Uncle's luck, my fortune

[Jeepersteve71]

Well it’s been a while since I’ve been on here but I have a new build I’ve been working on.

My uncle found a 2006 Silver Jeep LJ with 70,000 original miles. It has what I believe to be the appearance package so it has painted fender flares, different seats, the compass/temperature mirror, and the silver center stack/gauge cluster.
Still having a hard time believing that he picked it up for $6,500. That being said it needed quite a few things to make it right again which I’ll go over later today when I can post more photos.

But just for fun here is the before on the exterior only. I’m sure some of you can already spot an issue or two. The back story on it gets even crazier. I don’t know why I love bringing these Jeeps back from the dead but it is a hobby of mine. If I could quit my job and do this full time I would.

My uncle that purchased the Jeep trailered it to my house with a check in hand and said don’t give it back to me until it’s right. If everything is “right” this LJ would typically sell for $18-$19,000 here in the DFW area. He didn’t necessarily give me a budget. He just wanted it right, re-sellable if he decides not to keep it, and wanted everything done on it to the point that all he needed to worry about was putting gas in it and putting the key in the ignition. I put a parts list together, hit a snag/hiccup here and there but overall I’m pretty happy with the end result.

I have a ton of photos, a full parts list, and the overall total I have put into the Jeep that I will be posting in this thread so stay tuned. Just a pain because I’m typing up this thread from my iPhone and I like to include all the details lol. As for now. Here is the blank canvas I was given to work with on the day he found it.

 

[Chris]

Looks like a nice canvas to start from. I guess I never realized you were a "builder". I mean I knew you built your own rigs, I just didn't know you were doing it for others (or is it just a family thing?).

Either way, what are the plans for it (or do you know yet)?

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Looks like a nice canvas to start from. I guess I never realized you were a "builder". I mean I knew you built your own rigs, I just didn't know you were doing it for others (or is it just a family thing?).

Either way, what are the plans for it (or do you know yet)?

Mostly just work on my own rigs or my buddy’s rig’s. I worked on a TJ last summer for a different Uncle. But If someone wants to bring them to me and they are fronting the bill then I don’t mind working on them. Don’t know that I would consider myself a “builder” I’m not building rock crawlers or doing any welding. But maybe I would consider myself a “restorer”? I just like taking things that have been neglected and giving them a second life.

Our current line up:
2018 Jeep Compass (just traded my wife’s renegade in for it. She likes it so that’s all that matters to me)
2001 Jeep cherokee XJ (bought last summer and use it as my daily)
05 Rubicon LJ with 50,000 miles
1971 Jeepster Commando that we restored.

That being said we have owned YJ’s, TJ’s, CJ’s, JK’s, cherokees, and etc over the years. The LJ’s are by far my favorite. After I’m done with this LJ my uncle is going to bring his Scrambler over for me to fiddle with for a while. He is also in the process of getting his 77 J10 honcho up and running too that I’ve been helping find parts for.

 

[B00mb00m]

Go on

 

[Chris]

Mostly just work on my own rigs or my buddy’s rig’s. I worked on a TJ last summer for a different Uncle. But If someone wants to bring them to me and they are fronting the bill then I don’t mind working on them. Don’t know that I would consider myself a “builder” I’m not building rock crawlers or doing any welding. But maybe I would consider myself a “restorer”? I just like taking things that have been neglected and giving them a second life.

Our current line up:
2018 Jeep Compass (just traded my wife’s renegade in for it. She likes it so that’s all that matters to me)
2001 Jeep cherokee XJ (bought last summer and use it as my daily)
05 Rubicon LJ with 50,000 miles
1971 Jeepster Commando that we restored.

That being said we have owned YJ’s, TJ’s, CJ’s, JK’s, cherokees, and etc over the years. The LJ’s are by far my favorite. After I’m done with this LJ my uncle is going to bring his Scrambler over for me to fiddle with for a while. He is also in the process of getting his 77 J10 honcho up and running too that I’ve been helping find parts for.

Well, one thing is for sure, your family has some cool rigs. Sounds like most of the people in your family have good taste

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Figured I’d share all of the before pics and the back story tonight.

The owner of the Jeep has a brother who works for my uncle. He said that the owner of the Jeep is on contract in Afghanistan and was letting his daughter drive the Jeep and stay in one of his rent houses. Her and her friends had completely destroyed the interior of the house and the interior of the Jeep. You can see from the photos that it was just a dirt road runner and dog hauler. More dog hair inside the Jeep than I have ever seen. You could probably put 3 dogs together with the amount of hair that was in the Jeep. From what I was told the rent house was worse and smelled of death.

So long story short, the owner asked his brother for help and said please just get rid of all of it and he wanted nothing to do about it. I don’t know what he let the rent house go for but I was told he owed $3,000 on the Jeep and he just wanted $6,500 for it which is what my uncle paid.

The rims are aftermarket and a pretty cool style but they were rusted (I know they are aluminum but more information on how/why they we’re rusted out to come), it had 2 BFG K02’s on the rear from 2015, almost bald original K0’s on the front, and the factory tire on the spare. Needless to say the rims and tires were junk.

Interior was completely trashed, windshield seal was popping out from all 4 corners, dents in both the front and rear bumpers, and the clutch pedal was pretty shot. Biggest issue the Jeep had was neglect which always drives me insane when working on an old vehicle. All fixable things to make it right.

More to come but enjoy the photos for now.

 

[Jeepersteve71]

I contemplated getting a bed rug for the Jeep but I wanted to see if the carpet would clean up first. I removed the carpet and the seats and took it up to a local car wash. Paid them $50 to vacuum and shampoo out the carpet and $50 to vacuum and shampoo out the seats.

To my surprise the carpet and seats came out looking like they were brand new with no stink! I got the dash and door panels cleaned up and when I removed the hard top I soaked the roll bar pads in febreeze. I didn’t drive or even open the doors or the Jeep last week when I got it all put back together and it didn’t stink. Really happy with the results. $100 was better than spending the money on a bed rug and new seats. Could have killed the budget right then and there.

 

[IPerkWVU]

I contemplated getting a bed rug for the Jeep but I wanted to see if the carpet would clean up first. I removed the carpet and the seats and took it up to a local car wash. Paid them $50 to vacuum and shampoo out the carpet and $50 to vacuum and shampoo out the seats.

To my surprise the carpet and seats came out looking like they were brand new with no stink! I got the dash and door panels cleaned up and when I removed the hard top I soaked the roll bar pads in febreeze. I didn’t drive or even open the doors or the Jeep last week when I got it all put back together and it didn’t stink. Really happy with the results. $100 was better than spending the money on a bed rug and new seats. Could have killed the budget right then and there.

View attachment 124434

View attachment 124435

Looks like $100 well spent . What's the build plan for this one?

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Because we knew this was going to need a clutch and new brakes we went ahead and picked up all the parts. I have a buddy who helped install everything for a really good price.

Did The clutch, fly wheel, and slave cylinder all at once. Picked up a new set of drilled and slotted rotors with pads.

Oh and if you were wondering how those rims were rusted... see the photos of the brakes below. Can’t believe this thing even stopped in the condition they were in. The front pistons were cracked and the pistons in the rear were all the way out of the calipers. So needless to say I went ahead and replaced all 4 calipers as well.

So the brakes were the issue on the rust build up on the rims. Couldn’t even get it off with a gas power washer. Really the only thing that could be done is to have them sand blasted and re-powdercoated.

My buddy that installed the clutch did the lift and brakes as well for $350 and all 5 of the rims and tires that were on the Jeep because he was going to use them as rollers for future projects.

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Looks like $100 well spent . What's the build plan for this one?

Technically I’m 95% done with it right now.

I told my uncle I just wanted to do the “bare minimum” to make this thing re-sellable and only wanted to do mods that he would get his money back out of. My plan was clutch, brakes, clean up the frame/axles, exterior of the Jeep, led headlights/interior lights, lift, tires, and then call it a day.

I did all of those things and he told me to go further with it. Ended up picking up a soft top and doing all of the speakers and head unit. He was thinking about selling it but it has come out really well and he doesn’t have a lot of cash in it so I think he is going to keep it as a 3rd vehicle for the fun of it.

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Picked up a set of used OME 2.5 springs from another LJ for $100. So here are the specs on the lift pieces I used and rims and tires.

3-4 inch lift Bilstein 5100’s
Daystar extended bump stops
Teraflex front sway bar disconnects
Teraflex rear track bar relocation bracket
Teraflex steering stabilizer
Rubicon express extended rear sway bar links
Rubicon express rear shock relocation brackets
Rusty’s 0-2.5 inch lift front adjustable track bar.

As far as the rims and tires go I found a really clean set of factory Rubicon rims and mounted some Cooper All terrains on them. I have to say this thing is one of the smoothest Jeeps I have ever driven. Really pleased with how everything came out.

Also in the photo below you can see the factory Rubicon rocker guards we picked up for $60. I was on the fence about the aftermarket step bars but I found a good deal for $40. They aren’t anything hard core... but for $40 they will do for what my uncle will be using the Jeep for.

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Had a buddy come out to re-seal the windshield (you can see the new windshield installed above). Said it would be $75 to re-seal it as long as the windshield doesn’t crack. If it did crack it would be $150.... well it cracked and had to pay the $150 but I think it was well worth it at the end of the day. I love that the TJ’s have flat windshields so they are super cheap. Here are some photos of it coming out of the seal when he bought it.

 

[Jeepersteve71]

I’ve never had any experience with the Quadratec Ivault so I thought I’d give it a try this go around pretty impressed how beefy it is and it does feel secure. Not sure if anyone steals older style head units anymore but I like the drawer feature and if we take it to the movies with the top off I shouldn’t have to worry about anything.

I installed a Sony Bluetooth head unit, Quadratec plug and play speakers, and the Quadratec replacement sub. Put the interior back together and gave it a good cleaning.

We found a “like new” best top trek top and brand new hi-lift jack for $350 all in. Just needed a tailgate bar.

I found a chrome grill on Craigslist for $50-$60 and picked up some clear turn signal lenses with orange bulbs.

I’m typically a KC kind of guy but I wanted to try a few different things on this one. I picked up a set of these JW speaker knock offs on amazon for $80-$90 and I’ve been pretty impressed so far. To wrap up the front end I installed a set of Baja designs squadron pro spot beam lights. I like that you can change the lenses out if desired and these came in at a great price.

I also installed a spider web shade silver mesh top and kentrol door pins in the process. I removed the spare tire carrier, license plate bracket, headlights/tail lights, all fender flares and buffed the paint out pretty good. Painted what needed to be painted and cleaned up the rest.

It’s all coming together pretty nicely.

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Here is the complete sheet for everything that was purchased and added to the Jeep. I don’t think it’s too bad considering the condition it was in.


$100 - OME springs
$61 - steering stabilizer
$32 - rear shock extensions
$113 - Teraflex rear track bar relocation
$47 - day star bump stops
$33 - fender lenses
$28 - fender lenses
$30- door pin sleeves
$40 - upper dash phone mount
$90- LED headlights
$16 - LED interior lights
$36- Third Brake light
$12- door straps
$28 - door entry guards
$22- hard top lift struts
$31- rear sway bar links
$10 - bumper end caps
$298- bilstein shocks
$60 - chrome grill
$750 - clutch, slave cylinder, flywheel and labor
$26 - stable seat
$368 - front and rear rotors/pads
$119- oil pan gasket, rear main seal, and e brake pads.
$50 - vacuum/shampoo carpet
$80 - Rubicon rock rails
$100 - front sway bar links
$200 - labor for lift/brakes
$550- rims and tires.
$50 - vacuum/shampoo seats
$50 - window roll
$41 - soft top boot
$340 - soft top and hi lift jack
$62 - tailgate bar
$90 - sub
$15 - jack isolator
$224 - Baja design fog lights
$60 - radio ivault
$21 - light plug adapters
$35 - antenna
$110 - dash speakers
$100 - sound bar speakers
$110 - mesh top
$78 - Bluetooth head unit
$167 - Rusty’s front track bar
$40 - rock steps
$48 - speedo gear
$153 - calipers
$104 - master cylinder & wipers
$155 windshield
$18 - blower motor resistor
$20 - soft top screws
$70 - alignment
$60 - spare key
$20 - lug nuts
$10 - spare tire bump spacers
$55 - spare tire spacer bracket
$50 - clutch position sensor

$50 taxes/shipping

____________
Grand total:
$5,736

That puts his total at $12,236 for a nice LJ with new parts and a comfortable daily driver.

 

[Starrs]

Good lord dude. I envy your abilities. That looks fucking amazing haha. You have skills man. If I find a beat up good deal on an LJR I’m shipping it to you. Wow

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Good lord dude. I envy your abilities. That looks fucking amazing haha. You have skills man. If I find a beat up good deal on an LJR I’m shipping it to you. Wow

Got a replacement silver painted fender for the passenger side in recently too. The original one was all scuffed up.
It’s far from perfect but much better than what it was before. The body, doors, windshield frame, and fenders are near perfect.

The hood definitely shows some wear and tear as well as the grill a little bit. But the chrome overlay hides the flaws on the grill and the hood will be fine if he gets it re-painted.

I think he’ll be happy with it and it will serve his needs well. Not a bad price point to be in a nice 70,000 mile LJ either.

 

[Jeepersteve71]

I have the compass in the rear view mirror. Looks like I’m missing the plastic clip that holds the little circuit board. Anyone know of where I can get a replacement? Maybe someone took theirs off and did something different? Who knows.. I tried stuff it up above the trim which is doable but I have done everything I know to do and still can’t get the compass calibrated completely. It was off 180 degrees and now if I’m going south it says I’m going south East.

the mirror is pretty cool and the temp gauge works great. Just can’t figure out how to get it calibrated. I’m assuming that little circuit board needs to be on the windshield in the factory position. It’s just an eye sore is all.

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Can’t get the Quadratec replacement sub to come on. Assuming it’s something with the wiring on the head unit. Their are 4 exposed wires on the kit I bought. There were two yellow wires and two black wires.

Head unit and all 4 speakers work as they should. Just not the sub so I think the black ground wire is fine as is. Wondering if I put the yellow wire in with the other two if it will fix the issue or not. Just not sure

Also this head unit has Bluetooth but didn’t come with a mic for the phone. Can anyone tell me if the blue port is for a mic? If so I can just buy one on amazon.

Open to any and all suggestions at this point.

 

[Jeepersteve71]

Not a lot of stuff going on. Picked up the hi lift mount and going to try to install it tomorrow.

I found a guy on an LJ Facebook page that bought two front factory painted fender flares. He needed the driver side and I needed the passenger. Worked out perfectly. No scuffs or bruises on the fenders on this Jeep now! Still can’t believe I found a fender that matched with no issues. Also can’t remember if I posted a pic of the third brake light. Pretty happy with everything.

 

[Starrs]

Not a lot of stuff going on. Picked up the hi lift mount and going to try to install it tomorrow.

I found a guy on an LJ Facebook page that bought two front factory painted fender flares. He needed the driver side and I needed the passenger. Worked out perfectly. No scuffs or bruises on the fenders on this Jeep now! Still can’t believe I found a fender that matched with no issues. Also can’t remember if I posted a pic of the third brake light. Pretty happy with everything.View attachment 129309View attachment 129310View attachment 129311View attachment 129312View attachment 129313View attachment 129314

Looks good. Black rubi flares would look good too