squashman702
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Brighton, MA
1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited- Deep Slate
Story:
Bought this on eBay in August- had a 6” or so lift on it and 33’s, and I was planning on using it as a toy or project. The previous owner put a lot of money into modifications (at least $3k into the engine alone, which made this a pretty attractive buy). I am the second owner, and the previous owner had used it mostly as a winter vehicle. Got it home and determined that I didn’t like the way that the lift was done, so I spent a large pile of money at Crown to get it down to stock height to make it a daily driver. I have since put around 12k on it, and it has left me stranded once due to a bad CPS, which has since been replaced. I live in the city and have no need for two cars at this point and spend much more time driving my 1994 5 speed since I prefer driving stick anyway. Currently being DD'd by my girlfriend, and has roughly 120,000 miles on it.
Body has a couple of questionable spots (namely the passenger side rocker behind the side skirt, some welding by the PO near the D/S front control arm, and a little bit of rust in the front wheel wells on the firewall seams), but no real rot, which is surprising for a New England ZJ. No accidents on the Autocheck report I ran, and I have a clear title in my name. It definitely needs a few weekends worth of work, but I have most of the parts to do it as listed below. I’ve decided that I don’t really want to put the time in to another ZJ (this is my 5th one), and that it’s much more fun to go fast on my dirtbike instead of in a Jeep.
Performance (all modifications to engine done by previous owner):
-EQ Monster Magnum 2.02” heads, stainless steel valves
-1.6 Comp Camps rockers
-Spectre CAI with K&N filter and upgraded air hat
-Fastman TB (52 or 53mm?)
-Mopar M1
-FMS 24 pound injectors
-Race wires
-Doug Thorley headers/Y pipe
-Full 3” exhaust
-Poly motor mounts
-Deep aluminum trans pan
-All metal radiator
-Battery relocated to trunk with aluminum battery box and 0/1 ga wiring
Drivetrain:
-NP231 swap out of late XJ, aftermarket linkage, correct bezel
-Ford 8.8 swap in rear with IRO brackets, 3.55 gears, open diff (needs pinion bearing but definitely driveable as I put 12k miles on it, just loud), replaced the LP30 with another used unit with 3.73’s due to some rot on the original axle’s brackets
Suspension/Chassis:
-V8 Upcountry coils with a full wrap cut to sit at stock height, firm ride
-Bilstein 4600 HD front shocks
-Addco 1.25” front sway bar
-WJ poly end links (front)
-Addco 7/8” rear bar
-SS brake lines
-KOR radiator support
New parts (12k miles or less on all of these, easily over $1k in receipts):
-Upper and lower control arms front and rear
-Coil isolators
-Rear main seal
-Oil pan gasket
-Oil pump
-P/S front window regulator
-Front calipers
-Rotors and pads all around
-Euro signals
-Track bar bushings in rear
-Track bar in front
-All TRE’s, tie rod, drag link
-Pitman arm
-Power steering pump
-Crankshaft position sensor
-D/S front wheel bearing (Moog)
-Coil
Other:
-Sony headunit with Ipod hookup
-Pioneer speakers in doors, factory in soundbar
-OEM trailer hitch
Needs (everything I can think of in the interest of full disclosure):
Engine:
-Small oil leak from timing chain cover (one or two drops on ground when parked)
-Small oil leak from either rear of valve covers or from HG (typically doesn’t leak enough to drip on the ground, seen on the back of the block, however)
-CEL on for cat, exhaust leaks at the Y pipe and where it meets the tail pipe, which is likely triggering the CEL
Body/Interior:
-Hatch- dented, but this will be replaced with new bumpers before sale
-Windshield is chipped in one spot and is cracked in another, should be replaced, seal around it is rusting some anyway and looks bad
-Driver’s seat shows wear, but has no tears, rest of interior is very nice
-Jeep is on steelies right now with mediocre tires
-A/C does not work from what I can tell, haven’t diagnosed anything there so it may just need a charge
Drivetrain/Suspension:
-Torque convertor/trans makes a whirring noise while in gear. Haven’t diagnosed this, but it sounds like it is coming from right under the shifter. Trans occasionally acts up, has slipped on me a couple of times going from ½ to full throttle, but this is by no means a regular occurrence. Previous owner noted this issue when I bought it, probably could use a shift kit and a service, I haven’t dropped the pan to take a look. I’d also suggest a big cooler since this is still running the factory setup through the radiator and the 46RE tends to hold up a lot better.
-Front axle seal on one side
-Ball joint in front axle, has play on one side
Rear end (these really could all be resolved at once):
-8.8 swap/brackets/etc or go back to a D44A
-Rear trackbar adjusted
-Clunks in rear
-Front axle seals
-Rear swaybar is not in it
Extras available:
-8.8 rear with good LSD, brackets already on it for ZJ, but should be redone ($200+ without brackets from JY)
-IRO 8.8 bracket kit with adjustable coil pads ($250 kit)
-5.9 rear driveshaft ($50 used)
-Bilstein 4600’s for rear ($160 new)
-SCT 9550 handheld and Innovate LC1 (SCT needs to be plugged in to a laptop to work, and needs to be flashed to vehicle) ($250 used)
-Upper and lower ball joints for one side ($50 new)
-Front inner axle seals ($15 new)
-Used 3” cat with only several hundred miles on it with fresh O2 sensor ($80 used)
-3" IRO tailpipe ($130 new)
-Mustang 17x8 Bullits with 245/45R17 on them (not great tread, but wheels are very nice)
$2800 as it sits
$3300 with the Mustang wheels
$3700 with Mustang wheels, 8.8 axle, 8.8 brackets
$4000 with Mustang wheels, 8.8 swap, SCT, and new 3" exhaust parts
Pictures:
Story:
Bought this on eBay in August- had a 6” or so lift on it and 33’s, and I was planning on using it as a toy or project. The previous owner put a lot of money into modifications (at least $3k into the engine alone, which made this a pretty attractive buy). I am the second owner, and the previous owner had used it mostly as a winter vehicle. Got it home and determined that I didn’t like the way that the lift was done, so I spent a large pile of money at Crown to get it down to stock height to make it a daily driver. I have since put around 12k on it, and it has left me stranded once due to a bad CPS, which has since been replaced. I live in the city and have no need for two cars at this point and spend much more time driving my 1994 5 speed since I prefer driving stick anyway. Currently being DD'd by my girlfriend, and has roughly 120,000 miles on it.
Body has a couple of questionable spots (namely the passenger side rocker behind the side skirt, some welding by the PO near the D/S front control arm, and a little bit of rust in the front wheel wells on the firewall seams), but no real rot, which is surprising for a New England ZJ. No accidents on the Autocheck report I ran, and I have a clear title in my name. It definitely needs a few weekends worth of work, but I have most of the parts to do it as listed below. I’ve decided that I don’t really want to put the time in to another ZJ (this is my 5th one), and that it’s much more fun to go fast on my dirtbike instead of in a Jeep.
Performance (all modifications to engine done by previous owner):
-EQ Monster Magnum 2.02” heads, stainless steel valves
-1.6 Comp Camps rockers
-Spectre CAI with K&N filter and upgraded air hat
-Fastman TB (52 or 53mm?)
-Mopar M1
-FMS 24 pound injectors
-Race wires
-Doug Thorley headers/Y pipe
-Full 3” exhaust
-Poly motor mounts
-Deep aluminum trans pan
-All metal radiator
-Battery relocated to trunk with aluminum battery box and 0/1 ga wiring
Drivetrain:
-NP231 swap out of late XJ, aftermarket linkage, correct bezel
-Ford 8.8 swap in rear with IRO brackets, 3.55 gears, open diff (needs pinion bearing but definitely driveable as I put 12k miles on it, just loud), replaced the LP30 with another used unit with 3.73’s due to some rot on the original axle’s brackets
Suspension/Chassis:
-V8 Upcountry coils with a full wrap cut to sit at stock height, firm ride
-Bilstein 4600 HD front shocks
-Addco 1.25” front sway bar
-WJ poly end links (front)
-Addco 7/8” rear bar
-SS brake lines
-KOR radiator support
New parts (12k miles or less on all of these, easily over $1k in receipts):
-Upper and lower control arms front and rear
-Coil isolators
-Rear main seal
-Oil pan gasket
-Oil pump
-P/S front window regulator
-Front calipers
-Rotors and pads all around
-Euro signals
-Track bar bushings in rear
-Track bar in front
-All TRE’s, tie rod, drag link
-Pitman arm
-Power steering pump
-Crankshaft position sensor
-D/S front wheel bearing (Moog)
-Coil
Other:
-Sony headunit with Ipod hookup
-Pioneer speakers in doors, factory in soundbar
-OEM trailer hitch
Needs (everything I can think of in the interest of full disclosure):
Engine:
-Small oil leak from timing chain cover (one or two drops on ground when parked)
-Small oil leak from either rear of valve covers or from HG (typically doesn’t leak enough to drip on the ground, seen on the back of the block, however)
-CEL on for cat, exhaust leaks at the Y pipe and where it meets the tail pipe, which is likely triggering the CEL
Body/Interior:
-Hatch- dented, but this will be replaced with new bumpers before sale
-Windshield is chipped in one spot and is cracked in another, should be replaced, seal around it is rusting some anyway and looks bad
-Driver’s seat shows wear, but has no tears, rest of interior is very nice
-Jeep is on steelies right now with mediocre tires
-A/C does not work from what I can tell, haven’t diagnosed anything there so it may just need a charge
Drivetrain/Suspension:
-Torque convertor/trans makes a whirring noise while in gear. Haven’t diagnosed this, but it sounds like it is coming from right under the shifter. Trans occasionally acts up, has slipped on me a couple of times going from ½ to full throttle, but this is by no means a regular occurrence. Previous owner noted this issue when I bought it, probably could use a shift kit and a service, I haven’t dropped the pan to take a look. I’d also suggest a big cooler since this is still running the factory setup through the radiator and the 46RE tends to hold up a lot better.
-Front axle seal on one side
-Ball joint in front axle, has play on one side
Rear end (these really could all be resolved at once):
-8.8 swap/brackets/etc or go back to a D44A
-Rear trackbar adjusted
-Clunks in rear
-Front axle seals
-Rear swaybar is not in it
Extras available:
-8.8 rear with good LSD, brackets already on it for ZJ, but should be redone ($200+ without brackets from JY)
-IRO 8.8 bracket kit with adjustable coil pads ($250 kit)
-5.9 rear driveshaft ($50 used)
-Bilstein 4600’s for rear ($160 new)
-SCT 9550 handheld and Innovate LC1 (SCT needs to be plugged in to a laptop to work, and needs to be flashed to vehicle) ($250 used)
-Upper and lower ball joints for one side ($50 new)
-Front inner axle seals ($15 new)
-Used 3” cat with only several hundred miles on it with fresh O2 sensor ($80 used)
-3" IRO tailpipe ($130 new)
-Mustang 17x8 Bullits with 245/45R17 on them (not great tread, but wheels are very nice)
$2800 as it sits
$3300 with the Mustang wheels
$3700 with Mustang wheels, 8.8 axle, 8.8 brackets
$4000 with Mustang wheels, 8.8 swap, SCT, and new 3" exhaust parts
Pictures:
