1988 Jeep Wrangler 5.3L LS V8

This Jeep started off as a 1988 Wrangler with the 4.2L I-6 and Peugeot BA-10 transmission. Over the years, this machine was built with high quality parts to make it the monster it is today. As you can see, it has a half-cab hard top off of a CJ-8 Scrambler, making this a little mini-truck. Here is a quick list of some of the things this Jeep has to offer. Please ask questions if you have them. I built this thing over the last 6 years and know most everything about it. I'm almost positive I forgot to list something that is really awesome, but here are all the big mods I can think of.

Drivetrain/Suspension/Steering/Mechanical

-5.3L Chevy LS. Do I have your attention now? It's an LM7, originally out of a Tahoe. This was a professional conversion using a flex-a-lite radiator with electric fans, a solid LM7, all Novak adapters, and a brand new harness for this application. It's a beast and sounds great.

-4L60E Automatic transmission.

-NP-231 Transfer case with slip yoke eliminator (SYE).

-Adams drive shaft up front.

-Double cardan shaft in the rear.

-Dana 44 Front with limited slip, disc brakes, chromoly shafts, and warn hubs.

-Ford 9 inch rear with factory locker. This has been converted to disc brakes and has a fully functional emergency brake with the factory pedal. Both axles came from an early Ford Bronco (1976, I believe).

-4 inch lift with heavy duty greasable shackles.

-Custom 1-ton steering.

-37x12.50 Pro Comp Xtreme MT2s.

-Double diaphragm brake booster for extra stopping power.

-Electrical distribution block installed on firewall for all your accessories.

Exterior

-Half-Cab conversion. This uses a custom fiberglass bulkhead and a factory CJ-8 half-cab top. This is the top with the sliding rear window – a true gem. I also used the interior roll bar from a CJ-8 and it integrates perfectly with the top and tub.

-Genright offroad fenders, front and rear. These are critical in getting large tires with minimum lift and look awesome. The hood was modified (a few inches trimmed off the bottom is required) and it looks great. Factory hood latches will not work, so it has some hood latch pins which make it look pretty awesome.

-Sota Offroad racing wheels. These things are really high quality and look amazing.

-Rock slider/steps.

-Poison spider louvered hood kit.

-Smittybilt SRC roof rack.

-Surco Safari basket/cargo carrier.

-EAG Front bumper with LED offroad lights.

-Custom cut Warn 8274 winch mount. It had to be narrowed to fit within the bumper's dimensions.

-Warn 8274 winch with synthetic rope. Fully functional. If you know what this is, you'll know why I dropped major coin on it.

-Smittybilt rear bumper with swing-out tire carrier and full size spare.

-Yakima spare tire bike rack is custom made to accommodate the width of the tire. Comes with lock core and key.

-Half doors are factory with custom soft uppers from a Jeep TJ. These uppers match the window opening and the pins that slide into the half door were relocated to make it work.

-Smittybilt Security storage vault in the bed of the ‘truck'. This is the big, water tight trunk with lock and key. It's bolted through the bed and I keep all kinds of tools, camping gear, and trail gear back there.

-I've also added a small cargo net over the bed with multiple attachment points and carabineers to store all kinds of gear on trips.

-CB antenna

-Hi-lift jack and mounts on the SRC roof rack.

-Pioneer kit tucked behind spare tire (Axe and shovel).

-Backup camera at center of rear bumper.

-5.3L VORTEC emblems on each side of the hood.

Interior

-Seats are in great shape.

-Locking center console with barrel key.

-Herculiner throughout floor and bed.

-Backup camera displayed in the rear view mirror that is tied to reverse circuit. i.e. Camera only displays when in reverse.

-Pretty sweet sound system! Modern Bluetooth head unit with usb input. Select Increments centra-pod and (2) versapods with (2) 6.5 inch Pioneer and (2) 4 inch Polk audio speakers. 8 inch powered, marine grade, slimline sub mounted on bulkhead behind the seats and center console.

-CB radio with PA speaker under the hood. The CB has an audio interrupt device wired into the head unit mute switch – so CB traffic plays on the 6.5 inch speaker when activated and returns to music after the radio transmission is complete.

-Functioning dome light that works with door switches.

Security

-Professionally installed security system with (2) key fobs. When the alarm is set, any opening of a door or tampering (messing around in the bed or on the racks) will set off the alarm. You can install a proximity sensor if you wish for about $20, so if anyone sticks an arm into the Jeep, it will alarm.

Driveability

-This Jeep was built from the ground up to be dependable, reliable, and tough. It has more power than anyone needs in a jeep, and can do 75 mph down the highway while driving with 1 finger. You can let go of the wheel and it drives straight as an arrow. No death wobble, whatsoever. The steering wheel does have a little play, but I don't even notice it anymore.

The bad

-First, the good far outweighs the bad, but this is a 33 year old vehicle.

-There is some rust which I have yet to address. The main problem is at the base of the windshield where it meets the hood. There is some small surface rust on one of the half doors, which is an easy sand/prime/paint fix.

-There is a small dent (golfball sized) on the left rear quarter panel. It was there when I got the jeep and it never bothered me.

-It recently developed serpentine belt ‘squeak'. All looks good under there – belt is in great shape. It may be a water pump bearing. If you're looking at this Jeep, you know that's a few wrenches, an few hours, and $75 to fix.

-It popped a code P0332 (Knock sensor, low input voltage, bank 2) a few months back. I cleared it and it hasn't come back. The knock sensor could be going bad and those are about $30 I think.

-It doesn't currently have a wiper fluid reservoir.

-Needs new wipers, which I will replace before the sale.

-Has a newer battery that is still under warranty that keeps dying. It's not parasitic drain, so I'll replace that before the sale too.

Also published at eBay.com

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