$5000 Jeep: Project Blue J

Junkyard Axles

Ford 8.8, HP Dana 30, 4.10 gears, and lockers. Sometimes it’s cheaper to buy than to build.

M8000 Winch Resurrected

We bring a Warn M8000 winch back from the dead and modernize it with 2ga wire, a contactor, and the help of a 3D printer.

Rust, Rust, and More Rust

Anything this old in the Rocky Mountains has rust. This is how we deal with it.

Frame Fixes

3D Printed Solenoid Enclosure

Modernizing a Heep

Winch Wiring Done Right

Origins: The Blue J Hustle

Sometimes work isn’t enough to pay off student loans, and sometimes you just need a project. Meet Project Blue J, the cheapest Jeep I could find. I had been perusing Craigslist on my lunch break for months, searching for something I could fix up and resell, when finally I found the perfect platform for a build: a 1993 Wrangler with a 4.0L engine, AX15 manual transmission, and hard top. The asking price? Just $2,300.

After some negotiating, I came home—no, I drove home—in an oddly well-maintained yet rusty as hell ‘93 lighting blue YJ. It had over 200k miles, but the engine was strong. The Transmission shifted smoothly. The 4WD worked. The roof leaked and the body was rusted out, but hey, it was under two grand. I had something solid to work on, and when I was done, I could sell it.

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