[thorjeep]

As a CJ owner I know little to nothing about the TJ of our breed, other than renting them and being surpised at the level of abuse they can take /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif.

My sister is wants to purchase a TJ in the very near future, and since she was an avid 4 wheeler in her old 4 runner, I think she will take the TJ out for a walk now and then. She has enough $ to buy new and get the appropriate fixins to go with it so, my questions are:
1. 5 speed or automatic which is more robust? Which tranny is the strongest dealer option?
2. Transfer case, again strongest option?
3. Diffs, what is the strongest, best option. She does not necessary need lockers, if she wants the later I assume the after market options are much better than the dealers.

If the TJ owners out there could let me know what options are the best and why (What would YOUR TJ look like rolling off the dealer lot with no $ limit)

I believe jeeps are built not bought, but my sis won't build (Yet) /wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif.

TIA as always!!

Scott
'85 CJ7______T.H.O.R.
/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif"To Her, OutRageous"
/wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif"Tally-Ho Over the Rocks"

 

[jeepgod]

well am not a big tj man myself.. but if you want the best.. get the 4.0 and the dana 44 rear... that is about all i know.. and that the sahara package has all the goodies..

survival is instinct, but living takes guts

 

[JEEPN]

We thought the same and got what we wanted.

The D44 is not available without the Trac-Lok (correct me if I'm wrong) or 3.73's.

Forget the Sahara, too many plastic "goodies" to get ripped off and not worth the expense, stick to the Sport.

This is how ours lines up:

....4.0L Sport (like there's another?)
....5 speed
....30" tire package (for the 8" aluminum wheels and the fact that in Maine anything over 1 tire size above stock is illegal)
....A/C, which comes with the Heavy duty electrical group, is AWESOME and I highly recommend it. It'll also help slow the motor down when wheeling, the computer like to kick it to 1,000 rpms and keep it there. It'll climb straight up in 4 Lo first by itself and maintain 1,000 rpm's.
....ABS. Now I wouldn't recommend this for wheeling due to the strength of the 35C, the ABS is not available with the D44. We use ours as a daily driver and love the ABS, especially on the Maine snow and ice covered roads. I'd recommend the D44 rear axle. The Trac-Lok does well also, we love ours, and while not a locker, it really helps out compared to an open diff.
....Both tops. This is a must for anyone in cold weather. The hard top is worth it weight in gold on a day below zero.
....Convenience group. This is stuff like the 19 gallon tank, intermittent wipers, center console, etc.
....Vinyl seats. Cover them with seatcovers. They're easy to hose off and dry with a towel after wheeling without the top. We have sheepskin for winter and tweed for summer.
....Extended warranty. We have the 5/100K warranty, and it's MORE than paid for itself. Not because TJ's are cheap, but because if you wheel with it, things will break. Having the entire rear axle replaced for a $50 deductible was worth the money.

Items to avoid:

....Side steps. They're plastic and I ripped ours off on one obstacle. I have since built custom rock rails that will support the jeep and are functional.
....Alarm group. While I have no personal experience with this, I know of several people on Wrangler boards that have had problems. Apparently if the keys are messed up (there is a coded portion to the key itself, so even if the key is duplicated the vehicle won't start), you're not going anywhere, and it can't be bypassed or shut off.
....Tow hooks. Spend the $6 aftermarket and put on some decent ones with clips.
....Fog lights. I put my own on, you can buy the OEM kit, from the dealership for $60, which includes the factory switch, awesome instructions, and all the connectors. The regular fog lights are like a $120 option and are junk (or so I've heard).

Some stuff to put on after it's bought:

....Hella Vision Plus headlights. These things are AWESOME! A very worthwhile investment, I'll have them on the Scrambler soon.
....CB and antenna. I found a nice way to mount the antenna, drills no holes and is easy, e-mail me off-line for details.
....Upgraded fuel tank skid plate. Ours has taken quite a beating and is ripped in several places.
....Swaybar disconnects. You won't believe the difference there will make.
....Mirror relocation brackets. For removing the doors and keeping the mirrors on, so you won't get stopped by the cops.
....Larger tires. Kind of a given, we couldn't believe how many more places we could go with the 31" BFG's than the stock 30" junk.
....All synthetic oils. It'll shift smoother and sound quieter. I changed ours over at 36K and what a difference, but we were used to the whines and noises by then.

That's about it. Ours has over 75K on it, we still wheel with it, and it still goes great. Good luck.

JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205 twinstick/7"Lift/33"TSL's/IHC D44's 4.10's Lock'd

 

[thorjeep]

Wow,
Thanks for covering it all Jeepn!
Though I am a little confused, are you sayng get the d44+TracLoc? The 3.73 gear ratio is an upgrade from stock, is it not (They do not say what the standard ratio is)?
-S

Scott
'85 CJ7______T.H.O.R.
/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif"To Her, OutRageous"
/wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif"Tally-Ho Over the Rocks"

 

[Guest]

Scot,

I agree with most of the previous post. I've been seriously looking at TJs as well.

My .02c

I like the get the sport over the saraha
get the Dana 44 with the traclock and skip the ABS.
get the cloth seats (I see your in California). Much cooler.
skip the package that gets you a full center console and invest in a tuffy console
get dark tint on the hardtop.

consider not getting the 30 inch tire package and use that money for custom wheels and 31s. these should be fine with the 3.73 ratio.

good luck,

- Dan

btw, I came this TJ on autotrader.com. I has some serious aftermarket stuff on it and is real sweet looking (for a street jeep), but but its not close enough to what I want.

checkout http://home.pacbell.net/ptfii/

99 4Runner (wifes grocery getter)
88 Bronco * FOR SALE *
Looking for a new trail rig...

 

[JEEPN]

Yes, I definitely get the D44. The D44 is not available without the 3.73 and Trac-Lok, in other words, you can't get an open carrier D44 with 3.07's, or any other gear ratio for that matter. The stock gearing is 3.07's, but only with the 35C axle. With the D44, you automatically get 3.73's and Trac-Lok.

So you're in Cali huh? She might also consider the hard top (I forgot the tint option, thanks Dan) for security reasons.

The center console is also part of another package, so if you skip one, you'll skip the whole thing. I get it, then take it out and sell it if a better one is found.

JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205 twinstick/7"Lift/33"TSL's/IHC D44's 4.10's Lock'd