Hey all, ZPower here.
Below is my build thread that is transferred over from another forum. The Jeep has take over 2 years to get to the point where it is at now, and I couldn't be happier. Take a gander at the progress I have made, and feel free to ask questions about anything I have done to my Jeep. Jeep on!
So long story short, I sold my sweet 96 ZJ to help purchase my all-time favorite Jeep: The TJ Unlimited. I picked up a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with 101,000 miles on the ticker. It's not a Rubicon, so it has a Dana 30 up front and a Dana 44 out back. I actually preferred the non-Rubicon because I wanted to put Detroit Truetracs in both axles (and I am NOT keeping the factory trash-lock in the rear), plus the people who were selling the Rubicons were on crack when it came to resale value. I am not paying $7,000 more for a different front axle and some air lockers. Plus, I have a fondness for the Dana 30. It's kind of like the underdog of the axle world. Alrighty, down to the nitty gritty stuff! First item on the list was to clean the thing. It was maintained pretty decent, but just needed that little extra TLC to really make it shine.
The 4 inch Rough Country short-arm lift, 305/70-16 BFG KM2's, Rubicon wheels, Expedition One front and rear bumpers, PIAA auxiliary lights, and Warn M8000 winch were already installed when I purchased the vehicle. The very first thing that I do when purchasing a vehicle is to change all of the fluids. This includes the engine, transmission, transfer case, and gear oil, plus engine coolant and brake fluid. This way I can start with a base for a clean, reliable vehicle that will not leave me stranded.
Now on to the project title. I have limited funds since I am a poor college student (Not a poor starving college student, mind you), so I cannot put every component imaginable on my Jeep, only things that will give me the most bang for my buck. Since the automatic transmissions on these things (on any Jeep for that matter) isn't the toughest, and heat is the death of any transmission, I will install an auxiliary transmission cooler to keep the temps down and a transmission temperature gauge to monitor the temperature. This will hopefully ensure a long life out of my transmission, which is very costly if something does go wrong.
Since the Jeep came with 33's (plus I love the stance of the Jeep as is), I will be regearing to 4.88's to get my mechanical advantage back. Not to mention it's a real bummer to get passed by a Ford (Oh yeah, I just went there!). I also want to install a CB, since whenever I've wheeled with anyone, CBs were chosen over the handheld walkie talkies. I also want to put C-gussets on the front axle to prevent any unwanted movement out of the front axle. I really do not want to mess with fixing a bent front axle and chasing alignment issues when I could have spent a little time and money to save me headaches in the long run.
Now, without further adieu, here she was when I first bought her:
The first day that I had possession of it, I was cleaning like a mad man! Out came the vacuum, garden hose, and wash bucket for a full-on detail job. The outside was a bit dirty from rain the previous week, while the interior was mostly clean except for underneath the rear seat. Sadly, the only money I found in the whole vehicle was a penny. Total let down! Anyways, a side note: The front tires and wheels had a toe alignment of 3/16" toe out! That could explain the vibrations in the steering wheel at any road speed. It didn't cause any funny tire wear, but I'm sure it didn't do it any good either.
That weekend was a full on 3 day thrash on the Jeep. Boy, was that a long weekend!
First things first: get 'er up on the lift!
This could also be a part of my vibration during driving. See any problems with what holds the transmission to the rest of the Jeep?
Here's the transmission mount out on the bench. Time for a new one!
The next step was to detail the engine bay. The previous owner must have "baja'd this thing through a mud puddle" (according to my dad, zmotorsports, to which I concur), because there was mud all the way up on the firewall and top of the radiator shroud. Sadly, the picture I do have of the engine bay was blurry, but have no fear! I took a picture after all of the engine servicing was complete, which turned out pretty dang good:
Okay, another side note: NOVUS plastic restorer and cleaner is magic. This stuff turned my faded turn signal lights into works of art! Now whenever they flash, I can actually see the individual serrations of light on the ground in front of me! Here is the finished product:
The UPS guy brought me a huge present the next weekend! Here were the contents: B&M trans cooler, carbon fiber effect gauge pod, and Auto Meter trans temp gauge. Funny thing though, I didn't end up using the gauge pod I ordered. I wanted to mount it in the little cubby hole on the far left side of the dash, right next to the gauge cluster. But, the gauge pod had too large of a base to fit in that area. So, after much brainstorming and cursing, I figured out the perfect solution: The center console has the perfect angle to it just forward of the transfer case shift lever. I can still see the gauge in any position of the transfer case lever as well as where I naturally rest my leg when I am driving. It is also far enough to the right of the steering wheel so i do not have to move my head to see the gauge clearly. i can quickly glance down and to the right to see the trans temp (at a stoplight, of course. I do not condone taking your eyes off of the road at any time while operating the vehicle). Now that the legal BS is out of the way, out came the hole saw and we went to town! Looks pretty nice, eh?
Below is my build thread that is transferred over from another forum. The Jeep has take over 2 years to get to the point where it is at now, and I couldn't be happier. Take a gander at the progress I have made, and feel free to ask questions about anything I have done to my Jeep. Jeep on!
So long story short, I sold my sweet 96 ZJ to help purchase my all-time favorite Jeep: The TJ Unlimited. I picked up a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with 101,000 miles on the ticker. It's not a Rubicon, so it has a Dana 30 up front and a Dana 44 out back. I actually preferred the non-Rubicon because I wanted to put Detroit Truetracs in both axles (and I am NOT keeping the factory trash-lock in the rear), plus the people who were selling the Rubicons were on crack when it came to resale value. I am not paying $7,000 more for a different front axle and some air lockers. Plus, I have a fondness for the Dana 30. It's kind of like the underdog of the axle world. Alrighty, down to the nitty gritty stuff! First item on the list was to clean the thing. It was maintained pretty decent, but just needed that little extra TLC to really make it shine.
The 4 inch Rough Country short-arm lift, 305/70-16 BFG KM2's, Rubicon wheels, Expedition One front and rear bumpers, PIAA auxiliary lights, and Warn M8000 winch were already installed when I purchased the vehicle. The very first thing that I do when purchasing a vehicle is to change all of the fluids. This includes the engine, transmission, transfer case, and gear oil, plus engine coolant and brake fluid. This way I can start with a base for a clean, reliable vehicle that will not leave me stranded.
Now on to the project title. I have limited funds since I am a poor college student (Not a poor starving college student, mind you), so I cannot put every component imaginable on my Jeep, only things that will give me the most bang for my buck. Since the automatic transmissions on these things (on any Jeep for that matter) isn't the toughest, and heat is the death of any transmission, I will install an auxiliary transmission cooler to keep the temps down and a transmission temperature gauge to monitor the temperature. This will hopefully ensure a long life out of my transmission, which is very costly if something does go wrong.
Since the Jeep came with 33's (plus I love the stance of the Jeep as is), I will be regearing to 4.88's to get my mechanical advantage back. Not to mention it's a real bummer to get passed by a Ford (Oh yeah, I just went there!). I also want to install a CB, since whenever I've wheeled with anyone, CBs were chosen over the handheld walkie talkies. I also want to put C-gussets on the front axle to prevent any unwanted movement out of the front axle. I really do not want to mess with fixing a bent front axle and chasing alignment issues when I could have spent a little time and money to save me headaches in the long run.
Now, without further adieu, here she was when I first bought her:
The first day that I had possession of it, I was cleaning like a mad man! Out came the vacuum, garden hose, and wash bucket for a full-on detail job. The outside was a bit dirty from rain the previous week, while the interior was mostly clean except for underneath the rear seat. Sadly, the only money I found in the whole vehicle was a penny. Total let down! Anyways, a side note: The front tires and wheels had a toe alignment of 3/16" toe out! That could explain the vibrations in the steering wheel at any road speed. It didn't cause any funny tire wear, but I'm sure it didn't do it any good either.
That weekend was a full on 3 day thrash on the Jeep. Boy, was that a long weekend!
This could also be a part of my vibration during driving. See any problems with what holds the transmission to the rest of the Jeep?
Here's the transmission mount out on the bench. Time for a new one!
The next step was to detail the engine bay. The previous owner must have "baja'd this thing through a mud puddle" (according to my dad, zmotorsports, to which I concur), because there was mud all the way up on the firewall and top of the radiator shroud. Sadly, the picture I do have of the engine bay was blurry, but have no fear! I took a picture after all of the engine servicing was complete, which turned out pretty dang good:
Okay, another side note: NOVUS plastic restorer and cleaner is magic. This stuff turned my faded turn signal lights into works of art! Now whenever they flash, I can actually see the individual serrations of light on the ground in front of me! Here is the finished product:
The UPS guy brought me a huge present the next weekend! Here were the contents: B&M trans cooler, carbon fiber effect gauge pod, and Auto Meter trans temp gauge. Funny thing though, I didn't end up using the gauge pod I ordered. I wanted to mount it in the little cubby hole on the far left side of the dash, right next to the gauge cluster. But, the gauge pod had too large of a base to fit in that area. So, after much brainstorming and cursing, I figured out the perfect solution: The center console has the perfect angle to it just forward of the transfer case shift lever. I can still see the gauge in any position of the transfer case lever as well as where I naturally rest my leg when I am driving. It is also far enough to the right of the steering wheel so i do not have to move my head to see the gauge clearly. i can quickly glance down and to the right to see the trans temp (at a stoplight, of course. I do not condone taking your eyes off of the road at any time while operating the vehicle). Now that the legal BS is out of the way, out came the hole saw and we went to town! Looks pretty nice, eh?
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