Pete gets a new WJ Grand Cherokee!

[Jeeptrip Pete]

Howdy all,

Picked up a new-to-me WJ last month. 4.0, 94K miles, selectrac. Great shape, and my plan is a camping/expo/hiking/etc. vehicle.


So I got the ROLA rooftop rack :smiley_drive: but didn't like the way it mounted to the factory cross-rails. After taking those off I was surprised to see that they're only held in place by plastic tabs. :Wow1:

Anyway, I used unistrut, ubolts, and 1/4" brackets to mount it in place. It's far sturdier now. Plan to add some brackets for shovel, etc.

Next on the list is a lift and tires - leaning toward a 3" IRO and either JK Rubi takeoffs, or 265/75/16s on the stock alloys.

Anyway, here are some shots for now. Hope to hang out and learn and eventually contribute as the build goes on.
Thanks,
Pete

 

[jfein]

Nice. I put the 3" iro kit on my 04 wj i6 about 6 months ago and ran the stock wheels with 245/75 for about 3 months. I did have to get an adjustable ball joint to get it to align properly so make sure to factor that into the cost.

 

[Lecoq]

Sweet ride! I like the way you mounted the roof rack. Looks OEM.

 

[Jeeptrip Pete]

Just a quick update for the WJ. I got the 3" IRO installed this weekend, and some 265-75-16 Goodyears on the stock alloys. Was a lot of work during one of the hottest weeks in Mass. in a long time. Whew. :Wow1: I plan a winch and a bunch of gear in back, so I put in a 10mm OME spacer all around also. Shocks are Bilsteins. And a Moog Trail Boss steering stabilizer. She looks great, rides nice. Now to get out and use it. :smiley_drive: Pete

 

[jeepgc]

Looks good Pete, now let's see those trail pics

 

[madmax718]

very nice! where ya going now?

 

[beardus supremous]

Great looking wj!

 

[JChatary]

Looking good! Be sure to post pics of it on some trails! :beer:

 

[Lacy Hershey]

looks great! keep the pics coming

 

[Jeeptrip Pete]

Not much of an update, but made a hitch step over the last few days. Will help with access to the roof rack. Take some 2" tube scraps, trim the ends, bend, weld, weld on a second tube, drill a hole, put on some anti-skid tape, and boom, a nice simple step.

Pete

 

[jeepgc]

Nicely done, impressed with how many people here have good metal work skills.

 

[jps4jeep]

Boston ... let me know if you help with anything, I'm probably not too far from you.

 

[Jeeptrip Pete]

:wings: Pete scores an Iceland Offroad Berserk winch bumper!!

Man, this thing is too cool. I've read these went for a grand or more when you could get one. I got it for significantly less. It needs some sanding and paint, but the winch brackets all look good - it's not cut for a winch, so it never even had any force on it, likely. And it came with all the hardware. I know some will say they don't like the fibreglass bumper aspect, but I don't plan to do any hardcore rock crawling with the WJ -- it's an Expedition build. Low weight and a winch up front will be just the ticket for me.

Here's some shots. I will need to trim the fiberglass for the winch, but that's ok. I've got to get some work done on my YJ, so it'll be a month or so before I can get to installing this. Pretty excited about it though.

Pete

 

[206WJ]

Nice rig. Coming along quicker than mine did!!

Nice job on the Iceland fiberglass bumper. Good and light too.

 

[Jeeptrip Pete]

Finally Managed to get the Iceland bumper on the WJ. Life is busy, and I never got to it last Fall. Still don't have the winch in it yet, hopefully in the next few weeks.

Install was pretty straightforward based on other install writeups I've seen. The bumper does give the WJ a "lower fat lip" when viewed from some angles, but from other angles it just looks awesome.

Hope to get the WJ out for some Expedition-type trips this summer.

Pete