I picked up my 98 ZJ in 2007 with 100k miles for $1500. I have had it 6 years and other than routine maintenance and a tune up, I haven't spent an extra dime on it. Just turned over 240k miles this summer on the OEM motor, tranny and transfer case.

I lived in Minneapolis, MN so having a good city wagon was sufficient, I did wheel it in the backwoods trails and WOW I can't believe how capable the ZJ is bone stock.

I have since moved to Cheyenne, Wy and want a rig suitable for mountain trails. I plan on having a setup that will get me into some remote places for fishing, camping and of course sight seeing. I am not looking to break the bank or have a super aggressive rock crawlin monster, SOOOO time to start playing with her.

This build will be slow and long. I only have weekends and occasional weekdays to really play with her so bear with me and hopefully check back often to see my progress.

Also I really like documenting any projects I do. I take a ton of photos and document each step I take so this build my get long winded. documenting help me wrap my head around the process and gives me great reference for problems and reassembly. I apologize in advance if I explain things in detail that have been covered a million times.

 

At 240k pretty much EVERYTHING needs to be cleaned/fixed/replaced.

So what does the future hold?
My build sheet reads pretty much like a factory parts list.

I think I mentioned this wagon hauled me 900 miles from Minneapolis, MN to Cheyenne, WY. I was impressed! She never balked once on the trip and adapted to the 6000ft change in elevation without so much as a sputter.

However being from MN she is in need of ALOT of TLC especially from the salt that MN seems to never run out of. I am surprised they don't use it instead of gravel on country roads.

Needless to say rust repair is first on my list. It is pretty minor all things considered and should be no problem with my skills with a welder, a little patience, and a deft hand with a hammer.

2nd I am going to tackle Bumpers and Armor.

3rd Engine and Drivetrain.

Long term plans include Lift and complete rebuild of all suspension parts, tires/wheels, winch, rack and finally paint and interior.

After reading MANY MANY posts on here and other sites it is apparent that this plan is only effective until the first part gives out.

 

Here she is.

5.2l 44RE NP249
D30/3.73 front
D44a/3.73 Rear
Sits 19" front/rear from center of hub.
P245/70r16 Falken Ziex S/TZ

 

I am removing the cladding from the ZJ today. I need to assess the rust situation and get a JY list together of any panels i need and sheetmetal.


These are the tools I used to remove the cladding. I wrapped a Standard and a Phillips head screwdriver in duct tape to avoid any unnecessary scratches.



Starting at the rear wheel well. The back piece is held on by 3 screws located in the rear well. There are no clips holding this on just some glue. Once the screws are removed the piece will pop right off.



The back door trim is held on with 4 clips and a bolt located on the inside back edge of the back door. It is a (not sure what it is called) weird flowerbud looking nut. I forgot about it on the drivers door and ended up busting the bolt off. That was the only casualty in my removal. The passenger side nut must have been banged by something as it was deformed.



Once the bolt was removed I used my duct tape wrapped Standard screwdriver to pry behind the top edge of the trim and gently walk the screwdriver behind the cladding to pop it off each clip.



Once the top is freed from the clips, the bottom is just a matter of popping the tabs out of the compression slots on the bottom. Here is a look behind the cladding at the bottom of the clips.



Here is a shot of the rear door clips with the cladding off. Notice how dirty it gets under there. A little windex wiped it all right off. I was surprised that salt didn't get back there and start some rust.



The front door is held on by 6 clips and that is all. Repeat process used for the rear door minus the bolt.

The front piece is held on by 3 screws located in the front wheel well and one clip attaches it to the body.



Here is a shot of the clips on the wagon (and the dirt of course).



To remove the clips i used my standard screwdriver again. Place the screwdriver against the left side of the clip and give it a little tap to the right to pop the clip off the stud that holds it on. then with that loose just slide the clip upwards to free it from the top stud.



When done you have a pile of 22 clips. Hopefully all intact. I got all mine off with no damage.



And finally here is a shot after getting it all cleaned up. I think it looks alot better without the plastic so I think I am going to keep it off. I also debadged to drivers side. I like the clean uncluttered look.



I was awfully glad to see the clips held on with the studs instead of screws or plastic press in grommets. I will need to grind off the studs but it is much better than filling holes.