LJ De-build.

[mrpotatohead]

Hey so I'm new to this forum but have been lurking for a while. Mostly since the first time I saddled up my previous 03 TJ for a cross country trip. I've since traded that TJ in on an 06 LJ Rubicon with LOOW miles and am about to start planning a de-build if you will. I purchased my LJ with a 5.5" long arm. 35's. and some gawdy seat covers among some other choice mods. I scrapped the long arm kit since it used some funky mounting locations and swapped in some home made adjustable shorties.


Progress will be slow going until I get out of this money pit of a house this spring so please bear with me.

My overall goal is to have a comfortable, practical, subtle Jeep that I can drive out into the wilderness to do my man stuff and drive back with a few trail rides in between. Any advice or guidance along the way will be obliged . I wouldn't consider myself an "Expeditioner" per se but I did just recently move to Utah and well...

Anyway here is what I'm starting out with. Sooner rather than later things on the to-do list include
4" springs& shocks.
Bump stop extensions
Ditch the stinger for something more low key
Lose the chrome wheels for stock Rubicons
New All terrains.

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[Septu]

More picture please! I need something to occupy my time at work when things slow down!

 

[mrpotatohead]

Lol can do. Truth be told I was in love with how my TJ looked and I would be tickled to death to clone my LJ to it

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[hamr26]

My .02 on your desire for the stock Moab wheels: it depends on your opinion on the use of wheel spacers and the tire size you intend to run. I loved the stock sleeper look but never really liked using spacers even though I routinely checked lug torque. For me, having the ideal offset for the tire I use became the priority. My point is that your current wheels may be too flashy, but may be the best fit for your tire choice. Powder coating may be an option.

 

[jeeps4fun]

Try Plasti dipping em. Less cost and the stance looks good. What was the brand on the long arm kit? My LJ had the Rubicon Express 5.5" when I bought it, swapped out the springs and shocks to a 4" and it sat/worked/rode way better

 

[mrpotatohead]

Haha it's funny you guys mention that. I plasti dipped them back in the summer. I liked the way the current wheels looked after they had been toned down but they themselves are on spacers. Blasting and powder coating COULD be an option since I plan on running a narrower tire once I lower it.

Speaking of springs I'm picking up a set of Currie 4" springs this weekend for $200

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[mrpotatohead]

Try Plasti dipping em. Less cost and the stance looks good. What was the brand on the long arm kit? My LJ had the Rubicon Express 5.5" when I bought it, swapped out the springs and shocks to a 4" and it sat/worked/rode way better

The suspension was built by a shop in northern Utah called Skys Extreme Offroad or SXOR. They used their own bracket for the lower long arms and the stock lca brackets for upper "mid" arms. It allowed for some pinion rotation and to be honest I was long arm illiterate when I bought the Jeep. I also hadn't driven it on the highway. The suspension caused me about a months worth of stress and worry because of the pulsating vibrations that came with the rotation. It sounded like the apocalypse in my drivetrain. Finally with about 100 hours of cumulative research and being called a moron by a few Wrangler Forum members I got the suspension figured out. I didn't have north of $3500 for a new long arm so I just went with short arms. When it's all said and done with I'll have MAYBE $1200 into this new franken lift.


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[mrpotatohead]

Update: last weekend on a trail my Axles were X'ed up and I heard a loud pop. We had been on ice and rocks all day and I didn't think anything of it. Last night I dropped something in the garage and was peeking under the Jeep with a flashlight when I see a heim joint peeking back at me resting on my diff. I sheered my adj track bar bolt. So rummaging through my junk drawer in my tool box looking for a new bolt I found a relocation bracket left over from a lift we did on my friends XJ. Which seems to be a good thing because I found rubbing on my gas tank skid and diff cover.

Now it would be my luck that I lost one of the heim spacers for the track bar. So it's off to the farm store I go in the snow in a 43 year old Porsche. Updates if I crash.

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[Yuman Desert Rat]

Sooooo? What did you do with the old long arms? also, what did you replace them with? Just crious? I've been meaning to upgrade to long arms, just just busy doind other stuff to the Jeep. I have lots of random Jeep parts for sale on Craigslist here in eastern NC so let me know if you might need anything.

 

[mrpotatohead]

Oh man the long arms are trash. They wouldn't work on any other application. The uppers were fabbed at a goofy angle to run from the OEM lower mounts on the frame to the oem upper mounts on the axle. I'm keeping one for a breaker bar and waiting on a co worker to pick up the rest to use in his own project.

I replaced them with home built adjustable short arms built by a guy here in Lehi,Ut. He runs an EBAY store called Core4x4. They were dirt cheap for a full set of 8 and they're beefy. I got alot of **** for not running Currie, MC, or even putting johnny joints in the arms but they do what I need them to do and I may throw jj's in them down the road. What all do you have laying around?

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[Yuman Desert Rat]

Those are nice. As long as you keep those greased they should last forever.
http://eastnc.craigslist.org/pts/4266746474.html
Here's the link to my craigslist ad. Its easier than retyping it all.

 

[mrpotatohead]

So the Currie springs turned out to be Pro Comp springs. Not a real big issue as the price was fair for either brand and they hardly look used. Between the cold, the cursed Porsche in my garage, and this stupid house I've been holding out for my tax refund and bonus from work before I get anything else. I'm also selling a few things off of my LJ to fund a face lift. Hoping to be ready to hit Moab by april.

.


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[JeffRRC]

I like your 914!


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[mrpotatohead]

Thanks! It's going to a new home next month. It's actually been a huge pain in my ***. It popped out of gear in the garage and caved in the side of my neighbors Honda. It also likes to randomly flood out while cruising. Hence "cursed"


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[mrpotatohead]

Against my better judgement this morning I found myself with an empty house for the weekend and nothing planned so I jumped in the LJ and drove down to Moab. Mind you this is the first time I've taken it on a long trip. I think the furthest before this was 45 min to Park City. It's no Cadillac but even with the 5.5" springs still in it and white rocket shocks it rides a hell of a lot better than my previous TJ. I mainly just wanted to go jog up to see delicate arch and run around on some foot trails but I just couldn't resist popping my Moab cherry.

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