My LJ Thread - A MrBlaine Spec'ed LJ Build for Daily Driving and Weekend Adventure

I need two of those latch guards for my LJ and my TJ...

Please post some follow up info for the supercharger. I’m considering the Banks intercooled turbo but I’d be open to a supercharger if it is quiet like the Eforce in my truck.
 
Last piece of the puzzle. The grill we had painted was missing the plastic paint guard that the hood latch rubs against every time you close the hood. I checked all my other grills and they were missing on them as well. I ordered up some stainless steel sheet, cut it to size, bent it to shape, re-grained it, and pop riveted it in place with some S/S rivets.

The owner drove it off today. He was pleased with the build and I look forward to hearing how he likes it after he spends some time on the road with it. He mentioned that he was going to meander his way home with a few stops for camping and adventure along the way. For myself, this is a tie for my all time favorite build. The other belonging to Mr. Garza.
Congratulations. It’s nice to finish a build with satisfaction. Thanks for sharing the journey
 
I need two of those latch guards for my LJ and my TJ...

Please post some follow up info for the supercharger. I’m considering the Banks intercooled turbo but I’d be open to a supercharger if it is quiet like the Eforce in my truck.
The forced induction portion is very quiet, the charger itself is not as quiet. It is gear driven with straight cut gears so it rattles, not loud, but it's there. The whine is very quiet, but there. It must be louder outside the rig though. I was test driving and went past a neighborhood cop the other day. Later he saw me out front and stopped to ask if it had a supercharger, so he must have heard something.
 
Great build. The owner has to be thrilled with how it came out.

Those latch plates could be a seller, mine is about to fall off.
 
Good stuff as always. This is a build to be proud of. All the little details fit together so seamlessly that they almost disappear.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: VallenMaes
Overall the build has been great. The first trip was a big one, I filled up the back of it with my stuff and drove 1400 miles across the country with an epic pit stop in the California desert. A few friends and I spent a couple days exploring a pretty remote spot. At one point on the trip I drove the LJ 750 miles straight at highway speeds for 12 hours so I can say it is predictable and easy to drive on the highway.

Here are some pictures of it and the trip

Look, it is actually getting dirty! Totally got a couple rock chips too, was probably 100 miles of dirt roads so it is to be expected. I'm not going to stress too hard but will plan to detail touch-up the area with some matching paint to prevent rust.

tQ4nLz.jpg


These are the remains of a cable tower, you can see the rock boxes used as a counterweight. The lattice tower structure has fallen to the left. This ambitious project from 1911 took salt 14 miles up and over a desolate and rugged range to a point where it could be shipped with conventional methods.

SxPQCY.jpg


If you look carefully towards the left side of the picture there is a faint but straight line heading to the dry lake bed. The cars are below as well, not very far away in distance but it gaining at 1000 ft per mile in elevation.

C7ttnk.jpg
 
Last edited:
This is the turning tower where the line made a change in direction going up the mountain. It had an electric motor and a drum brake mechanism to provide power to the line.

aDYeJn.jpg


Looking straight down you can see it kicks off to the left.

C1lliY.jpg


This is a good view looking down the mountain range. It is one heck of a rough place to drag all that lumber up for construction.

SydPwd.jpg
 
When we finally got down the mountain it was starting to get dark.

vT06pU.jpg


My buddy wanted to take his TRD down the road a little faster than I wanted to deal with. For me the whole trip was a shakedown and exploration mission. However, my friend figured he would be installing a lift and new tires in the next few months so might as well let it rip in stock TRD form. Well soon enough he found where all the bump travel was used up, resulting in a tire pinch flat and a nasty rim gouge.

dlLOKr.jpg


Eventually we made it to our sweet but equally creepy home away from home. It just needs a little TLC but she is almost move in ready. Don't mind the mice.

XCSy6Q.jpg
 
The next day we hiked a pretty lightly used trail up to an old layover stop used by miners in the area. Once upon a time it was a nice place to stay I might imagine. At least it was a room with a view!

QuKgbC.jpg


This is a good one of the whole valley, you can see the dry lake with just a little bit of water in it. The salt is so pure on the surface they didn't even need to separate it before loading the tram and shipping it. They just raked it up from the lake surface into piles and loaded it up.

MjoqLE.jpg


Lots of Native Americans called this place home, and some of them drew pictures of big horn sheep in the rocks!

X7poex.jpg
 
On the last morning we made a killer breakfast and rolled out of camp. I had some serious miles to drive. Our remote desert compound was a pretty glorious home while we stayed, until next time.

Xi2cFE.jpg


On the road again...

qnqXqR.jpg


Finally back onto some pavement after a million miles of dirt roads. HWY 395 in CA is one of my favorite scenic drives. It was fun taking it north in the LJ with the view of the Sierra Nevada range along for the ride.

7aU0GX.jpg
 
Last edited:
The desert trip was officially over when I hit snow! From here on out things got serious. I dove that jeep 1080 miles in two days on the highway. It brakes straight, doesn't pull on acceleration and goes around a corner with confidence. Given it is still a 2005 LJ Rubicon and not a Ferrari but it is a good handling one with predictable characteristics.

I figured I would sorta photo bomb this thread with pictures from the trip. It is all about making memories and this is the 1st big adventure for the LJ. I'm hoping to do more trips like this one with it in the future. It is also fun to drive around town in the meantime. Overall Blaine did a great job with all the work.

E07Ufv.jpg
 
Okay, those have to be some of the most epic photos I've ever seen @ObiWanWebWheelr! First off, thanks so much for sharing those amazing photos (I'm still in awe over them), and secondly, I love your LJ, just love it!

If I wanted to explore this place myself, how could I find it? I'm assuming I can't just put it into Google Maps on my phone?

Lastly, are those M/T tires or A/T tires you're running?
 
I know you had it repainted. Is that the OEM red? It looks like it has a bit more orange in it. I'm really digging the color.
 
I know you had it repainted. Is that the OEM red? It looks like it has a bit more orange in it. I'm really digging the color.
I was thinking the same thing, I thought it was Flame Red, but it's Impact Orange. See page 1 of the build thread.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex01
Okay, those have to be some of the most epic photos I've ever seen @ObiWanWebWheelr! First off, thanks so much for sharing those amazing photos (I'm still in awe over them), and secondly, I love your LJ, just love it!

If I wanted to explore this place myself, how could I find it? I'm assuming I can't just put it into Google Maps on my phone?

Lastly, are those M/T tires or A/T tires you're running?
Saline valley salt tram. You won't have phone service there so you will want to cache the maps for the area on your phone or use real maps.

Google salt tram for info. You can go in from Keeler.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
Saline valley salt tram. You won't have phone service there so you will want to cache the maps for the area on your phone or use real maps.

Google salt tram for info. You can go in from Keeler.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Awesome, thanks for the info! One of these days I’m going to check it out.