What would you do to a YJ for a Cross US trip from East to West and back...

[TEC3]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the response. I do not have AC and I don't plan on buying a JK for this trip. I drive this thing 60 miles a day 4 days a week and I am pretty good about keeping things in good shape.

The alignment is good right now, before the trip I am going to have both the truck and Jeep aligned for precaution.
I am glad others chimed in, I use to do 300-400 mile trips to wheel in old CJ's and didn't mind it. I am looking for gear storage options as well. I am trying to retain the fold and tumble rear seat for the trip so we can swap people around if needed.

Looks like new seats may be in order.
I would like to get a rack. Any suggestions? A gobi rack is nice, but 1500 is way out of budget for this. I have seen the smittybilt ones and they look ok.



Thanks

 

[KJP]

Sounds like the theme is replace it with a new JK. I had a 95 and thought it was pretty comfortable... Having grown up in CJs. I'd change the oil, do an alignment and hit the road.

I agree with this... I did 3000 miles in 4 days in a 91 2.5 YJ and didn't find it a problem at all other than stiff posterier. Other than change oil and alignment, I'd add a full grease job - especially driveshafts, check ball joints, u-joints and driveline bearings - and give it a go. (on second thought - good idea to replace the driveline u-joints if it's been a while for a long trip like that) Also, with a spring over it would be a good idea to make sure you have the right shocks on it so it doesn't wallow around the road, but not overly stiff... shocks can make all the difference in some rigs. Have fun!

 

[Longtallsally]

Man I gotta say, you all are a bunch of pansies. The OP is a hero and a cool guy for doing it. I did a similar cross country and back trip in my YJ like this:

This was a '95 Rio Grande: 33s, 4.88s, lock rights at both ends, no AC, no hard top. Max AC was top down, doors off. It was the middle of summer and included going across NV.

So to actually be productive to the OPs post, consider the trip a regular- albeit longer- off road trip. That is, carry a full compliment of tools and trail spares. Prior to leaving make sure your maintenance is up to date and do a strong run through of the U joints, steering components, and cooling system. Mine had about 140k on the clock when I did this trip. I removed the front drive shaft as well.

2 weeks after completing the slog out west- I went to OH first- (loaded as in the above pics), I did the Rubicon Trail.

Do not underestimate the little YJ. They. Are. Tough.

 

[twiisted71]

Man I gotta say, you all are a bunch of pansies.

How long did you have your Jeep? How much do you suppose you dumped into it in trinkets/upgrades/maintenance? compared to other vehicles how comfortable was it? REALLY. So going to a junkyard and finding a set of nice modern seats that fit your body to me is a drop in the bucket that will pay huge dividends on ability to enjoy long hours in the saddle. The OP isnt leaving tomorrow he has months to prepare-hence his posing of the thread. Every Jeep CJ/Wrangler body style) that I've ever been in from '60s CJs to '00s TJs has been nothing more than durable and providing decent field of vision. Their support was minimal and comfort virtually non existent. Many use GM seats from the Sunbird/Cavalier line, those were totally wrong for my 6'1-#230 stature. However the Ford Windstar had perfect posture for me. They have a huge issue with their transmissions that has caused a very large percentage to end up in scrap yards with extremely low mileage. This meant a large selection of color and materials in virtually new condition seats at unbelievable prices when compared to what is offered in the aftermarket and are more comfortable. This combined with some removable heavy sound deadening/insulating floor/firewall lining will go a long way to improving his brother's trip-especially since it doesn't have A/C.
I get scoffed at for designing my Jeep with A/C, soft suspension, and comfy seats on several sites. Why should I be uncomfortable when driving my rig? Other than the A/C I haven't diminished the reliability of my vehicle, nor its capability, but I have increased its enjoyability exponentially. This is especially true given that I live in the DEEP South and temps are in the '90s for 9+ months out of the year. I for one will much rather go somewhere in my Jeep and arrive calm, cool, and collected than irritable, sweaty, and road/wind weary. When ready to wheel I can pull my doors and carpets (if the weather is nice) and bop along with the same open air feeling as all the "hardcore" Jeepers. I no longer have anything to prove by making my Jeep so singularly dedicated that it is miserable to drive or has to be trailered. With a few simple and comparatively cheap mods the OP can make his Jeep much more fun for those driving it on this extended jaunt. This is Expedition Portal after all, not the hardcore Jeep section of Pirate.
Just my 2¢

 

[Longtallsally]

Had the Jeep 14 years (bought it new as my first new car upon completion of my undergrad and getting my first job). I eventually got promoted to outside sales and suffice it to say living in a humid area in the midwest at the time and wearing a suit to work every day in the heat of the summer was not an easy task. I could not afford to have 2 cars at the time and could not afford to spend a mint upgrading the Jeep, so I made it work. I was given a hard time by my management for not having a more "professional" vehicle, but I didn't care as my only dream after finishing school was to get a Jeep. There were no Saharas in the nation (the hot rod Jeep at that time) and I didn't know how to wrench yet, nor did I have many tools, so I had to get a new car that had a warranty.

This is the major point here: I was much younger and tolerant of discomfort and after 5+ years of it being my only car, I got more into motorcycles, lived in CA (so I started commuting exclusively on bikes), and then eventually into racing hot hatch cars as I could afford it. The Jeep became a "spare" machine used only mildly for the next few years until I went to grad school in CO where I got back into off road and did a few trips to the Easter Jeep Safari and all over CO. I did a bunch of stuff on a grad student's shoe string budget, and by this time had become a pretty good wrench and did everything myself.

In terms of comfort, I'm 6'7" and was around 250 at the time and this eventually took it's toll on the OEM seats (it also got to be a habit to tilt my head over bumps as I would ********** my head on the darn sound bar). As I didn't have the cash to get new ones, I swapped the driver and passenger seats, which worked really well. By the time I lived in CO and started driving the Jeep all the time again, I longed to get a hard top and get AC, but again, some of the off road performance stuff took precedence as I did have another car.

The point is, I think the OP is making this an adventure and wants to make sure he has the correct tool for the job when he gets to the trail and wants to try and mitigate some comfort concerns for long stints on the road. Personally, I think it's a lot like riding a motorcycle- you just aren't wearing a helmet- so I think it's really fun to drive around in a Jeep that doesn't have the creature comforts. So I wouldn't necessarily give twiisted71 a hard time for how he has his built- if I kept my YJ, I would have done the same things eventually. However, I now have a family, and different priorities, so the JKUR got the nod. The cool part about the JK is that when I want to play Marlboro Man, I take the top and doors off and drive around.

 

[TEC3]

Long Tall Pony,
What is the width of those rims you are running? Also what rack is that? I am looking at rack options and really can't find anything I like yet. I love the Gobi rack but for 1500 I think that is excessive for my YJ.

 

[Longtallsally]

I think the rims were 15x10. Don't ask the back spacing as I got them from a friend a long time ago and I sold the Jeep in 2009. The rack was a Garvin (Wilderness Racks). I don't remember what I paid for it, as it was obviously a long time ago. It served me VERY well, including a mild roll on the escalator:



It can hold A BUNCH of stuff (don't try this at home as it was for a run around the corner to a storage unit as I was moving from CO:

I custom made the rack over the spare tire.

 

[Jeeptrip Pete]

Back in 2000 a buddy and I took a 94 YJ with a soft top all around the country for a summer. 4.5 months and 19,000 miles. We had put on a 2.5" lift and 31 BFG ATs. It had a 4.0 and a 5-speed. No AC, no cruise, it was just a base Jeep. It was a fantastic Jeep, and a fantastic trip. 2 sleeping bags, a tent, a coleman stove, and a couple of duffle bags for our clothes.

We started in New England in May, down to Key West, out to CA, up to Oregon and Washington, and back home across the Northern and central US. Got home in Mid-September. Wheeled Moab, Death Valley, Ouray, Telluride... Hiked, camped, Jeeped.... The list of what we saw and did is endless.

Short answer -- It's very doable. Just don't fool yourself: Make sure the Jeep is ready to go. If you know something isn't right with it, don't pretend it's ok.

You mention a SOA and 31s. That's pretty tall for 31s. A basic 2.5" SUA lift would make the Jeep more reasonable for a long highway trip, IMHO.
Good luck
Pete

 

[TEC3]

Hey Jeeptrip Pete,

It is SOA with some bad shape springs. I am replacing them before I go. I could clear 33's but I am worried about have a 4cyl with 33's on the hwy. I have 4.10 gearing so I am worried it would be a turd out west. I don't mind going too slow though. Once out west we plan on back roads only.

I am SERIOUSLY considering going back to SUA with a 3.5-4.5" lift. I have priced beefier stock springs and I would be looking at 450 or so for those. If I could find a good quality SUA lift for a little more than that I would be game. I eventually will go to 4.56's or 4.88's... Maybe before the trip, but probably not.