Sulley '06 LJ

[minimull]

Figured I'd start a build thread for our '06 LJ we bought last fall with 118k. It's going to be daily driven by my almost 16 yo son at least until he graduates at which time he'll take it with him to college, or if that doesn't make sense, economically, which it probably won't, it will become our dedicated trail rig . The PO had already made many mods, some good, some bad. It has 3.5" RE springs, a body lift, JKS swaybar disconnects, heavy duty trackbar (maybe RE), Bilsteins in the front and RE in the rear (need replaced), single adj lower control arms, aftermarket diff covers, smittybilt front bumper with XRC winch with cab controls and worn synthetic line, body armor? rear tire carrier bumper, hood mounted hilift, warn steering box skid, beefy rock sliders (brand?), light bar, crappy aftermarket stereo,cold air intake that I don't want/need, cheap Chinese made led headlights and the BEST upgrade, 5.13 gears. I'll follow up with our work so far and plans.

 

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Sorry for the catch up post, but this is what we’ve done so far:
Coolant System overhaul:
Hoses, radiator, thermostat, belt, idler pulley, tensioner, and a full drain and flush
Valve cover gasket
New brake pads and rotors front and rear and new shoes and hardware for the ebrake all from Black Magic. Break in happening tomorrow
outsourced work:
Rear main seal (not enough time for that one)
Removing frozen lug nuts on wheel spacers. More than half wouldn’t come off even after soaking with PB blaster and my impact wrench. Got tired of trying.

 

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These are awesome and super easy! No more rattling or rocking seats. Found them on Etsy

 

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LJ got new exhaust to fix and tuck up the bashed in y pipe and install new muffler to replace the glass pack. I wanted something that you could still hear, but wasn’t obnoxiously loud like the glass packs. I think Mufflers and More hit the nail on the head.
before

after

 

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The synthetic winch rope from the PO had seen better days. I didn’t trust it so I ordered a replacement from TRE and a smittybilt thimble to secure the end. Added a cover to protect the rope against UV rays. It fits kind of crappy due to the large gauge wire being wrapped through the grille, but we’ll fix that when we replace the bumper.
Old

new

 

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Next up: replace the missing rear sway bar with a new stock unit with jks adjustable links.

 

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Ok, I’m behind. This happened probably six weeks ago. Handling is marginally better.

 

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Next up was the steering gear box to help with steering slop. Got it out and in without too much trouble, but the return hose end got cross threaded, so it got put on hold waiting for parts. Finally got it in yesterday, so it should be buttoned up soon and a new bumper will go in front of it.

 

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New ball joints, hubs and u joints going in shortly. The kid has done this job pretty much by himself so far. I’m super proud.

 

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Way past time for an update. I dropped the kid off at college earlier this month . It was bittersweet, but I'm super proud of him. He'll be earning a bachelor's degree and playing football for Lake Forest in Illinois. He got a great scholarship, the most they offer, but it's still pricey, so he gave up his vehicle to go towards his $ for college. He was ready to part ways and doesn't want it back when he graduates, so Sully is all mine now and is my project build. Mikey (the green TJ in my profile pic) is still my DD.

I've already started!
- replaced the steering linkage with Currie currentlync
- Let's Roll Offroad replace the notorious front control arm mount on the passenger axle side with the Currie replacement
- Replaced the control arms with Savvy aluminum DA control arms

I currently have the dash partially pulled to replace the heater core and evaporative core (thanks @MountaineerTom for the writeup). After I get that buttoned back up I have a long list of to-dos. I already have the parts in the workshop or on order for everything listed. We'll see how fast I can get through it.

Entire AC system
Currie Rockjock 4" Springs and bumpstops to replace the RE 3.5"
Fox Shocks
UCF aluminum ultra high clearance front bumper
Swaylock
PCS Steering Gear Box and hoses (used)
Brown Dog Motor Mounts
Steering Pillow block lift
Fan Shroud
American Racing Headers
Genright 4" Front Hi Fenders w/inners
Heat Reduction hiline Hood from Genright
Genright Aluminum Mini-Boatside Rocker Guards
Metal Cloak Taillights
K-Suspension Cables
Genright Corner Guards
Genright 1" lift replacement body mounts (have to have someone else weld these on)
New Crown body mounts
JB Conversions Super Short SYE
NP 231J Rebuild kit and Chain
Need to order a Tom Woods Rear Driveshaft for the SYE
Savvy Under Armor / Skid
Aluminum Light bar holder and Nilight light bar to replace the fugly steel and yellowed light bar from PO
Besttop Trektop Slantback w/sunrider in Black Twill
BedRug
Rocklights
Polk Audio Marine 5.25" and 6.5" w/Kenwood 4 chan amplifier
Second Skin Spectrum, Firewall and Damplifier Pro

 

[66mips]

Congrats on raising a responsible young adult. Sounds like you’ve got a lot of work to do and one less helper to help get the job done. Keep us updated!