I'm guessing those 44's with air lockers will be above and beyond what I'll need. I'll tell the shop that it's what I want and hope he can work with it. He's not a dealer so he won't make any money on it unless he can work something out with Currie.
Help with potential big build
- Thread starter Clockhart2
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that kind of leaves my options as Currie or Metalcloak mid arm 3.5" The price is close enough that I won't let it be a deciding factor. Are there any good reasons why I should choose one over the other? (Already have a set of Rancho RS5000X - if those don't work with Metalcloak, then Metalcloak is likely out)
I've read a lot of threads but I don't have any opinion of my own. I have no experience with either or any lift for that matter. I just know that we would like to keep this car for years to come. If it can be safe and capable off-road, I think we will be able to start a new hobby and have a lot of fun on the weekends...
I suppose it all depends on the type of wheeling you intend to do there in Korea.
You’ll find that most of us would go with Currie over Metalcloak any day of the week.
With those axles and a Currie 4" lift, what are the limits? I don't want to put myself in any position in the future to damage something.
I kind of knew that. I was just wondering if anyone knew of any advantages or drawbacks to choosing one over another. I'll be happy either way if it's high quality and functions well.
35” tires would be the limit. However, you don’t want to run a tire larger than 35s on a TJ without extending the wheelbase and doing what can only be described as a shit ton of work.
I wasn’t planning on 35’s. Actually I intended on 33’s until he told me that he will get me axles. I won’t go larger than 35’s. I was just wondering about the vehicles capabilities/limits. The shop owner didn’t seem impressed or excited about those axles and a Currie lift. He said “you can do some of the beginner courses with that” and he said I can break those axles.. So I started to question what I thought I knew. That shop only seems to be dealing with JLs and maybe the occasional JK. Maybe those vehicles are just way superior to ours off-road.
Have you closely looked at the Metalcloak's, I glanced at the 8" front version real fast and yes, they extend 8" but taper back into the body quickly. They will make you fill in that Gap with mud flaps or rubber. Without some type of fill in for that gap Ill bet they flag you.
I think you would be better with the maximum backspacing on your wheels and still have a decent turning radius and running different extended flares. But that's me, I'm not a fan of those metalcloak fenders. Cool if you like them though. But they will need even more coverage no matter what you do if they are that strict.
The Currie Rockjock 44 is offered in a front and rear and can be shipped from Currie as a bolt in affair front and rear. Give Currie a call and they can get you a written quote for a set of 44’s for a 4 inch lifted TJ.
Going this route would allow you to upgrade your axles that can build a lot of confidence when offroading with bigger tires like 33’s or 35’s.
You could even contact Carbon Offroad for the same axles built to be bolted in.
do you need 44’s? No, the Dana 30 and Dana 35 can handle the 33” tire just fine with just a few upgrades.
Going this route would allow you to upgrade your axles that can build a lot of confidence when offroading with bigger tires like 33’s or 35’s.
You could even contact Carbon Offroad for the same axles built to be bolted in.
do you need 44’s? No, the Dana 30 and Dana 35 can handle the 33” tire just fine with just a few upgrades.
I cant respond , im trying to figure out how to get mine over there to get hit.
That's a really good point and I was kind of afraid of that. I wonder if I would be able to get away with it in daily life but then change to some narrower tires just for the inspection. It's once every two years so the next one is going to be early 2023. I think many people with modified vehicles do it that way over here. In early February when I had the inspection, I had to put the back seat and factory headlights in just for the inspection per a local shop's suggestion. I'm not going to order anything until I talk with the shop my Jeep is currently at since modifying these Jeeps is all they do. I also thought they were terrible when I initially saw the Metalcloaks but they've grown on me a little bit. I still don't like the arched version but the overline version is okay and that's what I would order. I don't like the silver triangle and would have everything painted body color if not powdercoated. I prefer Genright but they only have 6" and I'm almost certain that would never pass even with skinny tires. I'll talk it over with the shop beforehand.
I don't know if I need them or not. I have no clue what the future holds. But keeping a 30 and 35 will not put extra money toward other upgrades or extra money in my pocket. All insurance money has to go toward the vehicle. So with that said, if the shop can get both axles in my car at no cost to me, why not? That would allow me to safely do whatever I want moving forward.
I noticed that the bluebook value of my vehicle is somewhere between $10-12,000. However, the market is very different. Finding a clean TJ, especially something like a Sahara or Rubicon with low miles, is very difficult and they are going for more like $15-20,000 and some very nice Rubicons are on the market for up to $30k. Mine has around 72,000 miles on it. (113,000 km) No rust, drives smooth. **drove smooth, has a factory Mopar winch.
I am still waiting on insurance to figure everything out and come to us with an offer. I had to send them a list of all the modifications I've done to the car. In the past year, the receipts total up to $9,000. (minus shipping fees it's probably more like $7-7,500.
The off-road shop that currently has my vehicle is going to write an estimate for $35,000 in repairs and it looks like insurance isn't going to pay that. So there will be some negotiation process and at this point I'm clueless at what their first offer will be. I was told there is some limit to how much they are liable to pay by law. If by chance it's lower than the market, I'll contact a lawyer to get an opinion since my wife and I have both never been in this situation before.
At this point, I am leaning toward not repairing the vehicle because 1. I'm not confident in their ability to do this repair over here, and 2. I don't think I'll end up getting enough money beyond just repairing the damage, whereas the shop promised me he could get $35k from insurance and two new axles with lockers. So right now, my heart is leaning toward importing a clean '03-'06 Rubicon for $20k or less. I think a nice JK Rubicon (2012+ with 3.6L) will cost me $30k and I'll have to rethink my stereo.
So, what's a realistic market value of my car upgrades aside?
Clean '03 Sahara with 71,000 miles. Mechanically solid and rust free as far as I've seen.
I am still waiting on insurance to figure everything out and come to us with an offer. I had to send them a list of all the modifications I've done to the car. In the past year, the receipts total up to $9,000. (minus shipping fees it's probably more like $7-7,500.
The off-road shop that currently has my vehicle is going to write an estimate for $35,000 in repairs and it looks like insurance isn't going to pay that. So there will be some negotiation process and at this point I'm clueless at what their first offer will be. I was told there is some limit to how much they are liable to pay by law. If by chance it's lower than the market, I'll contact a lawyer to get an opinion since my wife and I have both never been in this situation before.
At this point, I am leaning toward not repairing the vehicle because 1. I'm not confident in their ability to do this repair over here, and 2. I don't think I'll end up getting enough money beyond just repairing the damage, whereas the shop promised me he could get $35k from insurance and two new axles with lockers. So right now, my heart is leaning toward importing a clean '03-'06 Rubicon for $20k or less. I think a nice JK Rubicon (2012+ with 3.6L) will cost me $30k and I'll have to rethink my stereo.
So, what's a realistic market value of my car upgrades aside?
Clean '03 Sahara with 71,000 miles. Mechanically solid and rust free as far as I've seen.
A clean 03 Sahara with 71k miles and rust free would probably go for around 14-15k here in the states, give or take.
I think you're probably better off cutting your losses here. Not that I don't love the TJ platform, but I'd be hesitant to trust many shops abroad working on a TJ, and having owned both a really nice JK Rubicon and my TJ, I will say that the JK makes a much, much better daily driver. My TJ is a dedicated wheeling rig at this point, so that's a moot point for me.
I think you're probably better off cutting your losses here. Not that I don't love the TJ platform, but I'd be hesitant to trust many shops abroad working on a TJ, and having owned both a really nice JK Rubicon and my TJ, I will say that the JK makes a much, much better daily driver. My TJ is a dedicated wheeling rig at this point, so that's a moot point for me.
I was leaning toward the JK too for a large number of reasons but it really comes down to what we work out with insurance. If I buy a JK Rubicon (2-door), then I'll need to plan on $30-35k. If I plan on a TJ Rubicon, then I'll need to plan on $20-25k. It could be a price difference of around $10k.
I love technology and new things. Love leather seats...etc etc
But, I have a number of parts for the TJ. Yesterday, I got a Brand X 250 A alternator in the mail painted in gloss black. Today, I got a Helix DSP mini in the mail that fits perfectly under the driver seat. I have custom A-pillars and custom over-head pods for the TJ. I have the ACC Essex mass-backed carpet that is essentially brand new. Lots of things purchased for the Sahara that could potentially go right in a new TJ and I'd save money. One more reason for staying with TJ is that it's incredibly rare and special here. Yesterday, we called another Jeep shop in Korea to get a second opinion on this fiasco and he said that our Jeep is probably 1 out of 10 like it in the entire country and the other ones aren't for sale (and likely won't be for sale any time in the foreseeable future).
After reaching a final agreement with insurance (I'm so stressed), I will get in contact with companies that handle used vehicle imports. There will be shipping fees and some taxes but luckily there is a fair trade agreement between the US and Korea so that will help out quite a bit. Might have to buy without physically inspecting myself.
I love technology and new things. Love leather seats...etc etc
But, I have a number of parts for the TJ. Yesterday, I got a Brand X 250 A alternator in the mail painted in gloss black. Today, I got a Helix DSP mini in the mail that fits perfectly under the driver seat. I have custom A-pillars and custom over-head pods for the TJ. I have the ACC Essex mass-backed carpet that is essentially brand new. Lots of things purchased for the Sahara that could potentially go right in a new TJ and I'd save money. One more reason for staying with TJ is that it's incredibly rare and special here. Yesterday, we called another Jeep shop in Korea to get a second opinion on this fiasco and he said that our Jeep is probably 1 out of 10 like it in the entire country and the other ones aren't for sale (and likely won't be for sale any time in the foreseeable future).
After reaching a final agreement with insurance (I'm so stressed), I will get in contact with companies that handle used vehicle imports. There will be shipping fees and some taxes but luckily there is a fair trade agreement between the US and Korea so that will help out quite a bit. Might have to buy without physically inspecting myself.
Send them links to the Jeeps you find. An insurance company who’s good at what they do, will look at the market along with the bluebook to help come up with the value.
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