1997 Jeep TJ "Gnome 2"

[alanzona]

So, back in February, I bought Andrew's shop Jeep, a 1997 Jeep TJ. Kate's "dream car" was a TJ on 35's, 5 speed, with a 3" lift... AND it had to be green with a tan top. LOL.

I bought it before we moved and didn't do much until after we moved. It worked. That was enough for now. 188K miles, locked front and rear (selectable in the front), and a few other upgrades. This is a billy goat of a TJ that's just strong and works.

Here are a few photos from when I got it. Most of you know the Jeep without a top and with the tube doors on (it was the shop Jeep we always took to KOH), but there were full hard doors and Andrew added a frameless soft top.

[alanzona]

Finally, after moving to Arkansas, I was able to find some time late summer / early fall to give it facelift.

Kate really wanted an "army green" Jeep, so I pulled everything apart and started a facelift.

Overall, the Jeep is in great shape physically, so the facelift was purely cosmetic. I wanted to paint both inside and out, so I pulled everything out of the Jeep (seats, fender flares, console, etc...)

[alanzona]

The primary objective for the interior was to beeline the interior (just a spray in bedliner from Walmart), but in the process, decided to upgrade the center console to an Ammo Can center console. Not a big mod (just cut the existing console in half, trimmed a slot in the ammo can for the e-brake, and remounted), but it adds a cool little bit of character to the "army jeep"... also, it's so cool to be able to pressure wash the inside of a vehicle... LOL. I love Jeeps. As a final piece, I painted the clip around the dash center piece the Olive Italian Green like the center console and the exterior is going to be in order to tie them together.

[alanzona]

The exterior was just a piece at a time (removed the hood, removed the front clip, etc...) and did multiple coats of Krylon Italian Olive Green (Walmart, $3.99 a can, took 7 cans with numerous coats). I would sand down the finish on each section before painting and the paint is a primer and paint combination.

[alanzona]

Since the inside was looking good and the outside was coming together... I wanted to upgrade the tunes as well. The radio is fine (nothing special, but it had an amp out and aux cable in), but the low end was missing, so I added a little amp and 10" sub. I opted to mount the sub in an old Jerry can instead of a traditional sub box. I ended up mounting the Jerry can sub to the rear tailgate so I could put the back seat in or out as needed. The full install will get it's on write up in the tech section. It sounds GREAT and really added depth to the tunes.

[alanzona]

And....... I think we're all aware of my addition to stickers, so a final piece of the facelift was some vinyl from Mr. Davy to round out the look. I went with matte black and didn't overdo it with a "literal" Army Jeep vibe, but more of a nod to the old school markings. I'm really happy with the facelift and finally getting back out in the dirt / woods.

[Avis]

Looks great! Love the new look a lot.

[defibvt]

It looks really nice. You have inspired me to get my work on when it comes to my Jeep. Had it out in the driveway last week to wash out the interior to prep for spray in bed liner to go on this weekend.