1995 Jeep Wrangler (YJ)

What is it?

I was given (free) this jeep project and I’m not sure it’s even worth taking on. What you see in the above picture is a 1989 Jeep Wrangler tub with a windshield frame, tailgate, and roll bar from another unknown Wrangler. The frame and axles are from a 1995 Wranger SE that was rolled and originally had a 2.5 cylinder with a 5 speed transmission. It currently doesn’t have any interior or drivetrain (besides the axles). The body is loosely bolted to the frame for transport and will be removed again soon. The biggest issue with what’s here is a bend in the frame just in front of the driver’s footwell. I’m hoping to straighten it with heat and leverage then weld some plates to either side of the frame

What’s the plan?

I’ve wanted another open top 4×4 ever since I sold my 1988 Suzuki Samurai (full toyota drivetrain). Like the Jeep, it was originally free and missing most of the drivetrain (it was also a similar shade of blue when I got it). At the time I had a wrecked 1985 toyota 4×4 pickup and decided to swap the entire drivetrain into the Sami. I had a lot of fun over the decade I owned it and have regretted selling it many times since.

We want this Jeep to be towable behind a future motorhome and still be capable of driving some relatively mild trails. I will keep it as low as possible while clearing a maximum 37″ tall tire. It will have at least 2 front seats (maybe a folding bench in the back too), a soft top, and some full doors. At this point I don’t have any plans to paint it since I kind of like the patina.

Just yesterday I made a trip to look at an almost free ($200) 1996 Toyota 4Runner limited that I think would make an excellent drivetrain donor for my new Wrangler project. The 4Runner has a 191k miles, a 3.4 V6 engine, an automatic transmission, and an electronic locking rear differential. It’s been sitting for awhile and there are some unknowns, but I was able to start it and shift the transmission through the gears. If everything goes right, I’ll rent a trailer in early October and bring it home.

With all the good stuff from the 4Runner, I’ve decided to go with all Toyota drivetrain and will need to source a solid front axle (from an early straight axle pickup, ’84 or ’85 4Runner, or FJ80 Landcruiser) and a gear driven transfer case (from a pre ’95 4 cylinder truck or 4Runner). Hopefully I will be able to find another Toyota E-locker for the front differential.

Lots of things to figure out still, but I’m starting to get excited about it.