I've had this old Jimmy since about 2002 or so. It was a reliable driver for many years, and all i did was what was needed to keep it going. About 5 years ago, it got relegated to the backup car category. I just used it as a backup, or to pull a trailer. My son likes it, and he just started driving, so we have been bringing it back to life. I will show where it's at now, and then update as we continue to progress. Before we even began the teardown, we replaced the thermostat, thermostat inlet, radiator hoses, plugs, plug wires, and the fuel line manifold seals.
Here it is in stock form, when we began the teardown.

In stock form, for the last time.

I found an old 6" superlift kit on the local marketplace. It appeared complete, and we knew the front end needed rebuilt anyways, so that's the direction we went.


Front diff is out, and the mount trimming is done.

We also took advantage of this time to replace the oil pan gasket and the seals for the oil lines, oil line sending unit, and oil filter housing, since it all a little leaky down there.


Steering center link, front diff, and upper control arm brackets are in.

Control arms, ball joints, hubs, tie rods, shocks, and brake line extensions are in.

As a side note, the kit did not contain the brake line extensions, so this was rigged up and might have worked. We had issues getting a couple of the connections to seal. We ended up using stainless braided lines in a longer length and got rid of the extensions all together, and that's how i would suggest to do it. We also had a couple of bad cv boots on the passenger side, but the cv joints felt good, so we rebooted that axle.


Test fitting the iroc rims.

We found a good deal on a set of iroc rims locally. My son is working on cleaning them up to repaint.


The front end is all together and sitting on it's own weight.

The SLT version of the 98 Jimmy came factory with the softer suspension. With the lift, we thought it would be good to firm it up a little, so we swapped the torsion bars and keys for those from a standard blazer which were a size thicker.


Tearing down the rear end.

Rearend flipped under leafs with the wheel spacers.

Sitting back on all 4s.


Sub enclosure for behind the rear seat.

The interior needed a little attention. We did fiberglass backing repairs to the dash bezel and all 4 door panels, replaced the head unit and all the door speakers, replaced the temp control module, replaced the a/c system seals, replaced wipers, repaired some door weatherstripping, replaced front door latch assemblies and door handles.


Dash trim and head unit.

Back on the road.

It is back on the road, and we are working through the little odds and ends that pop up. I'm still planning on replacing the cat and muffler. We also have the iroc wheels, factory nerf bars from a diamond edition, and rear spare tire carrier that all need to be mounted. It's turning out to be a pretty clean little rig, and it feels good to see it back on the road and being enjoyed.

 

Looks good!

 

Looks great!!

 

Thanks for the kind words. We got it in to the muffler shop. I don't mind doing most things, but I let the shop do the exhaust. They put a permanent bend under the lowered front drive shaft, replaced the cat with a high flow factory replacement, replaced the muffler with a flowmaster 40 with dual outs, then added two pipes out the back corners. The gas tank breather box on the drivers side makes it a tight fit, so we removed the spare ran the pipes inside of the rear leafs. We're putting on the spare tire carrier anyways. The old cat was empty, and the old muffler was full of all kinds of crap. It sounds great and runs smooth. Now he's looking for some tips for it.



New cat, flowmaster 40, and dual outs

 

Two things I don't do. Transmissions and Exhaust. Nice work.

 

My son is continuing to make progress.

blacked out side trim

Set of 31s mounted up to the z-28 rims

Wheels and tires all painted and mounted.

Still several things to get done, but it's definitely getting there.

 

Coming along nicely.

I'd suggest to start addressing the rust.

 

Thank you. We have definitely been working on the rust. We're actually pretty lucky, as the only real rust is right in the old spare tire area. The frame has been very minor surface rust that we've been able to clean off and coat over. Knock on wood, but everything unbolted fine, even the torsion bars and crossmember came out without much trouble.

 

Nice work! Would you happen to know how to remove the grill?

I also have a '98 Jimmy SLT, but to me it's not obvious how the grill is attached. It almost looks like it is clipped on and should pull straight out, but I don't want to break anything.

 

Nice looking ride. It's always fun to see someone giving some love and TLC to these old trucks.