Mike Wasowski '04 Electric Lime Green TJ

minimull

TJ Enthusiast
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2020
Messages
151
Location
Arizona
This was supposed to be our third vehicle for my son to drive when he gets his license in May after we sold our '13 JK, but I fell in love with it, missed driving our JK and he doesn't like the green, so now it's mine. 😁 Plus, then we needed to find another jeep, preferably an LJ, so I ended up with two jeeps in the garage. Anyway, it's bone stock except for the wheels and 32" tires, pro comp rims and 10yo aftermarket deck, so a perfect blank slate with 3.73 stock gearing. It was also mostly garaged and only had 74k miles, so everything is in great shape including the plastic plastic under the hood, which is unusual for an AZ vehicle. We don't get much rust, but the heat bakes plastic connectors, rubber and wiring. So far all I've done is replace the deck with a new BT Kenwood and swap out the stock speakers in the dash for Polk 5.25" in pods, new OEM fender flares to replace the faded to grey ones, and new parking light lenses. I'm planning on staying as light as possible and going aluminum anytime it makes sense. It will likely be driven daily because it's fun to drive, but I can park it when needed to do work as I still have our '15 Tahoe. I'm not planning anything crazy or unusual, just tried and true basic practical upgrades.

Plans that I already have parts for:
2.5" SL, 1.25" BL, Rancho shocks, rear track bar relocation brackets (recipe from this forum)
Rampage Trektop softtop (I miss my freedom top from my JK and prefer just the opening over the driver/passenger for fall, winter, and spring)
1.25" Seat riser kit (I'm 5'3" and the drivers seat isn't fold forward, so it's even shorter than our LJ)
6.5" polk components for the roll bar
JKS swaybar disconnects
New to me WARN m8000

Near future plans I still need to buy parts for:
1.25" BL (picking up a JKS this week)
1" lift motor mounts
33x12.50 Goodyear Duratracs (I've always had BFGs, but want to try something new between an MT and AT)
Amp and sub (I love music and I'm partially deaf in one ear, muzzle brake whoops)
Odyssey Battery (current battery is due to die from AZ heat by this summer)
TRE Synthetic winch line
Savvy front bumper
UCF rear tire carrier bumper
Big Daddy aluminum or Savvy sliders (TBD)
Savvy steering box skid

Farther off plans I want to keep in mind:
Lockers, regear, TT with all the stuff that requires, highline fenders for 35s?
IMG_7037.jpg
 
Looks good! Highline fenders are definitely not needed for 35s assuming you building it the typical way with a 4” suspension lift and a 1.25” body lift 👍
 
Looks good! Highline fenders are definitely not needed for 35s assuming you building it the typical way with a 4” suspension lift and a 1.25” body lift 👍

They'd be to avoid the 4" suspension lift and stick with the 2.5" ;) . I'd rather stay low.
 
Not for LCG, just because I'm short

How short? I am 5’8 and I am on 35s with 5.25” of total lift and no issue whatsoever getting in.

If you are shorter than that I may see the issue, but I would try to avoid sacrificing gains for the sake of getting in as there are some ways around it.
 
How short? I am 5’8 and I am on 35s with 5.25” of total lift and no issue whatsoever getting in.

If you are shorter than that I may see the issue, but I would try to avoid sacrificing gains for the sake of getting in as there are some ways around it.
5'3" on a good day. I'm not committed and could totally change my mind, but I already have the LJ, which has 5" total lift which will probably see trails more often unless we take the TJ and LJ out together.
 
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5'3" on a good day. I'm not committed and could totally change my mind, but I already have the LJ, which has 5" total lift which will probably see trails more often unless we take the TJ and LJ out together.
Ahhh, I gotcha! Well I will say that’s it’s much easier to build a better performing rock crawler with 35s if you have the typical 4” suspension lift and 1.25” body lift.

Of course if you don’t intend to rock crawl that could change things. Still, I think you might find something as simple as grab handles and possibly one of those MORE hide-a-steps would be all you’d need.
 
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This was my other big find this week. It’s supposedly out of an ‘01 and even has 3.73 gears to match my Dana 30 front. Haven’t got the cover off yet, but not for lack of trying with a screwdriver, chisel and dead blow hammer. Tried to pull the plug and rounded it out 🤦🏻‍♀️. I’m going to try the bottle Jack trick next, hopefully that does the trick. 714898D1-1F92-43F7-8CE9-F796D7BBECA6.jpeg
 
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This was supposed to be our third vehicle for my son to drive when he gets his license in May after we sold our '13 JK, but I fell in love with it, missed driving our JK and he doesn't like the green, so now it's mine. 😁 Plus, then we needed to find another jeep, preferably an LJ, so I ended up with two jeeps in the garage. Anyway, it's bone stock except for the wheels and 32" tires, pro comp rims and 10yo aftermarket deck, so a perfect blank slate with 3.73 stock gearing. It was also mostly garaged and only had 74k miles, so everything is in great shape including the plastic plastic under the hood, which is unusual for an AZ vehicle. We don't get much rust, but the heat bakes plastic connectors, rubber and wiring. So far all I've done is replace the deck with a new BT Kenwood and swap out the stock speakers in the dash for Polk 5.25" in pods, new OEM fender flares to replace the faded to grey ones, and new parking light lenses. I'm planning on staying as light as possible and going aluminum anytime it makes sense. It will likely be driven daily because it's fun to drive, but I can park it when needed to do work as I still have our '15 Tahoe. I'm not planning anything crazy or unusual, just tried and true basic practical upgrades.

Plans that I already have parts for:
2.5" SL, 1.25" BL, Rancho shocks, rear track bar relocation brackets (recipe from this forum)
Rampage Trektop softtop (I miss my freedom top from my JK and prefer just the opening over the driver/passenger for fall, winter, and spring)
1.25" Seat riser kit (I'm 5'3" and the drivers seat isn't fold forward, so it's even shorter than our LJ)
6.5" polk components for the roll bar
JKS swaybar disconnects
New to me WARN m8000

Near future plans I still need to buy parts for:
1.25" BL (picking up a JKS this week)
1" lift motor mounts
33x12.50 Goodyear Duratracs (I've always had BFGs, but want to try something new between an MT and AT)
Amp and sub (I love music and I'm partially deaf in one ear, muzzle brake whoops)
Odyssey Battery (current battery is due to die from AZ heat by this summer)
TRE Synthetic winch line
Savvy front bumper
UCF rear tire carrier bumper
Big Daddy aluminum or Savvy sliders (TBD)
Savvy steering box skid

Farther off plans I want to keep in mind:
Lockers, regear, TT with all the stuff that requires, highline fenders for 35s?
View attachment 230167
I love the color. Excited to see the build!
 
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March 17th: Got the 2” springs and Ranchos on along with the coils spacers up front, track bar relocation bracket on, jks disconnects and then went and got new shoes, Goodyear Duratrac 33x12.50s. Already looking better.

71E49697-C095-4FF9-99C8-4BA07EF851C6.jpeg


D7350A59-9994-470D-8AAB-4C994B76B41C.jpeg


072735A3-DA3A-4F1F-BD4B-04C5A89098BC.jpeg
 
I also replaced my motor mounts with MORE 1” bomb proof motor mounts. They’re rubber, but a little stiffer than my factory mounts so I can feel a little more engine vibes, but not bad at all. I also wanted to try the MORE steering box mount bracket, which holds the pillow block in place. Hoping to keep that hard to find Mercedes steering box from getting stressed more that necessary. I figured it was worth $43.

C01D6C30-C1A6-4E06-8DD5-AFD85AD266F7.jpeg 5042E5B9-739E-40C8-9609-002260158C4E.jpeg
 
Last edited:
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