Kiwi TJ
I don't suffer from insanity I enjoy every minute
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
I felt a ME TOO in there somewhere...Haha... I won't dispute that one bit Blaine. I am indeed a "modification collector".
Well said... I actually laughed out loud when I read that :risas3:
X2 on you approach, when I bought my jeep it was bone stock, after hanging out here for bit and some research I asked Jerry Bransford for a recommendation on a reputable shop. The one he sent me to asked all the questions you mentioned and we went from that point. After wheeling for it a year I may be considering some changes but that is to be expected.First, you have to find out what the client's needs and desires are with regard to where he wishes to spend his time offroad or if at all.
After that, you discuss tire size. Once tire size is settled on, then the details of what it takes to run that tire size for what he wants to do come into the discussion and a build plan is laid out either all at one or more typically in stages with the key goal being to not go backwards in any aspect of the build.
Being able to read a client gets tricky. Over the years I've come to learn that there are some like Chris who are just modification collectors and at the other end are those like myself who started wheeling on stock tires, when it wouldn't go where I wanted, I took it home, built it some, took it back and kept after it until it did what I needed.
The collectors are tricky. I had one in particular who asked me what to do next. Where are you going? Mostly Big Bear, some day the Rubicon, local mild stuff. I told him he didn't need a thing and his rig was set up perfectly for all of that and then some. He tells me, alright, what if I want to go to Johnson Valley? Well, you're gonna need some armor, lighter bumpers, lose the swingout, and get some better rock sliders. Dial in the shocks and you should be good.
He has me do all of that and over the course of a year I got to know him and his wheeling style and there isn't a chance in hell he is ever going to JV. That part of the conversation was just to get me to tell him what to buy and have installed.
Understand the intent is only informative not judgmental. I have a good friend with a Black TJ Unlimited. It only goes offroad to run bunny trails and it is with only a few small changes built well enough to run JV consistently. I know this and have no issue helping him add to his collection from time to time.Haha... I won't dispute that one bit Blaine. I am indeed a "modification collector".
Well said... I actually laughed out loud when I read that :risas3:
That's awful kind of you. I appreciate it.Those guys I have got to know first, made a relationship with, and know the type of work they specialize in. Blaine is one of those, if I wasn't ever able to work on my own. I've seen enough of his work and know of his particular nature.
Absolutely zero shops here that I think I would trust my Jeep with. It's quite unfortunate but I've even experienced some bad "word of mouth" recommendations too. I was hoping to find some golden rules within this post but a lot of what has been said is true. My woman can tell when I start fishing because I start asking questions she knows that I know a substantial amount about. "Baiting" may be rude but it can definitely tell you what you need to know about another person and their integrity.....
As for mod collecting - isn't it just a desire to replace parts with something better and never have to fix it again or the basic search for ways to make your rig bullet proof even if the terrain you're on isn't going to test the real abilities of your modified hardware? A couple of guy stereotypes going on - "better to have and not need" and the fact that guys always have to try out their engineering skills when they aren't happy with the original idea........
I'm not bothered by it at all. Just know that it is being done and deal with it. I will however, pause to question the sense of it sometimes. Like the one we built right before this one. Does a TJ Unlimited really need Currie VXR's with a full float rear and RCV fronts?"Mod collecting" doesn't bother me. It's no different than a hot rod guy spending $50k having a grand touring Camaro built, and never taking it to the track. Be happy with what you do, and do what makes you happy.
"Mod collecting" doesn't bother me. It's no different than a hot rod guy spending $50k having a grand touring Camaro built, and never taking it to the track. Be happy with what you do, and do what makes you happy.
Does a TJ Unlimited really need Currie VXR's with a full float rear and RCV fronts?
....
I feel for the people who are not mechanically inclined. There are so many ignorant people, both on the selling end and the buying end, that there is a LOT of money spend on unnecessary repairs and modifications.
To add to the difficulty, it seems like many poorly implemented repairs or modifications are easily dismissed as "a Jeep thing". We often see it here when someone says they know their lifted Jeep will never handle well or won't be comfortable or can't go faster than 55mph... The culture simply accepts poor performance and discomfort as part of the rugged tough guy experience. A few even make a point of making their Jeeps irritating to be in and around. This is a problem both with the shops and the customers.
....
Speaking of CJ's...How is your Dad coming along? I sub'ed his post for daily emails, but haven't seen anything lately
I think that mentality is a hold over from the old leaf-sprung rides of the CJ. How do you get lift with a leaf spring? increase the arch and rate...thus creating a buckboard.
...
as a side note: It is funny to listen to people on here who have never tried a product but know all about it...
That is a double edged sword. I don't need to eat a cat shit sandwich to know I'm not going to like and its suitability as a food product is ill founded and entirely incorrect. In the same vein, I have built enough steering and suspension to pretty much tell how something is going to work so no, I don't need to have any experience to know that Rugged Ridge inverted T is going to handle and drive like crap.
The same is true for brakes, post up something and I'll be able to tell how it works or at least have a better than fair chance of doing so.
I agree with you in general though but not everything has to be experienced to know it is bad or good for that matter.