I’ve decided to start a build thread for my 2006 LJ Rubicon. I’ve been dragging my feet to start one. For last 7 months, I’ve been lurking in the shadows using my eyes more than my fingers. I’ve done some things to it over the few months I’ve owned it, mainly trying to correct the mishaps of a previous owner. I quickly learned that I was going to have to figure this stuff out because I don’t have a reliable shop in my area nor a decent sized offroad community near me, so it's on me. This forum has been such a tremendous resource for me as I’ve been learning to wrench on it. So, I decided to start this build thread to track my progress as my LJ and myself hopefully grow a little. Some backstory….
February 2023, I owned no tools, had minimal mechanic skills and had a small garage with a f'd up floor in it. So, the wife and I flew out to SLC, UT and purchased a 2006 LJ Rubicon with 57k on it, with the intent of it being a daily driver.... spoiler ignorance is bliss.... The PO had installed 35’s with what I believed to be a Rubicon Express lift, the photo below is the day after we got home.
During the cannonball run back home across Wyoming to Nebraska, I quickly learned that my new LJ had some gremlins that I had ignorantly overlooked and had mistaken for “that’s just a lifted Jeep thing”. When we got back home and I started looking things over and with a little homework I quickly learned that the suspension in it was on its way out and that most of the control arm bushings were shot. After learning the suspension needed to be worked over and doing the homework on what I needed to do to appropriately run the 35s. That is where the fork in the road was for me, and I decided to open the can of worms. Without the flares on, I found the PO had smashed the heck out the front fenders with the 35's and not enough lift or bump stop. Unfortunately I cracked the paint trying to get them bent back in.
The LJ spent the majority of this last spring and summer in my garage getting things sorted out and upgraded as I could afford and also at the mercy of my studying and learning. I’m going to fast forward to how my LJ sits as of today (11/23), in an effort to get to a solid starting point for the thread. I tried to take pictures as I was doing stuff over the summer, so I will upload some of those pictures with comments further down thread to get it up to date. Here’s a list of the things that I’ve done and installed so far.
After installing the lift and completing the tuck. It took me a while to get everything sorted out and driving to a standard that I’m happy with until the next layer is added. The two pictures below are how it is sitting right now.
February 2023, I owned no tools, had minimal mechanic skills and had a small garage with a f'd up floor in it. So, the wife and I flew out to SLC, UT and purchased a 2006 LJ Rubicon with 57k on it, with the intent of it being a daily driver.... spoiler ignorance is bliss.... The PO had installed 35’s with what I believed to be a Rubicon Express lift, the photo below is the day after we got home.
The LJ spent the majority of this last spring and summer in my garage getting things sorted out and upgraded as I could afford and also at the mercy of my studying and learning. I’m going to fast forward to how my LJ sits as of today (11/23), in an effort to get to a solid starting point for the thread. I tried to take pictures as I was doing stuff over the summer, so I will upload some of those pictures with comments further down thread to get it up to date. Here’s a list of the things that I’ve done and installed so far.
- RockJock 4” lift
- RockJock adjustable rear trackbar
- Rock front axle Johnny Joint kit
- Antirock front sway bar
- CurrectLync Steering
- Black Magic Brakes 1.25” body lift
- Rough Country 1” motor mount lift
- Hooke steering riser
- Savvy 241 cable shifter
- Savvy tummy tuck w/ engine skid
- Savvy gas tank skid
- Tom Woods front & rear drive shafts
- New exhaust - cat back
- Rancho RS5000X shocks - RS55256 & RS55255
After installing the lift and completing the tuck. It took me a while to get everything sorted out and driving to a standard that I’m happy with until the next layer is added. The two pictures below are how it is sitting right now.
