Project Shallow Pockets 97 TJ

Well I bought this TJ in November for $3,000 with no reverse and in pretty rough condition, most all the dash was missing, the tailgate wouldn't open, it had a 3" body lift on it and no one had clearanced anything in the way of steering, transmission, or fuel fill neck. It had and as of right now still has worn out 35x12.50x15" Mud Kings. So far all i have really done is cleaned it up real good and Herculined the interior, replaced the softop with another used and ripped soft top just less ripped, I have done away with the 3" body lift and replaced it with a 1.25" body lift from rough country. Also I had to redo the front trac-bar, to help decrease death wobble. picked up some tube fenders from a local guy and put 3" LED's in the grill like the CJ's, and that is currently how she sits.

How she sits now 8/16/2011.





To Do-
Make Rock Sliders - Almost Done
Make New Tube Fenders - Narrower with attachable flare for inspection time
Sell Old Tube Fenders
Make Rear Corner Protection
Under Cover Fab Extra High Clearance Skid - UCF Skid
Novak Conversions Extreme Short SYE - http://www.novak-adapt.com/catalog/231_parts/kit_231xs.htm]Novak SYE[/url]Novak SYE
Cherokee Front Driveshaft cut to be Rear Driveshaft
Make Rear Tube Flares
Olive Drab Green Paint Job
And swap Dana 44 in front and long arm front

Hopefully I will have all of this done by the end of winter.

This will be a continued build thread, if I get something done you all will see it!

Well not much of an update but A build of bigger proportions than previously stated is about to begin, My girlfriend and I recently bought a truck for me to drive to work and back, so the TJ will no longer be on the road. Current plans now are ford dana 60 front, and either 60 rear or 14 bolt rear. custom make all links and brackets, but as of right now getting the axles together is where im going to start

Got a little something done last night, got my bumper tacked together in the rain, hoping to get it fully welded today and get my winch mounted and hooked up, but we will see how the rest of the day goes.

Looks beautyful. ill be following this.

Thanks, and welcome to Back Forty Offroad.

Little Update,

I got all the tube work fully welded up last evening, drilled the holes for my winch, test fitted the winch for clearance of the tube work and grille of the jeep, making a roller fairlead mount today, and hopefully have everything welded and painted and the winch mounted tomorrow.
I will try to get some pictures as soon as I can, also going to try and put my rock sliders on tomorrow, and try to go pick up my dana 60 front, tomorrow is going to be a busy day, taking it out for one last wheeling trip sunday, and then tearing everything apart should be interesting

Plans are 60 or 14 bolt rear, with leafsprings over the axle should be about a 6" stretch in the rear, and 16" sir shocks mounted to a ford dana 60 front stretched rougly 6-7"

Nice plans. i like the leaf springs in a TJ. Hope the wheeling trip goes well. im only an hour or two away so if you need any help let me know ide be happy to come down for a day although i doubt you will need much help from the looks of your resources

Made a roller fairlead mount today for my bumper, last thing to be welded on and its painting time then hook up the winch and put the bumper on for final!

it's pretty. what winch are you running (probably already said but i somehow forgot)

No need for high dollar when all your paying for is a name, I'm running a smittybilt xrc8 1. Smittybit is quality stuff 2. $300, $330 with lifetime warrenty 3. A winch is a winch.

Nice. im debating if i should shell out for a hydraulic winch and i can run the pump off the PTO on my SM 465. seems like a great idea although at this point it seems more like an idea than a practical idea

I'm basing all of my decisions on what will have me on the trail with the least amount of work and the quickest time

That sounds like a good plan. i have already accepted that whatever i do will take awhile because of how slow my money comes in. so i figured it would be worth a try. Your jeep is looking great already. I like the plan. Now finish it already!

i wont be done until september of next year, and i may not be done by then. my money doesnt come in quite like i would like it to, so im attempting to make as much as i can. only spending money in areas of needing it such as axles, tires and hydro steering oh and hiems, two air shocks stuff like that. mot of my money spent is going to be in material.

got my bumper finished and mounted up all except my winch yesterday before we decided to take a little wheeling adventure in my back yard...nothing fancy but it felt good to get it out one more time.

i dont know if this will work but i let my girlfriend take it through the creek


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=297869510235632

Well in the past week I have "somewhat" comp cut the rears, took both front and rear bumpers off, keeping the front selling the rear, took my tube fenders off and have them sold already and here is the current shape that it sits in now, waiting to get in the bay and start working on the rear axle swap

Well I am using the same rear bumper concept as rob got everything cut out and hopefully over the weekend i will get my rear cross member cut out, and get everything tacked up on my bumper so i can bring it into work and fully weld everything. Other than that no real progress at all in the last couple of weeks. Waiting to get in somewhere where i can start working on it a little more. I may try and put the stock fenders back on in the front so i can start cutting them for the tube fenders i plan on making.

Well Saturday was a great day to be working on a Jeep!

Since the last time I was on here alot has changed, now putting it back on the street possibly running a 8.8 in the rear and just going to be collecting parts so when I do go 1 ton and completely offroad only I will have everything there ready for me and its a little bit more cost effective as when i have some money i can buy some parts, I recently bought some rear corner guards and front and rear tube fenders just because they were decently priced and yes i could have made them but being able to bolt them on was more worth it.

I like those corner guards. where did you get them? Jeep is looking alot better than mine right now.

those are smittybilts smitty built all of that stuff.