LJ Rubicon Refresh

[Lax22]

Trying to do this exact thing and finding it tough to find an 05-06 stock setup.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

As I prepared to remove the hard top and go soft top for the summer, I went ahead and did the quick fix of the rear window defroster tab that had come unattached. For $13 and about 20 minutes of my time (including watching the below video), I was back in business.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

Luckily my garage has a 11' ceiling so I have plenty of height to take the hard top all the way up and out of the way. After doing some research on options, I ended up going with the Harken Hoister. It was a few hours of work and took some thought on the front end of the process to make sure I had placement measured correctly. Because of the lighting I have installed on the ceiling, I needed it to be as close to the garage door as possible, but I also wanted to lift it straight off the Jeep (which I couldn't do if the garage door was all the way open. This meant positioning the Jeep as far towards the garage door as I could and lowering the garage door as far down as possible to create space above the Jeep for the hard top to be hoisted straight up.

The boards on the floor were so I could "feel" where I wanted the front tire to end up as I made small forward/backward adjustments looking for the sweet spot. I ended up settling on the garage door resting on the very front edge of the hood and you can see that the windshield edge of the top will just clear the top edge of the garage door when it goes up to the ceiling.

Once I had the install done it worked flawlessly. Had no problem getting the hoist straps in place, detaching the top and lifting it to the ceiling by myself.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

Looking back, I'm pretty sure I purchased my Bestop during one of the only windows on the calendar when they WEREN'T offering any type of mail in rebate. Ended up ordering the Bestop Trektop NX through 4WheelParts because they had $100 off a purchase of $1000 or more. Even though the price of the top didn't exceed that threshold, it allowed me to add an underseat lock box to the order so I basically got that "free." I had the top shipped to the local 4WP store and tried to fit in with all of the other Jeeps in the parking lot the day I went to pick it up.

I did have a minor panic when I saw how large the box was when I went to pick it up....but rest assured it WILL fit into the back of an LJ.

Install on a sunny day in March was a bit of a struggle...the top went on just fine because that's the easy part of course.

Got the side windows started but then when I attempted to get them zipped up with the rear window this ended up happening to the top zipper of the drivers side side window. The zipper stop tore right off the zipper fabric. Bummer.

Emailed Bestop customer service and shared this photo and was assured they would replace the window...but then could never get them to give me a timeframe for when I'd receive it. Attempting to resolve via email with them was super frustrating, but once I got someone on the phone I was able to get things moving...and I eventually received a replacement side window.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

Added this small detail to the rig. And even though I scraped a few stickers from the previous owner off the rear glass window, I decided to leave the bumper sticker on for now.

I also learned that running around with the doors off allows uninvited guests to easily make themselves at home, even when I'm sitting in it. Had one of the neighborhood cats (that I had never met) decide to explore the Jeep inside and out and try to make itself at home...

 

[Indy05Rubi]

As I continue to pursue projects that add ride comfort back, working towards noise reduction was a priority. The combination of 35x12 M/T rated tires, Flowmaster exhaust and the rev up of the manual transmission added up to a noisy cab. The previous owner had discarded the carpet and bedlined the interior of the tub so I decided to start with adding carpet back into the mix, but as I started researching that on the forum I ran across this thread:

Operation Quiet by mots

His goals of "preservation, reliability and touches of modern convenience" align with the direction I'm headed with my Jeep so after diving into his well written thread and all of the pages of comments that followed, I ordered both the 18 sf & 36 sf packages of Noico (which turned out to be absolutely perfect for the LJ) and a 2 pack of high quality rollers someone suggested part way through the comments on @mots post. In March 2020 the prices on Amazon for these items were:

36 sf Noico - $68
18 sf Noico - $34
2 pack roller kit - $15

First task at hand was to clean up the tub surface - all the nooks and crannies of bedliner likes to capture dirt but a little water, a scrub brush and a towel cleaned things up nicely. Decided the rear cargo area is where I would start to get a feel for how the Noico material application worked. Started with a dirty floor:

Halfway through the cleanup shows the progress:

And away we go with the Noico! I found this stuff is super forgiving. Directions say to wear gloves because of the sharp edge of the foil backer, but I found that as long as you are careful you can get away with just working w bare hands. For the large areas where you don't need to do any cutting you can just peel the paper back just a few inches at a time, setting it where you want it and then rolling it to ensure full adhesion - rinse and repeat.

The project is a litle more time consuming that you think it may be - I wasn't in a rush and probably got distracted by a few other things along the way, but knocked out the rear cargo area in an afternoon. I found myself primarily using the widest roller but the narrow one did come in handy in a few spots. There were concerns in mots thread shared by other forum members about the black finish of the Noico wearing off, but I didn't experience that at all during the entire installation process.

Next up - the contours and obstacles of the front seating areas!

 

[Indy05Rubi]

I held off doing the front Noico until I had a new inner shifter boot and the new BedRug carpet in hand - that way I could all of it at the same time and have the front floor completely finished. When it came to fully understanding what was involved with the inner shifter boot replacement, this video was pretty handy:

Passenger seat removed:

Rear portion of center console removed:

Outer shifter boot removed:

As you can see, this was also a great opportunity to do a thorough cleaning of the floor and a scrub down of the console before putting it back in!

One issue I had discovered before I got into this project was that the inner shifter boot was torn and likely a major contributor to the noise entering the cabin. You can see daylight and the ground below:

In spite of the cost ($140 shipped from AZWholesaleMOPAR), I don't regret sticking with the OEM replacement part - it made a dramatic difference to the amount of noise (and heat) coming from underneath the Jeep. It isn't just the rubber boot as I thought it might be, but rather an entire molded plastic shield with the gasket integrated into it - and that rubber is some pretty stout stuff - as is the rubber/foam gasket around the edge. Old vs New:

I didn't take many photos of the Noico installation process, mostly because it was WAY more tedious of a puzzle than the rear seat/cargo area was. More contours and edges & a tighter workspace forced a multiday installation timeline, but having both roller sizes came in quite handy. My assistant was not amused by the time we were done, but we made it through and were ready for carpet installation next!

 

[Indy05Rubi]

I attempted to purchase the BedRug carpet in the first half of 2021 - and the impacts of the pandemic on manufacturing and supply chain were in full force. Could only initially get my hands on the 3 piece front cabin set - the set for the rear was on eternal backorder. Not a huge deal because I wasn't using the rear of the Jeep for any heavy hauling and have a WeatherTech cargo liner over the top of the Noico anyway, so it wasn't at risk of getting torn or damaged while I waited for the rear carpet to become available.

While I believe you probably could install the carpet without removing the seats/console completely, it was super simple to do with everything already out. Pieces are held in place with the velcro supplied with the kit and I have had no issues with it shifting around on me. Driver's side went in first:

Passenger side next:

And then the rear footwells:

Reinstallation of the seats and center console was a breeze and I was back on the road for a few months before the rear carpet finally was back in stock. It went in just as easily as the front. Here is a shot of what the backside of the carpet looks like with one of the velcro strips attached:

After one false start in my first attempt to remove the rear seat, I found a YouTube video that showed I was trying too hard. Turns you you don't unbolt anything (like you have to for the front seats), but rather tumble and release the seat hooks from the floor rails to which they attach. Much easier! So we started here:

Began with installing the side panels first. Had to work a little bit along the top edge to make sure they were tucked up into the lip that hides the hardtop wiring harness and also wrapped around where the rollcage attaches to the tub, but it wasn't too bad. Was pretty simple to poke holes where the seat belt bolts needed to pop through. And there was a very small amount of trimming I ended up doing where the bottom edge of the carpet met the seat rail - you can see the small strip I sliced off laying on the floor next to the seat rail in this photo:

Both side panels installed:

Don't have a photo of it, but the location where the carpet needs to be slit to allow the rear seat belts to pop through was marked on the back of the floor panel. Here we are after that was installed:

And here is a shot of how it all comes together and tucks underneath the rear footwell section:

Admittedly, my BedRug isn't going to see a ton of wear and tear because my footwells have WeatherTech mats and the rear cargo area has both a WeatherTech mat AND a rear cargo drawer over the top of it all, but completing this upgrade did decrease the amount of noise inside the cabin and it is also nice to have carpet that I don't have to worry about getting wet should I get caught in a bit of rain with the top off at some point.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

How much difference does the Noico make?

 

[Indy05Rubi]

How much difference does the Noico make?

Great question!

I went into the project looking to actually attempt to quantify the difference, so I did take some baseline decibel level readings on a known stretch of road that won't be resurfaced anytime soon and at a number of different gear/RPM positions. I used the NIOSH Sound Level app you can download onto your phone for free. Unfortunately, I took those with the hardtop on the Jeep and have since transitioned to the soft top so I don't think it would be a fair comparison if I took a new set of readings now that the Noico has been installed since I changed another (relatively significant) variable.

That said, I'm not disappointed in the improvement and would do it again. Keep in mind also that from what I read in Mots Operation Quiet writeup that I linked in post #26 of this thread, the Noico is most effective when it is applied directly to the metal tub since the tub is what transfers most of the noise...and the previous owner had already bedlined my tub so in theory, the Noico didn't make as much of an incremental difference in my situation as it would had my tub NOT already been bedlined. This is one of the reasons I wanted to get the before/after noise level measurements - to be able to document what the change is when you already have a bedlined tub. That will have to wait until I put the hardtop back on - perhaps next winter.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

Had been looking for a phone holder mounting solution that I liked for some time...and was considering working off the accessories that are available to bolt into the center dash to pull something together, but then I saw this post over on @MountaineerTom 's page and decided to go this route instead. I thought I might actually just fab one up myself, but then realized how cheap the CB shelves are and made the decision that it wasn't worth the effort involved.

The CB shelf attaches to the side of the dash using the 2 screws that are already there from the factory to hold that dash panel in place. There may be a couple different brands of this shelf and I think they are likely all nearly identical - I ended up with one from V8 God on Amazon that is powder coated and has 2 sets of holes on the side so you can choose which height you want for the shelf. I went with the slightly higher mounting position simply because the previous owner put the trailer brake control box on the dash in this location so I had to get the shelf above it.

If you look closely, you can also see I used a couple of felt chair feet pads on the backside of the CB shelf so it makes more consistent contact with the upper portion of the dash that is slightly angled away from vertical - this helps minimize any vibration of the entire setup while driving.

The shelf has some slots already cut into it intended for the bolts that would allow you to attach your CB - these slots were almost wide enough to allow the threaded stud of a RAM ball through, but not quite. I ended up drilling out a couple of spots in 2 of the slots just a little wider and attached 2 RAM balls. One is currently used for the phone holder and the other is not visible in the below image, but is positioned so I could easily attach a GoPro down the line.

I have been using the RAM X Grip on my motorcycle and it has worked well, but since I purchased it a few years ago RAM has since come out with the Quick Grip holder and I thought I would give it a try. While both styles are rock solid, I like the ability to load the phone into the Quick Grip with one hand.

I like this phone mounting location as well - it puts the phone right up against the A pillar so it doesn't block any line of sight through the windshield. And as you can see below, a standard length cell phone charging cable reaches easily from the factory power outlet in the center dash over to the phone.

Ballpark costs (although I had some of the RAM stuff already on hand):

CB Shelf - $16
1" RAM balls - $10/ea
RAM arm - $10
RAM Quick Grip holder - $26

 

[Indy05Rubi]

When I bought the Jeep it came with 35x12 Toyo M/T tires (only on the 4 corners - the spare was still the original that came with the Jeep new, so wrong size and old). In my efforts to improve ride quality, I knew a move to A/T tires would help...and I also figured stepping down slightly in size to 33x10 would not only reduce a bit of weight, but since the Jeep was never regeared, moving down in diameter a bit would give me a little more daily usability of 1st gear.

I have always liked the look of the black Pro Comp rock crawler style wheels, so when I was ready to make the move on new tires, I also changed wheels, going with 15" instead of the OEM 16" wheels. Of course, I kept the OEM wheels since they are part of the Sahara appearance package. This also gave me the opportunity to get a spare tire that matched the rest so if I ever do need to use it, I wont' have to worry about driving mismatched tire sizes around.

I ordered the wheels through the 4WheelParts website and had them shipped to the local store where I picked them up. When I got back to work I did a test fit to ensure they cleared @mrblaine 's big brake kit that the previous owner had installed. No issues there.

Then I ordered the BFG KO2s from the local Discount Tire shop and when they arrived I drove the Jeep over to have them mounted, balanced and installed. Taken over in their garage bay, the before, during and after shots:

Had forgotten to factor in new lugnuts to match the wheel color, but they were happy to sell me a set.

I flat out could not believe the difference in ride quality - those stiff sidewall Toyo's would rattle the heck out of me and the new BFGs just soak up the imperfections in the road. Total game changer.

The Toyo's did still have life left in them and I ended up throwing them onto FB Marketplace and selling them to help recoup some of the cost incurred with the new wheels/tires.

Also - the spare tire is the perfect size for transporting our snow tube to the local sledding hill.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

I'm in the process of having a set of half doors painted to match and will share the results of that project when I get them back from the paint shop, but they didn't come with uppers so I've patiently been on a multi month long search far and wide for a set that have the sliding windows. As you can imagine, they are tough to find, tough to find in decent condition and tough to find in decent condition at a reasonable price. Almost made me wish I had a YJ because for some reason there seem to be more options out there for those owners...

As of this week - the search is over. Only had to drive 45 minutes to get them and they were.....wait for it....WAIT FOR IT....Sixty Five Dollars. I'm not gonna lie - I may have exceeded the speed limit slightly to get there before someone else beat me to them. I'm still in disbelief.

They are a little dirty and dusty from being stored in the previous owner's garage for a lot of years - they came off his mom's '98 at some point and have just been collecting cobwebs ever since. All the glass is intact and slides properly. The passenger side fabric is in great shape, but as you can see the drivers side has a little cracking and a portion of the fabric at the lower edge of the glass needs a little attention. But wowsers - I think they'll clean up ok.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

Got the half doors back from the paint shop and they turned out great - next up is getting the inner panels resprayed to match my interior and determining how much hardware I need to source (screws, push pin retainers etc) to get it all back together since some of it was missing when I bought them. Pics of all that soon.

In the meantime, I saw a local listing on FB Marketplace for not one but TWO drivers side uppers w sliders being sold as a package - and since you can see my driver side upper is a bit ratty I figured that surely one of the two would be nicer than mine. There was a single, poor picture in the listing, but I drove down to find these.

They ended up being the Bulldawg hard upper slider version in pretty darned great condition - just missing the install hardware bolts and threaded receivers that can be purchased as a set. But dammit - now I need to find a passenger side one to match. Anyone out there have one to spare?

But for $25 (!!!!!!!!!!!!) .... I don't mind turning a little more of my garage into a Jeep parts warehouse.

 

[Vtx531]

Good choice on the 33x10.50 ATs. I ran them at one point a long time ago and I really liked that size.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

Good choice on the 33x10.50 ATs. I ran them at one point a long time ago and I really liked that size.

I've been super happy with the ride quality from them - especially since my basis for comparison were the 35" MTs that came with the Jeep when I bought it.

 

[suicideking]

Had been looking for a phone holder mounting solution that I liked for some time...and was considering working off the accessories that are available to bolt into the center dash to pull something together, but then I saw this post over on @MountaineerTom 's page and decided to go this route instead. I thought I might actually just fab one up myself, but then realized how cheap the CB shelves are and made the decision that it wasn't worth the effort involved.

The CB shelf attaches to the side of the dash using the 2 screws that are already there from the factory to hold that dash panel in place. There may be a couple different brands of this shelf and I think they are likely all nearly identical - I ended up with one from V8 God on Amazon that is powder coated and has 2 sets of holes on the side so you can choose which height you want for the shelf. I went with the slightly higher mounting position simply because the previous owner put the trailer brake control box on the dash in this location so I had to get the shelf above it.

If you look closely, you can also see I used a couple of felt chair feet pads on the backside of the CB shelf so it makes more consistent contact with the upper portion of the dash that is slightly angled away from vertical - this helps minimize any vibration of the entire setup while driving.

The shelf has some slots already cut into it intended for the bolts that would allow you to attach your CB - these slots were almost wide enough to allow the threaded stud of a RAM ball through, but not quite. I ended up drilling out a couple of spots in 2 of the slots just a little wider and attached 2 RAM balls. One is currently used for the phone holder and the other is not visible in the below image, but is positioned so I could easily attach a GoPro down the line.

I have been using the RAM X Grip on my motorcycle and it has worked well, but since I purchased it a few years ago RAM has since come out with the Quick Grip holder and I thought I would give it a try. While both styles are rock solid, I like the ability to load the phone into the Quick Grip with one hand.

I like this phone mounting location as well - it puts the phone right up against the A pillar so it doesn't block any line of sight through the windshield. And as you can see below, a standard length cell phone charging cable reaches easily from the factory power outlet in the center dash over to the phone.

Ballpark costs (although I had some of the RAM stuff already on hand):

CB Shelf - $16
1" RAM balls - $10/ea
RAM arm - $10
RAM Quick Grip holder - $26

View attachment 316687

I like that CB shelf! I might end up getting one of those. I'm not very handy, so looks pretty easy to install.

I've also been using the X grip for many years in my other Jeep.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

Super easy. 2 factory screws already there! I have a 2nd RAM ball on it if I ever want to run a GoPro…just haven’t needed to yet.

I ran the Xgrip on my motorcycle, but the Quick Grip is better. More secure and one hand operation for the win.

 

[Indy05Rubi]

Half Door Project Part 1 - Acquisition

Shortly after purchasing the Jeep I began the hunt for a set of half doors for it. Knew that a color matched set in good condition would be a unicorn, so I settled into my routine of checking a variety of online marketplaces to see what options presented themselves. Wasn't in a rush so didn't feel the need to overpay and was not afraid of buying a set in a different color and have the painted - which increased the options available. Set a ballpark search radius of roughly 3 hours around my house - again, mostly to see what was available out there.

I ended up finding a set on FB Marketplace an hour from my parent's house (just inside my 3 hour radius) so I combined a trip to visit them with the trip to go purchase the doors. They weren't advertised specifically but were part of one of those "Jeep parts" or "Jeep TJ parts" kinda listings that had a variety of stuff that someone is usually trying to clear out of their garage. And that is exactly what the seller was looking to do - but I only wanted the doors.

Upon arrival, the first thing I noticed was his Jeep...a pretty nice YJ all dressed up to go hunt dinosaurs.

I honestly don't recall if he used to have a TJ before this and that is why he had these doors....or if he accidentally bought them for this project thinking they would fit. But he had them and wanted them gone, so for $200 I ended up with them, knowing that they would need some work. They hadn't been abused on the trails and the inner door cards were intact, so not a bad start.

Here's what I started with (photos taken after I got them back home).

The surface rust on the face of the passenger door didn't concern me much, but I wasn't all that sure how repairable the rust at the pinch weld on the bottom of that door was going to be. And of course they are so close but oh so far to the matching color of my '05. So paint and bodywork, here I come!

Using a VIN decoder online, they appear to have come off a '99 TJ.

No uppers and no mirrors, but they did also come with a zip lock bag of hardware, fastners, bits and pieces. More on that later.

 

[suicideking]

Still a great price to pay for half doors as long as you don't mind paying to have them painted (or do it yourself).