I've lurked here since before I bought my TJ almost 3 years ago and only recently made an account. I decided it was finally time to introduce myself and my 2002 TJ.
After wanting a TJ for many years, I finally found a great deal on a solid Jeep back in March of 2021. We already have a black JKU, and I've had 3 other black vehicles in the past that all made me swear I'd never own another, but for the price and condition of this TJ, I couldn't pass it up. I bought it from the second owner, who purchased it from his neighbor. The only reason for selling was because his wife told him it was time to get rid of some of his 13 vehicles. He'd barely even put any miles on this one since he owned it. The hard top had never been off, the Jeep had never been offroaded, and it is a 4.0 5spd that had only 103k miles. The best part, I got the price down to $7500, which is ridiculously cheap in my area. Here's what she looked like the day I brought her home--faded top and all.
So as soon as I got it home, I started making a to-do list. Since I don't have a lift in my garage, I decided it best to just take it to my buddy's shop and do the work there. We went through EVERYTHING. Changed all fluids, replaced a leaky pinion seal, all new brake hardware and lines, new seals in the steering box, and searched for rust. The only rust was a couple of spots in the usual places on the tub-- passenger side rocker area below the door, and under the tire snubber on the rear directly above the bumper. Easy fixes for a later date.
So 90% of the work I did was preventative, something I do for every vehicle I buy. This Jeep was bought for fun, but also to be a daily so that I didn't have to put miles on the 3/4ton Silverado I bought 3 weeks earlier. So after around $2k worth of parts and a few hours of effort, I felt she was roadworthy.
Once home, I decided the first things I needed to handle were the anemic sound system and the faded hard top. I bought new Kickers for the soundbar and some Pioneers for the dash and paired them to a cheap single din bluetooth media player until I decide on something better. So far, at closing in on 3 years later, they've treated me well. I also built a sub box for a 10" sub I had laying around and all together they make listening to music in the TJ a pretty enjoyable experience.
As for the hard top, I cleaned it really well, degreased it, taped everything off, and then coated it with Flood Penetrol. It definitely required a little bit of time and sweat (mostly because I'm OCD and everything has to be just right) but it turned out looking better than I could have imagined. The finish still looks fantastic today.
I spent a month or two deciding on my suspension. I knew I wanted to lift a little, but didn't want to go too high. Partially for the cost it would require for much more than 2", and also because my fiancé is 5'2" and has a hard time getting in as it is. I decided to go with 2" Pro Comp springs and RS5000x shocks. I also threw on a set of 15" Pro Comp 1061 in a polished finish and wrapped them with some 31/10.50 General Grabber A/Ts. At this point, I was pretty happy with the look. Although I figured out quickly that thanks to some driveline vibes, I would have to install a TC drop. No biggie.
After wanting a TJ for many years, I finally found a great deal on a solid Jeep back in March of 2021. We already have a black JKU, and I've had 3 other black vehicles in the past that all made me swear I'd never own another, but for the price and condition of this TJ, I couldn't pass it up. I bought it from the second owner, who purchased it from his neighbor. The only reason for selling was because his wife told him it was time to get rid of some of his 13 vehicles. He'd barely even put any miles on this one since he owned it. The hard top had never been off, the Jeep had never been offroaded, and it is a 4.0 5spd that had only 103k miles. The best part, I got the price down to $7500, which is ridiculously cheap in my area. Here's what she looked like the day I brought her home--faded top and all.
So as soon as I got it home, I started making a to-do list. Since I don't have a lift in my garage, I decided it best to just take it to my buddy's shop and do the work there. We went through EVERYTHING. Changed all fluids, replaced a leaky pinion seal, all new brake hardware and lines, new seals in the steering box, and searched for rust. The only rust was a couple of spots in the usual places on the tub-- passenger side rocker area below the door, and under the tire snubber on the rear directly above the bumper. Easy fixes for a later date.
So 90% of the work I did was preventative, something I do for every vehicle I buy. This Jeep was bought for fun, but also to be a daily so that I didn't have to put miles on the 3/4ton Silverado I bought 3 weeks earlier. So after around $2k worth of parts and a few hours of effort, I felt she was roadworthy.
Once home, I decided the first things I needed to handle were the anemic sound system and the faded hard top. I bought new Kickers for the soundbar and some Pioneers for the dash and paired them to a cheap single din bluetooth media player until I decide on something better. So far, at closing in on 3 years later, they've treated me well. I also built a sub box for a 10" sub I had laying around and all together they make listening to music in the TJ a pretty enjoyable experience.
As for the hard top, I cleaned it really well, degreased it, taped everything off, and then coated it with Flood Penetrol. It definitely required a little bit of time and sweat (mostly because I'm OCD and everything has to be just right) but it turned out looking better than I could have imagined. The finish still looks fantastic today.
I spent a month or two deciding on my suspension. I knew I wanted to lift a little, but didn't want to go too high. Partially for the cost it would require for much more than 2", and also because my fiancé is 5'2" and has a hard time getting in as it is. I decided to go with 2" Pro Comp springs and RS5000x shocks. I also threw on a set of 15" Pro Comp 1061 in a polished finish and wrapped them with some 31/10.50 General Grabber A/Ts. At this point, I was pretty happy with the look. Although I figured out quickly that thanks to some driveline vibes, I would have to install a TC drop. No biggie.
