THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT

TWO WAYS TO BUILD A JEEP WRANGLER LJ

- Verne Simons

Jeep always raises the bar with every new version of the iconic open-top Jeep known most recently as the Wrangler (since 1986 with the '87 model year), but the company may have hit the pinnacle of Jeepdom with the '04-'06 Jeep TJ Unlimited-also known colloquially as the LJ. The TJ Unlimited sits atop this pig pile for a few compelling reasons we will get into shortly, and no, not everyone is going to agree with our perspective, but the argument can be made ... soundly.

The LJ retains the rugged basic design of the open-top Jeeps since their inception and are the last Jeeps powered by the venerable AMC 4.0L MPI engine. They retain this Jeep simplicity while including some creature comforts like an HVAC integrated into the dash and a longer wheelbase with more space. The JK and JL Unlimited Wranglers are great Jeeps (with longer wheelbases and more space), but they compromise various aspects of Jeep ruggedness for fuel economy, and with all the complex electronics of a luxury car, they lose even more of the ruggedness.

We recently got the chance to run the fabled Dusy/Ershim Trail east of Fresno, California, with two well-built yet different Jeep LJ Wranglers. The two contenders were the 2020 Ultimate Adventure Long Range Jeep (UALRJ) and long-time contributor Harry Wagner's super-clean and well-built '06 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Comparing the two demonstrates two build styles that may give you some ideas no matter what type of 4x4 you're building.

Ultimate Adventure Long Range Jeep (UALRJ)

1 Not strictly an LJ, UALRJ is more of an amalgam of various Jeep and aftermarket parts with a definite trend toward looking like a WWII military jeep from North Africa. The LJ tub offers more space and is a bit narrower than a Jeep Wrangler JK, making this one ready to hit some pretty tough trails and obstacles.