I just got this 2005 LJ a couple months ago and I'm about to start the upgrades on it. Before this I've had a 95 YJ and a 97 TJ but this is the first one I'm actually going to be able to put some time in on. Wanted to post a thread to keep track of everything and open the floor for everyone to give me ideas. Picked it up with only 80,000 original miles and a lot of potential. So far I have done all regular maintenance and fluid changes on it. I have also done Eastwood Internal Frame Coating on the inside of the frame and a combo of Eastwood's Rubberized Rust Encapsulator and Extreme Chasis Black on the frame and some of the undercarriage. I also used these on the driver's floor board. The Jeep had some rust starting all over the driver's side floor for some reason. The passenger was nice and clean. Here are some pictures.
Took that bulky front bumper off and sold it to make room for a better one. Thinking of a stubby or a stinger. I like the look of the Smittybilt SRC bumper but I'm weary of putting anything smittybilt on my Jeep. Also blacked out the headlight bezels and entry guards. Finally able to say there is no chrome on the Jeep! Cleaned out the engine compartment while I was at it too. While I was coating the frame I also found some rust along the tub rails so I sanded all of that down and coated the rails all around. Really pleased with how they turned out. Next will be sanding down the axles and coating them as well.
Great lookin Jeep Cody and nice work. You running a D44 back there for those 35s?
I've got 35s on my '00TJ and built a Ford 9" with 35 spline M ark Williams axle shafts, Wilwood discs, 4.88 gears and stuffed it with a full locking spool.
Chirps on dry pavement but great for the trails and bad weather conditions.
Great build you have going man...
Yeah all the Unlimited's came with a stock 44 in the rear. That was one of the main reasons I went for an LJ and not a TJ. Plus the extra room and increased towing capacity. Thanks man!
Make sure you spray down the rear shock bolts really well, especially from above where the nut is tack welded to the frame. You can see them easily if you have a body lift already, if not you may have to remove the inner fender wells. I broke 3 out of 4 on my wife's LJ. It turned into a total nightmare.
So here is where it has sat since Friday night. Was out of town this weekend and will hopefully finish everything tomorrow. Almost got the front ready for install. Just need to get one more lower control arm bolt out. Then I will start on the back. Also probably going to do some sanding, painting, and cleaning while I have everything disassembled.
Last night I finished the all of the front suspension. I couldn't be more happy with the stance. Although I will say I don't think there was one stinking bolt that didn't give me trouble. I probably had to cut through 5 or 6 bolts throughout the front. But after a couple hours this is how she looks. Will be tackling the back today. Should be a little quicker.
Just finished the lift kit tonight. It looks great and more importantly it drives even better than it did stock. Zone has made a great product. I will post photos in the morning. Time for some much needed rest.
I just went with front and rear adjustable track bars for now. And I didn't bother doing the transfer case lowering kit because of the longer wheelbase on the LJ. In the future I will look into adjustable control arms. But right now I am working on building up the rear end with a tire carrier with gas cans and a full size spare.
That build looks amazing. I just bought a stock 2004 LJ that is the same color. I was originally planning a 2" lift with 32s, but this has me re-thinking that. The stance on yours looks perfect.
How is the drive on road? Mine is my daily driver and I don't want to sacrifice too much road ability. Everything I have driven with a big lift has made me nervous above 60 mph or so, but I'll admit that I don't know the quality of any of the lifts that were installed on these.
What are you geared at right now and what is your long term plan?
Again, great looking jeep. I had already planned on blacking out any hint of chrome and this confirms my desire to do that.
The drive on the road is great. Better than stock suspension. I drive mine for commuting a lot and cruise on the highway at 75 with no problem. The Zone 4 inch lift is a great one. I have stock gears right now which are 3.73 but I am going to regear soon, haven't decided what gears I'm going to put on because I eventually want to run 40's in the future. You should totally go with 35's though. They look great on LJ's.
Hey guys, big day today. Finally finished my rear tire carrier project. My plan was to buy the OR-Fab carrier but then they went out of business so had to make my own version. Went with the same design but moved the location of the spare up a couple inches to give it a better look and help with departure angles. It also holds two gerry cans inside the carrier. I'm super proud of how it came out! Here are some photos. Now to move onto building the front of the LJ!
Hey guys, big day today. Finally finished my rear tire carrier project. My plan was to buy the OR-Fab carrier but then they went out of business so had to make my own version. Went with the same design but moved the location of the spare up a couple inches to give it a better look and help with departure angles. It also holds two gerry cans inside the carrier. I'm super proud of how it came out! Here are some photos. Now to move onto building the front of the LJ!
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