Is their anyone out there that plan to leave their Jeep stock?

billiebob said:
wow !!

You put on bigger tires, you increase the strain on the driveline. You lift it you change the driveline angles. So you regear and change the driveline. Now you have raised the center of gravity, reduced the stability and reduced the ability to do an evasive manouver on the highway. Bigger tires dramatically lengthen stopping distances so you "upgrade" brakes because the hype says they will give better than stock stopping distances BUT none of the guys selling those brakes can back the hype up with independant test data. So you keep adding mods blind, believing the advertising and hype because yer ego wants into the big boys club.... and you keep spending money... after the elusive dream.

Stock is fabulous. Jeep got it right... since 1940.
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Do you feel better about yourself by putting other people down? Kind of lame, don't you think? Don't most of us get past that stage after high school?

My Jeep is a toy, I don't care much about how it handles on the highway except to be able to get me to my 'playground'. I absolutely loved camping with my friends at Rubicon Springs and it would be extremely difficult to get there in a stock Jeep, never mind the serious damage it would sustain crawling over big rocks. I'm very happy with my Jeep on 35's, it's been extremely reliable and gets me where I want to be. I've done some of the mods to increase reliability and doing a few more to mitigate the risk of breaking something. Will it ever be as safe and reliable as a stock grocery getter? Probably not, but it suits my needs. There are guys who go much bigger than 35's, swap in one ton axles, and go into terrain that is far more challenging than what I'm comfortable with, but it's none of my business to whine and put down their Jeeps because they select a different 'playground' than I do.

Enjoy your "fabulous stock Jeep" where you want to take it and I can assure you I'll enjoy mine where I want to take it. There is no right or wrong, we're all grown ups and can make our own decisions, not desperately seeking anyone's approval.
 
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billiebob said:
...

Stock is fabulous. Jeep got it right... since 1940.
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If Jeep got it right since 1940, why did they keep changing the thing? Your own Rubicon even in stock form fails your own criteria of "leave it alone".
 
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lafittejeep said:
I have an 05 Wrangler LJ and I get the same question " What are you going to do to your Jeep?" My answer is basically nothing other that normal maintenance etc. Really the only things I added were window visors cause having the water from the soft drip inside my jeep was driving me crazy, a bed rug floor cause the carpet was taken out by P.O. and rear seat belts cause a P.O. removed them. Other than those things its stock. So anyone out there leaving their Jeep stock?
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Me. Well, I downsized the tires and changed the sender gear plus a JVC stereo unit and speakers but the remainder of our Jeep will continue as stock-ish. I have no need to fix something that isn’t broken but our intended use isn’t rock climbing. I've been thinking about new milk jugs, tho...
 
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It all seems to be a matter of preference. I bought a stock 97 SE three years ago and plan to leave it that way. In no particular order, here are my reasons. I think the Jeep looks great just as she is. I do not drive off road so don’t need to worry about clearance issues and some of the things that concern other forum members. For me, the Jeep is a third vehicle. I take the soft top down in the spring and put it back up in the fall. I keep it in the garage and if it’s raining, I don’t drive her. I like to work in the garage and spending time working on it was one of the reasons that I bought her. It’s brought me a lot of satisfaction but I also try to be truthful with myself. I’m not a mechanic and there are certain things that I shouldn’t get involved with. I have a pretty good idea what I can do and this forum has helped so much. I can research projects and get a clearer understanding of what’s involved. If I have questions then everyone is helpful. Another key issue is money. I don’t want to spend a lot of money lifting the Jeep. Like any big project that you undertake in life, whatever you budget for the project you can expect to spend more. Also, I’m not a good enough mechanic to take care of everything that I’ll run into. The last thing I’d want is a Jeep with nagging problems that were caused by an amateur mechanic modifying it on an insufficient budget.

What I have done to the TJ are simple things. I picked up some used Grizzly rims to replace my steel ones. I grabbed some full doors for the winter. I installed Bartact seat covers and heaters, an Alien Sunshade, shifter knobs, Polk speakers and grab bars. For future projects I plan to continue updating the original suspension, pick up some BedRug and a new radio. My original soft top is getting worn and I may pick up a hard top to replace it with. The other things that I have done are repairing mechanical issues, preventative maintenance and rust belt issues.

All in all, the Jeep has been everything that I want it to be and I’m happy with it.
 
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Living in San Antonio, I don't see a need to mod. Of course I have practical mods such as an upgraded sound system, lined inside and B&M short shifter (Amazing). The function of the jeep exceeds my expectation and its really impressive what it can do, especially in the Texas clay during rain storms. I am able to get a one up on the daycare moms where I can throw my kid in the back through the rear entrance before they can even get their kid in the car seat as well as take my dirt bike to the track every weekend. I have had the same questions all the time about modifying but it simply isn't necessary and every once in awhile, someone thanks me for not modding the crap of of it.
 
I could see if it was a pavement queen stock would be fine.....but if that’s the case why own a Jeep?

I bought mine to go on trails and off roading. It will be driven here and there as a daily but its more for off roading and why I bought it. If I needed a daily I would buy a cheap car that’s good on gas.
 
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If not for the TJ modifications I've done, I would have been hanging out in the garage drinking beer, listening to music or sports, and staring at my tools with not a damn thing to do! And all the pretty girls wouldn't be telling me "That's a nice Jeep you have there, mister" :cool:
 
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For me, every vehicle I've owned before the Jeep has been kept stock, save for the sound systems. For those other cars, it was about keeping it stock for resale value.

I like to think my Jeep will be with me til they bury me in it. No reason not to make changes of any kind on it. 😀
 
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L J said:
I left it pretty much stock for ten years. Stock sucks.
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I made it 10 days but I bought mine new with the intent to modify for trail use. It’s like the classic restored car versus the restomod, the best part about this Forum is neither is looked down upon and there is plenty of advice for either.
 
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Rob5589 said:
These threads pop up once in a while. And every one if them begins the same way, "Does anyone leave their TJ stock?" Then they proceed to say theirs is all stock, except for x, y, z 😆
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I dont think what I have done to my jeep was any "modifications" just brought back up to standards and comfort.
 
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DrDmoney said:
I made it 10 days but I bought mine new with the intent to modify for trail use. It’s like the classic restored car versus the restomod, the best part about this Forum is neither is looked down upon and there is plenty of advice for either.
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I agree. To each their own ... especially when they are paying for it. I was coming from a lifted and locked 4x4 Toyota truck that I drove into the ground at 250,000 miles and saw the LJs and had to have one. I had the intention of immediately lifting it but life and other interests got in the way and got my money. It's worked out though as I had it built by one of the best (far beyond what I'm capable of) instead of slapping on some craptastic lift-in-a-box and spending the money all over again years later.
 
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Jamison C said:
Same here. I "blinged" my jeep out with stuff when I first bought it, like front and rear tube bumpers, tube side steps, big beefy tires with black steelies, almost got black headlight/marker light grills, LED offroad lights. Now it's back to stock bumpers and JK Moabs with 32" tires, a couple windshield floods, and a winch. Simple 2" lift/1.25 BL.
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I did the same thing with the bumpers when I got mine. Fucking quadratec
I’m still on 2 inches and 32’s with no problems. My father in law likes to tinker so we chopped the front bumper and raised it and the same with the rear
 
Yep I kept my stock (y) Oh yea other than rear rack the prior owner installed.

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