Built not bought!

[Irun]

I've spent the last 6+ months doing something different, i.e. a high end 31" tire build. During the process, I learned a tremendous amount about mechanics, physics, geometry, and even simple math. The culmination of that experience has resulted in a vehicle that I'm both happy and proud to drive. Every time I sit in the seat and turn the key, I know that if something goes wrong, there is one, and only one, person to blame, me.

Most have no idea what they're looking at when they see my Jeep. They only see the faded hood and an almost 20 year old TJ, that is not nearly as cool as their decked out JK, JL, or JT. I see an aggregation of the best designed/built parts, applied in a way that they were not intended for. An aggregation that makes the vehicle vastly more capable than most would ever imagine. That said, for those of us that build them, we should take pride in what we do. We, or our vehicles, are not perfect. However, they are our own form of an evolving perfection. One we build, tweak, and constantly learn from. When a plan comes together, there is something extra special about driving a Jeep that was purpose built by the owner, and not bought!

 

[TJR Silver]

very nice, I’ve followed all the way trying to learn what to do and not to do.

 

[Kevin Q]

I love it. It's like my Jeep when I bought it.

 

[IPerkWVU]

Enjoyed your build thread! Since moving to a place with less local wheeling and having less time, your thread has made me think about dropping the tire size and making it more daily friendly

 

[AndyG]

I've spent the last 6+ months doing something different, i.e. a high end 31" tire build. During the process, I learned a tremendous amount about mechanics, physics, geometry, and even simple math. The culmination of that experience has resulted in a vehicle that I'm both happy and proud to drive. Every time I sit in the seat and turn the key, I know that if something goes wrong, there is one, and only one, person to blame, me.

Most have no idea what they're looking at when they see my Jeep. They only see the faded hood and an almost 20 year old TJ, that is not nearly as cool as their decked out JK, JL, or JT. I see an aggregation of the best designed/built parts, applied in a way that they were not intended for. An aggregation that makes the vehicle vastly more capable than most would ever imagine. That said, for those of us that build them, we should take pride in what we do. We, or our vehicles, are not perfect. However, they are our own form of an evolving perfection. One we build, tweak, and constantly learn from. When a plan comes together, there is something extra special about driving a Jeep that was purpose built by the owner, and not bought!

View attachment 265713

I love people that create the reality they want, not sit back and just say what they would do, but do it, and do it well.

 

[RINC]

I love people that create the reality they want, not sit back and just say what they would do, but do it, and do it well.

 

[bobthetj03]

Your build makes me trully question the direction I went with my Jeep. Would you have changed anything if this was your only Jeep?

 

[Irun]

Your build makes me trully question the direction I went with my Jeep. Would you have changed anything if this was your only Jeep?

In a word, no. Reason being, during a typical year my Jeep spends roughly 5% of its hourly running time off-road. That means I'm spending 95% on the road. Also, the places I wheel have a variety of trails. Many of the difficult ones can be run with 31" tires, but you're going to drag stock skids, or have to take a bypass. I know this because I've done it, and spotted for others. This is the primary reason I built this one with everything tucked up as much as possible.

Lastly, there is no denying that a Jeep on smaller tire drives different than one on larger tires. A big factor here is the tire width. Case in point, a wider tire, e.g. 12.5", will find the ruts in the road and track with them. They will also have a higher rolling resistance.

That said, of course you can daily drive one on larger tires. Many do, with success. However, my build was based on the idea that I'd keep as much of the stock feel as possible, minimize weight, and maximize the Jeeps off-road ability. I feel I succeeded, and have zero regrets with this one. As always, this is just one persons perspective!

 

[mrblaine]

In a word, no. Reason being, during a typical year my Jeep spends roughly 5% of its hourly running time off-road. That means I'm spending 95% on the road. Also, the places I wheel have a variety of trails. Many of the difficult ones can be run with 31" tires, but you're going to drag stock skids, or have to take a bypass. I know this because I've done it, and spotted for others. This is the primary reason I built this one with everything tucked up as much as possible.

Lastly, there is no denying that a Jeep on smaller tire drives different than one on larger tires. A big factor here is the tire width. Case in point, a wider tire, e.g. 12.5", will find the ruts in the road and track with them. They will also have a higher rolling resistance.

That said, of course you can daily drive one on larger tires. Many do, with success. However, my build was based on the idea that I'd keep as much of the stock feel as possible, minimize weight, and maximize the Jeeps off-road ability. I feel I succeeded, and have zero regrets with this one. As always, this is just one persons perspective!

One of the reasons I found a 11.5" wide 35-17 for my TJ-6 on 17 x 8" rims. I'm also not doing one normal thing on it so there is that.

 

[bobthetj03]

Also the reason I run a 10.50 wide tire, road manners, less rolling mass.

 

[Irun]

I'm also not doing one normal thing on it so there is that.

We all would expect that!

 

[eastbloc]

@Irun
Love how your Jeep looks, and thumbs up to you for having your opinion and sticking to it.
Just visited your build thread, 51 pages of hole-guacamole! I definitely have something to refer to now when i run out of ideas.

I have been slowly keeping and upgrading my Jeep around the 31" tires for the past 4 years. About to bump up to 33" to satisfy my curiosity and see for myself if i need them or not, but something tells me that ill be back to 31s.

 

[SvtLdr]

That said, for those of us that build them, we should take pride in what we do. We, or our vehicles, are not perfect. However, they are our own form of an evolving perfection. One we build, tweak, and constantly learn from. When a plan comes together, there is something extra special about driving a Jeep that was purpose built by the owner, and not bought!

Well said, sir!

Have you had a chance to test our your new level of capability?

 

[Irun]

All the comments are very much appreciated!

 

[Irun]

Well said, sir!

Have you had a chance to test our your new level of capability?

Only on the road, and I'm beyond thrilled there. As much as I want to take it off-road, that will have to wait until I get the Savvy rockers and corner armor installed. Now that I've sorted out the remaining drivability/reliability issues, paint is next up on my order list. I'm hoping to start the rocker mock-up after the Summer. My family has been patient with me, so my focus will be on them for a while!

 

[Shwiftypickle]

Looks great! Cant wait to find another one and build it small!

 

[Tldelaney]

This thing is going to be a beast off road. Your gonna surprise a bunch of people with this build to the point its laughable.

 

[Shwiftypickle]

I wheeled forever on 31s, made the 33 guys mad, now on 35s make the 37 and up guys mad!

 

[Lax22]

This hobby drives you toward the built not bought methodology because the more you challenge yourself off-road, the more you need to learn in order to fix your Jeep and build it correctly to do the things you want. If you break a body mount or control arm bracket and can’t fix it yourself, you’re going to be down awhile waiting for someone to help you fix it. If you want to upgrade to larger tires but don’t know how to research what you need, a shop is going to take you to the cleaners on crappy parts and labor rates.

lack of tools and knowledge wastes your time and money. Investing in the hobby means more than buying upgraded parts for your vehicle. It also means having the right equipment and know-how to do the fixes and upgrades when they are needed or warranted.

I live in an area where I have no specialty shops nearby to correctly build an off-road capable rig. There isn’t even a place that can properly balance tires or set up gears. That means if you want it done, and done right, you have to do it yourself and thats what I’ve had to do. I’m not saying I’m better than anyone else because of that fact, it’s just the reality of my situation. I enjoy learning new skills and using new tools but I’m no professional and Believe me, if I lived closer to someone like @mrblaine, I’d get on his schedule and have my wrangler over to him in a heartbeat.

@Irun, your build has been a pleasure to watch and your attention to detail is noteworthy! I have taken notes for my unlimited build and have even applied some of your tips, tricks, and part recommendations to my TJ rubicon.

 

[Irun]

This thing is going to be a beast off road. Your gonna surprise a bunch of people with this build to the point its laughable.

That's the plan! The dana 30 currently has a Detroit TrueTrac in it, but will get a ARB or Eaton E locker this coming winter. I'm planning to run the TJ next year with my 1st gen Bronco buddy group, when we do our annual wheeling trip. They all run 35" to 37" tires. Before doing that, I'm going to have to install the mini skids I got from @Wildman. If time allows, I'll tackle the body mounts I got from @Chris. Even without the body mounts, as you said, this thing is going to surprise a few people!