D Till Fabworks' Wild Grand Cherokee Build Breaks All the Rules!

D Till Fabworks isn’t just another fabrication shop churning out cookie-cutter bumpers. When you see owner Dito’s personal 2000 Grand Cherokee WJ, you immediately understand this guy lives and breathes what he builds. This isn’t some garage queen that gets trailered to shows - this is a legitimate trail rig that happens to showcase some of the most thoughtful engineering you’ll find in the WJ community.

The numbers tell the story right off the bat. What started as a 105-inch wheelbase Limited has been stretched to 119 inches, sitting on 43-inch tires with a built LS motor pushing 245 horsepower to the wheels. That’s not just impressive - it’s the kind of build that makes you question what’s actually possible with these platforms.

The heart of this beast is a 6.0L LQ4 LS motor with a Tick Performance truck cam, 862/5.3 heads, and a complete rebuild. After dyno testing, it’s laying down 245 wheel horsepower and 265 foot-pounds of torque. That might not sound earth-shattering until you consider it’s spinning 43-inch rubber through 5.38 gears. The original 4.7L V8 and 45RFE transmission combination simply couldn’t handle the abuse of serious wheeling, especially once bigger tires entered the picture.

What sets this build apart isn’t just the power plant swap. Dito stretched the wheelbase by pushing the axles forward nearly 10 inches, creating a more stable platform for those massive tires. The theory makes sense - longer wheelbase provides better stability and reduces the tendency to tip, especially important when you’re running rubber that tall. The 2007 Super Duty axles handle the punishment with Yukon Zip and Grizzly lockers front and rear, though Dito recently switched to Revolution dry flanges up front after experiencing stub shaft failures with the 40-inch tires.

Suspension setup shows the attention to detail that separates serious builds from bolt-on projects. Up front, 2.5-inch Radflo coilovers with 6-8 inches of up travel handle the heavy lifting, paired with custom 3/16-inch reinforcement plates - admittedly overkill, but everything about this build pushes boundaries. The rear runs 4.5-inch Metal Cloak dual-rate springs with Teraflex speed bumps and Falcon shocks that actually make a noticeable difference when you adjust them.

The fabrication work showcases Dito’s mechanical engineering background and years of CAD experience in Fusion 360. Everything from the custom control arms to the swing-out tire carrier integration shows thoughtful design rather than just throwing parts together. The rear control arms are custom-built square tubing - a choice that sparks debate in the community, but Dito’s reasoning is solid. Square 2x2 quarter-wall tubing has higher moment of inertia and roughly 30% more material than equivalent round tubing.

Street legal details matter when you’re building something this extreme. The eBay headlights might not win any beauty contests, but they keep the rig legal while the Warren winch handles recovery duties. The clean look extends throughout - no light bars or unnecessary accessories cluttering the lines. Sometimes the most impressive builds are the ones that don’t try to show off every possible modification.

Inside, the Holley Terminator X EFI system manages the LS swap while keeping things simple. The WJ platform is actually convenient for LS swaps since everything inside the firewall runs independently of the PCM. Rather than trying to make the original cluster work, Dito went with the Holley dash setup and kept the original AC system functional with a custom bracket for the LS compressor.

The real magic happens in Dito’s shop, where D Till Fabworks produces bumpers for the WJ community. His Instagram @dtillfabworks shows the progression from raw materials to finished products. The fixture tables and dual MIG setups handle everything from DIY kits for beginners to fully welded units ready to bolt on.

For those considering the DIY route, Dito recommends starting with a 220-volt machine capable of handling the thick shackle tabs that see serious stress during recovery situations. The welded bumpers typically ship within two weeks for fronts, while the more labor-intensive rears can take up to four weeks depending on order volume.

This WJ represents what’s possible when engineering knowledge meets real-world wheeling experience. It’s not about having the biggest tires or most horsepower - it’s about building a cohesive package that performs reliably in the rocks while remaining streetable. The stretched wheelbase, upgraded axles, and thoughtful suspension setup create a platform that can handle serious terrain without the sketchy handling characteristics that plague many lifted rigs.

Ten years of ownership and constant evolution show in every detail. From the custom wheel wells required for tire clearance to the three-piece headliner accommodating the cage, this build proves that the best projects are never really finished. There’s always another upgrade, another trail to conquer, another problem to solve through fabrication and engineering.

The WJ platform might not get the same attention as Wranglers or newer trucks, but builds like this prove these Grand Cherokees can be transformed into legitimate trail machines. When you combine solid engineering principles with real fabrication skills and years of wheeling experience, the results speak for themselves. This isn’t just a show truck - it’s a testament to what dedicated builders can accomplish when they refuse to accept limitations.