Builds Nijas98hundie build thread

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Joined
Oct 6, 2016
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1
Messages
141
Location
Nashville
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ive had a few people ask me to do a build thread. I’m pretty far along In the process but I’ll try to post retroactively to catch up with where I’m at today.

I picked up my 1998 UZJ100 in October 2015. It was bone stock with 300k miles on it and had been beat to death in a hail storm. In other words, I found the perfect camping rig!!

It had a super fancy grill guard that would bend into my headlights if I hit a decent size moth. Gold, so much gold trim.

First things first, I bought a used set of 33” Toyo at’s on steel tundra wheels to get her rolling.

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After plunging into Goose Creek in Fayetteville TN, I decided to make a huge hole in my passenger fender and stick a tube in it.

Also the rear locker wouldn’t engage so I pulled it apart to find the magnets in the motor were broke. I took the biggest chunk of magnet and epoxied it back in the case and it’s been working fine for the last couple years
 
Time to get into the fun stuff!

ARB bumper and Warn 10k synthetic up front. Also did the Jeep 4” led light mod and built a proper recovery point while in there.

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Back to maintenance.

I replaced basically all the rubber up front. The sway bar bushing were making a little noise. I don’t know why?

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I looked for roof racks that would suit my needs but finally decided to build my own. I wanted a rack with points to attach modular add on’s such as kayak racks, awning, cargo boxes, etc.
 
With all the new bracketry I started adding some lights. I went the cheaper route with amazon led lights. These things are super bright and have lasted a year so far. I put a relay box behind the air box and a switch panel in the overhead console. This took a lot of thought and work but the end result is clean and tidy.

All this is ran off my second battery, hence the dual voltage readout.
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Aaaand back to maintenance.

I shut it down for a couple weeks and replaced:

Timing belt
Water pump
Idlers
Oil pump
Oil pan gasket
Steering rack
Alternator
Drive belt/idlers
Thermostat
Coolant hoses
Fan viscous coupler

I flushed the coolant and put everything back together.

Of course it only made sense to go ahead and put an OME 2.5” heavy kit in while I was in there.

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She was still a bit high in the rear, so the next logical step was..... Slee rear bumper.
 
Well, that spare is a little smooth for my liking. Why buy 1 tire when you can buy 5. Furthermore, I really like talking to the guy at the local gas station (he drove a cruiser across Africa) so I decided to go with 295/70/18’s. For all you letter haters out there, I kinda like this look. I’ll probably paint the wheels black or charcoal though.
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Wow!! That was the fastest produced build thread ever!

I really need the recovery points you have installed - my winch hook, let alone a shackle pin, won't fit into the thin stock location with the ARB mounted. Did you fab those as well?

I copied your idea on the Jeep fogs :slap:

I love that you invested in all the preventative maintaince.

Now that I've seen yours my to do list just got a lot longer.
 
$1500 later I now have a spare I can count on..... and a trasharoo. My instagram is seak_the_peak_overland, how could I claim to be an overlander without a trasharoo!?!
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Wow!! That was the fastest produced build thread ever!

I really need the recovery points you have installed - my winch hook, let alone a shackle pin, won't fit into the thin stock location with the ARB mounted. Did you fab those as well?

I copied your idea on the Jeep fogs :slap:

I love that you invested in all the preventative maintaince.

Now that I've seen yours my to do list just got a lot longer.

Yessir, recovery point east built out of 1/2” angle I got for free from a local structural steel fabricator. Also has a 1/2” plate inside the frame.
 
Did you design & build the drawers yourself?

They came out awesome.
Yep. I took some notes from Brady adventures, I’m sure he’s on here somewhere. Never met the guy, but I like his YouTube videos and his kids are always around which is important to me also.
 
So, that’s how she sits today. Next up are 4.88’s front air locker and drop down fridge slide.

I’m trying to figure out how to store water and fuel more efficiently, so I may have some update on that as well.

On the maintenance side, I still need to do valve cover gaskets and coils/plugs. I’ll probably rebuild or replace the starter while I’m in there.
 
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Oh yeah, sliders. I built them out of 1/4” wall square tube and 3/16” round tube. Braced and welded the bajeezes out of them. 1/4” plates welded to the frame with gussets.
 

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