Bought a 2005 Wrangler TJ.

[Capt Eddie]

Well all the fun can now begin. I drove 11o miles to Arkansas to pick up this Jeep. It appears to be in great shape. Two little rips in the soft top. I did have some good surprises. One; It has a 10.000LB Promark winch, Two It has new goodyear tires, Three; it is an automatic. When we got it home the first thing we did was take the doors off. That was harder then I thought it would be. Then we took off the back sides. Then we went for a trail ride. In the first hour we found a few things that we need to do to the Jeep. Here is where all your help will come in. We need brackets to mount mirrors back on the Jeep. We would like some cloth doors that can be stored in the back until I can build a roof rack. The wife said we need a lift , "It looks like the tires are flat" 3 Inches should be fine.A new spare tire to match the other 4. The wife and kids loved trail riding with out the doors. I think I am off to a good start for family outtings. Any help in locating the brackets, lift and a tow bar. The wife is ready to go back to Arkansas as soon as we can put on a towbar.

 

[Bigjerm]

Most of that can be found on your standard parts website like Quadratec or 4wd and other various places. I would decide on what direction you want the jeep to go. This is my 3rd Wrangler and from day 1 I said 35's with low lift so that is how i have built it so far and plans continue even with the gas increase. 3" of lift is a good place to be a for a weekend rig with some 32's, a front locker and belly up along with that winch and you should be great for a lot of mild stuff. Remember things like a belly up usually require a 1" body lift so you might want to do a 2" suspension, 1" body for a total of 3". Plan ahead, it will save you money.

 

[RedDog]

My 05 has a 2" BB and 31's. It serves my needs well. Best of luck and enjoy.

 

[Hawkz]

Depending on what your budget is, I am a big fan of tube fenders. (I have Metalcloak fenders.) I am running 35" tires on a 2003 Rubicon with no lift. It wheels very well and the only time something rubs is when I disconnect the front swaybar. (Not needed often in Illinois.)

If you are going to be rock crawling, you will still need a lift to get the belly up. If you just run trails and want something stable on the road too, something like my build may work for you. I really like the low center of gravity.

 

[Capt Eddie]

I plan on mostly trail riding with some mud thrown in. Once a year I may go outwest to see what is offered. 3 inch max lift is all we want. low COG. I do want to add lockers for max traction in the mud. The problem I have found is that all the automatic lockers require an open diff. The PO thought the Jeep had LSD. How can I tell for sure? Which locker should I look at. No Rock crawling, 90% trail rides in AR and LA. Anyone know how to turn off the interior lights with the doors off? I pulled the bulb for now.

 

[Bigjerm]

Open the glove box, remove the limit strap on the side, pull the glove box off. Behind is a fuse panel, I think its the bottom right (if looking from the passenger seat facing forward). Should be a red #10 fuse you pull.

If you dont plan to get hardcore then you could just do an auto locker in the front for now. I have done plenty without lockers and just a LSD in the rear with Jeeps. Cant beat a locker but no need to spend the money right away if you don't really need it.

 

[Capt Eddie]

My choice will be for a locker in the front first if money is an issue. I have not been able to find a locker to replace a LSD. There are so many choices for lift kits. I only want 3 inches. No body lift and only 31 inch tires. I will put a switch on the wires from # 10 fuse so that I can turn on the lights when I need them. I need a storage box to go behind the back seat to keep jackets in for cool evening travels. I was only 59 last night on the way home, quite cool for the kids,but they picked going in the Jeep. We did all wear WindStopper.

 

[wardrow]

I love my Jeep and know you will grow to love yours. Coming from lots of experience, The most rewarding initial trail improvement you could make on a budget is to do a 1'' body lift, 1'' motor mount lift and a ''tummy tucker, or belly up''. This has been mentioned several times now for very good reasons. 1. A belly up skid will get rid of the most common place Jeeps get hung up on, even on the most unsuspecting trails or mud pits. 2. It ads lower frame stability and is like a shield for vulnerable drive line components like your transmission and transfer case. 3. It serves as a foundation for a future lift, weather you go long arm lift or short arm lift you will want a solid mid frame skid. If you want a lift for the sake of wanting a lift thats fine too, however there are several things that would help you off road and provide piece of mind you could consider first. Oil pan skid plate, nothing worse than ripping a hole in your oil pan as you head into that not so deep looking mud hole that had that huge rock.
Heavy duty differential covers, provide protection to your ring and pinion as well as ad torsional stability to an otherwise weak housing. Lots of people from mud country think ''I'm just mudding I wont hit any rocks''. Gas tank skid plate, if you end up wheeling this jeep you will eventually crawl off a small unsuspecting ledge some where some time....miles down the road the jeep sputters and next thing you know your out of gas???? but I had over a quarter tank of fuel left?. Very common for the fuel pump and sending unit to get damaged off-road. I would put on heavy duty bumpers front and rear and I would make the rear a nice swing out tire carrier with jerry can mounts for piece of mind not running out of gas. Get a nice Hi-Lift jack and LEARN HOW TO USE IT!! practice recovery with your jack and winch, get to know your recovery pionts on the jeep and how you will get this thing un-stuck, TRUST ME, YOU WILL GET IT STUCK AND NEED TO KNOW HOW TO GET IT OUT BY YOUR SELF!

Most important of all have fun!:smiley_drive:

 

[nwoods]

I highly recommend the OME lift from ARB-USA for the target parameters you've listed.... And the tummy tuck.

 

[Mr. D]

Congrats
I used roadmaster to set up my jeep for flat towing behind the motorhome.
http://www.roadmasterinc.com/

 

[Jakes01234]

ne need to make a switch for the fuse with doors off and on you already have one.. the same button you pull out to turn on your lights also twists to turn on interior lights and dim them.. have fun with the jeep and i have the 2.5 OME lift with some other suspension goodies and it offers a nice ride especially with the new ome sport shocks.. has fantastic road manners..

 

[Capt Eddie]

I have looked for more info on the tummy tuck. I am new to current Jeeps, how does the tummy tuck work? Wouldn't 3 inch lift raise the skid plate to same level as a body lift and tummy tuck? Everything is still 3 inches higher.

 

[Jakes01234]

it pushes the transfer case and tranny up higher so you gain more clearance under the big bulky stock skid plate aka shovel.. so whatever gain you get from your larger tires you can also get another 2 inch gain from the tummy tuck..

 

[Capt Eddie]

Isn't the transfer case and tranny a rigid connection to the motor which is solid to the frame with motor mounts? All the lift kits I looked at last night have a transfer skid plate lowering kit. Are you actually tilting the motor and tranfer case down to change the drivelive angle? What does this do tothe automatic shift lever? I did a search and could not find any details on this lift. Yesterday we went riding and scrapped the beely going over every berm. So I know it would be nice to raise the belly pan. I thought a 3 inch lift would raise the pan 3 inches. Will a tummy tuck raise it more? O does it raise the entire driveline and now I would need longer arms??? A link to the tummy tuck would hepl me alot. Thanks to all .

 

[Jakes01234]

#1 yes motor and tranny mounts make this a hard connection to frame and skid plate..

2 those t case lowering kits suck.. its againt what lifting your vehicle is about.. they can be avoided by getting a slip yoke eliminator http://www.advanceadapters.com/products/new-process-231j-sye/
which alows you to use a double cardan on one end of the driveshaft which helps you with the driveline angle.. also adjustable control arms with the slip yoke eliminator as a team work together so you can get perfect driveline angles.

3 automatic shifter i dont believe needs adjkustment but the 4wd shifter will.. it can be done under the jeep.. theres write ups on it somewhere not difficult

the tummy tuck as everyone calls it is a product by AEV https://secure.aev-conversions.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=NTH14021AA

yes it moves the transfer case even higher and to accomplish good drive line angles after you do something like this you need a MML motor mount lift ( or this oculd be used to help with your driveline angles instead of t case lowering(lots of options hahaha))

it can also be called belly up skid plate or high clearance heres some nice skids
http://undercoverfab.com/30-standard-2-deep-skids-alum

and as you will see on that website ANOTHER option to the better driveline angles is a lo pro tranny mount..

have fun