The Fixer
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Steve
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2019
- Threads
- 22
- Messages
- 1,127
- Reaction score
- 1,221
- Location
- North Jersey
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 Mojito! JLS, 2018 Firecracker JLUSS
- Build Thread
- Link
- Occupation
- Teacher
- Thread starter
- #1
Here's the backstory - my wife leased an '18 JLUS in May of '18, and the first time we took the doors off and put the top down I knew I had to get my own . So, when the lease was ending in 2019 on my Go Mango '16 Dodge Charger R/T my son and I went to the dealership and wandered the lot looking for Wranglers. I really like bright colored vehicles, and started looking for Punkn' Wranglers, but decided it was too close to the Go Mango and this little 2018 Mojito! Sport caught my eye. I peeked inside, saw the crank windows, and it brought me back 30 years to when I was 17 and those simple days of cruising in my buddy's '90 YJ, or my old '85 Monte Carlo SS, or any of the cars my parents had when I was a kid.
My son and I were in agreement - this was a perfect Jeep for someone who was going to go out and play on the trails, and I have always wanted to do that! The only options are A/C, tinted soft top, 2.0T with the 8-speed, and the M220 rear. I struck a fair deal with them - after all, this was July of '19, and the 2020 MY Wranglers were going to start shipping pretty soon. So, who would want a 2-year old Jeep with crank windows!? Me, of course!
The first couple of mods were cosmetic - I removed the Wrangler Sport decals from the fender, added some JK-style Wrangler lettering to the hood as an homage to the old CJ Wrangler, and removed the bumper fairings.
I scored my next mod a few months later - a set of slightly used Mopar tubular aluminum steps. I picked these up from a fellow Forum member.
In November of 2019 I treated myself to a birthday present - a takeoff Rubicon suspension from a 2019 I found online locally that had basically just delivery miles on it. These are the 60/61 and 90/91 springs from a 4-door HT/steel bumper Rubi. This pic was taken in the garage of the guy I bought them from; I wish I had a lift!
Since it was winter and I didn't have 33's yet, there was no point to install them. I stored them away in my shed and waited for a good deal on a set of take-off wheels and tires. I was looking for white letter KO2s on the base Rubi wheels, lower mileage the better, and a budget-friendly price.
Eight months later (good things come to those who wait!), the perfect set popped up on Craigslist. These were off a 2020 with 4K miles.
After a few emails back and forth, my son and I took my wife's JLUS and cruised out to pick them up.
My son and I were in agreement - this was a perfect Jeep for someone who was going to go out and play on the trails, and I have always wanted to do that! The only options are A/C, tinted soft top, 2.0T with the 8-speed, and the M220 rear. I struck a fair deal with them - after all, this was July of '19, and the 2020 MY Wranglers were going to start shipping pretty soon. So, who would want a 2-year old Jeep with crank windows!? Me, of course!
The first couple of mods were cosmetic - I removed the Wrangler Sport decals from the fender, added some JK-style Wrangler lettering to the hood as an homage to the old CJ Wrangler, and removed the bumper fairings.
I scored my next mod a few months later - a set of slightly used Mopar tubular aluminum steps. I picked these up from a fellow Forum member.
In November of 2019 I treated myself to a birthday present - a takeoff Rubicon suspension from a 2019 I found online locally that had basically just delivery miles on it. These are the 60/61 and 90/91 springs from a 4-door HT/steel bumper Rubi. This pic was taken in the garage of the guy I bought them from; I wish I had a lift!
Since it was winter and I didn't have 33's yet, there was no point to install them. I stored them away in my shed and waited for a good deal on a set of take-off wheels and tires. I was looking for white letter KO2s on the base Rubi wheels, lower mileage the better, and a budget-friendly price.
Eight months later (good things come to those who wait!), the perfect set popped up on Craigslist. These were off a 2020 with 4K miles.
After a few emails back and forth, my son and I took my wife's JLUS and cruised out to pick them up.
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