A lesson learned—keep it light and nimble!

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I was told they come greased ready to go. One a year seems to be the average answer I got depending on use and location. You have to completely take them apart to grease the ball using a high molly grease

I am almost certain the destructions I found online said they came greased and ready to run. When I talked to Currie to order rebuild parts, they said use only non-synthetic molly grease. Blaine recommended some redline stuff so I used that. Currie didn't like that, but I trust Blaine's recommendation.

I think they "break in" pretty quickly and you could daily drive them a bit then grease them. Mine wouldn't take any at first (I greased them when I rebuilt then obviously) but a couple of tanks of gas later I could without TOO much trouble.
I just did some reading on this. Now I need to order the tool/s to disassemble them. Fortunately, I can run them for a while before I'll need to take them apart. Thanks!
 
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I'm definitely surprised where I landed, but a set of shocks are finally on order. The Skyjacker Black Max B8518 and B8525 are a near perfect match for the following reasons:

- they seem to offer shorter compressed and longer extended lengths, which are a great match for my oddball suspension setup and ride height
- they are on the soft ride side, which is consistent with my keep it light and nimble theme
- they can be run can up or down in the rear, which allows for more clearance options
- the price is very reasonable, and
- there's a rebate to sweeten the deal

Obviously, the real test will be once they're installed and I have some seat time to evaluate them. We'll see how that goes!
 
I'm definitely surprised where I landed, but a set of shocks are finally on order. The Skyjacker Black Max B8518 and B8525 are a near perfect match for the following reasons:

- they seem to offer shorter compressed and longer extended lengths, which are a great match for my oddball suspension setup and ride height
- they are on the soft ride side, which is consistent with my keep it light and nimble theme
- they can be run can up or down in the rear, which allows for more clearance options
- the price is very reasonable, and
- there's a rebate to sweeten the deal

Obviously, the real test will be once they're installed and I have some seat time to evaluate them. We'll see how that goes!
Are you going to end up running the spring spacer in the rear, or just the spacer in the front? Ideally I'd prefer to level mine with the rear but it seemed like shocks were your holdup on doing that.
 
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Are you going to end up running the spring spacer in the rear, or just the spacer in the front? Ideally I'd prefer to level mine with the rear but it seemed like shocks were your holdup on doing that.
I had to add the spacer. Doing so opened up a couple good shock options, with a 18.25" ride height in the rear.

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Dang...I still can't get over how clean that frame is. I know you did some touch up... But dang.
I wasn't looking for another project, but when I saw it, I knew it was coming home with me. My original intent was to fix and flip, but the more I looked at it, the more I knew it wasn't going anywhere. Although it has 180K, it's literally the most rust free high mileage TJ I've ever seen in my area. Even the frame underneath the skid plate only had a little surface rust. I put a scope on the inside of the frame and, unbelievably, it looks better than the outside.

Since I no longer daily drive my LJ, my plan is to drive the wheels off the TJ and enjoy it. That's largely what's behind my overbuilding it on 31" tires. I went into the build with a "no regrets" mentality. So far, I'm very happy with all the choices made. Admitedly, I'm second guessing my decision to not install the Setrab slimline cooler @mrblaine uses, but I got past that. My decision to not do so was based on data. I've had very good luck with the 70264 B&M cooler, where the highest temperatures I've seen have been 189°, during a hot day and long steep 4wd climb. However, I do like the cooler Blaine uses, and the results he gets are impressive. That said, there's no such thing as perfection in life and, like the rest of us, I'll keep building towards my own version of what makes me happy! :)

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Admitedly, I'm second guessing my decision to not install the Setrab slimline cooler @mrblaine uses, but I got past that. My decision to not do so was based on data. I've had very good luck with the 70264 B&M cooler, where the highest temperatures I've seen have been 189°, during a hot day and long steep 4wd climb.
No need to second guess in the least. Go by the gauge, if it runs cooler, you don't need anything else.
 
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Old manifold heat shield was shot. I used that as an excuse to install a set of Bosch 4 hole injectors I bought back in 2015, but never used. Also installed a DEI manifold and injector heat shield set.

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Here's what an injector port looks like at 180k. :(

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