<<Insert witty title about being a poor jeep owner here>> (06 Rubicon Progress Thread)

[LCL-Dead]

So I got underneath it and took a look at the wiring harness for the o2 sensors this weekend and, from the last replacement, it would appear the mechanics did indeed fail to secure it properly and the wires for the 2nd sensor, 2nd bank (The one always throwing a code for me) were indeed melted. Spliced in some new wiring and wrapped it in some thermal tape before securing it away from the pipes. Hopefully this will be the end of my intermittent CEL for that damn sensor.

Also ordered some remanufactured and powder coated (Color matched Fire Red baby!) front calipers since that passenger side one seems to be on its way to seizing.

Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope that the shop I took the van to isn't going to try and gouge me too hard. She's been throwing an intermittent P0300 (Random Multiple Misfire) code for the last year, ever few weeks. Took it in to have the plugs changed and the EGR valve checked to see if it needed changing. Of course, the damn lady in the lobby, I tell her the CEL is on and that the code is a P0300 and she's like, "Well, if you want us to check the CEL it's going to cost $80.."

"I don't need you to check the CEL, I told you what the code is."

"Well, if we're going to check it, it'll be $80."

"Lady, I already told your manager, I want the plugs changed and the EGR and coil packs checked for fault because that might be what is causing the CEL.. Don't even think of charging me $80 so you can tell me what I already know."

Fingers crossed.

 

[LCL-Dead]

Okay, need some input. @Chris @Jerry Bransford

For the sake of cost alone I've been doing some shopping around with the cheaper lift kits and have found a (gasp) Rough Country kit on Amazon for $1k that has basically everything except for, and this is personal choice, a rear adjustable trackbar.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C0W9CL4/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Been doing some light research as I dig around and have found that the biggest issue with the RC kits is their wearout rate, with heavy wheeling bringing them down to less than a year before sag exceeds .75 inches (roughly). My biggest issue with some of the other high dollar kits is their utter lack of being complete kits. Kits that leave me still needing to purchase track bars, brake lines, rear sway bar end links, etc, just adding hundreds of more to their already steep $1k+ price tags.

I've also paired that kit, in a shopping cart of course, up to a set of 33's and 15" steel wheels with 3.75" BS.

I should have my control arm mount issues (And my axle alignment, by proxy) fixed this weekend hopefully, next weekend at the latest so I'll be moving into the legit lift kit & wheel shopping stage of my build as soon as that's finished.

Am I making a mistake by eyeballing this kit?

Mind you, my plans for use are still probably 75% road/highway and 25% sand/mud since there aren't really any rocks/trails to climb here in coastal Carolina.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Am I making a mistake by eyeballing this kit?

Yes, at least in my personal opinion. In terms of reputation, these four probably have the worst reputations, in no particular order: Frankenstein, Rough Country, Skyjacker, and ProComp. For sure the last three have all earned well-deserved reputations for horrifically stiff rides. A well-built Jeep with a suspension lift does not have to ride harshly/stiffly.

For a good entry-level lift that has earned some respect and a decent reputation, check out Zone. You want 4" of additional clearance for 33's and Zone's 4" lift gives just that. Its benefit is that it gives that 4" with a combination of a 3" suspension lift, which eliminates the need to install a SYE kit and aftermarket rear CV driveshaft like is required once you get to a 4" suspension lift, plus a 1" body lift.

I'm not running a Zone myself so I'm not unreasonably biased toward it, there are just a lot of people here that are happy with their Zone lifts.

 

[Chris]

The Rough Country kit is a huge mistake (I used to own one, I know from experience). There's absolutely nothing in that kit at all (other than the springs) that can be reused. The control arms are garbage (particularly the bushings, which go bad right away). The shocks are worse than pogo sticks and should be tossed immediately, unless you want a horrible ride.

The track bars are garbage as well.

If you're going to spend $1000, why not get the OME lift and then add a 1" body lift? You'd be around 3.5" of lift, and already be setup for a tummy tuck.

 

[glwood]

Just so you know, in the following paragraph:

• BENEFITS: Easy bolt-on installation; Front adjustable track bar is made of forged solid steel for unsurpassed strength and durability; Quick disconnects easily store out of way when not in use; X-Flex control arms:; Clevite OEM style rubber bushings; Flex joints with 2.5-inch diameter body and huge 1.25-inch threads; Fully rebuildable and greasable; Adjustable retainer ring; Upper joints pivot up to 20 degrees; Lower joints pivot up to 35 degrees

I had the rear upper X-flex control arms with the 'adjustable retainer ring' on a previously owned TJ, and if this kit really contains those, they won't last. The guy I sold my TJ X to had both of those pretty much disintegrate on his first wheeling trip in that Jeep - the threaded inserts just pushed out sideways, the threads were not enough to contain the insert. RC has since re-designed their X-flex joint, and the preload is no longer adjustable with a threaded insert.

 

[LCL-Dead]

If you're going to spend $1000, why not get the OME lift and then add a 1" body lift? You'd be around 3.5" of lift, and already be setup for a tummy tuck.

The primary reason and the biggest behind why I even considered it was because it's an actual complete kit. The OME kit is just springs/shocks and seats with a rear TB relocation bracket. I still need (if I go higher than 2" which I'm considering now) a front TB, brake lines, control arms (Because lets face it, mine are factory at 114k miles and i may as well replace them while i'm in there) and any other associated hardware.

These replies have been good enough to dissuade me from doing so though. Like Jerry recommended I'll look into the Zone kit and see what I can put together while also keeping the OME kit on the side of the ever changing considerations list.

Who knows, maybe the scratch off I buy tomorrow (1 per payday!) will be a 200k winner. That'd be nice.

 

[Chris]

The Zone kit is supposedly good, but I don't think it's as good as some people claim it to be. @CasterTroy wrote this article about his bad experience with the Zone lift: Zone lift (18 months later)

That's an actual hands on review from someone who put a Zone lift to the test for a long period of time. Most of the other guys who claim this lift to be so great are speaking after only having just installed it (or maybe a month later).

In my honest opinion, this is one of those things where you're going to spend a lot of money to do it right. But if you want to do it right, why not just save up for a few months and get a lift that will last as long as the Jeep?

Of course it's your money, so you can do with it as you please. I just hate seeing people cheap out on lifts, because they always, always end up in the same situation I was years and years ago... Wondering why you wasted money on this cheap lift, when you're just going to replace it all anyways.

 

[LCL-Dead]

Yeah, I read his review the other day when I was going through kits and threads on this forum again to rehash what I knew (or thought I knew) about the available kits.

As much as I hate to tap family, my dad is a big Jeep enthusiast as well (He owns a bunch of CJ's and some old Willy's) and has offered to help out. What he wants me to achieve for the split ratio is up in the air as I haven't really agreed to letting him help me out, but if he does that definitely opens up the market for things like the Currie 4" or one of the Metalcloak offerings.

I'm just going to keep putting money away for now. My biggest priority is fixing the control arm mounts and getting my axle realigned properly. Then it's going to be on to the myriad electrical gremlins (of course by Myriad I mean the o2 sensors and front locker). Hopefully I'll have the money put together when tax season rolls around.

At least then it will still be nice and cool out when I go to install whatever it is I end up buying.

 

[bobthetj03]

JKS JSpec kit looks pretty complete for a 3" lift. Add a body lift and you have it.

 

[JamesAndTheSahara]

The primary reason and the biggest behind why I even considered it was because it's an actual complete kit. The OME kit is just springs/shocks and seats with a rear TB relocation bracket. I still need (if I go higher than 2" which I'm considering now) a front TB, brake lines, control arms (Because lets face it, mine are factory at 114k miles and i may as well replace them while i'm in there) and any other associated hardware.

These replies have been good enough to dissuade me from doing so though. Like Jerry recommended I'll look into the Zone kit and see what I can put together while also keeping the OME kit on the side of the ever changing considerations list.

Who knows, maybe the scratch off I buy tomorrow (1 per payday!) will be a 200k winner. That'd be nice.

Another lift option thats comparable in quality to the lift listed @bobthetj03 is the OME Ultimate Lift Kit sold by DPGOffroad thats paired with JKS components for $1449.00. You can read up on it on the link below but it does include JKS F/R Adjustable Trackbars, OME Coils/Shocks, JKS 1" Motor mount spacer, JKS 1" body lift, JKS extended rear sway links, JKS Quicker disconnects, & even the measured out proper bumpstops. This kit is claimed to yield roughly 3.75" worth of lift, meets your expectations of a complete kit w/o the control arms (8 new proper control arms from any quality company is roughly ~$999 and up).

http://dpgoffroad.com/products/old-man-emu-ultimate-tjlj-wrangler-kit/

Note: I don't personally run the kit, I have however wheeled with people who run this exact kit and love it. Dirk is the man according to them.

 

[Mike_H]

J-spec or dpg's ultimate kit are the kits I'm looking at as well. I've tried building my own, and it really doesn't save any money.

 

[LCL-Dead]

J-spec or dog's ultimate kit are the kits I'm looking at as well. I've tried building my own, and it really doesn't save any money.

Yep, I went through 4 different parts websites to assemble a kit with individual components and was sad that there was zero savings involved with that.

 

[LCL-Dead]

Another lift option thats comparable in quality to the lift listed @bobthetj03 is the OME Ultimate Lift Kit sold by DPGOffroad thats paired with JKS components for $1449.00. You can read up on it on the link below but it does include JKS F/R Adjustable Trackbars, OME Coils/Shocks, JKS 1" Motor mount spacer, JKS 1" body lift, JKS extended rear sway links, JKS Quicker disconnects, & even the measured out proper bumpstops. This kit is claimed to yield roughly 3.75" worth of lift, meets your expectations of a complete kit w/o the control arms (8 new proper control arms from any quality company is roughly ~$999 and up).

http://dpgoffroad.com/products/old-man-emu-ultimate-tjlj-wrangler-kit/

Note: I don't personally run the kit, I have however wheeled with people who run this exact kit and love it. Dirk is the man according to them.

Hmm.. I wonder if I could utilize that DPG kit without the motor mounts/body lift.

 

[JamesAndTheSahara]

Hmm.. I wonder if I could utilize that DPG kit without the motor mounts/body lift.

He would discount those off and give you a better price. The MML is really for those that want the extra 1" oil pan ground clearance and a Tummy Tuck. You could easily do an SYE and driveshaft to get around it, or the method most people don't reccomend, a Tcase drop.

 

[LCL-Dead]

He would discount those off and give you a better price. The MML is really for those that want the extra 1" oil pan ground clearance and a Tummy Tuck. You could easily do an SYE and driveshaft to get around it, or the method most people don't reccomend, a Tcase drop.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with a Rubicon, I've already got the SYE installed from the factory. I've seen it stated and had it confirmed before but it never hurts to triple-duple-check things.

 

[JamesAndTheSahara]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with a Rubicon, I've already got the SYE installed from the factory. I've seen it stated and had it confirmed before but it never hurts to triple-duple-check things.

Did not see you had a rubi, you'll be fine!

 

[LCL-Dead]

Oooooookay, I've neglected this forum for long enough so I'm back to provide a bit of an update on my poor little beat to shit TJ.

Reading back through what's already in this thread, I can say for sure that I have accomplished exactly nothing.

Front Control arm mounts are still bent. No new tires/wheels/suspension, etc.

However, due to a lack of space to store it and a general wistfulness associated with getting the top off of the jeep for some open air cruising, I sold my hard top to a Captain down the street who had bought a TJ for his daughter. That's $1400 in the bank that the wife can't touch and that I need to spend before some new need crops up.

Since I started trying to save for parts last year:

1: Minivan needed an $800 Fuel Pump.
2: Minivan got new plugs/wires/fuel system inspection; $470
3: Minivan went in for starting/fuel system issues: $275
4: New child on the way and it's not another girl. Had to buy new baby stuff; Another $400 and growing.
5: Christmas/Birthdays/unexpected family emergencies resulting in cross-country expeditions: $4k+

Saving money has been a royal pain in the ass!

SO! This $1400 is going entirely into the Rubicon. I've already laid down the law on that and even dumped it into a second account so the wife couldn't access it.

Roughly $500 is already slotted for a complete repair of the Control arms/control arm mounts and a rebalancing/alignment of the tires (I rotated my tires a few months back with the oil change and developed a bit of harmonic death wobble around 48-52mph due to missing balance weights). A good bulk of the rest is going into rims/tires. I'm going cheap on the wheels and ordering a set of 5 15x8 steelies and am also currently tire shopping for some 31x10.5x15 wheels to replace the Grabber AT2's I've got on there now (Which measure out to roughly 29.5x8x17).

Plans:

1: Replace front control arms with Crown Automotive control arms.
- I don't need something super fancy. I don't do much off road driving and the trails I do hit are light, mostly mud holes. Are Crown parts decent OEM replacements? The tech's really wanted to replace the control arms because the bushings were beginning to crack and rot and it looked like one of them had been straightened after the accident. Would it be better to just order new bushings from Crown or buy a whole set of control arms?

2: Lift pucks! (Don't hurt me, @Chris )
- I was thinking of throwing some 1" or 1.5" pucks into the springs to give it a tiny bit of lift/more clearance for the tires since my suspension is pretty soft/saggy. This I need your thoughts and opinions on, TJ Forum. It would be a kind of long-term temp fix until I could put together the money for one of the true lift kits talked about earlier in this thread.

That's about it for now. Stay frosty you glorious bastards.

 

[Chris]

1: Replace front control arms with Crown Automotive control arms.
- I don't need something super fancy. I don't do much off road driving and the trails I do hit are light, mostly mud holes. Are Crown parts decent OEM replacements? The tech's really wanted to replace the control arms because the bushings were beginning to crack and rot and it looked like one of them had been straightened after the accident. Would it be better to just order new bushings from Crown or buy a whole set of control arms?

I use the Crown control arms myself, and they are just fine! I got mine for a great deal here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MPVWEBY/?tag=wranglerorg-20

That includes all of them, with bushings already pressed in. They're identical to the stock control arms. I recommend the Crown control arms, because ordering new bushings and putting them in the stock arms will be a PITA having to remove each bushing an press them in. You'll need a press, or access to someone with a press. The Crown arms are identical to stock and can be bolted in place without any hassle. That's why I went with them.

2: Lift pucks! (Don't hurt me, @Chris )
- I was thinking of throwing some 1" or 1.5" pucks into the springs to give it a tiny bit of lift/more clearance for the tires since my suspension is pretty soft/saggy. This I need your thoughts and opinions on, TJ Forum. It would be a kind of long-term temp fix until I could put together the money for one of the true lift kits talked about earlier in this thread.

That's about it for now. Stay frosty you glorious bastards.

When you say lift pucks, you're talking about a body lift, right? If so, 1" to 1.25" of body lift is very common among TJ owners, especially as it's a cheap way to get extra clearance, and it allows you to do a tummy tuck in the future if you want to. I fully support it! As long as you don't go over 1.25", it shouldn't look bad either.

You can get them for pretty cheap too: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GH5OBG/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Sorry to hear about your situation! I know what that's like when life happens, trust me! I think we all do. It stinks when you've got a bunch of plans, and then something else breaks or goes wrong, then you have to shift your attention to that.

 

[LCL-Dead]

Woooo. No updates since February.

Big update! She got her lift on.

Stats:
Rubicon Express 3.5" suspension lift.
Rubicon Express adjustable front TB.
RE lower control arms.

15x8" steel wheels, cant remember the brand because i bought them off of Amazon like 5 months ago.

33x12.5" Achilles Desert Hawk MT tires.

Installation done by: Self + friends

Time taken: 11 hours over 2 days.

Major roadblocks:
Rear shock upper mounts completely rust-welded.
Front lower driverside track bar, metal sleeve in forward bushing rust welded to mounting bolt.
Transmission skid plate forward bolts spin freely in frame.

Things that had to be cut off:
All 4 factory shocks.
Front lower driver side control arm at the axle mounting point.
Driver side factory sway bar end link.

Things left out:
Rear Shocks, drill need to drill/tap/thread existing factory welded nuts after breaking the heads off of all 4 bolts. Debating options on that front.
Also left out the extra drilling/bolts on the rear TB relocator bracket in favor of a few spot welds to secure it (+ the main bolt into the axle mount).

So, the ass end floats a bit right now but that should be rectified as soon as my mechanic and I decide which route to go with the rear shocks.

It looks so god damned beautiful right now.

 

[Chris]

Gotts love that rust, huh? She looks good though, that's for sure! Do you or one of your friends have a lift?