My 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.9L 360ci V8

[DPancoast]

Ahhh alright. Not much worse than mine 5.2 then.

I gotta change my dif and transfer case fluids. Been about a year

[PAFirefighter11]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

Ahhh alright. Not much worse than mine 5.2 then.

I gotta change my dif and transfer case fluids. Been about a year

I forget, do you wheel it? If not you can go tens of thousands of miles on the same diff fluid. I think this is the original stuff, at 138k miles! 50,000-100,000 miles is common, depending on the fluid type and usage of the truck. I only change mine if I get stuck in deep water and one of the vents isn't high enough, or just to be safe after.

[PAFirefighter11]

Here are some shots I took this week. Pardon the slightly blurry shots. I had to hand-hold all these as I left my tripod at home. I used my Nikon D2x. For the night shots I used my Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC lens. For the day shots I used my Nikkor 70-300 VR II lens.












Parking lot shots...
Low beams:


High beams:


Low beams:


High beams:


Low beams:


Low beams:

[DPancoast]

Nah I don't really wheel it ever. Id like to someday. I still have to upgrade my rear bushings to prothane like I already did the front. I'm also getting new tires soon so I'll be able to do pretty good.

My transfer case fluid def needs to be changed if anything but that's pretty simple

[namdoogwerdna]

Looks sick! I want your headlight mod on my ZJ lol

[PAFirefighter11]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

Nah I don't really wheel it ever. Id like to someday. I still have to upgrade my rear bushings to prothane like I already did the front. I'm also getting new tires soon so I'll be able to do pretty good.

My transfer case fluid def needs to be changed if anything but that's pretty simple

Got it. Yah I'd check the fluids for color and level. If they seem "eh", then get in there and change 'em. That reminds me, I need to do all my LCA & UCA bushings. PITA lol.

Originally Posted by namdoogwerdna

Looks sick! I want your headlight mod on my ZJ lol

Thanks man! I can build you a set if you really want me to.

Off the top of my head...

-$300 shipped - Stage III kit (MH1 v5.0 projectors, shrouds, hardware, HID kit in whichever color temp you want, ballasts, etc.)
-$66 shipped - eBay housings

Labor is around 3-4 hours. Not sure what to charge for that.

[DPancoast]

Yeah the front bushings were no fun. Worst being the one on pumpkin. Other than that we just heated the crap out of them and ran a drill bit around the outside till it fell out lol.

Rear should be easier since its only 2 lcas, 2 ucas, and swaybar bushings

Also, totally worth it for the hid retrofit! I'm runnin the first version and its incredible. Can't imagine what the others look like in person

[PAFirefighter11]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

Yeah the front bushings were no fun. Worst being the one on pumpkin. Other than that we just heated the crap out of them and ran a drill bit around the outside till it fell out lol.

Rear should be easier since its only 2 lcas, 2 ucas, and swaybar bushings

Also, totally worth it for the hid retrofit! I'm runnin the first version and its incredible. Can't imagine what the others look like in person

Yah, heat and a BFH is your friend when owning a Jeep! hahaha. I own a few.

I LOVE being able to see. This is the best retro yet. If you want me to do a new version for you, lemme know. I figure the more I do it the better I'll get at doing them. Not to mention better quality and better looking kits.

[DPancoast]

Hmmm dont tempt me! Send me some ballpark pricing on what a new version would run. I'll consider it

[PAFirefighter11]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

Hmmm dont tempt me! Send me some ballpark pricing on what a new version would run. I'll consider it

Haha. Okay, shoot me an e-mail: RicksPhotoStudio@gmail.com and I'll get some figures together for ya.

[DPancoast]

Sent!

What do you think of the new jeep maybe being diesel and all that jazz

[kevinl]

Low beams:


is this place just off of Schwab? If so that used to be my favorite place to go after it snowed

[PAFirefighter11]

Originally Posted by kevinl

Low beams:

is this place just off of Schwab? If so that used to be my favorite place to go after it snowed

Negative. That's my work off of Phoenixville Pike.

[PAFirefighter11]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

Sent!

What do you think of the new jeep maybe being diesel and all that jazz

Love it! Did you see the new MPG numbers and torque numbers? I forget off the top of my head but they both rocked!

[DPancoast]

I haven't read much into it yet. Only overheard stuff

[OutToWinPAHC]

I let you merge onto 76 this morning, and I gotta say the headlights looked better than in these pics, we passed each other a few times and I recognized the plate

[PAFirefighter11]

Originally Posted by OutToWinPAHC

I let you merge onto 76 this morning, and I gotta say the headlights looked better than in these pics, we passed each other a few times and I recognized the plate

Haha no ****? Small TST world! Thanks for the space.

[rightaway]

I have 93 zj with a 5.2L. it moves. I have knn intake and coil, wires and plugs upgrade. it doesn't feel any faster than stock. what plans do you have for your engine work?

[PAFirefighter11]

Not much for the motor. I'm not planning to make it "fast". It's a Jeep

So for those who have not yet seen it, I sank my ZJ in the NJ Pine Barrens several weeks ago:


After running 6 gallons, 2 quarts worth of Mopar and crappy brand ATF, the trans finally gave in. R, N, D, 2, 1 all became Neutral. Fail! So, I had to source a new trans. My buddy was heading up to Connecticut on Friday to pick up parts from his 5.9L ZJ from a 5.9L that had sustained a rear end collision. Mileage is the same as mine. I e-mailed the guy and worked out a deal for his trans. He said it worked great. My buddy picked it up, and I had it on Friday night.

Yesterday (Saturday) I got the Jeep towed to my other buddy's shop:


At 4:30pm, the transmission swap fun began:


Removal of driveshafts was first, then the crossmember, and out came the t-case:


After some bellhousing bolts, removal of electrical connections, hard lines, vent tubes, etc., out came the trans:






Both of the transmissions side by side. My failed trans is the non-rusted, cleaner looking one. Oh well:


On to the important stuff to make sure the trans isn't swamped again. Test fitting tube:


A little bit of grinding work:


Drilling:




Tube looks to fit great:




Some sealing:




Everything back in, torqued down:


By the time 11:15pm rolled around we just finished up the new vent tubes - t-case vent extended & new vent tube for the trans - both up in the engine compartment now:


Everything seems great at this point. Trans shifts a bit stronger and a bit higher. Feel like a trans shift kit or something possibly? Either way, works great! Can't wait to get this thing back on the trails. 3" lift and 31" Mickey Thompson's may be in the near future.

[PAFirefighter11]

So yesterday my buddy Facebooked me asking if I wanted to install a lift on my ZJ. This is his MJ btw:


We verified 1" lift would be fine, so that was the plan. I went over to his garage and we started work on the lift:




Stock front springs, "new" springs - the larger springs went up front and were from his old XJ. We took the stock front springs and used them in the rear with a 2" Teraflex coil spacer:


Front finished:


Fab work:


Rear finished:


Lift kit finished (New tires on the way this week, need new shocks and rear adjustable track bar as well). What was supposed to be a 1" lift and only an hour or two of work, ended up as a 4.5" lift and 10 hours of work:


I'll post photos once I get the tires installed.