After getting the Jeep inspected and aligned, I took it out for it's first real significant spin. Over the weekend it logged almost 200 miles, across varying road conditions, and was an absolute joy to drive. All the suspension parts worked well together, whether on the twisty back roads, or traveling 70+ on the highway. Steering was light, responsive, and always felt controlled. The engine temperature stayed consistent at 210° and the transmission stayed in the 130ish° range. Most importantly, there were zero rattles, vibrations, or fluid leaks.
As I get ready to launch into the armor and tweaking phases, I did want to
thank all of you who contributed during the first phase, whether substantively, or through support and encouragement. Admittedly, this is a bit of an odd duck build, and your help mattered. FWIW, during several stops people came over to check out the Jeep and when they looked underneath, every time, their jaw dropped and I had to answer a host of questions.
That said, when saying thanks, it's always dangerous to call out individuals, for fear of alienating some. However, in this case I feel obligated to name two. A special thanks to
@Chris for providing a platform full of quality people and content. Having been in the tech industry for decades, I know how difficult it is to create and maintain something like this site. Also, we all know that one of the reasons this forum is exceptional is because of the experts here, specifically folks like
@mrblaine. Thanks to his in depth knowledge and willingness to share, the task was much easier knowing there was a lifeline, when needed.
Bottom line, thanks to each of you. If you posted here, you contributed in some fashion and I'm grateful!
