Mithlond

1993 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE ZJ

Mithlond, shortly after lifting and new wheels and tires.

Mithlond, shortly after lifting and new wheels and tires.

Mithlond? What is that?

Mithlond is our 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ. Kevyn has been driving Mithlond since Fall of 2009, his second car (his first was a 1990 XJ with many electrical issues). After the near decade of using it as a daily driver and developing all of the common leaks of a Jeep of its age, it wasn’t being driven as much as it should be, so a rehab project was started.

The Specs

1993 Jeep ZJ (Grand Cherokee Laredo)

  • 4.0L Inline Six with 164,000 miles (Feb 2020)

  • 42RE Transmission with the NP242 Transfer Case and 3.73:1 gears

  • 3.5” IronRock Offroad Premium Short-Arm lift with adjustable control arms + track bars

  • 32x10.5R15 BFGoodrich KO2 tires on 15x8 American Racing Baja wheels (3.5” offset)

  • Crown HD Steering kit (V8 ZJ steering with heavy duty tie-rod ends)

  • 2.5” diameter Kolak Performance exhaust (catalytic converter back) with custom intermediate pipe (made by Kevyn)

  • Yakima Roof rack (from previous owner, now bent)

Long-term Goals

The idea of this build is an off-road capable vehicle that can get us to great hiking and camping locations. But it does need to be something where we can have some fun, so it’s mods, mods, mods to make it a fun offroader. Since it is a 1993 vehicle, the bells and whistles of modern vehicles are not there, so adding some new tech is also a must. Here’s a general idea of the things we look to change or add:

  • Gas Tank Skid

  • Rock Sliders

  • On-board air compressor

  • Front bumper with winch

  • Rear bumper with tire carrier (and places for extra fuel/water/etc.)

  • Frame stiffeners

  • Skid plates

  • New roof rack

  • Roof-top tent?

  • Locked front and rear axles (current open Dana 30 front, limited-slip Dana 35 rear)

  • New Android-based Radio system (maybe tablet-based?)

Featured
Project Mithlond EP5: Installing New Exhaust on a Jeep ZJ - Part 4
Jeep
Project Mithlond EP5: Installing New Exhaust on a Jeep ZJ - Part 4
Jeep

In the final episode of installing new custom exhaust on my 1993 4.0L Jeep ZJ, I prep and paint the exhaust, install it, and fire it up for the first time! The new exhaust hums and sounds great. To catch-up on the process before this, watch Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

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Jeep
Project Mithlond EP4: Installing New Exhaust on a Jeep ZJ - Part 3
Jeep
Project Mithlond EP4: Installing New Exhaust on a Jeep ZJ - Part 3
Jeep

While installing new exhaust on my 4.0 L, 1993 Jeep ZJ, it turned out I had not ordered enough bends and had to take a pause while waiting for shipping. While racing the weather for paint (the last good opportunity before winter fully set in was around the corner), I had to complete fit-up and welding of all of the parts.

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Jeep
Project Mithlond EP3: Installing New Exhaust on a Jeep ZJ - Part 2
Jeep
Project Mithlond EP3: Installing New Exhaust on a Jeep ZJ - Part 2
Jeep

After removing the old exhaust from our 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ, the new tailpipe and muffler were mocked-up (Watch Part 1 here!). In this video, I make more progress on the exhaust as I tack together the intermediate pipe (between the header and catalytic converter).

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Jeep
Project Mithlond EP2: Installing New Exhaust on a Jeep ZJ - Part 1
Jeep
Project Mithlond EP2: Installing New Exhaust on a Jeep ZJ - Part 1
Jeep

In 2019 I began the journey of rehabbing my 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee. After 26 years and 160,000 miles, it had developed a number a problems. While beginning to track down leaks and replace broken parts, I was brought to a decision:

  1. Replace the tires with the stock size

  2. Lift the Jeep and make it into what it was meant to be - an off-roader

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Jeep
Project Mithlond EP1: Jeep ZJ Door Wiring Harness Part 1
Jeep
Project Mithlond EP1: Jeep ZJ Door Wiring Harness Part 1
Jeep

I’ve had my Jeep ZJ for a decade, and over time a few things have failed relating to the wiring. For the most part, this was limited to the passenger power lock and the rear driver power window malfunctioning, but those were manageable or easy to ignore. After the glass broke on the rear driver door, I thought it was a good opportunity to debug some of my existing wiring problems.

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Jeep