4th UZJ - This time with an L on the grill

[bamachem]

I keep selling of UZJs and later buying another one. Anyway, I'm back again. Tomorrow, I'm picking up a 01 LX. It's currently a little "bruised up" but I plan to breathe some life back into it.

Looks like its a good candidate for a decent build since it's already missing the front bumper and one of the tires was popped and off the bead. It's going to need a little time on a frame machine and some minor body work, but all in all its not going to be too bad.

So I bring it home tomorrow and plan to start by taking out the interior and giving everything a thorough scrubbing. I still have some leatherique left from my old 2000 LC so that should bring the seats back to life. I'll snag some 18" wheels and try to find some 275/70/18 Cooper SSTs. For bumper I'm leaning towards the TJM T-13 this time around for the front and will probably build a custom rear. Gotta do something about the color, though. I'm thinking a matte metallic gray vinyl wrap might be in order...

Should be fun and rewarding. I'll post up some pics tomorrow. Looking forward to hanging out here - again.

 

[CappyKD]

Nice.

 

[phsycle]

This will be up for sale before Christmas. Any takers?



Good luck with the build.

 

[OregonLC]

Ha! Welcome back! Is it a total? What the history?

 

[gentimmy]

Looking forward to seeing what you do with her. I won't tell you what went on in the back seat, but you might need more than leatherique

 

[bamachem]

Ufff. I could've done without that!

I'm ripping all the interior out and shampooing the carpet and respraying all seats anyway. I'll make sure to de-contaminate it while I'm at it...

 

[BamaHeel]

Welcome back Andy!

 

[BullElk]

Where on the coast are you from?

 

[bamachem]

I'm originally from Fairhope and moved back here about 6 years ago.

So I got in from Oxford MS this morning at 2:30am. I got to meet gintimmy and pick up the truck. Overall it's in fair condition. 189k miles and good service history. Dirty as all get out on the inside, body damage all down the driver side, and definitely some frame damage behind the driver upper A-arm mounting point. Battery was kaput so we had to jump it off a couple of times but nothing bad. It's amazing how much a 2500HD Silverado will drink when you're towing a 5400lb truck on a Uhaul flat bed trailer down the interstate!

Anyway, I stopped by Autozone and grabbed a $100 24-F class battery so it can be started and driven, then stopped by my local body shop this morning but they couldn't help me out on the frame repairs. They didn't have equipment big enough to pull the heavy box frame on the UZJ chassis. They recommended a semi-truck frame repair shop in Mobile, so off I go.

Dropped the truck off at the frame shop a little while ago and got a good look underneath. Frame can be straightened. Shop has a 100-Ton system, so it won't be a problem. They said I'm looking at about $800-$1000 to get it right, so it's quite a bit more than I was expecting but still within reason as long as it's done right.

Here's my questions - I've never had a AHC truck before. The driver torsion bar is bent from the impact. Obviously I need to replace it. I'm planning on a ARB front bumper with winch, so I'm trying to decide if I should replace everything with OME or Ironman now or keep the AHC. I'm not looking to have a rock crawling flex machine. I'm looking at building up a decent family expedition rig for some mild offroad fun. I'll end up with 33s on 18" wheels, probably some DuraTraks or Cooper STTs. I was originally planning on keeping the AHC. What's some input from others who have AHC and the pros/cons of either keeping or scrapping it? I'm trying to keep costs down right now to get it back on the road, and then if I keep it, I may do more with it later, so I'm really not wanting to drop a grand or more on suspension if I can help it. I don't see any leaks anywhere, and the truck is in N mode right now, but doesn't seem to respond to moving into High. The light blinks but it's not going up at all. Troubleshooting tips???

Anybody have a driver lower A-arm and driver LX torsion bar (are they even the same as the LC version)?

 

[Bomar]

I would ditch the ACH now...with the mileage.

 

[bamachem]

Service History:

 

[cwelk87gn]

Looks like it's been well cared for. I am always amazed at what a small world this is, I grew up in Fairhope and now live in Satsuma. Where'd you end up taking it for the frame work?

 

[bamachem]

Dropped it off with Wayne at Horn Truck Rebuilders.

 

[1loudLX]

There are a few things that need to be met for AHC to adjust but since it's not really drivable I'm guessing you didn't have the doors closed when attempting to raise. Either way take that stuff out if you plan on adding armor and building the truck. It'll be easier to sell in three months that way.

 

[bamachem]

Duh. Didn't know the doors had to be shut. Driver door was definitely open when I attempted it. PO says everything was working before the wreck. Looks like 123k on the shocks - replaced at 66k by Lexus.

As long as the reparis to the frame go well and I can detoxify the interior, then I'll be keeping it.

 

[TXLX100]

Dern, wish he would have wrecked it in Dallas.

 

[bamachem]

I told the frame shop that I wasn't in a hurry and that they could take their time. They are... Dropped it off on the 27th of Aug. To be fair, I told them to just work on it when they had down time (keep the bill low) and that I wasn't in a hurry. However, I am anxious to order bumper, wheels, tires, etc but I'm not doing that until I know it's fully repaired on the structural side.

Stopped by today to check the progress. So far I'm very pleased. Still a little bit of tweaking to do but it's 90%+ there.

 

[bamachem]

The frame shop is close to being done.

Working a lead on a used ARB Sahara for the front and seriously considering building a custom rear bumper. Planning to get a slee AHC override for now and not mess with the suspension right off the bat to keep initial costs down.

I'm getting a set of 18" LC wheels to PC and wrap in new tires. Trying to decide between 275/70/18 and 305/60/18 and if I should go MT or AT.

For MT, I really like the STT. Second is probably the Fierce Attitude but I hate the stupid name and silly barbed wire sidewall. Nitto Trail Grappler is in the mix also. For AT, I'm only considering GY Duratrac, Cooper Zeon (had two sets and loved them) and Nitto Terra Grappler.

I'm 95+% on-road but when I play, I like to play. I will prob drive this truck daily for a while and later get another commuter. I'm leaning heavily towards the Zeon in 275/70 as a long wearing and durable AT with good offroad performance. Don't really need a rock tire at all and not really into "mud" as much as just trails and obstacles/ledges that are usually clay or dirt.

Any other tires or sizes I should be looking at? Attached pics are all 275/70/18, which is what I'm leaning heavily towards.

 

[FlammableFishie]

The frame shop is close to being done.

Working a lead on a used ARB Sahara for the front and seriously considering building a custom rear bumper. Planning to get a slee AHC override for now and not mess with the suspension right off the bat to keep initial costs down.

I'm getting a set of 18" LC wheels to PC and wrap in new tires. Trying to decide between 275/70/18 and 305/60/18 and if I should go MT or AT.

For MT, I really like the STT. Second is probably the Fierce Attitude but I hate the stupid name and silly barbed wire sidewall. Nitto Trail Grappler is in the mix also. For AT, I'm only considering GY Duratrac, Cooper Zeon (had two sets and loved them) and Nitto Terra Grappler.

I'm 95+% on-road but when I play, I like to play. I will prob drive this truck daily for a while and later get another commuter. I'm leaning heavily towards the Zeon in 275/70 as a long wearing and durable AT with good offroad performance. Don't really need a rock tire at all and not really into "mud" as much as just trails and obstacles/ledges that are usually clay or dirt.

Any other tires or sizes I should be looking at? Attached pics are all 275/70/18, which is what I'm leaning heavily towards.

I'd swear by my DuraTracs, they're probably best choice but one complaint people tend to have is about a soft sidewall. I haven't run into issues yet *knock on wood*and have had them on for about 5000 miles.

If you spend 95% of your time on road and don't like mudding then you probably don't want MTs. They just aren't justifiable for wheeling so infrequently, and you can still get to just about anywhere you want with the proper AT.

 

[2000UZJ]

The GY Duratracs are a great tire. I've been impressed them on the trail. However, the past 3 years of wheeling I have seen countless punctures, sidewall mainly. I would never run the Duratracs. They are great for Jeeps, however, when your putting a tire on a 7,000-8,000lb truck (built 100's), a strong sidewall is vital. I've seen a Michelin LTX take a harder blow to the sidewall without failure.