Not to get off subject, but would like to ask a question. Your hardtop is Grey In color, like my 2003 TJ Sport is. Was your hardtop original to your Rubicon? I was wondering if mine was aftermarket, as thought most TJ Hardtops were Black.
I apparently picked a good TJ
- Thread starter CybrSlydr
- Start date
My factory hard top had little Mopar symbols in the bottom corners of the glass, does yours?
I already purchased the radiator myself. It's a Mopar radiator. The forum actually supplied me with the part number and I went to https://moparonlineparts.com/ and bought it. Just arrived yesterday, actually.
I do not know - I bought this TJ two years ago in Dallas, Texas. It's not original to me. Since the guy above said there are Mopar symbols, I'll check later and get back with ya.
According to my build sheet (https://www.jeep.com/webselfservice/BuildSheetServlet?vin=1J4FA69S56P778187), mine came with a dark khaki soft top AND hard top. So no, this top is aftermarket.
As for having someone do this stuff for me, I know that with your folks help and some YouTube vids, I could probably do most, if not all, of this myself.
The problem is I don't really trust myself. Getting this Jeep safe to travel 1500mi for a new job is extremely important and I don't want to fuck something up. So, while I could save some money doing it some other way, I'm willing to pay to have someone who's wrenched most of their adult life do this for me for peace of mind and know it's done right. I also have next to zero tools. No lift, no jack, no jack stands, nothing. So, this guy has all of that already.
The last thing I want is what was mentioned earlier - end up in the middle of nowhere Missouri or something on the side of the road, broken down. This mechanic was recommended to me by the guy that I trust to do my BMW (hard to find someone to do that in rural Appalachia). If he knows he does good enough work to send me his way, then that's good enough for me until proven otherwise.
The problem is I don't really trust myself. Getting this Jeep safe to travel 1500mi for a new job is extremely important and I don't want to fuck something up. So, while I could save some money doing it some other way, I'm willing to pay to have someone who's wrenched most of their adult life do this for me for peace of mind and know it's done right. I also have next to zero tools. No lift, no jack, no jack stands, nothing. So, this guy has all of that already.
The last thing I want is what was mentioned earlier - end up in the middle of nowhere Missouri or something on the side of the road, broken down. This mechanic was recommended to me by the guy that I trust to do my BMW (hard to find someone to do that in rural Appalachia). If he knows he does good enough work to send me his way, then that's good enough for me until proven otherwise.
Off topic. Congratulations on the move. I like Wyoming, and it is on our short list for relocation in 5-6 years.
Thanks! Very excited for the move. Got a Forest Service position (temp) out in Douglas as a Physical Science Tech (Minerals). My start date is the 8th of June. Going to leave Ohio on the 2nd and get there around the 4th and then move into my apartment on the 5th. Use that time to explore a bit and then start work on the following Monday. Little worried about the temp part, but the same department has a couple open permanent positions that I've applied for that are also in my degree field (Natural Resource Specialist).
My supervisor said he should be getting the lists for that position around the 10th of May, but a decision on the position wouldn't be made until after I'm already there.
TJScott
TJ Enthusiast
I would gladly dump the money into it to have it gone through by someone who knows what they’re doing. I have a mechanic that is very trustworthy. I send a lot of my work his way even though he’s a half hour away. Sometimes I don’t feel up to working on the Jeep and if I have the money, then I let him do it. I’m getting older and spending my life under the hood doesn’t have the same allure it used too. Let’s face it 1,000 bucks doesn’t go very far these days. It’s easy for the price of quality work to climb quickly. Like people said. He bought the equipment and knowledge. I’ve done a few weddings with my camera gear. They want cheap. I’ve got over 15k invested in the gear, then there are the classes I’ve taken. They forget those costs when trying to save money.
When I turned wrenches for a living and had people balk at whatever estimate was drawn up I'd just explain that the price includes the fact I went to school, studied & passed all my ASEs, and have about $15k worth of my own tools sitting in the shop bay. Not to mention the shop overhead of the lifts, the lights, the air compressors, so on and so on. If you want to do it in your driveway feel free, study up & buy the tools.
The older I've gotten the less of my own work I do. I used to be a fanatic about it, but I left that industry almost 20 years ago now and sometimes just don't feel like budgeting time to crawl around my vehicles even though I still have my tools. I just took the wife's Lexus in for an oil change & rear brakes the other day because my time was better spent elsewhere.
I checked my build sheet, and discovered my TJ originally came with an Easy Fold Soft Top. The TH was purchased in Hawaii (which probably didn’t need hard tops), and after a couple years ended up here in VA. It went thru 3 owners here, then, I am the 5th owner. MOPAR Hard top was more than likely installed here in VA.
Many businesses , especially contractors , fail for the same reason ...they don’t realize their own costs. Everything is money ...the education. The building, the tools, the toilet paper, the insurance, the license, the permit, the dumpster,the people the list never stops ..things wear out... the trucks , ladder racks , etc .....and the fuel to get there. I struggled for a long time not understanding the reality of that, then an awesome guy had a talk with me ...changed my life.
What is a fair price ? If they don’t scratch your vehicle, turn the job fast, nothing leaks and you had a good experience ...and they made a buck .... you are happy, and that is pretty fair. Fair needs to go both ways .
Also, in a large sense, you want people to stay in business to warranty what they did, or help you later.
As a contractor, I won’t negotiate price much, because I won’t compromise quality ...and the same person who wants it cheap wants it perfect ,it’s a personality type. If someone wants less attention to detail, we aren’t the contractor they are looking for, and that’s ok.
The OP is a good example of many of us ...he can do it , but by the time he tools up and goes through it all , it wasn’t a god use of time for a guy that needs to be ready to move.
Most of my wrenching nowadays is therapeutic ...just small things to get my mind off work and to make me feel good about my TJ ...having something to look forward to .
Got the Jeep back today!
In the end, the total was $1,225.
Brake pedal is nice and stiff now like it should be. Said the plugs were totally shot. That cone air filter wasn't doing anything anymore and put it back to stock. Throttle body was just covered in gunk (showed me the pic he took of it - yikes...). Headlights are WAY better now.
Also did a few things for me for free - painted the top of the engine black when he had it off to replace the valve cover gasket, cleaned up the engine, fixed the door retainer thingy that broke in the wind about a month ago, replaced the thermostat that the shop put in with a 180 thermostat (shop put a 195 in), and replaced some plastic rods/connectors (don't remember the names) with metal ones.
Driving it I could immediately tell a difference. Felt taut, didn't roll in the turns, engine was smoother... Felt like a new vehicle!
Even gave it a going over with a Mitt and some soap.
Turns out the guy is a Marine vet from the jungle era. I mentioned I got the loan for this one from USAA and asked if I was in, so we swapped some stories and a healthy dose of mutual respect. Good man doing honest work for an honest price. Can't ask for anything else.
All in all, supremely happy. Jeep feels brand spanking new.
In the end, the total was $1,225.
Brake pedal is nice and stiff now like it should be. Said the plugs were totally shot. That cone air filter wasn't doing anything anymore and put it back to stock. Throttle body was just covered in gunk (showed me the pic he took of it - yikes...). Headlights are WAY better now.
Also did a few things for me for free - painted the top of the engine black when he had it off to replace the valve cover gasket, cleaned up the engine, fixed the door retainer thingy that broke in the wind about a month ago, replaced the thermostat that the shop put in with a 180 thermostat (shop put a 195 in), and replaced some plastic rods/connectors (don't remember the names) with metal ones.
Driving it I could immediately tell a difference. Felt taut, didn't roll in the turns, engine was smoother... Felt like a new vehicle!
Even gave it a going over with a Mitt and some soap.
Turns out the guy is a Marine vet from the jungle era. I mentioned I got the loan for this one from USAA and asked if I was in, so we swapped some stories and a healthy dose of mutual respect. Good man doing honest work for an honest price. Can't ask for anything else.
All in all, supremely happy. Jeep feels brand spanking new.
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That’s kick ass man, glad you got some good service. Post his shop name up here, might get him some extra business!Got the Jeep back today!
In the end, the total was $1,225.
Brake pedal is nice and stiff now like it should be. Said the plugs were totally shot. That cone air filter wasn't doing anything anymore and put it back to stock. Throttle body was just covered in gunk (showed me the pic he took of it - yikes...). Headlights are WAY better now.
Also did a few things for me for free - painted the top of the engine black when he had it off to replace the valve cover gasket, cleaned up the engine, fixed the door retainer thingy that broke in the wind about a month ago, replaced the thermostat that the shop put in with a 180 thermostat (shop put a 195 in), and replaced some plastic rods/connectors (don't remember the names) with metal ones.
Driving it I could immediately tell a difference. Felt taut, didn't roll in the turns, engine was smoother... Felt like a new vehicle!
Even gave it a going over with a Mitt and some soap.
Turns out the guy is a Marine vet from the jungle era. I mentioned I got the loan for this one from USAA and asked if I was in, so we swapped some stories and a healthy dose of mutual respect. Good man doing honest work for an honest price. Can't ask for anything else.
All in all, supremely happy. Jeep feels brand spanking new.
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