Looking for ideas and suggestions on 2006 TJ Rubicon upgrades

Muddyjeep276

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Joined
Nov 6, 2019
Messages
79
Location
Virginia
I've got a 2006 Rubicon with about 230K miles, put on from new.
It's been my grocery getter,commuter car,jobsite mule,and more. I change the oil fix what breaks and just drive it, till now.
I'm hopefully soon to get a work car, making the Jeep more of a play toy.Its time to freshen up the Jeep.

I don't want to loose drivability, like turning sharp or steep inclines. I'm planning on mostly being on fire road and some skidder trails.I usually go 4wheeling with friends on ATV's,but I've been going on trail rides with other Jeeps recently and having fun with that. I always the least moded rig in the bunch so far.
So here's what I'm thinking about changing up.
Vanco big brake 15
Wheels 15"alum 3.75bs?
33x12.5 tires possibly 35
3-4 short arm skidplate/tummy tuck or longarm 4-5 or mid arm
Rear CV driveshaft custom or Tom Woods.
1st will be brakes,and rust repair. Fenders will have to be changed either factory which I already bought or Metalcloak.

Any ideas for a solid trail rig build here? Looking to go around 5000 on a budget doing most work on a friends lift.
I'll have to hire a welder so short arm would be easier.
Mostly trieng to a avoid putting a bunch of money on suspension and turning out less capable offroad. Being too "TIPPY" or bad antisquat.
 
Just my 2 cents, you MUST decide on tire size first. Going to 35's gets very pricey, going to 33's can be done w/o so much crying on the pocketbook. I don't feel you can run 35's properly with a 5K budget, not including wheels, tires, steering, brakes,shocks, oh yea and a lift kit

For 33' you need either a 4" lift kit or a combo 3" lift and a 1" BL. If you go with a 4" lift kit pick a quality Short Arm kit with a nice set of Rancho Shocks. I don't think you need a Vanco Big Brake kit just upgraded pads and rotors, they are nice I can tell the difference but I am on 35's.

This picture is my 05 Rubicon with a 4" lift kit and 35's before adding a 1" BL, so you can see 4" alone is not enough to run 35's

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Just my 2 cents, you MUST decide on tire size first. Going to 35's gets very pricey, going to 33's can be done w/o so much crying on the pocketbook. I don't feel you can run 35's properly with a 5K budget, not including wheels, tires, steering, brakes,shocks, oh yea and a lift kit

For 33' you need either a 4" lift kit or a combo 3" lift and a 1" BL. If you go with a 4" lift kit pick a quality Short Arm kit with a nice set of Rancho Shocks. I don't think you need a Vanco Big Brake kit just upgraded pads and rotors, they are nice I can tell the difference but I am on 35's.

This picture is my 05 Rubicon with a 4" lift kit and 35's before adding a 1" BL, so you can see 4" alone is not enough to run 35's

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Your 35"s look pretty good.
My brakes are pretty much shot would be a big reason for the upgrade. I think the regear and the extra lift are the only thing to keep me from going 35"
 
I do have upgraded steering, been so long I kinda forgot. It could still be improved. It's basically like factory but thicker solid metal with larger ball joints. Definatly not Currie but better than factory.
When you say upgrade steering would that be just stronger or somthing like ram assist?
 
IMO- to do 35’s properly with top notch gear isn’t cheap. Give you an idea of what I’m working towards to fix my PO’s half assed 35 build TJR

Prices are ball park off the top of my head

Currie 4” ~$2700
1.25 Savvy BL -~$150
MML ~$100
Tummy Tuck Skid and DS ~$700
Currielink Steering ~$500
5.13 Gears ~$2000
Big Brake Kit ~$1200
Cable Shifter ~$160
Front / Rear Shafts ~$1000
Wheels and Tires ~$2000
Shocks ~$200+++

That’s 9K in driveline and suspension alone to have a reliable well rounded set up and doesn’t even include armor, winch, recovery gear etc...

33’s be much cheaper. But if money isn’t a factor- do a build thread 😎

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Not trying to scare you off, it’s just to do 35s with any form of reliability isn’t going to come cheap.

Don’t forget labor costs too if you aren’t mechanically inclined


Now that I typed all that out, and the fact that I really enjoy driving mine and using it for hunting... I might make the switch to a 33 build and pocket the cash over the next couple years and buy a crawler on tons / coil overs already build for 15-20k lol
 
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Cost is definatly the big factor,and time. I'd rather be driving it than working on it.
Id definatly go quality over size for importance.
Shocks have been shot for over 100K and spring's are saging, suspension is rough all around right now.
I've probably got 1.5-2 inches uptravel to the factory bumpstop... less than that with a winch.
 
IMO- to do 35’s properly with top notch gear isn’t cheap. Give you an idea of what I’m working towards to fix my PO’s half assed 35 build TJR

Prices are ball park off the top of my head

Currie 4” ~$2700
1.25 Savvy BL -~$150
MML ~$100
Tummy Tuck Skid and DS ~$700
Currielink Steering ~$500
5.13 Gears ~$2000
Big Brake Kit ~$1200
Cable Shifter ~$160
Front / Rear Shafts ~$1000
Wheels and Tires ~$2000
Shocks ~$200+++

That’s 9K in driveline and suspension alone to have a reliable well rounded set up and doesn’t even include armor, winch, recovery gear etc...

33’s be much cheaper. But if money isn’t a factor- do a build thread 😎

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Yep mine is similar to your

Currie 4” ~$2700 Same
1.25 Savvy BL -~$150 1" BL
MML ~$100 None
Tummy Tuck Skid and DS ~$700 Not yet
Currielink Steering ~$500 Same
5.13 Gears ~$2000 4:88's but I am running a 6 sp manual
Big Brake Kit ~$1200 Same
Cable Shifter ~$160 None
Front / Rear Shafts ~$1000 Stock
Wheels and Tires ~$2000 Same
Shocks ~$200+++ Same


I am runinng 10 Factory Chrom front axles

Oh yea this does not include all the extra goodies like winch, lights, etc., etc.
 
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Cost is definatly the big factor,and time. I'd rather be driving it than working on it.
Id definatly go quality over size for importance.
Shocks have been shot for over 100K and spring's are saging, suspension is rough all around right now.
I've probably got 1.5-2 inches uptravel to the factory bumpstop... less than that with a winch.

Get a zone 4.25” combo lift, rancho shocks, new OEM control arms and maybe some adjustable track bars and go have fun with 33s. Give it a good tune up and check / replace wear components such as ball joints and sway bar bushings. Go enjoy it and maybe upgrade to a tummy tuck as you’ll be dragging that shovel skid plate on things you didn’t know was possible :)
 
Get a zone 4.25” combo lift, rancho shocks, new OEM control arms and maybe some adjustable track bars and go have fun with 33s. Give it a good tune up and check / replace wear components such as ball joints and sway bar bushings. Go enjoy it and maybe upgrade to a tummy tuck as you’ll be dragging that shovel skid plate on things you didn’t know was possible :)
I think that tummy tuck is up there on everybody's list. The shovel was the first thing to ever make me stuck,that and a big'ol rock underwater.It made for a long walk.

That kit seems to be pretty popular. If my body work ends up being more expensive than I thought, I'll be looking at that or an ome kit I think.

I'm not really set on a brand but I'll be shooting for zink plated or anodized controll arms and adjustable not necessarily double adjustable. Mostly because of rust but also a tummy tuck in mind.
 
I think that tummy tuck is up there on everybody's list. The shovel was the first thing to ever make me stuck,that and a big'ol rock underwater.It made for a long walk.

That kit seems to be pretty popular. If my body work ends up being more expensive than I thought, I'll be looking at that or an ome kit I think.

I'm not really set on a brand but I'll be shooting for zink plated or anodized controll arms and adjustable not necessarily double adjustable. Mostly because of rust but also a tummy tuck in mind.

I have the OME kit on my 05 LJ. I really like the ride quality. I agree with the tummy tuck, although I haven't done it myself yet. I just seems like too much for me to get into right now. It's also my daily driver. I'm running 33s with 4.88s and a 6 speed. Zero vibrations ad plenty of acceleration on tap. At 70mph, I'm seeing 2900rpm. I'd like to go to 35s just to get the RPMs down to around 2700.
 
While I still haven't made my mind up on the suspension lift, several I'm looking at recommend/require a body lift. I'm going to go ahead and order a body lift. Those areas will have to have rust dealt with and factory bushings probably need replaced anyway. I've had trouble from the shifter linkage before so I'm hoping to change that to a shifter cable and be that much farther along if I need a motor mount lift to help with driveline angles.
Are there any issues to look out for with a body lift.
Are there any other issues with pedals or controls when lifting 1-1.25" body lift?

Any recommendations for a rust treatment? I see por15 on forums but have never used it

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I have the OME kit on my 05 LJ. I really like the ride quality. I agree with the tummy tuck, although I haven't done it myself yet. I just seems like too much for me to get into right now. It's also my daily driver. I'm running 33s with 4.88s and a 6 speed. Zero vibrations ad plenty of acceleration on tap. At 70mph, I'm seeing 2900rpm. I'd like to go to 35s just to get the RPMs down to around 2700.
That doesn't sound bad to me with the 4.88 I need to double check my gear ratio. I think it's supposed to be 4.10 but it just seems low. Factory tire size still on mine.
 
I hope that pic isn't showing your rust problem. God, you have no idea what rust looks like up here in the salt belt! Take it slow when pulling out the body mount bolts. If it starts to get real stiff screw them back in and then back out to help any rust get out of the threads.
 
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I hope that pic isn't showing your rust problem. God, you have no idea what rust looks like up here in the salt belt! Take it slow when pulling out the body mount bolts. If it starts to get real stiff screw them back in and then back out to help any rust get out of the threads.
Thanks, I've tried to be vigilant washing salt and coal out but it takes a toll for sure. It's a lot worse than the picture shows for sure but mostly fenders and tailgate. I've been spraying the bolts with some preemptive BP blaster.
 
Thanks, I've tried to be vigilant washing salt and coal out but it takes a toll for sure. It's a lot worse than the picture shows for sure but mostly fenders and tailgate. I've been spraying the bolts with some preemptive BP blaster.
What is the coal you speak of ?
 
What is the coal you speak of ?

Here is some of it loaded on a trailer. Coal the coal in the picture would be "Met" coal. I used it for home heat the same as you could with firewood, but better. Both of these pictures were in McDowell Co WV.
The part of Va. I'm in is not what you think of when someone says Va. We should secede from Richmond...lol.

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Here is some of it loaded on a trailer. Coal the coal in the picture would be "Met" coal. I used it for home heat the same as you could with firewood, but better. Both of these pictures were in McDowell Co WV.
The part of Va. I'm in is not what you think of when someone says Va. We should secede from Richmond...lol.

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How does it end up all over your jeep ?
 
How does it end up all over your jeep ?
From the roads on a minesite that I used to work at. It was a strip mine, if you've ever seen a rock quarry it's similar to that. The coal is a type of soft rock that can make for the slickest mud ever. I worked several jobs in that field where I was getting paid for offroading. Usually in a Big truck, but the jeep also just to get there.
 
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