Age old question? Well at least a 22 year old question, since the first TJ rolled off the assembly line in 1996. Follow along today as we put this question to rest on our fully stock Jeep.
Watching enough car shows and the lack of rust down south and out west pisses me off because of the uphill battle we deal with but makes me happy when I think that there are still plenty of rush free pre-2000 vehicles still left
Living in Saskatchewan, Canada, I sand, prime, and paint the undercarriage of my aging TJ every year since I purchased her in 1996. It is a labour of love over the decades I have shared my life with her. I love her too much to allow rust to invade her beautiful body. Dents, scratches, faded areas are allowed and all have a story behind them. But rust is not allowed. It would be a betrayal to my beloved to allow rust to plague her without putting up a valiant fight. I love you dear, "Windi," from 1996 to present. May we spend many, many, more years together.
Nice to see a true budget TJ build. My 1998 TJ Sport with 4.0 and auto trans is pretty much bone stock except for 30" tires and alloy wheels. I do want to do a lift and 33" tires next when money allows. I'm lucky I guess my California Jeep is 100% rust free.
Yes, you're VERY lucky. I've considered flying out to California to find a rust free Jeep to bring back to the east coast and more than likely will at some point. Rusty cars are the bane of my existence
I'm in MN and found an 02 that was just brought up from Az, rust free with 97k.....i put a 2 1/2" suspension and 1 1/4" body lift with 33x12.50x15....it's got the right look for my tastes.
I watched this video a few months ago while searching for TJ builds and this one popped up. My thoughts were "poor newb trying to stuff 33s on a stock TJ, well you got to start somewhere" lol. A few days ago I stumble across your high clearance cross member video and now after much binge-watching most of your videos I now see you are far from a newb. 👍 Looking forward to Ep.12."
LOL thanks. I'm certainly a newb compared to many guys out there but have been messing around with these TJs for years and have learned a thing or two along the way. Some high clearance front fenders should take care of articulation up front, but I'll more than likely be installing a small suspension lift to keep from hacking into the rear wheel wells.
Factory 2003 TJ Came with 29's I was able to fit 31's 10.5 with slight rub only on tight turns. I then added a cheap 2" budget boost and had zero problems.
Coming from Australia I can’t believe how rusty cars are in your part of the world and you say that’s a good one 😳😂 Great work mate really enjoying the series. Cheers Pat
Sledge hammer & wheel. Been there at least a dozen times, that is one reason I make sure I take my wheels off at least once a year even if I have no reason to and give a small inspection.
Would anti-seize help? I’m from the South (Florida) and only have dealt with it on “Beach Jeeps” and that’s not that common because most guys hose off their vehicles after a day at the beach.
Btw, slamming the sidewalls with a sledge like that is a great way to put a bubble in your sidewalk. Better to use a beater stick, like a piece of "two by" lumber.
Put washers on under the steering stops. It will stop the rub at full turn. When you get spacers or rims with a better offset, you simply take off the washers and reinstall the steering stops.
I purchased a TJ 4 inch Sport lift for my Wrangler. It only cost £450. It was not too hard to install. However, it makes my 33 inch tyres look rather small.
Good tip, I may need to invest in a much heavier dead blow than I currently own... These were hands down the worst stuck wheels I've encountered, who knows how many years it's been since they were off last.
I live in Wisconsin, and seriously there are times when a sledgehammer won't do it. This has only been in recent years since they started salting the piss out of the roads.
I had 33s on my TJ with a 3.5” lift. I just upgraded to 35s on it and man, it looks way more aggressive and it improved the ride quality a lot with more rubber.
@@tigeroswald777 My tires are on aftermarket rims and I do have 2” spacers, but the spacers are not necessary in my opinion. I just like the way it looks with the wide stance.
You should really wire brush that frame and por51 the piss out of it. Inside and out. Eastwood makes a nice internal frame coating. Try to preserve it. I’m in nj, I know the rust bug and always try to stay ahead of it
Absolutely man, I'm going to do my best keep this Jeep off the road during salt season. Hoping to get the frame painted over the winter. I have a half gallon of Eastwood Chassis Black left over from a previous project and plan on using it up on this Jeep. I've used the internal frame coating before and it's very cool stuff, but the previous owner already had oil sprayed inside the frame so I'll be using Fluid Film on the inside of the frame rather that trying to degrease the whole thing
@@dironaa I Found POR15 to be a little finicky. Its a formula thats been around forever but better stuff has come out. I'm a fan of SEM rust reformer. Its really solid, there is no special prep solution, and its a top coat as well, no need to paint it.
Yeah, that's one big downside to por15...the lack of uv protection. Thanks for the heads up on the SEM rust reformer, I've had good experience with their products in the past
Hey, just subbed and am following your project jeep, super cool. I have a B channel where I’ll eventually be doing some jeep videos. I have a 98 TJ with a 2” teraflex puck lift I just installed after rubbing on the 31s recently off-road. 6 cylinder with the AX-15 transmission. Cool project you got going here! 👍🏻🇺🇸
Sweet ! i just got my first 2003 tj !had to put new window hinges on they don't match up would you have an opinion on this ! i'am thinking on heating up door loops and pushing door into place !! what would you do !!
The door hinges are adjustable by loosening the torx bolts that hold them to the door. Should be some info over on jeepforum.com on how to do it if you do a quick search over there.
I put a set of 35” on my LJ the other day just to test fit. Only interference was with the sway bar when turning too far. Still pulled them back off until I can get a lift. Would absolutely have to re-gear. Driving 50km p/hr, the speedo shows 41.
Good to know. If it feels like you have enough power, you may be able to swap the speedometer gear in the transfer case to correct the speedometer instead of regearing
What would a lift do to stop sway bar interference? I just put some gladiator mojave 33's on my 05 lj...only interference is sway bar with 1.25 adapters...gonna go with 2" as soon as they get here. I will do a lift around spring time.
@@MikeysGTO with a 3.5 inch lift, my sway bar is out of the way and I don’t make contact any more. Now, with the 35/12.5R15, I rub the lower front link when turning sharp
Thanks for the video, I want 33s on my TJ, it has a 2inch lift with 31s that measure to 29.5” right now. Didn’t know if my the lift would be big enough but this helps a ton. Just hoping it doesn’t affect my MPG, power, or gearing too much. (Have a 4.0)
Nice. I think 2" would be a good height for on road use, may still be a little tight for off road use, depending on what type of terrain and how your bump stops are set. I'm planning for 3" total between suspension and body lift but I like to play on the rocks, which requires a lot more flex. Thanks for watching!
Cool. Sounds like a good plan. Had flat fenders up front on my last TJ and it made a huge difference. On a related note, I'd stay clear of the Barricade fenders from Extreme Terrain...went through several sets before getting a set that was properly welded and customer service at extreme terrain is terrible. If I put new fenders on this project Jeep I'll definitely be looking for a set made in America.
2inch with stock fenders and 33 will hit.... offroad is terrible no matter how slow you go, you will eat the fender and the tire. Driving around town is fine until you hit a bump then you hear the fenders hit.
I am running a 2 inch lift with 33s on my tj right now and it does rub off road but only in the rear because I put bigger bump stops on the front. I wish I would have just done a 3 inch lift but what I got is working for now
Scott, if you are out there i’m looking to do this same thing to my tj i found some 33’s for a good deal off a JK and want to know if adding wheel spacers make a difference, good or bad. Let me know! Any info is appreciated!
I bought 05 wrangler tj I put 33x12.50's on 15x8 rims with 3.75 backspace and no issues wut so ever. Pro comp rims and tires and not long ago did lift and just got rear bumper with tire carrier
What offset is on those rims? More - offset would bring it away from inner components and with flat fenders it should be fine, just wondering for my jeep build
I put 33x12.50's on 15x8 rims with 3.75 backspace on 05 tj and had no rubbing what so ever. Lock to lock was fine and i didn't have to worry about regearing she actually burns through 1st and chirps the hell outa 2nd gear
It doesn't have a whole lot of clearance but you could actually run some light off road trails the way you have it sitting right now. A 2 inch lift would make a huge difference for off road but it looks fine.
I came to watch this video because I own a stock YJ, I found a sweet pair of 33s and I've bought a brand new OEM leaf kit with boom shackles. Combined they're estimated to give my jeep between 1' to 1.5' inches of lift. I'm also going to use a set of flat fenders or trim some cheap OEM ones. I'm excited to see the end result.
It looks way better with those tires vs the smaller stock tires . I have 30” tires on my 97 2.5 4 cyl tj and after seeing your video I may get 33” tires but how long can we ride with the 33s if u don’t re-gear it? Will it hurt anything eventually? My 97 tj is my only vehicle/daily driver so I don’t plan on doing much to mine. U definitely got a deal on them.
It depends what type of driving you do. If you spend much time on the highway or long steep hills I’d avoid running the stock gears with 33s, but if you’re mostly doing city driving I think you’d be fine. The only thing bigger tires could hurt in your drivetrain is your clutch if you ride it any longer (but you may not need to) to get started from a stop uphill or in stop and go traffic. You may also notice paint missing where the tires rub against your control arms at full lock. Keep in mind that I’ve never owned a powerful car so my opinion on the power of a jeep with stick gears and 33s may be slightly skewed…
I put 2 inch spacers on the front my Jeep TJ to get rid of the factory rake. Can you tell me the maximum tire size that I can put on without re-gearing it?
There are a lot of variables that play into an answer like that (which engine you have, which transmission you have, what gears you currently have, what type of terrian you normally drive, etc.) for an informed answer I'd head over to jeepforum.com or wranglertjforum.com and see if you can find any info there.
not doing any heavy wheeling any time soon. just wanna get the 33s on my jeep but also rocking 15x10 wheels... safe to drive on a stock d35? im finding yes and no answers but would rather have a definite answer before digging deep in to the pocket.
Unfortunately you'll never find a definite answer. In my experience no two Dana 35s are totally equal. I obliterated a d35 carrier driving up a small paved incline at about 10 mph on 31s a while back (the axle had about 230k miles on it at that point and some very "intensely" driven miles toward the end), but I had a friend who wheeled HARD on 35s with a d35 and never had much of an issue. If I were in your shoes I'd probably go for the 33s and keep a close eye on Craigslist for a bolt in d44 out of another Jeep (or even a spare d35 to have on hand). The going rate for a TJ d44 is somewhere around $500-$600 where I live but in most other parts of the country they seem to be closer to the $1000 mark. You'll see a lot of chat about a Ford 8.8 swap, but by the time you buy all the brackets, brake hardware, c clip eliminators, etc. and spend time installing/setting up everything you're better off finding a bolt-in-ready d44, IMO. So in summary a d35 running 33s may or may not be a ticking time bomb and you may have to find out the hard way LOL.
Consider purchasing a used Dana 44 rear axle and 4.56 gears to stuff in your front axle and new rear axle. Let the 4x4 shop install the gears in the axles. The install requires aligning spacers and shims very precisely. The 4x4 shop has the micrometers and measuring devices to get the gears put in right the first time. You can strip the new gears if you do not space the new gears right. I would say, do everything to your Wrangler yourself with one exception. Do not install your own spider gears in your differnctials. If you can find the front and rear axles out of a wrecked Rubicon, it will cost more but that would be ideal.
I'll give a simple, definite answer because these are machines with spec.'s, not ethereal mysteries. Yes, it is safe to drive a d35 (even a stock one) with 33's. All stock d35's manufactured for the tj ARE in fact the same when they leave the factory (with the exception of gear ratios). Where the major differences occur are in use and maintenance, which are driver specific. It's always a good habit to get as good an idea as possible of what use and maintenance any component (especially integral drivetrain) has seen prior to putting your faith in it on any level. That being said, there are numerous upgrades that can/should be done to a d35 that's going to see aggressive use, as well as limits to those upgrades. Are there other axles that can be built in heavier duty configurations than a built d35? Absolutely. Is a d35 absolutely going to break when you leave the pavement? Absolutely not. It's important to keep in mind that there's a lot of good Jeep info on youtube, but a lot of pure bullshit and people just repeating things they've heard without any foundational knowledge; and nothing to tell the inexperienced which is which.
Will be the first time I've set up gears so it's going to long process, but have been wanting to learn how for a while and am stoked to finally have the opportunity to learn
@@dironaa It seems straight forward to do your own gears. But I learned the hard way that if you do not shim the gears right and space then correctly, you will strip the gears out. They will work for a couple of months even if you do not shim them. But they will strip out. I winded up paying for my gears twice because I wrecked my new gears a couple of months after I installed them. The second time, I let the 4x4 shop install them and they have not failed. They told me precise spacing a d shimming is needed to do it right. Measuring with micrometers is common when installing new gears. Well, I did not have a micrometer nor did I space and align the gears right. It is obvious because they got wrecked in two months after my install.
Thanks for the input. My biggest concern is being able to put enough load on the gears to properly check the pattern since I'll be regearing with the axles out of the rig. Maybe I'll do one at a time and make sure the gears don't eat themselves before doing the second one haha
Hi, i have 33" on my TJ, lifted 4" so its not the same but i wonder what if yours pass the MOT in your country when its rubbing on some parts? My problem in my country is that the footprint can not go outside the fender. Its ok if the rubber is outside but not the thing thats hit the road if you know what i mean. I think the new tires did it all on your TJ!!!
My country is the same, so when it’s time for the yearly vehicle inspection most people reinstall the small stock tires for the day in order to pass inspection
Anybody can do just about anything to a Wrangler TJ from repairs to upgrades with one exception. Do not try to install your own gears in your differentials. It will seem straight forward and will work for awhile after you install them. But there are some very tight tolerances using shims and spacers to install your gears right. If the shims and spacers are not correctly installed, you will strip the spider gears. It is a horrible pain. Trust me when I say, let the 4x4 shop change your spider gears in your differentials. I made a rather expensive mistake thinking I could do it without micrometers, and alignment tools. As for the rest of the maintence, repairs, and upgrading to your TJ, never let anybody tell you it can not be done by you. Enjoy your Wrangler TJ. It is the last, "T"raditional "J" eep
@@indridcold8433 Too late I've already installed a lunchbox Aussie locker in the dana 30 front. I bought the magnetic micromoner. Just found a d44 I'm picking up tomorrow for the rear. I did have someone do my slip yoke in the transfer case though. We'll see how it goes on the D44 out of the vehicle with installing a ring and pinion. If I can't get a good ring pattern I know when to give up.
i fit 35’s on mine you get oem fenders on the front they don’t rub if you have the oem wheel well as well i got metal cloak fenders which are great for the record on the back you might get some rubbing on the plastic mostly on off-road cases eventually i got a 2 inch lift 1 inch spacers and sye kit which made everything much nicer aesthetically and a way nicer ride but now i’m a 16 year old in debt so give and take😂
No problem. I've built my Cherokee completely from other vehicle parts from the junkyard. Volvo d30 lsd, v8 zj tie rod, 90s tbird coils and strut tops, 90s f150 rear swaybar links, 8.8. All should work great for ya. And sometimes you can find nice aftermarket parts.
8.8 with a c-clip eliminator is a decent option, but I have an even better axle than the 8.8 that will be making its way under the Jeep before the end of winter!
Good thought, but a wheel spacer would make the tire poke out further from the fender, which would increase the chances of getting a ticket where I live. This could be remedied by installing larger fender flares, but that’s not the direction I want to go with this jeep.
But on a serious note the tires/wheels were used off of Craigslist and I got them uber cheap. I also just bought the Jeep a couple hundred miles ago so I'll defer the lack of rotation blame to the previous owner LOL. Would very much prefer to have the 9.5 wides like you...any idea what you're running for backspacing and do the tires rub at full lock?
They're made by Bull Dawg Manufacturing. Not cheap if you buy brand new but good deals on used ones pop up on Craigslist every once in a while if you keep an eye out
You will find the Bestop upper door glass sliders at 4wheelparts.com. Mine have never gave me problems. You can buy soft top fabric covered upper door sliders or completely hard upper door sliders. The hard upper door sliders will be more expensive than the fabric covered upper door sliders. Good luck.
I sand, prime, and paint, my aging TJ's undercarriage yearly. It is a labour of love. However, I have been thinking of using Flexseal on the next undercarriage service. However, I have been doing the undercarriage service every year since 1996. It may seem strange to stop doing my yearly routine. This is the only reason I am hesitant.
Already picked up an upgraded axle, just need to find the time to regear and install. On a side note, I do have a friend who managed to wheel with 35s on a d35 without breaking it for a few years before swapping in an 8.8, I wouldn't expect to be so lucky though haha
Thanks for this. just to confirm you have 15" by 7" rims? i am looking for the same but have zero lift or spacers etc so if you can confirm that would give me a lot more confidence to order. tx!
@@dratz750 I can't honestly tell you the size of the rims right now since my Jeep is in Florida and I'm in western NY right now. I won't be back down there till Nov.
I'd say yes, depending on your driving style and how much you drive on the highway. If you do a lot of highway driving, a regear to 4.88 may serve you well
Much better than expected. Has a little less power but I'm not usually in much of a hurry so I don't mind. I'll eventually end up regearing, but mostly so I don't burn up the clutch off road. If this was only a street Jeep I don't know that I'd even bother to regear. Should also mention that I don't do much highway driving, mostly around town commuting with it.
I just drive around town with it but I consistently get 17+ mpg (with a properly calibrated speedometer), which is about what I got with stock tires. This mileage may also be partly attributed to the fact that I installed an electric fan.
Yeah, tire sizes from the factory are a marketing joke. I used to run 31" tires (yup, only 29.5", even less when aired to proper inflation) with a 2" lift. I had no problems with this setup, but eventually made the switch from 15" rims to 16" rims because I added rear disc brakes. When I did that, I got a set of 255-85-r16's on Liberty KJ rims, which are actually 32.25" (33" tires according to marketing) and relatively narrow. I used 1 1/4" wheel spacers to keep them from rubbing at full tilt, with just a little tread sticking out. Most people don't like wheel spacers, but they have worked for me for the last four years.
Kind of like how a half gallon of ice cream is now only 1.5 quarts LOL. I was hoping to end up with 16s or 17s for easier balancing and less rotating mass for the 4cyl engine to push, but when you buy used you get what ya get. I've avoided using wheel spacers on my rigs to date because of hearing horror stories of them failing, but I suppose going with a name brand like Spidertrax should minimize that risk and I may end up going that route. Good to hear a positive story on them, thanks for the input!
You mentioned rust in your part of the U.S. and I wondered where are you? Then you said "wicked" and I knew. New England. Nice little DIY except you said you already had 31's. Why spend $350 on tires when you already had decent trail tires and then there is the lack of a spare? Best of luck though! Looks like the transformation will be enjoyable to watch. Thank you for sharing.
LOL nailed it. I have a second Jeep that the 31s are on, so I bought the 33s specifically for this project. Update on a spare tire will be coming soon, thanks for following!
LOL the underside of this Jeep would be considered mint condition where I live. Road salt destroys everything up here. But I do have plans to undercoat it soon!
I had a 97 TJ and i ended up with 31 inch tires and 2 inch wheels spacers. Drove it on and off road no problem for 2 years before i sold it, it wasnt any crazy offroading.
The ride and handling increase tremendously with two inch wheel spacers. Make certain they are wheel centric and hub centric spacers or you will have lots of problems. When I upgraded to hub centric and wheel centric spacers, all the problems I had with the regular ones disappeared. Find hubcentric spacers in Amazon for very affordable.
Gotta love Washington state , I lived up there in that wet ass place for almost 4 years in the early 90’s . While I was in the Navy , very beautiful country , but very shitty weather !! Morton salt company must love the fuck outta that part of the U.S. !!!
33 is too large for stock. unless you are just going to drive street. largest tire I ever put on my jeep while it was stock was a 31...I couldn;t do much "crawling" even with that because of clearance. can't wait for the lift.
It is a 4 cyl...I’m in a very small minority here but Ive owned quite a few and actually love these 4 cyl TJs. Lots of fun to bang through the gears with little worry of getting a speeding ticket lol.
@@dironaa agreed. I’ve owned both tj and yj 2.5 and 4.0 and it’s not this night and day difference ppl act like, matter of fact 2.5 tj manual will smoke 4.0 auto all day. 3.07 gear vs 4.11 in 4cyl. Gearing wins over 30 extra horsepower every single time.
Being cheap and cutting up your jeep with a sawsall or buying those flat cutout fenders or flares or not running flares at all, not only looks horrible but is crazy!! Buy a lift, that's what they are invented for!! Jeeps without flares is just stupid!
The great thing about modding a jeep is that there are so many options to reach a particular goal. If each build was identical, the world of jeeps would be much less entertaining
