Ardalan11B's Build - Black 2003 Sahara 4.0 5-Speed

[Ardalan11B]

Well i finally found my TJ, I posted about it before I bought it here: Pre-Purchase Thread. I plan on keeping this forever, so it will be my fun summer vehicle. I want it capable and reliable, and most importantly, to keep it rust free. The vehicle came from Austin texas, where it was driven lightly, then moved to PA to the original owners sun. He installed a brand new quadratec soft-top and kept it for a year. Owner I purchased it from had it for a short time garage kept and babied, it was simply to small for him and his family. I'll detail the current setup, what I plan to do, and upgrades, changes as I do them. I've done my best to identify things done to the Jeep before I picked it up, but this is my first TJ so I may not notice things like a member mentioned a rear track bar bracket was installed. The Jeep drives amazing, great ride, no death wobble, everything feels tight.

In addition to parts purchased below I will be cleaning interior of frame, drilling drain holes and coating with eastwood internal frame coating. I will then coat everything in CRC6026 to prevent any corrosion in future. I will also be going through and changing all fluids, flushing coolant, new plugs.

Known Issues:
Valve Cover Leak (Valve cover gasket ordered, pending the install)
P0442 Small EVAP Leak / P0455 Large Evap Leak (EVAP Leak identified, line from tank)
Bump Stops Deteriorating
Ball Joints Leaking/Torn Boots (Front End upgrade ordered)
Intermittent Airbag Light
Has slipped out of Reverse twice
Updated 8/2/2025

Original Build Sheet Details:
2003 Sahara 4.0L 5-Speed (NV3550)
Dana 44 Rear
Half Doors
3.73 Gears
Black Exterior
Khaki Interior

As Purchased Details:
4" Lift (unknown brand, anyone recognize it?)
Quadratec Soft Top
Billstein Shocks
1" Transfer Case Drop
rear track bar bracket
Brakes appear recently serviced
K&N Cold Air Intake (replaced with AFE)
Back-Up Camera (no display so who knows how this was connected)

Upgrades Purchased/Installed:

Sound System (Installed):
Kenwood DMX5710S
Rockford Fosgate R1525X2 Prime Series 5-1/4" 2-way car speakers (In Dash, Rollbar)
SiriusXM SXV300V1 Tuner

Steering/Suspension (Purchased):
RockJock CE-9701 CURRECTLYNC Heavy-Duty Tie Rod System
Teraflex 1743022 Front Adjustable Trackbar
Rancho RS5407 RS5000 Steering Stabilizer with Boot

Lighting (Purchased):
Holly Retrobright Headlights Modern White LFRB155 (Installed)
Quadratec LED Tail Light Kit 55213-0116
Various LEDs from Superbright LEDS, building harness per forum for 3 wire LED side lamp/turn signal fix

Engine (Purchased):
Valve Cover Gasket Fel-Pro VS50458R, PCV, Breather and Grommets
aFe Power 51-76202 Momentum GT Pro Dry S Stage 2 Intake System (Installed)
MBRP S5500409 XP Series Cat Back Exhaust System in T-409 Stainless Steel

Planned Upgrades in Future:
Regear for 35"S
Tune/Headers
Adjustable Control Arms
SYE to Remove Transfer Case Drop
LED Fogs to replace factory

Looking forward to everyone's thoughts and opinions. Ill post pics of everything as I go. This forum has been a goldmine, I have learned so much recently as I looked to purchase my TJ, so thank you all. Here are some pics as the Jeep stands now.

 

[bbaldwin237]

Sounds like you've got a lot of work planned ahead of you but have a clean starting platform.
Silver coil springs and control arms would generally point to Rubicon Express, but I can't say for sure.

For the AFE intake, generally a stock air box or cowl intake like a Windstar is going to be recommended over any type of cone filter intake that is drawing heat from the engine bay. But like anything, it's your Jeep (and money) so by all means, build it how you want!

There's a ton of great information and builds on here to keep you busy!

 

[Ardalan11B]

Sounds like you've got a lot of work planned ahead of you but have a clean starting platform.
Silver coil springs and control arms would generally point to Rubicon Express, but I can't say for sure.

For the AFE intake, generally a stock air box or cowl intake like a Windstar is going to be recommended over any type of cone filter intake that is drawing heat from the engine bay. But like anything, it's your Jeep (and money) so by all means, build it how you want!

There's a ton of great information and builds on here to keep you busy!

Thanks for the input. This is why i chose the AFE intake, I can draw air from outside the vehicle only like factory box using a urethane plug, or draw from both outside and inside engine bay with plug removed. I thought this was a good middle ground, I run and AFE on my duramax and it performs extremely well. We shall see though, new to this platform.

https://afepower.com/afe-power-54-76202-momentum-gt-pro-5r-cold-air-intake-system

 

[Ardalan11B]

Got the new Head Unit and speakers installed, huge difference. Old paper speakers were shot, and having wireless android auto is great. I do immediately miss a volume knob though. Install was easy, used a oscillating tool to trim subdash. Crutchfield gave me everything I needed, even used their trim tools. I also used poly fill in the soundbar before installing new speakers. Ill tackle the console "sub" at a later date.

Kenwood DMX5710S
Rockford Fosgate R1525X2 Prime Series 5-1/4" 2-way car speakers (In Dash, Rollbar)
SiriusXM SXV300V1 Tuner

 

[Ardalan11B]

Well got the K&N CAI off and installed the AFE one. I'm pretty happy with it. Looks good.

I also managed to smoke check the EVAP system and found my leak. Not sure if I can replace this part or how hard it will be to get access. Looks like it's the line that goes from my tank to the hardline set in rear of jeep. Pic attached as well.

I also got my HP Tuner setup and running, logged data and took a look at everything. Little surprised I'm running at 14% long fuel trim. Wondering if my injectors are starting to go or are clogged. Anyone have insight on this? I may be over analyzing this as is my nature lol.

Other stuff I've done is replace the headlights with the Holly Retrobrights and my foglight bulbs with some Amazon yellow Leds. I'm so happy with the upgrade, the difference is insane.

Found a new issue as well, airbag light is intermittent. Haven't spent much time tracing it yet, I do not have the passanger select switch.