Apologies in advance for the long post. I'm researching options.
I just bought this a few days ago. It's a 1998 SE, 242k miles, 2.5L 5 speed. The guy I got it from bought it in 2014, stock condition. The 2.5L was rebuilt and bored 0.20 over at some point before he bought it. He installed a rebuilt head about 15k miles ago. The p.o. before him used it to commute from Montana to LA, from which he would fly to Asia for his work in the movie industry. Apparently he didn't like flying small domestic planes. Hence the high miles.
Because of the way it was used, the interior is in great shape. The passenger seat and rear seat are in new condition. His mom is a seamstress. She recovered the lower driver's seat. He installed seat heaters too. I just changed plugs, rotor, and wires. The only mechanical issue is a leaky LR axle seal. The Dave's Rack could use a coat of paint or maybe bed liner, but it's solid. Body and paint are great. No damage or rust.
A few years ago the seller installed a 3.5" Rancho lift with 9000 adjustable shocks, sway disconnects, and 33" tires (need to be changed) on 16" faux bead lock wheels.
He also had a Dana 44 rear axle from a '03 Rubicon, with new brake parts - drilled and slotted rotors, calipers, and hoses. He bought it in anticipation of a V8 swap someday. But he's building an SS, and he just bought his 2nd Mini Cooper. That was one too many for the wife. Jeep had to go.
He wanted $5k for the rig and $1500 for the axle. We settled on $5400 for everything. I'm happy with it. And now I'm planning...
I'll probably install the axle this summer. I'll just need to figure out the compressor set up for the locker. It has 4.10 gears, as does the front. I think that's ok for tooling around town, but I know re-gearing is in my future.
I need to change the tires. I'm considering Milestar Patagonia M/T in 315/75 R16. I don't see bigger tires for 16x12.5 wheels, and I think 35" might be a good fit for the 3.5" lift.
I'm also researching a 5.2 or 5.9 swap. That seems like something I can handle. I'm watching out for a donor Durango or Dakota.
This all leads me to the front axle and gears. I've been told that I should swap a Dana 44 in the front because the Dana 30 is a potential weak point. But I've also heard that installing chromoly axles and a locker in the Dana 30 could be fine and that most of the stress is on the rear axle. Maybe I could install a truss kit too.
With 35" tires I'm thinking 5.13 gears. That seems like a good combo to me. Of course that depends on what I'm looking to do with the rig. At this point I figure it will be an occasional daily driver for me in the winter (I ride a '05 Yamaha Roadstar in good weather). But I also want to do moderate trails with the local club, hunting and camping, and Moab stuff with my brother (but not extreme rock crawling or hopping).
So that's my plan. 5.2 or 5.9 swap. Chromoly front axles with a locker. Dana 44 rear. 35" tires. Does that sound a like a reasonable plan? I'm open to opinions.
(Thanks for taking the time to read all of this.)
I just bought this a few days ago. It's a 1998 SE, 242k miles, 2.5L 5 speed. The guy I got it from bought it in 2014, stock condition. The 2.5L was rebuilt and bored 0.20 over at some point before he bought it. He installed a rebuilt head about 15k miles ago. The p.o. before him used it to commute from Montana to LA, from which he would fly to Asia for his work in the movie industry. Apparently he didn't like flying small domestic planes. Hence the high miles.
Because of the way it was used, the interior is in great shape. The passenger seat and rear seat are in new condition. His mom is a seamstress. She recovered the lower driver's seat. He installed seat heaters too. I just changed plugs, rotor, and wires. The only mechanical issue is a leaky LR axle seal. The Dave's Rack could use a coat of paint or maybe bed liner, but it's solid. Body and paint are great. No damage or rust.
A few years ago the seller installed a 3.5" Rancho lift with 9000 adjustable shocks, sway disconnects, and 33" tires (need to be changed) on 16" faux bead lock wheels.
He also had a Dana 44 rear axle from a '03 Rubicon, with new brake parts - drilled and slotted rotors, calipers, and hoses. He bought it in anticipation of a V8 swap someday. But he's building an SS, and he just bought his 2nd Mini Cooper. That was one too many for the wife. Jeep had to go.
He wanted $5k for the rig and $1500 for the axle. We settled on $5400 for everything. I'm happy with it. And now I'm planning...
I'll probably install the axle this summer. I'll just need to figure out the compressor set up for the locker. It has 4.10 gears, as does the front. I think that's ok for tooling around town, but I know re-gearing is in my future.
I need to change the tires. I'm considering Milestar Patagonia M/T in 315/75 R16. I don't see bigger tires for 16x12.5 wheels, and I think 35" might be a good fit for the 3.5" lift.
I'm also researching a 5.2 or 5.9 swap. That seems like something I can handle. I'm watching out for a donor Durango or Dakota.
This all leads me to the front axle and gears. I've been told that I should swap a Dana 44 in the front because the Dana 30 is a potential weak point. But I've also heard that installing chromoly axles and a locker in the Dana 30 could be fine and that most of the stress is on the rear axle. Maybe I could install a truss kit too.
With 35" tires I'm thinking 5.13 gears. That seems like a good combo to me. Of course that depends on what I'm looking to do with the rig. At this point I figure it will be an occasional daily driver for me in the winter (I ride a '05 Yamaha Roadstar in good weather). But I also want to do moderate trails with the local club, hunting and camping, and Moab stuff with my brother (but not extreme rock crawling or hopping).
So that's my plan. 5.2 or 5.9 swap. Chromoly front axles with a locker. Dana 44 rear. 35" tires. Does that sound a like a reasonable plan? I'm open to opinions.
(Thanks for taking the time to read all of this.)
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