The 97+ Franken Jeep
 

So, I had a thread for my 99 that I totaled :brickwall:. I continued with that when I bought a 98 2door factory 5speed until the uni body rotted out on me.... :cry: now I'm dailying a stock 97 country. This build is for the 2000 body I picked up off a dude near me. I still have to go get it I can't lock down a trailer and the snow is plenty full haha.

The focus of the build is for daily duties and expedition type travel. I have a pile of parts for it which is good because it's just a rust free body with glass and interior. No engine Trans tcase or rear suspension or front clip. It does have the stock lp d30 though :shifty:.

The first thing I'm gonna do is gut it because it's getting the 98s drive train and it won't be comparable with the 2000 coil pack interior harness. I bought a complete set of hd stiffiners and shacke boxes from the same gentleman so next will be to weld those and the boxes in place. Why the boxes too? Because I want too. After that the entire undercarriage is getting bedlined along with the engine bay. Then it will get the 4.5 Rubicon express leafs and coils from the 98 with a hp d30 and 8.25 and 3.55 gears I have laying around from the 99. The interior harness I'll pull from the 98 as well because I want crank windows so the 2 door harness will work. I bought r.e. HD track bar and bracket and they're 1.25 lift shackles to help compensate for weight. The interior will be a mess from the 3 so I can run the 98+ under the headliner sound bar with a second 96 and older that came with the 97 as well as the wood grain trim. Once I get my funds back up to buy a long arm crossmember and new motor and tranny mounts the 5speed stuff will go in and I can button it up and begin the fun stuff like the backbone which bumper and Lund visor I have sitting. Then the rest will have to get painted. That's the phase 1 assemble the giant puzzle :guns: pics to come as I get them it's for sure going to be a long one.

Pics I have, the rest are all in the other thread

Good plan

So far, buffalo's not gonna eat this one on me :gun_bandana:

Headed home, it's 1:50 am. Started loading at 11:30

Finally brought number 4 home, talk about an out of the box situation for me haha, got it loaded on a 6x12 u haul trailer with 2 shop Jacks strapped to the rear hitch cross bar and my 97 dragging it down the 100 ft drive to the road. Definitely couldn't have done it with out my buddy next to me. First step on the list is the rest of the strip down

The 97+ Franken Jeep
 

Here it sits, just pulled the center console and Found a unicorn lid latch :notworthy:

Yesterday's progress, unloaded it. Dropped it once :cry: took the rear sway bar off sold the seats and covered the engine bay. With a tarp. I'll get more pics on a not rainy day

No more progress on the 2000 yet, it's snowing up here again. I did take the 97 back to Centralia again today though :icon_cheesygrin:

that is about 2 hours west of me. Could have came and picked up the mini console. Lol

Centralia is? Damn, I had to go west-ish to get home too

lol then I would be out of the way, since u would have to go EAST to pick it up then back west

Aren't you in jersey?

west Chester pa

Trying to find time between 12+hour work days and spending time with my little man every weekend I can, good news is I need the headlight switch for my 97 so that gives me an excuse to start pulling the interior apart :whistling2: