Sahara Street and Trail

PackFan

Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2019
Messages
30
Location
Reno, NV
Here is the latest on my build.

As introduced previously, the Jeep is a just purchased 2003 Sahara TJ, 4.0L, auto, hardtop, 3.73 Dana 44 with Trac-Lok, and 4 wheel disc brakes. It only has 31k miles as the previous original owner used it sparingly at a vacation home. Lucky to find her!
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My plan is to use the Jeep for exploring local trails, hunting expeditions, and running errands around town. No rock crawling or heavy off trail use. I also plan on flat towing behind my diesel truck and motor home.

Mechanically, I had all the fluids replaced in the tranny, transfer case, and both axles as it appeared they were all original. It did have a recent oil change. With the help of the forum search, I also diagnosed an exhaust leak (a bolt was missing from the collector above the cat) and fixed a P1494 trouble code (the vacuum line was completely disconnected at the intake manifold). Thanks for that!

Also with advice from the forum, I repainted the fender flares the original Khaki color and repainted the rear bumper in SEM Trim Black and installed stubby bumper end caps.
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I also power-washed and detailed the frame, under carriage , and wheel wells. Almost looks like new underneath! Fairchild door sill guards and Weathertech floor mats throughout round out the upgrades so far.
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Next up is a new front bumper and winch. A Rockhard RH-4014 Freedom Series bumper is on order and I plan on upgrading the Warn M8000 winch that came with the Jeep with new synthetic rope to save weight. I will re-post when all this is installed.

After that, I will be looking for advice on tires and maybe a mild lift with new shocks. I think my plan is to go with 31x10.5-15 tires on the stock Canyon Wheels after researching all the options on the forum.

Thanks again for all the help thus far!
 
Awesome find!

My loves her BFG at2’s. They perform excellent in all weather conditions. Weakness would be deep mud.

Sounds like you have good plan. Which lift?
2” OME
2” Jspec
Or Piece your own together
 
Dang! Clean rig and super low miles to boot! Get a front bumper with good sturdy D-ring mounts and you can use that to attach your tow bar.
 
Thanks all.

I am still up in the air on the lift. I may just put on the 31 inch tires (leaning towards the BFG AT KO2's) and see what it looks like. If I need (or want) more room, then I think I will put my own package together. Based on searching the forum, it looks like the next step up is the H&R springs with either Bilstein 5100 or Rancho NS5000X shocks. For more lift, the OME springs with shock of choice looks popular. Plenty to evaluate and I know lot's of opinions here.

On the bumper, the Rock Hard I have on order is set up to flat tow with the addition of a separate tow bar bracket kit. These kits are designed for the various tow bar clevises out there and does not use the recovery d-rings (see photo). This bumper is also made out of 1/4 steel for more support. It should do the trick!

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Really nice Sahara! Speaking from experience, I can recommend the OME light duty springs, those will give you plenty of room for 31s, and shouldn't cause any drive line issues.
 
Thanks for the D-ring mount suggestion. Those look stout.

On the OME springs, I have read where some use the HD, LD, or a combination of the 2. The front bumper I am getting is only listed at 39 lbs. I will have the Warn M8000 with synthetic rope on top of that. In the rear, my plan is to use the stock spare tire carrier. Oh, and it is a hard top with a rear seat. It looks like all this can make a difference in selection. Any thoughts or experience given this configuration?

Also, any suggestions for shocks with the OME springs? Will I need to alter the bump stops with the shocks? The OME kit has rear bump stock extensions only.

Thanks!
 
If you pick the correct length shock, you shouldn't need added bumps in the front. They bump the rear so the TB relocation bracket doesn't hit the tub. Having ran the 933/942 springs, I'd suggest the 941's for the rear, unless you plan to haul a lot of gear.
 
Thanks bobthetj03. I know this topic has been beat to death, so I am trying to search for information already out there.

From the ARB/OME application chart (below), the 2933's are described as the "Front (6 cyl.), Heavy Load (90-180 lbs), 2.0" lift". The 2941's are listed as "Rear, Light Load/Soft Top, 2.5" lift". The same 2941 part number is also listed as "Rear, Medium Load/Hard Top, 2.0" lift". The load descriptions are a little confusing, but I guess it makes sense that the same spring would provide less lift with a hard top.

I read a thread last night where the 2942 Heavy Load rear springs caused a big rake that the 2941's ultimately solved. I saw where you weighed in there too. So based on your experience and others, the 2941's appear to match my application best. 2 inches of lift is also the max I am looking for given I only want to run 31's. The notes also say the FK16 bump stop spacer kit (rear) is required with the 2941's.

Any specific suggestions for shocks and shock length with this set-up? I am leaning towards the Rancho RS5000X.

I also still need to compare this solution with the H&R springs that many also like/recommend.

Thanks again for the help.

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The problem with the Rancho shocks are they run a bit on the long side compared to their advertised lift suggestion, so if you opted for their 2.5" lift shocks, you may need to add some bumpstop extension up front to keep them from bottoming out at full stuff. I'd say you'd be better off with their no lift shocks IMO.
 
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The 31x10.5-15 BFG KO2's went on today! Here are a few pictures of the current stance. No rubbing at full lock, but I think they would with any significant articulation.

I am going to wait until I get the front bumper and winch on before making a final call, but the current options are the H&R 52107 Springs (1+ inch lift) or the OME 2933 front/2941 rear springs (2+ inch lift). Probably with Rancho RS5000X 0-1 inch lift shocks (RS55128 and RS55240) and OME rear bump stop extensions.

What do you guys think?

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Nice choice on the tires. I'm pretty happy with mine so far. You'll want the 2" lift. Back in the day, this was mine with OME 933/942's on 31's.

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I am definitely leaning towards the OME set-up right now.

On the tires, I noticed they were much harsher riding on the way home. I think they are WAY over-inflated. Any suggestion for tire pressure? I have read 26 may be a good medium.

Thanks again
 
I agree with @bobthetj03 that you will want the 2". Here are some pics of mine with 31's and 932/942 OME springs. Mine had quite a bit of rake when I got it but the PO had put ACOS one the front so I was able to tune it to my liking. Mine sits higher in the front because of that so yours wouldn't sit quite that high I don't believe. I run 26 psi in my tires as well.
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I am definitely leaning towards the OME set-up right now.

On the tires, I noticed they were much harsher riding on the way home. I think they are WAY over-inflated. Any suggestion for tire pressure? I have read 26 may be a good medium.

Thanks again

I run 27psi for normal DD duty and 28psi loaded.
 
Thanks guys. This is what makes the OME springs confusing for a new guy like me. We have 2 TJ's here with different combinations of front and rear springs that appear to sit about the same.
 
My opinion would be order your springs based off the weight rating you need and you can fine tune ride height by adding/removing spacers. If you still can't decide I wouldn't hesitate to follow @bobthetj03 's recommendation.
 
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Since you mentioned you were considering the H&R springs, I thought I'd chime in here. That's the route I ended up with, along with my 31" General Grabbers. One small difference is the Generals are actually 31" diameter, whereas the BFG KO2's you have are 30.5". Small difference, but we're talking about 1"-2" lifts anyway, so 1/2" is a fair amount in that context.

Anyway, I got 1.5" of lift out of my H&R springs. Here is the thread where I posted before/after pics: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-tj-today.1784/page-482#post-318479

No winch, stock bumpers, soft top and half doors, so I'm a little lighter than you will be with your setup.

Here's a recent photo as well.

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