Secondhand YJ Build

[BABOOZLE]

About a year ago I traded my 1988 XJ for a 1995 Wrangler. I did it because I couldn't recoup the money I had put into my XJ because they don't hold their value well and there's a lot of cheap ones out there. A guy on a local Jeep FB page was wanting to trade for a more family friendly jeep. We met and then traded straight up. Well he wanted his wheels and tires so we swapped those during the trade. I didn't blame him.

It's a 95' Rio Grande with a 2.5L powerhouse backed with an AX-5, Dana 30/35 axles with 4.10 gears. It also a 4" Rough Country lift plus everything else you can see in the picture. Every vehicle I buy I try to make it my own. Plus I wanted to try and build most of it off of Craigslist and local Jeep parts FB pages. Here's my build thread of the secondhand YJ.

 

[BABOOZLE]

After I traded the wheels and tires with the previous owner I realized the jeep really sad and pathetic so I needed to hurry up and start modifying to get it looking respectable.

I started by getting rid of that ugly Smittybilt bumper and picked up a stock one for $40. I ended up later trading the old bumper and Harbor Freight winch for a set of 33" Baja Claws, Bestop seat covers and rear seat.

 

[BABOOZLE]

It then became obvious that some TLC was needed for the whole jeep. It was given a standard tune up and the front axle seals required replacing. I also replaced the hubs while I was there.

 

[BABOOZLE]

The next thing on my list of serious upgrades was a new rear axle. I figured if I looked at that 35 in the rear long enough it would break from the weight of my gaze. A 44 was impossible to find on CL and so I then looked for a different option, the Ford 8.8. That search proved easier and purchased one from a guy for $120. We removed it from a 2001 Ford Explorer. After further inspection it revealed that it was a LSD with 4.11 gears. Perfect, I didn't need to re gear the front axle. The 8.8 also came with disc brakes which was a huge plus as well.

 

[BABOOZLE]

After doing all my research for the swap, I jumped in and started. Removing the old axle was easy enough.

Mocking up the new axle was fairly easy. Triple measured, set my pinion angle, perches and welded them in place.

After ordering perches, shock tabs, pinion flange to u joint adapter, brake overhaul and e brake cables the price came out around to $500 including the axle. I then turned around and sold my old Dana 35 for $100.

 

[BABOOZLE]

The jeep was a little rough in some spots and it was the perfect platform to experiment on. I wasn't worried about trying new things. I wanted the jeep to me different and plus experimenting made me a better mechanic because it taught me a lot. Now I'm not too scared to try any type of upgrade. You just need to do your research and do it.

After replacing the cracked windshield I decided the jeep needed some attitude and character. I wanted to try a trick I saw on TV. An old hot rod trick, paint with lace. I masked off the hood and painted it black. Then laid down my favorite lace pattern I got from the fabric store. That's the only time I've ever looked forward to going there. Then I sprayed the hood with gold paint. It turned out better than I thought. People always ask if it's a vinyl decal.

I also decided to paint the roll bar gold to go with my new theme.

The Honey Badger is born.

 

[BABOOZLE]

Time to upgrade some armor. I scored a set of homemade sliders off of a guy on FB. They are made from 4" 1/4" angle iron. They probably weigh around 70 lbs each. I counter sunk them to the tub and also welded braces that went from the slider to the frame. I had to carry on the new theme so they also got painted to match.

 

[BABOOZLE]

With this new heavier weight I needed to help out the engine a little bit. I decided to switch to a 16" electric fan. I wired it to a thermostat and switch and it works very well. Also swapped in a 4.0 throttle body that I got from a guy for $20. Probably one of the best upgrades for the money. I could really feel the difference with a throttle body that is a few millimeters bigger. 2.5 needs all the help it can get. My mileage also went up about 2 MPG.

 

[JeepJeep75]

Nice job on bringing some new life into an old design. I like the do-it-on-the-cheap style your going with. Maybe you can do something with those hideous looking spring shackles on the front next? There's gotta be a set of springs that have the right amount of arch, width, and length. Looking good man!![emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

 

[BABOOZLE]

Needing more change I decided to paint the grille black, remove the lights from the windshield and make a Baja style tire carrier. The tire carrier is made from the stock carrier. I welded some square tubing to it and now had a custom tire mount for around $20. Also as you can see from the lack of flex, I removed both track bars. I got a little more flex and handled the same on the road.

 

[BABOOZLE]

Nice job on bringing some new life into an old design. I like the do-it-on-the-cheap style your going with. Maybe you can do something with those hideous looking spring shackles on the front next? There's gotta be a set of springs that have the right amount of arch, width, and length. Looking good man!![emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

Thanks. It's not over yet. Suspension is always subject to change.

 

[BABOOZLE]

I finally got a chance to take it out in the rocks and test it. I was very apprehensive. I didn't know how the 2.5/AX-5 would do crawling with 33s or if the suspension would be really stiff and not perform well. Once I got it in 4 Lo it went everywhere. I was very surprised and I followed my buddy's Rubicon on almost every trail.

We even met some Wayalife members too! But at the end of the day the jeep vapor locked and ended up flooding out. It was around 100 degrees at the park.

 

[BABOOZLE]

Forgot to mention that before the trip my wife bought me a new XRC 10K winch. It looks good and has worked so far. I personally would have gotten a Warn but it was a gift. But as of right now it's currently on her jeep.

After the successful trip I decided that I wanted to upgrade to 35s. Within a week, a guy wanted to trade 35s for 33s. They were too big for his XJ. I have him a $100 and we traded. Rare trade indeed.

 

[CarolinaJK]

Glad to see another CAJS member on here! Great looking Jeep! I respect it a lot more now that I know how it started! [emoji106]

 

[BABOOZLE]

To help lower the under hood temps I added a cowl vent. I think it cost me around $5 at Lowes. Yes, it's a floor vent. Opens and shuts too, lol.

 

[BABOOZLE]

Glad to see another CAJS member on here! Great looking Jeep! I respect it a lot more now that I know how it started! [emoji106]

Thanks. Hope to see you around.

 

[BABOOZLE]

I knew at some point I needed to upgrade the drivetrain if it was going to live in the rocks. I started doing research on engine swaps. It's a lot of work because you need to think of engine/transmission/transfer case/axle compatibility. It all needs to be planned out for it to work. After months of looking on CL for a good candidate I came across a 350 LT1/700R4/transfer case combo with accessories and wiring harness included. I quickly snagged it all for $500. I sold the T case because it was a passenger side drop for $100. Everything looked good but I still wanted to tear it down to inspect it all. My luck ran out. All the bearings were shot.

 

[BABOOZLE]

I pondered on what I should do and I decided to rebuild the motor. After all the machining and parts my bill came out to around $1500. I then assembled the engine and have it patiently waiting on the engine stand.

 

[BABOOZLE]

To add to the story, I've always wanted a JK. The opportunity finally came around after the engine build. We purchased a 2010 JKU and started building it for my wife. With good intentions I decided to sell my Honey Badger to fund the build of the JK. We built her jeep up a bit but the YJ never sold the two months it was on the market. I marked it a little high because I put a lot of work into it and I kinda didn't really want to sell it. I got my wits about me and pulled it off of CL. I didn't want to regret selling it later in life. Plus I have so many plans for it.

 

[BABOOZLE]

Now we are up to speed with the secondhand YJ. I was motivated today and decided to trim the fenders since my 33s caught them when we were at Gulches. Another cheap modification. Just takes guts and little luck and skill to take an angle grinder to the side of your jeep. I'm happy with the way it turned out. I just need to figure if I'm going to do a competition cut in the rear or not. I don't think the jeep is that hardcore yet to wear that badge. I did trim a little in the rear to clear the 35s when flexed.