04’ JMT’s Twin Teenagers Build

OK so now we want to hear about their first trip out with the Jeep. How did it go? Any pictures? Any damage?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex01
Went great. Picked up a guy and his Yota while were out there. I have some videos, but not uploaded to YouTube yet. Here’s a few pics.

690EA58A-A7E9-4EC9-B17B-68C5632F8B82.png


BFB97BE5-CC00-46A3-81A0-95F8F5F5BA01.png


1574F6D3-04F9-47A4-84D7-2C3002728438.png


DCC6CDE1-BF2F-4B35-846C-64910779219F.jpeg


DE97E1B5-AD10-4B99-9B10-CDB8FAFEFFD4.jpeg
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: PRNDL, D M, NashvilleTJ and 8 others
Wildman said:
What did the twins think? Are they getting as HOOKED on wheelin as dad is? Do they traded off on driving? Great pictures.
Click to expand...
Yeah, they switched driving every once in awhile. We celebrated their birthday today and they chose to go wheelin’, so must be something they were looking forward too! They did say it was fun! Hopefully get some vids up soon!
 
  • Like
Reactions: D M, Alex01, DrDmoney and 4 others
Alex01 said:
Have you taught the boys how to patch/plug a tire yet? I see they are following in dad's no spare footsteps.
Click to expand...
They know how to plug a tire, but they haven’t done one yet, only MTB tires, which is very similar.

They are still thinking the spare question through. I think they will pull the rear seat and place it there when going off-road.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrDmoney, Wildman and Alex01
Looks like the twins are going to get the UCF engine skid instead of the Skid Row. The way the UCF skid is made it hits the transmission pan.

And when I'd ordered the engine skid from UCF I'd gotten the 03-06 skid because I'd liked how it mounted to the belly skid better.
So we shouldn't have any issues mounting it to the Nth Degree tummy tuck.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMT, DrDmoney and Alex01
The twins are really having fun now that they have their drivers licenses. They’ve been to Beacon twice for MTB. That’s where all the big rock rolls, drops, and jumps are. I went with them yesterday. It was epic!
91984BED-8290-46EB-BEC3-0FD2EC9CA2E6.jpeg
1D71ABD6-9354-4F25-8E97-DFC1F0ED4445.jpeg
4508CA1A-91A4-4BE0-9826-D5F60D5DB41A.jpeg
674A3C53-BE10-4D06-B38D-E511105DAA67.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: D M, SoCalGlide, bobthetj03 and 8 others
JMT said:
Day 150: the twins got to work on the GTS Mod. We’re going to raise it 1.25”. This will solve the gas tank fill tube being too short after the 1.25” BL. It will also give some added clearance, and we all know “every inch counts.”

They also had two stripped frame nuts that attach the lower bumper, so we tapped it to 1/2-13 and we’re good to go now. Last pic shows that process.

I think this took longer than they expected, but they were fine with it. We’ll finish tomorrow. Well worth the time and effort if all goes well. They really want to do the frame tuck. We have to learn to weld to do that trick. They’re talking about learning. I’m thinking about getting a welder. “We could do so much,” they say.View attachment 271970View attachment 271973View attachment 271972View attachment 271971
Click to expand...
This thread has been awesome. Thanks!
My 22 year old daughter has TJ on 32's . Everyone loves running around in it, and mild off-roading in creeks, etc. as its mostly a stock 4 cylinder/ 5-spd manual.
My 14 year old daughter had hopes of a lifted up pick-up, BUT...I planned on buying a 2005 unlimited after church yesterday...until I started reading this thread!
The 14 year old is determined to not only have a cooler ride than any boy at school, but be able to out drive them off road. She current rides a Polaris 500 Predator ATV proficiently, so she's familiar with reading terrain, keeping momentum, etc. I don't know about her affording her first goal, but she is certainly capable of learning to wheel!
I was looking at the unlimited for the stability of the longer wheel base. I found an un-altered 2005 unlimited 4 speed auto with 156K on it. Interior is super clean. Surface rust on frame and bumper but nothing deep. Hard top which is great for our mid-west winters (and soft-tops are relatively inexpensive for summer time).
Hoping for a couple opinions here, keeping in mind moderate off-roading and driving to school.
I'd like to do a 2.25" suspension lift, 1" or 1.5" body lift (with gas tank lift), 33's (so she's taller than her sister's and I love those maxxis on the twins ride!), bumpers, winch, and skid plates. My son and I took his Focus ST to stage 3, so we can wrench fairly well, including suspension work. Since this will be my first Jeep build...How does the build sound? AND what issues should I expect with the build? Will the driveshafts will be fine as is for this stage or need upgraded??
Down the road, after she's learned a bit, I'd like to add selective lockers and a Rubicrawler (which i assume will need driveshafts at that point).
Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: PRNDL, Apparition, DrDmoney and 2 others
IndianaTJdad said:
This thread has been awesome. Thanks!
My 22 year old daughter has TJ on 32's . Everyone loves running around in it, and mild off-roading in creeks, etc. as its mostly a stock 4 cylinder/ 5-spd manual.
My 14 year old daughter had hopes of a lifted up pick-up, BUT...I planned on buying a 2005 unlimited after church yesterday...until I started reading this thread!
The 14 year old is determined to not only have a cooler ride than any boy at school, but be able to out drive them off road. She current rides a Polaris 500 Predator ATV proficiently, so she's familiar with reading terrain, keeping momentum, etc. I don't know about her affording her first goal, but she is certainly capable of learning to wheel!
I was looking at the unlimited for the stability of the longer wheel base. I found an un-altered 2005 unlimited 4 speed auto with 156K on it. Interior is super clean. Surface rust on frame and bumper but nothing deep. Hard top which is great for our mid-west winters (and soft-tops are relatively inexpensive for summer time).
Hoping for a couple opinions here, keeping in mind moderate off-roading and driving to school.
I'd like to do a 2.25" suspension lift, 1" or 1.5" body lift (with gas tank lift), 33's (so she's taller than her sister's and I love those maxxis on the twins ride!), bumpers, winch, and skid plates. My son and I took his Focus ST to stage 3, so we can wrench fairly well, including suspension work. Since this will be my first Jeep build...How does the build sound? AND what issues should I expect with the build? Will the driveshafts will be fine as is for this stage or need upgraded??
Down the road, after she's learned a bit, I'd like to add selective lockers and a Rubicrawler (which i assume will need driveshafts at that point).
Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Awesome story. The best advice I could give is to start a build thread early and ask lots of questions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrDmoney, D M, JMT and 1 other person
IndianaTJdad said:
This thread has been awesome. Thanks!
My 22 year old daughter has TJ on 32's . Everyone loves running around in it, and mild off-roading in creeks, etc. as its mostly a stock 4 cylinder/ 5-spd manual.
My 14 year old daughter had hopes of a lifted up pick-up, BUT...I planned on buying a 2005 unlimited after church yesterday...until I started reading this thread!
The 14 year old is determined to not only have a cooler ride than any boy at school, but be able to out drive them off road. She current rides a Polaris 500 Predator ATV proficiently, so she's familiar with reading terrain, keeping momentum, etc. I don't know about her affording her first goal, but she is certainly capable of learning to wheel!
I was looking at the unlimited for the stability of the longer wheel base. I found an un-altered 2005 unlimited 4 speed auto with 156K on it. Interior is super clean. Surface rust on frame and bumper but nothing deep. Hard top which is great for our mid-west winters (and soft-tops are relatively inexpensive for summer time).
Hoping for a couple opinions here, keeping in mind moderate off-roading and driving to school.
I'd like to do a 2.25" suspension lift, 1" or 1.5" body lift (with gas tank lift), 33's (so she's taller than her sister's and I love those maxxis on the twins ride!), bumpers, winch, and skid plates. My son and I took his Focus ST to stage 3, so we can wrench fairly well, including suspension work. Since this will be my first Jeep build...How does the build sound? AND what issues should I expect with the build? Will the driveshafts will be fine as is for this stage or need upgraded??
Down the road, after she's learned a bit, I'd like to add selective lockers and a Rubicrawler (which i assume will need driveshafts at that point).
Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Thanks! It’s been a good ride so far. Great story about your daughter. I’m excited to see a build thread on here for her when the time comes!

At 2.25” SL and 1.25” BL, you may be fine for driveline vibes. If not, add a 1”MML and that should lower the TCase output yoke sufficiently to resolve minor vibes. Driveshafts will be fine. Bumpers and winch will add weight, so you should be ready to compensate for that with a spacer. A good set of shocks makes for comfortable driving. I recommend the 0-2” Rancho 5000X shocks in the rear for that lift height and the 2-4” Rancho 5000X for the front. Axles will be slightly off center due to the lift. It’s your call to get adjustable track bar for front and rear or a relocation bracket in the rear. Cheers!
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrDmoney, Alex01 and Wildman
Top Bottom
Back