Greg's 05 LJ Build

I am still toying with the idea of finding away to just have a hole cut in the bumper instead of notching it out completely. I want to find a way to to keep the strength of the bumper and tow hooks. My only idea right now is to buy a pair of sacrificial antirock arms (so the splines are correct), cut and lathe them so they look liked rounded collars, then weld them to the original arms.

But don’t worry Chris, I am a perfectionist so whatever I do it will look good!


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Finally got some time to work on the Jeep.

Cut the Exogate bracket to fit the Savvy tail lights. Now off to the powder coat shop.

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I am still toying with the idea of finding away to just have a hole cut in the bumper instead of notching it out completely. I want to find a way to to keep the strength of the bumper and tow hooks. My only idea right now is to buy a pair of sacrificial antirock arms (so the splines are correct), cut and lathe them so they look liked rounded collars, then weld them to the original arms.

But don’t worry Chris, I am a perfectionist so whatever I do it will look good!

I hope so! You're braver than I am. I was in such fear of cutting that thing due to the value of those bumpers in good condition. That's honestly the only reason I resisted putting an Antirock on. Still, done properly, I'm confident it could look 100% factory, like it came that way. You just have to do the cutting right and make sure to round the edges, sand the rough areas, and make it look nice and neat. Re-powder coat it when you're done, and you'll have a damn nice end result.
 
I had to limp the LJ out of the garage so I could put the hardtop back on my JK. Made for a nice side by side picture. I will be getting rid of the JK once my LJ build is complete.

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I built a nice little system to swap out my hardtop. I have a HarborFreight hoist mounted on a Unistrut trolley that slides back and forth. I can then lift the top and slide it forward to store on a ceiling mount storage rack. I use a strap to grab the front and found these cool clips that connect to the rear glass hinge to give anchor points.

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Neat n tidy setup , aawesome!!!
-olllllo-*
 
I got my winch all stripped apart and new bearings, brakes and seals on order. I was pretty excited to run the date code and learn it was made in September, 1978! It doesn't have a bit of rust on it and looks great being over 40 years old!

I have no idea how I am going to mount it to my bumper yet but I am determined to find a way!

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I'm looking forward to seeing how you mount the 8274 on the Mopar RC front.

Ya I have a few ideas but it's pretty clear I'm gonna have to do some cutting of the bumper and to weld up a custom mounting plate.

A sneak peak - I had to extend my front frame out a few inches to make room.

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I have the aluminum casted parts of the winch at a local guy who is polishing it. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
 
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Looks like it's coming along quite nicely!

Did you cut the bumper for the Antirock yet?
 
Looks like it's coming along quite nicely!

Did you cut the bumper for the Antirock yet?

Not yet but by pushing the bumper forward about 1.5 inches I only need to carve out the existing notches rather than do a deep cut. The lines still match nicely with the fenders. I'm heading to sunnier weather for 10 days tomorrow but plan to finish it and post a few pics when I get back.
 
Not yet but by pushing the bumper forward about 1.5 inches I only need to carve out the existing notches rather than do a deep cut. The lines still match nicely with the fenders. I'm heading to sunnier weather for 10 days tomorrow but plan to finish it and post a few pics when I get back.

Ahhh, good point. I didn't think about that, but you're right. If the bumper is pushed more forward, you won't have to cut nearly as much material (if any) off the bumper. Nice thinking! Hopefully it doesn't look awkward with the front bumper sticking out further.
 
I really want to mount sliders but don’t want to put holes in the rockers. I had PS sliders on my YJ and loved them but I didn’t care about my YJ the way I do my LJ. Ugh! Looks great tho and I may or may not be a little biased when it comes to Silver LJ’s

And yeah, I’m aware of the bolt to the frame modes but ehh.

Notched my spring perchs today and got my shocks mounted.

Why did you have to notch the spring perches to replace the shocks? I don’t know that I’ve seen/heard of this before. Was it due solely to the diameter of the Ranchos? I have 4” lift with RE shocks and mine aren’t notched. I’d go in the garage and look but I’m out of town.
 
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