Best TJ Features

[Rubicon88]

Because polls don’t engage people like discussions do. The TJ is amazing that is has so many major bad features at the same time is so great to own.

LOL...I guess you've never seen a poll thread.
There is plenty of engagement alright. Even times when a simple vote is suffice..nope. Talky Talky time.

Sorry man I don't have time to sift through all the posts to see what the most common theme is of the TJ attraction.
I'm certainly curious what others think is the best feature.

 

[pixologics]

1. Roll up windows
2. I can reach over and roll up the passenger window

You must be 6 plus feet tall. I can't reach out passenger window without leaning.

 

[Cheetokps]

You must be 6 plus feet tall. I can't reach out passenger window without leaning.

Yeah I don't mind roll up windows, but when I want to roll them up/down when driving it becomes a pain

 

[AndyG]

Sorry man I don't have time to sift through

About every good point we have found could also be a bad point...roll up windows, short wheel base,4,0, etc.

 

[AndyG]

Let’s see 500hp 4” lift and and a teenage driver what will you get? The low power engine is there to protect us idiots that complain that our short wheel base top heavy Jeeps won’t go over 80 mph. If Jeep put a Helcat engine in, we would drive it like a Helcat.

I really believe the good handling that we appreciate when we get one right would likely disappear if you doubled the acceleration. Its sluggishness hides its short wheelbase’s traits and the need to correct would be likely more than normal human reaction time.

 

[chuck47]

Simple, beautiful, timeless, and people still seem to think it’s only a few years old. Their jaws drop when they learn it’s over 15 years old.

My TJ is a 97, going to be 25 years old in June. It still looks better than many cars on the road today and definitely one of the best looking cars from its era. And now they are a bit of a rarity. Only a handful that I regularly see around my town. I get way more compliments and love for the TJ than any other car I've ever driven.

 

[Doug-AK]

Super easy to teach your teenage daughter how to drive a stick. Just put it in 4Low and feel the clutch engage. We can’t wait for the snow to melt and hit some trails!

 

[WSS]

Hey now, that's my line. Every conversation I see where folks use the excuse that they don't want to add the complexity of wiring in an ARB compressor gets the example of how complex the wiring already is where simply cutting one wire will render a TJ Undriveable.

Why have OBD II and no power windows??

I tapped into a few wires that caused a cascade of multi month fun. Some still ongoing.

Outboarding is a a peach compared to this trick:

 

[bromel]

Best TJ feature - it's NOT a JK! I'm a watch aficionado as well; interestingly enough, when Rolex went from the Submariner Ref#14060 to the 114060 (and up from there), most felt that they RUINED the simple, clean, uncluttered design; to wit: bigger, bulkier case without the delicate lines of ALL previous Rolex Submariners, removal of the lug holes on the sides to facilitate quick & easy strap/bracelet changes, extra text on the dial and "anti-counterfeit" repetitive "Rolex" all around the rehaut area, and fatter hands. Reminds me too of how Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge Ram trucks now have evolved to fucking HUGE billboard tailgate "pronouncements" that Stevie Wonder could read from a mile away, and ginormous grille logos. "Gee - is that a Ford Raptor? I never would have guessed!" (Insert sarcasm emoji HERE)

If you think TJ prices have gone up ridiculously, check out the Rolex market. A few years ago I passed at buying at 14060 for $4.5k because I thought it was overpriced. Now they go for closer to $10k.

 

[InOmaha]

I had a Mazda pickup that was made after the Carter era OPEC gas crunch. Add to it the new regs coming out of CA and that thing had a computerized carburetor that adjusted using MAF sensors, inlet temp sensors, O2 sensors, and ran calculations on early 80s technology. It was a mess of wiring, vacuum hose leaks, and ran like crap.

So I pulled it all out one day, all the hoses and garbage bolted to the fenders, and put a simple Weber 32/36 carb on it. Tuned it up, and got back to the original gas mileage with way better performance. The same one you can put on a CJ 4.2L.

If I was having too many problems getting the 4.0 to stay running, I bet I could use the old carb off a CJ inline 6 and a fuel pressure regulator to get it going. Gasoline bypass back to the tank might be the only major issue.

If I went to MOAB I might need to re-tune the carb for elevation so I'd need to remember a flat head screwdriver. And maybe a carb kit if I decided to swap jets. I'd probably do that stuff before I left so I could just use a screwdriver. You're only talking about a couple hundred in parts depending on the carb you get and the intake is set up for it already.

I'd consider setting this up if my ECU went out or I had some major wiring issue so I could daily drive the jeep while sorting it out. Then convert back but leave the mods in to swap the carb back in if needed in the future.

That's the beauty of slow development old tech with lots of engine space. The engine core has been around long enough to respond to old tech.

The 3.8L GM engine I listed is interesting because AMC Jeep bought it from GM when they dropped its design for big muscle car V8s. Then GM bought it back after the same gas crisis when fuel economy and emissions became more important than power.

 

[mrblaine]

I had a Mazda pickup that was made after the Carter era OPEC gas crunch. Add to it the new regs coming out of CA and that thing had a computerized carburetor that adjusted using MAF sensors, inlet temp sensors, O2 sensors, and ran calculations on early 80s technology. It was a mess of wiring, vacuum hose leaks, and ran like crap.

So I pulled it all out one day, all the hoses and garbage bolted to the fenders,, and put a simple Weber carb on it. Tuned it up, and got back to the original gas mileage with way better performance.

If I was having too many problems getting the 4.0 to stay running, I bet I could use the old carb off a CJ inline 6 and a fuel pressure regulator to get it going. Gasoline bypass back to the tank might be the only major issue.

If I went to MOAB I might need to re-tune the carb for elevation so I'd need to remember a flat head screwdriver. And maybe a carb kit if I decided to swap jets. I'd probably do that stuff before I left so I could just use a screwdriver. You're only talking about $100-150 in parts and the intake is set up for it already.

I'd consider setting this up if my ECU went out or I had some major wiring issue so I could daily drive the jeep while sorting it out. Then convert back but leave the mods in to swap the carb back in if needed in the future.

That's the beauty of slow development old tech with lots of engine space. The engine core has been around long enough to respond to old tech.

The 3.8L GM engine I listed is interesting because AMC Jeep bought it from GM when they dropped its design for big muscle car V8s. Then GM bought it back after the same gas crisis when fuel economy and emissions became more important than power.

I just want to know what a flat head screwdriver looks like. Must be something special they use on zinc toilets.

 

[InOmaha]

It's the one I reshape with my grinder after using it as a chisel.

 

[qslim]

I really believe the good handling that we appreciate when we get one right would likely disappear if you doubled the acceleration. Its sluggishness hides its short wheelbase’s traits and the need to correct would be likely more than normal human reaction time.

I experienced that the first time I drove my TJ in winter conditions. As I was crossing a bridge I realized it was completely iced over, I let off the throttle & the weight transfer just snapped the rear end around. I was only going about 35, but I crossed over into the oncoming lane & bounced my bumper off the jersey wall. Luckily it was 3am so the roads were empty, but I was surprised how quickly that happened - I was definitely not ready for it.

 

[mrblaine]

It's the one I reshape with my grinder after using it as a chisel.

Flat head is a screw head style. Flat head screws come in slotted, Allen, Phillips, Torx, Torx tamper resistant, Allen Tamper resistant, and several others.

 

[machoheadgames]

Flat head is a screw head style. Flat head screws come in slotted, Allen, Phillips, Torx, Torx tamper resistant, Allen Tamper resistant, and several others.

Just curious, what is the proper term for the screwdriver that drives a slotted screw? Slotted wouldn’t make sense to me so I reckon it’s something else?

 

[mrblaine]

Just curious, what is the proper term for the screwdriver that drives a slotted screw? Slotted wouldn’t make sense to me so I reckon it’s something else?

Flat blade.

 

[mrblaine]

I read my post # 20 again and I missed the only best great thing about the 4.0 6 cylinder that makes it worth owning. It isn't a 4 cylinder.

 

[Hopper]

Just curious, what is the proper term for the screwdriver that drives a slotted screw? Slotted wouldn’t make sense to me so I reckon it’s something else?

Flat blade, standard,slotted but I call it flat head like everyone else I know.

 

[mrblaine]

Flat blade, standard,slotted but I call it flat head like everyone else I know.

You don't know me then. Likely call a Phillips by telling them to bring you that pointy X thingy with the plastic handle.

 

[Hopper]

You don't know me then. Likely call a Phillips by telling them to bring you that pointy X thingy with the plastic handle.

Well if I ever meet ya I can say well there is that one guy who
And that x thingy is a Hexagonal pointed compression unit fastener.