I was skeerd off because of the amount of work to add the sliders. Now, I want to do them but ..... they aint available.
Glad I got fall off sliders from Garrett when he upgraded.
PC1P's 2006 Jeep LJ Build - Brünhilde
- Thread starter pc1p
- Start date
I was skeerd off because of the amount of work to add the sliders. Now, I want to do them but ..... they aint available.
Glad I got fall off sliders from Garrett when he upgraded.
The warns do the job well except in the very back where they don’t reach the edge of the wheel well
OP
I'll take a look at what's coming up with the kids and work over the next few weeks and let you know!
OP
I spent the better part of last week in Amarillo, TX at the Cliffside Helium Enrichment Plant. This plant was a major source of the helium in the U.S. and my company (Messer) is currently working on an O&M contract with the BLM to get it back up and running properly. The BLM is looking to sell this property, so obviously we have a big incentive to get it up and running and then eventually put in a bid for purchase since helium is a huge market for us.
The US produces 40% of the world’s helium supply, with the majority coming from the Federal Helium Reserve (FHR). The FHR has reserved all the helium molecules found on federal land since 1925, and purchased crude helium extracted by natural gas producers for storage at its facility in Amarillo, Texas. The FHR is currently the only helium storage facility in the world and has sold crude helium to private companies since 1996. Gas from this plant was historically used in airships, nuclear reactors/facilities, and spaceships, but today is used in more common applications like MRI machines as well as in chip and harddrive manufacturing.
I had what many would consider the "king of the baby truck" market for a few days on my trip; I can say without a doubt, I'll never own one, and especially never a Gladiator. After two decades of trying, I still don't see the appeal for baby/midsize trucks...
For starters, I'm just too damn big...
Second, they just aren't as comfortable. The seats are truck-like but not truck sized, so certainly nothing comparable even to the base model 1/2-ton. Now granted, I'm a big dude and have some bias there, but my wife's Grand Cherokee is similar in size but is way, way more comfortable (did 14 hours on our trip to Myrtle Beach without a single sore spot - I drove this thing from OKC to Amarillo and was dying to get out!). I've driven a number of other midsize trucks as well (Tacoma and Frontier) and they all follow this trend of "meh" seating.
Third would be gas mileage. Over 4 tanks of gas, I averaged 16.7 mpg (per the dash gauge) with this stock JTUR. The Ram Rebel 5.7L Hemi that I drove from DFW back to Phoenix was around 18 mpg, with considerably more space, HP, and torque.
Fourth would be parking. They're really no easier to park than a 1/2 ton and I had to back into a number of parking spots (I back in anyways for company policy, but 90% of the spots I parked at would have required backing in no matter what).
Fifth is the ride. This thing rode no smoother than my LJ. Steering was somewhat vague at speed and feedback was poor. It is a pickup truck and I suspect some extra weight in the bed would help smooth things out a little bit, but this was beating me up on the backroads.
There were some things that were nice - like the factory backup camera being so clear it looked like a photo and the ZF transmission was VERY NICELY programmed, with no annoyingly early/late up or downshifts. The 3.6L is decently tuned as well and with the ZF behind it, it moves nicely. But overall, the JTUR was not impressive to me especially considering the cost of these things new. Even if I fit better and it had better ergonomics, I don't know as I could deal with one as a daily driver. Not ragging on the JT, just saying it (or any baby truck to date) isn't something I'd own
Now with that, when in Rome (or in this case Amarillo)...
Even got "ducked" while grabbing dinner with some coworkers...
The US produces 40% of the world’s helium supply, with the majority coming from the Federal Helium Reserve (FHR). The FHR has reserved all the helium molecules found on federal land since 1925, and purchased crude helium extracted by natural gas producers for storage at its facility in Amarillo, Texas. The FHR is currently the only helium storage facility in the world and has sold crude helium to private companies since 1996. Gas from this plant was historically used in airships, nuclear reactors/facilities, and spaceships, but today is used in more common applications like MRI machines as well as in chip and harddrive manufacturing.
I had what many would consider the "king of the baby truck" market for a few days on my trip; I can say without a doubt, I'll never own one, and especially never a Gladiator. After two decades of trying, I still don't see the appeal for baby/midsize trucks...
For starters, I'm just too damn big...
Second, they just aren't as comfortable. The seats are truck-like but not truck sized, so certainly nothing comparable even to the base model 1/2-ton. Now granted, I'm a big dude and have some bias there, but my wife's Grand Cherokee is similar in size but is way, way more comfortable (did 14 hours on our trip to Myrtle Beach without a single sore spot - I drove this thing from OKC to Amarillo and was dying to get out!). I've driven a number of other midsize trucks as well (Tacoma and Frontier) and they all follow this trend of "meh" seating.
Third would be gas mileage. Over 4 tanks of gas, I averaged 16.7 mpg (per the dash gauge) with this stock JTUR. The Ram Rebel 5.7L Hemi that I drove from DFW back to Phoenix was around 18 mpg, with considerably more space, HP, and torque.
Fourth would be parking. They're really no easier to park than a 1/2 ton and I had to back into a number of parking spots (I back in anyways for company policy, but 90% of the spots I parked at would have required backing in no matter what).
Fifth is the ride. This thing rode no smoother than my LJ. Steering was somewhat vague at speed and feedback was poor. It is a pickup truck and I suspect some extra weight in the bed would help smooth things out a little bit, but this was beating me up on the backroads.
There were some things that were nice - like the factory backup camera being so clear it looked like a photo and the ZF transmission was VERY NICELY programmed, with no annoyingly early/late up or downshifts. The 3.6L is decently tuned as well and with the ZF behind it, it moves nicely. But overall, the JTUR was not impressive to me especially considering the cost of these things new. Even if I fit better and it had better ergonomics, I don't know as I could deal with one as a daily driver. Not ragging on the JT, just saying it (or any baby truck to date) isn't something I'd own
Now with that, when in Rome (or in this case Amarillo)...
Even got "ducked" while grabbing dinner with some coworkers...
OP
After a year of searching, I found a local guy selling a factory soft-top for an LJ...
It was more than I wanted to pay ($450) and the guy had zero wiggle room on it, but it was super clean, had all OEM parts, and not too far away. My buddy and I popped the hard top off and took a chilly drive up to Binghamton (about 45 minutes away) at 7:15 in the morning. We installed the top and gave it a thorough, 75 mph test run the entire way home without any issues.
My son had his first game of the season - you can see a few players in the background in the pic above - so as soon as I got home, I loaded up my camera gear (I'm the team photographer!), his gear, and we headed on over. He loved the backroads cruising with the windows off - with the hardtop, he hated the front windows down since you get a lot of wind into your ears/face.
It was hot and sunny day, so the new top was even more appreciated on the drive home
It was more than I wanted to pay ($450) and the guy had zero wiggle room on it, but it was super clean, had all OEM parts, and not too far away. My buddy and I popped the hard top off and took a chilly drive up to Binghamton (about 45 minutes away) at 7:15 in the morning. We installed the top and gave it a thorough, 75 mph test run the entire way home without any issues.
My son had his first game of the season - you can see a few players in the background in the pic above - so as soon as I got home, I loaded up my camera gear (I'm the team photographer!), his gear, and we headed on over. He loved the backroads cruising with the windows off - with the hardtop, he hated the front windows down since you get a lot of wind into your ears/face.
It was hot and sunny day, so the new top was even more appreciated on the drive home
After a year of searching, I found a local guy selling a factory soft-top for an LJ...
View attachment 351843
It was more than I wanted to pay ($450) and the guy had zero wiggle room on it, but it was super clean, had all OEM parts, and not too far away. My buddy and I popped the hard top off and took a chilly drive up to Binghamton (about 45 minutes away) at 7:15 in the morning. We installed the top and gave it a thorough, 75 mph test run the entire way home without any issues.
My son had his first game of the season - you can see a few players in the background in the pic above - so as soon as I got home, I loaded up my camera gear (I'm the team photographer!), his gear, and we headed on over. He loved the backroads cruising with the windows off - with the hardtop, he hated the front windows down since you get a lot of wind into your ears/face.
View attachment 351844
It was hot and sunny day, so the new top was even more appreciated on the drive home
My parents had all us boys in every sport they could to keep us busy all year round. I'll enjoy his pics as mush as Jeep pics.
OP
I love taking them too! Been quite the stir over the past year with all the parents begging me to get to nearly every game of every sport - even the ones my kids aren’t in!
Some more from this past week’s game…
OP
I use two setups at 98% of the sports events and games that I shoot.
For longer-distance shots, I use my D5 w/Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VRII w/Nikon TC-17E II teleconverter - all the photos above were shot with this setup...
For wider angle or closer action shots, I use my D4 w/Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 ED; examples below:
The younger brother to one of my high school friends (he is 10 years younger so we never hung out!) is one of the coaches for the peewee C-team. He's excellent at making cool posters - I asked him to show me how he does these and I promised to show him how to run his new-to-him DSLR
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Rickstar321
Member
Great thread brother-man! Thoroughly enjoying the journey! I'm at a crossroads with my TJ... Get the TJ to LJ Genright kit or trade it in on one?... answer seems obvious except i've grown attached to the ole "micro-jeep" and with all the maintenance work I've done on her I know what I have... lol...
OP
Took my boy to the NY International Air Show last weekend. We drove the 100 miles (each way) in the LJ with the windows off (his idea) and 80/90's rock playing (also his idea!) 
It was a hot, sweaty day but I've yet to see my boy as excited as he was when an F16 did a supersonic flyby. The kid is a plane freak - he knows everything about nearly every model of plane, some of which I didn't even know existed (ADHD comes in handy at times!). I was similar to Leo, though my passion died when I was told (around the age of 12) that I was already too big to be a fighter pilot. My dreams were crushed, so I turned to cars/Jeeps/4x4's.
I set Leo up with my smaller camera and lens and he got some great shots that he is still editing and weeding out (he wants to make a cool poster for his room). Below are some of the photos that I took with my camera. By far the best part of the show was the F16 Viper Demo. The pilot (the lady below) was an animal - trying to rip the wings off the thing by comparison to the Thunderbirds.
It was a hot, sweaty day but I've yet to see my boy as excited as he was when an F16 did a supersonic flyby. The kid is a plane freak - he knows everything about nearly every model of plane, some of which I didn't even know existed (ADHD comes in handy at times!). I was similar to Leo, though my passion died when I was told (around the age of 12) that I was already too big to be a fighter pilot. My dreams were crushed, so I turned to cars/Jeeps/4x4's.
I set Leo up with my smaller camera and lens and he got some great shots that he is still editing and weeding out (he wants to make a cool poster for his room). Below are some of the photos that I took with my camera. By far the best part of the show was the F16 Viper Demo. The pilot (the lady below) was an animal - trying to rip the wings off the thing by comparison to the Thunderbirds.
OP
Thanks!
This time it was my Nikkor 200-500mm on my D5 (my son was running my 70-200mm on my D500).
OP
Decided to swap out my Savvy tails for a set of QT lights...
I really like the Savvy tails but I really want to hook up my backup camera. Backing up in the dark in the country can be fun, but is manageable. What I really want the camera for is backing up the Jeep to the boat/utility trailer by myself and especially when it's dark out. The only good spot that will work and be out of the way is in the center of the tire carrier, which is currently occupied by the license plate and holder. So, the license plate needs to go back to the stock location, hence the new taillights (I didn't want to bother trying with aux lights, lighted bolts, lighted bracket, etc).
QT had an overstock sale, so I jumped on these (shipped for $138, so not too bad).
If anyone is interested in the Savvy's, I have them posted here: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/savvy-led-taillights.67262/ - sorry, already sold
A side story - I was in Vancouver/Portland all week and came home late Friday night to a fresh 8" of snow on top of 1/2" of sleet, on top of a very solid ice layer (on top of the 2-3" of snow we got earlier in the week). Not even with both lockers on could I get much further than 1/2 way up the driveway! I took the detour route (on the lawn, which offered up a bunch more traction, but I didn't want to tear it up too much). Had to spend 2.5 hours on Saturday getting the driveway cleaned up - has me wondering if I should find a set of chains for the rear just in case...
I really like the Savvy tails but I really want to hook up my backup camera. Backing up in the dark in the country can be fun, but is manageable. What I really want the camera for is backing up the Jeep to the boat/utility trailer by myself and especially when it's dark out. The only good spot that will work and be out of the way is in the center of the tire carrier, which is currently occupied by the license plate and holder. So, the license plate needs to go back to the stock location, hence the new taillights (I didn't want to bother trying with aux lights, lighted bolts, lighted bracket, etc).
QT had an overstock sale, so I jumped on these (shipped for $138, so not too bad).
A side story - I was in Vancouver/Portland all week and came home late Friday night to a fresh 8" of snow on top of 1/2" of sleet, on top of a very solid ice layer (on top of the 2-3" of snow we got earlier in the week). Not even with both lockers on could I get much further than 1/2 way up the driveway! I took the detour route (on the lawn, which offered up a bunch more traction, but I didn't want to tear it up too much). Had to spend 2.5 hours on Saturday getting the driveway cleaned up - has me wondering if I should find a set of chains for the rear just in case...
Best prices I've found. Cam lock v-bar for me. VERY fast shipping (2 days to NV).
https://tirechainsonline.com/truck-suv-tire-chains/
https://tirechainsonline.com/truck-suv-tire-chains/
OP
Perfect - exactly what I was wanting... I'll order these with the Savvy light money
Funny how that works...
Looking at the Savvy gas tank skid with money from the Yukon hubs I didn't need.
Perfect - exactly what I was wanting... I'll order these with the Savvy light money
I hate you right now. I love hand me down parts.