2001 TJ Build, Looking for Advice

[Jeepsareexpensive]

Hi All,
I bought my red TJ when I turned 16 (15 years ago) as a dumb high school kid not understanding the cost of parts. I had grand plans to do all sorts of mods and take it on off road trips. Now that I'm nearly 31 I can finally afford to build my Jeep. In the mean time I have spent plenty of time off road locally, "practicing" with my stock jeep. The jeep has 209,000 miles on it now and I'm hoping for at least 200,000 more. The only modification so far is that I had to rebuild the center section of the frame due to rust, a common problem where this jeep has lived (on the beach) for about 5 years. My intended use for the jeep is daily driving combined with off road use, I would like to do intermediate level local trails and be able to do overland type trips going offroad between locations. In the overland scenario I'm planning to stay domestic and would be considering something like pieces of the trans-America trail or similar.

Since I'm new to the jeep building world any advice that you guys could offer and a second set of eyes would be great. I really don't want to start the build only to find out that I forgot an expensive component. I did a bunch of research on this forum while picking out components and you guys have already been a huge help. I have included prices for discussion and to hopefully help anyone else in the same boat.

Parts List:
Front End: ECGS Dana 489, 30 spline chrome moly, Eaton E-Locker, 4.88 gearing for 35" - $4,882
Rear End: ECGS Dana 489, 30 spline chrome moly, Eaton E-Locker, with disc brakes, 4.88 gearing for 35" - $3,996 (brakes for $450 included)
Driveshaft/SYE: From ECGS with axle assemblies ($595)

Suspension: 4" Currie short arm with double adjustable uppers - CE-9801HS, $2,725 (for some reason it costs more direct from RockJock)
Shocks: Rancho RS9000XL - $431
Body Lift: 1" Currie AL pucks (is there a better 1.25" out there?) - $237
Motor Mount Lift: Currie 1"- $126
Rear Sway Bar - Currie Kit - $563
Sway Bar Disconnects - Currie - $211

Spare tire Carrier - Exogate - $400

Steering: Currectlync - $637
Steering Stabilizer: Rancho RS5000 (Do I need to purchase an install bracket here? Waiting for response from Currie) - $67

Tires: 35", not yet selected, but probably BF Goodrich A/T, I've been on the 32" version of these and they have served me well
Wheels: deciding between 17 or 18 inch and steel or alloy
Bumpers, Rock Skids, Fenders, Winch - not yet selected

 

[Chris]

Looks like a solid build using good parts. I would suggest a Vanco big brake kit from Blaine. You’ll likely want the bigger brakes to stop those 35s.

 

[Jeepsareexpensive]

I'll check out the brakes, I have discs in the front already and was going to see how they behaved. Thanks for the input!

 

[Jeepsareexpensive]

How do you guys feel about 15"-18" wheels for 35" tires? The tires are the one piece of this build that I consider to be totally overboard, but I think I will enjoy having them. My current wheels are 16" alloy, making these work for a while would save some $$$ for now.

 

[Alex01]

A rear antirock isn't nessary, oem is just fine, I'd use those funds to run a front AR or swayloc. Also, the savvy body lift pucks are cheaper than the currie.

For your stated use it will certainly be overbuilt. For intermediate trails you could easily get away with a 32-33" build and save a bit.

-the Currie steering kit comes with everything you'll need to run the steering stabilizer.

 

[Jeepsareexpensive]

Alex, thank you! The currie suspension comes with the front Antirock already, so I'm good there. Perhaps a good way to use the saved funds will be to invest in some nice brakes per Chris' recommendation.

The tires are a tricky topic for me. I want 35's b/c I've been waiting so long to do the build so I want to just go big. I also thought the 35" might help me a little bit if I get too confident or accidentally stray into some more challenging terrain. Having not driven a TJ with either I am not well informed to make this decision. The 35's do look cool too, even if I try not to let that drive my decision making too much. The real tricky part here is getting the gearing right. What ratio is best for switching between 33" and 35" tires?

 

[Alex01]

@Chris has a chart in a post I'msure he can link. I assume you have a 3 speed auto since it's a 2001 so my guess is 4.10 but don't blindly follow that. (4.56 after looking at the chart)

My 35's are great and I can easily cruise at 75 on the highway. The downside is I get around 13mpg, around 200 to a tank. That was the main reason I said 32-33. For overlanding the range is pretty pathetic. But, I guess why fuel cans were invented.

 

[Chris]

See here:

What gear ratio should I install in my Jeep Wrangler TJ / LJ? (and other re-gearing FAQs)

 

[Jeepsareexpensive]

Guys thanks, glad to hear it was a mpg recommendation as opposed to performance on or off road. I looked at that chart and some others i found on the internet and will have to prioritize between 4.56 and 4.88. Either will most likely suit me well.

Any recommendations on brands for fenders/bumpers? I have been looking at barricade off road, motobilt, ace engineering and metalcloak. I'm leaning toward barricade right now b/c they are steel and I like the way they look. The metalcloaks are nice, but a little bit too expensive for my liking. I'd be afraid to ding them if I spent over 2K on sliders and fenders!

 

[Nickgsjeep]

@Chris has a chart in a post I'msure he can link. I assume you have a 3 speed auto since it's a 2001 so my guess is 4.10 but don't blindly follow that. (4.56 after looking at the chart)

My 35's are great and I can easily cruise at 75 on the highway. The downside is I get around 13mpg, around 200 to a tank. That was the main reason I said 32-33. For overlanding the range is pretty pathetic. But, I guess why fuel cans were invented.

Yeah it’s crazy how much more often I fill up now with the 35’s vs the 33’s

 

[Nickgsjeep]

Alex, thank you! The currie suspension comes with the front Antirock already, so I'm good there. Perhaps a good way to use the saved funds will be to invest in some nice brakes per Chris' recommendation.

The tires are a tricky topic for me. I want 35's b/c I've been waiting so long to do the build so I want to just go big. I also thought the 35" might help me a little bit if I get too confident or accidentally stray into some more challenging terrain. Having not driven a TJ with either I am not well informed to make this decision. The 35's do look cool too, even if I try not to let that drive my decision making too much. The real tricky part here is getting the gearing right. What ratio is best for switching between 33" and 35" tires?

There is nothing wrong with getting 35’s for no other reason than just wanting 35’s. I’m with @Chris though that you might want some better brakes to stop them. I sure did. Good luck with your build and welcome to the forum

 

[Jeepsareexpensive]

Thanks Nick, cool jeep! I can't wait to order my parts

 

[Jeepsareexpensive]

Finally got pretty much all of my parts on order. While going through the process I ended up making some significant changes to my original plan as a result of advice from some friends who have done numerous builds, doing some on road test drives and discounts I was able to get by ordering a lot of stuff from individual suppliers. Here's the list:

Front End: ECGS Dana 489, 30 spline chrome moly, ARB Locker, 4.88 gearing, 65" width (JK width), ordered JK disc brakes, I'm will be welding on the Clayton truss
Steering: 1-ton kit from ECGS w/ RS5000 stabilizer

Rear End: ECGS Dana 489, 35 spline chrome moly, ARB Locker, with disc brakes, 4.88 gearing, 65" width,1 ton bearings and JK disc brakes

Driveshaft/SYE: From ECGS with axle assemblies
Transfer Case: Atlas 2 transfer case

Suspension: Clayton Offroad 5.5" pro long arm, went with this b/c I really liked the on road drive and heard great reviews of its offroad performance. I found MrBlaine commenting on this as a long arm kit that he does not dislike because it is welded and can therefore have appropriate geometry. I also really like the idea of it being welded to minimize bracketry that could rust over time.
Shocks: Bilstein 5100

Exhaust: Pro Street 6222 (replacing b/c mine is rusted pretty badly)

Bodywork: Metalcloak 4" arched system (front fenders, flares, wells, sliders, rear fenders, corner guards)
Bumpers: Metalcloak front and rear
Winch: Warn VR EVO 10k w/ synthetic line
Tire Carrier: Exogate

Headlights: Trucklite 27270c LED high/low

Body Armor:
Clayton engine/oil skid
Clayton transfer case skid
Genright steering box skid
Savvy gas tank skid

So far all of my Metalcloak is in, headlights are in, genright/Savvy are in transit and the Clayton, ECGS and Atlas are still at least a month out.

 

[Nickgsjeep]

Wow going for it!

 

[JMT]

Guys thanks, glad to hear it was a mpg recommendation as opposed to performance on or off road. I looked at that chart and some others i found on the internet and will have to prioritize between 4.56 and 4.88. Either will most likely suit me well.

Any recommendations on brands for fenders/bumpers? I have been looking at barricade off road, motobilt, ace engineering and metalcloak. I'm leaning toward barricade right now b/c they are steel and I like the way they look. The metalcloaks are nice, but a little bit too expensive for my liking. I'd be afraid to ding them if I spent over 2K on sliders and fenders!

For fenders and bumpers, think light, think aluminum, think Savvy or UCF perhaps.

 

[Jeepsareexpensive]

The parts that are yet to order are:

TLDR: Do AL wheels commonly break off road?

tires (will be BFG A/T K02 in 35x12.5), not yet ordered to avoid having to store at home long term
wheels (not yet picked, getting 17x9 w/ a 0 to -12mm offset)
front/rear differential skids (will be AEV rear and Rancho front, but I don't know if the JK parts will accommodate my driveline angles so I'm going to order these once all of the other parts are in)
Front Sway bars (would get Currie AR, but I need to find out from Clayton if their kit includes any, I know it includes JKS disconnects)

The debate I'm having in my mind is about the wheels. They were an afterthought at first since i know theyre just going to get all dinged up off road. I'm not willing to spend over $175 per wheel and can get steel or AL. From what I've read the steel is tougher but feels a little bit sluggish on road which bothers me b/c I'm making a big effort . I also don't want to have to lug around an extra 20lbs per wheel when rotating tires. However, if the AL is prone to failure off road that will be a lot of trouble in the long run. Any thoughts on reliability of AL wheels off road? i will also be looking through the forum for anecdotal data?

 

[Jeepsareexpensive]

JMT, thanks for the advice, too late though! All that stuff is already at my house. I did look at the AL stuff and know that weight out at the ends of the vehicle will be most noticeable. As these parts rust/get smashed up over time i will be replacing them with AL, the steel got me started at a price I could afford without sacrificing elsewhere.

 

[JMT]

JMT, thanks for the advice, too late though! All that stuff is already at my house. I did look at the AL stuff and know that weight out at the ends of the vehicle will be most noticeable. As these parts rust/get smashed up over time i will be replacing them with AL, the steel got me started at a price I could afford without sacrificing elsewhere.

Oops, yeah, I see that was back on Jan 23, so I'm a little late to the game. Looking forward to this build. I'm sure you are, after waiting 15 years to get it on!

 

[never monday]

Serious build!
Clayton builds good stuff, it’s worth the weight

 

[Jeepsareexpensive]

Guys thanks for the encouragement! I feel like every single day is the night before Christmas as a 10 year old except that I have to wait 12 more weeks!! JMT, the advice is appreciated at all times.

Forgot to mention in the post about the wheels the reason that I'm thinking about it so much is because I cracked a stock AL wheel doing some pretty light off road driving a few years ago and would like to avoid that situation in the future.

Once assembly begins I will post pictures. Will also be doing rust mitigation surgery on the front end of the frame.