A V-8, multi-link coil suspension, leather interior, and four-wheel drive! Kinda sounds like a custom-built Jeep doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. So why have so many been saving up their change for a V-8 swap, four-link conversion, and fancy seating when it all came as factory-issue in the ’99-’04 WJ Grand Cherokee? Well, honestly we’re not sure.
Clayton uses 2-inch, 0.250-wall...
Clayton uses 2-inch, 0.250-wall square tubing for its lower control arms. Here is the front suspension laid out with Clayton’s new weld-in control arm mounts and T-case crossmember. Note the control arms are upside-down relative to the crossmember/mounts for illustration purposes. This kit changes our WJ’s front suspension from a four-link with a track bar to radius arms with a track bar.
Okay, even we will admit that the WJ looks kinda like a minivan, and you can’t fold the top down or easily remove the doors, but if you have ever driven a 4.7L-powered WJ on- or off-road you know what we are talking about. There are real reasons this vehicle won all kinds of automotive awards in its day. It offers tons of torque, a flexy suspension, and enough horsepower to induce four-wheel drifts. Yeehaw! But the best part is that these rigs just keep getting cheaper and cheaper to buy and the availability of aftermarket parts keeps expanding and expanding.
The Clayton rear suspension...
The Clayton rear suspension changes our WJ from a three-link with a wishbone upper to a true triangulated four-link. Clayton uses 1⁄4-inch steel plate for all the mounting brackets and its links are fitted with Johnny Joints at one end for flex and Clevite rubber bushings at the other for vibration absorption. Bilstein 5160 series shocks are really neat because the piston is moved into the remote reservoir, allowing an extra 1 to 2 inches of uptravel over a normal shock with similar eye-to-eye measurements. The 5160s mount in the factory shock locations and they can be revalved if desired.
If you’re a regular Jp reader you probably remember our blue and grey ’01 Laredo WJ. We threw 2-inch Daystar spacers and some select products from JKS at it to fit 245/75R16 tires on stock wheels (“Grand Stance,” Mar. ’11). In this form, it’s been a functional camping rig, capable climber on quick wheeling trips in the mountains of Arizona, and has even served hauling duties flat-towing our ’49 CJ-3A all over the Southwest. Not surprisingly, running 31-inch tires got a bit boring and “more’s law” took hold. To us, it’s simply natural evolution, so we whipped up a combination of parts we felt would work well and take our Grand to the next level. We planned on mooching some time in a fancy installation facility with a lift and nice tools to perform the transformation. That plan fell apart, so we did the deed in our side yard on our backs with a quartet of 12-ton Harbor Freight jackstands. So follow along as we install a Clayton Off Road 6-inch long-arm suspension, 33-inch General Grabbers, Summit Racing wheels, and Bilstein 5160 shocks the Jp way: at home. If we can do it, so can you!
The front control arm mounts...
The front control arm mounts and transmission crossmember locate off existing holes. Make sure the brackets are even side-to-side and front-to-back before fully tightening the bolts and tacking the brackets in place. Make sure to remove all traces of corrosion, paint, and undercoating for welding before finally bolting the brackets into place.
If you are not an experienced...
If you are not an experienced welder, this is not the project on which to learn. You don’t want these brackets coming loose unexpectedly. And it’s easy to blow through the somewhat thin Unitbody sheetmetal if you’re careless with your weld puddle. Also, the factory uses a zinc-based rust preventer between the laminate sheetmetal, so be sure to weld in a well ventilated area and wear some sort of respirator to protect your lungs...if you like breathing and living and stuff like that.
Once the front control arm...
Once the front control arm mounts and transmission crossmember are in place, remove the upper and lower control arms from one side of the Jeep only. Hack the factory lower control arm mount off the chassis and then install the corresponding Clayton control arms before repeating this on the other side. We used a plasma cutter, but you can use a 41⁄2-inch grinder with a cutoff wheel, a saber saw, hacksaw, machete, or your teeth if you’re so inclined. Clean up the cuts with an angle grinder running a flap sanding disc before paint.
For the rear suspension, the...
For the rear suspension, the right and left control arm mounts must be located carefully according to the detailed drawing supplied in the instructions. We used the factory Jeep bottle jack to hold our brackets in place as we tack welded them to the chassis. The upper links run from these brackets and attach to a bolt-on plate that replaces the factory upper wishbone setup.
The front and rear control...
The front and rear control arm mounts are tied together with a stamped 1⁄4-inch steel subframe connector that runs front-to-back along each side of the Unitbody. These connectors are fully welded to the front and rear control arm mounts and to the Unitbody with four evenly spaced 1-inch-long stitch welds per side. It helps to mark with a Sharpie pen where the stitch welds will stop and start.
We made our own bumpstop extensions...
We made our own bumpstop extensions for the rear (left) using some 1.75-inch, 0.120-wall DOM tubing, four plates, and two 10mm bolts. We tapped the upper spring perch with a 10mm, 1.5-pitch tap and weaseled these extensions inside the rear coil springs and threaded them in. Up front we used some 2-inch, 0.120-wall DOM and four long 8mm, 1.25-pitch bolts (right). All four spacers are about 41⁄2 inches long. The length of your bumpstop extensions will depend on shock length and the tire size you are running.
With our General Grabbers...
With our General Grabbers mounted, it was apparent a little fender trimming up front was necessary. We trimmed about 21⁄2 inches from the lip of the front fenders. Use some thin masking tape to carefully define your cut line. Then use an air saw or hand-held jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. Relief cuts perpendicular to sharp curves in the sheetmetal make the cuts go easier. You will need to fold over the pinch weld at the bottom rear of the wheelwell with a hammer.
With the 33x12.50R17 General...
With the 33x12.50R17 General Grabbers aired down to about 15 psi and the superb rebound valving of our Bilstein 5160s, we were ready to bomb down washes with impunity. We had already installed JKS swaybar disconnects, which help give crazy amounts of articulation from the long-arm suspension when crawling over rocks. Our 17x9 Summit Racing Legend 5 Gunmetal Wheels have 5 inches of backspacing for fitment and offer a great vintage look that really pops with the red-letter Grabbers.
The finished works amazingly...
The finished works amazingly well off-road without giving up any of the WJ’s good on-road characteristics. Clayton recommends a CV rear driveshaft. For now we’re running the stock rear shaft and there are some minor vibrations, so an upgrade is probably in our future. Also the huge factory muffler has to go for upper control arm mount clearance. You will either need go with a new muffler and tailpipe, or do what we did and simply add a turn-down after the cat. Our WJ now has a throaty rumble that’s surprisingly not too loud.