dyoung7

Hey all,
Been lurking these forums for a bit now and have gained some useful information on ZJ's and all cherokees in this case. So i figured i'd start my own build thread and get some of your inputs on ideas and what not to do next! I've already done quite a bit so it will move fast for these first few posts of what i have pictures of. But hopefully i can expand on it and keep it going




Ok, So here is some background. I got this ZJ when i was 17. It was my first car that kind of fell into my hands. The people buying our house when we moved didn't have enough money for the closing costs, so they threw it in to make it even. My dad was about to get me my first car anyhow so it all worked out. I didn't know a damn thing about jeeps though. So i got educated pretty fast And soon after i fell in love with all the creaks and cracks and weird noises that come from her. She had 168,000 miles when i got her. Straight 6 and had been well used. Completely stock with most the usual grand cherokee problems; broken radio buttons, flashing ECU screen, check engine light...you guys get it But she was mine, and thats all that mattered to me

Don't have an image from the early days but here she is just before my lift! For the most part stock in the picture minus the Headlights being new






So heres my thread, I'll try and get it all chronologically right as i go. ANd remember im all new to this forum thread thing so let me know if im doing something wrong! Bare with me guys

dyoung7

Now when i got this jeep it was mainly just a mode of transportation being that i was a broke high school student with no source of income cause all my money went towards school (went to a private school unfortunately). It was great for my senior year of highschool and freshman year of college. But i was in a dorm so i rarely had to drive and i worked on campus so the occasional trip to the mall or to get food was all the workout she got. During this time she started to develop a clicking noise but it was much deeper that what a knock would sound like from what i could tell. My father was a diesel mechanic in his younger days so he taught me most of my mechanical background and I am a firm believer that every man should have a DIY attitude when it come to his car Some sort of a man thing i guess and most of that is why we all drive jeeps!

But needless to say the clicking noise continued and my oil pressure began to drop while sitting at an idle. This told me either bad oil pump causing a knock in the upper part of engine due to lack of oil distribution or could be something worse. I had no clue Lets just say the I6 is a tough *** engine! I drove that sucker another 10,000 miles like that (i know, i know please don't flame me it was a cruel thing for an engine) just trying to get to summer time so i could work on it! And with my luck, the last week before summer she finally went..... sad day

She threw a rod bearing and that was the clicking i had heard. After being on the phone with my dad and about a day of weighing my options on whether to look for another car or keep the jeep, I decided to jump in full force with my cherokee. After i loved her And this is where i made my commitment that if i was gonna drive her, i was gonna make her the way i wanted her! ***** to the wall baby! So i towed her home to south carolina.

We replaced all the rod and main bearing and put in a new oil pump while we were down there. One of the lobe was slightly warped and we were kind of in an awkard time restraint due to me having to get back to tennessee for work and lack of funds so instead of replacing the crank shaft, we slightly sanded down the lobe and threw the bearings in. We knew it wasn't gonna last but maybe it'd buy me some time. It did. Fixed the oil pressure problem and ticking for about 2 weeks then she went again lol.

So this time i got on the phone with a junkyard and asked if he had any cherokees with the I6. He had 6 of them he said! Jackpot So i went down and looked at all of them. with our digital gauges for mileage, i had no way of telling how many miles the engines had. So i picked one that had been rolled (showing it was driving when it came to the yard), the steering wheel looked brand new, and foot pedals were not worn out. She came out of a 98 Cherokee. $180 bucks and she was mine with a 30 day knocking warranty.

When i opened up the new engine i was amazed at how new she looked compared to my old one that was full of sludge! Jackpot if she runs Went ahead and changed oil pump, rods and mains, timing chain, water pump, thermostat, and anything else i could get my hands on. Threw it in and after some tweaking with the timing, she purred like a kitten

I was back in business. I'll try to get some pics of this up as soon as i can get the old man to send em

95zj

Glad to see another Grand on here!

dyoung7

ya man!! wish there were more!

taythegibs

thats a pretty good looking zj. are you up at UTC?

dyoung7

na i go to chatt state. Ya i need to fill out the rest of this thread so you guys can see it with the lift and all! You go to UTC?

biggoofy

Nice to see another black zj on here!

taythegibs

i went to DSC for a year then i got a short internship with Walt Disney World that im extending out into about 10 months in the fall im heading to GA NW tech to become an automotive technician (unless i get into another internship that im wanting to do that lasts 5 years). i do have many friends who go to UTC though.

dyoung7

word, ya I looked at UTC but from where i live out in ooltewah it'd be kinda a haul. Already get bad enough gas mileage how it is

dyoung7

Aight well im waitin on gettin some pics of various things i've done to the jeep but in the meantime ill just upload some other ones...

After Deciding and looking at all options from 2" BB lifts to Rusty's to IRO i finally settled on the 3.5" IRO kit with the fron track bar. Was a great day

Also scored some rims off of craigslit for 75 bucks. Threw some BFG A/T's on the. Went with 31's due to the fact that im on the road more than i like...












A thing of beauty when a Jeep hits puberty










Overall the lift was pretty easy to do. I had made sure and hit all the bolts with PB the week prior and luckily didn't break any. I was really impressed with the stuff from IRO. I went with the upgraded shocks just cause the ride quality was supposed to be better. ANd as far as i can tell there really isn't much sag in the back like other zj's got from this lift or at least not enough to bother me. I wish i had measured pre lift to see exactly how much i got out of it but if i had to guess i'd say it is close to a 4" lift the 3.5". I was happy though and would recommend it to anyone with a ZJ that doesn't want to go crazy with a lift but make it look like an actual JEEP

taythegibs

looks good man!

dyoung7

why thank you! So what's your plans for your zj?? I need some input on what to do next with mine

djlarroc

That looks great man!!! Want to do the same thing.

So you used your front I6 coils for the rear? How does it ride?

I heard the V8 coils give more lift, but also a harsh ride.

taythegibs

before i sold it () i had a custom camo interior, an exhaust, k&n intake, with a bb (was saving for the lift you got). i was going to trim the fenders and go with 33's (had 265/75/16's) once i got the lift. other plans included a locker in rear for the D44a (note, completely different than the regular d44 that comes in other vehicles) that it had, armor inc sliders, skid plates, bumpers; i was also looking into new headlight assemblies, and a system. with how clean yours is and the fact that you dd it a lot of highway if i was in your place id first make sure it was as comfy inside as i could with a system and whatnot; but alas, im not.

dyoung7

djlarroc, Ya i had read about the V8 coils and how'd i'd want the up country and what not but i wasn't buying it. Its so much light in the back that i figured the I6 coils would be fine and im glad i did! The ride is significantly stiffer but i actually enjoy it. Makes it feel like a real rig. And alot safer in the corners IMO. I'd definitely choose this lift again if i had to. Just make sure and get the longer front track mar with it. and i got the upgraded shocks. All and all i think it came out to around 500 from IRO. can't remember