Hello From Mt. Pleasant TX

CDE

CDE

New Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
22
Location
Mount Pleasant, TX, United States
Hello Everyone,

I am a new Jeep owner from Mt Pleasant TX. This is my first Jeep Wrangler (I also have a 2WD 2016 Cherokee) so I am pretty new to the scene. It's a 2004 X Model with 109k miles. The first vehicle I ever owned was a 1978 Toyota FJ40 when I was 14 years old, but life happened and I had to get rid of it shortly after (didn’t even get to drive it legally on the road). Ever since, most of my playing in the dirt has been on 2 wheels, but I am eager to start wheeling this TJ. I took it to the Ouachita Mountains last week and had a blast. I plan on another trip to Big Bend National Park later this year (went 3 weeks ago and it inspired this Jeep purchase).

I traded my truck to a dealership for the Jeep. They were pretty clueless as to what mods had been done. From the build sheet, it appears it was equipped with 3.73 gears. I managed to determine it has a 4” Rough Country Suspension Lift based on the part number on the shocks. It also has a Rough Country steering stabilizer and 33x12.5x15 Dunlop Mud Rovers. Beyond that I’m not entirely sure what has been done. It was last in Avinger TX and before that in Canyon TX, so if anyone knows the Jeep and any details about what has been done to it, I would greatly appreciate the information.

Here are some pics. If you spot anything that looks aftermarket, let me know.

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Looks good. The RC springs would be fine, the shocks generally suck. But if you find the ride ok, that's up to you whether to change them or not. Not sure why the dual steering stabilizer is on there, no Jeep really needs more than one, unless it's trying to mask another steering issue. A lot of people try to fix steering issues with new steering stabilizers, but they don't fix anything. Nice bumpers, wheels, and tires. Welcome to the TJ world!
 
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Welcome, nice looking TJ for sure.
Wheels, fenders and bumpers are aftermarket as well.
Like the way it sits.
 
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Nice looking jeep and welcome to the forum. From what I can see, the obvious aftermarket goodies are the wheels, front/rear bumpers, and shocks/springs/sway bar links. Yep, that dual steering stabilizer is not really needed for our TJ's. Reminds of something on a JK. Your steering looks all stock from what I can tell. It looks like they redrilled the hole for the front track bar to try and center the axle. The axle shifts to one side when you lift them. That's typically not the best way to do that because the newly drilled hole gets close to the edge of the mount bracket on the axle side. Best cure for that would be to get an adjustable track bar and mount it back into the original mount hole on the axle side. Do a steering check and check all the tie rod ends for wear. The only other issue I can see would be the spare tire. Your tailgate wasn't really designed to hold the weight of larger tires, so over time your hinges could cause your gate to sag or bend. Other than that, looks like you have a great platform to start off with. Enjoy it and wheel that sucka!
 
glwood said:
Looks good. The RC springs would be fine, the shocks generally suck. But if you find the ride ok, that's up to you whether to change them or not. Not sure why the dual steering stabilizer is on there, no Jeep really needs more than one, unless it's trying to mask another steering issue. A lot of people try to fix steering issues with new steering stabilizers, but they don't fix anything. Nice bumpers, wheels, and tires. Welcome to the TJ world!
Click to expand...

Yea I was planning on changing the shocks. Wasn't sure about the springs, but good to hear they are better than the shocks. The ride is actually not bad, but I don't really have a basis for comparison. As far as steering, she handles fine, so I hope there isn't an underlying issue.

Thx for the welcom.
 
tman66 said:
Welcome to the forum. That rig should do nicely at Big Bend. Have you gone over to Big Bend Ranch State Park yet?
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Not yet. We spent about 3.5 days at the National Park and did just about everything we could with a 2WD. I'm ready to get back with a capable rig so I can take the OHV roads. I really want to check out the State Park when we go back if time permits. Is it better than the National Park?
 
bobthetj03 said:
Nice looking jeep and welcome to the forum. From what I can see, the obvious aftermarket goodies are the wheels, front/rear bumpers, and shocks/springs/sway bar links. Yep, that dual steering stabilizer is not really needed for our TJ's. Reminds of something on a JK. Your steering looks all stock from what I can tell. It looks like they redrilled the hole for the front track bar to try and center the axle. The axle shifts to one side when you lift them. That's typically not the best way to do that because the newly drilled hole gets close to the edge of the mount bracket on the axle side. Best cure for that would be to get an adjustable track bar and mount it back into the original mount hole on the axle side. Do a steering check and check all the tie rod ends for wear. The only other issue I can see would be the spare tire. Your tailgate wasn't really designed to hold the weight of larger tires, so over time your hinges could cause your gate to sag or bend. Other than that, looks like you have a great platform to start off with. Enjoy it and wheel that sucka!
Click to expand...

Great info. This is exactly the kind of feedback I had hoped for. Looks like I know what my first purchases will be (along with an Aussie locker).
 
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bobthetj03 said:
. The only other issue I can see would be the spare tire. Your tailgate wasn't really designed to hold the weight of larger tires, so over time your hinges could cause your gate to sag or bend.
Click to expand...

X2. I forgot to mention the spare on the tailgate. Do yourself a favor and check out Exogate. They sell replacement hinges, tailgate reinforcement, and tire carrier, or a combination of all of those as a system. I have a 32" spare tire, and have seriously considered upgrading the hinges as step one. The other parts can be added afterward.
 
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CDE said:
Not yet. We spent about 3.5 days at the National Park and did just about everything we could with a 2WD. I'm ready to get back with a capable rig so I can take the OHV roads. I really want to check out the State Park when we go back if time permits. Is it better than the National Park?
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I think so. It's really remote.

For riding motorcycles, it's a lot tougher than BBNP. Although, once you get deep into BBNP you don't see anybody either.
 
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Welcome fellow Texan! Great looking Jeep. I can't wait for a full report on Big Bend as it is on our list of places to visit, also!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Welcome to the forum...nice and clean and love the stance on your TJ.....everyone here is happy to help with anything you need advice wise and there is a wealth of great TJ knowledge here.:D
 
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Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I'm already very impressed with the community.

LTTJ said:
Welcome fellow Texan! Great looking Jeep. I can't wait for a full report on Big Bend as it is on our list of places to visit, also!
Click to expand...

I'll be sure to get lots of pics and do a full write-up. Should be going sometime in November. In the meantime here is one of the shots I got last time with my Google Pixel phone. It's not from an OHV trail, but gives you an idea of just how incredible the landscape is there.
 
Awesome TJ. Looks great. Great suggestions from the other guys too. I'm from Paris, TX, so you're 52 minutes from where I grew up. Now I live in Fredericksburg, TX. But tonight we're RVing in Canyon, TX at the lake. Did I tell you I love yellow TJ's!
 
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