I'm sure once it gets to be Oct or later and the winter weather hits they'll really flat spot. I know when it's 30-40* out once you've driven 10-15 miles the flat spotting is gone but don't know about colder temps.
Baby Blue
- Thread starter Duredel
- Start date
I'm sure once it gets to be Oct or later and the winter weather hits they'll really flat spot. I know when it's 30-40* out once you've driven 10-15 miles the flat spotting is gone but don't know about colder temps.
OP
It's an hour long drive to the nearest snow wheeling for me, it's gonna be rough.
Maybe I'll try and put it in the garage the night before I go winter wheeling...
The flat spotting goes away so it shouldn't be real bad. I'm more interested in hearing how you like the SX II's in the snow for on the road driving.
Drop the tire pressure down to about 4 PSI and the old style SX tires worked great in the snow. Almost everyone else got stuck at least once on this wheeling trip but I didn't get stuck once.
OP
I'm interested to see how they air down. It'll probably take some wearing in to get them to spread out.
I don't have beadlocks, so I'll probably start at 8 PSI in the snow and go from there. I do have a spare, so I can afford to lose a bead.
Yes having beadlocks helps for snow wheeling. And those were Hummer rims so dual beadlocks so I played around and even dropped the air pressure to 2 PSI.
But yes don't go too low to start with. These were 33x14x15 Boggers and I was only running 10 PSI and then went up to 12 PSI and popped another bead. Even though you have a spare learn how to reset a bead. Practice in your driveway.
OP
Got a bunch more stuff done- it feels like I'm really getting close! I got the SYE installed and the transfer case back in. I also did the rear wheel bearings and seals. The driver side bearings were really pitted, I can't believe I didn't notice it before I tore the axle down. I had to get a bit creative with the press.
I put the rear axle back in the jeep, and though I still have to dial the pinion angle in a little more, it was plenty good enough to take measurements for a driveshaft, which is now on order.
I put the rear axle back in the jeep, and though I still have to dial the pinion angle in a little more, it was plenty good enough to take measurements for a driveshaft, which is now on order.
OP
Next up was the project I'd been dreading the most- the previous owner had really hacked up the HVAC system. He'd had the notorious melting fan plug issue, and hadn't been able to figure it out. He had bypassed the factory system entirely, wiring up his own switches and plumbing a shoebox-sized heater core in between the two front seats. When he bypassed it, he either unplugged or straight up cut all the factory HVAC electrical plugs. This is the airbag switch plug, which I have hopefully now eliminated- I wired it together so the passenger airbag would always be on. I'm hoping there isn't anything funky to the airbag system that can tell if you've taken the switch out- so far I've left the airbag "off" indicator light plug alone. I will need to have the airbag light off to pass inspection when I get the jeep titled again.
In the meantime- I took the entire dash out to do the heater core, as I was going to put the Noico sound deadening insulation in. These 8 plugs behind the driver's kick panel took me about an hour to get unplugged, they were really in there.
This was my first time pulling a dash on a TJ, but I've done several heater cores on XJs. Once you've done one or two it really isn't that bad anymore.
In the meantime- I took the entire dash out to do the heater core, as I was going to put the Noico sound deadening insulation in. These 8 plugs behind the driver's kick panel took me about an hour to get unplugged, they were really in there.
This was my first time pulling a dash on a TJ, but I've done several heater cores on XJs. Once you've done one or two it really isn't that bad anymore.
OP
While I had the dash out, I installed the Noico 80m. I did it both front and back, and got it as high up as possible behind the dash. It was pretty easy to install, but the aluminum on it is surprisingly sharp- I hate wearing gloves, so I have tiny little cuts all over my hands. I also put Bedrug over the top of the Noico.
The rear Bedrug fit really really well, but the front doesn't seem to fit quite as well. The front also seems to be a different carpet- it's a bit shorter and rougher than the back.
The rear Bedrug fit really really well, but the front doesn't seem to fit quite as well. The front also seems to be a different carpet- it's a bit shorter and rougher than the back.
OP
Back to the HVAC box. The tip of the floor air vacuum-actuated lever arm had broken of, and I decided to just put a screw in instead of replace the arm. It seems that the windshield and front vent lever arms are available still, but the lower arm is not. I do have a spare XJ HVAC box, but I wasn't able to pull the lever arm out on my TJ box, so in the screw went. It'll probably be stronger anyways.
The recirculating door vacuum actuator is straight up missing, and the green air line to it was tied up out of the way. I will be able to get that out of my XJ box- thank goodness it has A/C, as that actuator is no longer available. The blend door actuator was also missing its cover, so I replaced that as well. The blower motor resister plug had melted, and I just noticed just last night that the switch side of the blower motor resister circuit is melted as well. I'll get both of those out of my parts XJ.
I replaced both the heater core and the evap core. The evap core looked basically unused- go figure, it's a soft top TJ in Alaska. The heater core had the tiniest bit of green corrosion on it, but I replaced it with a Performance Radiator core. I was kind of disappointed with it- it gets rave review on here, but it didn't fit my box very well, and the tab holding the intake and output pipes together was soldered on in the wrong spot by almost an inch. I ended up having to dremel the tab off to get the box to close correctly. I will keep the old heater core around just in case I can't stand the aluminum replacement. I do see that Superior Cooling now offers a copper heater core- I wish I had seen that when I was gathering parts for this. It does look like they've been out of stock for a while. I might grab one or two when they're back in stock, I was looking for a copper replacement for my XJ several years ago and none were available. I'll gladly pay double for a copper core.
After fighting to get the blend door aligned (never had trouble with one before), I was able to get the box back together and back in the jeep. I've got the dash back in it too, but I still need to put the steering column in, hook up all the plugs, etc.
The recirculating door vacuum actuator is straight up missing, and the green air line to it was tied up out of the way. I will be able to get that out of my XJ box- thank goodness it has A/C, as that actuator is no longer available. The blend door actuator was also missing its cover, so I replaced that as well. The blower motor resister plug had melted, and I just noticed just last night that the switch side of the blower motor resister circuit is melted as well. I'll get both of those out of my parts XJ.
I replaced both the heater core and the evap core. The evap core looked basically unused- go figure, it's a soft top TJ in Alaska. The heater core had the tiniest bit of green corrosion on it, but I replaced it with a Performance Radiator core. I was kind of disappointed with it- it gets rave review on here, but it didn't fit my box very well, and the tab holding the intake and output pipes together was soldered on in the wrong spot by almost an inch. I ended up having to dremel the tab off to get the box to close correctly. I will keep the old heater core around just in case I can't stand the aluminum replacement. I do see that Superior Cooling now offers a copper heater core- I wish I had seen that when I was gathering parts for this. It does look like they've been out of stock for a while. I might grab one or two when they're back in stock, I was looking for a copper replacement for my XJ several years ago and none were available. I'll gladly pay double for a copper core.
After fighting to get the blend door aligned (never had trouble with one before), I was able to get the box back together and back in the jeep. I've got the dash back in it too, but I still need to put the steering column in, hook up all the plugs, etc.
OP
I've been looking for a center console on and off for a while. Baby Blue did not come with one, and I'm tired of not having cupholders and having the shifter boot dangle in the wind. I looked on ebay, and was quite willing to pay $2-300 for one, but I was getting shipping quotes in the $300 range. Screw that. Amazon sells the Tuffy center console for $419, and the subwoofer version for $493. I get free shipping with that, but still, I don't want a $400 center console.
I'd only ever seen one very stripped out TJ in a junkyard here, but I called and they happened to have one in. It had a black center console, and even had the subwoofer option. They won't let you pull parts, and they're backlogged by 2 or 3 weeks, and it'll need a good cleaning, but I'm really looking forward to getting it- for only $125!
The seats were still in the junkyard TJ as well, and they look to be in decent shape, so I picked those up as well. If my WJ seats (wider) don't fit with the new console, I'll swap back to TJ seats.
I'd only ever seen one very stripped out TJ in a junkyard here, but I called and they happened to have one in. It had a black center console, and even had the subwoofer option. They won't let you pull parts, and they're backlogged by 2 or 3 weeks, and it'll need a good cleaning, but I'm really looking forward to getting it- for only $125!
The seats were still in the junkyard TJ as well, and they look to be in decent shape, so I picked those up as well. If my WJ seats (wider) don't fit with the new console, I'll swap back to TJ seats.
OP
I also have the jeep on it's own weight again for the first time since late fall. It's really good to have it off jackstands again. I definitely need to extend the rear lower control arms- both to center the axle and to make room for shocks. I can't get the shocks in at all right now due to the axle being rotated too far. I'll probably end up with extended shock mounts and chopped coil buckets.
The list is getting short now- Here's what I have left to do off the top of my head, just to get it running and to pass a rebuilt title inspection:
Rear driveshaft - on order
Front driveshaft - slip joint stuck
Rear shocks - need lower mounts extended, trim coil bucket
Air lines to lockers
Put oil in axles and transfer case
Fill/Bleed brake system
Install e-brake handle
Install center console
Install driver rear fender flare
Other things I need to do that can probably wait:
Install other 3 fender flares
Wire locker switches
Repair front bumper - pull out and weld
Winch tray - did not come with one
Install rock sliders
Install subwoofer
The list is getting short now- Here's what I have left to do off the top of my head, just to get it running and to pass a rebuilt title inspection:
Rear driveshaft - on order
Front driveshaft - slip joint stuck
Rear shocks - need lower mounts extended, trim coil bucket
Air lines to lockers
Put oil in axles and transfer case
Fill/Bleed brake system
Install e-brake handle
Install center console
Install driver rear fender flare
Other things I need to do that can probably wait:
Install other 3 fender flares
Wire locker switches
Repair front bumper - pull out and weld
Winch tray - did not come with one
Install rock sliders
Install subwoofer
OP
Towards the end I've stopped taking as many pictures- it's lots of little odds and ends that aren't that complicated.
I've got everything on the top list done:
Rear driveshaft - arrived and installed
Front driveshaft - unstuck slip joint with the liberal application of a BFH, replaced slip joint seal, and regreased
Rear shocks - Installed with teraflex mount extenders. I may need to cut the coil bucket once I do a flex test
Air lines to lockers - done
Oil in differentials and transfer case
Brake system filled and bled
Installed ebay e-brake handle - did not have one when I bought her
Installed junkyard center console - ebay wanted $300 + $300 shipping to AK, but I managed to find one local for $100.
Installed both rear fender flares
As for the bottom list:
I can't install the front fender flares until I pull the broken front bumper out, so that's on the back burner for now. Once I get it road-legal, it'll be easier to take it to a friend's house with a welder.
Locker switches mostly wired- Everything except illumination and power. The supplied ARB toggle switches do not fit in to where my hardtop switches used to be, so I'll have to figure something else out. The ARB switches also are daisychained together with their supplied harness- you can't turn on either locker without having the compressor on, and you can't turn on the front locker without having the rear locker on. I'll probably rewire it to simple toggle switches and put the panel where the coin tray/airbag switch goes. Ebay has a couple panels available, but I may try to build my own and put 8 switches on instead of the usual 5 - 3 for lockers, 2 for heated seats, 3 for something else (lights, maybe winch, maybe subwoofer).
Front bumper - really just needs to be pulled out and re-welded. I'll probably take it to a buddy's place in the next few weeks.
Winch tray - Still need to look around for one. I may need to heavily modify one- my front bumper is really built around the winch, most of the ones available seem to have a really wide mounting plate.
Rock sliders - The current front fender flares extend too far back to install the sliders. I'll probably just wait until I replace them to put the sliders on.
Subwoofer - On the back burner. I'll probably end up putting it under the driver's or passenger seat, I really like all the storage in the center console.
When I bought her there were no seats inside, no center console, and no carpet - just bare, rusted metal. It's amazing to have it looking like a real vehicle and not just a rusted out tub.
I've got everything on the top list done:
Rear driveshaft - arrived and installed
Front driveshaft - unstuck slip joint with the liberal application of a BFH, replaced slip joint seal, and regreased
Rear shocks - Installed with teraflex mount extenders. I may need to cut the coil bucket once I do a flex test
Air lines to lockers - done
Oil in differentials and transfer case
Brake system filled and bled
Installed ebay e-brake handle - did not have one when I bought her
Installed junkyard center console - ebay wanted $300 + $300 shipping to AK, but I managed to find one local for $100.
Installed both rear fender flares
As for the bottom list:
I can't install the front fender flares until I pull the broken front bumper out, so that's on the back burner for now. Once I get it road-legal, it'll be easier to take it to a friend's house with a welder.
Locker switches mostly wired- Everything except illumination and power. The supplied ARB toggle switches do not fit in to where my hardtop switches used to be, so I'll have to figure something else out. The ARB switches also are daisychained together with their supplied harness- you can't turn on either locker without having the compressor on, and you can't turn on the front locker without having the rear locker on. I'll probably rewire it to simple toggle switches and put the panel where the coin tray/airbag switch goes. Ebay has a couple panels available, but I may try to build my own and put 8 switches on instead of the usual 5 - 3 for lockers, 2 for heated seats, 3 for something else (lights, maybe winch, maybe subwoofer).
Front bumper - really just needs to be pulled out and re-welded. I'll probably take it to a buddy's place in the next few weeks.
Winch tray - Still need to look around for one. I may need to heavily modify one- my front bumper is really built around the winch, most of the ones available seem to have a really wide mounting plate.
Rock sliders - The current front fender flares extend too far back to install the sliders. I'll probably just wait until I replace them to put the sliders on.
Subwoofer - On the back burner. I'll probably end up putting it under the driver's or passenger seat, I really like all the storage in the center console.
When I bought her there were no seats inside, no center console, and no carpet - just bare, rusted metal. It's amazing to have it looking like a real vehicle and not just a rusted out tub.
OP
Well, I got everything hooked up and as done as I was going to get it. Once I had the seats, driveshafts, and brakes in, I took it around the block once the night before last, and then twice last night. No squeaks or wobbles. It was kind of emotional to have it driving again- I hadn't driven it since March 2021 and it hadn't moved an inch since July when it was put in my new garage. I've never done anything like this before- I've done lots of maintenance to jeeps and other vehicles (struts, cv axles, brakes, heater cores, etc) but never something like having a vehicle on jackstands for months and replacing/rebuilding just about everything other than the engine and transmission.
Alaska has a checklist of sorts to get a totaled vehicle rebuilt. You have to have headlights, blinkers, brake lights, e-brake, etc. One thing that I did not have was mud flaps. I put a post on a local online offroad page to ask to borrow a set of hitch mounted ones. A complete stranger messaged me and let me borrow his ~$350 mud flaps for a couple days. He said he only replied because I mentioned they were for a TJ- the jeep community is amazing!
Alaska also lets you get a "trip permit" to drive in a vehicle you've rebuilt to the DMV to get it retitled. I got one yesterday and drove the vehicle into work today, and I'll be taking it to the DMV this afternoon. If all goes well I'll be free and legal tonight!
I've still got a lot to do- sliders, bumpstops, fenders, etc, but it's finally running and driving again!
Alaska has a checklist of sorts to get a totaled vehicle rebuilt. You have to have headlights, blinkers, brake lights, e-brake, etc. One thing that I did not have was mud flaps. I put a post on a local online offroad page to ask to borrow a set of hitch mounted ones. A complete stranger messaged me and let me borrow his ~$350 mud flaps for a couple days. He said he only replied because I mentioned they were for a TJ- the jeep community is amazing!
Alaska also lets you get a "trip permit" to drive in a vehicle you've rebuilt to the DMV to get it retitled. I got one yesterday and drove the vehicle into work today, and I'll be taking it to the DMV this afternoon. If all goes well I'll be free and legal tonight!
I've still got a lot to do- sliders, bumpstops, fenders, etc, but it's finally running and driving again!
OP
No problems at the DMV. The "inspector" didn't even check the heater, e-brake, brake lights, etc that I'd stayed up all night fixing. I'm officially legal and have successfully rebuilt Baby Blue! Just in time for summer. Of course the first thing to do was take it camping. I'm taking it real easy after the regear- I know you aren't supposed to go offroad for 500 miles, but I did some very very light stuff last weekend. Just two-tracks and some small sand hills.
I still have lots to do- bump stop extensions, fix the front bumper, finish wiring up the ARBs, find an air leak near the ARB compressor, etc. But those things can wait until I've done the 500 mile gear break in.
It is AMAZING to be driving Baby Blue again after 14 months of downtime. I thank you all for the encouragement and advice, both in this thread and in years of forum posts- I really couldn't have done it without you.
I still have lots to do- bump stop extensions, fix the front bumper, finish wiring up the ARBs, find an air leak near the ARB compressor, etc. But those things can wait until I've done the 500 mile gear break in.
It is AMAZING to be driving Baby Blue again after 14 months of downtime. I thank you all for the encouragement and advice, both in this thread and in years of forum posts- I really couldn't have done it without you.
OP
I've been looking for a hard top on and off since I bought Baby Blue in March 2020. In all that time, I haven't seen a single one for sale up here. Shipping one up was out of the question. Imagine my surprise when one popped up for sale on Sunday night, 2 days after I finished the rebuild! I knew I wouldn't be the only one interested, so I left work a few hours early to go look at it- thank goodness for a flexible workplace. The top is definitely faded and has a small piece missing at the rear passenger corner, but other than that it is in great condition. I even managed to talk the guy down from his asking price- with 3 other people in line to see it that night!
I think that Baby Blue originally had the hardtop wiring, but the PO has long since ripped it out. It'll be fun seeing how difficult it will be to get the defroster and wiper working again.
More pictures to come soon- I probably won't be able to do much with the jeep for the next week or two. Spring has sprung up here and yard work calls, plus I have a backpacking trip scheduled for next weekend. Also- now that Baby Blue is mobile again I finally can properly clean and organize the garage. I generally keep things very orderly, but I've definitely slipped as I sensed I was almost done.
I think that Baby Blue originally had the hardtop wiring, but the PO has long since ripped it out. It'll be fun seeing how difficult it will be to get the defroster and wiper working again.
More pictures to come soon- I probably won't be able to do much with the jeep for the next week or two. Spring has sprung up here and yard work calls, plus I have a backpacking trip scheduled for next weekend. Also- now that Baby Blue is mobile again I finally can properly clean and organize the garage. I generally keep things very orderly, but I've definitely slipped as I sensed I was almost done.
OP
I've had a very busy summer. I had the 'rona twice, got married, and I've been out camping or fishing just about every free weekend. The wedding was very small- just our immediate families and a few close friends. We had it up in the middle of nowhere Alaska on a jeep trail! The TJ and my now-brother-in-law's XJ ferried everything we would need for a camping trip for 25 people up the trail. We had wonderful weather and a great time!
We walked the last few hundred yards to the top- the whole trail is really an ATV trail and it is quite narrow. That is Denali out there!
We walked the last few hundred yards to the top- the whole trail is really an ATV trail and it is quite narrow. That is Denali out there!
OP
Both jeeps were hard at work the whole weekend. The XJ finally tore a sidewall, and then blew a transmission line on one of the runs down to the trailhead. That left the TJ to haul out all the people and stuff. I spent most of the last day driving people and gear out- probably 10+ half hour roundtrip runs. It was still a great weekend and great to pull off the whole "4x4 wedding" thing. It is really something to have everything work on a rig I spent all winter rebuilding, especially the differentials as I had never done gears or lockers before.
The TSL SX2 tires are amazing. They are 35x13.50r15, on a 15x8 rim with 4.5" backspace. They do not contact the control arms at full lock. The rim is probably a bit too narrow for them- they crown a bit, but they work great. I have been astonished at the traction they get. They can accelerate uphill in sand, which is surreal coming from Nankang Mudstars. They do great in sloppy mud and snow, way better than anything I've had before. They just PULL. Something that convinced me to get them in the first place was a forum post on a different forum that said something along the lines of "For mud tires, TSLs and boggers are on their own, everything else is an all terrain." It's true. I can do stuff in 2wd that others have to be in 4low for.
They are very rough on the highway. I don't drive it other than to the trails and back, and I wouldn't want to. But I did drive it 3 hours back from the wedding and lived to tell about it. I'm very curious to see how it does in the winter. So far it flat spots for the first 10 minutes if I haven't driven it for a few days, and tries to go into death wobble, but if I either accelerate or brake hard the death wobble goes away. It doesn't show up at all once the tires are warm.
Overall I'm very happy with them. I'm curious to try "standard" MT tires, just to see how smooth the ride is with the new RS5000X shocks. So far, I'm really impressed with the shocks, they just soak up road cracks that used to be bone-jarring on the old worn out shocks. On the trail they're great as well, it's a really nice ride. I can go a lot faster than I used to.
The ARBs have been working great. I just have the switches hanging out from below the dash, I need to mount them in the old coin tray/brake switch area at some point. The air lines leaked at first, but I'd forgotten to put teflon tape on the threads for some of the fittings. They lock up instantly and it's incredible to have instant traction.
The gears have been working great, no noise from them at all, nor any metal shavings when I did the 500 mile fluid switch. It's really gratifying to know I did them correctly- I've probably put 2000 miles on them so far, including a lot of hill climbing with heavy loads. Many thanks to @hosejockey61 for his videos!
I've done a lot of winching through the mud, and the Warn M8000 keeps chugging along. I switched to a synthetic cable and it is WAY better than the steel cable. No kinks, no metal splinters, and it's way lighter. I'll probably get it rebuilt at some point in the future- the previous owner definitely abused it and it's one thing that I really can't have fail on me.
I'm really happy with how it has turned out. I'll be posting more stuff from this summer's wheeling when I can.
The TSL SX2 tires are amazing. They are 35x13.50r15, on a 15x8 rim with 4.5" backspace. They do not contact the control arms at full lock. The rim is probably a bit too narrow for them- they crown a bit, but they work great. I have been astonished at the traction they get. They can accelerate uphill in sand, which is surreal coming from Nankang Mudstars. They do great in sloppy mud and snow, way better than anything I've had before. They just PULL. Something that convinced me to get them in the first place was a forum post on a different forum that said something along the lines of "For mud tires, TSLs and boggers are on their own, everything else is an all terrain." It's true. I can do stuff in 2wd that others have to be in 4low for.
They are very rough on the highway. I don't drive it other than to the trails and back, and I wouldn't want to. But I did drive it 3 hours back from the wedding and lived to tell about it. I'm very curious to see how it does in the winter. So far it flat spots for the first 10 minutes if I haven't driven it for a few days, and tries to go into death wobble, but if I either accelerate or brake hard the death wobble goes away. It doesn't show up at all once the tires are warm.
Overall I'm very happy with them. I'm curious to try "standard" MT tires, just to see how smooth the ride is with the new RS5000X shocks. So far, I'm really impressed with the shocks, they just soak up road cracks that used to be bone-jarring on the old worn out shocks. On the trail they're great as well, it's a really nice ride. I can go a lot faster than I used to.
The ARBs have been working great. I just have the switches hanging out from below the dash, I need to mount them in the old coin tray/brake switch area at some point. The air lines leaked at first, but I'd forgotten to put teflon tape on the threads for some of the fittings. They lock up instantly and it's incredible to have instant traction.
The gears have been working great, no noise from them at all, nor any metal shavings when I did the 500 mile fluid switch. It's really gratifying to know I did them correctly- I've probably put 2000 miles on them so far, including a lot of hill climbing with heavy loads. Many thanks to @hosejockey61 for his videos!
I've done a lot of winching through the mud, and the Warn M8000 keeps chugging along. I switched to a synthetic cable and it is WAY better than the steel cable. No kinks, no metal splinters, and it's way lighter. I'll probably get it rebuilt at some point in the future- the previous owner definitely abused it and it's one thing that I really can't have fail on me.
I'm really happy with how it has turned out. I'll be posting more stuff from this summer's wheeling when I can.
OP
It's been quite the hiatus. Post-wedding, I had a driveline vibration that kept getting worse and worse- I assumed it was just the TSLs, but I finally found that the front driveshaft that I'd rebuilt wasn't going to work out- the splines were too worn. By the time I replaced it, I could wiggle it up and down ~1/2". Adams came to the rescue, and I gained about 15mph on the highway- Used to be at 62mph it was too rough to handle, now I can semi-safely do 75mph.
I wheeled hard the rest of the 2022 summer season, and only a few times in the winter. I taco'ed my upper control arms when I caught a bit of air on a muddy hill:
I had lost a lower control arm bolt a few weeks prior (all control arm nuts are now nylock), and the axle bending backwards without the control arm in must have kinked the uppers.
On the way back on the parts run to get spare uppers, my brother in law cracked an aluminum rim:
Miraculously, it held air on the 2 hour highway drive home. No more aluminum rims offroad!
I now have a hodgepodge of no-name control arms: freedom offroad lowers, RC front uppers, RE rear uppers. No complaints about any of them yet. I tend to like to run the cheap stuff first, and I'm usually pleasantly surprised how long it lasts. One thing that has not lasted well is my RC front track bar. The jam nut continues to loosen, but the joints have stayed strong after a year of abuse.
I wheeled hard the rest of the 2022 summer season, and only a few times in the winter. I taco'ed my upper control arms when I caught a bit of air on a muddy hill:
I had lost a lower control arm bolt a few weeks prior (all control arm nuts are now nylock), and the axle bending backwards without the control arm in must have kinked the uppers.
On the way back on the parts run to get spare uppers, my brother in law cracked an aluminum rim:
Miraculously, it held air on the 2 hour highway drive home. No more aluminum rims offroad!
I now have a hodgepodge of no-name control arms: freedom offroad lowers, RC front uppers, RE rear uppers. No complaints about any of them yet. I tend to like to run the cheap stuff first, and I'm usually pleasantly surprised how long it lasts. One thing that has not lasted well is my RC front track bar. The jam nut continues to loosen, but the joints have stayed strong after a year of abuse.