I think it's time to start my own build thread
Intro
I owe a ton of thanks to this forum overall for helping me make a learned purchase on a good Jeep. I always have been attracted to Jeeps and after a lot of research, reading and thinking between a used JK and a used TJ, I went with a TJ. And I am very happy I did! This vehicle is exactly what I wanted in terms of how it looks, how it feels to drive and how it is inside and outside.
My TJ
It took me a good while to find this TJ . Weeks and weeks of opening CL multiple times a day and checking local dealership websites. Eventually I found a good one on CL, a single owner 2005 Rubicon, 42RLE transmission, 56k miles, black, hard top + soft top + bikini top. I paid $16k. Was not happy with buying black but I did grow to like the color. Still wish I could have bought a earth tone color, moss green or a khaki one or even red, but I guess black is classic in its own way.
This was how the Jeep looked the day I got it - 2.5" lift, 17" rims, 33"+ mud terrain tires, chrome everywhere. There is pretty much no rust since we don't have salt on our roads and otherwise things were in pretty decent shape. There are a few small scratches on the doors, some small rock chips on the hood edge, some scratches on the rear where the hard top goes, but otherwise nothing major. I got a thumbs up sign from my local mechanic for engine/trans condition. However I knew that it did not drive well. There was a speed shimmy at ~45mph that disappeared past 55mph, ride on the Fabtech shocks was too rough and there were plenty of squeaky and rattling sounds.
May 2018
My build philosophy
Though I thoroughly enjoy seeing photos and videos of Jeeps doing crazy things, I am not into off-roading as an activity in itself other than what comes naturally when I go hiking or camping in the PNW. I want my Jeep to drive and handle well on the highway and at the same time, be capable+robust enough to go on any forest service road and backcountry road to trailheads and camping spots that I choose. This will therefore be a mild "build" in many ways.
The Build
I have taken a lot of inspiration from a lot of other builds here; you guys rock for sharing so much information. @Chris @Jerry Bransford @jjvw @glwood @Ranger_b0b @Squatch were amongst the many here that have given me great advice be it to simple or complex questions. A good portion of what I have has been put in by the very capable @David Kishpaugh of Jeep West and I am very grateful to him for listening to my rambles.
Here is what I've done so far after getting the Jeep in sequential order. Unless noted with a *, my local mechanic or Dave did the work. I'm slowly learning to do more on my Jeep, but I have a very long way to go. I really have a enormous amount of respect for every one of you here that do your own amazing work on the Jeep. Your build threads are all really fantastic.
The Jeep drives very well today with what I have. I'm quite happy as to where it is in terms of ride quality. I've only gone on one looong drive (hiking trip) after all the recent work that was done and towards the end I wished for a smoother ride as I was fatigued after a very long day of hiking on Mt Hood. But that wish went away after a night's rest
Here's how the Jeep stands today. I included a soft top pic since I absolutely and utterly love the soft top. I very reluctantly put the hard top just this past weekend as temps start to drop.
9/26/2018
Wishlist
(I will keep adding here and moving items to the "done" list above going forward; items not in any particular order except the regear/trans cooler)
Any sort of suggestion/comments/criticism on my Jeep and it's build is very welcome. I look forward to getting my Jeep even better than it stands today with all your help and advice.
Edit 12/20/2020
**I have to go change a bunch of stuff above since I either changed my mind or changed direction. Overall, this is for the Jeep stands as of dec 2020. I still need to button up a few more things, but I'm quite close to calling it "finished".
Intro
I owe a ton of thanks to this forum overall for helping me make a learned purchase on a good Jeep. I always have been attracted to Jeeps and after a lot of research, reading and thinking between a used JK and a used TJ, I went with a TJ. And I am very happy I did! This vehicle is exactly what I wanted in terms of how it looks, how it feels to drive and how it is inside and outside.
My TJ
It took me a good while to find this TJ . Weeks and weeks of opening CL multiple times a day and checking local dealership websites. Eventually I found a good one on CL, a single owner 2005 Rubicon, 42RLE transmission, 56k miles, black, hard top + soft top + bikini top. I paid $16k. Was not happy with buying black but I did grow to like the color. Still wish I could have bought a earth tone color, moss green or a khaki one or even red, but I guess black is classic in its own way.
This was how the Jeep looked the day I got it - 2.5" lift, 17" rims, 33"+ mud terrain tires, chrome everywhere. There is pretty much no rust since we don't have salt on our roads and otherwise things were in pretty decent shape. There are a few small scratches on the doors, some small rock chips on the hood edge, some scratches on the rear where the hard top goes, but otherwise nothing major. I got a thumbs up sign from my local mechanic for engine/trans condition. However I knew that it did not drive well. There was a speed shimmy at ~45mph that disappeared past 55mph, ride on the Fabtech shocks was too rough and there were plenty of squeaky and rattling sounds.
May 2018
My build philosophy
Though I thoroughly enjoy seeing photos and videos of Jeeps doing crazy things, I am not into off-roading as an activity in itself other than what comes naturally when I go hiking or camping in the PNW. I want my Jeep to drive and handle well on the highway and at the same time, be capable+robust enough to go on any forest service road and backcountry road to trailheads and camping spots that I choose. This will therefore be a mild "build" in many ways.
The Build
I have taken a lot of inspiration from a lot of other builds here; you guys rock for sharing so much information. @Chris @Jerry Bransford @jjvw @glwood @Ranger_b0b @Squatch were amongst the many here that have given me great advice be it to simple or complex questions. A good portion of what I have has been put in by the very capable @David Kishpaugh of Jeep West and I am very grateful to him for listening to my rambles.
Here is what I've done so far after getting the Jeep in sequential order. Unless noted with a *, my local mechanic or Dave did the work. I'm slowly learning to do more on my Jeep, but I have a very long way to go. I really have a enormous amount of respect for every one of you here that do your own amazing work on the Jeep. Your build threads are all really fantastic.
The Jeep drives very well today with what I have. I'm quite happy as to where it is in terms of ride quality. I've only gone on one looong drive (hiking trip) after all the recent work that was done and towards the end I wished for a smoother ride as I was fatigued after a very long day of hiking on Mt Hood. But that wish went away after a night's rest
- All new fluids everywhere
- New AC compressor
- 1.5" seat risers (Buchanan Precision Machine)*
- Iggee Seat covers*
- BedRug front and rear*
- Rugged Ridge molded floor mats
- ANCO 91-13 wiper blades*
- De-chroming* except for OEM front grill overlay and OEM fuel door cover (I like them both)
- Stock bumpers (PO saved them) + OEM bumper caps*
- Thumbscrews for hardtop*
- Body Armor TJ-4121*
- VisionX VX-7RD H4 replacements for the stock sealed beams*
- Replacement fog light lens housing to replace cracked lens* (thank you Daveys Jeep!)
- Multifunction switch fix for fog lights* (I followed the how-to )
- Used 16" MOAB wheels (Craigslist)
- Goodyear Duratracs 265/75R16 C-rated and road force balanced till it was done right (after Jerry's advice on multiple threads)
- Black magic brake pads + centric rotors+new calipers
- 1up- USA bike rack
- Currie currectlync steering
- Savvy Johnny Joint control arms
- RC 1075 rear adjustable track bar
- Teraflex front adjustable track bar
- Rear main seal leak fix
- Bilstein 5100s front and rear
- New 5-760x front axle joints
- Adams rear 1350 CV driveshaft
- Suspension check/setup by Dave. Running a 2.5" lift with Fabtech springs the Jeep came with.
- Savvy cable shifter for transfer case
- Speedohealer*
- OEM locking gas cap keyed to ignition key
- Removed the Auto-mate aftermarket security system the PO had installed*(what a mess this was!)
- SKIM retrofit (I followed the how-to)
Here's how the Jeep stands today. I included a soft top pic since I absolutely and utterly love the soft top. I very reluctantly put the hard top just this past weekend as temps start to drop.
9/26/2018
Wishlist
(I will keep adding here and moving items to the "done" list above going forward; items not in any particular order except the regear/trans cooler)
- 4.88 gears (happening soon)
- Derale Transmission Cooler
- Replace Hood latches with new OEM parts
- Headliners for the hard top
- Dead pedal (based on @tworley and @jjvw mod, got a 90s mustang one from eBay, just need to install)
- Fix the small paint scratches on door/tub and rock chips on the hood
- Install and route USB charging (going to attempt this myself)
- Custom rear storage solution (I removed the backseat and thinking about how to best use the rear space for my needs; might do this myself as well)
- Tuffy center console and glovebox
- Replace all the speakers with something close to factory specs (I have the infinity sound system with the center console subwoofer). No plans to upgrade the head unit at the moment.
- On-board air - still thinking about this. Would love to have the option of airing down and up depending on where I go.
- Exo-gate - I worry about the hinges already even with 32s. Really feel it when opening the tailgate on my steep driveway. Some of the swing out tire carriers I've seen also look great
- Jerry can mount? I go camping to some remote spots and would love to carry extra gas just in case.
- Thoroughly understand Jeep suspension setup tradeoffs and think about how I want to improve my system in terms of suspension travel @jjvw you really are my hero in this topic!
- Driver Door panel crack repair
- LED headlights? I want to stick to H4s for looks/color temp but I have a feeling I'll go to LED eventually for the brightness/visibility advantage.
- @jjvw's sprayer on wiper arm mod
- Slightly bigger fender flares to avoid spray on the tub ? Undecided.
- Winch? Need to go out with local Jeep group and learn proper usage.
- Keep reading and learning as much as I can
- Bestop Supertop NX sunrider top in black twill (nothing wrong with my factory one but I saw the black twill in person and it's really nicer in every way; looks fantastic, appeciably quieter, great quality material, and really love the sunrider feature very much)
- Half doors with slider windows for the summer. I just love the look of half doors without the top.
Any sort of suggestion/comments/criticism on my Jeep and it's build is very welcome. I look forward to getting my Jeep even better than it stands today with all your help and advice.
Edit 12/20/2020
**I have to go change a bunch of stuff above since I either changed my mind or changed direction. Overall, this is for the Jeep stands as of dec 2020. I still need to button up a few more things, but I'm quite close to calling it "finished".
Last edited: