I aint had me CB on since I got satellite back in '02. Except for times I had pilot cars or entering/exiting a truckstop.
2005 Rubicon; A Rubi Brother
- Thread starter Jamison C
- Start date
I aint had me CB on since I got satellite back in '02. Except for times I had pilot cars or entering/exiting a truckstop.
OP
Exhaust is fixed!
Today I undertook the task of lowering my exhaust to stop it from rattling against the passenger upper control arm mount on the frame side. Originally I was going to weld it, but after looking at everything, I think I’m going to wait until I actually have the skid in place to make sure everything will work together correctly. I might not even need this mount which I will explain later on. For now it has a nut and bolt.
Here’s the stock transmission mount with the exhaust mount on it. There are two holes which are spaced exactly 1.5” apart, just the distance I wanted to drop the exhaust.
So I cut between the two lines and brought the holes together with a bolt. This will be temporary until I get the skid.
Mount back in place with the exhaust running 1.5” lower.
Skid plate on. Everything is secure and clears nicely.
And now I have about 1-1.5” of clearance between the CA frame mount and exhaust again. Everything is once again smooth and quiet.
Today I undertook the task of lowering my exhaust to stop it from rattling against the passenger upper control arm mount on the frame side. Originally I was going to weld it, but after looking at everything, I think I’m going to wait until I actually have the skid in place to make sure everything will work together correctly. I might not even need this mount which I will explain later on. For now it has a nut and bolt.
Here’s the stock transmission mount with the exhaust mount on it. There are two holes which are spaced exactly 1.5” apart, just the distance I wanted to drop the exhaust.
So I cut between the two lines and brought the holes together with a bolt. This will be temporary until I get the skid.
Mount back in place with the exhaust running 1.5” lower.
Skid plate on. Everything is secure and clears nicely.
And now I have about 1-1.5” of clearance between the CA frame mount and exhaust again. Everything is once again smooth and quiet.
OP
Now for my plan. So far with the welded spacers between the skid and tranny, I’ve lifted the TC 1.5”. The UCF extra clearance skid sits 2.5” higher than the stock skid, a great improvement. This means I would need to raise the TC another inch if I wanted it to fit with the skid. I would like to retain the factory mount, but I’m not sure that’s feasible with the 241. I need to go back under there and measure around to see what kind of clearance I have left.
Using the UCF LoPro mount is an appealing option right now. It’s an inch shorter than the factory mount. Meaning if I keep my TC exactly where it is and use the UCF mount, I’ll gain the extra inch of clearance I need to make the extra clearance skid work. Meaning I can dial in where my TC is now and not have to adjust it much (if any) once the new skid is on.
This idea is much more appealing than trying to push the TC up another 1”, but losing the rubber isolator on the factory mount will definitely increase vibes and I’m not sure that’s something I want to deal with. I’m going to wait till Black Friday to see if I can score a deal. This gives me a few weeks to think things through.
Using the UCF LoPro mount is an appealing option right now. It’s an inch shorter than the factory mount. Meaning if I keep my TC exactly where it is and use the UCF mount, I’ll gain the extra inch of clearance I need to make the extra clearance skid work. Meaning I can dial in where my TC is now and not have to adjust it much (if any) once the new skid is on.
This idea is much more appealing than trying to push the TC up another 1”, but losing the rubber isolator on the factory mount will definitely increase vibes and I’m not sure that’s something I want to deal with. I’m going to wait till Black Friday to see if I can score a deal. This gives me a few weeks to think things through.
There was another thread on this here site, people were talking about swapping the 241 for the 231 for the extra clearance.
I could swap my 231 for your 241. I would even be so kind as to drive it up to you.
The low pro mount is a compromise. I tried it for a while and couldn't stand the vibes.
This is an interesting mount mod:
https://www.wranglerforum.com/threads/0-00-transmission-mount-low-profile-mod.378089/#post-5949481
https://www.wranglerforum.com/threads/0-00-transmission-mount-low-profile-mod.378089/#post-5949481
Stay clear of the lopro. Strictly judging your tastes based on how well you treat your Jeep , you don’t want to give it idle vibes. You convince yourself it’s fine when you first get it and then after a solid few months the vibes get really annoying every time you pull up to a stoplight. It also just doesn’t do it’s job. After a few months the mount was no longer tall enough for the lowest parts of my tcase to clear my skid.
Do you have a body lift?
Do you have a body lift?
OP
Good to know. Did you ever get your main vibe issue sorted out?
Good find on that thread. Unfortunately I think it's for an early TJ with the auto transmission. But with this new-found inspiration I'm going to poke around with my factory mount to see if there's any way I can modify it.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll probably try to fab something up with the factory mount to retain the isolator. Yes I have a 1.25" BL.
OP
OP
Haven’t had a chance to update but I installed the skid with no issues. This thing is sweet and the extra ground clearance is definitely noticeable. Lots of leftover hardware though so that has me somewhat concerned 
Decided to paint everything because why not and plus I’m not a huge fan of the polished aluminum….yet. I wet sanded everything with 220 grit and hit it with Ace brand rust enamel or whatever it was in flat black. @Moglocker tried some of this stuff and had good results and mine were the same. A lot cheaper than the name brands.
Has a nice flat sheen to it to match the rest of the frame and undercarriage parts.
Install was easy. Trying to disconnect the lines with the stock skid was a pain, I would hate to have to drop this tank again with everything raised so high.
Before and after:
Got rid of the ugly trailer hitch too.
While the tank was removed, I took the time to fix the filler float so my tank didn’t shoot gas everywhere every time I filled up. Things work great now. It was recommended to empty the tank to make this install easier, so I drove the Jeep all week to do so. There was less than a gallon left by the time I did the mod
Waiting for Black Friday to order my UCF skid and control arms. Then the real fun begins.
Decided to paint everything because why not and plus I’m not a huge fan of the polished aluminum….yet. I wet sanded everything with 220 grit and hit it with Ace brand rust enamel or whatever it was in flat black. @Moglocker tried some of this stuff and had good results and mine were the same. A lot cheaper than the name brands.
Has a nice flat sheen to it to match the rest of the frame and undercarriage parts.
Install was easy. Trying to disconnect the lines with the stock skid was a pain, I would hate to have to drop this tank again with everything raised so high.
Before and after:
Got rid of the ugly trailer hitch too.
While the tank was removed, I took the time to fix the filler float so my tank didn’t shoot gas everywhere every time I filled up. Things work great now. It was recommended to empty the tank to make this install easier, so I drove the Jeep all week to do so. There was less than a gallon left by the time I did the mod
Waiting for Black Friday to order my UCF skid and control arms. Then the real fun begins.
Attachments
OP
I forgot to mention it here but since I cut the exhaust hanger and pushed it down 1.5”, it seemed to move it over to the drivers side a bit because my front DS ujoints were contacting the exhaust at minimal flex. Don’t worry, there’s no hole in the exhaust and that’s all mud you’re seeing.
So I took @Moglocker advice again and heated things up good and bent the ever living hell out of it and the mounts with a pry bar. I have clearance again which means I can wheel again.
Once I finish the tuck I’ll probably do an exhaust overhaul and custom route everything but for now this will work.
So I took @Moglocker advice again and heated things up good and bent the ever living hell out of it and the mounts with a pry bar. I have clearance again which means I can wheel again.
Once I finish the tuck I’ll probably do an exhaust overhaul and custom route everything but for now this will work.
Have u got a link to the headlights? Also any pics of them installed? How do u like them?
OP
Read through the first few posts. I love them. Very bright and clean light pattern.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/my-install-of-the-toyota-light-mod.55959/
OP
Not much has happened, just planning stages. And I got this great Black Friday deal. A full tuck is happening! I wanted to order TMRs weld-in crossmember kit but it’s currently out of stock. But I’m in no rush to get it done.
OP
Some updates. After doing Peyette Draw with the AZ crew last weekend I now realize I definitely want to go bigger. I was trying harder obstacles and lines and was scraping the ever living shit out of the skid plate and bumpers. They faired fine, but I would like to keep scraping to a minimum.
I was impressed with how the fairly stock Rubi handled, especially how easy the 4:1 and lockers made it. But I want to be able to traverse this type of terrain a lot easier should I need to. I'm not interested in the insane bouldering that Starkey likes to do, so I want to build for 33's. I think this would get me right where I want to be without going absolutely insane with the mods and $$$.
I was impressed with how the fairly stock Rubi handled, especially how easy the 4:1 and lockers made it. But I want to be able to traverse this type of terrain a lot easier should I need to. I'm not interested in the insane bouldering that Starkey likes to do, so I want to build for 33's. I think this would get me right where I want to be without going absolutely insane with the mods and $$$.
OP
With that said, my UCF ultra high clearance skid came in today, and I'm glad I went with this vs the extra clearance. I truly learned what people meant when they refer to the factory skid as a shovel. It will catch on everything and hold you up Literally everything. This thing is sweet, and will sit only an inch below the frame rails at it's lowest point. It has nice beveled edges that will allow it to slide over obstacles vs. getting hung up on them.
I want to install a weld-in crossmember. There's no way to get a good mount between the TC and skid, especially with the 241. Originally I had planned on ordering TMR's crossmember, but I'm wondering if there are any advantages to Genrite's with the bent tubing. The only advantage I see is it allows you to bring the TC lower without losing weldable surface on the frame rails. I'm not sure it matters since I have the ultra high clearance skid.
TMR
https://www.tmrcustoms.com/products/universal-transmission-transfer-case-crossmember-mount
Genrite
https://genright.com/products/universal-transmission-crossmember-kit.html
I want to install a weld-in crossmember. There's no way to get a good mount between the TC and skid, especially with the 241. Originally I had planned on ordering TMR's crossmember, but I'm wondering if there are any advantages to Genrite's with the bent tubing. The only advantage I see is it allows you to bring the TC lower without losing weldable surface on the frame rails. I'm not sure it matters since I have the ultra high clearance skid.
TMR
https://www.tmrcustoms.com/products/universal-transmission-transfer-case-crossmember-mount
Genrite
https://genright.com/products/universal-transmission-crossmember-kit.html
OP
Once I get the skid and crossmember in place, I'll order a driveshaft (or two), a set of Dave's geo correction brackets, and get to work on the rear. I think I've decided on the JKS 3" JSPEC springs to accompany my 1.25" body lift, which I will upgrade to Savvy along with my TC shifter.
Springs
https://jksmfg.com/products/3-lift-...sqbhRgs16r77P77LV713Bz7apViedB0oaAuuuEALw_wcB
A few months ago I also picked up some mint 17" AEV Pintlers for a stupid good price. They have 5x5 spacing so I'd either need spacers, or axle shafts with adjustable lugs. Perhaps this is an excuse to upgrade to revolution shafts and avoid spacers. I don't like when my tires stick out and make my jeep look like an ill-modified JKU.
I absolutely love the Coopers AT3 LTs I have on my jeep now so I will be throwing some 285/70r17 Cooper AT3 XLTs on these wheels. The internet seems to rave about these tires, and based on how their little brother performs I have high hopes. But I think that will be the last step after all of the other suspension components are on. Then I can articulate my suspension and measure for bump stop.
Coopers
https://coopertire.com/en-us/find-tires/all-tires/discoverer-at3-xlt
This is all I have planned out for now. Time and money need to be taken into account as I'm switching careers and still in school.
Springs
https://jksmfg.com/products/3-lift-...sqbhRgs16r77P77LV713Bz7apViedB0oaAuuuEALw_wcB
A few months ago I also picked up some mint 17" AEV Pintlers for a stupid good price. They have 5x5 spacing so I'd either need spacers, or axle shafts with adjustable lugs. Perhaps this is an excuse to upgrade to revolution shafts and avoid spacers. I don't like when my tires stick out and make my jeep look like an ill-modified JKU.
I absolutely love the Coopers AT3 LTs I have on my jeep now so I will be throwing some 285/70r17 Cooper AT3 XLTs on these wheels. The internet seems to rave about these tires, and based on how their little brother performs I have high hopes. But I think that will be the last step after all of the other suspension components are on. Then I can articulate my suspension and measure for bump stop.
Coopers
https://coopertire.com/en-us/find-tires/all-tires/discoverer-at3-xlt
This is all I have planned out for now. Time and money need to be taken into account as I'm switching careers and still in school.
Pintlers... yep.
I've got the same thing on the bench waiting for install. 3" JKS Springs and savvy body lift. I'm keeping my moabs and running 285/75r16s once the lift is on. Still undecided on which tires.
I've got the same thing on the bench waiting for install. 3" JKS Springs and savvy body lift. I'm keeping my moabs and running 285/75r16s once the lift is on. Still undecided on which tires.
After that run, I have to say the TT is, to date, my favorite and the most value-added mod out there (at least, so far in my opinion).