Jeep Modifications

Listed here is most of the stuff I did to my Jeep.
All of this was done pretty much immediately after I bought it.
Since then not much has changed.

02/20/01 Installed a Warn hitch shackle

OK, so this one is EASY !
I picked up the shackle thingy from a local shop for $35 or so. I do not leave it on for two reasons. For one it goes clunk clunk ... just the sound makes me nervous :) The other reason is because it would be so easy to steal. I could have purchased a pin lock gadget, but I refuse to pay 15 or 20 bucks to keep someone from stealing a $35 dollar item !

02/22/01 Installed JKS "Quicker Disconnects"

This mod is also quite simple.
The hardest part was installing the spacer that goes between the tabs welded onto the axle. The spacer was too wide, so I had to first pry the tabs apart. Then I installed the spacer, but it was a complete PITA. After the spacer was in straight and the bolt was installed, I cranked bolt into the lower pin until it all started to squish together. It ended up being very nice. These disco's really come off easy. To get them to come off (and go on) even easier, I keep the rubber bushings slippery with some Teflon based liquid lubricant.

02/27/01 Installed K&N FIPK

The stock air box does a really nice job of keeping things quiet. I was pretty amazed at how much louder, especially under full throttle, that this kit makes the vehicle. It makes a very melodious roar when goosing it. Almost brain rattling at certain times. Performance increase ? Not that I noticed, but I am far from paying really close attention. One thing I can't stress enough is to check the tightness of the bands. I also installed the bands on opposing sides of the throttle body in order to prevent "bunching" of the rubber coupler. My kit loosened up and had to be re-tightened 3 times before it stabilized. Now it is on there good and is not coming loose any more.

03/02/01 Installed a Kilimanjaro rack from Kargomaster

This is really a nicely made rack. See http://kargomaster.com for details. There were a few fitting issues to overcome, but with just a bit of patience and a little ingenuity it all comes together pretty easy. I had one threaded insert strip on me and a few more tried. I was being as careful as I could. This was easy to overcome, I just used a nut instead of the threaded insert (I intentionally broke off the one insert that stripped). I am not a fan of aluminum threaded inserts, they are very susceptible to stripping. The Kilimanjaro rack is very light. I could put it on the roof by myself.
My only real complaint is the mounting system for the WJ. For one, it is overpriced. Another reason is that it sits too darn high. you can see in the above pics how much height just the mounts add. It is crazy. And, no matter how hard I crank on the mounting bolts, I can get the mounts to slip (individually. As a unit I could not budge the rack no matter how hard I tried). For almost 40 bucks, I should get mounts that are more secure and don't add 3 inches of height

03/03/01 Installed "TeraFlex2" Budget Boost and Edelbrock IAS shocks

See the before and after shots

03/03/01 Installed the famous "kolak" cat back system.

Car Sound high flow converter -- 3" inlet/outlet
Flowmaster 70 series muffler -- 3" inlet/outlet
Mike Leach mandrel bent 3" exhaust pipe
Angelus Plating SA3512 3" angle cut stainless steel exhaust tip

03/08/01 Installed Mopar Rock Rails (dealer installed)

See picture below.

03/20/01 Installed AR Teron wheels and 245/75R16 tires

These are the painted version of the Teron wheels. The chrome versions were about $30 per wheel more. I like the painted look more, but they don't seem to be very durable. Already I have many scratches, etc in them. I think the chrome would be more durable.

06/20/01 Installed an OME SD40 steering stabilizer

I purchased this some time ago, but I read on the JU Forum that the included hardware is not compatible with the WJ. Basically it is just some standard hardware. I also ordered from a real nice Jeeper a custom bolt he designed and fabricated. I got it a few days later and replaced the hardware store bolt.
Here is the custom bolt to allow the SD40 to be fitted on a WJ

06/20/01 Lowered the roof rack with custom made brackets

Kargomaster really designed, in my opinion, a mounting system for the WJ that is way too high. Using some of the supplied parts and some parts from the local hardware store (and a reciprocal saw) I made my own mounting system. The new way of mounting the rack sits a full 4inches lower! It looks way better now. I used rubber from an inner tube between the metal pieces to keep everything quiet and secure.