Finally found one! Big Jeep on 44's might like it......with a big lift and heavy mods maybe!!! lol

 

Looks like a 98 ....5.9 out here in Colorado those are hard to find good deals on ...last year I bought a WJ to replace the sold 95 ZJ aka" the money pit" ...I was looking for a 5.9 ZJ but couldn't find a good deal ,so I got a limited WJ pretty cheap ,and currently stocking parts for the build I think this time I'll use 39.5 boggers instead of 44's and only go hydro assist on steering as opposed to full hyrdo ...

 

Yep, it's a '98 5.9L Limited. I had been looking around at WJ's extensively (2002-2004 Overland and Limited w/4.7L H.O.), but after lurking on Jeeps Unlimited for many weeks I decided to try out the ol' ZJ; finding a 5.9 in excellent condition was an added bonus! Just before I got this one I was moments from pulling the trigger on a '99 Laredo with the 4.7 but the dealer wouldn't come down off his price. So it came down to this one and another 5.9 that was the Deep Slate color (love that shade!), both in Chicago. Unfortunately, the dealership with the Slate model had already sold it earlier last week and their I.T. guy had failed to pull the add off of AutoTrader and Vehix websites. Went to check this one out and was driving it home a couple hours later. I swear this thing has more power than advertised, as some poor soul with a certain V8 Ponycar discovered later that night...much to my surprise as well. WOW!!!

Aside from that though, I truly look forward to how this thing handles the upcoming winter, as we tend to get some decent snow here in NW Indiana, as last year in the bobtail proved to be quite an adventure at times going to and from the yard (we live on a local rural route that doesn't exactly get very good snow clearing treatment). If my ZJ turns out to be as reliable as my prior '98 XJ (ex-wife has that one now lol) I'm going to be very happy! Now just to tweak the stereo just a little bit and to get that front deer/brush/idiot guard installed...

 

It's stated 245hp and 345 lbft , with simple bolt on mods about 300/400 but it accelerates very nice with the full tme 4wd ...The ZJ does very well in snow I never got stuck when stock in the snow here in CO and never had to park the bottom of the hill and walk home unlike the neighbors and their AWD AUDI ...As for the stereo the stock mid'high is pretty decent and to add alittle bass just get a jl 10 and the box for the ZJ and line level converter to give you a couple pre-amp channels to run rca to the sub amp this allows you to keep the factory deck...as for the door speakers you can't run them off most after market decks b/c the infnty are 3ohm impedence and will put a 4-8 ohm deck in thermal protection in minutes ...As for the protection spend the money on an arb bullbar ad get the one that has winch mount ...you can hit deer with n arb and drive away you can't with a brush guard ...arb new $650 ...brush guard$250-300 but the arb will save your grill/radiator/hood/fenders from a deer .

 

Thanks for the info about the ARB, I'll definitely be checking into that! Yep, deer hits suck! My father-in-law just popped one a few nights back and it tore the front end of his Crown Vic all to hell. As for the power band, yeah, all that torque is what really attracted me to the 5.9 over a 5.2 and even the 4.7 H.O.. Not to mention I've read entirely too much concerning WJ Limited blend door problems. Too bad they never made the Laredo with the H.O.! Then again, there is that company in Minnesota that specializes in Jeep engine mods and engine swaps. I just read an article where they dropped an SRT 8 motor with necessary drive line changes into a frigging Liberty....OMFG!!! I bet that surprises many on a daily basis!

I'll add you to the list of many I've talked to that have never seemed to have any issues with their stock Jeep in inclement weather. Can't say that for the current crop of crossovers and other AWD vehicles flooding the market nowadays. Though I'll admit I still would love getting my hands on a Magnum R/T AWD!

As for the stereo, I did that up earlier. Old school about some things, but not this. I replaced the head unit with a Sony CD/Media reader (front USB slot) deck and swapped all the speakers to Sony's as well. Ran everything to keep the factory Infinity amp in use (nothing special at 180w but still...). What a difference it is. For now it's plenty, though a custom Q-Forms box for the right wheel-well or a small powered sub would be a nice addition. Just can't go filling up the interior with junk, as it is my dd as well as what we'll throw the kids and all our gear in for vacations. That is, until the wife makes up her mind on one of her two choices (Ford Expedition or the Toy Sequoia). Anyway, already filled up an 8-gig USB card and enjoying selecting shuffle, device. I think it's gonna take awhile to go through all 2,071 songs!

I'll catch up with ya later. BTW, are you over on JU? Be safe... Carlo

 

Big Jeep does this mean that you are going to change your name to Big Jeep on 39.5's????:clap:

 

2 early to say jeep build #1 was supposed to be on 38.5 sx and ended up on 44 boggers...And I'm still thinking of 44's ...which is probably why i have not fixed the dent just at the top of the rear fender I got a few months back at wally-world...as this section of jeep body will be most likely plasma cut off from behind the door right out even with the tail lights to make room for whatever ...