Family's First LJ - 2006 Rubicon Build
- Thread starter techster82
- Start date
OP
I'll be doing paint correction as soon as it leaves the shop and before I start putting all the exterior pieces and upgrades back on. The stickers I removed for the correction but I also remade all the factory decals in matte black versus the factory color.
Nice do you make them yourself or did you buy them? I might be looking for some if I buy a black LJ and repaint...
OP
I haven't had a chance to drive it yet. The owner of the shop actually called me before re-gearing the axles to make sure I bought the correct Ring and Pinion as he hadn't put something so low in a TJ/LJ before. He's driven it up to 35mph or so around the shop to road test and said it drove well at that speed but that it had a good bit of body roll so I'm guessing we'll need to tweak the front and rear Antirock setup. When he put it in 4low he mentioned something about the crawl speed/ratio feeling so low the brakes didn't want to stop it on pavement. Needless to say I'm anxious to spend some time with it once everything is dialed in.
OP
I made them myself. I've got a small vinyl machine and can do most sizes of stickers up to 24" long but can easily recut the smaller decals.
That's very interesting about the brakes. Of course, you won't be needing those brakes in 4Lo on pavement. But that's some serious torque.
OP
Lots to update but I've been swamped with work and then working on the LJ! We actually got to Gatlinburg this afternoon and are staying through the weekend for the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion. I still have a good bit of stuff to do on the LJ but most of the big items are done. It did great on the almost four hour drive down and I'm very happy with the 5.38 gears.
This is a shot from a couple of days ago after I had some detailing done to it before I worked on adding the decals back.
Shot from this morning when I swung by the shop to make sure bolts were still looking tight underneath. Also put away the hard top for a bit and got the soft top on for the nice weather this weekend (fingers crossed!).
Quick pic before we headed south to TN. I finally got the front bumper, winch etc mounted (lots of fun getting all this aftermarket stuff to fit that I'll expand on when we get back).
This is a shot from a couple of days ago after I had some detailing done to it before I worked on adding the decals back.
Shot from this morning when I swung by the shop to make sure bolts were still looking tight underneath. Also put away the hard top for a bit and got the soft top on for the nice weather this weekend (fingers crossed!).
Quick pic before we headed south to TN. I finally got the front bumper, winch etc mounted (lots of fun getting all this aftermarket stuff to fit that I'll expand on when we get back).
Sitting pretty. I know you were talking about 37's one day but jeez I'm a sucker for the stance of the first picture with the hardtop and 35's, looks so good.
OP
Yeah, she's the pretty girl at the prom right now. Don't get me wrong, I love the setup currently, and I really don't see a reason to go up right now, but its crossed my mind a few times. I may end up putting 37s on the JL to satisfy that urge and leave her be.
If I'm in Gatlinburg this weekend I want to meet you and check it out .
I'll be in a white TJ Rubicon with 3 kcs above the winch and one by each side of the window , and my grinning face will match the kcs .
Nice job.
Andy
I'll be in a white TJ Rubicon with 3 kcs above the winch and one by each side of the window , and my grinning face will match the kcs .
Nice job.
Andy
Starrs
TJ Guru
I love your LJ. Like a ton haha. You did a phenomenal job. I have said this in the past about disliking trek tops unless they are on an LJ. I like the way it looks with the trek top more so than the hard top. Such a cool look. Decals look killer too. The Bridgers make it pop. 37s would be awesome, but def not needed right now. Keep it up!
OP
I had to hit the ground running this morning for work but really enjoyed our family getaway to the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion. Thousands of jeeps and I got to meet the owners of some other LJ builds I follow as well as see some products in development for our JL Rubicon.
Originally I had planned to trailer the LJ down but the car hauler I was going to borrow fell through a few days before we needed to leave so I opted to just drive it with my wife following in the JL. At around 4 hours each way through some decent elevation changes in the mountains of KY and TN the LJ did well. The ride is pretty fantastic with the Currie/Savvy setup paired with the Rancho 5000x shocks. I still need to tweak my front and rear Antirock setup but I feel that some of the roll I originally noticed seems to have faded away as I've gotten used to how it drives. The 5.38 gears are great and allowed me to have a usable overdrive (right around 2700rpms at 75mph). I'm experiencing no vibrations which makes me happy as essentially everything underneath but the axles is new. Having not really driven it much since the purchase back in April, getting to drive it around with the doors and top off for four days was a welcomed experience. All of the thumbs up and people wanting to take photos definitely made some long hours in the garage feel more appreciated and justified.
I'm exhausted tonight but will be back at it this week working on some smaller projects I still need to get finished. I ended up ordering a hood louver from GenRight that I'm going to install this week and I need to will myself to work on the corner armor (that should be fun getting some spacers cut and installed for the Exogate). Changing the differential fluid after the gear install is also on my to do list as well as some smaller electrical wiring and tidying up. I also grabbed parts to make a rear body/frame filler plate after the 1.25" body lift that I'm hoping turns out how I want it to.
Here's a pic of my Co-Pilot in "his" LJ. He loved seeing all of the jeeps this weekend and was truly a kid in a candy store. He chose to ride with me down and back but didn't want me to tell Mama that he liked my "old school" jeep better than hers.
Originally I had planned to trailer the LJ down but the car hauler I was going to borrow fell through a few days before we needed to leave so I opted to just drive it with my wife following in the JL. At around 4 hours each way through some decent elevation changes in the mountains of KY and TN the LJ did well. The ride is pretty fantastic with the Currie/Savvy setup paired with the Rancho 5000x shocks. I still need to tweak my front and rear Antirock setup but I feel that some of the roll I originally noticed seems to have faded away as I've gotten used to how it drives. The 5.38 gears are great and allowed me to have a usable overdrive (right around 2700rpms at 75mph). I'm experiencing no vibrations which makes me happy as essentially everything underneath but the axles is new. Having not really driven it much since the purchase back in April, getting to drive it around with the doors and top off for four days was a welcomed experience. All of the thumbs up and people wanting to take photos definitely made some long hours in the garage feel more appreciated and justified.
I'm exhausted tonight but will be back at it this week working on some smaller projects I still need to get finished. I ended up ordering a hood louver from GenRight that I'm going to install this week and I need to will myself to work on the corner armor (that should be fun getting some spacers cut and installed for the Exogate). Changing the differential fluid after the gear install is also on my to do list as well as some smaller electrical wiring and tidying up. I also grabbed parts to make a rear body/frame filler plate after the 1.25" body lift that I'm hoping turns out how I want it to.
Here's a pic of my Co-Pilot in "his" LJ. He loved seeing all of the jeeps this weekend and was truly a kid in a candy store. He chose to ride with me down and back but didn't want me to tell Mama that he liked my "old school" jeep better than hers.
Splendid job brah! Your LJ is perfect just the way you have it now. I wouldn't change a thing.
OP
I had some time this afternoon to mess around in the garage so that gave me a chance to finish up the whole hood louver install using the GenRight version. I ended up going with this one versus the Poison Spyder because I didn't necessarily want the logo on the hood piece and I tend to think the louver pattern of the GenRight piece is a little cleaner. I do think the install takes a bit longer than the PS piece because you have to cut and fit the washer nozzle (PS offers a version for the one piece or two piece nozzle setup) and I opted to drill out the 26 bolt holes to fit a 10-32 black oxide buttonhead screw versus the 1/8" hole for a smaller buttonhead or pop rivets (no stainless exposed bolts messing up my color-scheme allowed!)
All in all I'm really happy with it even though it did take more time and trouble than I originally anticipated.
Next up I need to get the Savvy gas tank skid either powder coated or painted and installed along with some parts I've got coming from Motobilt (rear diff cover and rear frame crossmember) and Under Cover Fab (engine/transmission aluminum skidplate). The Mrs. and I signed up to do the Jeep Jamboree next month down near Williamsburg, KY. Its the 25th "Gateway to the Cumberlands" Jamboree and will be our first one to attend. I need to get everything up and running and tested before that weekend.
All in all I'm really happy with it even though it did take more time and trouble than I originally anticipated.
Next up I need to get the Savvy gas tank skid either powder coated or painted and installed along with some parts I've got coming from Motobilt (rear diff cover and rear frame crossmember) and Under Cover Fab (engine/transmission aluminum skidplate). The Mrs. and I signed up to do the Jeep Jamboree next month down near Williamsburg, KY. Its the 25th "Gateway to the Cumberlands" Jamboree and will be our first one to attend. I need to get everything up and running and tested before that weekend.
OP
They really are great lights and I’m a fan as well. Typically I’m not big on Halos but the JL ones don’t have a “fast and furious” look but are really clean. I’d definitely try them on the LJ if they were the right size.
Your LJ is looking good, that's for sure. The red and black works together so well!