With the kids grown and booted out of the house, it was the adults' turn to play. Rubicon Express had just released its long-arm ZJ kit, and after a few hours of consultation with Jeep guru Scott Arentz at Extreme Gear in Sacramento, plans were drafted for the ultimate wheelin' ZJ. The plans were extensive and thoughtful and included brands like Tera, Advance Adapters, ARB, Goodyear, Mickey Thompson, Borla, Dutchman, Rancho... what the hell, the kids are gone, right?
The final mods were completed just in time for inaugural runs at the 53rd Jeepers Jamboree and 40th Annual Sierra Trek. So if you're looking to build up a Grand Cherokee and you're in need of the perfect blueprint, look no further than this wheelin' ZJ.
Maintaining proper axle position and articulation duties is a 4.5-inch Rubicon Express long-arm kit modified to provide 7.5 inches of lift and mated to a pair of 7.5-inch TJ coils and ACOS adjustable spacers. A set of Rancho 9000 nine-way-adjustable shocks fitted to JKS mounting brackets handle damping duties for the additional unsprung weight. | 
After months of modifications and thousands in major upgrades, Phillips couldn't resist the deal on a $10 Rubicon decal. | 
Saved from a life of mocha-sipping soccer moms and rigorous excursions to the local outlet stores, Phillips purchased his mall cruiser from his parental units. In case it makes an accidental wrong turn into a outlet store, four Lightforce xenon lights up top should scare the bejeezes out of any wayward mall-widows. |
The top view of the Wheelin' ZJ looks pretty good. A heavy-duty custom roof rack from Kevin's Jeep Parts in Phoenix, Arizona, was fitted with the ubiquitous Hi-Lift jack, a shovel, an SCBA tank, a spare tire, and a set of 55-watt KC work lights. Wedge some gear in around the tire, and this ZJ is ready for a serious road trip. | 
Ahh, modern technology! Unlike Ron's first rig, an International Scout II, the ZJ sports all the comforts of home. Hidden in this mild-mannered interior is a Cobra CB, Magellan Meridian color topo GPS, NOAA weather radio, and inclinometer - and that's not to mention the power seats, cruise control, seat warmers, front and rear Husky floor liners, and an Infinity audio system. | 
Phillips didn't cut any corners when it came to a bulletproof rear axle. An ARB-equipped, high-pinion Tera 60 fitted with 0.500-inch-wall axletubes and Dutchman 35-spline alloy axles spins via a CV-equipped driveshaft from Driveline Services. In order to modify the 4.5-inch Rubicon Express lift to 7.5 inches, a custom crossmember was fabricated for the inner links. A mandrel-bent stainless steel exhaust from Gibson routes spent gases through a MagnaFlow slim-style muffler and Random Tech high-flow catalytic converter. |