TJRicochet's 2000 Wrangler Sport Build

[TJRicochet]

This post is a near duplicate of my previous post in [What did you do to your TJ today?](https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-tj-today.1784).
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My wife and I have previously owned a 2018 Jeep Cherokee TrailHawk — good and quite capable off-roader, but we found it a bit too "sterile" with it's luxurious interior appointments and 8-speed automatic. We were also worried about damaging it in any serious off-roading. So, in July of 2020, e traded it for a new F-150 4x4 — not for off-roading, mind you, but we leave a couple miles off the pavement and need a 4-wheel drive out here when it rains which, thankfully, isn't often.

However, living in the desert where there is lots to explore, we've still had the bug for off-roading. After kicking about the idea of buying a UTV, we bought a 2000 TJ 4.0 on Mon, 17-May-2021. This is our first time to own a Wrangler, but it's something we've both wanted to do for a very long time. Honestly, we both really wanted a Wrangler when we bought the Trailhawk, but that's a story for another time. Anyway...

Our next-door neighbor — the only one close enough to see us regularly — has dubbed the TJ The Desert Rat as a hat-tip to The Rat Patrol, but he says it needs the top off and a 50-cal Gatlin gun mounted in the back. I could be cool with that... I think I'm just gonna call it The Rat... maybe... okay, maybe just as a working name until I get some inspiration...

Below are some pictures of how The Rat looked when we acquired it — bone stock. Of course, all the gray fenders are supposed to be black. Eventually, I think we will LineX all of the body work; probably replace the fenders, bumpers, running boards and spare tire mount; add a soft top of some kind (full? bikini? extended bikini?); replace wheels and tires (immediate); and add a lift kit (2"suspension, 1" body). The driver-side Footman loop screws are broken off. The shifter boot was unattached at the bottom. Seats (front & rear) were original and in excellent shape.

A note on the soft top: We have a friend who is a mechanic and knows the POs. He did all the maintenance work while they owned the TJ — 5-ish years — and says they were religious about it. It shows. He also says they included an almost-new soft top when they traded in the TJ. The dealer says they don't know anything about that. If it was included, they don't have it now.

 

[Irun]

What a fantastic platform to start from. Congratulations on the find, and welcome!

 

[TJRicochet]

What a fantastic platform to start from. Congratulations on the find, and welcome!

Thanks!

 

[TJRicochet]

I've read — and will soon be re-reading — @Chris' post, A recipe for an affordable but quality 2.5" lift. All the parts were ordered on 21-May and arrived over the last 10 days. new tires and wheels — already mounted and balanced — arrived yesterday.

I had to make one part substitution on the lift kit. I could not find the recommended bump stops. So, I substituted Daystar's Bolt-in Extended Polyurethane Bump Stops. I also opted for the TeraFlex 1" Body Lift Kit. Now it’s all sitting in the garage... waiting. I’ll probably start this weekend.

Of course, that means no running around in the desert in the TJ. The wife and I have already made a several forays — one to the west side of our mesa, one to the east side, one to the southern end of the Mesa and a 20-Ish mile route to the north where we drove up a power-line maintenance road to the north side of the mesa and then along the railroad tracks for a few miles then down along the freeway for a bit till we got back to pavement. Along the way. we got into some deep sand and had a couple of short, near-vertical climbs and a couple of downhills that took our breath way. This 21-year-old TJ with 184K miles and 10-year-old BFG A/T TA K02s took it all in stride. We came home with big smiles on our faces.

Last week, I replaced the wiper blades and the gas cylinders on the rear glass. Today, I installed the shifter boot plate to hold down the shifter boot — much cooler! I have also been trying all week to get two broken Footman loop screws out of the driver-side door so I can install a new Footman loop. That has me very, very frustrated. However, Monday, Im taking the door to the service Dept at the lot where we bought the jeep. They’ve agreed to extract them for no charge.

Meanwhile...

... I’ll be wrenching’...

 

[TJRicochet]

As with all the best laid plans of mice and men, I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I had hoped today.

For one thing, I had some monthly chores to do like hauling trash for two households, taking the recycling and some bookkeeping for an organization that I am leaving.

For another thing, getting my hoist put up to lift the top didn't go according to Hoyle because of a defective part.

So, here's what I did get done...

Hardtop Hoist Installed

I'm all in on the part for less than $100. Here's what I used.

• HAUL-MASTER 1 Ton Capacity Hand Winch from Harbor Freight. Originally, I bought the HAUL-MASTER 1/2 Ton Capacity Hand Winch, but the one I got was defective. The crank handle wouldn't go on because the hole in the handle was smaller than the shaft of the crank pin. As it turns out, the vertical orientation of the crank handle was problematic anyway. So, tomorrow, I will go back to Harbor Freight for the exchange. The 1-ton winch will be easier to mount because of it's horizontal crank. Perfect!
• RUGGED GEAR Gambrel And Pulley Hoist from Harbor Freight (2). If you're a hunter, you probably know what these are. For $15.99, I couldn't pass them up.
• Eye Screws (2). I got these at Home Depot for about $3.50 each. I believe it was ⅜" x 6" in stainless steel and rated for about 350lbs each.
• A Pair Tie-downs with Ratchets. About $20 at Walmart.

Here's the result...


Hardtop Removed

It was late and I was working inside. I'll get some better pics in the daylight...



Rear Seat, etc. Removed

For a bunch of reasons, the back seat had to go. We don't have any kids and we want to be able to haul groceries — or whatever. So, I removed the seat, the brackets, the seat belts, and all the carpet in the back. Along the way, I found a penny and a dime under the carpet. Woo-hoo!

More photographic evidence...



Yes, there is a lot of dirt/sand under the carpet. I can't say whether that was there when we bought it or if it's the result of being parked outside on the driveway at our house in the desert. I mentioned this in another thread. The sand/dust here is ubiquitous and relentless. You could vacuum-seal your valuables and the dust would still get in...

See the bright green "thing" in the second photo? That's the shifter knob. It's a neon green skull apparently installed by the PO.

Minor Issues

As a note, I had two minor issues getting everything out. Firstly, the screws that attached the seat belt to the base of the rear roll bar were a tad tricky. I finally figured out how to wiggle them out of the roll bar so I could slide the metal tab on the back up and out of the slot on the roll bar. Not a big deal, but not intuitive. Yes, I have a copy of the FSM and the Haynes (Chilton?) book. No, I did not read the fine manuals. Secondly, the screws holding down the front brackets for the rear seat required several full turns with a breaker bar before my ½" ratchet would turn them. That was just a pain.

Hardtop Electrical Harness Connector Question

I used a zip tie to secure the hardtop harness connector by the left rear roll bar. I'm concerned about it filling with that pesky dust/sand I keep mentioning. Is there a cap available for it? If not, maybe I'll zip-tie a small ziplock bag around it.



More to come...

 

[TJRicochet]

This afternoon, I had a couple of hours to wrench. I didn't get the daylight pictures I previously promised. That will have to wait until tomorrow... maybe.

I did manage to find time to swap the out the tires and wheels, including replacing to broken wheel studs — one on each side on the rear. This was just going to be a test fitting to see how they looked...

When I realized there were no clearance issues, even at full lock, we decided to take the TJ to dinner in Albuquerque with some friends. So, we got about 80-100 miles of pavement in with the new tires.

I also got in a few miles (10? 12?) of desert two-track.

The difference in the feel between the old set of 10+-year-old BFG All Terrain TK02 (30x9.5x15) and the new set of BFG Mud Terrain KM3 (32x11.5x15) was massive. It's gonna take a little adjusting for both on- and off-road driving.

The difference in the look? Well, see for yourselves...

Oh, also, the stock spare tire mount took the new, larger spare without a moments complaint. It seems the reduced backspacing from the stock wheels to the Pro Comp Series 97 Rock Crawlers was enough to ensure a darn near perfect fit.

After installation, I realized I had forgotten to order center caps. Witness...



<sigh>

Still, all in all a good day.

Now for the lift kit.

 

[TJRicochet]

Well, now I know why 4WheelParts.com did not offer wheel caps when I ordered the wheels and tires. These wheels are ProComp Series 97 Rock Crawlers. The Pro Comp 3.3" center caps / hub covers are not in stock anywhere that I can find. At one point, I saw they were marked as Discontinued. Grrrr...

No, I'm having trouble finding hub covers... or center caps... or whatever. Seems like they are all — or at least, mostly — wheel-specific.

Any ideas on what to do about this? With the dust here, I don't want to be driving around very long without covers on these puppies...

 

[Apparition]

These work?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091G71JCF/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[TJRicochet]

These work?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091G71JCF/?tag=wranglerorg-20

No, those are for the OEM wheels.

I ordered 4 of these: TACTIK Center Cap for Tactik Steel Wheels

 

[TJRicochet]

Not much going on the last two weeks... except work. UGH! I've been asking around for an extra set of experienced eyes/hands to help me with the lift kit — just in case. Looks like I'm gonna trade some tractor work for an assist from a young mechanic (who is also an off-roader) that works at the truck stop with my wife.

The dry air filter arrived and I installed it, but otherwise, it's all be "decisions" more than anything else.

My fancy ceiling hoist for the hard top did not work out. The hoist and gambrel kits I used turned out to require too much input/output from the winch and I couldn't get enough distance between the sheave and tackles to get it all the way up or all the way down, depending on how I adjusted it. So, I'm going to go to a direct drive lift using just the wince and straps. All the components are rated at 3x+ the weight of the top... That requires a bit of work in the ceiling and, in this heat wave (105+ every day), I haven't wanted to be up at 12 feet in a stuffy garage.

Yesterday, I pulled the trigger on an order at Quadratec for a MasterTop Ultimate Summer Combo as well as the door surrounds, windshield channel and tailgate bar required to install it... oh, and a spare tire cover to fit the new 32x11.50x15 spare tire and wheel.

Also, I decided against installing the wheel center caps for now. I REALLY like the rugged look of the tires and wheels with the hubs exposed, though I do have a concern about leaving them exposed with all the dust here. I may end up putting the caps on just to keep some of the dust out.

Otherwise, we've been riding around in this head with the hardtop off and sitting in the floor of the garage. This means we've been exposed to the New Mexico sun, too. The Boss says we need something to shade us, ergo the MasterTop order.

 

[TJRicochet]

Yesterday, I got the hardtop hoist reconfigured. Need to drop it again and adjust the straps as it lifted high in the front and low in the back. Good news is it's off the garage floor and I can now get the TJ in the garage with the door closed.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that I do have all the parts for the lift kit waiting to be installed as well as fluids for a complete refresh. One day at a time.

 

[TJRicochet]

It took me three weeks to get "a round tuit", but last night I finally started on the lift kit with the help of a truck mechanic from the truck stop down the street. I'm trading him some tractor work for helping me out with the lift. Turns out that was a good decision.

We only did the front last night. It took us about 3-4 hours. We ran into a few things that led to some delays. Every time, having two people to discuss and brainstorm a solution was benefit, but having four hands was an absolutely requirement.

The top end of sway bar links wouldn't come loose (which I realized later, we didn't need to remove). Had to use what he called the "pickle fork" in the front end suspension tools kit to press them out. Both "exploded" out of the sway bar and shot across the garage. Thankfully, neither of us was in the path. In the end, the sway bar links will have to be replaced because the seals on the ball joints were long since dry-rotted and split open

We couldn't get the top nut off of one of the passenger side shock. It kept turning the piston rod in the shock until we used a crescent wrench to hold the top end of the rod with a ratcheting box-end wrench to turn the nut.

Reinstalling the sway bar link, we found that the threads of the top-end nut on the right side had been damaged and wouldn't go back on. After some finagling, we decided to use a the top-end nut off the old shocks with a flat washer until I can get the new sway-bar links ordered.

Lining up the axle end of the front track bar to reinstall the bolt took some finagling. This is the place I'd have been stuck if I'd been alone. Reinstalling the sway bar links helped, then turning the steering full left got the holes aligned, but the bolt was partially blocked by the drag link. So, gently turning the steering back to the right — until it was straight ahead — allowed the bolt to clear and — just like that — we were done. This all took a half hour or so.

In the end, we were both extremely pleased with how easy it was (is) to work on the Wrangler. Everything is right there. There is lots of room to get to the things you need to reach and, even on a 21-year-old vehicle with 185k miles, nothing was "stuck" terribly bad. All vehicles should be this easy to self-maintain.

At about 8:30, we decided not to tackle the rear lift kit. He'd already work a full shift and needed to get home to his family. I'd had a long week and didn't want to be up till midnight or later working on it.

So, right now we've got very slight inversion of the factory rack — front end about 1" higher than rear end. Not so bad that I couldn't take it out for a quick run around the "block". Love the fee of the new shocks and springs, for sure.

Now, I'm off to order sway bar links and figure out when we can get together to install the rear lift kit and front sway bar links.