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CheapCherokee's all purpose MJ Build

Perfect.

That should have been available as a package from the factory.
 
thanks guys! i totally agree, 2-3" lift on 31s is a nice and safe combo for both XJs and MJs. would have been awesome if that was a factory option. as you can see i did go wheeling and camping last week, so i do have some things to report about the jeep. but before i go ranting, here are some pics i took:

IMG_20120727_110825.jpg


IMG_20120727_110849.jpg


IMG_20120727_110937.jpg


IMG_20120725_120057.jpg


IMG_20120725_133612.jpg


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yep. had a blast out wheeling and camping in the high sierra mountains for 4 days. i was able to do one major thing to the jeep before the trip, which i haven't posted about on here yet. check it out:

IMG_20120714_155416.jpg



finally installed those 8" bilstein 7100s i got a while ago. you'll notice that they are mounted at a pretty decent angle, which i understand is not ideal but it was the only way i could utilize all 10" of suspension travel with the 8" travel shock with the space that was available under there. i bought them valving unknown, so i don't know whats in there now but so far its felt great.

so basically what i've gathered from this trip is a couple things:
the front bottoms out way too easily. the front shocks are old and worn so I'm sure thats not helping the fact that the springs are soft.

the rear flexes and performs very nicely. before i was running one shock because one got ripped off from wheeling (and i've been too lazy to put another one on knowing i was going to put the 7100s in) so now it rides tons better than before. my bastard pack consists of MJ leafs and 90s F150 leafs. right now its as follows:
MJ main
f150 main
f150 2nd
f150 3rd
MJ 3rd

before i had the MJ 2nd in there instead of the f150 main. after i swapped it around the rear seems to have a little more lift, and seems to be just stiff enough to resist bottoming out okay and soft enough to flex decently.

with that said, i would eventually like to go with a custom deaver leaf pack and resi shocks through the bed to get the most out of them. who knows when that will happen :dunno:

to address the front i would also like to get custom deaver coils, although I'm not sure if i want to keep it low at 3.5" or move up to 4.5" lift. for shocks i'd like to go with 12" short body bilstein 7100s. maybe get some hydro bumps some day.

before all that i will probably make some new armor and rock sliders though.

as you see i didn't take the camper on that trip. before anyone asks why, heres why. basically this trip was the "base camp" style, where we camped in one spot the whole time. i didn't feel like setting up and taking down the wildernest every day so i figured i'd remove the dead weight and pack a tent that only needs to be set up once. oh, Im actually considering selling the wildernest in exchange for something better. we'll see though

anyways thats all i can think of at the moment, the truck really surprised me that it held together for the 4 days of beating it out there, i keep waiting for something to break lol. i couldn't complain in the intricate rocky sections, the new 31s grabbed everything nicely at 15 psi and I'm learning more how to pick better lines and better get the jeep through obstacles. sometimes i wish i didn't have the front locker just so i could try to go through it open first but i guess i could have worse problems :D
 
well, even the 29s were rubbing the frame rails with the 8.8, so i got some wheel spacers for the rear. no rubbing in the rear now, even with the eccos and 31s. I've been debating selling the eccos and getting some cheap steel wheels but i think i like the look of the eccos better
 
my junk rubbed tires on the frame with an 8.8 and 10.5 wide tires Stock wheels

Didn't rub the 34x9.5's though. Stock wheels
and doesn't rub 35x12.50's with 3.75BS 15x7s.

so, skinny tires be where it's at on MJs. I wish could find another set of pizza cutters cheap. I loved wheeling those things.
 
not much has been going on with the 'ol MJ. I have since sold the Wildernest, since i got a new job that doesnt really leave time for camping.

i have also since installed a JCR steering spacer, since the OEM one was cracked, and V8 ZJ steering. other than that, not much going on. i saved my money for a while and purchased a 92 Toyota Paseo, which is now serving as the daily driver. so far im LOVING the 29 mpg vs. the 13 with the MJ. which means now i can work on the MJ more since i dont have to worry about driving it to work or school.

few things im thinking about getting, new adjustable control arms (rubicon express), bilstein 7100 short bodys, frame stiffeners, and some 3.5" deaver coils. yes, i want to keep the thing a little lower and still have a stiff coil. the thing bottoms out super easy now (soft shocks dont help) and i'd like to be able to go a little faster over stuff. we'll see what happens, im just working, going to school, and saving money right now.
 
Cool. Gonna have it done in time for the M&G?
 
now, for a long awaited update.


I actually have been working on it and wheeling it!

first off, my JCR rear bumper kit is still not finished. it is currently sitting in the garage about 50% done. Man, there are so many welds to grind down. not enough time these days

i did manage to make two more additions to the MJ, on the front bumper :)

IMAG0020.jpg


IMAG0019.jpg


I splurged and got some RuffStuff 7" HIDs durring their year end sale. i mounted them on the stock bumper and ended up cutting out parts of the grill to fit them. These lights are really deep, so the front part is what sticks out while the back part is "swallowed" in the grill and unseen for the most part. i must say, these suckers are BRIGHT. i got to use them this past weekend and they really lit up the road.

which brings me to the next part, i took the MJ out wheeling last weekend to Anza Borrego. Went with a group of friends where we went through the squeeze, heart attack hill, diablo drop off, and sandstone canyon. and probably other named places i forgot the names to.

in sandstone canyon:
IMAG0051.jpg

IMAG0048.jpg

IMAG0049.jpg

IMAG0044.jpg


Had a blast out there! In our group was a stock XJ and a stock Land Rover. we were able to get them through almost everything, despite some minor body damage. I will hopefully be posting up more pics and videos later, as my friends are the ones who took most of the video. gotta get it from them first. The MJ also experienced its first body damage on this trip. with no rock sliders i ended up smashing my custom rusty rocker panels a few times, as well as smacking my rear quarters landing on rocks. sounds like i will be cutting out the rockers and welding in box tubing sometime in the future
 
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