How would this build go in the mud? Are they're different build requirements for different terrains?If you've been around this forum long enough, you'll know that I have trouble keeping my Jeeps. The first one was my 2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, followed by Project Pissed Off Wife: A Story of Indecision and Frivolous Spending, and finally Project Pissed Off Wife II: Teeth > Jeep.
I had always intended to keep my khaki TJ (Project Pissed Off Wife: A Story of Indecision and Frivolous Spending) as it was built just the way I wanted it. Unfortunately for me it came to my attention that I owed the IRS $28,000 from failing to file my taxes in 2007 and 2008 (as it turns out, the penalty for not filing taxes is bigger than it is for not paying taxes). They had put a lien on my house, and I really, really didn't want that hanging over my head. Fortunately forum member @toximus bought my Jeep for his wife @Mrs Tox, so at least I know it's in good hands.
Project Pissed Off Wife II: Teeth > Jeep was supposed to be a mild build, as I didn't want to redo my khaki TJ build since I knew that was going to cost more money than I had to spend.
Well, as luck would have it, the stars happened to align and the universe unfolded exactly as it should, because this thing popped up for sale:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/2003-rubicon-savvy-mid-arm-build.39192/
It was nearly identical to my khaki build, but had even more parts, and the only thing it was missing was an outboard shock conversion as well as a PSC hydro-assist setup.
The real kicker though was the price. For $20,000 I would be saving probably well over 30k worth of parts and labor.
So I took this as a sign from the universe and ended up buying it.
My ultimate goal with this Jeep is to have a vehicle that I can wheel out here in Arizona. Our house is within a very short distance of some of the best wheeling in the state, and out here it is truly trails galore.
I look at this TJ as basically picking up almost exactly where I left off with my old khaki TJ. That's why I take this as a sign that it was meant to be
This is what's been done to the Jeep so far:
Things I'll be adding soon:
- Savvy mid-arm full kit
- Savvy tuned Fox shocks
- Savvy / Currie ultimate steering with aluminum tie rod
- Savvy under armor
- Savvy corner armor with rub rails
- Savvy front bumper with all accessories
- Savvy taillights
- Savvy sliders
- Savvy tub rails
- Savvy 1.25" body lift
- Currie front antirock
- Currie rear antirock
- Next Venture Motorsports high clearance rear bumper
- Revolution front and rear chromoly axle shafts
- Revolution 4.88 gears
- Vanco Super 16" big brake kit
- JE Reel custom rear driveshaft
- Adams custom front driveshaft
- Genright Boulder aluminum front fenders
- TrailReady USA made beadlocks (5) with 35/12.50R17 Nitto TrailGrapplers
- BedRug carpets
- Weathertech floor mats
- Tuffy console
- Noico sound deadening
- Warn M8000 winch
- KC HiLiTES Gravity LED Headlights
- KC HiLiTES Slimlite 6" LED Auxiliary Lights
- Uniden PRO 520XL CB radio
- Arizona Rocky Road CB radio mount
- Sunshade
- Kenwood X704 head unit
- Audiotec Fischer Helix V Eight MK2 DSP amplifier
- Micro-Precision tweeters
- BLAM 5.25" dash speakers
- BLAM 6.25" sound bar speakers
- Kicker CompRT 6.75" subwoofer
- ARH long tube headers
- FRP tune
- PSC hydro-assist
- GenRight raised body mounts
- GenRight hood louvre
- PRP Summit Elite Series seats
- PRP harnesses
- Outboard shock conversion
- Fox 2.0 Factory smooth body LSC shocks (11" front and 12" rear)
- Tie-rod flip
Here are the most recent photos:
View attachment 199950
View attachment 200437
Picking up where I left off
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
- Status
Absolutely Sick!!!If you've been around this forum long enough, you'll know that I have trouble keeping my Jeeps. The first one was my 2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, followed by Project Pissed Off Wife: A Story of Indecision and Frivolous Spending, and finally Project Pissed Off Wife II: Teeth > Jeep.
I had always intended to keep my khaki TJ (Project Pissed Off Wife: A Story of Indecision and Frivolous Spending) as it was built just the way I wanted it. Unfortunately for me it came to my attention that I owed the IRS $28,000 from failing to file my taxes in 2007 and 2008 (as it turns out, the penalty for not filing taxes is bigger than it is for not paying taxes). They had put a lien on my house, and I really, really didn't want that hanging over my head. Fortunately forum member @toximus bought my Jeep for his wife @Mrs Tox, so at least I know it's in good hands.
Project Pissed Off Wife II: Teeth > Jeep was supposed to be a mild build, as I didn't want to redo my khaki TJ build since I knew that was going to cost more money than I had to spend.
Well, as luck would have it, the stars happened to align and the universe unfolded exactly as it should, because this thing popped up for sale:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/2003-rubicon-savvy-mid-arm-build.39192/
It was nearly identical to my khaki build, but had even more parts, and the only thing it was missing was an outboard shock conversion as well as a PSC hydro-assist setup.
The real kicker though was the price. For $20,000 I would be saving probably well over 30k worth of parts and labor.
So I took this as a sign from the universe and ended up buying it.
My ultimate goal with this Jeep is to have a vehicle that I can wheel out here in Arizona. Our house is within a very short distance of some of the best wheeling in the state, and out here it is truly trails galore.
I look at this TJ as basically picking up almost exactly where I left off with my old khaki TJ. That's why I take this as a sign that it was meant to be
This is what's been done to the Jeep so far:
Things I'll be adding soon:
- Savvy mid-arm full kit
- Savvy tuned Fox shocks
- Savvy / Currie ultimate steering with aluminum tie rod
- Savvy under armor
- Savvy corner armor with rub rails
- Savvy front bumper with all accessories
- Savvy taillights
- Savvy sliders
- Savvy tub rails
- Savvy 1.25" body lift
- Currie front antirock
- Currie rear antirock
- Next Venture Motorsports high clearance rear bumper
- Revolution front and rear chromoly axle shafts
- Revolution 4.88 gears
- Vanco Super 16" big brake kit
- JE Reel custom rear driveshaft
- Adams custom front driveshaft
- Genright Boulder aluminum front fenders
- TrailReady USA made beadlocks (5) with 35/12.50R17 Nitto TrailGrapplers
- BedRug carpets
- Weathertech floor mats
- Tuffy console
- Noico sound deadening
- Warn M8000 winch
- KC HiLiTES Gravity LED Headlights
- KC HiLiTES Slimlite 6" LED Auxiliary Lights
- Uniden PRO 520XL CB radio
- Arizona Rocky Road CB radio mount
- Sunshade
- Kenwood X704 head unit
- Audiotec Fischer Helix V Eight MK2 DSP amplifier
- Micro-Precision tweeters
- BLAM 5.25" dash speakers
- BLAM 6.25" sound bar speakers
- Kicker CompRT 6.75" subwoofer
- ARH long tube headers
- FRP tune
- PSC hydro-assist
- GenRight raised body mounts
- GenRight hood louvre
- PRP Summit Elite Series seats
- PRP harnesses
- Outboard shock conversion
- Fox 2.0 Factory smooth body LSC shocks (11" front and 12" rear)
- Tie-rod flip
Here are the most recent photos:
View attachment 199950
View attachment 200437
Chris,
Back to the roll cage discussion.
Here are some roll cage pillars/stanchions that don't block access to the dash. I know some feel these are POS but just thought I'd share.
Jeep TJ/LJ Roll Cage Pillars (Stanchions) – TMR Customs
Back to the roll cage discussion.
Here are some roll cage pillars/stanchions that don't block access to the dash. I know some feel these are POS but just thought I'd share.
Jeep TJ/LJ Roll Cage Pillars (Stanchions) – TMR Customs
Just fine as long as you added fender flares and possibly some mug bogger tires.
Thank you!
What is the advantage to doing it this way as oppose to the way the Poly cage mounts?
I think it's more of a choice thing but I am not a engineer or anything. I remember when they first came out with the thru the dash cage the first designs had issues with the ducting to the vents. And that was what caused a lot of people to not like that design. If I'm remembering things right then after a while it was worked out where the ducting to the vents weren't messed with.
That makes sense. I see a lot of these cages and I'm not sure what works good and what doesn't. I ask a lot of questions because if I am having someone build a cage for me, I want to make sure they know what the hell they are doing. Given my experience with that last shop who did my mid-arm install and outboard, I'm very, very skeptical to trust people. I mean those guys built tons of Jeeps, buggies, and just about everything you can think of. However, they butchered my outboard job but somehow in their mind thought it was okay.
Last thing I want to do is have someone build me a cage and have it be done wrong or be completely unsafe. Safety is involved here, so I'm not fucking around.
If you want it done right, do it yourself. How did they butcher the outboard?
I remember when they first came out with this design there were a LOT of questions as to if they were as strong as a tube going to the floor. And I honestly can't tell you. Blaine most likely can and explain why it is or isn't a solid design. I installed my cage in 2005 when if I remember stuff right was about the time they were figuring out how to install the thru the dash without messing up the vents.
I talked to a shop up here at the time about building a custom cage with the thru the dash and they told me I'd lose those vents.
Poison Spyder had come out with their cage so I went this way instead.
I don't know how to weld, nor do I have a welder. While I could learn and pick this up, that will send me down a rabbit hole of spending money on welding equipment (and if you know me, you'll know I don't cheap out when I buy stuff) and it will take five times as long to get done. While I do intend to pickup a welder and learn at some point, I don't want to do that right at this point.
They butchered the outboard by not setting the position of the mounts at ride height (instead they set them while the vehicle was on the lift), and they cut provisions in the frame for the external reservoirs
There are photos of it in my old thread, but it's really sad.
I ended up with a rear shock that instead of a 50/50 up-travel / down-travel ratio it was more like 40/60 in favor of down-travel.
Yeah, I wouldn't want to lose those vents, so I don't blame you there. It sounds like someone figured out a way around losing the vents with the cage through dash setup, which is good. I actually use those vents all the time, so they can't go anywhere.
I recall others using a heat gun to reshape the ductwork around the A pillars passing through the dash.
That seems like a reasonable solution. Depending on how much the tubing interferes, I can't imagine the ductwork needing that much work.
The big difference is a flat sheet versus a tube. One is much stronger than the other.
Yes I think I remember that also. I don't know what the final work around was I just know it was part of why people didn't want a thru the dash cage.
Makes you wonder why GenRight didn't go through the dash and to the floor as oppose to what they did with their design and capturing the dash.
https://genright.com/products/jeep-tj-laser-notched-full-roll-cage-kit.html
https://genright.com/products/jeep-tj-laser-notched-full-roll-cage-kit.html
It's the same reason why we have all these long arm kits that don't work the way they ought to.
Also, remember why GR put steps on their mini boatsides.
If that is the case then why are these still being made? Again I am not even close to knowing anything abut this type of stuff.
I also remember when that one Jeep rolled at Moab and that was what convinced more people that this wasn't a bad design. Again I don't know one way or the other.
Supposedly the stanchions bolting to the dash is what makes them stronger. Or this is the claim.
There is an old story about the plate style leg where someone rolled. The plate buckled and tore up an occupant's leg. The only injury was from the very thing that was supposed to offer protection.
- Status
Similar threads
