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My 5.2 build, the free Jeep.

68K views 413 replies 45 participants last post by  Myusername1674 
#1 ·
Here's my Jeep build, nothing to crazy, and for the most part nothing that hasn't been done before. It's a student build as i myself am in school. It is also a student build since I have had to learn everything that I have done to it. So with that in mind please, read on.

The first big post was from 2012 when I first moved the thread over from a different site

Just an fyi, this thread is picture heavy! I sorta like taking pictures and documenting stuff, makes me feel like I'm doing something. :highfive:

All that aside here's my Jeep when I first got her and then with the current setup




My Jeep:
5.2L V8
NP231
Lockright front
Super 35 w/ Detroit Rear
4.5 front lift, Adjustable CA's
RE front double sheer trackbar
5ish rear, Adjustable CA's
JKS rear trackbar
Trimmed
35" Goodyear Wrangler MT/R w/ Kevlar
Black Soft 8's
RC winch plate+homemade tube front bumper
Smittybilt XRC
KOR d-ring shackles front
Trailer hitch d-ring rear
Other Stuff below [not an exhaustive list, I've done other minor cosmetic things]

Stuff
Cowl Snorkel
Exhaust Snorkel
Bumper Fascia Removed, Painted Metal
Front Windows Tinted
Floor Bedline
NP249>NP231 Swap
Trimming, Front Bumper
Lock Right Locker
Trimmed Fenders
4.5 lift
Disconnects
CB Mount
Doorless ZJ Mod Write Up
RC Winch plate and Winch
Bedlined lower quarter
Super 35
Goodyear Wrangler MT/R w/ Kevlar
Front Bumper

----------------------------------------------------------------


Wheeling Trips
First Prentice Cooper Trip
Second Prentice Cooper Trip
Third Prentice Cooper Trip
Video of 3rd Prentice
Fourth Prentice Cooper Trip
AOP.1
AOP.2

----------------------------------------------------------------

Misc:
High flow cat exhaust sound/nighttime mudding
Old Photoshoot
Messin' Around
Wasted $
My Buddy got a Jeep
Throwback wheeling
 
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#2 ·
From Cardomain

Little history of my Jeep; it was special ordered back in the 1990's by my Uncle. He drove it for many years, until he later retired it and gave it to his son (my cousin). This cousin wrecked it three times, thankfully they fixed it just fine. After his son went to college the Jeep sat around, was driven somewhat frequently to move my uncles boat. In 2008 (i think) my uncle gave the Jeep to my oldest brother to have as his car. It then preceded to get handed down to my other brother, who then let the oldest drive it again, and then a year ago he gave it to me, a few months before I turned 16 he gave it to me. When I got it the Jeep had around 235k on it I believe.
It's the 5.2l V8, Limited.

[Edit: Please be aware, the first big post of this build was when I went through my 'rice' stage, if I could go back I would have spent my money better.]

Heres when i first got it, in July 2011






9-7-11

Here's what it looks like as of today; it may be hard to tell the difference, the most noticable things arel the fog lights, I bought new ones and installed them; the gold trim on the bottom i painted black and the white styrafoam I also painted black as well, bacause I couldnt find a replacement plastic cover....


9-10-11

Just thought I'd update, i got the wheels painted and they look really good!



9-20-11

So i got the smoked headlights installed! look great, I'll get better pictures tomorrow after daylight, head over to page #4 for details and pictures of the installation :)

So yeah, it looks great!

9-27-11

So last thursday i decided i should fix up the luggage rack, so i took it off and painted the metal parts blue. As you can tell the factory paint was worn out, and looked pretty bad..... so i taped off the plastic parts.

and after i put it back on....

....Well spent $8..... I'll get better daylights pics at somepoint, i always work at night so you cant see anything in the pics

10-13-11

So first update in awhile, i put a black pin stripe over the gold strip, you can sorta see it here.......

and i painted all of the Jeep logo's an decals blue...!





an i put some extra blue leds on the insides on the doors, and plan to replace the ones in the cieling too.

10-27-11

I removed the rear vents from the back so i could repaint them black, but when I took them off, i decided they would look kinda cool blue, and now they do.....

Im sure a lot of people may not like the blue Ive got on here, but Im mostly doing it for fun, i mean its an old car, so its gotta stand out somehow right?

10-29-11

Bought felt to cover my sub, so it doesnt look so ghetto now! Gotta love wal-mart. Before (left) after (right)



11-11-11

Ive done a good bit since my last update, got new tailights, new speakers and tinted the fog lights black to match the head lights, hears some pics!

old speakers, (left) new speakers (right:)


Alpine type E's , I replaced all four stock ones, only one still barely worked before I did it.

Fog lights, tinted black (left light) before tint (right light)


New tailights


So thats pretty much it, I'll get better daylight pictures of the new lights at some point, I may end up tinting them darker, (the tailights) I haven't decided yet.

11-28-11

I am in the proccess of repainting the interior, its following the same black and blue scheme that i have been using, so far the dash is done and I am working on the rear door, pictures soon!

12-8-11

Here's before and after of the dash, I did this around two weeks ago.


And heres after its all painted and re-installed, looks great with the blue Leds.



3-4-12

Haven't updated lately, but here's what I've done:

Trimmed front bumper and moved my fogs down to the front.
 
#3 ·
3-4-12
Some more recent pics with my friends Land Rover





And then a little bit stuck in a creek, didn't realize it was that deep. haha


Couldn't get the vid to work, but here's a link to it on youtube:



I added a new 12" Kicker Comp, kicks hard, thats all that I've really done right now. More soon!
6-16-12

Replaced the stock mufler with a Magnaflow 31'' Glasspack, sounds amazing!



7-4-12

Ordered a set of 5 black steelies, as well as a 2" BB. Going to order these tires once a little more money comes in



7-12-12

Well as i was waiting for the bb to get here, i decided to finally finish my interior painting, can't find any pictures of it on my computer though.

7-18-12
Budget Boost
Finished budget boosting the Jeep! Looks great, no wobbles so far, only gone to 50 mph though. I'll try the highway soon enough. Here's before (left) and after (right)



More after



Now I just need to get those tires :D

7-23-12

Forgot to mention the trim and paint job mod i did to the rear bumper, did this a month or so back, trimmed the plastic away from the metal and trimmed the metal.


These pictures are actually after the lift, but its the best shot of the rear bumper.

8-19-12

Couple of updates, I plastidipped my hood since the clear coat was pealing so bad, and i also fabbed up some sway bar quick disconects. Here's a pic of me with the Jeep, good shot of the hood, also i took the disconects off in under 3ish minutes to flex on this rock for the pic.


Also i did order those tires around 3 weeks ago, they're on back order and I'm guessing it will still be a while before i get them. Oh well, until then schools starting back so my lifes gonna get real busy again.

10-3-12
New Tires
Been busy lately, got the tires on about a month ago. Also getting her ready to go to Prentice Cooper in a few weeks.


Next to the Land Rover.


Well thats mostly it, as of
10-10-12
I finally finished bumpstopping the Jeep, and I'm now working on a relocated cowl snorkel, as well as refurbishing my smoked headlights, as they were in need of fixing up.
 
#5 ·
when i worked at the ford/izuzu dealer, a log bed 2wd '87 Izuzu p/u, stick-shift, diesel (non-turbo) with a camper shell on the back filled with stuff came in for repairs...it was the slowest vehicle I have ever seen. We took it out back and I ran a race against it and won for maybe 50yrds or so LOL.
 
#7 ·
Little update, got my Kor radiator support on

Tire Wheel Land vehicle Car Vehicle


I also made a cowl snorkel, as I wanted something that was at least a little better than the stock air box. Had some trouble getting the cone to fit, so i had to 'modify' it. (sledgehammer :shhh: ) I made sure that it was still sealed well. I will be buying a different size filter asap.

And some flex on the front porch.

Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Automotive tire
 
#8 ·
Little update, got my Kor radiator support on

View attachment 493041

Relocated my intakr to the cowl, so it's a little bit out of the way.

And some flex on the front porch.

View attachment 493042
Might wanna photoshop out your phone number on the 1/4 glass before you get blown up by telemarketers after one of the jokesters on this forum posts it online! :laugh:

Other than that it looks great, very well done and I actually like the black and blue theme you have goin on, looks subtle without being ricer'ish
 
#11 ·
Looks so much better since you de-riced your headlights! I can imagine the light output was terrible also.

Nice pics in the last set! Jeep is looking good!
 
#12 ·
Well I've done a few minor things lately so I'll update;

I extended my axle breather hoses into the cab, so that I don't have to worry about them, I need to do the tcase and somehow do the transmission, not sure on that one yet.

Oh and ZJMTL, the only reason the black headlights are off is because they've started leaking, I'm eventually going to fix them and put them back. Don't think of it as rice, think of it as murder. (That's how i justify it at least :highfive: )

Here's the headlights half way done; (Also did a little weekend wheeling)

Second Prentice Cooper Trip




Also got my friends f150 a little stuck, he could have made it out if he'd backed up and gone harder, but we figured we'd just pull him a little and be done.

 
#17 ·
Cool to hear! I've gone to Prentice Cooper state park a few times, it's got some pretty decent trails. The park ranger isn't the nicest guy and he's not exactly a big fan of me (had a confrontation last time i went :shhh: .

If you want to go wheelin' sometime just pm me, I usually go with my buddy and his f150.
 
#18 ·
Well nothing major done right now, I did remove the rear sway bar to get as much flex as possible out of this thing, I'll probably end up putting it back on in the future for safety, but may just leave it off. I'll research some.

Here's pics of almost full flex on a stump in my backyard, I tried to drive up it with the rear sway bar on and the rear tire kept coming off the ground making me slip. With the bar off I went right up it :D





Drove my buddies lowered Integra under it a little for his Instagram. :laugh:



Anyways, I'm planning to do a few things to the Jeep finally. Going to make a trailer hitch tire carrier, wire in extra reverse lights as the stock lights aren't that great. Also planning to lift the Jeep to 4+/- inches in the spring after tax returns. :highfive:
 
#20 ·
When I got it the Jeep had around 235k on it I believe. It's the 5.2l V8, Limited.
Nice looking ride! Definitely a nice first ride!

Was the motor or transmission ever rebuilt before you got it with the 235k miles? I am looking to buy a 1995 essentially exactly the same (Only a different color), with 250k miles. Hoping there is a possibility these things can really last 250k-300k on stock motor transmission without rebuild. How many miles are on it now?

-Matt
 
#22 ·
Thanks man! Nothing has been rebuilt at this point, but I have every single document on the vehicle and it was very well maintained. Right now it has turned over 241k and is still doing fine(I always drive city and don't have to drive far between work and school I've only put around 8k since I've had it)! I need to do a few maintenance repairs but for the most part it's doing great! :2thumbsup:

Seems kind of ricey, especially those ugly headlights. It's a decent rig, just see a lot of 'wish I had a jdm' type stuff.

Sent from your moms house, using JeepForum
I can understand that, when I first got it a year ago I did typical tacky things that you see kids do to their honda ricers. I realize it now for sure. I've tried to tone it down some, but without spending money to fix what I've done, and this is the result. :laugh: Now all my money goes to important things, well mostly.
 
#21 ·
Seems kind of ricey, especially those ugly headlights. It's a decent rig, just see a lot of 'wish I had a jdm' type stuff.

Sent from your moms house, using JeepForum
 
#23 ·
Well it's coming along nicely otherwise. Keep up the good work pal.

Sent from your moms house, using JeepForum
 
#24 ·
I got a new air filter to replace the one in the cowl that I had beat to fit. Old;
Cowl Snorkel
Automotive tire Automotive lighting Musical instrument Bumper Motor vehicle


And I found an old heat shield off of a cat, so I bolted that into the bottom of the cowl to hopefully keep it shielded from rain flowing under it.

Automotive lighting Automotive tire Hood Motor vehicle Bumper


Hood Motor vehicle Car Automotive exterior Bumper


Best thing about this filter, is that it actually fits!

Also I ordered a high flow cat, so I should have that in a week or so.

Anyways, Merry Christmas!
 
#26 ·
#27 ·
Okay, well a few things, first off, I think I'm going to try and organize this build a little, sort of like what Iser has done with his build, so gonna start doing that.

Anyways my new converter came in already!



I'm going to try and install early next week. I also found the pinion seal on my d35 is busted, so bought a new one and plan to do that next week as well. Also my power windows aren't working, so I'm going to need to replace the switch with a junkyard one, as I refuse to cough up $100 for a new one. :laugh:
 
#29 ·
New Cat

Well I got the new cat put in, clamped it up, sadly however, the clamps wont fit over the glasspack, so for now I'm running only a cat and a down pipe, sounds good, but I doubt I'll pass the TN smog test this way. Here's how she sounds:



Nighttime mudding

A week ago a buddy and I decided we were going to go do a little evening mudding. Well as we were about to head out of the trail, I decided I was going to do one more pit....

I made it through just fine, then my buddy tried it, and got himself stuck. No problem right? Just hook him up and tow him out. Well it was dark, and I didn't pay attention to how soft the ground was where I pulled him from. Long story short, I made a rut and got myself stuck as well, so my friend and I chilled and played tic tac toe on my windows until another friend could get his Jeep out there to pull us out! :laugh:

My friend and I (I'm on the left) (This guy was riding along, the guy in the other truck isn't in this pic)


My Jeep looking all sad


Well anyways as I got around to cleaning it, I realize that angle of the pull had bent my rad support :thumbdown:



Talked to Kevin, he said that it wouldn't be safe to try and repair it. I'd thought about hammering it back straight and then welding a plate to each side for extra strength (both tabs are bent, but the drivers side is worse). Problem is, I can't weld. So most likely I'll just have to buy a new one which means I'm out another $150 :mad: .

OH well could have broken something more expensive.

At this point I won't be able to get a new lift for a little while yet, as I've had to spend a lot of money on school this semester and now with this I'm a little short on finances, so maybe by this summer. We'll see.
 
#31 ·
Talked to Kevin, he said that it wouldn't be safe to try and repair it. I'd thought about hammering it back straight and then welding a plate to each side for extra strength (both tabs are bent, but the drivers side is worse). Problem is, I can't weld. So most likely I'll just have to buy a new one which means I'm out another $150 :mad: .
Id just say you bent it during normal use. It shouldnt bend like that. I dont have the email any more, but ask Kevin if you can get the Christmas pricing. I think they did a sale of 75$ for the rad support for Christmas. That tells me there is still profit at that price. Maybe he'd be up for it.
 
#35 ·
Photos

My friend (who's a photographer) wanted to get a few pics, so we went out and posed our cars together. annnd we threw a girl on their to make my Jeep look better :laugh:

Chillin.


Proud Americans... hahah




My friend Kayla




Also, thinking about cutting my bumper up like this:


Not sure yet...
 
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