nk24's 2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

nk24

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I decided in late 2017 that my 2000 Sport wasn't quite what I wanted anymore. While it was a great vehicle and I made many memories with it, the manual transmission and Dana 35 rear with 3.73 gears weren't ideal. I wanted an automatic transmission and lockers, so I began looking for a '03-'04 Rubicon. I found a deal on a 2004 Rubicon locally on Craigslist In December 2017 and couldn't pass it up. It had been in Arizona since the beginning and was pretty clean for 126,000 miles.

The day I brought it home:

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Swapped my wheels and tires (33x10.5x15 KO2) over from the 2000 Sport. Took it for a test run to Four Peaks to get a feel for the suspension and compare the ride. I had added a 3" BDS suspension lift to the 2000 Sport and wanted to see how the 3.5" Rubicon Express lift that the previous owner installed on the Rubicon compared to it. I was fairly impressed with the RE suspension.

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I had put a decent amount of upgrades into the 2000 Sport, many of which I wanted to keep. I spent a weekend swapping parts from the Sport to the Rubicon, including Cibie headlights, ARB headlight harness, front bumper, KC fog lights, Grabars, Daystar hood latches, Polk speakers, and the underhood lamp. I also decided to remove the old Warn winch (still operable) and hi-lift jack mounts.

I cleaned and painted the front bumper, factory hooks, sway bar cover, and headlight bezels with rattle can bedliner.

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I really liked the LED interior mod that I had done previously in the Sport, so I did the same in the Rubicon. I went with cool white LED in the cluster, HVAC, switches, and dome lights.

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I had bought a used Antirock a while back and was about to install it on the 2000 Sport, but right around that time was when I decided to go another route. Glad I waited to install it because I wouldn't want to pound those bushings into the frame again!

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Over the summer we bought a house with a storage building that we converted to a two car garage. I was so glad to have my own space to work on the Jeep instead of the apartment parking lot.

Since I now had a place to store it, I removed the roof rack (see next post). I wanted to see how much noise it generated and if it helped with a bit with mileage.

The garage siding has since been painted to match ;)

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Around the time I bought the used Antirock, I also bought a Currie Currectlync. Similar to the Antirock, this almost got installed on the 2000 Sport as well.

Before:

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Alignment:

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After:

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Hey... that thing looks a lot like mine ;)

When you first posted your latest Rubicon, I thought the same thing. Very similar rear bumper with tire swing too.

Unfortunately, whoever installed my bumper decided to weld it to the cross member instead of drilling and bolting. I want to remove the bumper so I can install the Exogate that is waiting in a box in my garage. I'm tired of swinging the tire out first to get to the tailgate. I've been quoted about $100 to break the weld and remove the bumper.

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When you first posted your latest Rubicon, I thought the same thing. Very similar rear bumper with tire swing too.

Unfortunately, whoever installed my bumper decided to weld it to the cross member instead of drilling and bolting. I want to remove the bumper so I can install the Exogate that is waiting in a box in my garage. I'm tired of swinging the tire out first to get to the tailgate. I've been quoted about $100 to break the weld and remove the bumper.

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Wow, what a idiot to weld it onto the crossmember. This is one of those, "craziest thing the previous owner had done" things. Some people... sheesh.
 
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I love the Rubi and I am also in AZ. Living in Tempe right now.
That is awesome that you had the funds to be able to buy the Rubi and swap all the parts to it that you wanted to keep.

I am actually thinking running Four Peaks this weekend to try out my new BDS / RS5000x suspension and tires. :)
 
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I love the Rubi and I am also in AZ. Living in Tempe right now.
That is awesome that you had the funds to be able to buy the Rubi and swap all the parts to it that you wanted to keep.

I am actually thinking running Four Peaks this weekend to try out my new BDS / RS5000x suspension and tires. :)
Nice! I thought about going up to Four Peaks in New Year’s Day to see the snow but I think it was closed. If you go, be sure to post some photos.

I’m considering some RS5000x as well. They seem to be pretty well regarded.
 
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Driveway tire rotation and brake inspection. Almost time for some new Centric rotors and Black Magic brake pads.

These things look a bit silly without tires and wheels.

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Please do not use that winch mount. It is a tragedy waiting to happen. Large frame Warns are meant to be mounted foot forward like an 8274 and not foot down as well as the motor is on the wrong side.
Thanks for the tip. I sold the winch and mounting plate long ago.
 
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I finally got the miserable rear bumper and swing out tire carrier cut off since a previous owner welded it to the cross member.

The swing hinge wasn't greaseable and it was getting more and more stiff. I grew tired of swinging the tire out before opening the tailgate. Plus, the tire was mounted very high, blocking a significant portion of the view through the rear window.

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