Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Jeep Wrangler Upgrades

I bought a 1999 Jeep Wrangler with a 4.0 inline six with a five speed manual transmission a couple of weeks ago.
I had to because my son got his drivers license and he needed something to drive. Since my evil ex-wife wouldn't match the three grand I was gonna give him to buy a truck,I gave him mine for now.
So...
The Jeep has 130K miles on it and I did a few things that made it run a little better.
The first thing I did is replace the throttle body with an aftermarket,62mm throttle body made by BBK. They claim that you get a 10 to 20 horsepower with this upgrade.
Next,I replaced the original fan with an electric one from Derale Performance. It's said that replacing the original fan with an electric one gets you 15% gain in horsepower.
The Jeep already had a Jet Power Control Module on it when I bought it and I have no clue about it and haven't looked online to see what they claim it does for the 4.0 liter motor.
I also put a K&N air filter in it and it has a stainless steel exhaust header on it.
And on the inside,I put a Tuffy lockable console,in it. It didn't have a place to rest my right elbow and it drove me nuts,so I had to drop more money to make myself comfortable.
I need any ideas from other Jeep owners about what to do to this Jeep to make it run better. I'm also curious as to what other upgrades y'all have done to your Jeeps.
Thanks gang,I appreciate any Campfire input.

I would focus on traction as he has all of the power he should ever need. I rolled my first Jeep, a relatively gutless carburated 4.2 liter six many years (1981) ago. I would install locking hubs up front and a Lokrite locker. Short of full ARB lockers front and rear it will deliver. I will be doing just the mod I suggest to my F150 that runs in north Idaho. My two bits.

It already has front locking hubs on it and they work very well.
I also put new tires and rims on it because the ones it came with were more suited to south Houston than they were out here in the country.
This Jeep rides way better than my last one. It was a 1989 and didn't have coil springs suspension. I like the round headlights better too.

Lockers/limited slip would probably be great in your part of the world Bart, but my experience is they suck in the snow or very slick mud.
Loved em in the deserts of Cal. they suck here in Idaho in the winter.

Still recommend the Lokrite. It is so close to an ARB locker and at 30% of the cost you/he will never know the difference, particularly in Texas. Can't imagine why where one lives would make a difference. Traction is traction and my Idaho truck will get the Lokrite.

Not up on that brands function, if they engaged, disengaged and function like a air locker no problem, but you've ever run limited slip or lockers like a Detroit locker in the ice or snow, say on a hillside, you'll understand real quick like, as the whole azz end slides sideways.
Traction isn't the same in real slick chit compared to a surface that can be grabbed with either wheel.

BrotherBart,
Sounds like you have covered most of the engine upgrades. As far as other upgrades, it depends on your pocketbook and what you want the Jeep capable of doing. You could upgrade axles, regear the differentials, lift kit, larger tires, on board air, winch, lights, stereo, lockers - just all kinds of upgrades.

You do know that Jeep stands for "just empty every pocket." Don't ask me how I know this.............

with the other motor mods. you have done if you jet power chip is not a stage II get one the replace the stage I chip . if you pull the chip(modual) out of the wiring harness it should say which one it is

if you plan on using it offroad even occaisionaly by all means
get locking rears. i paid a horrible price for not having them
6 years ago. my 79 cj slid backwards on a very small ammount
of packed snow when 1 wheel on both front and rear spun.
the others of coarse just stopped turning. i slid backwards
over the edge and rolled down a steep hillside. one of my oldest and best friends was killed as a result.
forget all the cool look good stuff and lock it up.

Sorry about your friend YB but even lockers won't help if the tires aren't getting traction...

Bart... if it doesn't have a winch, that's one of the best upgrades you can do...a full roll cage also is a good investment.

Winch, then lockers/limited slips depending on how hard you are going to wheel it. If you lift it much time to look at axles and gears.

If you don't want to spend the money on a winch, get a come-a-long instead. With the money you'll save you can get a hitch cargo carrier on the back.
Jeeps are lite and a come along are all you need. Plus, how often are you yourself going to use it? Are you going to be going in the rough country everyday all year long? I put my carrier on this time every year, because as awesome as jeeps go through the mud and crawl over rocks, they are lite and my pick up goes better in the snow. Plus, you can use your jeep to haul your deer out easier on one. But if I use the carrier with 5-6 bags of 40lb kitty litter, you'd be surprised the difference in snow traction when you put that kind of weight a couple feet behind a jeeps bumper. I say 5-6 because it depends if I break a bag. What I've learned to do now is place a tarp down first then stack the bags and finish wrapping with tarp. Then, fasten it down with ratchet straps your good to go. Plus the kitty litter can be ripped open and used for traction if you get stuck in the snow. Spend the money and get one that folds 90 degrees, so if you don't need it, it's not in your way if you walk around the jeep. I tore the back seat out of my jeep because we have dogs and they ride better like that, so if I get a deer I can throw the kitty litter in the back of the jeep and the deer on the hauler.

Probably somewhere down the road you'll want a lift of some sort and bigger wheels; if you do play in the woods a lot.

My two cents

A come-along, a high-lift jack, and a rear locker.

Nothing Bart. Nothing is going to give that 6 more power at a cost thats affordable. Just drive it, pass on the hwy when you have lots of room. Enjoy it.
All I have done to my 98 is puck lift to put 33's on 16 inch wheels. Gas mileage is bad.
This is your DD now.
Pull wheels and put new brake pads on.
Change all liquids, transfer, axles, trans and of course motor.
Change out anti freeze.
Lube that sucker.
Put new shocks of correct length on it.
By the time you wear out the new tires, you can then figure out what height you may want. Do you have a D44 or a 35C rear axle. I wouldn't waste the money on a locker in a 35c for any reason. Too weak. D44 yes.
Your Jeep can last a long time if you want it too.
Good luck.

I have a 2.5 ton come-along in my Jeep that I got from work. Use it to hoist deer also.......

Here is a place I've bought some stuff from........

http://www.quadratec.com/?globv=Wrangler&sgsc=GPJPWR01&gclid=CMG49ZjI2roCFQLl7AodR0oAXw

Come-alongs are fine & dandy but they leave a lot to be desired for a whole bunch of situations. They have gotten me out of trouble before but IMHO, there is no substitute for a good winch & a snatch block or two. Especially if you're alone.

Come-alongs are fine & dandy but they leave a lot to be desired for a whole bunch of situations. They have gotten me out of trouble before but IMHO, there is no substitute for a good winch & a snatch block or two. Especially if you're alone. [/quote


Yeah but winches have draw backs as well. Alot easier to pull back words or sideways with come along. Pulling forward isn't always an option.

IMO jet chips are a waste of money, basically all really they do is give you greater advance on your timing.
By your list, you've done about all you can with bolt-on upgrading, horse power wise.
A 1999 stock 4.0 is rated at 181 hp as opposed to the earlier 70's-80's 4.2/258's were only rated at 110-112 hp. So theoretically your at about 200 hp. You've got more hp than handling capabilities. If it still feels doggy, are you running much bigger, taller tires than stock?

Back in the day I had a '89 Jeep Commanche with the stock 4.0 liter and 5 speed. That little rig had plenty of giddy up.