well, i have always been a fan of Jeep wranglers......i've had 6....& this one will make 7. although i am cheating with this one...it's already built, so all i'm going to do is add some lighting & some interior things that i want & it's all done. it's definitely an overkill for what i want one for, but i hope that i will "grow" into it & use it to it's full potential.....let me know what you guys think.







getting it ready for the car dolly


and finally back at it's new home

 

love it!!!!

 

Congratulations. Neat little off-roader. Neat license plate, too..."H8S PVT".

Just don't flip it over...it looks very high and narrow. But, since you've had raised-Wranglers (and CJs) before, I guess you're aware of their center-of-gravity issues.

 

Looks fun! Those are interesting sliders on there.

 

Also..... I have to ask..... I've been wanting to pick up a Wrangler ('97-'02) for a while now. Since you've owned so many of them, how well do they do in the snow? People have told me they aren't that great due to their weight. Is this the case?

 

Two of my neighbors had Wrangler Sahara models, and they easily went through the worst snows winter could toss at us in this part of the country.

The only significant winter issue with Wranglers (and other Jeep models with Command-Trac part-time 4WD systems that lack a center-differential) is that, in 4WD, all four wheels rotate at the same speed. So, to use the 4WD safely, you must be on a surface that allows some slip...you cannot go around a hard-paved corner with it, because it could cause the driveline to bind, side-forces on the tires/wheels, and possible wheel-bearing/driveline damage. No problem if the road you are on is totally covered in snow, ice, or rain, but if there are dry patches on the road in between, you risk some of some stresses I just described.

That dry-pavement problem, BTW, is one of the main reasons why car-based AWD and full-time 4WD (with center-differentials) were developed. Jeep puts center-differential systems (Select-Trac, Quadra-Trac) on some of their other models, but, for some reason, has stubbornly refused, for years, to make them an option on Wranglers.

 

nice! love that body style!

 

Good to know, thanks! I know I should get online and Google this, but in a manual, and in stock form, do they come with different rear ends? Dana 44, etc? Which is most common?

What's funny is just this AM before I read this post, I was thinking to myself it's time to buy a Wrangler and do some research.

 

Jeep should have those specs on their website, but, of course, that applies to new Wranglers and not necessarily older ones like yours.

http://www.jeep.com

 

Looks nice and mean! Congrats and have fun!

 

what mmasrshall said is totally correct.

there were only a couple rear axle that you will mainly see....the dana 35 & dana 44. the 44 being the rarest (and seems to becoming more rare). now i'm not sure about the newer JK models (2007-current). if you are looking at an older wrangler, the easiest way to tell the difference on the axle is check the rear. if the "pumpkin" looks like a stop sign, that's the dana 44. but if it has more of an oval look, it's the dana 35.

thanks all for the comments. i'm headed out sunday to break her in. just going to a place called trails road in PA. then eventually heading to Rausch Creek (can't wait to head there).

 

Looks fun, nice pick up.

 

thanks everyone. i finally got to hit a trail & break her in. she's definitely capable & i didn't have any real problems getting through anything.