Finally Found My TJ

Nice wife....Lucky guy.

I was actually thinking- Well it seems he’s got a strong marriage- He’s gonna need it.

I remember my wife crying when I got my second TJ for like a solid hour- But I knew deep down inside she was glad it was a Rubicon.

“Why didn’t you tell me, you knew how I would feel”

Uh, Honey I think you just answered your own question.

Remember, if shes going to be mad about you getting a part, order it. She will be mad, but you will have the parts you want.
 
I was actually thinking- Well it seems he’s got a strong marriage- He’s gonna need it.

I remember my wife crying when I got my second TJ for like a solid hour- But I knew deep down inside she was glad it was a Rubicon.

“Why didn’t you tell me, you knew how I would feel”

Uh, Honey I think you just answered your own question.

Remember, if shes going to be mad about you getting a part, order it. She will be mad, but you will have the parts you want.

And there you go, some classic marital advice from Andy! Just another reason why this community is the best. 👌
 
Maybe she was just cutting onions while preparing dinner before you told her? :cry:

Did you ever see the Bob Waltman interviews on Saturday night live with Kevin Nealon when he interviewed Burt Reynolds- He would talk to celebrities until he got them to cry and then look at the camera and smirk-

He couldn’t get Burt Reynolds to cry so he was cutting onions
 
I was actually thinking- Well it seems he’s got a strong marriage- He’s gonna need it.

I remember my wife crying when I got my second TJ for like a solid hour- But I knew deep down inside she was glad it was a Rubicon.

“Why didn’t you tell me, you knew how I would feel”

Uh, Honey I think you just answered your own question.

Remember, if shes going to be mad about you getting a part, order it. She will be mad, but you will have the parts you want.

better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. same amount of trouble either way.
 
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Well, I’ve saved my pennies for a bit and have a supportive wife. We live in So. Cal. and a couple of months ago she saw this 2003 TJ Sport, 5 speed manual with 109K on Facebook Marketplace.

View attachment 394703

The seller stated it was in all stock/original condition and he was asking $11,500. We ran the VIN and got a clear title, no accident Carfax on it. Next, we ran the VIN and got the Jeep build sheet to determine what options it left the factory with. Since it’s a Sport we knew it had the 4.0. What we didn’t know it that it was optioned with a Dana 44 rear axle w/3.73 gears and the 30” tire/wheel group. Nice.

We met the seller a few days later at a shopping center to look at it. He owned it for 14 years but you could tell he didn’t realize the gem he had and didn’t perform the maintenance tasks these Jeeps need to thrive in their old age. He basically drove it and treated it like a ‘95 Camry. As a result it was FILTHY inside the engine bay and the undercarriage with soot. I could see it would need some work but cleaned up it could be a real solid Jeep. Being a So. Cal. Jeep it had abdolutely no rust anywhere—frame and floorboards in immaculate condition.

We offered $9,000 and he said he couldn’t take anything less than $10,500. Deal.

To the chagrin of my loving wife, my bank account and my children’s affections, I have spent nearly every day since acquiring it showing it the love it deserves. It’s our 3rd vehicle (I have a 2019 JLUR and she has a Pilot, of course…) but I keep finding excuses to drive it.

Professionally, I ponied up and had the rear main seal, oil pan and valve cover gasket replaced to address the oil leaks apparent when I bought it. Also, I paid for a new clutch, brakes, wheels, lugs, and 31” BFG KO2s.

As for me, I gutted the interior and have added new Bestop Trail Max Pro seats front and back, new rear seat belts, complete Bedrug carpet kit, new roll bar pad cover (this was a PITA to install), new stereo headunit, new dash speakers, new soundbar speakers, new soft top, new fender flares, new KC HiLites halogen headlights, new Denso turn signal/parking lamp assemblies,, new Denso side marker lights, new spark plugs, new hood latches (also a PITA to install),Dana 44 differential service, restored factory spare tire carrier and a new 3rd brake light and more…

View attachment 394706

View attachment 394707

View attachment 394715

View attachment 394713

View attachment 394708



And just to top it completely off (at least for now while my wallet recovers) can you believe the Mrs. also found a set of unbelievably nice condition half doors (also on FM) about 6 weeks ago for a great price that she also let me buy?

View attachment 394710

Looking forward to learning a lot here and contributing where I can. Happy to be part of this amazing community.

View attachment 394709

Nice Jeep! I gotta get my head around something though...You said your wife found both the jeep and half doors for you? Holy Cow, she's a keeper! My wife is the anti-enabler...I gotta take @AndyG's advice and buy now to ask for forgiveness later. The nice thing about that is my wife has a really good, supportive relationship with the UPS guy so when I do something stupid, she has a shoulder to cry on... :D
 
Nice Jeep! I gotta get my head around something though...You said your wife found both the jeep and half doors for you? Holy Cow, she's a keeper! My wife is the anti-enabler...I gotta take @AndyG's advice and buy now to ask for forgiveness later. The nice thing about that is my wife has a really good, supportive relationship with the UPS guy so when I do something stupid, she has a shoulder to cry on... :D

According to my wife, male TJ owners are a combination of a walking fart, a 2 year old that can’t find anything, and a teenager constantly on the verge of doing something stupid.

Fair assessment.
 
The nice thing about that is my wife has a really good, supportive relationship with the UPS guy so when I do something stupid, she has a shoulder to cry on... :D


340D9DFB-7D52-4AC2-ACF5-E15AAA6F7465.gif
 
@Barely Krawlified

You will love this forum. Knowledge nuggets everywhere. Your wrangler looks great. Awesome story. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to more.
Cheers

Thanks for the welcome. Honestly, I'm kicking myself for taking this long to get a TJ. What the hell was I waiting for???

But you're right...this forum is absolutely amazing and its because of the people who make it up its member base. Love live the TJ and it's dedicated group of owners!
 
Congratulations. You and I just picked up matching TJs....right down to the Dana 44 in the rear. And I just made an offer on a pair of half-doors.

Love what you've done so far, you're making me feel like a slacker.
 
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Nice Jeep ! I saw the thread where you said you have not put a cold air intake or a throttle body on it yet. I was thinking about adding both of those items until I read an article on the web site that explained to why adding those 2 items and a few others was not beneficial. Its a personal decision what we do to our Jeeps and I usually don’t say anything about add ons but if you read the article you may save a few bucks. I don’t remember what the exact title of the article is but I am sure you could find it.
 
Nice Jeep ! I saw the thread where you said you have not put a cold air intake or a throttle body on it yet. I was thinking about adding both of those items until I read an article on the web site that explained to why adding those 2 items and a few others was not beneficial. Its a personal decision what we do to our Jeeps and I usually don’t say anything about add ons but if you read the article you may save a few bucks. I don’t remember what the exact title of the article is but I am sure you could find it.

Thanks for the compliment on my TJ.

Just for clarification though, I never said I have not put on an CAI or a throttle body on it yet. Rather, another poster replied to my initial list of completed mods that they were glad that list did not include the aforementioned CAI or throttle body.

I doubt I'll be undertaking either of those two mods though. I'm definitely going for more of a "Stock+" build and want the motor/cooling system/exhaust/drivetrain to have as many factory Mopar parts as possible even though my wallet is going to hate me for it.
 
Well, I’ve saved my pennies for a bit and have a supportive wife. We live in So. Cal. and a couple of months ago she saw this 2003 TJ Sport, 5 speed manual with 109K on Facebook Marketplace.

View attachment 394703

The seller stated it was in all stock/original condition and he was asking $11,500. We ran the VIN and got a clear title, no accident Carfax on it. Next, we ran the VIN and got the Jeep build sheet to determine what options it left the factory with. Since it’s a Sport we knew it had the 4.0. What we didn’t know it that it was optioned with a Dana 44 rear axle w/3.73 gears and the 30” tire/wheel group. Nice.

We met the seller a few days later at a shopping center to look at it. He owned it for 14 years but you could tell he didn’t realize the gem he had and didn’t perform the maintenance tasks these Jeeps need to thrive in their old age. He basically drove it and treated it like a ‘95 Camry. As a result it was FILTHY inside the engine bay and the undercarriage with soot. I could see it would need some work but cleaned up it could be a real solid Jeep. Being a So. Cal. Jeep it had abdolutely no rust anywhere—frame and floorboards in immaculate condition.

We offered $9,000 and he said he couldn’t take anything less than $10,500. Deal.

To the chagrin of my loving wife, my bank account and my children’s affections, I have spent nearly every day since acquiring it showing it the love it deserves. It’s our 3rd vehicle (I have a 2019 JLUR and she has a Pilot, of course…) but I keep finding excuses to drive it.

Professionally, I ponied up and had the rear main seal, oil pan and valve cover gasket replaced to address the oil leaks apparent when I bought it. Also, I paid for a new clutch, brakes, wheels, lugs, and 31” BFG KO2s.

As for me, I gutted the interior and have added new Bestop Trail Max Pro seats front and back, new rear seat belts, complete Bedrug carpet kit, new roll bar pad cover (this was a PITA to install), new stereo headunit, new dash speakers, new soundbar speakers, new soft top, new fender flares, new KC HiLites halogen headlights, new Denso turn signal/parking lamp assemblies,, new Denso side marker lights, new spark plugs, new hood latches (also a PITA to install),Dana 44 differential service, restored factory spare tire carrier and a new 3rd brake light and more…

View attachment 394706

View attachment 394707

View attachment 394715

View attachment 394713

View attachment 394708



And just to top it completely off (at least for now while my wallet recovers) can you believe the Mrs. also found a set of unbelievably nice condition half doors (also on FM) about 6 weeks ago for a great price that she also let me buy?

View attachment 394710

Looking forward to learning a lot here and contributing where I can. Happy to be part of this amazing community.

View attachment 394709

Sweet rig, super clean and that optional dana 44 rear end..HUGE BONUS! Looks amazing and you got a killer deal on it. CONGRATS
 
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