Alright so it's not extreme, but it was cheap fun...here's my story.
Seeing several “Low Buck Build” articles in four wheel drive magazines over the years has always made me want to try it for myself. So, In March of 2010 I purchased a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ with 160,000 miles for $900. It came from the factory with the 4.0 Liter inline 6 engine, NP231 Transfer case, Chrysler Torque Flight 42RE automatic transmission, Dana 30 front axle with 5-297x U-Joints (thanks to the ABS option), and a Dana 35 rear axle.
The seller told me that the transmission had just been rebuilt but needed to be “serviced”. After a test drive, I learned that the transmission could only be shifted manually by moving the shift lever from 1-2-D. After some quick cell-phone-internet research I learned that this meant the transmission was in "default" mode and that the issue was probably sensor-related. Deciding that was an acceptable risk, I purchased the Jeep and drove away happy, manually shifting my new 42RE trans all the way home.
The next day I took the Jeep to a friend that works in a transmission shop, had him read the codes and learned that the governer pressure sensor and / or solenoid were bad, so I searched eBay and purchased both for $100 total shipped (total investment now $1000). After installing the sensor and solenoid myself the transmission shifted smooth and reliably. I took the Jeep to get inspected and it passed the Utah state safety and emissions tests with flying colors!
Feeling good about my purchase I decided to start researching suspension lifts and learned that Rough Country makes a lift that moves the stock front springs to the rear which gives 3" of lift, and they use new 3” lift coils up front. Wanting to keep this ZJ as cheap as possible (it had 160,000 miles on it, after all) I decided to purchase a set of used front springs and put them in the rear and purchase a set of 2" coil spacers for the front which, with a little fender trimming, would net me enough clearance for a 31" tire.
I immediately started browsing local classified ads (KSL.com) and found a pair of springs for $20, and a set of new 2" coil spacers for $40 (total investment now $1060). I installed the springs in the rear and spacers up front, and then made a 2" spacer for the lower front shock mount (so I could retain the stock shocks) and cut the rear lower shock mounts off the axle and re-welded them 2" higher for the same aforementioned reason. I then welded a drop extension and reinforcements onto the frame side of the rear track bar mount to center the rear axle properly, drilled a new hole in the front axle side track bar mount to center it, and turned my front sway bar end links into disconnects with about $15 worth of nuts, bolts, clevis pins, and heim joints ordered from QS Components website. I had no issues with driveshaft vibration after the lift so I didn’t bother lowering the transfer case (total investment now $1075).
With the lift out of the way it was time to trim the fenders. I removed all of the plastic body cladding (didn't like the look of it anyway) and cut about 2" off of the front fender arch and about 1" off of the rear. Then I ground down the mounting posts for the cladding, primed the lower half of the doors to cover the bare metal, and gave the lower half of the doors and what was left of the fenders a nice coat of DupliColor Truck Bed Liner that I bought from my local auto parts store for $15 for 2 cans (total investment now $1090).
After the lift and fender trimming it was time for tires and wheels. I went back to KSL.com and found a good set of aluminum wheels in the size I needed (15x8, 5 on 4.5" lug pattern) for $100 and a set of used 31x10.50r15 BFGoodrich All Terrains with about 60% tread that the seller was asking $200 mounted and balanced, so for $300 I had a good set of wheels and tires ready to mount up (total investment now $1390).
Having heard countless stories about the notorious Dana 35 rear axle I started looking for a replacement. I found a Chrysler 8.25 that had just been pulled from a 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ for FREE on KSL.com, which would be a good upgrade for the price so I hurriedly ran and picked it up and gave the guy $20 as a token of my appreciation (total investment now $1410). However, once I did the math for a bracket kit to mount it under my ZJ, and looking at the very limited and expensive locker options I decided to just clean up and resell the 8.25 and live with the Dana 35 since I was only planning on running 31" tires. After a quick cleanup and repaint of the 8.25 I relisted and sold it for $150 (total investment now $1260).
For a little trail insurance I started looking for spare shafts for the Dana 35. I found a complete Dana 35 for $40 on KSL.com that I could pull the shafts out of and use as spares, after scavenging the parts I wanted I listed the carrier with spider / side gears on eBay for $40 + shipping. The listing sold, covering the cost of the axle (total investment still $1260).
Now that I had spare shafts I was feeling pretty confident and started browsing KSL.com for a “lunchbox” style differential locker for my weak Dana 35. I found a used Aussie Locker for $150 and installed it myself (total investment now $1425 with $15 added expense for gear lube and RTV silicon). I then sold the side and spider gears that were in my open differential for $30 plus shipping cost on eBay (total investment $1395).
Now that I had all the parts needed for the rear axle I turned my attention to the front. I started looking for spare shafts for the front on (you guessed it…) KSL.com and lucked out again! I found a complete (minus brake rotors and calipers) Dana 30 front axle from a 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ that had a blown ring and pinion gear for $20 (total investment $1415). I tore it all apart, salvaging all usable parts. I kept the shafts complete with 297x u-joints for myself, and listed the side and spider gears on eBay for $20 plus shipping, listed the steering knuckles for $20 each, and wheel bearing / hub units for $20 each. The ring and pinion was too damaged to resell so it got thrown out. After selling all these parts on eBay I netted a profit of $100 (total investment now $1315).
Feeling very good about my progress so far and having built a few bumpers for previous Jeeps, I decided this Jeep needed some bumpers, rocker guards, gas tank skid, transfer case skid, and front lower control arm skid plates. After taking inventory of my own garage scrap pile, I headed to my local steel supplier, Wasatch Steel. My favorite thing about Wasatch Steel is their “surplus” steel scrap yard where you can purchase surface rusted steel for a fraction of the cost of new and with a little sanding with a flap disk it is just as good as new. After gathering $200 worth of surplus steel I had everything needed to build all of my bumpers and skid plates. I will spare the details of how I made each of these, but all were made in my garage with a cheap 220V MIG welder and basic metal working tools (grinders, metal cutting circular saw, sawzall, sledge hammer etc). The rocker guards are 2x3” - 3/16” wall rectangular steel tubing and the "backbone" of the bumpers is 2x4" - 3/16" wall rectangular steel tubing. The skid plates were all made of 3/16" flat stock in various widths (total investment now $1515).
To finish everything up I decided a new set of proper length shocks would be nice so that I could remove the spacers I had previously made for the front lower shock mounts so I headed to my local 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers (Salt Lake store) and purchased a set of 4 Pro Comp ES3000 shocks for $140 and while I was there I picked up a pair of Pro Comp 55 watt off road lights for $50 plus $10 worth of wiring, a fuse, switch, and relay to wire them up (total investment now $1715).
For now, my low-buck ZJ is "finished". It is exactly what I need: a fairly-capable off road rig that can carry me and my family down dirt roads and moderately difficult trails. I have to admit that this Jeep build was just as much (if not more) fun than any of my previous Jeep projects, partially due to the added challenge of finding parts on the cheap.
Seeing several “Low Buck Build” articles in four wheel drive magazines over the years has always made me want to try it for myself. So, In March of 2010 I purchased a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ with 160,000 miles for $900. It came from the factory with the 4.0 Liter inline 6 engine, NP231 Transfer case, Chrysler Torque Flight 42RE automatic transmission, Dana 30 front axle with 5-297x U-Joints (thanks to the ABS option), and a Dana 35 rear axle.
The seller told me that the transmission had just been rebuilt but needed to be “serviced”. After a test drive, I learned that the transmission could only be shifted manually by moving the shift lever from 1-2-D. After some quick cell-phone-internet research I learned that this meant the transmission was in "default" mode and that the issue was probably sensor-related. Deciding that was an acceptable risk, I purchased the Jeep and drove away happy, manually shifting my new 42RE trans all the way home.
The next day I took the Jeep to a friend that works in a transmission shop, had him read the codes and learned that the governer pressure sensor and / or solenoid were bad, so I searched eBay and purchased both for $100 total shipped (total investment now $1000). After installing the sensor and solenoid myself the transmission shifted smooth and reliably. I took the Jeep to get inspected and it passed the Utah state safety and emissions tests with flying colors!
Feeling good about my purchase I decided to start researching suspension lifts and learned that Rough Country makes a lift that moves the stock front springs to the rear which gives 3" of lift, and they use new 3” lift coils up front. Wanting to keep this ZJ as cheap as possible (it had 160,000 miles on it, after all) I decided to purchase a set of used front springs and put them in the rear and purchase a set of 2" coil spacers for the front which, with a little fender trimming, would net me enough clearance for a 31" tire.
I immediately started browsing local classified ads (KSL.com) and found a pair of springs for $20, and a set of new 2" coil spacers for $40 (total investment now $1060). I installed the springs in the rear and spacers up front, and then made a 2" spacer for the lower front shock mount (so I could retain the stock shocks) and cut the rear lower shock mounts off the axle and re-welded them 2" higher for the same aforementioned reason. I then welded a drop extension and reinforcements onto the frame side of the rear track bar mount to center the rear axle properly, drilled a new hole in the front axle side track bar mount to center it, and turned my front sway bar end links into disconnects with about $15 worth of nuts, bolts, clevis pins, and heim joints ordered from QS Components website. I had no issues with driveshaft vibration after the lift so I didn’t bother lowering the transfer case (total investment now $1075).
With the lift out of the way it was time to trim the fenders. I removed all of the plastic body cladding (didn't like the look of it anyway) and cut about 2" off of the front fender arch and about 1" off of the rear. Then I ground down the mounting posts for the cladding, primed the lower half of the doors to cover the bare metal, and gave the lower half of the doors and what was left of the fenders a nice coat of DupliColor Truck Bed Liner that I bought from my local auto parts store for $15 for 2 cans (total investment now $1090).
After the lift and fender trimming it was time for tires and wheels. I went back to KSL.com and found a good set of aluminum wheels in the size I needed (15x8, 5 on 4.5" lug pattern) for $100 and a set of used 31x10.50r15 BFGoodrich All Terrains with about 60% tread that the seller was asking $200 mounted and balanced, so for $300 I had a good set of wheels and tires ready to mount up (total investment now $1390).
Having heard countless stories about the notorious Dana 35 rear axle I started looking for a replacement. I found a Chrysler 8.25 that had just been pulled from a 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ for FREE on KSL.com, which would be a good upgrade for the price so I hurriedly ran and picked it up and gave the guy $20 as a token of my appreciation (total investment now $1410). However, once I did the math for a bracket kit to mount it under my ZJ, and looking at the very limited and expensive locker options I decided to just clean up and resell the 8.25 and live with the Dana 35 since I was only planning on running 31" tires. After a quick cleanup and repaint of the 8.25 I relisted and sold it for $150 (total investment now $1260).
For a little trail insurance I started looking for spare shafts for the Dana 35. I found a complete Dana 35 for $40 on KSL.com that I could pull the shafts out of and use as spares, after scavenging the parts I wanted I listed the carrier with spider / side gears on eBay for $40 + shipping. The listing sold, covering the cost of the axle (total investment still $1260).
Now that I had spare shafts I was feeling pretty confident and started browsing KSL.com for a “lunchbox” style differential locker for my weak Dana 35. I found a used Aussie Locker for $150 and installed it myself (total investment now $1425 with $15 added expense for gear lube and RTV silicon). I then sold the side and spider gears that were in my open differential for $30 plus shipping cost on eBay (total investment $1395).
Now that I had all the parts needed for the rear axle I turned my attention to the front. I started looking for spare shafts for the front on (you guessed it…) KSL.com and lucked out again! I found a complete (minus brake rotors and calipers) Dana 30 front axle from a 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ that had a blown ring and pinion gear for $20 (total investment $1415). I tore it all apart, salvaging all usable parts. I kept the shafts complete with 297x u-joints for myself, and listed the side and spider gears on eBay for $20 plus shipping, listed the steering knuckles for $20 each, and wheel bearing / hub units for $20 each. The ring and pinion was too damaged to resell so it got thrown out. After selling all these parts on eBay I netted a profit of $100 (total investment now $1315).
Feeling very good about my progress so far and having built a few bumpers for previous Jeeps, I decided this Jeep needed some bumpers, rocker guards, gas tank skid, transfer case skid, and front lower control arm skid plates. After taking inventory of my own garage scrap pile, I headed to my local steel supplier, Wasatch Steel. My favorite thing about Wasatch Steel is their “surplus” steel scrap yard where you can purchase surface rusted steel for a fraction of the cost of new and with a little sanding with a flap disk it is just as good as new. After gathering $200 worth of surplus steel I had everything needed to build all of my bumpers and skid plates. I will spare the details of how I made each of these, but all were made in my garage with a cheap 220V MIG welder and basic metal working tools (grinders, metal cutting circular saw, sawzall, sledge hammer etc). The rocker guards are 2x3” - 3/16” wall rectangular steel tubing and the "backbone" of the bumpers is 2x4" - 3/16" wall rectangular steel tubing. The skid plates were all made of 3/16" flat stock in various widths (total investment now $1515).
To finish everything up I decided a new set of proper length shocks would be nice so that I could remove the spacers I had previously made for the front lower shock mounts so I headed to my local 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers (Salt Lake store) and purchased a set of 4 Pro Comp ES3000 shocks for $140 and while I was there I picked up a pair of Pro Comp 55 watt off road lights for $50 plus $10 worth of wiring, a fuse, switch, and relay to wire them up (total investment now $1715).
For now, my low-buck ZJ is "finished". It is exactly what I need: a fairly-capable off road rig that can carry me and my family down dirt roads and moderately difficult trails. I have to admit that this Jeep build was just as much (if not more) fun than any of my previous Jeep projects, partially due to the added challenge of finding parts on the cheap.
Very similar to how I build mine.
