Hello fellow Jeepers. Recently picked up a 2006 TJ Rubicon and looking forward to starting in on the mods. I already own a 2013 JK, so spent the last 2-3 weeks trying to do my research and figure out all the differences between the two models before I start spending too much money. Have done a couple little "housekeeping" things on the TJ so far, and just ordered a modest 2" lift for it. The long term plan is to stretch the TJ, but that won't be for a couple years. Going to make some modest and simple mods to it in the meantime and enjoy it for for the time being. Attached a pic of it after I brought it and spent a full day cleaning it up.
New TJ owner
- Thread starter Billy06
- Start date
You made the right choice by going with a Rubicon. Looks like it's pretty clean as well, huh?
Anyways, welcome to the forum. Hopefully we'll see more of you around
Anyways, welcome to the forum. Hopefully we'll see more of you around
It's very clean. Bought it from a buddy, who bought it new. He never took it offroad and the lockers have never been used. It's got 200,000 miles, so the suspension and steering components are a little tired, but it's all getting replaced, so no biggie. Wasn't planning on buying a second Jeep, but he gave me a deal I couldn't refuse.
Thanks. The RC Boats were my previous hobby. One of these days soon I'm going to have to sell all the boat stuff off to pay for Jeep parts
You nailed it. I've got a few more boats that aren't in that pic. The Jersey Skiff is always a blast to race and it's the one I enjoy racing the most. Very much a drivers class and not just squeeze the throttle and go like some of my others.
True about the driver, buddy had one and got to ride in it. Fun and scary at times, definitely turns heads. Like riding in a high powered bath tub....lol.
Thanks. A little bit of a learning curve on these Tj's compared to my JK. Lot's of Youtube searches trying to see what the common/popular upgrades are.
Pretty common upgrades with a 2" lift are a 1.25" body lift, 1" motor mount lift, adjustable track bars, ZJ steering upgrade, extended sway bar links, or disco's, and eventually, 33's. With the BL, you can set yourself up for a tummy tuck of the t-case skid. They stick down quite a bit compared to your JK.
Amen, I have spent the last 3 months educating myself thanks to this forum and YouTube. I have done basic mods, to more complex and I couldn’t have been successful without the necessary tools!! The stuff I have to do next is above my head and requires tools I don’t own! You will learn! Love my TJ!
Thanks for the info. I'm on the fence with the body lift. Coming from the JK world, those are avoided like the plague. Still trying to get over that. I was hoping to do the 2" suspension lift and get away with fitting a 285-75-16 with the stock fenders. Any thoughts if those tires will fit? Keep in mind, this lift and tire combo will be somewhat of a temporary setup, until I accumulate the funds and parts needed to stretch it and go the long arm route. Good thing for me is this is a second Jeep and third vehicle, so it being out of commission for periods of time isn't a big deal. I do have the ZJ steering upgrade on the immediate list and need to look into upgrading the brakes.
My biggest problem at the moment is trying to figure out how to fund two Jeeps at the same time. My JK is heading in the right direction, but there's still plenty of mods that could/should be done. This TJ has a long way to go!
I'm not a fan of BL's either, but a small one is pretty common on the TJ platform. You can fit 285's, but you'll suffer uptravel cause you'll have to bump to keep them out of the fenders. The BL helps with this. The MML helps in case you get drive line vibes after the lift. TJ's can be finicky.
Thanks for the info. I did go ahead and get 2" bump stops with the lift I bought. Not sure if I'll need the full 2" or not, but it's a starting point I guess. If I have to add a BL, then so be it. I'm hoping with it being just a 2" lift, I won't get any drive line vibrations, but these TJ's are new to me, so I'll be learning as I go. I'm also curious to see if an adjustable track bar will be needed with this only being a 2" lift. I didn't order one yet, but can easily be added if needed.
Thanks man. This thing was very dirty and my skin was crawling at certain points while cleaning the inside! Any recommendations on some economical options for replacing the fog lights up front? I think I'm going to give this a try for the headlights https://www.ksuspensionfab.com/store/p6/H4_Upgraded_Headlight_Harness.html#/, but need to do something with those dingy fog lights too.
I have yet to find a single set of fog light replacements I like that cost less than $400, honestly. If you find something, be sure to let me know. All the cheap ones just look like that typical Chinese crap that doesn't belong on a TJ in my mind.