I picked up my first Jeep about 2 months ago from a buddy. He purchased it at a county auction for a song and relayed the savings on to me.

It's very stock at the moment. with the exception of some sweeeeeet Qtec floor liners my wife got me.

I have parts coming from all over the place, so hopefully in the next few weeks it will begin to make the transformation from a virgin into a somewhat respectable trail truck.

First mod was a ORFAB front bumper. I opted not to get the winch bumper just to keep things simple. besides, I usually wheel with quite a few, much more capable rigs, so those suckers can pull me out of trouble LOL

Here's my new toy with it's new bumper.



I picked up the light bracket and brush gaurd for the bumper as well. I have had a pair of Hella Rallye 1000 driving lights on my work bench for about 8 years from a retired project. Now they are going to have a nice home (pics coming). Also a sneak peak of my tires. They are Pitbull Growler lt/radials, 31-10.50/15. I can't wait for the lift goodies so I can mount these things.



Tires will be going on Pro Comp series 7069 flat black wheels. 15x8 w/ 3.75" B.S. Here's a poser pic of what they'll look like when the truck is lifted. only going about 2-3" with fender clearance.



Much more to come...stay tuned

 

Looks like the start of a great build. Ill watch this one.

 

sweet bumper and i love the tire/wheel combo

 

The UPS man dropped off some of the suspension parts that I've been waiting for. I ordered all the parts from ECGS (East Coast Gear Supply) http://eastcoastgearsupply.com/ They were super helpful and definitely know their chit!

Parts include:

- OME light duty leafpacks
- OME 2" coil springs
- T-case drop kit (if needed...SYE will come later)
- Bilstien 5100's
- Daystar leaf & shackle bushings
- new u-bolts and hardware

plus other odds and ends

I'll be tearing into the project this weekend if all goes as planned.

 

starting off nicely! good tire/wheel combo

 

Looking good bud. It was good seeing you today. Nice pile of goodies. When your ready let me know and I'll go wheeling with ya!

 

no doubt Chris. I'll goin out as much as I can when all the parts go on.

I'll keep you posted for sure.

 

Spent the weekend putting on the lift. Had relatively good luck with all the bolts. The four, rear upper shock bolts all snapped off, but that was a pretty simple fix. I had to clearance the front wheelwell a bit and after taking off the front fender flare, I think I like it better with them off. I may just cut the fender so it's clean and leave it the way it is.

Overall, I'm really happy with the way it sits right now. Everything cycles well and the road feel is pretty similar to stock. The OME springs and 5100's are really nice.

 

Looking good.

 

Busy out some masking tape and newspaper and spray paint the door moulding and rear flare flat black to match the rims!

Those rims look great! I've heard good things about OME but haven't had the chance to use their stuff yet.

 

Nice xj! I will be watching for updates

 

What is the sticker on your doors? I can only hardly see it and it's driving me nuts! Lol. I like the way your rig turned out, I hear that OME rides great

 

Thanks Guys!

Yeah, I know. I am still mulling over what I want to do. Take the molding off all together or repaint and keep it. I have Bushwacker flat flares for it, but am still undecided if I want to use them. I have issues making up my mind LOL

So far (only been a few weeks) I am ultra happy with the OME springs and Bilsteins. The ride is better than stock in every way! Corners better, takes sharp road bumps better and is much smoother down the highway. The truck flexes out very nicely too. I Havent been able to really put it to any tests yet just do to time. The fact that my jeep had 100k+ miles on the stock suspension before the upgrade needs to be taken into consideration, but still. OME makes some nice springs!

My truck used to be a County Health Dept. vehicle so it had a County badge on the doors. before it went to auction they creudly removed the stickers and left behind some nice round battle scars. I drive it through tight trails alot so I'm not all that concerned. Just gonna get scratched to hell if I repaint it.

 

Nice build man! I was just gonna say "DONT TRIM THE FENDERS YET!" and recommend some flat flares, but looks like you're a step ahead of me.

if you decide not to use the flat flares, please PM me with a price you're wanting for them. If the price is right, i'll bite the bullet now.

 

Nice looking jeep man I have a 98 as well but mines a 2 door. I love those tires and wheels, how much did the pitbulls run you? Im planning on going with 31x10.50's when I put my 3" lift on. Your jeep is commin along good man keep up the good work.