When the first Wrangler Unlimited (LJ) debuted in 2004 I instantly fell in love. As a fan of the longer utilitarian 4x4's like the CJ-8 Scrambler and the Land Rover Defender 110 the LJ represented everything I loved of the older longer wheelbase SUV's but with all the modern upgrades like coil spring suspension, EFI, and of course cruise control. At the time I was in college working on my master's degree so I knew a new '04 LJ was well outside of my budget. Judging my the resale value of Wranglers being historically high I knew it would be a while till I could get my hands on one. I estimated about ten years...
STOCK - 2014
After searching and searching, and test driving a few local LJ's, I finally found this beauty just a few towns over. She was bone stock (nice platform to build from) had the hardtop (bonus for winter time) and most important, it had no ABS and had cruise control (double win!). Oh, and I even liked the color.
Since I had about a decade to work on fantasy builds of the LJ, and even knew a few people that had them at one time or another, I had a pretty solid plan for the build. I knew it would be built in phases and I also wanted to demonstrate you could do overland trips in a mildly built rig.
PHASE 1 - 2015
For the 2015 season I opted for a very mild build. I was able to recycle a set of nearly new 31x10.50R15 All-Terrains from my other Jeep (a 1997 Grand Cherokee if you must know) which helped me save some money. To clear the 31's I opted for a 1" body lift which would also allow me to run a tummy-tuck at a later date (which I still haven't done... yet). At the same time I did a heavy-duty motor-mount lift which gave me peace of mind since historically Jeep motor mounts are a weak links (and why my ZJ was - and still is - out of commission). Beyond that I installed heavy duty bumpers and rock sliders from a local fabrication shop and build a DIY storage box for the rear. Beyond that the only other things I did were some routine maintenance items and repairing/replacing some busted parts (including a very frustrating PCM swap).
For the 2015 No Highways Tour trip (Maine to FL) and all the shows (Mid-Atlantic Overland Fest, Appalachian Rendezvous, Overland Expo East, & Vermont Overland Rally) as well as my short local trips I tent camped. No fancy RTT for me. Just a small two-person tent that I actually won for free at a Jeep club holiday party a few years ago. To say I'm "budget minded" when I travel is a bit of an understatement. All in all the low-buck approach did me well. The Jeep in its near-stock form handled the 5,000 trip as well as all the shows did well. The gear did well up until my tent decided it no longer wanted to be water proof. That led me to finally get around to building my own off-road camping trailer.
PHASE 2 - 2016
For 2016 I decided to head out west and knew both the Jeep and my sleeping arrangements would need an upgrade. The Jeep was bumped up on a 2" lift kit, the tire size was upped to a set of 255/75R17 Mud-Terrains of a JK, and the gearing was upgraded to 4.88's. I also upgraded the lighting on the Jeep with new LED headlights and LED driving lights. I also installed onboard air knowing that proper tire pressure management was going to be more important than ever.
The other major addition in 2016 was my camping trailer. Taking a budget minded approach I opted to build it myself. I started with a surplus military M101 ¾ ton cargo trailer and built from there. The previous owner had already stripped some of the unnecessary parts off it as well as installed an aftermarket 3,500 pound axle that was Jeep width and matched the LJ's 5x4.5" bolt patter. It also had electric drum brakes which was a major selling point to me. From there I found a used truck cap on Craig's List and fleshed out the inside with a very basic bed frame and a front seat from one of my old Jeeps. Crude, but functional.
For the 2016 No Highways Trip (CO, UT, & AZ) and show seasons (Expo West, MOAF, Appalachian Rendezvous, & Expo East) things went mostly okay. I blew out my rear shocks (my fault) while in Utah, and a pair of wheel bearings go belly up on me, and a few other minor issues like a bent control arm. My tires also led a lot to be desired. I knew some more upgrades would be nice for 2017.
PHASE 3 - 2017
For the 2017 season I opted to go with all new control arms on the Jeep. This meant all new uppers and lowers front and rear. I opted to keep the 2" springs because I prefer a lower build and only ever planned to go as big as 33's. Which brings up the next major upgrade which was new tires. I finally settled on a set of 255/85R16 hybrid All-Terrain/Mud-Terrains. It meant new wheels, but I wasn't keen on the JK wheels and needing spacer-adapters. It's also near impossible to find good 15's any more. These 255/85's were not only the perfect size (roughly a 33x10) but they were also an E-load range. Might seem like a little overkill for something as small as the LJ, but the 3-ply sidewalls would give me a little peace of mind over the weaker 2-ply sidewalls that seemed to be common on most all-terrains. I was willing to sacrificed a little on-road ride quality for some off-road prowess. I drive a Jeep after all. The ride is only going to be so smooth with solid axles front and rear.
It's still early on in 2017 so I can't really say how things are going event wise (they just haven't happened yet). However, so far I think the LJ is 99% where I want it to be. It rides awesome both on pavement and off. The trailer is due for some upgrades here soon as well, but that will be another post for another day.
Conclusion
The overarching goal for the LJ was a mild go-anywhere/do-anything build. It's very hard building something that's equal parts daily driver, overland adventure vehicle, and rock crawler. I put a lot of thought into the build long before I ever had an LJ. I spent years spec'ing out builds with various suspension components and what-not. While I'm not here to "name drop" brands, I'm very pleased with the parts I chose. With only 2" of suspension lift and 1" of body lift I'm able to hit iconic trails like Top of the World in Moab, but at the same time bounce down a fire road, or knock off mile after mile on the highways. She's not a perfect rig by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm very please with how she turned out.
STOCK - 2014
After searching and searching, and test driving a few local LJ's, I finally found this beauty just a few towns over. She was bone stock (nice platform to build from) had the hardtop (bonus for winter time) and most important, it had no ABS and had cruise control (double win!). Oh, and I even liked the color.
Since I had about a decade to work on fantasy builds of the LJ, and even knew a few people that had them at one time or another, I had a pretty solid plan for the build. I knew it would be built in phases and I also wanted to demonstrate you could do overland trips in a mildly built rig.
PHASE 1 - 2015
For the 2015 season I opted for a very mild build. I was able to recycle a set of nearly new 31x10.50R15 All-Terrains from my other Jeep (a 1997 Grand Cherokee if you must know) which helped me save some money. To clear the 31's I opted for a 1" body lift which would also allow me to run a tummy-tuck at a later date (which I still haven't done... yet). At the same time I did a heavy-duty motor-mount lift which gave me peace of mind since historically Jeep motor mounts are a weak links (and why my ZJ was - and still is - out of commission). Beyond that I installed heavy duty bumpers and rock sliders from a local fabrication shop and build a DIY storage box for the rear. Beyond that the only other things I did were some routine maintenance items and repairing/replacing some busted parts (including a very frustrating PCM swap).
For the 2015 No Highways Tour trip (Maine to FL) and all the shows (Mid-Atlantic Overland Fest, Appalachian Rendezvous, Overland Expo East, & Vermont Overland Rally) as well as my short local trips I tent camped. No fancy RTT for me. Just a small two-person tent that I actually won for free at a Jeep club holiday party a few years ago. To say I'm "budget minded" when I travel is a bit of an understatement. All in all the low-buck approach did me well. The Jeep in its near-stock form handled the 5,000 trip as well as all the shows did well. The gear did well up until my tent decided it no longer wanted to be water proof. That led me to finally get around to building my own off-road camping trailer.
PHASE 2 - 2016
For 2016 I decided to head out west and knew both the Jeep and my sleeping arrangements would need an upgrade. The Jeep was bumped up on a 2" lift kit, the tire size was upped to a set of 255/75R17 Mud-Terrains of a JK, and the gearing was upgraded to 4.88's. I also upgraded the lighting on the Jeep with new LED headlights and LED driving lights. I also installed onboard air knowing that proper tire pressure management was going to be more important than ever.
The other major addition in 2016 was my camping trailer. Taking a budget minded approach I opted to build it myself. I started with a surplus military M101 ¾ ton cargo trailer and built from there. The previous owner had already stripped some of the unnecessary parts off it as well as installed an aftermarket 3,500 pound axle that was Jeep width and matched the LJ's 5x4.5" bolt patter. It also had electric drum brakes which was a major selling point to me. From there I found a used truck cap on Craig's List and fleshed out the inside with a very basic bed frame and a front seat from one of my old Jeeps. Crude, but functional.
For the 2016 No Highways Trip (CO, UT, & AZ) and show seasons (Expo West, MOAF, Appalachian Rendezvous, & Expo East) things went mostly okay. I blew out my rear shocks (my fault) while in Utah, and a pair of wheel bearings go belly up on me, and a few other minor issues like a bent control arm. My tires also led a lot to be desired. I knew some more upgrades would be nice for 2017.
PHASE 3 - 2017
For the 2017 season I opted to go with all new control arms on the Jeep. This meant all new uppers and lowers front and rear. I opted to keep the 2" springs because I prefer a lower build and only ever planned to go as big as 33's. Which brings up the next major upgrade which was new tires. I finally settled on a set of 255/85R16 hybrid All-Terrain/Mud-Terrains. It meant new wheels, but I wasn't keen on the JK wheels and needing spacer-adapters. It's also near impossible to find good 15's any more. These 255/85's were not only the perfect size (roughly a 33x10) but they were also an E-load range. Might seem like a little overkill for something as small as the LJ, but the 3-ply sidewalls would give me a little peace of mind over the weaker 2-ply sidewalls that seemed to be common on most all-terrains. I was willing to sacrificed a little on-road ride quality for some off-road prowess. I drive a Jeep after all. The ride is only going to be so smooth with solid axles front and rear.
It's still early on in 2017 so I can't really say how things are going event wise (they just haven't happened yet). However, so far I think the LJ is 99% where I want it to be. It rides awesome both on pavement and off. The trailer is due for some upgrades here soon as well, but that will be another post for another day.
Conclusion
The overarching goal for the LJ was a mild go-anywhere/do-anything build. It's very hard building something that's equal parts daily driver, overland adventure vehicle, and rock crawler. I put a lot of thought into the build long before I ever had an LJ. I spent years spec'ing out builds with various suspension components and what-not. While I'm not here to "name drop" brands, I'm very pleased with the parts I chose. With only 2" of suspension lift and 1" of body lift I'm able to hit iconic trails like Top of the World in Moab, but at the same time bounce down a fire road, or knock off mile after mile on the highways. She's not a perfect rig by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm very please with how she turned out.
