So first of all big thanks to the TJ Forum for giving me so much good information and critiques of my parts list before embarking on this endeavor. I started off on this thread and was given a lot of insight, so I have decided to tweak my parts list.
Also my objective changed a bit:
1. I saw the Jeep Jamborees and I really want to participate in those.
2. The craziest Jamboree is the Rubicon. I want to work up to that eventually.
3. I want to be able to hustle myself, my wife, and a photographer into the more isolated parts of OC for cosplay photoshoots, which, so far, has been my primary hobby. Currently we have to hike out, and it's super NOT fun. A Jeep seems like the logical solution. Here's some pictures for those interested in the order of magnitude of the stuff we have had to hike a mile or so in.
Lift:
Zone 4" Lift
Thought process:
I want to clear 33" tires safely and was recommended the Zone lift. I fully understand what I am getting myself into with a beginner lift, especially after reading the 18mo review on this site but I'll be honest I would rather get a cheap package for now ($500 in the grand scheme of things is not a lot) acclimate to the hobby, figure out what I like and then create a custom lift kit myself.
SYE & Driveshaft
SYE and Driveshaft
Thought process:
SYE and CV driveshaft to eliminate rattling and improve the driveline. Got advice on this forum to get a custom driveshaft instead of a premade one. Adams Driveshaft seemed to get good reviews and the package deal was ~$40 cheaper overall. Win!
Regear & Lockers
I went to RWKHaus Supply and Robert is known to do a solid job regearing here in OC, CA. I went with his advice on what I should put in there for my goals and he will be installing the following:
Base regear to 4.56 ratio
Dana 30 Yukon Grizzly mechanical locker
Dana 35 30spline Yukon Zip air locker
Dana 35 30spline Revolution axle kit
Dana 35 pinion bearing kit and install at time of re-gear
I opted to do the compressor install myself to get more understanding of the Jeep:
Air up locker compressor CKMA12
Air Vent switch panel
Air up fitting/hose kit
Wheels and Tires
Aluminum Wheels - 15" diameter. 8" width.
Mudclaw Tires - 33" diameter. 12.5" width.
Thoughts: I flipped flopped a lot on this, reading about unsprung weight and being able to beat steel wheels back into useablity, also wtf is a Mudclaw? So first things first, Extreme Terrain is incredibly cheap (especially with the 6% forum discount) when you buy wheels and tires together. However they take FOREVER to get them to you and their system is so bad concerning wheels and tires. They keep their tires on the west coast, and their wheels on the east coast, ship the tires to the east coast, mount & balance, then ship BACK to the west coast for delivery. In an effort to expedite this insane process I opted to get the Mudclaw Extreme M/T tires linked since they were supposedly on the same coast. Nope. Still taking forever. If you have a couple of months to burn go through Extreme Terrain....but man never gain wheels AND tires from them. Everything else through them is awesome though.
Exterior Stuff:
Winch
Front Bumper....for the winch
Thought process:
Keep reading on here how the best thing to get is a winch, for safety reasons, so I got that. Needed a bumper to attach it to.
Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier
Thought process:
Rear bumper and tire carrier to accommodate the larger wheel/tire, not entirely sure about if this is necessary though.
Roof Rack + Basket
Thought process:
Thing I hated about my TJ (X) is that I have no cargo capacity, roof rack seems safer than tow hitch rack, also looks like this model I can still swing my soft top with just removing the cross bars and basket instead of the entire assembly like other models.
Rock Guards
Thought process:
My coworkers told me as a new driver, and as a general rule, that I would need rock guards around the local trails.
Flares
Softtop
Thought process:
My stock flares and top are the same ones from when I bought the Jeep in 2006. I can't see out the back.
Finally here's the Jeep and a bit of history on her.
I had just graduated as a Nuclear Machinist Mate and was on my way to my first duty station onboard USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego CA. 19yo me made the ridiculous decision of blowing his enlistment bonus on buying a brand new vehicle with the largest engine that he could afford. Honestly I am thankful 19yo me was ridiculous enough to opt for the 4.0L option, but I am still averse to buying new vehicles....
Pic of when I had just got her:
From 2006 to Today I would go to put 100k miles on the odo. Honestly I stored this vehicle for almost 4 years total since I was on deployment so often and during college I rode my bike to and from campus to save on parking. For a 12 yo vehicle 100k is pretty solid.
In any case here is a pic I took today 9/20/2018. I don't even have matching tires lol.
I even still have that ugly wheel cover from the dealer I went to. They are LONG out of business lol.
In any case the majority of the parts arrived at my coworkers house and he was kind enough to provide both mechanical guidance as well as a venue to do the installation. The parts took up a good chunk of his garage:
Going to start putting it all together Saturday. Extreme Terrain is still giving me grief about wheels and tires so I'll have all of my stuff put on...and teeny tiny wheels/tires most likely. It's going to look really silly for awhile T_T.
I will update as we go! Thanks for reading!
Also my objective changed a bit:
1. I saw the Jeep Jamborees and I really want to participate in those.
2. The craziest Jamboree is the Rubicon. I want to work up to that eventually.
3. I want to be able to hustle myself, my wife, and a photographer into the more isolated parts of OC for cosplay photoshoots, which, so far, has been my primary hobby. Currently we have to hike out, and it's super NOT fun. A Jeep seems like the logical solution. Here's some pictures for those interested in the order of magnitude of the stuff we have had to hike a mile or so in.
Lift:
Zone 4" Lift
Thought process:
I want to clear 33" tires safely and was recommended the Zone lift. I fully understand what I am getting myself into with a beginner lift, especially after reading the 18mo review on this site but I'll be honest I would rather get a cheap package for now ($500 in the grand scheme of things is not a lot) acclimate to the hobby, figure out what I like and then create a custom lift kit myself.
SYE & Driveshaft
SYE and Driveshaft
Thought process:
SYE and CV driveshaft to eliminate rattling and improve the driveline. Got advice on this forum to get a custom driveshaft instead of a premade one. Adams Driveshaft seemed to get good reviews and the package deal was ~$40 cheaper overall. Win!
Regear & Lockers
I went to RWKHaus Supply and Robert is known to do a solid job regearing here in OC, CA. I went with his advice on what I should put in there for my goals and he will be installing the following:
Base regear to 4.56 ratio
Dana 30 Yukon Grizzly mechanical locker
Dana 35 30spline Yukon Zip air locker
Dana 35 30spline Revolution axle kit
Dana 35 pinion bearing kit and install at time of re-gear
I opted to do the compressor install myself to get more understanding of the Jeep:
Air up locker compressor CKMA12
Air Vent switch panel
Air up fitting/hose kit
Wheels and Tires
Aluminum Wheels - 15" diameter. 8" width.
Mudclaw Tires - 33" diameter. 12.5" width.
Thoughts: I flipped flopped a lot on this, reading about unsprung weight and being able to beat steel wheels back into useablity, also wtf is a Mudclaw? So first things first, Extreme Terrain is incredibly cheap (especially with the 6% forum discount) when you buy wheels and tires together. However they take FOREVER to get them to you and their system is so bad concerning wheels and tires. They keep their tires on the west coast, and their wheels on the east coast, ship the tires to the east coast, mount & balance, then ship BACK to the west coast for delivery. In an effort to expedite this insane process I opted to get the Mudclaw Extreme M/T tires linked since they were supposedly on the same coast. Nope. Still taking forever. If you have a couple of months to burn go through Extreme Terrain....but man never gain wheels AND tires from them. Everything else through them is awesome though.
Exterior Stuff:
Winch
Front Bumper....for the winch
Thought process:
Keep reading on here how the best thing to get is a winch, for safety reasons, so I got that. Needed a bumper to attach it to.
Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier
Thought process:
Rear bumper and tire carrier to accommodate the larger wheel/tire, not entirely sure about if this is necessary though.
Roof Rack + Basket
Thought process:
Thing I hated about my TJ (X) is that I have no cargo capacity, roof rack seems safer than tow hitch rack, also looks like this model I can still swing my soft top with just removing the cross bars and basket instead of the entire assembly like other models.
Rock Guards
Thought process:
My coworkers told me as a new driver, and as a general rule, that I would need rock guards around the local trails.
Flares
Softtop
Thought process:
My stock flares and top are the same ones from when I bought the Jeep in 2006. I can't see out the back.
Finally here's the Jeep and a bit of history on her.
I had just graduated as a Nuclear Machinist Mate and was on my way to my first duty station onboard USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego CA. 19yo me made the ridiculous decision of blowing his enlistment bonus on buying a brand new vehicle with the largest engine that he could afford. Honestly I am thankful 19yo me was ridiculous enough to opt for the 4.0L option, but I am still averse to buying new vehicles....
Pic of when I had just got her:
From 2006 to Today I would go to put 100k miles on the odo. Honestly I stored this vehicle for almost 4 years total since I was on deployment so often and during college I rode my bike to and from campus to save on parking. For a 12 yo vehicle 100k is pretty solid.
In any case here is a pic I took today 9/20/2018. I don't even have matching tires lol.
I even still have that ugly wheel cover from the dealer I went to. They are LONG out of business lol.
In any case the majority of the parts arrived at my coworkers house and he was kind enough to provide both mechanical guidance as well as a venue to do the installation. The parts took up a good chunk of his garage:
Going to start putting it all together Saturday. Extreme Terrain is still giving me grief about wheels and tires so I'll have all of my stuff put on...and teeny tiny wheels/tires most likely. It's going to look really silly for awhile T_T.
I will update as we go! Thanks for reading!
