By: Randy Halvorsen 

I have a 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 47 CJ-2A.  At this point, the CJ alternates between sitting in my garage, and sitting in my drive.  In other words, it lives a very boring life.  My ZJ, though, lives a very active life as my main trail machine and a daily driver.  

I bought the ZJ in the early spring of 1999.  At the time I knew very little about Jeeps, but I knew that I wanted to be able to take my 4 children camping and off-road, and I figured that the ZJ would do that quite handily, which it has.  In September of that year, I took my first major trip in the ZJ, to Moab, for the second annual Grand Slam West.  There I saw my first lifted and modified ZJ's and I felt very small in my stock-height Grand.  Within a few weeks after arriving home, I had installed a budget boost.  This was okay for a while, but the bug for bigger and better just kept biting, and up I went.

Descending a steep hill at GSMW '02 which was at Land Between the Lakes in Western Kentucky	Sitting on 31's with 5" of lift.....doesn't get much funnier-looking.	Lining-up for a trail run near Cassville, Missouri.

I am currently doing a long-arm suspension in the rear.  It will be a triangulated unit, inspired by the design on the WJ.   Stay tuned for a write-up on the long-arms for both the front and the rear.  I also am working on a write-up on replacing the rear main seal on the 4.0l motor.

• My first real modification to the ZJ...a F>R spring swap, to get some more lift.
• A description of the trails available at Tuttle Creek ORV in  Eastern Kansas.
• Installing a CB in my Grand Cherokee
• I made my own quick-disconnects for my anti-sway bar. 
• Installing Rusty's Offroad Products 3" ZJ lift.
• Anton Cabellon installed a Kolak exhaust on his WJ.
• Installed my first locker which was a PowerTrax Lock-Right.
• Looking for a place to put my 31" spare tire, I made a roof-rack carrier.
• I even went to an off-road driving school.
• Trail report for Cassville, Missouri.