Took the Jeep down to the outer banks and did some beach driving this past weekend. First real experience off the paved road and I must say the thing is a beast
2004 TJ Rubicon
- Thread starter Project Billd
- Start date
I recently got home from Norway (after getting stuck thanks to Covid...) and returned to find my new rear bumper (Dirtworx) that got delivered just before I left a little rusty
I cleaned it up with some wire wheels and wiped off the protective oil coating
Sprayed on a few coats of etching primer
And later 5+ coats of flat black
Stock bumper removed, rear crossmember is in good shape but some ugly surface rust
Dry fit the new bumper to mark the new additional mounting points and used a laser level across the existing holes to intersect and centerpunch marked holes
Drilled half inch holes at the marked locations
Masked off the Jeep, and sprayed rust converter and new paint on crossmember
Mounted the new bumper at the existing holes
I learned that I can't get to the back of the new hole locations without removing the fuel tank so I'll be doing that once the tank is closer to empty as I just filled up on gas the other day
. It's fine to drive the Jeep for now, wont use the hitch until I get the other bolts added.
I cleaned it up with some wire wheels and wiped off the protective oil coating
Sprayed on a few coats of etching primer
And later 5+ coats of flat black
Stock bumper removed, rear crossmember is in good shape but some ugly surface rust
Dry fit the new bumper to mark the new additional mounting points and used a laser level across the existing holes to intersect and centerpunch marked holes
Drilled half inch holes at the marked locations
Masked off the Jeep, and sprayed rust converter and new paint on crossmember
Mounted the new bumper at the existing holes
I learned that I can't get to the back of the new hole locations without removing the fuel tank so I'll be doing that once the tank is closer to empty as I just filled up on gas the other day
. It's fine to drive the Jeep for now, wont use the hitch until I get the other bolts added.
I recently got home from Norway (after getting stuck thanks to Covid...) and returned to find my new rear bumper (Dirtworx) that got delivered just before I left a little rusty
View attachment 338439
I cleaned it up with some wire wheels and wiped off the protective oil coating
View attachment 338441
Sprayed on a few coats of etching primer
View attachment 338443
And later 5+ coats of flat black
View attachment 338454
Stock bumper removed, rear crossmember is in good shape but some ugly surface rust
View attachment 338448
Dry fit the new bumper to mark the new additional mounting points and used a laser level across the existing holes to intersect and centerpunch marked holes
View attachment 338450
Drilled half inch holes at the marked locations
View attachment 338451
Masked off the Jeep, and sprayed rust converter and new paint on crossmember
View attachment 338452
Mounted the new bumper at the existing holes
View attachment 338453
I learned that I can't get to the back of the new hole locations without removing the fuel tank so I'll be doing that once the tank is closer to empty as I just filled up on gas the other day
View attachment 338444
You *do* have frame tie-in brackets, yes?
Didn't even know those were a thing but makes sense. I'll certainly get some before I do any serious towing or using the bumper for recovery
Thank you for letting me know about them
Haven't made much time for jeep projects until this past weekend. Rekeyed all 4 locks (half and full doors) using @MountaineerTom write up here as a guide. Was fairly straightforward and I love only having 1 key for everything finally
Before
After
Before
After
Also added a fuse tap and a 12V to 5V usb adapter behind the glove box to provide power to a dash cam. Works well and glad I didn't have to cut into any of the factory wiring to do it. Though my constant power 12v plug stopped working after doing this which doesn't make sense as that fuse is under the hood and I didn't mess with it. That fuse is fine btw... a problem for another day
MountaineerTom
LJ Enthusiast, Retired USAF Weapons Loader
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
On my ‘06, that #18 slot is for the cigar lighter. Is the original fuse pulled out of that slot still good?
You can't see it because the fuses stick up but the fuse tap has 2 fuses on it. One for the original circuit so the cigarette lighter still works and one for the new one
MountaineerTom
LJ Enthusiast, Retired USAF Weapons Loader
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Ah gotcha. The cigarette lighter and the constant plug are next to each other but the cig plug is the ignition switched one and it still works fine. The fuse for the constant plug is in the box under the hood. That fuse looks fine and tests normal with a continuity tester. I also tried a different fuse just in case and it still doesn't work
Mousy Orla
TJ Enthusiast
I need to do this mod in my life, but for both doors though. I have to head out right now, but I'm loving the work you've done and custom mods like the aforementioned one. So I'll be back to keep scrolling through soon, so I might have a few questions, hope you don't mind.
I did this mod and it is one of my wife's favorites! She showed it off to my buddy last weekend when we went wheelin.
Long time no mod... until recently! Having a kid really changes things...
I finally started figuring out some time to work on my jeep and I've been able to get some things done. Back in March I did a lot of suspension work. All of the suspension components were oem and worn out. I installed new double adjustable control arms (core 4x4), front and rear track bars, currectlync steering linkage, front sway bar disconnects, and 4 jounce bumpers (old ones were disintegrated). It took me about 2 weeks all together as suspension work was mostly new to me but I learned a ton and got it all in. Afterwards, I white-knuckle drove it to a good suspension shop to get it aligned and it's much more responsive and feels a lot more stable now.
Before:
Front control arms in (still need to replace axle mounted bushings, not looking forward to that)
After, with everything installed!
I finally started figuring out some time to work on my jeep and I've been able to get some things done. Back in March I did a lot of suspension work. All of the suspension components were oem and worn out. I installed new double adjustable control arms (core 4x4), front and rear track bars, currectlync steering linkage, front sway bar disconnects, and 4 jounce bumpers (old ones were disintegrated). It took me about 2 weeks all together as suspension work was mostly new to me but I learned a ton and got it all in. Afterwards, I white-knuckle drove it to a good suspension shop to get it aligned and it's much more responsive and feels a lot more stable now.
Before:
Front control arms in (still need to replace axle mounted bushings, not looking forward to that)
After, with everything installed!
Control arms and track bars were the crawl series from core 4x4 with Johnny joints at both ends. I opted for the double adjustable upgrade on the control arms. Sway bar disconnects are jks. Steering linkage is the currectlync from rock jock and I used the rancho stabilizer shock they recommend to go with that. I painted the stabilizer black before installing which makes it hard to recognize
Does everything still run and hold up well? Any Brake recommendations for Front Rotors and Rear Drums?
Only been about 2 months with the new suspension parts so can't comment on longevity. I'm still running the stock brakes (Rubicon is discs front and rear) but I do plan to upgrade in the next year or so. I'll likely get the black magic brakes you'll see often recommended on this forum. @mrblaine can tell you more if you have any questions (he's the owner)
Recently did something very exciting! I custom installed a larger 9 inch floating touchscreen head unit in my Jeep. It's pretty awesome. I made a full write up on my website here if you're interested in doing the same to yours.
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