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shefy
07-12-12, 06:58 PM
http://www.sydneyjeepclub.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1786&stc=1Hi all
I'm a new member to the SJC, I joined after attending the Jambo and after constant gentle prodding from Dave at Wooders every time I was up there with a new "problem" needing a fix, thank you Dave for being so generous with your knowledge, time and patience.

I have bought/rescued this 97 TJ about 18 months ago from what appears to have been prolonged abuse and neglect by it's owner with the purpose of realizing my dream of that great Australian trip, building a capable off road unit as well as a long range (dare I say it) touring and camping 4WD.

After a very busy year when the TJ had more hoist time than on the road and one fabled trip to Cape Tribulation, cross to Mt. Isa then down back through Northern N.S.W (back in May), it is finally starting to take shape and nearing completion (you can all stop laughing hysterically now).

This is what it looked like shortly after I got it, ripped front bumper bar, leaking like a sieve from every conceivable orifice, engine that sounded like a medieval sword fight and those were the good points.




First casualty was the rear seat which had to go and replace that dinky front bar with an ARB bar, a winch and a pair of spotties.



A set of 32" X 10.5" X 15" Procomp AT tyres completed the first stage.

More to come......

shefy
07-12-12, 08:16 PM
Next came the the injectors system LPG conversion with a 80Ltr tank on the floor behind the front seats, a 50Ltr upright water tank between the LPG and the seats, and then it was off for a custom cabinet making to encase it all and build a storage drawer.



The shiny blingy body armour on the corners was painted black shortly after (the black ones were from plastic so I got the only metal ones available)

shefy
07-12-12, 08:33 PM
Around March it was time for a complete engine rebuild with new extra thick valve seats, Borla stainless steel extractor, new copper/brass heavy duty radiator, both diffs overhauled, front & rear seals, new EFS 9000 shocks and coils 2" lift, coil spacers (to a total 3.5"), new tail shaft & SYE, adj. rear control arms and all new other control arms etc etc

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Once that was all done I was ready for more pain......

rupicon
07-12-12, 09:21 PM
Around March it was time for a complete engine rebuild with new extra thick valve seats, Borla stainless steel extractor, new copper/brass heavy duty radiator, both diffs overhauled, front & rear seals, new EFS 9000 shocks and coils 2" lift, coil spacers (to a total 3.5"), new tail shaft & SYE, adj. rear control arms and all new other control arms etc etc

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Once that was all done I was ready for more pain......

Dam............thats lots

shefy
07-12-12, 10:16 PM
I can now admit to having no idea at the beginning what I got my self into, once I was knee deep it was just being too stubborn to back out and not compromising on what I wanted, so it became a case of "don't struggle and just slide blissfully into the abyss"
Having completed that, I was under time pressure for my road trip in May. I still needed extra range (fuel) and carrying capacity so in came the Rhyno roof cage and the Body Armour rear bumper and swing arm tyre carrier with 2 Jerry cans and a high lift jack.

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Completing my road trip setup was installing Cruise control, extra wide black mirror with reverse/independent rear camera, rear Narva LED's, upgrade the headlights and spotties to HID, install a scangauge and fitting cabin and rear window LED light strips and a 40 ch UHF.

Took it out for a test run and to run the engine in on Easter to Mt. Tambourine.

shefy
07-12-12, 10:47 PM
The Gtreat Road chapter 1.
In every respect it was the trip from hell, it started with the transfer case being jammed so for the entire trip I was stuck in 2H without much ability to go on the sand or any serious track whats more, trying to do more than 50kmh on those gravel highways out the back of Queensland and it was fish tailing.
The only good to have come out of those 3 weeks and aprox 10,000km was realizing exactly what didn't work in that setup.
Everything else was great......

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Setting camp for the night north of Cairns and those great outback sunsets.

shefy
07-12-12, 11:08 PM
Since my return in June, the first cab off the rank was the Rubicon Express Extreme Duty 4.5" Long Arm lift Kit install to address the shocking handling.
This included coil bucket relocation brackets rear coils and 30mm spacers at the front , drop the rear panhard, replace the steering box, , Bilstein shocks, new steering dampner etc etc......

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The roof cage came off, no more weight up high. This TJ has finally got the handling I wanted on the road and got so much better off the road.

shefy
08-12-12, 08:19 AM
The next step was getting a 50" LED light bar and two 6" ones for the top (operated on a 3way toggle switch) and fabricating a custom heavy gauge steel frame to mount those and the shovel at the base of the windscreen.

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I was now ready for Jambo.

shefy
08-12-12, 08:50 AM
Jambo showed me that AT tires are OK in the dry but as soon as it got a bit greasy, well.....
So on came the 15 X 8 steel rims and a set of 33" BFG KM2's, no I couldn't go 35" cause I only have a few mm clearance before I knock the fire sprinklers in my basement car park (damn).
To pass the time up to Xmas I installed a power window kit, a remote central locking kit, a hood gas lift struts kit and a ARB compressor behind the passenger
seat under the water tank

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The full doors were taken off, 6 cracks were welded and the usual weak points were reinforced with extra metal and then resprayed.
And offcourse there's more to come......

All parts are here, the TJ is booked at wooders early January to have F&R Diff lockers installed (Yukon zip lockers), 4:56 gear ratios and a speedo fix as well as a Novak cable transfer link and a deep transfer case pan.

I think that ought to do for a while..........

shefy
08-12-12, 08:57 AM
And last but not least, in an effort to change the TJ's fortunes (and my sanity) I have changed the number plate.

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See you all on the tracks.......

Happy Jeeping.

SteveC
08-12-12, 10:02 AM
Mate - That's a hell of a project - Well done

shefy
08-12-12, 12:11 PM
Thanks Steve, I know it's not the end of it not by a long shot but it's starting to pay me back in fun, since Jambo it has put a big smile on my face :excitement:

shefy
11-12-12, 06:35 PM
Would appreciate any help or advice on putting in an extra fold up step on my TJ.
Being blessed with short stumpy pair of pegs and the TJ now being 6" taller it has become a bit of a stretch climbing into the cabin.
Have had a good look around and found the Hideaway step which I don't like.

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Found the Landrover Defender has a rear and side fold up step that looks good and sturdy but may require me to look at different sliders which I wanted anyway.
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Has anyone seen or know of any other products or solutions that would fit a TJ or perhaps has any ideas, I would appreciate any feedback.

D.K.
14-12-12, 09:45 PM
Well done mate, good to see a TJ get some TLC.

shefy
15-12-12, 02:00 PM
Thanks D.K.

Will2003tj
17-12-12, 01:08 PM
Saw this at Wooders on Saturday looks awesome

reyzor
18-12-12, 09:16 AM
Hi all
I'm a new member to the SJC, I joined after attending the Jambo and after constant gentle prodding from Dave at Wooders ......

usually its colin who does the prodding..........

shefy
18-12-12, 09:55 AM
Hi Reyzor.
He did too, they kinda took turns, when one was on the phone the other would "remind" me, Oh BTW have you joined the SJC yet? Jambo's coming up, have you got your tickets yet? I'm glad they did though, saved me from a lot more needless mistakes compared to almost a year the pains of trial and error (mostly error)

shefy
18-12-12, 09:59 AM
Saw this at Wooders on Saturday looks awesome

Thanks Will2003tj, yours looks very good too I do like that slider you have on. I'm looking for a set up that will take in a fold up without too much drama, still looking.

shefy
21-01-13, 10:13 AM
After an eventful day at Wheeny Ck which ended with a rock sliding from a slope hitting my door and body panel (just clearing the rock slider) and my transfer link yet again slipping out getting me stuck in low range, thanks to the help of the boys I limped back home with my tail shaft on the passenger side floor doing 50kmh (@ 3000rpm) all the way back to Mona Vale (75km).

The TJ has finally gone in to have the front and rear lockers done as well as the gear ratios (4.56) and the cursed transfer link changed to a cable shift (Novak) and a speedo fix as well as a front diff skid plate.

Next, fix the panel damage.

shefy
22-01-13, 03:45 PM
And just when you think that nothing else could possibly go wrong..........
pick the Jeep up from Wooders Saturday night, 200m out from the gate and smoke pouring out...... the A/C pully clutch has burnt out and the bearrings seized, head home with the aircon blasting.......
If it doesn't rain, it pours
Thank you Dave so much for all your help.

SteveC
22-01-13, 04:02 PM
Shefy - what are you doing?????
Time to upgrade to a Toyota!

shefy
22-01-13, 04:41 PM
Heretic......

shefy
22-01-13, 04:42 PM
After what I've been through the past 18 months, no way am I giving up now Steve.....

SteveC
22-01-13, 07:12 PM
I would expect nothing less!

shefy
06-02-13, 11:38 AM
Front and rear air lockers are done as well as regearing to 4.56.
The transfer link has been replaced with a cable shifter (Novak) and the speedo fix has been done.
All that's left now is the panel damage from Wheeny Creek, doesn't look too good for the door though hopefuly it can be repaired.

shefy
04-04-13, 09:01 PM
After completing the off road features and having a run I'm back onto the touring side of the TJ.
Have decided to replace the two jerry cans on the tyre carrier arm with a three box set up to increase storage space.
The result was great, but the whole set up proved a bit too heavy.

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So it's back to the workshop to replace the panels with carbon fibre sheets.

shefy
21-04-13, 10:44 PM
Still waiting on the Genrite rock sliders and the new billet mechanical door stop to replace the door straps, all the Wheeny Creek damage to the door and rocker panel has been fixed and a new five piece bonnet louver set is installed.

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Steven.Boyd
22-04-13, 01:44 PM
Who did the bonnet louver set for you ?

shefy
22-04-13, 02:23 PM
I got the louver set from wooders (Genrite), the smash repair shop in Narrabeen did it while it was in for the panel damage repair on the door.
They have cutting tools (oscillating) that allowed doing it without taking the bonnet off, no grinding sparks atc.

SteveC
22-04-13, 03:09 PM
Shefy - FYI You know that the louvers are illegal...

Hunno
22-04-13, 05:42 PM
Shefy - FYI You know that the louvers are illegal...

Only if they face towards the windscreen.

SteveC
22-04-13, 05:44 PM
You are correct Hunno. I thought it looked like it did - but could be wrong

shefy
22-04-13, 09:41 PM
I didn't know they were illegal, they're facing back towards the windscreen with the aim being to help release heat from the engine bay.
If they are illegal than they can join the long list of other things with this build.

Hunno
23-04-13, 03:48 PM
I didn't know they were illegal, they're facing back towards the windscreen with the aim being to help release heat from the engine bay.
If they are illegal than they can join the long list of other things with this build.

It opens the possibility for oil to spray on the windscreen.

shefy
23-04-13, 06:02 PM
Can't be any worse than the certain spray of liquified bovine waste after every encounter with a cattle loaded road train on the outback roads of Nth West Queensland......

shefy
24-04-13, 05:17 PM
Having checked with people in the trade none seem to have known that the louvers were illegal.
Further more, they all seem to have pointed that most vehicles seem to have these vents pointing to the windscreen either from the bonnet such as most BMW and Mercedes or from between the bonnet's edge and the windscreen in many other common models so I'd say that if I was to be picked on this it would be very easily and successfully challenged.

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If anyone else may have heard anything on this issue or have anything to add perhaps Miraz, I would appreciate any input.

rupicon
24-04-13, 07:14 PM
They look good shefy, by that I mean they will do what the tj needs them to do.
A completely legal jeep is a boring jeep.
Just saying

shefy
24-04-13, 08:15 PM
I totally agree with you on that one Rup, just needed those to help release the heat quicker from the engine bay when doing those steep slow climbs at low range when there's no air flow going through the radiator.
climbing up Mt. Walker, at the end of each section the TJ sounded like a boiling kettle with water bubbling from the overflow.
And being anywhere near legal for this TJ........ that ship has sailed long ago :hopelessness:

shefy
05-08-13, 05:00 PM
Finally did away with the door straps.
Dave at Wooders got the Armadillo door stop billets that give the door that two stage opening/closing action stopping me grappling with the door in car parks etc.
Their not bad and very easy to install.

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Still trying to work out the Genright rock sliders installation.

shefy
21-08-13, 06:56 PM
And finally the last of the Bling has come off today, installed the Genrite Rock Sliders on


Still the issue of getting myself into the Jeep, SLS (stumpy leg syndrome)

shefy
10-12-13, 12:31 PM
Ready in time for Xmas have put in new carpet (3 piece moulded) for the whole floor.
Then replaced the centre console with a Tuffy steel unit and completed with new Rugged Ridge neoprene seat covers (red and black of course) to refresh the 16 year old look, looks absolutely great.
Next in line is a fold up step to replace the temporary one.

A BIG THANK YOU to Dave from Wooders for sourcing and installing and all the advice, can't wait for the steps.


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Getting very close to my wish list vision from 2 years ago........

And then the big one....... have all this ENGINEERED.

Dieselcon
10-12-13, 04:52 PM
That's an awesome looking TJ... Seen it in person at the Xmas party... Really nice.... Well done

shefy
10-12-13, 06:31 PM
Thanks Jose, still have the fold up step to sort out. I noticed you face a similar challenge with your rig.

Dieselcon
10-12-13, 07:44 PM
Thanks Jose, still have the fold up step to sort out. I noticed you face a similar challenge with your rig.

:) Yes we do.... When the 37's go on it will be a lot worse...lol

shefy
11-12-13, 09:22 AM
:) Yes we do.... When the 37's go on it will be a lot worse...lol

Are you planning anything to help with that? would love to hear any ideas or suggestions you might have. I've looked at anything from a milk crate and a rope to the invisible electric door operated hidden step ($$$$$$'s), looks like it will have to be custom built.
Will keep you posted if you're interested in doing something similar.

Rob.79
11-12-13, 12:30 PM
Having checked with people in the trade none seem to have known that the louvers were illegal.
Further more, they all seem to have pointed that most vehicles seem to have these vents pointing to the windscreen either from the bonnet such as most BMW and Mercedes or from between the bonnet's edge and the windscreen in many other common models so I'd say that if I was to be picked on this it would be very easily and successfully challenged.

2119

If anyone else may have heard anything on this issue or have anything to add perhaps Miraz, I would appreciate any input.


Hi Shelfy,

Having worked on Mercs and Bmws in the past, I can say that the fire wall is pretty far forward on both, the louvers are on the 'plenum chamber' side of the fire wall, as an air intake for the A/C - heater system, and the plenum area is 'sealed' and seperate from the engine bay, thats why they have no issues...

Rob

shefy
04-03-14, 01:40 PM
Just another routine service for the TJ turns into another nightmare production....... four days down and the tally stands at 4 ball joints, 2 uni joints 2 front axle oil seals, 1 rear axle oil seal bearing & retainer and 1 dead (after market) cruise control which I still haven't found what's wrong with it.........

I LOVE MY TJ !

Schrom24
16-06-15, 05:17 AM
Cool project, I am like seeing it done from the beginning. Are you going to box the frame near the notch?