Any Jeepers in here?

[Principal Skinr]

I almost forgot....I folded the windshield! It was easy as can be...6 bolts, 4 minutes, tops!

 

[Lee11b]

I always have to go and get the drool bucket when you post pics of that JL.....SHARP!!!!

 

[Principal Skinr]

I always have to go and get the drool bucket when you post pics of that JL.....SHARP!!!!

Thanks! It's really coming together. I still love my old JK, but this thing does everything better. It really exceeded my expectations. There is lots of fun to be had and memories to be made in this thing!

 

[Jackson]

Thanks! It's really coming together. I still love my old JK, but this thing does everything better. It really exceeded my expectations. There is lots of fun to be had and memories to be made in this thing!

Is it the diesel?
If so, is it as cool as I think it should be?

 

[Principal Skinr]

Is it the diesel?
If so, is it as cool as I think it should be?

No. The diesel won't hit dealerships until probably September. I thought about waiting, but then found out the diesel was not available with the 6 speed manual. The manual transmission was my #1 desire with the new JL. I will say, though, that the upgraded Pentastar is really sweet. They lightened it up, reduced internal friction, and put two stage variable valve timing on it. These improvements yielded 14% more torque between 1,000 and 3,000 rpm, which is right where I like it. It performs really well on and off road, even with 35's. On top of that, they made first and second gear REALLY short, so in low range, it feels like it could pull a house off it's foundation! (84:1 crawl ratio for the 6 speed. Best ever on a Jeep.) It is easily the most powerful Jeep I've driven. Even though the peak hp and torque numbers are unchanged from 2017, you can feel the difference. I put a Magnaflow axle-back exhaust on it and it really sounds great. My son asks to turn down the radio because he likes to hear the exhaust. Lol!

 

[Principal Skinr]

I made a HUGE modification tonight!

I didn't like the holes left in the front bumper after removing the cosmetic cover to install the winch....

Soooo, I went over to Lowe's and picked up some plastic automotive plugs/fasteners, and plugged them in. It is astonishing how much those holes bugged me. Problem solved! I feel so much better now.

 

[Principal Skinr]

I added another small mod yesterday....I got rid of the hook and went with a Factor 55 shackle thimble.

Next will be CB and GMRS radios, followed by a sunshade (hard top coming off soon) and 14" light bar on the bumper. Then, a bottle opener that goes on the license plate bolt.

 

[Vigilant]

That is truly badass! I’m holding out hope for the wife to approve a JL Rubi, but she wasn’t the flag bearer when I bought the 14 JK, so...

 

[terrehautian]

I think I can get the okay from my wife for sure once we are ready for one (out of rear facing car seats for sure), especially if it is purple or some other bright color.

 

[Hookeye]

Since turkey hunting this weekend got axed......am thinking beer and BB my ZJ.
Depends on how crappy I feel.
No air tools..........last lift I did was 9 yrs ago LOL.

 

[Principal Skinr]

Since turkey hunting this weekend got axed......am thinking beer and BB my ZJ.
Depends on how crappy I feel.
No air tools..........last lift I did was 9 yrs ago LOL.

Do it! And, we'll need to see pics!

 

[Principal Skinr]

I installed a 14" light bar and ran without front doors for the first time with the JL today. These doors are much lighter than the JK doors, so they are easier to remove. For the light bar, I used one of the pre-wired auxillary buttons. All I had to do was connect the power wire from the light bar to the auxillary #1 wire under the hood, then attach the ground to an underhood bolt, and done! It was so nice not to have to run anything through the firewall! There are other wires connected to those switches under the passenger footwell, and one or two that go directly to the battery, which will be nice for the CB and GMRS radios. They really made accessory wiring painless on this thing! Btw, I dug the quick mirror out of my garage. It is from my old YJ!

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Mock up of the Dave's Customs kit to outboard the springs for the front suspension. I did some grinding of the frame to get off the leftover parts where I cut the front main spring mount off. Drilled into the frame for the first time on the build. Nerve wracking for an amateur, but I got them relatively straight. Speaking of nerves... the nerve damage in my neck haunted me, with my weak grip. I lost control of the drill when the bit caught. It twisted right out of my hands and I snapped off the 1/2" bit... in the frame. Thank God the hole was almost done, and I was able to just bang the broken piece inside the frame. Still have to enlarge the holes on the outside of the frame to 3/4" to allow for the spacers, but I was too sore to try that tonight. I'm using YJ springs and am supposed to make the spring eyes 44" apart, but could only move the rear bracket enough to get 43 1/2". Close enough for me... It already has to be widened 3/8" to fit the Dodge Dana 44, and I didn't want to have to get into the body mount too, so here it will sit.

 

[drillsgt]

I saw one of the new Jeep Wrangler trucks recently.

 

[Principal Skinr]

Mock up of the Dave's Customs kit to outboard the springs for the front suspension. I did some grinding of the frame to get off the leftover parts where I cut the front main spring mount off. Drilled into the frame for the first time on the build. Nerve wracking for an amateur, but I got them relatively straight. Speaking of nerves... the nerve damage in my neck haunted me, with my weak grip. I lost control of the drill when the bit caught. It twisted right out of my hands and I snapped off the 1/2" bit... in the frame. Thank God the hole was almost done, and I was able to just bang the broken piece inside the frame. Still have to enlarge the holes on the outside of the frame to 3/4" to allow for the spacers, but I was too sore to try that tonight. I'm using YJ springs and am supposed to ke the spring eyes 44" apart, but could only move the rear bracket enough to get 43 1/2". Close enough for me... It already has to be widened 3/8" to fit the Dodge Dana 44, and I didn't want to have to get into the body mount too, so here it will sit.

That grille in the background looks AWESOME!

 

[daddyusmaximus]

That grille in the background looks AWESOME!

That's off this Jeep. It's a 1980 CJ7. Got a spare too off a '79 CJ5 along with spare hood and fenders just in case...

 

[Jackson]

Mock up of the Dave's Customs kit to outboard the springs for the front suspension. I did some grinding of the frame to get off the leftover parts where I cut the front main spring mount off. Drilled into the frame for the first time on the build. Nerve wracking for an amateur, but I got them relatively straight. Speaking of nerves... the nerve damage in my neck haunted me, with my weak grip. I lost control of the drill when the bit caught. It twisted right out of my hands and I snapped off the 1/2" bit... in the frame. Thank God the hole was almost done, and I was able to just bang the broken piece inside the frame. Still have to enlarge the holes on the outside of the frame to 3/4" to allow for the spacers, but I was too sore to try that tonight. I'm using YJ springs and am supposed to make the spring eyes 44" apart, but could only move the rear bracket enough to get 43 1/2". Close enough for me... It already has to be widened 3/8" to fit the Dodge Dana 44, and I didn't want to have to get into the body mount too, so here it will sit.

I didn't want to be the one to point it out but... you put your springs on upside down. ;-)

 

[daddyusmaximus]

What, Jeeps don't go upside down?

 

[Principal Skinr]

Here's a useful mod....A bottle opener on the license plate! I know the door latches can work, but I don't think they work very well. This one works like it is supposed to...easily. 10 bucks on Amazon. It makes a nice gift for a Jeep buddy, too. I gave one to a friend for his JK and he loved it!

 

[Principal Skinr]

I installed a CB antenna and Bearcat CB today. I'll also be installing a Midland MXT275 GMRS radio, when it comes available, which should be soon. GMRS is far superior to CB, but most folks with whom I hit the trails have CB's, plus, I like to sometimes chat with truckers on road trips. Anyway, here are some shots of the set-up. Glad to have this done. The Bearcat is a CMX 760. I'll have to tune it, as they supposedly only put out 3 to 3.5 watts of power. It can be tuned to give the full 4 watts, so that's on the to-do list. Anyway, the GMRS will have far greater range, especially with a good antenna, and you can give handhelds to buddies who don't have any comm devices.