(Topic ID: 151383)
Sheridan, WY
1 month later
Been out twice so far, both times with the family and they are loving it. Well, they didn't love it quite as much the second time out as it was a bit more challenging than expected and we were by ourselves....and we are still newbies!
Loving the Jeep and the hobby so far.
I need to decide on a lift. Teraflex, Rock Krawler, MetalCloak?
Quoted from RobT:I need to decide on a lift. Teraflex, Rock Krawler, MetalCloak?
I've lifted a few Jeeps. If you plan on making it a daily driver and want a balanced on-road and off-road rig, I'd recommend AEV. It handles great is a solid choice in general. It's the "JJP" of Jeep lifts. 
Judging by your video, this would probably suit you well.
Teraflex does a lot of quantity and is a quality lift. Nothing but good stuff to say about Teraflex.
Rock Krawler and MetalCloak are more appropriate for the off-road performance world. I had a Rock Krawler 3.5" on my last Jeep. It flexed like crazy.
Itty bitty jeep, but a jeep none the less. Picked up this Renegade Trailhawk edition for my daughter's 16th birthday. Pretty cool little car. I watched a ton on YouTube videos of guys off-roading it, not that it would ever be used for that. Pretty spunky all things considered.
Leicester
Quoted from epotech:And a pin fits in the Renegade...
That's insane, I would have never thought it had that much space inside!
Quoted from Allibaster:I found a few photos I thought I'd share. Did a little offroading over near Shell, Wyoming. This is when my Jeep was all stock.
I just got the same exact jeep last month Allibaster.
I had bought my oldest daughter a new car for graduating from college and I was going to trade in her 2011 Red Jeep rubicon but I liked driving it around so much as a complement to my truck and Infiniti that I decided to trade it in for me!
I did keep her tires and expensive rims. Now I need to look at lifts and see what else I want to do with it. 
Quoted from Allibaster:I've lifted a few Jeeps. If you plan on making it a daily driver and want a balanced on-road and off-road rig, I'd recommend AEV. It handles great is a solid choice in general. It's the "JJP" of Jeep lifts. Judging by your video, this would probably suit you well.
Teraflex does a lot of quantity and is a quality lift. Nothing but good stuff to say about Teraflex.
Rock Krawler and MetalCloak are more appropriate for the off-road performance world. I had a Rock Krawler 3.5" on my last Jeep. It flexed like crazy.
I'm going with 35" tires, and I'm thinking that I won't need more than a 2.5" (or 3.0" inch S/T3 from Teraflex) lift.
What is it about the AEV kit that would make it a better fit for me than the others? Cheaper? Smoother on the street? What kind of springs does the AEV kit use, Dual, Progressive, or Linear?
I've pretty much decided that these are the shocks that I'm going with, not sure how this will impact which lift kit that I go with (but they are fully adjustable so they should be able to be dialed in). These are the first shocks ever specifically designed for the JK and JKU from the ground up:
Quoted from RobT:I'm going with 35" tires, and I'm thinking that I won't need more than a 2.5" (or 3.0" inch S/T3 from Teraflex) lift.
What is it about the AEV kit that would make it a better fit for me than the others? Cheaper? Smoother on the street? What kind of springs does the AEV kit use, Dual, Progressive, or Linear?
I've pretty much decided that these are the shocks that I'm going with, not sure how this will impact which lift kit that I go with (but they are fully adjustable so they should be able to be dialed in). These are the first shocks ever specifically designed for the JK and JKU from the ground up:
» YouTube video
35s with a 2.5" is a sweet combo! Just the right amount of lift that doesn't require a lot of suspension replacement.
AEV lifts are pretty much Jeep OEM. I like that aspect of it. They're more of an expedition suspension than rock crawling. Springs are progressive, and the shocks the kit offers are tuned for the springs in the kit. Nice ride, but a bit firmer than stock. Not cheap - actually probably more expensive when compared to other companies for what you get.
If you're looking at your own shocks, maybe Teraflex would be a better fix. I like the adjustable option so you can tune it to your liking! All are good stuff!
Have you looked at Old Man Emu? It's the same company as ARB. They make lifts focused on ride quality.
Quoted from iceman44:I just got the same exact jeep last month Allibaster.
I had bought my oldest daughter a new car for graduating from college and I was going to trade in her 2011 Red Jeep rubicon but I liked driving it around so much as a complement to my truck and Infiniti that I decided to trade it in for me!
I did keep her tires and expensive rims. Now I need to look at lifts and see what else I want to do with it.
A 10th Anniversary? That's awesome. They're really loaded an ready for action without modding it too much.
I really like mine, but sadly, I'm kicking around the idea of selling it. I don't get out as much as I used to with it, and I've got my eye on a local Porsche Cayman S. Decisions decisions... 
1 week later
Quoted from RobT:Got fully adjustable Falcon shocks for the Jeep. Couldn't pass up the Easter Jeep Safari sale at Northridge 4x4.
Now, if I could only make a decision on which lift kit to pair it with! Too many choices with so many contradicting opinions. Ugh.
I always hear good things about Mopar fox kit (teraflex is the manufacture), Metalcloak and teraflex. But I'm still stock 
Sad to say this, but I'm exiting the club for now. Planning on selling my 10A Rubicon to try out a sports car.
I'll probably list it in the next week or two. Fully loaded 10th Anniversary with 35's. Has the red leather interior. Very sharp. 22k miles. If you know anyone possibly interested, please share.
Quoted from Allibaster:Sad to say this, but I'm exiting the club for now. Planning on selling my 10A Rubicon to try out a sports car.
I'll probably list it in the next week or two. Fully loaded 10th Anniversary with 35's. Has the red leather interior. Very sharp. 22k miles. If you know anyone possibly interested, please share.
I love a black car with red interior. In school, I had a 79 Grand Prix with that color combo.
2 months later
Anyone tried a jeep JKU w/ the rear single seat up and a pin in so you can haul 1 pin and have 3 people in it? my 2005 escape worked but not sure on this jeep...however I feel like it could.....
Quoted from northvibe:Anyone tried a jeep JKU w/ the rear single seat up and a pin in so you can haul 1 pin and have 3 people in it? my 2005 escape worked but not sure on this jeep...however I feel like it could.....
I am sure with the 60% down you can do it. if you put the coin door in first it looks like it could fit on the 40% side.
1 month later
S-l-o-w-l-y being able to join the Jeep club. Rebuilding a 1945 Willys CJ2A which will likely not be ready until sometime in 2018. They started building CJ2A Jeeps in 1945 with serial number 10001. This is number 10559 so a very early 1945 being the 559th Jeep off the line. They only made 1,800 Willys Jeeps in 1945 and over 71,000 in 1946. This has the column shift 3-on-the-tree which they discontinued early in 1946 in favor of a floor shift. Has the 60hp, L-head, Go-Devil 134cu.in. inline 4 engine. Also has the full floating Dana 27 rear end which they swapped out with a Dana 41 when they eliminated the column shift. Only came in two colors in 1945, green with yellow wheels or tan with dark orange wheels. Not going back to those colors for sure...
Some pictures of the Jeep as we pulled it out of storage, mid tear-down and ground up rebuild of the frame.
IMG_20170708_123048 (resized).jpg
IMG_20170708_123113 (resized).jpg
IMG_20170710_154054 (resized).jpg
IMG_20170715_115441 (resized).jpg
IMG_20170826_155907 (resized).jpg
Ohhhhhh. Willys that will looks soooo good once your done. Love the willys. I was looking at getting one as a rat rod but have too many projects. Post updates!
Quoted from northvibe:Ohhhhhh. Willys that will looks soooo good once your done. Love the willys. I was looking at getting one as a rat rod but have too many projects. Post updates!
I won't spam the group with updates but will post a few as things progress further. This Jeep project has sure cut into my pinball time and funds.
Quoted from schudel5:I won't spam the group with updates but will post a few as things progress further. This Jeep project has sure cut into my pinball time and funds.
This is a jeep thread post pics! we don't get enough posts in here
The msrp on the 2017 jeep wrangler willys w I'm looking at is $36,175. With the 2018 model coming out soon what would be a good discounted price in your opinion. Do wranglers usually have deep price drops end of year? Thanks.
Quoted from tp:The msrp on the 2017 jeep wrangler willys w I'm looking at is $36,175. With the 2018 model coming out soon what would be a good discounted price in your opinion. Do wranglers usually have deep price drops end of year? Thanks.
Wranglers almost never go on sale, but some dealers, big ones, will drop ~4K off the price. If you join the jeep group they'll give you some money off too. Mmm forgot the name... I'll look around.
3 weeks later
3 weeks later
1 week later
Ok more progress. This time a milestone was reached I thought I'd never see. More than 72 years after it was first built...it lives again! 1945 Willys 'Go-Devil' 134cu.in. (2.2L) inline 4-cylinder. Whopping 60hp!
1 week later
Quoted from RobT:Just not true at all, other than the sliders. The vast majority of people who buy the Hard Rock stay with the stock bumpers, front and back. The back bumper already has the hole to add a swing mount tire carrier too.
I obviously priced out a normal Rubicon before buying the HR. Bottom line: it actually would have been stupid for me not to buy the HR considering how much more you get for your money.
Here is all the stuff included in the HR package, that you would have to add separately or after market if you get the regular Rubicon:
Leather seats (heated)
Steel Front Bumper
Steel Rear Bumper
Extra tow hook rear
Vented Hood
9 speaker Alpine stereo with subwoofer
Rock Rails
Fuel Door
Slush Mats
Steel Skid Plate
Info/Msg Center
Connectivity Group
Uconnect with voice command
So the sticker was about $2k more for the HR vs a regular Rubicon. Just the hood alone was worth it for me. If I got a regular Rubi I would have ordered that hood. By the time I had it painted, it would have been $1600.00 or so just for the hood alone.
When I first started looking I didn't think I wanted leather. Then everyone told me that leather was actually much better than cloth because it was so much easier to clean than the cloth, which just grabs and holds on to the dirt.
Just seeing this now... most of this stuff you noted can get in any model, lol factory steel skid plate? they are a joke. The rock rails, are not strong enough, and you will screw your pinch seam. I run the Ace sliders with chopped rubi rails, and the the two protect better than any others I've seen, including the RS, which was my second choice. If you run those factory bumper, more power to you, as with larger tires, you need an after market carrier anyway. The front hardly matters, just preference, but again, haven't seen anyone keep the factory one, as they always seem to go with something more interesting. The only thing a Rubicon is good for, for someone doing serious rock crawling is lockers, transfer case and front d44. The rest is almost always replaced for anyone doing a serious build, and if it's not, you're not using it hard enough. I tried to be lazy with the elec disconnect, but invert them too easily on some stuff, and might as well rip that out as well, as I only manual disc now.
I smash the F out of everything, but ripped out the bumpers, complete suspension, and factory skids, and went with full solid metal everything, other than the stupid bushwacker flares I chose, which have all been torn off a few times now, and will be replaced over the winter. Every trip I'm touching up the paint on the armour, but it's worth it. I do the most insane stuff I can find, and love it. Best hobby I've been in by far to date.
Quoted from Atomicboy:Just seeing this now... most of this stuff you noted can get in any model, lol factory steel skid plate? they are a joke. The rock rails, are not strong enough, and you will screw your pinch seam. I run the Ace sliders with chopped rubi rails, and the the two protect better than any others I've seen, including the RS, which was my second choice. If you run those factory bumper, more power to you, as with larger tires, you need an after market carrier anyway. The front hardly matters, just preference, but again, haven't seen anyone keep the factory one, as they always seem to go with something more interesting. The only thing a Rubicon is good for, for someone doing serious rock crawling is lockers, transfer case and front d44. The rest is almost always replaced for anyone doing a serious build, and if it's not, you're not using it hard enough. I tried to be lazy with the elec disconnect, but invert them too easily on some stuff, and might as well rip that out as well, as I only manual disc now.
I smash the F out of everything, but ripped out the bumpers, complete suspension, and factory skids, and went with full solid metal everything, other than the stupid bushwacker flares I chose, which have all been torn off a few times now, and will be replaced over the winter. Every trip I'm touching up the paint on the armour, but it's worth it. I do the most insane stuff I can find, and love it. Best hobby I've been in by far to date.
The HardRock (recon now?) has the metal bumpers and "upgraded" mopar rock sliders. The front bumper has the sections you can remove on the ends to allow the front tires to be open... The HR (I also own) is actually a really well modded jeep for a OEM option. Obviously aftermarket will/can have better options. But I don't crawl so this is amazing for my needs.
Quoted from schudel5:Ok more progress. This time a milestone was reached I thought I'd never see. More than 72 years after it was first built...it lives again! 1945 Willys 'Go-Devil' 134cu.in. (2.2L) inline 4-cylinder. Whopping 60hp!
» YouTube video
That is surprisingly quiet!
Quoted from northvibe:The HardRock (recon now?) has the metal bumpers and "upgraded" mopar rock sliders. The front bumper has the sections you can remove on the ends to allow the front tires to be open... The HR (I also own) is actually a really well modded jeep for a OEM option. Obviously aftermarket will/can have better options. But I don't crawl so this is amazing for my needs.
Those sliders are just the rubi rails with another small bar welded on, better than nothing, but again, will lead to damage if you have to rest all the weight there or hit them hard enough.
BTW you should get out there and crawl with it. I wasn't sure how much I would be into this all, thought before I did the first one maybe it would be a 1-2 times a year thing, but man oh man, it's addictive. It's unbelievable the tank the TC and lockers turn your street vehicle into out there, blows my mind every trip.
Quoted from Atomicboy:Those sliders are just the rubi rails with another small bar welded on, better than nothing, but again, will lead to damage if you have to rest all the weight there or hit them hard enough.
BTW you should get out there and crawl with it. I wasn't sure how much I would be into this all, thought before I did the first one maybe it would be a 1-2 times a year thing, but man oh man, it's addictive. It's unbelievable the tank the TC and lockers turn your street vehicle into out there, blows my mind every trip.
Oh, I could see them being decently worthless in real work sliding. THose aftermarket ones I think bolt to the frame rails right? The stock ones I stand on...thats about it hahaha. Oh and protect from door dings.
STupid hobbies cost too much! We have a crawling place north of me, but it has iron in the ground so your rig gets....coated/stained in red....mmmm. I went with my ex gf, she had a TJ rubi done up, and it was pretty fun. Little scary going up/down and not really seeing hahahah.
awesome nice restore on the CJ my local groups would love to see that. been busy doing jeep stuff all summer, parades, show etc. now i am hunkered down for winter put the lame hard top on and have been blah with this winter weather.
a few vids here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpkIzG7THOYUs10BnA-Z9kw?view_as=subscriber
21587254_10214326849115862_3609663828720100002_o (resized).jpg
19642388_10213479105034969_6122429839632854276_n (resized).jpg
Holy crap a forum for me and I did not even know it! We are a Jeep family around here. They accumulate like rabbits!
Dsc_2849a (resized).jpg
Dsc_2886a (resized).jpg
Back in 2002 at the dawn of long arm coil-over suspensions! Ramped 1100.
Son is now 18 and has learned to Just Empty Every Pocket!
IMG_20170801_1816071[1] (resized).jpg
Daughter is a Muddy Girl
2 months later
Waiting for some serious snow maybe a blizzard. We do have lake effect but it always seems to be east of me.
1 month later
Nice! I had a 78 Wagoner and an 86 CJ7 both with AMC 401s.
Used to scour the local pick your parts grabbing up 401s wherever possible. Some of the aftermarket pistons available at the time were terrible as they would swell up once heated up. And you know as well as I do these engines can only be bored out so much.
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
