NotThePainter's YJ

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[NotThePainter]

I've had my TJ, my first Jeep, for over a year now. Bought it as a beach rig and discovered wheelin' last Fall. Was just at the beginning of the buildup when one of the parts I bought (Dana 44 from a TJ) wasn't correct and the whole budget house of cards tumbled down.

A nice wheelin' YJ appeared and I bought it last night.

Here's the specs from the craigslist ad:

The good:

• 2.5L 4 cylinder
• AX-5 manual tranny
• 3.5" black diamond suspension
• Dana 30 front axle with ected locker, geared 4.88, vacuum disconnect removed
• Ford 8.8 rear axle with ected locker, geared 4.88, disk brakes
• Durango power steering box
• bullet proof tie rod and drag link
• nate 4x4 front winch bumper
• smity built rear bumper/tire carrier
• NP231 sye kit on transfer case
• tom woods custom rear drive shaft
• high tire clearance tube fender front and rear
• K&N cone filter and rusty air tube
• warn gas tank skid
• stickers that add a ton of horse power

The bad:

• crack forming at power steering pump on frame
• starter on the way out
• no rear shocks (been like that for many years don't even notice them missing)

And of course pix from the ad. (It is on 34x10.5 in the shots. They did not come with it. I have inspection tires on it now. I'll be putting my 33x12.5 TrXus on it.)









I need to do a few things right away. The top is abysmal. Would love some recommendations on a YJ top. I'll need a new frame for it or would love a bowless design like the Rampage for the TJ. I do have the family cage.

Frame crack looks minor and easy to fix, some fab work will be needed to add rear shocks, it needs them in my opinion. I have an Anti-Rock that I'll get out of my TJ and see about putting it in. Not too comfortable running without a swaybar on the street.

Need to replace the starter.

The inner fenders are gone, pulled when the very sturdy tubes were put in. I'd like some just for looks and so cops don't think it is a cob-job.

Oil pan is bashed in, probably want to replace that and put a skid over it.

Need to install my CB and buy a hilift. I can probably afford a winch now, that's great. Why can I afford it with all the above work.

I paid $2650. I got a beat looking trail rig, what I've always wanted. And I have a buyer for my TJ already, we just haven't agreed on price. Life is good.

[Ian]

stickers that add a ton of horse power

haha

welcome.  finally someone else running the ax-5!

[NotThePainter]

welcome.  finally someone else running the ax-5!

Yeah, lucky me...

[jps4jeep]

if your keeping Leaf springs, forget about the Anti-rock, either sell or wait till you link it.

[NotThePainter]

if your keeping Leaf springs, forget about the Anti-rock, either sell or wait till you link it.

Keeping the leafs, yes.

I'll pick up the heep from Dr. Wheels in Yarmouth either today or tomorrow. He may have put it on!

[mattamd_xp]

welcome to the addiction 

[NotThePainter]

welcome to the addiction 

Ha! Yeah, tell me about it. My TJ will be for sale soon... 2 heeps in 2 years...

[Posimoto]

I wouldn't think 34x10.5/locker would put that much strain on the frame/steering box, maybe in the past it had larger tires.

Do you live on the Cape?

[NotThePainter]

I wouldn't think 34x10.5/locker would put that much strain on the frame/steering box, maybe in the past it had larger tires.

Do you live on the Cape?

Another jeeper I know says that that is a common failure. It didn't phase my mechanic. And yeah, maybe it did. The 34s are even close to filling the wheel wheels.

Yes, full time in Provincetown. My girlfriend has a house just outside Manchester NH, started wheelin there last year in my stock TJ. Caught the bug bad...

[jps4jeep]

if your keeping Leaf springs, forget about the Anti-rock, either sell or wait till you link it.

Keeping the leafs, yes.

I'll pick up the heep from Dr. Wheels in Yarmouth either today or tomorrow. He may have put it on!

This says volumns about just doing something pointless to make a buck.

[NotThePainter]

This says volumns about just doing something pointless to make a buck.

Not everyone agrees with you on the Anti-Rock. Many, many, people do think it is unnecessary on a YJ, but many also run them and find them beneficial. (Now of course, those folks are folks who bought one and have some interest in justifying their purchase, but that's only human nature.)

I already had purchased it for my TJ, was actually installed when the TJ build went bad. I figured, why not put it on the YJ...

[jerry k]

Because it has leafs and u don't need it.

[navman 5.0]

I see a sheep jeep!! That jeep never had bigger tires than that, but he did drive it to and from every run. It did very well on the 34's. One of those right power/gear/tire combos that did real well for what it was. I constantly confused this jeep and Jdawgs. Ask Jay how many times I thought he had a 4 banger lol.

[NotThePainter]

Because it has leafs and u don't need it.

Like I said above, not everyone agrees with you.

I don't have an opinion on it. I don't have any experience with leaf spring off-roading. (I'm about to though!) What I did was read and read and read and try to throw away most of what I read since it was written by people selling something or clueless people just spouting drivel because they like to see their words online.

When the dust cleared from that search, the only conclusion that I could find was that some people think YJ don't need a sway bar at all and that some people do. The AntiRock satisfies those, like me, who don't want to mess with disconnects.

Does it need it? I don't know. If it doesn't maybe I'll pull it and sell it to a TJ owner (once I buy the TJ bushings...)

[NotThePainter]

I see a sheep jeep!! That jeep never had bigger tires than that, but he did drive it to and from every run. It did very well on the 34's. One of those right power/gear/tire combos that did real well for what it was. I constantly confused this jeep and Jdawgs. Ask Jay how many times I thought he had a 4 banger lol.

Cool! Glad to know it did well.

I'm only on 33s because I had them from my TJ project.