bzauche
Observer
Hey all,
I am new here, but I frequent NAXJA and CherokeeForum, so there's a chance you've seen my threads on there. The name's Brandon, and I am a 22 year old senior at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, Georgia. I bought my XJ a little over a year ago with about 165k miles, and since then I've made a good amount of progress, while only adding about 5k to the odometer. Since my funds are very limited, I bought it with a few mods already on, hoping to save some money. The night I brought it home:
It had:
4.0 with 165k that runs great
NP242 T-Case
D30/35 (both open)
~4" mixed/spacer lift
Drop Pitman Arm/Rancho Steering Stabilizer
245/75/16 Firestone Destination M/T's
Garvin Wilderness roof rack in rough shape
2 Hellas on the homebrew front bumper
2 crappy lights on the roof rack
48" Hi-Lift on the rack as well
After it's first wash and wax:
While it may look pretty, it certainly has its flaws. The paint on the hood is actually two different colors, and it has its share of scratches and dents, but it's a Jeep, so who really cares!
The first time I got it dirty:
After that, I vowed to stay away from our infamous Georgia red clay. Mud sucks to clean and there is still some on the bottom of the rig a year later!
Throughout the past year, I have changed/replaced/added/upgraded:
Centric Premium Rotors and Black Magic Brake Pads
Adjusted Rear Drum Brakes
Changed oil and filter (2x) – Mobil 1 High Mileage Full Synthetic
Changed spark plugs – Champion 7034 Truck Plugs
New Ball Joints (upper and lower)
New Water Pump
New Freeze Plugs (2 total changed)
New Serpentine Belt
New Intake Gasket
New Thermostat Gasket
Cleaned Throttle Body and IAC
Front Differential Fluid – Mobil 1 75W-90 Synthetic
Rear Differential Fluid – Mobil 1 75W-140 Synthetic
Transfer Case Fluid – Valvoline High Mileage DEX/MERC
Transmission Fluid - Valvoline High Mileage DEX/MERC
IRO Double Shear Track Bar
JKS Quicker Disconnects
IRO LCA’s
Hella H4 Headlights
Spectre Cowl Air Intake
Neon 784 Injectors
Replaced upstream O2 sensors
Daystar Sway Bar Bushings
M.O.R.E. Steering Box Brace
New U-joints in Rear DS
New Rear Pinion Seal
Greased Transfer Case Splines
Magnaflow Muffler and 2.5” Exhaust Pipe
Spicer 5-760x U-joints in D30
Refinished roof rack, added JCR gutter mounts, and 4 100W KC's
Repainted front bumper
Repaired and repainted rear bumper
Repainted factory roof rails
Repainted door step plates
Repainted factory hitch
Kicker/Rockford/Sony Stereo
Quadratec Floor Mats
I think that's about it...as far as future plans go (in no particular order):
HD Tie-Rod w/ new ends
HD Steering Box Spacer
SOLID Diff Covers
Armor (Sliders, skids, etc...)
2.5/3" OME Coils
2.5/3" OME Leafs
Stock Length Shackles or LII Leaf Sliders
Bilstein 5100’s (waiting for me at home)
H.D. Engineering Frame Stiffeners
Braided Brake Lines
CB Setup
Window rack w/ Axe & Shovel
Aux Switch Panel
Lockers
Now for some pictures of the progress!
I am new here, but I frequent NAXJA and CherokeeForum, so there's a chance you've seen my threads on there. The name's Brandon, and I am a 22 year old senior at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, Georgia. I bought my XJ a little over a year ago with about 165k miles, and since then I've made a good amount of progress, while only adding about 5k to the odometer. Since my funds are very limited, I bought it with a few mods already on, hoping to save some money. The night I brought it home:
It had:
4.0 with 165k that runs great
NP242 T-Case
D30/35 (both open)
~4" mixed/spacer lift
Drop Pitman Arm/Rancho Steering Stabilizer
245/75/16 Firestone Destination M/T's
Garvin Wilderness roof rack in rough shape
2 Hellas on the homebrew front bumper
2 crappy lights on the roof rack
48" Hi-Lift on the rack as well
After it's first wash and wax:
While it may look pretty, it certainly has its flaws. The paint on the hood is actually two different colors, and it has its share of scratches and dents, but it's a Jeep, so who really cares!
The first time I got it dirty:
After that, I vowed to stay away from our infamous Georgia red clay. Mud sucks to clean and there is still some on the bottom of the rig a year later!
Throughout the past year, I have changed/replaced/added/upgraded:
Centric Premium Rotors and Black Magic Brake Pads
Adjusted Rear Drum Brakes
Changed oil and filter (2x) – Mobil 1 High Mileage Full Synthetic
Changed spark plugs – Champion 7034 Truck Plugs
New Ball Joints (upper and lower)
New Water Pump
New Freeze Plugs (2 total changed)
New Serpentine Belt
New Intake Gasket
New Thermostat Gasket
Cleaned Throttle Body and IAC
Front Differential Fluid – Mobil 1 75W-90 Synthetic
Rear Differential Fluid – Mobil 1 75W-140 Synthetic
Transfer Case Fluid – Valvoline High Mileage DEX/MERC
Transmission Fluid - Valvoline High Mileage DEX/MERC
IRO Double Shear Track Bar
JKS Quicker Disconnects
IRO LCA’s
Hella H4 Headlights
Spectre Cowl Air Intake
Neon 784 Injectors
Replaced upstream O2 sensors
Daystar Sway Bar Bushings
M.O.R.E. Steering Box Brace
New U-joints in Rear DS
New Rear Pinion Seal
Greased Transfer Case Splines
Magnaflow Muffler and 2.5” Exhaust Pipe
Spicer 5-760x U-joints in D30
Refinished roof rack, added JCR gutter mounts, and 4 100W KC's
Repainted front bumper
Repaired and repainted rear bumper
Repainted factory roof rails
Repainted door step plates
Repainted factory hitch
Kicker/Rockford/Sony Stereo
Quadratec Floor Mats
I think that's about it...as far as future plans go (in no particular order):
HD Tie-Rod w/ new ends
HD Steering Box Spacer
SOLID Diff Covers
Armor (Sliders, skids, etc...)
2.5/3" OME Coils
2.5/3" OME Leafs
Stock Length Shackles or LII Leaf Sliders
Bilstein 5100’s (waiting for me at home)
H.D. Engineering Frame Stiffeners
Braided Brake Lines
CB Setup
Window rack w/ Axe & Shovel
Aux Switch Panel
Lockers
Now for some pictures of the progress!
