Secondhand YJ Build

Now a post of my plans and thoughts. I still need to swap in the LT1. I don't know if I want to go with a 700R4 or a TH350. I don't have any plans of upgrading the Dana 30. I'm waiting for a Dana 44 to show up on CL. I've been waiting for months. I may do full size axles too. It's whatever shows up first and is a good deal. At that point I'll do gears/lockers. Probably in the realm of 4.88s. I don't plan on going bigger than 37s. I'll do more research when I get there. Obviously when that all goes down I'll invest in SYE and driveshafts. For suspension I'll probably end up with a SOA lift with possibly coilovers in the front. I hope to hear all your thoughts on everything. I'll update the thread as I go along.
 
Nice build and I look forward to following the thread. We also have a '95 YJ w/2.5L and the most difficult part of wheeling is actually getting to the trail head. Once there it performs well on the trail and forces you to be careful when picking your line.
 
Nice build and I look forward to following the thread. We also have a '95 YJ w/2.5L and the most difficult part of wheeling is actually getting to the trail head. Once there it performs well on the trail and forces you to be careful when picking your line.

Unfortunately where we go is about three hours away so I have to trailer it. I agree that it does take a little more finesse but it makes it fun. But then it kind of allows you to be a little more aggressive because you know you have a trailer back in the parking lot.
 
Picked up a hard top today for about half the price I've been seeing them go for recently. It should make wheeling in Washington a little better when I move there in a few months. ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1446397387.665559.jpg
 
I got around to working on the new top this weekend. I sanded it down and put some new paint on. ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1447038066.570741.jpg ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1447038106.221673.jpg ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1447038119.226754.jpg ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1447038138.321406.jpg ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1447038168.236624.jpg
Also relocated the rear plate. I was tired of folding the plate over with my thigh every time I walked past it on the driver's side. ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1447038204.537650.jpg
 
Now a post of my plans and thoughts. I still need to swap in the LT1. I don't know if I want to go with a 700R4 or a TH350. I don't have any plans of upgrading the Dana 30. I'm waiting for a Dana 44 to show up on CL. I've been waiting for months. I may do full size axles too. It's whatever shows up first and is a good deal. At that point I'll do gears/lockers. Probably in the realm of 4.88s. I don't plan on going bigger than 37s. I'll do more research when I get there. Obviously when that all goes down I'll invest in SYE and driveshafts. For suspension I'll probably end up with a SOA lift with possibly coilovers in the front. I hope to hear all your thoughts on everything. I'll update the thread as I go along.

Love what you're doing here! I'd definitely recommend going with the 700r4. You'll regret not having OD if you went TH350.

Edited: also, look into the GenRight coilover kits. They have some REALLY bad ass kits that pretty much cover every aspect you would need. They also have from mild to wild.
 
Love what you're doing here! I'd definitely recommend going with the 700r4. You'll regret not having OD if you went TH350.

Edited: also, look into the GenRight coilover kits. They have some REALLY bad ass kits that pretty much cover every aspect you would need. They also have from mild to wild.

Thanks for the advice! I'll look into it. I was also thinking the same thing about the OD. A buddy at work is scrapping a van and I'm pretty sure it has a 700R4. One more piece to the puzzle.
 
Thanks for the advice! I'll look into it. I was also thinking the same thing about the OD. A buddy at work is scrapping a van and I'm pretty sure it has a 700R4. One more piece to the puzzle.

Nice. Also, you might want to look into Novak Adapters. They have the motor mounts and such to where you can literally just drop the new motor in. Not sure of the cost, but I know that getting the motor in the right spot can be the biggest headache when doing motor swaps.
 
Nice. Also, you might want to look into Novak Adapters. They have the motor mounts and such to where you can literally just drop the new motor in. Not sure of the cost, but I know that getting the motor in the right spot can be the biggest headache when doing motor swaps.

That's one of my favorite sites. Lots of good info there. The engine mount kit is around $130. The parts that get expensive is the transfer case adapter, radiator, and the wiring harness. Plus all the odds and ends that always add up.
 
Replaced some leaking seals in my steering box today. It was nice being able to leave it attached to the jeep for the fix. $5 and a couple hours of labour. That's pretty hard to beat. No more puddles on the ground too! ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1449966131.105855.jpgImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1449966149.227260.jpgImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1449966160.234611.jpg
 
I blew an exhaust gasket and found that two bolts that hold the manifold to the head were broke off inside. I had to pull the head to get them out. Not that bad of a job though. ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1451431016.429571.jpgImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1451431041.705559.jpg
 
I blew an exhaust gasket and found that two bolts that hold the manifold to the head were broke off inside. I had to pull the head to get them out. Not that bad of a job though.

Good looking build. I love seeing you doing the work yourself and doing it affordably. I know it's an old thread, but curious if you had updates on the YJ? I just picked up a 1992 YJ about a month ago and it will be an "affordable" build as well. It's just a weekend toy so I can't justify putting a ton of money into it. Your build is inspiring though; kudos
 
Nice build! Been a while, any updates?

Thanks! Sorry I didn’t the notification earlier I was on deployment. I was forced to sell because I needed to move across country.


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Good looking build. I love seeing you doing the work yourself and doing it affordably. I know it's an old thread, but curious if you had updates on the YJ? I just picked up a 1992 YJ about a month ago and it will be an "affordable" build as well. It's just a weekend toy so I can't justify putting a ton of money into it. Your build is inspiring though; kudos

Thanks for the read. As mentioned above I sold it unfortunately. I would love to buy it back though. It was a fun build especially with all the horse trading I did. I try to apply that to my JK build whenever I can.

There’s plenty of parts out there and it helps if you know what new parts cost so when you see one pop up for sale, you can already determine if it’s a good price or not. Good luck with the build.



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