New to jeeps and off-road. Picked up a 99 TJ with an auto and the 2.5 four banger. Can't complain it was dirt cheap and I figured it was a good classroom on wheels. Not having the other 2 cylinders makes me really think about what I'm getting into and the line I want to take so I think it's making me a better off-road driver. Right now the Jeep knows more than me. When that's not the case maybe I'll get something better. The Jeep was bone stock when I got it. But doing the work myself (classroom on wheels) I've put a 2.5 lift on it, a SYE and Tom Woods rear drive shaft. Poison Spider front and rear rock-brawler bumpers along with Poison Spider ricochet rockers. The rear seat was removed and a Tuffy lock box was put in to store all of the tools, recovery items, and spare parts. I mounted T-rails on top of it with sliding tie down rings to secure the ice chest and a 72 hour survival pack. The hi-lift is also mounted on top of the lock box. Painless wiring and rocker switches for the KC beams on the window pillars and KC fogs on the front bumper. The Garmin GPS was hard wired with the painless wiring kit (no GPS batteries to vibrate loose) and a Cobra CB was installed in a Tuffy lockable overhead console. Installed a Warn 8000M winch and Currie Enterprises Anti Rock sway bar up front. For now it sits on stock rims and tires but as the tires wear out I'll go a little bit taller and wider. Not to extreme... It's a four banger after all. Did the ZJ steering conversion and I'm happy with it vice the stock TJ set up. Next items in the garage are a skid-row skid plate and new soft top. Just need some time to do it. BY FAR the worst job I've done so far is taking out the dash to replace a leaky heater core... That has to be one of the dirtiest/most difficult jobs to do on a Jeep. Bottom line I'm enjoying every minute working on it and taking it off-road. I'm learning a lot.
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