Mithlond

1993 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE ZJ

Mithlond, shortly after lifting and new wheels and tires.

Mithlond, shortly after lifting and new wheels and tires.

Mithlond? What is that?

Mithlond is our 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ. Kevyn has been driving Mithlond since Fall of 2009, his second car (his first was a 1990 XJ with many electrical issues). After the near decade of using it as a daily driver and developing all of the common leaks of a Jeep of its age, it wasn’t being driven as much as it should be, so a rehab project was started.

The Specs

1993 Jeep ZJ (Grand Cherokee Laredo)

  • 4.0L Inline Six with 164,000 miles (Feb 2020)

  • 42RE Transmission with the NP242 Transfer Case and 3.73:1 gears

  • 3.5” IronRock Offroad Premium Short-Arm lift with adjustable control arms + track bars

  • 32x10.5R15 BFGoodrich KO2 tires on 15x8 American Racing Baja wheels (3.5” offset)

  • Crown HD Steering kit (V8 ZJ steering with heavy duty tie-rod ends)

  • 2.5” diameter Kolak Performance exhaust (catalytic converter back) with custom intermediate pipe (made by Kevyn)

  • Yakima Roof rack (from previous owner, now bent)

Long-term Goals

The idea of this build is an off-road capable vehicle that can get us to great hiking and camping locations. But it does need to be something where we can have some fun, so it’s mods, mods, mods to make it a fun offroader. Since it is a 1993 vehicle, the bells and whistles of modern vehicles are not there, so adding some new tech is also a must. Here’s a general idea of the things we look to change or add:

  • Gas Tank Skid

  • Rock Sliders

  • On-board air compressor

  • Front bumper with winch

  • Rear bumper with tire carrier (and places for extra fuel/water/etc.)

  • Frame stiffeners

  • Skid plates

  • New roof rack

  • Roof-top tent?

  • Locked front and rear axles (current open Dana 30 front, limited-slip Dana 35 rear)

  • New Android-based Radio system (maybe tablet-based?)