Rubicon88
TJ Addict
Lucky!!!I'm in Washington State where the inside of our frames are still mostly covered in black paint lol...I have a friend in Mass that likes to send me pics of the jeeps he parts out and there's no way I would
Lucky!!!I'm in Washington State where the inside of our frames are still mostly covered in black paint lol...I have a friend in Mass that likes to send me pics of the jeeps he parts out and there's no way I would
35/12.50/15You have a 4" suspension lift and a 3" body lift? What size tires? That Jeep is sitting way up there...
I can't speak for any shops down your way...Really appreciate the shared knowledge here. Most of it tracks with what I’ve read previously throughout the site.
@Midtenn I’m two hours west of Nashville off I-40 in Jackson. I would love to meet but would never drive that far in this Jeep in its current condition. Part of the imperative to get the damned lift and 35” MT’s off.
@Rubicon88 some valid points you’ve made. I do hope your use of “you” is indeed in the plural because I’ve never publicly or privately “ripped” on any mechanic. Many of my extended family are in this line of work and live over south of @Midtenn. I have a huge degree of admiration for the work they do and sensitivity to the challenge of quoting business. The intent of my post was to help my preferred mechanic have a sense of orientation and comfort level with trying this project. Rough Country is about an hour north of me and they were going to call some contacts in Dyersburg to ask for advice. I’m perfectly fine with their hourly on-the-rack rate of $100 and if it reaches 9 hours, I’d rather give it to them than the off-road shop (who quoted $900) because any time I’ve spoken with them they have been pretty elitist about what they do. They may do exceptional work—however I know of no one who has had a great experience with them.
I would buy a savvy 1.25 and this would be very easy,I did mine plus brown dog mm/lift and I inch steering shaft riser all in a night after work,and was done by midnight.Sorry to say but I can understand hesitation by shops and a very high cost.
I'm swapping out my JKS 1.25" BL to a Savvy BL. Snapped 3 bolts. I managed to get two of them out by welding on a new nut. The last one would not come out that way.
I have about 4 hours into cutting out the old bolt and welding in a nut attached to a thick washer to replace it. It was just a lot of time with a Dremel in a very small space.
When I bought mine it had a body lift. The filler tube was cut and had a metal pipe to extend it. Just get a shorter pipe and put it back together.Update here: since my original post I have swapped out the 35” MT’s for 33” BFG ATs on 17” JK sports. Much better ride and now I’m on to pulling out the BL. I’ve decided to proceed with the local off-road shop and they have adjusted their range for the job to $540-720. Much better than $900.
My job at this point is to locate a stock fuel filler neck. Seeing a lot of different parts that correspond to that description. Can the group educate me on which part I’m purchasing here? I know a portion of the tube/pipe was cut and extended to accommodate the lift. What do I need?
Sorry for the thick-headedness here but semantics...When I bought mine it had a body lift. The filler tube was cut and had a metal pipe to extend it. Just get a shorter pipe and put it back together.
Pipe=metal pipeSorry for the thick-headedness here but semantics...
Pipe = rubber tube, or are we talking about an inner channel that would run inside rubber tubing?
What he said . I e installed and removed body lifts. Granted I’m in the Northeast but it’s taken 2 hours with cleanup amd it’s extended three weeks due to unforeseen cutting and welding requirementsI own a shop and allow me a chance to shed some light on this.
#1 I can say 900 seems a tad on the high side but I've no idea what that shop's labor rate is....
#2 they probably quoted this job as a number rather than via book rate of hours.
#3 why...way too many intangibles can arise on a job like that. (The biggest reason I hate body lifts) there are far too many "what if's" in that particular job to try and quote accurately.
#4 body lifts suck putting on and taking off is even worse. Much worse going into it blind of mods and condition.
You can tell a shop "you don't think this or that was done" and guess what...doesn't mean shit.
If I had a nickel for every time a customer said "it only needs" yet in reality it needs a lot more.... or needs something completely different....I'd be retired now.
#5 ....the MOST important one.......
the shop has to protect itself. What if everything is going smoothly and then half way through all hell begins. As in the captured nut/tab that's welded breaks free from the body? Now it just spins as one unit. Now surgery must be performed. Cut the body/floor to get in there and hold the nut/tab to remove the bolt.
That's just one bolt. You've got several body mounts.
Think about that. What if that happened to all of them?
Add in whatever else they might find that was extended that needs brought back to stock distance...
You can say it won't happen to any of them or needs nothing retracted but they don't know that.
#6
this is a zero win job.....
TOO MANY POSSIBLE INTANGIBLES!!!
If they quote you low...then run into problems now they've got to bump you. (You'll rip their reputation to shreds for bumping you)
If they quote you high to protect themselves you'll rip their reputation to shreds by quoting too high (like you're doing right now)
If they run into bolt removal issues and have to cut into your beloved machine...I've no doubt you'll kill their rep and tell every available ear how xyz shop hacked up your Jeep...
If issues arise now they've got the dilemma of explaining to you the problems...they're half way done but now issues show up...do they reinstall the body lift...keep going...etc.?
All the while a bay is tied up with a job that ultimately is a loser....
Maybe that will help you understand coming from the perspective of a shop owner on this particular job.
Good luck
Yeah, I’m one of those who would rather take a bet on paying when I could have done the work myself on the reasonable chance I get to bolt 10 of 11 and it seizes while I have everything unbuckled. If I had a group of 2-3 guys with nothing better to do and as many floor jacks, I might give it a go. Instead I’m taking it on Tuesday to the local off-road shop and taking my butt whooping like a man.What he said . I e installed and removed body lifts. Granted I’m in the Northeast but it’s taken 2 hours with cleanup amd it’s extended three weeks due to unforeseen cutting and welding requirements