New here and have been recently been bit by the Jeep bug. Bear with me while I lay the foundation for my questions.
It started with moving to north Georgia looking for a better quality of life. At that time I had a BMW which got stuck a lot on my gravel driveway often. I traded that for a stock 05 LJ which was a 2 owner in great shape with a rebuilt 42RLE, it 104k on it and in very nice shape. It has a Dana 44 with a factory LS and a 30 in the front.
I started doing forestry roads and found I really enjoyed trail riding which might had lead to a small error in judgement and might have brought home a 1997 TJ hardtop on 33/10.5/15 Mamouth wheels with a cheap rough country lift (Not a Fan) with a SYE with 92k on it with a AX15. It’s in nice shape inside and out. It has a Dana 30 and 35.
I want a trail rig/something to build on, nothing crazy like hardcore rock crawling. I have just ordered JKS 3” progressive springs, Rancho shocks, front and rear track bars, sway disconnects, adjustable control arms for the front and rear, brake lines.
I’m mechanically capable with tools and such. The question is which is the better platform for a build? What drivetrain pieces can I blend together?
I am new to Jeeps and trail riding, I have no illusions of knowing all off-road stuff. I do have the Georgia Traverse just a few miles from the house.
I came from always building road cars, I’ve done engine swaps ETC. I also have no issues blending the two Jeeps to make the best option. There is a caveat, I need one for airport duty, I have a 1.5 ride to the airport every month or so through the mountains with interstate duty. I’m not looking to do amazing speed on the interstate, it’s a Jeep. I hung up the going fast due to age and wisdom. I use wisdom loosely…..
I figured from looking on here that the LJ is a better starting point solely due to wheelbase and the axles, but a possible nice piece would be to swap the AX15 into the LJ if I could get the Auto to go back into the 97 TJ work properly. Not sure on computer issues.
So many ideas running through my head and being new to Jeeps and excited to get into the off-road scene. I don’t want to make a big mistake with this stuff. I was hoping for some assistance and direction. Everyone on here is more knowledgeable than me, so I’d love to hear any advice on this.
Thank you so much in advance.
It started with moving to north Georgia looking for a better quality of life. At that time I had a BMW which got stuck a lot on my gravel driveway often. I traded that for a stock 05 LJ which was a 2 owner in great shape with a rebuilt 42RLE, it 104k on it and in very nice shape. It has a Dana 44 with a factory LS and a 30 in the front.
I started doing forestry roads and found I really enjoyed trail riding which might had lead to a small error in judgement and might have brought home a 1997 TJ hardtop on 33/10.5/15 Mamouth wheels with a cheap rough country lift (Not a Fan) with a SYE with 92k on it with a AX15. It’s in nice shape inside and out. It has a Dana 30 and 35.
I want a trail rig/something to build on, nothing crazy like hardcore rock crawling. I have just ordered JKS 3” progressive springs, Rancho shocks, front and rear track bars, sway disconnects, adjustable control arms for the front and rear, brake lines.
I’m mechanically capable with tools and such. The question is which is the better platform for a build? What drivetrain pieces can I blend together?
I am new to Jeeps and trail riding, I have no illusions of knowing all off-road stuff. I do have the Georgia Traverse just a few miles from the house.
I came from always building road cars, I’ve done engine swaps ETC. I also have no issues blending the two Jeeps to make the best option. There is a caveat, I need one for airport duty, I have a 1.5 ride to the airport every month or so through the mountains with interstate duty. I’m not looking to do amazing speed on the interstate, it’s a Jeep. I hung up the going fast due to age and wisdom. I use wisdom loosely…..
I figured from looking on here that the LJ is a better starting point solely due to wheelbase and the axles, but a possible nice piece would be to swap the AX15 into the LJ if I could get the Auto to go back into the 97 TJ work properly. Not sure on computer issues.
So many ideas running through my head and being new to Jeeps and excited to get into the off-road scene. I don’t want to make a big mistake with this stuff. I was hoping for some assistance and direction. Everyone on here is more knowledgeable than me, so I’d love to hear any advice on this.
Thank you so much in advance.
