We would like to introduce this '97 Jeep Grand Cherokee as the newest member of 4WD's project vehicles. The old ZJ was picked up for a song and dance from a little old housewife from Yorba Linda, California. We found the Jeep abandoned on the street in front of her house, well neglected, with weeds growing underneath it through the cracks in the asphalt. There are millions of these vehicles roaming the highways and trails, so we thought it would be of great interest to our readership to build one up. We quickly dispatched legal matters, handed over the cash, turned the key, and drove away.
The ZJ is great little SUV, especially when it's powered by the 5.2L 318ci Mopar engine. It sure beats Jeep's 4.0L's output of horsepower and toque. We drove the vehicle around town for quite a few months bone-stock. We were afraid to ruin its well-mannered street-ability with wild modifications; this would of course eventually turn the daily driver into a full-on rock rig. From the factory, the ZJ offers a very comfortable, almost Cadillac-like ride, and yes, if built right, they are capable trail rigs.
Our Grand will see countless highway miles and overland adventure trail travel. There are factors in the vehicle's design that need to be addressed to bring it up to par and to our standards. The factory suspension, which is comfortable, has its drawbacks. For starters, it rides like a Cadillac, and any self-respecting Jeep enthusiast can't have that. The suspension's pitch and sway was, at times, almost uncontrollable. Most of the blame could fall on well-worn components, but the soft factory spring-rate could be to blame as well. A great example of this problem was when the vehicle hit an uneven section of highway or a bumpy overpass at speed; the Jeep's body roll was a little disconcerting.
Usually a suspension lift will require changing the factory slip yoke to a fixed yoke and CV-style driveshaft. If the driveshaft is operating at an extreme angle, it could cause vibration and premature wear on the T-case bearings. The change in driveshaft angle with this suspension kit is not substantial. Full-Traction tells us that a fixed yoke swap is not necessary; we've driven this vehicle more than 1,000 miles since the installation and all is well.
To fix the suspension problems and get the rig ready for the trail, we contacted Steve Kramer at Full-Traction Suspension in Bakersfield, California. He told us that he was just getting to release his new Ultimate 4-inch suspension system for the ZJ. The short-arm kit was designed to eliminate the pitch and yawl of the ZJ with premium suspension parts and offer enough room under the wheelwells to fit 265R16x8 tires (31.6 inches).