2005 Rubicon LJ

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Looking at the tracking from UPS this evening... bumper should be here tomorrow And... shipping weight...... 17lbs :bike_rider:

Also went ahead and ordered an Engo 9000 winch... should arrive on Monday. :wings:
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Spent Sunday switching springs back to the Rough Country 2.5 progressive springs. Then today had the 245/75/16 BFG KM2's I picked up a few weeks ago from my friend Dale (rovertrader) mounted.... All in all happy with this decision and the direction the jeep is headed. Also got the Engo winch in and assembled. Initial impressions are good. Instructions suck, but other than that I would rate the fit/finish and construction so far above the smittybilt winches I have looked at and handled.
For what it is worth I will soon have 2 "sets" of mismatched tires up for sale:
(2) 33x12.50x15 Cooper STT with just a few thousand miles on them, mounted on black steel rims
(4) 33x12.50x15 Maxxis Buckshot mudders, 2 with 1/3 of tread left and 2 with 1/4 of tread left, also mounted on black steel rims
(2) 245/75/16 BFG KO AT's with 50% tread left - no rims
(2) 245/75/16 Goodyear MTR (original version) Both have close to no use and were both spares on TJ model rubicons, no dry rot, good shape...
If you read this and want some/any of these, and are willing to come to central NC to get 'em... make me an offer... won't likely turn it down...

Also mounted a new Engo 9000 Winch. At $279 and with the positive reviews out there I decided to give it a try.
engo 1.jpg

So here we go... Still working on rear bumper. Really like not having the swing out and all that weight back there... but we'll see what works out.

John
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Not jeep related but spent some time today making a new sheath for my favorite knife. Sheath is made from a deer hide from 2013 and the knife was my Mother's that she bought when she was a teen... in the 40's.IMG_4441.jpgIMG_4439.jpg
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Just a quick note that I have put the Engo 9000 winch (newly purchased) to work around the farm in the last several weeks. It is noisy and a bit slow, but doing well so far. The controller is a POS, so I spliced in a Superwinch controller I had from the last winch. Works like a charm. Only three wires to figure out, so even I could do that :)

Uwharrie trails opened on 1 April and I spent an hour or so yesterday playing around on Daniel. It is evident that a lot of work has been done. Good stuff. The rock area on the side of the trail closest to the Rocky Mount loop is better than ever, as in the forest service did not make any major changes in that area. Other than that work was done to control water drainage and to limit access to the creation of new side trails. Nice work really.
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
I have been chasing a significant squeak, grinding noise from the front end when turning left, particularly at parking lot speeds. I had settled on the steering box going bad, but a friend on another forum pinted to the track bar frame side attachment. I shot an email out to Metal Cloak since I have their front track Bar. The response was quick with 3 easy steps to make sure the TB was dialed in.

1. Frame side bolt torqued to 150-170#
2. Axle side bolt torqued to 125#
3. Heim joint flat when tightening jam nut.

Bingo. Problem solved. One othe things I appreciate about metal cloak and one reason I am a customer is theyare quick and willing to help with questions. Makes life easier on us non-mechanics who like to spin our own wrenches anyhow.

John
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
A few small changes to the jeep. Turns out my son is selling his 2000 TJ. Decent jeep with ARB's front and rear. When I gave it to him a few years back, he also got my excellent Warn HS9500. It is in need of repair, but I will get to that.... and the winch is now back in my hands. It also had the VERY stout Big Daddy Off Road front bumper. He and I scored this off Big Daddy Off Road at a swap meet back in 2005ish. Turns out it is one of the original prototypes. Super protective and super beefy. Love it. Also a couple Christmas's ago I got him a new rear bumper, a Smittybilt, that turned out to be very well built and solid, with a nice 2" receiver. So I grabbed that too. Here are some pics:

IMG_4957.jpgIMG_4959.jpg

Sad to see IMG_4959.jpgJonah's jeep go (not sold yet), but I really like this stuff on my jeep.

John
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Son sold his 2000 TJ today. Sad to see it go but best decision for him, as I let him keep whatever he could sell it for. He is happy and has our 2002 banged up Subaru Forester to drive until he is out on his own. Can't help feeling like an era has passed. He is a good kid and I am hoping this boost to his bank account will help him along as he makes his next life decision.

Hell maybe a good thing as now if he wants to wheel he'll have to do it in MY jeep :)
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Little jeep maintenance tonight. Thankfully I had my helper, the mighty Joe, to help me :) Have to admit I am so happy to have the barn to work in and a little monster to help me out.Joe June 2015.jpg Nothing but an oil change and tire rotation, but it is getting in his blood... makes Dad happy.
 

jaxyaks

Adventurer
Nice LJ I had the exact same only in Khaki I bought it new off the lot . It got death wobble and I got really tired of chasing it down and replacing stuff so we parted ways. Still miss it
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Nice LJ I had the exact same only in Khaki I bought it new off the lot . It got death wobble and I got really tired of chasing it down and replacing stuff so we parted ways. Still miss it

Thanks! I have replaced my entire front end in search of that dreaded DW. Finally... I won... for the time being. I cannot even say exactly what it was, most likely a combination of things that were just worn. That is the way of jeeps. A constant chasing of issues and upgrades. I consistently remind my wife that, "I could have worse addictions:)"
 

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