Jeep WJ: LCA's Chop It Off, Tires & Some Bumper Trimming

As I continue on with the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee installing the IRO Lift kit it comes time to bite the bullet and chop off the front lower control arm mounts. I also mount up the new tires and have to clearance the front bumper a tad...for now... -Enjoy!
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[@kenzpenz]

Sir, back in 1975 after retiring from the US Army with 20 years, I didn't have a clue what I was going to do, so I got my SMOG license and went to work for a couple of garages paying minimum wage or 50 % , then $ 10.00 per hour flat rate at a dealership, and we all know how that works. I even tried working on the side and got ripped off more than once. After struggling with that line of work, I got into law enforcement, and that turned out to be pretty steady work :-) . My hat is off to you for taking on this very difficult line of work. I'm sure you have your challenges on a day to day, just paying the bills. People bring their cars to you because the trust you, plus you do good work. I wish you the best, God bless and take care...Ken 80 year old retired, retired guy out here in Marina CA, originally from Mass.

[@kevinstorm6009]

Ken, I was in a similar situation back in the mid 1970s. I was a tech at an independent tire and auto repair shop in Troy, NY where they simply paid me a flat hourly rate. When I started, I worked on tires, but over time I was taught how to do everything they offered. From front end alignments to rebuilding an occasional engine (even my own one time). They got a lot of work from the local cab company. Sadly, the cab owners always wanted the cheapest job possible. I even installed brake shoes on one wheel one time. One of the shoes had broken loose and was dragging, but he didn't want to pay the extra labor for the other side. He just took the extra brake shoes with him. I eventually got sick of working on other people's junk. So when I was offered a law enforcement position, I also jumped at it. After over 37 years on the job, I'm now retired. I hope you're doing well! K

[@iduimovic]

Eric, Get a ARB bullbar front bumper. They are the top rated heavy duty aftermarket bumpers. they came ready for a winch install, they are DOT approved, and SRS system approved. They have provision for farm jack point on it, plus the mount brackets are made with crimping zones that are allow to collapse in case of a collision so no frame is severe damage and they are replaceable so the only repair could be just the brackets it self. They are design originally in Australia to prevent damage to the rig in case of collision to a life stock. I highly recommend it. I have it on my rig.

[@corvettefan91]

Hey Eric, it's nice working on a rust free vehicle for a change.

[@spelunkerd]

The more I learn about lifting vehicles, the more I realize how much goes into doing it. What a lot of work.

[@Rmehki]

Whats funny is that these Jeeps have very similar suspension to the wrangler, and these are considered "easy" to lift and modify in the world of 4x4s

[@cablenowadays6586]

It depends how high you go. If i did a 3” lift on my xj its add a leaf new shocks and coils and then extended front lines. Anything over 4” or so you need to go long arms or control arm drop brackets. Rear extended break lines and wedges for pinion angle. A SYE in your transfer case. Sometime a longer drive shaft hit or miss with ride quality. You have to do quite a bit of cutting to fit bigger than 31s. Sometimes you have to change trackbar brackets and pitman arms to drop them lower for death wobble. So much more which is a pain when you think you’re gonna be done then have to do a shit ton more

[@haa1774]

Thanks for making this great channel. Been watching for a week now and watching you work on cars is actually very relaxing.

[@arthurfricchione8119]

Thanks for the update Eric O. She's looking good. 👍

[@cascadianpuget]

"If I can do it, you can do it." Just not true, man. I come from a long line of car guys and made a long stab at it back in the day. Much respect to you -- especially for your honesty!

[@TheJmich2001]

Looking good! That things gonna be awesome in the snow!

[@baxrok2.]

Oh, a whizzy wheel wizard are ya! Big progress sir. Thanks Dr. O!

[@UBBERTANKER]

bringing back my wj memories haha Mine only had a 3 inch lift as I still needed to tow stuff. Best car i ever owned, never had any major problems just minor wear and tear for 5 yrs untill i needed to tow more and bought a truck

[@swanie_6448]

What an awesome build...!! Well Done...!!

[@rexarthur8001]

I started on my IRO 4" Rock Link on a 2000 WJ two days ago. I really appreciate the videos that you are doing and like your idea on the cutting of the lower control arm mount at the body. I am going with braided brake lines from IRO. They probably had not started manufacturing them for the WJs when you did this. I am doing mine in my driveway but so far on the rear A-arm and control arms it hasn't been bad. I have saved several of your videos and as I move to that section I watch the video first. Thank you for posting them!!

[@KenSiefert]

Those Cooper tires are the same I have on my TJ. Been to both coasts and the Great Lakes numerous times in all road/weather conditions. An excellent choice👍

[@ToXSicK1340]

Very Cool Build you have here Eric! Thanks for sharing these awesome video's.

[@rust2985]

That Jeep is looking great!

[@williegillie5712]

It’s looking sharp Eric. I’m sure you’ll be happy when it’s all said and done.

[@mhking136]

that thing looks flippin' awesome!

[@darwindwelle5267]

Looks good Eric.

[@tjbrown5779]

Looking good. Working a 1978 k20 4x4 454. Awsome videos. You getting ready for winter

[@mattmcmillan8920]

Great video Jeep is looking good looking forward to seeing the fallow up video of it thanks for sharing.

[@jdelbrid]

WOW! Very nice job.

[@gregsidel3557]

Looks great eric good job

[@richardbambenek2601]

Eric, you are like a surgeon with your tools. Impressive.

[@nhra7110]

Looking good Eric!

[@dancrovo9805]

Love this stuff....keep'em coming!

[@505xjk6]

Wj looking awesome

[@jewllake]

Great choice in tires!!!!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Great video Eric O @South main auto

[@aleblanc3547]

Better than new, Eric! Thanks, I think it looks great.

[@rrmech11]

Really enjoying the WJ vids

[@rickharper1497]

Looks good, ready to see it on the road

[@767dag]

Looks awesome

[@MOTOWNN]

Lookin good! I ordered an HK offroad hidden winch bumper for my WJ.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

Looking good. Cutting the front bumper -- you have more courage than I would. I look forward to seeing your new toy rumbling through the woods on your way to the cabin. That will be the real test.

[@tylerhite9287]

I have 33’s on mine and had to hammer a bit that stuck out in the wheel well, cut all the way around on the fender and I chopper parts of the sheet metal off the front for a fab bumper.

[@robertevans6481]

Project WJ looking good....👌😎👌

[@jacquesdaoud4263]

Four days later happy birthday nice job and costly you deserve it you work hard

[@lonwillis783]

Your a grindmaster! Good Job!

[@jeremyanthony9300]

nice job. way to go eric o.

[@waynejohnson6594]

Great job. Very enjoyable!

[@jimconway3301]

Looks awesome. Magnaflow cat back system will give it some V8 growl.

[@Trex76us]

The Jeep looks good!

[@thejackofalltrades2692]

I have the same tires on my 07 wk and I love them!

[@ivanblack3234]

That things a beast.

[@Charles_Mulberry_7977]

Nice rig. I'm jealous.

[@syrobe24]

Those Cooper STT Pros are awesome. I have a set on my Ram

[@headylynn]

The jeep looks awesome..

[@kennethbrown1879]

My grandma taught me to give the tire a good spin to help out the balancing machine.

[@SmittySmithsonite]

Thing is a friggin beast now! LOVE IT! 👍🤘😎 Sounds mint, too - damn great sound for a six-banger!

[@lackyparker7799]

Smitty Smithsonite it’s a V8

[@b.r.3232]

Looks nice! It's the underside.

[@VWWRENCHIE]

Gnarly set of skins on the ride...( Jeff Spicoli voice) dude...glad to see you are also a non white lettered out tire guy. There is satisfaction in chopping on the old front bumper fascia. The clearance won't matter once you fill it up with MUD!

[@jmccord0716]

looks like a nice rig!

[@kevincoulombe3608]

nice job on cutting that for your brake line put spring so it pulls it the opposite way when the vehicle is lowered and it suspension loosens up the tension on the brake line

[@Jayf1981]

She looks angry, but with the right bumper, she'll be scaring the children!

[@Red_Bearded_Dad]

I love Cooper tires! You get a ton for the money!

[@63256325N]

Thanks for the video.

[@brettdavis3921]

It looks sweet fella clean lines 👌 that's the way I'd go

[@BanditRider86]

Omg what a wicked Jeep!!! 😍😍

[@michaelb.5345]

Looking good.

[@kayewortman8759]

Can't even tell there ever was a bracket....Nice Job !!!

[@mayk3lll]

Cracking project! Thinking I should buy one of these or a xj

[@autotech2143]

The maiden voyage is all a good test on how well the dash went back in after replacing the evap core. As a former Chrysler A/C tech I've done my share of them. Around 2 a week or more.

[@jamesbruno5896]

Hell ya awesome video!

[@wyattoneable]

You've got the exhaust note sounding good. The tires let you know they're rolling but with that kind of tread pattern that's a reasonable tone as well. It's all in the details but I cringed a little when you had to trim the bumper cover. :)

[@ironeagle2526]

Yeah we are back to the beast ty

[@robc8468]

Holy good god those are some serious off road tires....

[@pdinardo9472]

Like what u did on the jeep today. Gets the 👍

[@lar4305]

Looks bad-ass !

[@TheBenjammin]

White lettering out always looks cooler.

[@paulstan9828]

Just noticed how clean the Jeep is underneath. Hardly any rust. This is Got to be a fun project for you.

[@jusb1066]

typical off road vehicle, never seen dirt

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

@@jusb1066 I'm in Sacramento. You quite possibly do not know how right you are.

[@jusb1066]

@@InsideOfMyOwnMind im in london, you cannot believe the amount of range rovers that are purely for shopping and kids school runs

[@kevinbyrne4538]

Jusb1066 -- Same story here in the States -- the streets are full of pickup trucks and SUVs that have never seen a dirt road in their lives.

[@rainbowbunchie8237]

And then there are morons like me! Taking a volvo sedan and drifting it around corners on dirt roads.

[@Dustin_the_wind]

Lookin' good, Mr.

[@davidoverstreet0246]

Would been a great day to have a plasma cutter.Also a idea a good idea for the factory wheels is to get them powder coated

[@SuperSharpBlue]

There's a lot of people who install an XJ jeep's washer tank in the engine bay. I actually installed a universal tank in my tire spare spot, and put my spare on the roof.

[@randalbloomquist7812]

Most primers absorbe moisture. You may want to put a couple coats of paint on the primered surface. Considering the corrosion problem you have where you live.

[@I_Am_Michael]

actually, where he lives corrosion does not have a problem. it just goes wild.

[@thehemiolds455]

Hell yeah sma

[@bigpappahemi4263]

You customized it. It's yours now for sure, no returns!

[@dpeagles]

You make tire mounting look easy. I figure you have done it a few times.

[@mike-n-diane7689]

he loves that cutting tool!! MR.O can you do a demo of all your popular tools you like using.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Love the stance looks mean

[@andypsunshineisle5655]

That jeep is so clean underneath.Was well worth buying out of state. The only time people would look at the standard of work on your bracket removal will be if you do something daft and and put it on its side or roof. At that time the lack of brackets will be the last thing on your mind. Should be a fine mudplugger when your done.

[@RobertKohut]

Nice!!

[@dennisstraight]

Hi Eric, I have and did the change over lift springs and all that to a 98 ZJ with the 5.9. Don't put a slip yoke kit on that transfer case get a 242 and then slip yoke that.

[@bkon4675]

The ears looked great. Little primer & paint by the time the Jeep is down and your looking down it's going to look factory.

[@martinkucic4278]

My god man! You are cutting up your Jeep!😱

[@marty0715yt]

I would have bet Plasma torch instead of cutting wheel on the bumper! lol Looks nice --for the 10 billionth jeep made!

[@KevinJohnson-fx6wq]

Looks really good. Now you'll have to add, Eric the custom body guy, lol. I'm thinking of stopping by your brother's shop because I'm having problems with the outside of my rear tires wearing. I had the alignment done at one shop but I don't know, a second opinion would be good to get. Thanks for sharing.

[@carstenandersen5987]

nice .... keep it up ..

[@jameshaney8468]

She looks good

[@codyfalkner3261]

I would imagine the fog lights should be fine especially if you have weather pack connectors. Jeep looks good.

[@codyrobert12]

Woohoo, WJ is back!!

[@natewj1587]

Get Clayton extended brake lines that's what i did when I had that much lift works good that will take care of your problem

[@reponut12345]

Clayton makes good stuff

[@ericcorse]

It is going to be a blast bombing around in this. It needs a name.

[@PilgrimInProgress]

Eric Corse Orville....keeping with the O name theme.

[@ericcorse]

Orville sounds good to me

[@msd357]

South Main Auto & Fab

[@mikerobbins5049]

Jeep looks good. My Cooper STT Pro’s are getting noisy and rough. They have about 15,000 miles in them.

[@danrandle65]

till ya get the new bumper, the small plastic coffee cans can make pretty good fog light protection at the rear of lite

[@alexludwig4632]

Find a part time tcase...np242 select trac. Had a v8 laredo wj that had it...sorta rare on v8 due to 545rfe trans...most 242s in 4.0L with 42re trans...output shaft different on trans. That full time will die with those tires. Hub bearings. Good job. nice to see Mrs. O too, u lucky dog.

[@GunfighterWyo]

Looks like a great job to me. Well thought out and done. I would like to see the a video of the alignment process. I think that Mr. O is in brake cleaner withdrawal. LOL

[@DanielPace92]

Proper bump stops. When talking about flexing out and possibly needing to remove the washer bottle (for example) or even damaging the fendere itself, can be fixed by properly stopping the up travel with bump stops. That's one thing i've learned over the years building a couple XJ's I have and all the LCOG (Low center of gravity) builds i've seen. Don't let your suspension travel affect the tire size you go with (within reason), you can always bump stop from hitting components while flexing but still have a ton of down travel to make up for it. Again, all within reason, no way you could fit 40's on that without butchering the whole body.

[@marty0715yt]

I would have bet Plasma torch instead of cutting wheel! Looks nice --for the 10 billionth jeep made!

[@weshawkins7165]

Now get some good metal fender flares and cut the originals off and add some after market bumpers for added clearance for the tires. Plus a set of electric locking diffs work really good. I’ve got all that and more on my 88 Cherokee. I don’t have the V-8 but I do have a stroked 4.0 that I built. Ya it looks good. Yep, wench, bumpers and fender flares.