Project ZJ - The Dogmobile
A couple of years ago I purchased a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (known as a ZJ, or a “Zed Jay”) on Craigslist. I was looking for a vehicle that can help me get to some hard to reach areas that I know our fans love to see us break our teeth on.
I actually purchased it for fairly cheap, considering it has a V8 and is four wheel drive. That's right, Desert Dog fans, we FINALLY got our very own four wheel drive! But, it had a lot of issues. The most annoying was an electrical short that took me weeks to trace and then figure out what was wrong with it.
The photo above is how it looked on one of its first runs in the desert. It still had highway tires but still handled itself fine.
But I wanted this vehicle to be fairly reliable, and so I spent a lot of money on it, rebuilding its transmission, getting it a new muffler replacing various parts, fixing oil leaks, etc. Then I started modding it.
I installed 3-inch BDS lift kit, which I highly recommend as a quality company, and purchased some 31" all terrain tires from Falken Peak, which are also great tires. The good people at Revolution Tires & Wheels in Cypress installed the lift kit and tires. I also purchased a cheap but handsome Curt rack so that I can carry more on top of it. The photo above is a picture of the ZJ while on a run in Saline Valley.
I believe I took care of almost all of its internal wear and tear, and I think the only major thing that can wrong now is its engine, which has about 173,000 miles on it. Nonetheless, I keep the ZJ very well maintained and if the slightest problem occurs, I check it out or if its beyond my capability, I take it to my favorite mechanics to help me.
As any offroader should know, once you start modding you can't stop. So now, I'm looking to add front a front bumper with a winch, and a rear bumper with a tire and gas can carrier. I'm also looking into armor for its undercarriage and differentials, and also the purchase of lockers for better traction.
I'll be sure to keep y'all posted. If you're interested in donating to help us in this project, we do have a Patreon set up and we also accept donations through Paypal, which if you Email us at this page we can direct you to. As we've said before, being a Desert Dog is in no way a lucrative thing, but we do enjoy our excursions and sharing our discoveries with you.
- Andrew Perry
