ZJ Grand Cherokee from Australia

[AUSZJ]

After driving my partners NL pajero around and enjoying getting off road a bit I decided I needed my own 4wd. I wanted something solid axle and coil sprung and something that was nice inside with some luxuries like cruise, aircon, electrics ect but also had to be fairly clean I didn't want to drive around in something that looked like it had been wheeled every day of its life. I looked at a couple of GQ Patrols and a couple of 80 series Landcruisers most of the GQs were full of rust and the clean 80s with electrics ect were priced a bit to high for me. I went and test drove a XJ cherokee but it felt very small inside so i settled on the ZG Grand Cherokee, it has 240,000Km on the clock, exterior is clean and the interior is great apart from stains on the carpet and a saggy roof lining. Its all standard apart from some terrible 15inch alloys. Arguably an 80 or a GQ would be better off road but I want more of a camping/fishing/touring vehicle that can I can also have a bit of fun off road. Enough of this crap here are a few pics from when I picked it up.

 

[AUSZJ]

The next weekend I met up with a mate and his Hilux and went for a quick run to se how it went in standard form. I was really impressed with the car and was happy that I ended up with the ZJ.







After this weekend the car started to have a problem with the electric windows, they would just stop working, you take the door trim off and they start working again, I checked for loose or broken wires and they all seem to good.

 

[AUSZJ]

I started planning exactly what I was going to do with the Jeep and how I was going to do it so while I was researching i did a bit more wheeling and got a bit stuck.



I got an 80 channel UHF and 6db arial for it and a rear recovery point.

 

[AUSZJ]

As I want to use the Jeep more for camping and fishing with my son then going hardcore wheeling I didn't think a huge lift and tyres were needed. I ordered the Ironman 2inch kit and some 1 inch spacers to give a total of 3 inch lift, and will be running a 31x10.5 r15 tyre on a 15x8-25 wheel, all things going to plan the suspension will be here by next week. I also got a 12000 pound winch, a 12v compressor, and some LED rear work lights. I also started to try and clean up the rear carpets as they were full of stains so a bit or a steam clean and this is what we have.

Before


After


Not brand new but way better than it was.

The compressor and the winch

 

[Lecoq]

Nice to see a ZJ with no rust on it! What do you plan for mounting the winch?

 

[Mitch502]

Nice! Always good to see more ZJs being used! I'm in the same boat as you. I wanted something nice, but capable. You made a good choice I think. I haven't been disappointed yet.

 

[Happy Joe]

Perhaps, consider some appropriate off road/mud tires...

As you have found complex electrics are not always conducive to reliability...

People often underestimate the capabilities of near stock SUVs; or, in other cases, some vastly over estimate their capabilities...

Nice ZJ...

I, too, will be interested to see the winch mount and possibly front tow point, mods.

enjoy!

 

[AUSZJ]

Thanks guys!

Lecoq and Happy Joe, I will make something like this for the winch.




Mitch502, I'm reading the thread on your ZJ now!! I so wish we got the 5.9 option in Australia very jealous.

Happy joe, I will be going for the Khumo KL71 MT or the Achilles desert hawk XMT.

I got a few things going to day, first up I mounted my rear LED work lights inside tailgate as I normally have it open when fishing or camping. I hooked one up just to see the light out put, I'm very happy with them.





I hate having fishy smelling hands after fishing or putting muddy dirty gear back into the Jeep so I started making up a simple on board water system. I used some 150mm PVC and some fittings and a tap and we are good to go. I'm going to fit it across the back of the roof.







My Ironman lift turned up today so hopefully get that fitted friday night and test it Saturday afternoon.

 

[K2ZJ]

Check out Flatland 4x4, they sell plans for a front bumper you can fabricate yourself. More rock crawler than pre-runner, that is what Mitch used.

 

[Mitch502]

Check out Flatland 4x4, they sell plans for a front bumper you can fabricate yourself. More rock crawler than pre-runner, that is what Mitch used.

Yea, I couldn't be happier with mine. Once the two frame mounts were on, it was tacked together in no time. Can be built over a weekend if you can weld, or for a good price I'm sure if you have a shop build it. However, they would probably need your Jeep to tack it together.

 

[AUSZJ]

Check out Flatland 4x4, they sell plans for a front bumper you can fabricate yourself. More rock crawler than pre-runner, that is what Mitch used.

K2ZJ, That looks good! Looks clean not so out there like a tube bar. I may have to look into it a bit more.

Mitch502, are the plans fairly accurate? Pretty much do as the plans say or is there a bit of mucking around?

 

[Octotat]

Here's a completed Flatland 4x4 Bumper. All you'll get from them are CAD program files for cutting out the flat stock. There is also a picture of the pieces, but they are of almost no help. This thing really was like putting together a Chinese puzzle, but it was fun and we made it work.

 

[Octotat]

A slightly different angle

 

[AUSZJ]

Octotat, Thanks for the pics! looks like the way to go, very neat and not as out there as a tube bar!

So on the weekend I fitted up the Ironman lift kit, it lifted it a heap more than the 2inch it was suppose to, it lifted it so much that the shocks Ironman supplied me are maxed out so I will have to give them a call and see what they say!

this is a before and after of the ZJ


I also found a set of second hand 7" HID spotlights on facebook for $20, I couldn`t pass them up so I jumped in the Jeep and headed across town and picked them up as well.



And just a pic of the Jeep chilling in the Garage.

 

[AUSZJ]

here are some clips of me and a mate out the back of where we live, unfortunately so many people think it is a dumping ground and its full of rubbish and old car bodies.