Well, this is long overdue. My build has really been years in the making, but figured it was time to document and hopefully help other as I have gotten so many ideas and helpful information from threads on these forums.
My first real off-road vehicle was a 79 Toyota pickup. Paid $500 for it. All I ever did to it was 31” AT tires and an Aussie Locker in the rear. The thing was awesome, got me just about anywhere with all the gear I could need. At that time, I had already been planning a build of a Grand Cherokee. So, a few years later I was able to score a good deal on a 94 grand. Had a bad pinion bearing (Dana turdy five). In 2005, I married my beautiful bride. Money was tight, and I needed a more road friendly vehicle for my job, so sadly, I had to sell both. Bummer of a day, but it’s had to be done at the time.
Fast forward to 2015. Our financial situation was looking a bit better, and I had been saving for a new jeep build. I had been reading, and researching, and reading more, and pricing. I had new requirements for my jeep build as my family had now grown to a wife and 3 kids . So here were my requirements.
Family friendly for weekend type campouts. Needs to be flexable, decent ground clearance. Not planning on hardcore rock crawling, but want to get through most of the tougher trails in my area.
Seats a minimum of 5
Cargo room for all associated gear
Solid front axle
Want to run 33” tires with hopes of one day going bigger
Under $6000 for initial build
That being said, options were definatly limited. I finally decided that I wanted a WJ. So, I gave myself a $3000 vehicle budget and set out to find a starting point. After months of searching, I finally landed the deal I was waiting for.
2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, Quadra Drive, V8, 150,000 miles. Vehicle was in pretty good shape, with no known issues. Was able to pick it up for $2900.
Here it is day one, bone stock and lots of plans.
First order of business was a name. I enlisted the kids help in this task. After a few ideas thrown out, we settled on Dinosaur.
Next, I needed enough lift to fit 33” tires. After much research, pricing, and going back in forth, I decided I really wanted a long arm lift right from the start. I knew it would strain the rest of the budget, but this was something that really needed to be done from the start. I really wanted a Claytons setup, but it just was too much for my budget. I decided on the Rough Country 4” long arm setup. It seemed to be complete, well made (for my purposes) and fit a little nicer in the budget.
Before lift
Out with the old
Front done, now the back
Lift complete
Overall, I really only got ~3.5” of lift total. I was hoping for a little more, but….. that’s the way it goes.
Now to put some new meat on those wheels. As stated before, I really wanted 33” tires. After much consideration, I decided on Treadwright Guard Dogs MT’s. While I was at it, I put 1.5” wheel spacers in, and painted the wheels flat black. I immediately had to do some significant trimming to both bumpers, and had to remove the stock windshield wiper fluid reservore. End result, well, I am happy
My first real off-road vehicle was a 79 Toyota pickup. Paid $500 for it. All I ever did to it was 31” AT tires and an Aussie Locker in the rear. The thing was awesome, got me just about anywhere with all the gear I could need. At that time, I had already been planning a build of a Grand Cherokee. So, a few years later I was able to score a good deal on a 94 grand. Had a bad pinion bearing (Dana turdy five). In 2005, I married my beautiful bride. Money was tight, and I needed a more road friendly vehicle for my job, so sadly, I had to sell both. Bummer of a day, but it’s had to be done at the time.
Fast forward to 2015. Our financial situation was looking a bit better, and I had been saving for a new jeep build. I had been reading, and researching, and reading more, and pricing. I had new requirements for my jeep build as my family had now grown to a wife and 3 kids . So here were my requirements.
Family friendly for weekend type campouts. Needs to be flexable, decent ground clearance. Not planning on hardcore rock crawling, but want to get through most of the tougher trails in my area.
Seats a minimum of 5
Cargo room for all associated gear
Solid front axle
Want to run 33” tires with hopes of one day going bigger
Under $6000 for initial build
That being said, options were definatly limited. I finally decided that I wanted a WJ. So, I gave myself a $3000 vehicle budget and set out to find a starting point. After months of searching, I finally landed the deal I was waiting for.
2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, Quadra Drive, V8, 150,000 miles. Vehicle was in pretty good shape, with no known issues. Was able to pick it up for $2900.
Here it is day one, bone stock and lots of plans.
First order of business was a name. I enlisted the kids help in this task. After a few ideas thrown out, we settled on Dinosaur.
Next, I needed enough lift to fit 33” tires. After much research, pricing, and going back in forth, I decided I really wanted a long arm lift right from the start. I knew it would strain the rest of the budget, but this was something that really needed to be done from the start. I really wanted a Claytons setup, but it just was too much for my budget. I decided on the Rough Country 4” long arm setup. It seemed to be complete, well made (for my purposes) and fit a little nicer in the budget.
Before lift
Out with the old
Front done, now the back
Lift complete
Overall, I really only got ~3.5” of lift total. I was hoping for a little more, but….. that’s the way it goes.
Now to put some new meat on those wheels. As stated before, I really wanted 33” tires. After much consideration, I decided on Treadwright Guard Dogs MT’s. While I was at it, I put 1.5” wheel spacers in, and painted the wheels flat black. I immediately had to do some significant trimming to both bumpers, and had to remove the stock windshield wiper fluid reservore. End result, well, I am happy
