Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

What did you do to your TJ today?

Not directly TJ related, but I spent a few hours with my FIL learning how to back a trailer. He has a silly S-curve incline driveway which I have now more or less mastered, and he set up an obstacle course for me to navigate. I think we was more excited to teach me than I was to learn.

I’m no pro, but I feel like I’m reasonably competent. If I have to back into a perpendicular hole I’m in trouble, but otherwise I think I can get through most of what life is going to throw at me. Anticipating a crowded gas station still gives me some anxiety though.
 
If you get the frosty mug, I love the way the green ice forms if you fill it up with Mtn Dew.

I’m gonna have to remember that… the glass mug I got in the picture was from here…(do I get the Frosty mug from the same place ? )
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I’m gonna have to remember that… the glass mug I got in the picture was from here…(do I get the Frosty mug from the same place ? )View attachment 555453

Some A&W’s still serve root beer in a frosted mug like that. One I know of makes the root beer daily, I don’t think they all do.
 
Some A&W’s still serve root beer in a frosted mug like that. One I know of makes the root beer daily, I don’t think they all do.

Just had lunch at an A&W in Blackfoot, ID on Saturday and their sign says the root beer is made there fresh. They also still have the mugs for sale.

According to A&W's website all their stores make it in house.

I need to find out if they still sell it by the jug!!!
 
Not directly TJ related, but I spent a few hours with my FIL learning how to back a trailer. He has a silly S-curve incline driveway which I have now more or less mastered, and he set up an obstacle course for me to navigate. I think we was more excited to teach me than I was to learn.

I’m no pro, but I feel like I’m reasonably competent. If I have to back into a perpendicular hole I’m in trouble, but otherwise I think I can get through most of what life is going to throw at me. Anticipating a crowded gas station still gives me some anxiety though.

Rule #1 about backing a trailer: Don't be afraid to pull up and straighten out.
 
Had a great time running around in mine all day - rode to town and a gave a worker a nice bonus for coming in today (his idea) and set up some led entry lights for some elderly folks I love so they can get in their houses safely -

Then had a family dinner and rode a friend around and climbed a rock face I like to hit-

Then went out late this pm to a cove nearby alone to clear my mind for work.

Funny how a Jeep makes everything a lot more fun.
 
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Not directly TJ related, but I spent a few hours with my FIL learning how to back a trailer. He has a silly S-curve incline driveway which I have now more or less mastered, and he set up an obstacle course for me to navigate. I think we was more excited to teach me than I was to learn.

I’m no pro, but I feel like I’m reasonably competent. If I have to back into a perpendicular hole I’m in trouble, but otherwise I think I can get through most of what life is going to throw at me. Anticipating a crowded gas station still gives me some anxiety though.

I've had boats for 20+ years and also had dirt bike trailer. Its super fun to go from a 25' trailer to a 6'... confusing as all hell!. If you have a back up camera ignore it, mirrors are your best friend. Hand on top of the wheel and never more that about a 1/3 wheel turn. Slow and steady
 
Just had lunch at an A&W in Blackfoot, ID on Saturday and their sign says the root beer is made there fresh. They also still have the mugs for sale.

According to A&W's website all their stores make it in house.

I need to find out if they still sell it by the jug!!!

Last one I went to had no mugs and it came out of the same fountain machine as everything else so I'd be surprised if the children working there made anything.

The other one that I like to go to is much bigger has the mugs and definitely makes it as you can't get it from the fountain machine.
 
Last one I went to had no mugs and it came out of the same fountain machine as everything else so I'd be surprised if the children working there made anything.

The other one that I like to go to is much bigger has the mugs and definitely makes it as you can't get it from the fountain machine.

They had the fountain machine with root beer too but still make it in house. Not sure if it's the same mix or not???
 
I've had boats for 20+ years and also had dirt bike trailer. Its super fun to go from a 25' trailer to a 6'... confusing as all hell!. If you have a back up camera ignore it, mirrors are your best friend. Hand on top of the wheel and never more that about a 1/3 wheel turn. Slow and steady

Good stuff- a few things that helped me -

- you will learn you back in from one direction better than another when doing a 90 degree turn- like from a road into a drive

- the trailer moves opposite- hand goes right trailer goes left

- if you have to do a 90 from the road, pull in close to the drive then swing out at a soft angle as you ease the cab away - this reduces your turn angle and avoids a jack knife or stop and reposition multi point turn. It puts the trailer in position.

It gets pretty natural given time.
 
I’m gonna have to remember that… the glass mug I got in the picture was from here…(do I get the Frosty mug from the same place ? )View attachment 555453

My mom worked at an A&W in Vermont when she was 20. They had roller skates and brought the food to your car. Just like the show "Happy Days". The old root beer they made and put in the containers tasted way better than the stuff they make today.
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Got the Daystar hood latches installed. Pretty easy. They hold way tighter than OEM... We'll see how long they last.

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I installed these about a month ago and they were extremely tight fitting. I keep hearing that they get better over time, but every time I latch the hood closed, t makes the two little tabs on the upper part of the latch buckle under the pressure. Have you had this same experience?

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I've had boats for 20+ years and also had dirt bike trailer. Its super fun to go from a 25' trailer to a 6'... confusing as all hell!. If you have a back up camera ignore it, mirrors are your best friend. Hand on top of the wheel and never more that about a 1/3 wheel turn. Slow and steady

Hand on bottom of wheel works better for me, but yeah. And the one thing I didn't really see in the videos I had watched was what Zorba said-- if you get off track, just pull forward a few feet and try again. I now also understand why my Land Cruiser's display shows how my wheels are turned. It's extremely easy to forget which way you're turned if you get distracted midway through. This has been a long-standing phobia, so I'm looking forward to conquering it for reals here in a few weeks.
 
p.s. Waiting for my front speaker baffles to arrive so I can give an honest opinion on whether they actually do anything or not. Too many people acting like they make a HUGE sound difference. We shall see.
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The baffles will make a huge difference in the sound. It will be even more if the front speakers are on an external amp.
 
Mounted my Joe Biden commemorative statue head on my Jeep this morning. Bought it with my 24% interest credit card. Thank you Joe for making the economy so great and inflation so low. :rolleyes:
p.s. Waiting for my front speaker baffles to arrive so I can give an honest opinion on whether they actually do anything or not. Too many people acting like they make a HUGE sound difference. We shall see.
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My 2004 LJ came with Mopar speaker pods in the dash. I bought 4-1/2" component speakers to replace the rotted OE speakers and put the tweeters on the A pillars. My hearing's shot so that helped a lot.

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I installed these about a month ago and they were extremely tight fitting. I keep hearing that they get better over time, but every time I latch the hood closed, t makes the two little tabs on the upper part of the latch buckle under the pressure. Have you had this same experience?

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No, fortunately mine seems to close fine. I did have to adjust my brackets a little, as they were a little out of line with each other, but after that they closed correctly, albeit tight. As far as the tightness they are definitely much tighter than the stock bungees, but not ridiculously so.

Looking at the pictures you provided, your brackets seem to already be pretty well lined up, but it's something you might want to double-check just to make sure.
 
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Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts