OrangeSkidPlate
Active Member
- Location
- Pocatello
Well I've decided that I want to start a build tread. I definitely don't have the biggest or baddest rig but I have done all the work myself, minus the adjustable ball joints and gears. I am always learning how to do things, whether it be the wrong or right way. So here we go.
I started with a 89 K5 Blazer and loved it. It would go through any mud pit I pointed it towards. As soon as I graduated high school I wanted to pick something up that was a little bit better on gas. So I started looking around and heard a lot of good things about Cherokees. Since I was on a limited budget and thought I could fix anything I picked up a Cherokee off my buddy. I realize now that this was a terrible decision. The kid had blown the tranny, spray painted it black and had screwed with a bunch of other things. But for 700 dollars for a Jeep with no rust (two years later I found a lot of bondo and rust) and 116000 miles was a good deal.
I know, I am cool.
So I threw a new tranny in and it drove like a champ. Basically kept it the way it was when I bought it for a year. Then I wanted some bigger tires, so I got some 33/12.5 MT/Rs, trimmed my fenders and put on an OME light duty leaf pack. Thinking I had a super badass rig, I went to Moab for the first time. I did the first part of Hells Revenge, Porcupine rim and Fins and Things. The mechanical fan clutch ended up going out so I couldn't keep the Jeep cool crawling around.
As soon as I hit one ledge on Porcupine Rim, I knew that I needed to invest more money into the heep. My LSD wasn't helping as much as I thought it would and I couldn't flex worth anything. Somehow got up the ledge.
Once I moved up to Logan for school I met my good buddy who has a Grand Cherokee affectionately named the Green Wienie. Anyways, he opened my eyes to lockers. So I picked up a Lock-Right for my Dana 30 and went to EJS 2013. Jeep was still not as bad as I thought it was.
Seth from trail ridge
The most badass Willy's ever
Ended up doing Rusty Nail (chickened out on the main obstacle) and Hell Roaring Rim.
Pinched tranny line
College kids being idiots
The bolts on my knuckle apparently fell out and pushed my brake caliper into my wheel. Found out the holes were striped out.
Made it back home in one piece after that trip. Decided to buy a parts Jeep from a different buddy, kid was also a complete idiot and seized the motor.
Ended up swapping the 8.25 out of the parts Jeep into mine, as well a hitch receiver and a few other random parts. Traded a lot of parts for better parts for my rig. Ended up with a 3 row Dirtbound fan kit, Rock Krawler 3 link, skid plate, Rubicon Express track bar, rock lights, and a few other things.
Went to Moab that summer with a buddy from school. Needless to say the Jeep still isn't a monster.
Ran the beginning of Hells Revenge, Poison Spider, all of Fins and Things and Porcupine Rim.
So after that Moab trip I realized that I needed to run wheel spacers so I could turn, needed to bumpstop and definitely needed to regear.
Last fall I decided to spend more money. So I picked up a 8.25 with 4.56's and took my Dana 30 to Seth to get regeared. First trip out on the new gears my upper control arm decides it doesn't want to play nice and comes off the unibody. I left it up on the trail and went back into town and picked up a generator and welder and welded it back on.
Late night recovery of my buddy who rolled in Providence canyon.
Picked up some Fox shocks for the front and some steelies. Much better than the ugly chrome wheels. Made a front bumper.
I started with a 89 K5 Blazer and loved it. It would go through any mud pit I pointed it towards. As soon as I graduated high school I wanted to pick something up that was a little bit better on gas. So I started looking around and heard a lot of good things about Cherokees. Since I was on a limited budget and thought I could fix anything I picked up a Cherokee off my buddy. I realize now that this was a terrible decision. The kid had blown the tranny, spray painted it black and had screwed with a bunch of other things. But for 700 dollars for a Jeep with no rust (two years later I found a lot of bondo and rust) and 116000 miles was a good deal.
I know, I am cool.
So I threw a new tranny in and it drove like a champ. Basically kept it the way it was when I bought it for a year. Then I wanted some bigger tires, so I got some 33/12.5 MT/Rs, trimmed my fenders and put on an OME light duty leaf pack. Thinking I had a super badass rig, I went to Moab for the first time. I did the first part of Hells Revenge, Porcupine rim and Fins and Things. The mechanical fan clutch ended up going out so I couldn't keep the Jeep cool crawling around.
As soon as I hit one ledge on Porcupine Rim, I knew that I needed to invest more money into the heep. My LSD wasn't helping as much as I thought it would and I couldn't flex worth anything. Somehow got up the ledge.
Once I moved up to Logan for school I met my good buddy who has a Grand Cherokee affectionately named the Green Wienie. Anyways, he opened my eyes to lockers. So I picked up a Lock-Right for my Dana 30 and went to EJS 2013. Jeep was still not as bad as I thought it was.
Seth from trail ridge
The most badass Willy's ever
Ended up doing Rusty Nail (chickened out on the main obstacle) and Hell Roaring Rim.
Pinched tranny line
College kids being idiots
The bolts on my knuckle apparently fell out and pushed my brake caliper into my wheel. Found out the holes were striped out.
Made it back home in one piece after that trip. Decided to buy a parts Jeep from a different buddy, kid was also a complete idiot and seized the motor.
Ended up swapping the 8.25 out of the parts Jeep into mine, as well a hitch receiver and a few other random parts. Traded a lot of parts for better parts for my rig. Ended up with a 3 row Dirtbound fan kit, Rock Krawler 3 link, skid plate, Rubicon Express track bar, rock lights, and a few other things.
Went to Moab that summer with a buddy from school. Needless to say the Jeep still isn't a monster.
Ran the beginning of Hells Revenge, Poison Spider, all of Fins and Things and Porcupine Rim.
So after that Moab trip I realized that I needed to run wheel spacers so I could turn, needed to bumpstop and definitely needed to regear.
Last fall I decided to spend more money. So I picked up a 8.25 with 4.56's and took my Dana 30 to Seth to get regeared. First trip out on the new gears my upper control arm decides it doesn't want to play nice and comes off the unibody. I left it up on the trail and went back into town and picked up a generator and welder and welded it back on.
Late night recovery of my buddy who rolled in Providence canyon.
Picked up some Fox shocks for the front and some steelies. Much better than the ugly chrome wheels. Made a front bumper.
