In praise of basically stock TJ's

GorillaBiscuit said:
Yea, that's what's so awesome about jeeps. TJ's in particular. Whether it's bone stock or fully modded I love them all! Lol
Click to expand...
Right!?

I was getting some CB repair parts the other day and parked next to a really clean, lifted TJ. Getting out of my rig I noticed that it had Savvy control arms on it. At that point, I had to get down and look the suspension and underside over to see what all I could see. I really like my basically stock SE, but it's easy to get jazzed about a clean, smart build when you see one. Actually saw that rig twice that day. Admired it both times, without being jealous of it.

I get all excited about levers and switches and analog gauges. And good, clean mechanical parts with nice machining and well done finishes. And allen head and torx bolts with washers put on the correct way. Maybe that's why very old steam ships fire me up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sancho and GorillaBiscuit
CybrSlydr said:
This sums up where I am in my "build" process. Don't have the spare $$$ to really do anything, so I'm looking for groups where I can learn how to properly use what I have before I decide where I need to upgrade what I have.
Click to expand...
...and that's the problem. You have to see it being done and try it yourself to learn it. There's a lot of time and effort involved. I can't effectively describe how to wheel my TJ to anyone else, and have them duplicate the results. Heck, I'm having a hard time teaching my wife how to wheel my Jeep. There's a lot of stopping and getting out, pointing and hand gestures. Some body english. Drawing pictures. Describing what things do and how they do it. I'm a neophyte at this as well, so there's a lot of awe involved in hearing about and seeing an old hand wheel a section of trail that just kicked my butt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CybrSlydr
Sancho said:
The worry should always remain. But the lower to the ground you get, the more prone to crunching your oil pan.
Click to expand...
Not really, it is pretty much the same risk regardless of tire size unless you happen to be one of those who builds a big rig and never uses it. My oil pan and transmission pan are in danger constantly on 40" tires. Likely more so due to the size and frequency of the rocks on the trails I play on. Put another way, the vast majority of trails you can take a stock height rig on, the pan is in danger some of the time. It is avoidable generally and a skid is optional, maybe not ideal to leave them unprotected but you can get by. On the 40's, it is not optional.
 
mrblaine said:
What which part?
Click to expand...
You said that same risk regardless of tire size then said 40" tires required a skid. I didn't understand that part. I will never run that size tires but was just confused why the larger tire required a skid with the same risk as the smaller tires which you said skid was optional.

Edit: I have a skid and not much lift and now you say it's optional, you are making me second guess my decisions!
 
Last edited:
pagrey said:
You said that same risk regardless of tire size then said 40" tires required a skid. I didn't understand that part. I will never run that size tires but was just confused why the larger tire required a skid with the same risk as the smaller tires which you said skid was optional.

Edit: I have a skid and not much lift and now you say it's optional, you are making me second guess my decisions!
Click to expand...
Alright, sorta the same. Generally the smaller tired rigs are not playing in the big rocks and the risk is there but can generally be avoided. When you get in the big rocks like JV, the line takes precedent a lot of the time over risk of damage so you depend on your skids and focus on making the line.

If you have a skid keep it. Depending on what you do and where you go, it may be more needed than not.

A better way to illustrate it is when I was on 30, 31 and 33" tires, I didn't worry about a skid. Trails can be very difficult without endangering the oil or trans pans. Only when I moved to 35's and started playing in JV did it become mandatory.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pagrey
All i know is... when i go through a rock garden on 31's and stock height... i am ultra aware of what i come down on, and definetly wish i had a few extra inches of clearance.
 
  • Like
Reactions: matkal
Sancho said:
All i know is... when i go through a rock garden on 31's and stock height... i am ultra aware of what i come down on, and definetly wish i had a few extra inches of clearance.
Click to expand...

I can also say that the rocks seem to get bigger as you add more clearance and protection. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fouledplugs and Sancho
mrblaine said:
Alright, sorta the same. Generally the smaller tired rigs are not playing in the big rocks and the risk is there but can generally be avoided. When you get in the big rocks like JV, the line takes precedent a lot of the time over risk of damage so you depend on your skids and focus on making the line.

If you have a skid keep it. Depending on what you do and where you go, it may be more needed than not.

A better way to illustrate it is when I was on 30, 31 and 33" tires, I didn't worry about a skid. Trails can be very difficult without endangering the oil or trans pans. Only when I moved to 35's and started playing in JV did it become mandatory.
Click to expand...

Random question here - do you have thoughts/opinions on how to go about making the most all around capable (refreshed/restored) stock TJ build possible? I see all the amazing work you produce and I'm curious what you would do to improve an otherwise stock platform if the goal wasn't a heavily modded build for a very specific purpose like extreme rock crawling.
 
Not_Invented_Here_ said:
Random question here - do you have thoughts/opinions on how to go about making the most all around capable (refreshed/restored) stock TJ build possible? I see all the amazing work you produce and I'm curious what you would do to improve an otherwise stock platform if the goal wasn't a heavily modded build for a very specific purpose like extreme rock crawling.
Click to expand...
All around capable and stay stock?
 
mrblaine said:
All around capable and stay stock?
Click to expand...

Yeah guess I could be more specific. I meant more avoiding things like any kind of lift and making improvements wherever possible without major changes (i.e. zj upgrade) - not "stock" stock but you're not drastically altering something so much as improving it by, in this case, adding a beefier tie rod to your steering set-up. In the U-joint threads, Jerry mentioned upgrading the Spicer 5-297 on the front axle shaft to Spicer 5-760x (or the Spicer 1310's to the Spicer 5-1310x on the driveshaft)

Stuff like that ha
 
Sancho said:
All i know is... when i go through a rock garden on 31's and stock height... i am ultra aware of what i come down on, and definetly wish i had a few extra inches of clearance.
Click to expand...
While those particular rocks that you are rolling over on 31's will gain some distance with bigger tires, the fact that you will then find yourself in bigger rocks because of the bigger tires will bring you back to square one.

Hope that makes sense.
 
Fouledplugs said:
While those particular rocks that you are rolling over on 31's will gain some distance with bigger tires, the fact that you will then find yourself in bigger rocks because of the bigger tires will bring you back to square one.

Hope that makes sense.
Click to expand...

Yep, I understand. As I stated earlier, rocks will always be a concern, no matter the tire size.

My original point was the lower to the ground you are, the more vulnerable your oil pan and other undercarriage items are to crunching rocks.

That is why I was placing a premium on skid plates, sliders, and under armor for stock vehicles. Especially if you push the capability of the vehicle.
 
Sancho said:
...

That is why I was placing a premium on skid plates, sliders, and under armor for stock vehicles.
Click to expand...

When is the TJ no longer stock? Is it after the ride height is restored from the added weight of the skids? ;)
 
Not_Invented_Here_ said:
Yeah guess I could be more specific. I meant more avoiding things like any kind of lift and making improvements wherever possible without major changes (i.e. zj upgrade) - not "stock" stock but you're not drastically altering something so much as improving it by, in this case, adding a beefier tie rod to your steering set-up. In the U-joint threads, Jerry mentioned upgrading the Spicer 5-297 on the front axle shaft to Spicer 5-760x (or the Spicer 1310's to the Spicer 5-1310x on the driveshaft)

Stuff like that ha
Click to expand...

At a certain point your will add enough weight to sag your stock springs. At which point you will need heavier duty springs than stock, I'd guess you'd only be able to find that along with additional height above stock.

No reason you couldn't upgrade axles, lockers, u joints, etc on a stock height rig.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Not_Invented_Here_
jjvw said:
When is the TJ no longer stock? ;)
Click to expand...


Good question. Probably a subjective answer.

Does upsizing a tire keep a vehicle stock? Or does that make it a stock vehicle on upsized tires?

I would guess your not stock anymore if you spend nore than $50 bucks on upgrades/mods.

Joking.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jjvw
Top Bottom
Back