Project: a daily driver off roader (4-cylinder)

[TJim]

Hey everyone!

Today I had the first mod in my TJ, so I was inspired to start a thread to share with everyone my experience building my first Jeep.

I am a 25 years old guy from Greece. 2 years ago, I decided to buy my own Wrangler TJ, which was a childhood dream for me. Last year, I discovered this GREAT forum that helped me learn a lot about my TJ, and I am now determined to start building it exactly how I need it to be!

My goal is to keep it as light as possible, drive it daily, travel, camp, and last but not least off road it! So, I will try to find a balance between on road performance and off road capability!

Some info for my TJ

• Wrangler TJ 2004 SE
• 2.4L, 4-cylinder Engine
• NV1500 (5-speed manual)
• NV231J
• Dana 30 / Dana 35 - Gear Ratio 4.10

Μods so far

• Pro Comp 7069 Rims - 15"x8", 3.75 BS
• BF Goodrich KO2 Tires - 31x10.5r15
• OME 2" Light Duty Springs (932 & 941)
• Rancho RS5000X Shocks (RS55128 & RS55240)
• JKS 2001 Front Sway bar Quicker Disconnects
• Custom Rear Bumper (w/ Recovery Points and Hitch Receiver)

Soon to be installed

• JKS 2942 Rear Sway Bar End Links
• ZJ Tie Rod Conversion
• New Shocks (Longer)

 

[TJim]

The first mod was RIMS AND TIRES!

First of all, I decided (thanks to this forum) to run 15" tires, instead of the 16" Rubicon rims that I had. The reasons are well known in this forum! Tires Selection and Load Range.

So, I sold my Rubicon Moab rims, in order to buy Pro Comp 7069.

Also, I decided to run BF Goodrich KO2s 31x10.5 tires.

All - Terrains because it is my daily driver, and 31" because many of you suggested that is not very wise to go any bigger for my little 4-cylinder engine! (Some time my plan is to re-gear it, and add lockers. This will be the time that I will decide if 31" is enough or if I should try 33" max)

 

[TWiG01]

Very nice, post up some pics. I’m sure this is going to be the first of many modifications

 

[TJim]

Let me post some BEFORE and AFTER photos of the rims and tires.


Photo #1: Rubicon rims with Goodyear Wrangler All Terrain with Kevlar 235/70r16 (29") that I was running for the past 2 years.

Photo#2: Stock TJ rims with stock TJ Goodyear Wrangler Tires 215/75r15 that I ran for the past 10 days, because I sold my Rubicon rims to buy the new ones! This is a good comparison though because is the tire size that my TJ came stock with.

Photo #3: My new Procomp 7069 15"x8" rims with 3.75 BS and 31"x10.5" BF KO2s. (White letters inside!)

NEXT: 2" lift that I am going to install on my own in the next few weeks FOR SURE! 31" tires with no lift "screams" for some space for articulation! So no off road for a few weeks!

 

[Cross-Threaded-06TJ]

Let me post some BEFORE and AFTER photos of the rims and tires.

Photo #1: Rubicon rims with Goodyear Wrangler All Terrain with Kevlar 235/70r16 (29") that I was running for the past 2 years.

View attachment 237018

Photo#2: Stock TJ rims with stock TJ Goodyear Wrangler Tires 215/75r15 that I ran for the past 10 days, because I sold my Rubicon rims to buy the new ones! This is a good comparison though because is the tire size that my TJ came stock with.

View attachment 237019
Photo #3: My new Procomp 7069 15"x8" rims with 3.75 BS and 31"x10.5" BF KO2s. (White letters inside!)
View attachment 237020


NEXT: 2" lift that I am going to install on my own in the next few weeks FOR SURE! 31" tires with no lift "screams" for some space for articulation! So no off road for a few weeks!

Looks good. You may need a Better camera though. We can't see the awesomeness so well.

And why no off-road? Do they rub? If not, party on!

 

[TJim]

Looks good. You may need a Better camera though. We can't see the awesomeness so well.

And why no off-road? Do they rub? If not, party on!

If you click on the photo, the quality is better! I dont know why?!

It's pretty close, and the terrain here is pretty uneven so I'm a bit stressed! haha

 

[Cross-Threaded-06TJ]

If you click on the photo, the quality is better! I dont know why?!

It's pretty close, and the terrain here is pretty uneven so I'm a bit stressed! haha

oh shit, yeah clicking on the pic does clear it up.

If those stick out at all they could smash the fender, which is not the end of the world. But it could chew them up a little.

 

[TJim]

So, I finally managed to install my 2” lift. It was the first real time working on my TJ, besides small stuff and fluid changes, so I was quite excited.

I decided to run:

1. OME light duty springs (932 & 941), since I thought the lift would be enough because of my 4-cylinder engine and my overall light rig.
2. Rancho RS5000X Shocks (RS55128 & RS55240), following the suggestion of many on this forum.

I disconnected the sway bar end links, track bar, shocks and then I lowered the axle. The stock springs were removed quite easily, but the new ones could not fit. The axle could not move any lower so I used a spring compressor I have borrowed from a friend, just in case.

I am not going to overanalyse the process, since there are many great threads in this forum explaining everything but I am just going to write up some notes about my personal experience.


BUMPSTOPS:

I installed my shocks (without springs) and raised the axles in order to set my bump stops. For some reason I didn’t need any extensions, but I replaced the rear jounce bumpers, since they were destroyed.


TRACK BARS:

1) I re-attached the front stock track bar, just by moving the steering wheel.

2) I re-attached the rear stock track bar, without a relocation bracket, using a ratchet strap.


SWAY BAR END LINKS:

Some 2.5” quick disconnect end links are going to be installed next week, since I had not yet purchased them at the time.


END RESULTS:

I ended up with a 2.5" - 3" lift in the front and a 2" - 2.5" lift in the rear. You can see more details, such as photos and measurements in the next two posts.

* I experienced some vibrations between 15-30 mph, but I want to drive it a bit more in order to understand fully what’s going on. I also have not aligned it yet!

 

[TJim]

Some Before and After photos of the lift. Let me know what do you think about the stance/rake!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

[TJim]

Some Before and After measurements too!
(Some measurements might be a little bit off, since the floor is not completely level, but I can get an overall idea of the lift)


Distance between Front and Rear Tires:

1) Driver’s Side - Before: 62.8” - After: 62.3”
2) Passenger’s Side - Before: 62.6” - After: 62.2”


Axles Movement Side to Side:

1) Front Axle moved about 0.4” to the driver’s side.
2) Rear Axle moved about 0.04-0.08” to the passenger’s side.

The next measurements were taken from the bottom of the frame to the almost level floor.

Point #6

1) Driver’s side - Before: 13.9” - After: 16.7” - Lift: 2.8”
2) Passenger’s side - Before: 14" - After: 16.9” - Lift: 2.9”


Point #9

1) Driver’s side - Before: 14.75” - After: 17.2” - Lift: 2.45”
2) Passenger’s side - Before: 14.75” - After: 17.35” - Lift: 2.6”


Point #2

1) Driver’s Side - Before: 13.8” - After: 16.9” - Lift: 3”
2) Passenger’s Side - Before: 13.6” - After: 16.7” - Lift: 3.1”


Point #14

1) Driver’s Side - Before: 12.8” - After: 15.1” - Lift: 2.3”
2) Passenger’s Side - Before: 12.3” - After: 14.8” - Lift: 2.5”

 

[LJtheunicorn]

I will be following this. I’m interested mainly because the 2 inch lift gave you so much actual lift. Looking to put 33’s on my LJ with an old man emu and the 1.5 body lift and have lots of articulation.

 

[TJim]

I will be following this. I’m interested mainly because the 2 inch lift gave you so much actual lift. Looking to put 33’s on my LJ with an old man emu and the 1.5 body lift and have lots of articulation.

You should have in mind that the light duty OME 2" springs gave me so much actual lift mainly because I have the 4-cylinder engine, stock bumpers, no rear seats, and soft top.

 

[TJim]

Finally, I installed a full size spare tire. It looks better now. haha.

I tried to find a used one for a few weeks, but all the used tires that weren't sold as a set were DOT 2010 or older, so I decided to buy a new one just to have peace of mind on the trail. I am also planning to do a 5 tire rotation in the future.

Before

After

* 31x10.5 fitted without any problems in my stock carrier.
** Next up for the rear end is a new aftermarket rear bumper with a hitch receiver.

 

[TJim]

Just a small update.

I installed a padlock so I can secure my hood from curious guys (that stole my battery some months ago).
Then, I installed my new Odyssey 34M - PC1500 battery.

 

[TJim]

The next mod, since I was not happy at all with the aftermarket rear bumper options that I have here in Greece (Smittybilt, Rugged Ridge, etc) I decided to build a rear bumper from scratch.

The idea is to have strong recovery points, good departure angle, and possibly tow something very small in the future.

I was inspired by @jjvw's rear bumper (See p.58 in his build thread), also by next venture's rear bumper that wraps around the rear cross member.

I am currently taking some measurements and designing it, and tomorrow I am going to meet with a friend that is a professional in order to help me with the build (I'm going to leave the welding part to an expert, since I don't have any experience). I will post some updates as soon as I have some results!

 

[TJim]

Just a minor upgrade.

I installed the JKS 2001 Front Sway bar Quicker Disconnects, last week. Just by having them side by side it is easy to see how much beefier they are than stock. Mine as you can see were already "dead".

After I installed them I disconnected for the first time off road,. I am quite happy with them for my use. It was easy to notice that my tires did not leave the ground as often.

I made sure that I greased all the grease fittings well after installation, and planning to grease them again in a week or two to make sure they work properly when connected as well.

*I did not have the time to install the longer rear end links as well, but I will do it with the first chance.

 

[SSTJ]

Nice, I hope you enjoy them.

May I ask what you mean by "dead"? Were the stock ones acting up, or were you just upgrading for the convenience of the quick-disconnect feature?

I also wonder, if anyone cares to teach me, why the stock links have a bend in them though I've never seen a bend in any aftermarket ones. Surely that bend has a purpose?

 

[TJim]

Nice, I hope you enjoy them.

May I ask what you mean by "dead"? Were the stock ones acting up, or were you just upgrading for the convenience of the quick-disconnect feature?

I also wonder, if anyone cares to teach me, why the stock links have a bend in them though I've never seen a bend in any aftermarket ones. Surely that bend has a purpose?

By "dead" I mean that the rubber boot is cut. You can see it in the Photos. Convenience is also a reason for the upgrade for sure!

I don't know about the bend.

 

[Photocycler]

Great build. How are you liking the lift still? Any plans for other mods?

 

[TJim]

Great build. How are you liking the lift still? Any plans for other mods?

Sorry for the late reply.

I enjoy the lift so far. It's the right balance for my use right now. More capable than stock as far as off road goes, and not too much for my daily driving.

I think I am going to keep it that way for 3-4 years (as far as tires/lift), until my new tires die. Then I might think about running 33x10.5 tires, with a little more lift (either a body lift, or some longer springs)

I have some mods in mind, but not the budget or the time at the moment so they are on hold right now! haha