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1993-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Suspension Build - A Grand ConversionAxles, Suspension, & More From the August, 2008 issue of 4Wheel & Off-Road By Kevin McNulty Photography by Kevin McNulty
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The '93-'98 Grand Cherokee is a great building block for a trail rig. And if you can get past a couple minor problems such as the undesirable unibody, the ZJ has lots of interior room for stashing all kinds of adventure gear. Also some versions of the Grand came with the powerful 5.2L or (only for '98) the 5.9L V-8 engine, and even better, the aging Jeep can be purchased today for a song. I've had a '97 Grand for a few years now, but it had just been taking up a parking space at the office. I hadn't driven it more than 500 miles in the last two years because I was unhappy with the aftermarket suspension and axle conversion that had been installed on it. The Jeep had a full locker in the rear, which made the rear tires chirp and squeal every time it turned a corner. The locker also clicked and ratcheted, and when it unloaded it caused the vehicle to violently jerk. The factory suspension didn't ride too badly and was comfortable, but the installed aftermarket suspension was obnoxious and squeaked like a horse-drawn buckboard. Other issues I had with my ZJ were the Dana 30 axle up front and the weak Chrysler rear axle with aluminum center-section in the rear. These axles are great for everyday street driving and mild four-wheeling, but anything beyond that and the dependability becomes questionable, especially with a V-8. There is a plethora of upgrades available for the Dana 30 axle, but it's still a Dana 30, and there aren't many parts available for the aluminum rear axle. It's best just left alone or swapped out. I knew that if I let the Grand sit long enough a solution for the vehicle's problems would appear, and in the Apr. '08 issue of 4-Wheel & Off-Road, I reviewed the new Dana 44 Rubicon (JK) axles available from Jeep. As soon as the boys from Mopar told me they were going to start selling these crate axles, I immediately thought of my abandoned ZJ. What else could I ask for? The axles are far stronger and have 4.10 gears with selectable electric lockers. I needed a well-mannered suspension so I called JKS Manufacturing. I have been reviewing the JKS suspension components for a while now and I really like how the control arms are fit with rubber bushings rather than Delrin or polyurethane, and the rubber bushings dramatically help reduce the transfer of road noise into the vehicle. The bushings don't squeak or require any maintenance, and they help absorb torsional force while four-wheeling. The control arms and rubber bushings also offer a smoother, softer, and quieter ride. JKS didn't have a complete bolt-in kit for my Jeep, since this is a custom axle swap and build, so I ordered adjustable control arms, track bars, sway-bar disconnects, and super-cool ACOS Pro adjustable coil spacers with bumpstops for the front. The key was to build a daily driver/adventure Jeep with a suspension that was safe, comfortable, reliable, and controllable at high speed. I didn't want or need a super-slinky rig with 20 inches of articulation capable of crawling over small mountains. I ordered ARB Old Man Emu Nitrocharger gas shocks, coil springs, and steering stabilizer. The OME components are designed and tested in Australia's harsh outback conditions. I have had good experience with OME suspensions in the past. This was a comprehensive axle and suspension conversion, which required lots of fabrication and suspension geometry know-how. The front swap was almost a direct bolt-in, however the rear axle required the most fabrication. After the swap, the ZJ rode comfortably, was quiet, and is now far more capable than factory.  1. The JK Rubicon axles were...  1. The JK Rubicon axles were the perfect swap for the Grand Cherokee. These replaced the much weaker factory Dana 30 front and aluminum 44 rear axles on the '97 Grand. The crate axles came with 4.10 gears, electric lockers, and disc brakes, and the front axle is also high-pinion. The axles can be ordered from any Jeep dealership. The front axle (PN P5153825) and the rear (PN P5153826) can be purchased for about $1,400 eac  2. The JK front axle is high-pinion,...  2. The JK front axle is high-pinion, making the conversion a more attractive swap for the price. Do the math! If you can find a good high-pinion Dana 44 at a junkyard it will cost you about $200, a locker is $400 to $800, and then you have to get brakes, gears, knuckles, axleshafts, and other assorted parts. By the time you are done rounding up all the parts you just spent more than $2,000.  3. The adjustability of the...  3. The adjustability of the JKS arms makes it easy to dial in the caster and pinion angle. The arms don't lock so they will turn and rotate with the vehicle for better articulation and suspension movement. The rubber bushings absorb road vibration and movement for a quiet and comfortable ride. The greaseable control arm is protected internally by a spring-loaded crankshaft type seal which keeps the arms from being contaminated.  4. Getting the rear axle in...  4. Getting the rear axle in the vehicle required cutting off all the factory hangers and mounting points. This is very time consuming if you don't have the proper tools. We used a plasma cutter and then took a grinder to the rest of the material. I picked up a Wrangler TJ hanger and suspension mount kit from Mountain Off-Road Enterprises (M.O.R.E.). The kit included the coil spring, shock, track bar, and control-arm mounts.  5. There's a lot of measuring...  5. There's a lot of measuring for any axle swap. Like a good carpenter would say, measure twice and cut once. In this case measure as much as you can, tack your part on, measure again, and then weld. It's far more difficult and messy to cut something apart after it's been welded together than to pull two pieces of board apart.  6. After measuring, center...  6. After measuring, center the axle and tack the hangers and mounts until all components are properly aligned. I tacked all the hangers and mounts in place, and then checked the ride-height and clearances.
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