclusion that it was something else, but now you have me wondering. My front drive shaft seems to be the culprit, and I have become quite the expert at adjusting pinion angles.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tomtaylz
Just wondered. My situation may be totally unrelated, but I've been chasing down a vibe for 2 years now after re-gearing and replacing both front and rear drive shafts with Adams shafts, twice. I came to the conclusion that it was something else, but now you have me wondering. My front drive shaft seems to be the culprit, and I have become quite the expert at adjusting pinion angles.

Push up and down on the slip joint. If there is any play, that may be causing your vibrations. That is what always goes bad with mine at least. When I put a new shaft in, the vibrations go away for maybe 500 miles (though I still get very very slight vibrations at 80 with a completely new shaft, so my angles may be slightly off). Then they start to get worse and worse over time. The slip joint gets so loose that the driveshaft needs to be replaced eventually.
 
Push up and down on the slip joint. If there is any play, that may be causing your vibrations. That is what always goes bad with mine at least. When I put a new shaft in, the vibrations go away for maybe 500 miles (though I still get very very slight vibrations at 80 with a completely new shaft, so my angles may be slightly off). Then they start to get worse and worse over time. The slip joint gets so loose that the driveshaft needs to be replaced eventually.

I get a little bit of up/down play at the slip if I grab the front portion of the shaft that the splines slip in to. Enough play to hear a small clunking noise as I move it up/down. Was under the impression that a small amount of play was acceptable. Might have 10K miles on this front shaft after replacing the first shaft after I complained to James that I thought his shaft wasn't balanced well enough. He sent me another one and the vibes were still present, so I moved on to replacing other stuff.
 
I get a little bit of up/down play at the slip if I grab the front portion of the shaft that the splines slip in to. Enough play to hear a small clunking noise as I move it up/down. Was under the impression that a small amount of play was acceptable. Might have 10K miles on this front shaft after replacing the first shaft after I complained to James that I thought his shaft wasn't balanced well enough. He sent me another one and the vibes were still present, so I moved on to replacing other stuff.

Enough to hear a clunk sounds like too much to me. If you remove the front driveshaft, do the vibrations go away? If they do and your pinion angle is correct, the slip joint is probably the most likely culprit. If I remember correctly, I had to get a new driveshaft after the slip had this amount of play in it. The video makes it hard to see, but there is actually a fair amount of play there. From what I understand, there should be next to no play in the slip.

 
Enough to hear a clunk sounds like too much to me. If you remove the front driveshaft, do the vibrations go away? If they do and your pinion angle is correct, the slip joint is probably the most likely culprit. If I remember correctly, I had to get a new driveshaft after the slip had this amount of play in it. The video makes it hard to see, but there is actually a fair amount of play there. From what I understand, there should be next to no play in the slip.


I don't get as much play as what that video shows. Maybe half of that amount, and I have to put my hand on there with a little more force than the video, but definitely see movement and hear clunking as I move it.

Yes, vibes go away if I disco the front drive shaft.
 
I don't get as much play as what that video shows. Maybe half of that amount, and I have to put my hand on there with a little more force than the video, but definitely see movement and hear clunking as I move it.

Yes, vibes go away if I disco the front drive shaft.

What speed do your vibrations start? My stock driveshaft had a slip that was absolutely gone. You could move it up and down 3/8th of an inch. With that shaft, my vibrations would start at 55 mph. If a buddy has a driveshaft that would fit in your Jeep and he doesn't have any vibrations, I would swap with him and see if they go away. That would help narrow down what your problem could be. There are only a few things that can be wrong with a driveshaft. Your problem sounds like it could stem from the slip being too loose.