Project 20/20 (97 TJ Build)

[clean4drxj]

Just get sliders.. it should match up the rear corners well.

[crosbike]

how did you score this for only 250?

[Grandzjtsi]

For sandblasting there are a few different local shops to Branford, but a company my dad works with did it for me...

I bought the Jeep for $250 after it had been flopped... the guy I bought it from wanted it out of his hair, and said that due to the damage he just wanted it gone! the steering wheel was cut by the local fire department and so was the hardtop... I saw it as the start to a good wheeling rig!

[Grandzjtsi]

Just finished installing a set of flush mount tails... Had to cut the whole with my 4.5" hole saw and then open the diameter up an additional 1/8" to allow the grommet to snap into place... not a bad mod for $50 bucks! Still need to wire them up but, the fit pretty well.

[Beerman]

http://www.smittybilt.com/product/index/44.htm

Those are Smittybilt XRC corners... I bought them off Beerman, I sandblasted them and will paint them white once I drill my holes for the flush mount tails and reverse lights.

Damn...those cleaned up nice

[Grandzjtsi]

Damn...those cleaned up nice

For sure haha! It took 100lbs of media to blast them and get them that clean haha...
I trimmed the front section off too, so I can make a set of rocker guards or boat sides... I think I may run a mini boatside off the bottom of the guard. My buddy dave made a set with them on the bottom so I may run with that idea.

[Beerman]

Did you get my PM back about the other parts?

[Grandzjtsi]

Thought I would post a little update on the 20/20 build

I've painted and mounted the Smittybilt corners on the TJ. They came out pretty decent I think and I'm glad I chose to try and color match them as close as possible to the front...





The front bumper is the OEM setup we made for my brothers TJ, I was able to get a Warn for real cheap and we mounted that up on his Sahara.



Im pretty happy with everything and cant wait to see it road ready!

[clean4drxj]

Time for some lift springs..

[Grandzjtsi]

update to come soon...

[Grandzjtsi]

So its been a while since my last update... but the jeep has taken several turns and is now making some serious progress!

I had the started buttoning the Jeep back up and according to Darwin's Law somwthing that could go wrong did... I was unable to get to register the Jeep and basically found myself with either a trail only rig or a part Jeep.



The solution came from a club member when I bought this....



I decided I was going to take the two TJs and turn them into one with all the parts I had accumulated from the ZJs and now two TJs I figured it shouldnt be that hard to do...



Some of you guys know that I'm a Technology Engineering Education Teacher, aka an Auto Shop and Engineering Instructor (CAD/INVENTOR/SOLIDWORKS).
My students were looking for a bigger and better projects then oil changes and brake jobs, or working on dirtbikes and gokarts so in came "Project 20/20". Thanks to the help of the company my Father works for Dependable Hydraulics, I was able to bring the white TJ in to start disassembly.

[Grandzjtsi]

The classes began immediately tearing the Jeep apart and after the first day a large dent had been made in the dissassembly process...





Progress continued with each class for the next few weeks... The fenders and grill came right off, and out came the low pinion Dana 30.





No sooner had the LP come out, in went a HP30 out of my Red ZJ...





The rear Dana 35 still needed to be adressed but its replacement would be soon to come!

[Bigbike]

Thats an awesome project for your students!

[Grandzjtsi]

We continued further into the tear-down process and with each class it seemed that we were discovering more and more things that I would want to address and the class decided we should go one step further and completely remove the tub from the frame...









We then decided to reinstall the hood and fenders to keep them from getting damaged being moved around the shop.



Next in went the grill and the jeep was transfered to a dollie we built to gain use of both lifts in the shop.





We shifted the Jeep to the front of the shop and reinstalled the doors.

[Grandzjtsi]

Once the body was tucked away we turned our attention to the frame and decided that a build this in depth should not be skimped upon and that the motor should come out of the frame. There were a few areas of rust that I wanted to address so out the motor needed to come.

Rust Spots...







We also discovered at this point that the engine in the Jeep was not the original as it had a Jasper ID plate on it...



The Jeep tub was shifted yet again letting us move the frame up twoard the front of the shop and further disassmble our Jeep. The gas tank, exhaust, and rear axle were removed after we pulled the engine. Finally allowing for the front axle to be pulled...