Hi all! I bought my ‘04 from my sister a couple of years ago she bought it new in ‘05 and outside of a couple of mechanical issues it was in great condition. I recently came across this forum and thought it would be a good place to get some ideas and and share some of the work I’ve been doing. Feel free to ask me any questions.
Hi from North Texas
- Thread starter MikeyB36
- Start date
Here she is when I first got her compared with how she is today. I’ll be documenting all the specific changes I’ve made shortly.
Great looking Rubicon, you did well!
Oh, and welcome to the forum. I look forward to seeing more of your build
Oh, and welcome to the forum. I look forward to seeing more of your build
Welcome to the group from the Island of Long, My name is Johnny & i'm a JEEPAHOLIC 
So first I decided to go for some easy cosmetic improvements. I painted my chrome headlight bezels black and I have since purchased some LED headlights (a major improvement in both looks and function). I also painted my faded out fender flairs with spray on Rustoleum bed liner.
Thanks for all the warm welcomes!
The next project was the engine. It ran decently but the lifters rattled like crazy and there was a very noticeable lack of low end torque. So, when I finally got a few days where I didn’t need to drive anywhere my father and I pulled the head and replaced all the lifters. To my relief the head and cylinders were in great condition especially for having 190k miles. When we got it back together it was perfectly quiet and it ran like a new motor.
The next project was the engine. It ran decently but the lifters rattled like crazy and there was a very noticeable lack of low end torque. So, when I finally got a few days where I didn’t need to drive anywhere my father and I pulled the head and replaced all the lifters. To my relief the head and cylinders were in great condition especially for having 190k miles. When we got it back together it was perfectly quiet and it ran like a new motor.
Without a doubt the most fun project has been building my own bumpers. I used 2x4 rectangular tubing with diamond plate for end caps, and coated them with Rustoleum bedliner. Soon I’m going to make some side steps in a similar style.
And most recently I painted my stock silver Moab wheels black using Duplicolor wheel coating. It was a lot of work to get them clean and prepped but the end result was worth it. I even taped off the Jeep lettering on the center caps so the aluminum would contrast against the black. I’m very happy with how it turned out.
P.s. I’ve ordered some black lug nuts that complete the look. Can’t wait for them to come in!
Nice, very nice!
If you contemplate ever going off road, I would suggest considering making rock sliders rather than just side steps. The sliders can serve the same purpose but also protect the rocker panels on your very clean Rubi.
The PPO of my '06 Rubi welded these on and I'm thrilled to have them. This pic is after I had cleaned them off and hit them with primer, before applying...oh, look...Rustoleum bedliner (love the stuff)
If you contemplate ever going off road, I would suggest considering making rock sliders rather than just side steps. The sliders can serve the same purpose but also protect the rocker panels on your very clean Rubi.
The PPO of my '06 Rubi welded these on and I'm thrilled to have them. This pic is after I had cleaned them off and hit them with primer, before applying...oh, look...Rustoleum bedliner (love the stuff)
Love the bumpers! Every time someone from Texas mentions welding I think of ZZ top's "Master of Sparks"! LOL
Gonna be down there in a week.
Gonna be down there in a week.
TJ2
TJ Expert
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