theksmith

after my carnage, the group decided to stack a fair amount of rocks. Cory (merkur92) came over from San Diego to Join us just for Saturday. here he is after the rock stacking. thanks to those few inches of rocks on the passenger side, his mirror was his only carnage: one of our crazier group members took a different line:

YJs/TJs fit with no problem: a JK is a tight fit, but can do it without scratches: but a WJ is fat and round down low where it counts (sound like a rap lyric, i know): The Carnage from The Squeeze: right after i got out, i went around to look at the damage and everyone heard me yell "holy sh#t!" because the whole door panel was caved in, then i pulled on the handle and it all popped right back out except for the dents you see in the first carnage pic. i might try and take the interior panel off and the handle and see if there is anyway to bang the dents out even better. after thinking the entire door was caved in and having it pop back out, everything else seemed not-so-bad now, i just need a lot of that expensive mopar touch up spray!

just finished packing the cooler, jeeps all ready to go, leaving for Anza-Borrego in the morning, be back Sunday night.. woo hoo!

also finally purchased the greasable rear bushings for my addco bar (Part #9.5161G, summitracing.com $16), and got those installed this weekend. yay! no more squeeky!

installed a new steering stabilizer this weekend. i moved it up high like the kit that Kevins sells. i just used the hardware from my original ss, the new hardware, and the 2 end-clamps from my original tie-rod (i replaced the tie-rod with a JKS one a while back). so for anyone else that has a stock tie-rod laying around, re-cycle those end-clamps and make either a dual stabilizer or at least move yours up out of the rocks. this is basicly how it assembles: and here is how it looks on the jeep:

Predator trail in Table Mesa ran Predator and all i can say is Predator won. i'd been feeling a lot more confident with rock crawler type trails after running a few in the Florence Junction area lately, but this was much tighter and more challenging. i really need lockers... or a couple more inches of lift might have helped on this trail, but overall lockers are going to be required if i'm going to keep doing this type of trail. also need some real bumpers (hey kevins/protofab and iceland: get off your a$$es and ship a WJ bumper already!) no pic of me on the last major obstacle (v-notch), but here is the guy in front of me. i had to take a strap to finish getting over this one: hard to see in this pic, but the outer part of the slider is now arched up in the middle: also the right front fender got pulled in by the tire and bent a little, under extreme articulation the tire still grabs the fender... i'm already at a 5" bump-stop extension, so i can't really go anymore without loosing all my up-travel, so i guess i really need to trim the fenders more. :brickwall

removal of tire/jack mounting crap in the spare tire-well... couldn't just drill out the spot-welds as you normally would (since the gas tank is right below), so at first i started to use the dremel to cut around the welds... but then when prying, it seemed some of the welds were just breaking loose... unfortunately, the one in the middle ripped things up a little instead of coming loose cleanly so i used some roof sealing tape to seal up the holes (the kind with aluminum on one side and a tar-like material on the other side) and now my little suitcase of rarely used items can fit nicely in there (full of extra fluids and parts like u-joints that hopefully i won't need very often) before i did this, the metal stuff i cut out was poking through the suitcase, and i was woried the pointy edges were going to puncture a bottle eventually

ran across this old picture of my ride when it was stock, can't believe it ever looked like this!

rotated the tires today after getting an oil change... and i always have to lookup what the 5-tire rotation pattern is.. so i'm going to stick it here for next time:

finally got my clayton belly skid plate installed last weekend, it's just a ZJ one that clayton sent me, then i had a local fabricator bend and weld up the tube for the rear mount. normally clayton sends a pre-bent tube with the skid, but i was concerned it might not clear my exhaust, so i told him to just send me the plate. the plate is pure beef, 1/4" steel all the way, with nice countersunk holes. unfortunately, since this was a ZJ specific plate, the holes for the transmission mounts don't line up with anything (not without moving it far to a side instead of centered) clayton told me he would be making WJ specific skids last fall, but i've yet to see it on his site. overall it's a nice skid, but i think i would have come out cheaper to just have the fabricator come up with something on his own... (by the time i paid for the skid, plus shipping, plus the install). one extra thing i had the fabricator do was punch the 5 drain holes you see. i had a full belly skid on my old XJ and it was always a PITA to wash out mud from, so i thought drain holes would be nice!

and the carnage from the Woodpecker trip, nothing too bad:

wheeled quite a few of the obstacles on the Woodpecker trail:

this has come up several times with people... i junked the inside liners day 1, also had to remove the washer bottle right from the start, and i went ahead and ditched the fog lights. i might could have kept the fogs, but the tires were hitting them some, so i thought i would just take them out before running the risk of ripping them out on the trail. as far as trimming, i masked off a nice clean line with tape and then used metal shears to cut the bumper... i have tried everything from a dremel to a jigsaw to a utility knife and found the shears to make a nice cut. a dremel with a sanding drum will clean up any ragged places you might make from starting and stopping with the shears. that last pic was before i had appropriate bump-stop extensions (as you can see there's no room to turn much). i had to go with 5" extension front and rear even after some decent trimming. that doesn't leave me with much up-travel and so i'll eventually either fully commit and trim the crap out of the fenders (and then i can shorten the extensions)... or i'll go to a 6" lift instead of the current 4.5"... time will tell fyi, this will vary greatly for everyone... even if you are running the same lift and springs. it not only depends on lift and your tire size, but the backspacing and width of your wheels will have a lot to do with it. there have been several people with similiar lifts and similiar size tires that haven't had to trim as much as i did. and here are some pictures of how the rear is trimmed...

swaybar disconnect holders: parts: (2 feet) 3/32 coated braided wire cable (4) 3/32 aluminum cable ferrules (2) Swivel Thumb Clips (2) eye bolts (4) washers (4) nuts

silly yes, but i thought it was fun.... since my jeep is kinda Evil (all blacked out and no logos), i made a Decepticon sticker for my shorty t-case knob:

found this in some paperwork and wanted to keep track of it, so i thought i would just put it here! and no, i'm not the original owner and didn't pay anywhere near that $38,405 sticker price! -------- and here's my full build sheet with paint codes and such, so i can keep track of that! Desc: 2003 ? JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED 4X4 SPORT UTILITY 4-DR *XL - Leather Trimmed Bucket Seats -T5 - Sandstone ADEP - Cold Weather Group AFFS - Luxury Group AHX - Trailer Tow Group IV APAS - Monotone Paint ATCP - Radio-CD/Cass/10 Disc/Infinity Spkrs AWBP - Quadra-Drive 4WD System A83P - 4.7LHO Eng(EVC)/5spdA/T 5-45Rfe(DGQ) BAZS - 136 Amp Alternator BC6S - 625 Amp Maintenance Free Battery BRYS - Anti-Lock 4-Wheel Disc Brakes CACS - Low Back Bucket Seats CBWS - Highline Door Trim Panel CFNS - Rear 60/40 Folding Seat CGS - Supplemental Side Air Bags CGUS - Child Seat Anchor System-LATCH Ready CG1S - Next Gen Multistage Front Air Bags** CJ2P - Supp. Side Curtain Frt/Rr Air Bags CKDS - Floor Carpet CKNS - Cargo Compartment Carpet CKTS - Cargo Tie Down Loops CLES - Front & Rear Floor Mats CLGS - Covered Cargo Storage CLHS - Cargo Trim Panel w/Storage Net CLPS - Door Sill Scuff Pads CSCS - Cargo Compartment Cover CSRS - Passenger Assist Handles CUDS - Mini Overhead Console CUFS - Full Length Floor Console DGES - All 5-Speed Automatic Transmissions DGQ - 5-Spd Automatic 545RFE Transmission DHAS - Lock-Up Torque Converter DHFS - Quadra-Trac II On Demand 4WD System DJJS - Dana 30/186MM Front Axle DMEP - 3.73 Axle Ratio DRKP - Dana 44/226MM Rear Axle DSBP - Vari-Lok Progressive Front Axle DSCP - Vari-Lok Progressive Rear Axle EVC - 4.7L High Output V8 MPI Engine GBBS - Tinted Windshield Glass GCBS - Front Door Tinted Glass GEGS - Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass GEPS - Flipper Liftgate Glass GFAS - Rear Window Defroster GNCS - Sun Visors w/Illum Vanity Mirrors GNKP - Rear View Auto Dim Mirror GT3S - Power Mirrors, Fold-Away GWAP - Power Sunroof GXMS - Remote Keyless Entry GXXS - Sentry Key Theft Deterrent System HAFS - Air Cond ATC w/Dual Zone Control HGAS - Hood Insulation HGDS - Deluxe Insulation Group I39S - Route 39 - UP, Phoenix, AZ JA6S - Electroluminescent Instr Cluster JCBS - 120 MPH Primary Speedometer JHAS - Var Intermittent Windshield Wipers JHBS - Rear Window Wiper/Washer JJBS - Dual Note Electric Horns JJJP - 12V Auxiliary Power Outlet JKAS - Locking Glove Box JKPS - 12V Auxiliary Power Outlet JKYS - Power Accessory Delay JPBS - Power Locks JPDS - Power Windows, Driver One-Touch JTFP - Power 10-Way Heated Memory Seats K4BS - STRIPE/BADGE/MOLDING/COLOR LACS - Illuminated Entry LAGS - Warning Chime LAZP - Vehicle Information Center LBBS - Courtesy Lamps LBCS - Glove Box Lamp LCBS - Door Courtesy Lamps LCES - Rear Courtesy/Reading Lamps LDBS - Cargo Compartment Lamp LETP - Traveler/Mini Trip Computer LEWS - Radio/Driver Seat/Mirrors Memory LMBS - Halogen Headlamps LMGP - Automatic Headlamps LNJS - Fog Lamps LPSS - CHMSL Lamp LSAS - Security Alarm MDAS - Front License Plate Bracket MFWS - Bright/Body Color Grille MHAS - Black Windshield Moldings MTBP - 4.7L HO Badge MVAS - Limited Badge MVBS - Grand Cherokee Badge MVCS - Jeep Badge MVEP - V-8 Badge MWES - Side Roof Rails MZBP - Quadra Drive Badge NAS - 50 State Emissions NBVP - Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) NFPS - 20.5 Gallon Fuel Tank NHFP - Power Steering Cooler NHMS - Speed Control NMHP - Hydraulic Engine Cooling PXR - Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat QXRS - Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat RAAC - All Radio Equipped Vehicles RBPP - AM/FM Cass/CD Radio w/Changer Ctrl RCES - Infinity Speakers RDDS - Fixed Long Mast Antenna RDPP - 10-Disc Remote CD Changer RDZP - Steering Wheel Mounted Audio Ctrls SBAS - Power Rack and Pinion Steering SCLS - Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel SDAS - Normal Duty Suspension SUAS - Tilt Steering Column TBLS - Inside Mounted Spare Tire TBWP - Full Size Matching Whl Spare Tire TWGP - P235/65R17 BSW AS Perf Tires TZAP - Goodyear Brand Tires WGW - 17" Aluminum Chrome Clad Wheels WLZC - All Aluminum Wheels XFHP - Class IV Receiver Hitch XFKP - 7 Pin Wiring Harness XFLP - 7 to 4 Pin Wiring Adaptor XGDP - Universal Garage Door Opener XGM - Tire Pressure Monitoring Display XPFS - Protective Coating and Remover YAAS - Build To U S Market Specifications YEP - Manuf Statement of Origin YGAA - Without Billable Fuel ZKGP - Spring - Left Front ZKYP - Spring - Left Rear ZYGP - Spring - Right Front ZYYP - Spring - Right Rear Z6BP - GVW/Payload Rating

just happen to be out wheeling just north of Scottsdale, AZ today when a freak snow storm came through! http://picasaweb.google.com/kristoffersmith/20081226BartlettLake on a not-as-fun note, one of my IRO front coil spring retainers came loose... then when the spring hit the thing, it bent the sheetmetal where they mount to and stripped it... so now i have to get someone to weld a tube in there or something that will hold up better.

video of me getting stupid in the snow at the Cinders in Flagstaff, AZ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0-lF6XRzmA and a hill climb in the snow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ahx8NG8e0

did some scenic runs this weekend. it rained last week, so we found plenty of mud... here's the dirty Jeep:

did nearly 900 miles this past weekend visiting the Mojave Preserve and running the Mojave Road. the jeep ran perfect, no issues doing 85 on the freeway then airing down and running across the desert for days, love my WJ!! here's a pic from the trip: rest of pics... http://picasaweb.google.com/kristoffersmith/20081114MojaveRoadJeepTrip

UPS is running late tonight, check out what they just dropped off...

decided on a place to mount a fire extinguisher, did mag-lite while i was at it. there aren't many options with the interior so rounded in the WJ. it hasn't gotten in the way when getting in and out so far: on the flashlight, i used some great clamps from a guy that's in my local clubs, he sells them on ebay under the user "TVPICARD", just search for "MAG LITE CLAMP", they are a very sturdy coated spring steel and won't break like the official maglite brand plastic ones.

and here's a closeup of the new grille: i purchased some raw material from grilleguy.com, then fabbed it up. kinda a pain in the *** to install, and we'll see if it holds. let me know what you think, i like it better than stock at least.. not sure if i'll keep it long term or try something else. also filled in the fog light holes. (fog lights had to go early on because the bigger tires would have ripped them out):