Raroia 2005 TJ Rubicon Build Thread

[Raroia]

Hi all, I will be documenting my build here. Probably won't be doing a whole lot of mods but may look for advice here in the near future... This is my first Jeep so forgive my ignorance I am here to learn.

2005 TJ Rubicon 6 speed manual with 100,000 miles, Florida car it's whole life I am the third owner. The entire undercarriage has little to no rust at all, one of the cleanest I have seen. It drives great and I suspect I may not need to do much to baseline it.

Do plan on taking it off-road here in NC and would love to meetup with other people in the area. I plan on going camping near the beach with it mainly this summer.

Previous owner bedlined the entire thing including the interior and deleted all carpets, bedliner was seemingly done professionally and looks decent... Original color is black. Has Tuffy locking center console, glove box and under seat compartment. Appears to have a 2 inch body lift and potentially no suspension lift to be confirmed(?), but has rancho RS9000XL shocks and rough country NR3 steering stabilizer as well as Yukon diff covers. Had aftermarket side steps which I have removed and hood mounted forward facing lights which I have removed as well. Brand new transmission was installed in 2022. Has MSD ignition coil and Airaid air intake (any opinion on these?).

Just installed 255/85R16 KM3's.

Things I plan on doing:

- Mild suspension lift (open to recommendations )
- New door handles
- New shift boot
- Reapply OEM Jeep and Rubicon decals (might be challenging with bedliner surface)
- Holley retrobright LED headlights in classic white
- New bestop roll bar covers
- Maybe install a winch
- Maybe install ARB bumpers
- Maybe return to OEM radio unit if bluetooth can be integrated to it
- Flush and replace all fluids
- Verify the OPDA has been addressed (I suspect it has)
- Replace vacuum lines that have literally disintegrated to regain cruise control and AC vent functions
- Open to any suggestions

 

[Shank]

Very solid Jeep. The bedliner was a curious decision by the previous owner.
I have been very happy with my OME springs/"kit". I pieced it together and used Bilsteins, but the general consensus here is Bilsteins are too stiff.

 

[Raroia]

Very solid Jeep. The bedliner was a curious decision by the previous owner.
I have been very happy with my OME springs/"kit". I pieced it together and used Bilsteins, but the general consensus here is Bilsteins are too stiff.

Awesome thanks for the input

 

[OldBuzzard]

Welcome to the forum.

The bedliner is — interesting. Can we get more pictures of it, outdoors, and close ups? I'm just curious.

That is an extremely clean looking frame, a good foundation to build on.

I would recommend ditching that too-tall body lift and replacing it with a 1.25" body lift (if you want a body lift) in aluminum, or Mr. Blaine's new acetal set.

If you piece together your own lift parts, you'll get exactly what you want, instead of what some manufacturer thinks you need. There are dozens of threads on here with people doing their own mix. I like my OME springs, JKS track bars, mix of Moog OEM-style control arms with Savvy uppers, JKS sway links (filthy greasy things), StreetRays spacers, Savvy body lift, Black Max shocks, etc.

Since you'll have it on the beach, look for ways to protect your frame. There are a lot of threads on here about interior frame coatings, drain holes (you have front ones where an auto trans mount would go), cleaning, and inspection.

 

[02GreenTJ]

Here is my two inch OME coils paired with rancho shocks, 1 inch BL, properly cycled bumps, and an antirock. This setup served me well for years

 

[Raroia]

Still enjoying the TJ quite a bit, decided I really don’t need a lift and it’s perfect as it is. I most likely won’t change anything on it. Maybe a new top but this one works fine really.

I don’t think I have ever owned a vehicle with essentially no rust which is pretty satisfying.

Thinking of selling it to buy something more boring but realistically I should keep it as a second car.

Had to bypass the heater core as it was leaking.

 

[DavidBT]

Nice clean Rubi. Not a fan of the bed liner spray, maybe the inside of the tub. I've thought about selling my 05 TJR a couple of times, but I would never be able to replace it. I did a 2.5" Rough Country springs and Rancho 5000X shocks and I think it's great on and off the trails. My plan is to eventually

run 32's on it some time next year.

 

[Granite]

Sooo jealous of that clean frame!!
Nice Rubi!

 

[Raroia]

Does anybody know what this connector is? Appears to be aftermarket and is hardwired directly to the battery through the firewall as well as a bunch of other wires that branch off behind the glovebox. It was sitting in the driver side front footwell by the center console.