LittleDog
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2020
- Threads
- 33
- Messages
- 648
- Reaction score
- 925
- Location
- New Jersey
- Vehicle(s)
- 2020 Sahara JLU
Howdy All,
First Wrangler, first Jeep, umpteenth vehicle, but first one I've gotten under and done stuff to in a long while. I'd been sneakily picking the brains of this forum since taking delivery of my four-door Sahara this past September, and appreciated the borrowed legwork and information that I gained. After I was reminded that 5-tire rotations were a thing and saved myself quite a bit of time for it, I supposed that it was finally time to become a contributing member of a society.
But apparently I'm a terrible procrastinator, because that was over two months ago.
However, last Sunday I sat down and read most every post regarding the Smittybilt Atlas Steps that have been sitting in the garage for almost as long as I've had the Jeep, and finally got up the nerve to install the stupid things. Thanks to the various dumb accidents, misguided attempts, well thought out suggestions, and trials by fire endured by the forum members here trying to install the steps, I was armed with enough knowledge, courage, and unnecessarily purchased extra hardware and tools to complete the task, saving me much time (well, unless you count the four trips to the hardware store) and frustration (err, not including when I had to remove, reattach, and re-torque two of those bolts five times. Each. Did you know that those rubber gaskets will not survive such treatment? Now you do!)
It was great! Thank you JLWranglerForums, for allowing me to easily(?) install eight new potential points of water ingress and/or rust line production centers to my formerly water-tight(ish) and white doors. Sure I was already breaking stuff and drilling holes in the Jeep even without the help of the forum, but with it, I had the additional dumb mistakes and smart solutions of dozens of people to draw upon. Well, if you subtract all the inane comments from people with no horse in the race, and maybe four people who are still staring with glazed eyes at T-50 and T-55 bits and bolts to this day, you end up with maybe five each of smart people and the dummies that needed their help, but still! As one of the unwashed and clueless masses in that situation I was thankful.
So that's why I'm here now, to add my own smart solutions, dumb mistakes, inane comments, and questions posted without using the 'Search' function first, to the forum's knowledge pool. Alone, a person can throw enough time, money, mistakes, or any combination thereof to solve most problems, but with a forum, you can gain the powers of possibly five smart people, and unhappy experiences of at least as many dumb ones just by reading! You can quote me on that. "Reading JLWranglerForums makes me at least as powerful and useful as five smart and five dumb people, plus some hecklers" The power of additional people, smart or dumb, is oftentimes handy when you are as antisocial and friendless as I am. Wait, I mean, 'I usually work on my Jeep alone'.
Today's contribution/confirmation for the knowledge pool: 5-tire rotations are great. Regular-sized face bricks are not enough to chock even your stock tires. Remember, that handbrake is for rear wheels only. Passenger side of front axle has room for a jack or a jack stand, but not both; stick one on the frame instead. If you're thinking of getting a trolley jack specifically because of the jeep, get one with extensions for less rise before contact, more total height, and to avoid all the bits on the front right axle. I realise the photo is the complete opposite wheel from what I am talking about.
Hope to see you all on the trails. But not in Central New Jersey, because we don't have any. See you at the strip malls there.
First Wrangler, first Jeep, umpteenth vehicle, but first one I've gotten under and done stuff to in a long while. I'd been sneakily picking the brains of this forum since taking delivery of my four-door Sahara this past September, and appreciated the borrowed legwork and information that I gained. After I was reminded that 5-tire rotations were a thing and saved myself quite a bit of time for it, I supposed that it was finally time to become a contributing member of a society.
But apparently I'm a terrible procrastinator, because that was over two months ago.
However, last Sunday I sat down and read most every post regarding the Smittybilt Atlas Steps that have been sitting in the garage for almost as long as I've had the Jeep, and finally got up the nerve to install the stupid things. Thanks to the various dumb accidents, misguided attempts, well thought out suggestions, and trials by fire endured by the forum members here trying to install the steps, I was armed with enough knowledge, courage, and unnecessarily purchased extra hardware and tools to complete the task, saving me much time (well, unless you count the four trips to the hardware store) and frustration (err, not including when I had to remove, reattach, and re-torque two of those bolts five times. Each. Did you know that those rubber gaskets will not survive such treatment? Now you do!)
It was great! Thank you JLWranglerForums, for allowing me to easily(?) install eight new potential points of water ingress and/or rust line production centers to my formerly water-tight(ish) and white doors. Sure I was already breaking stuff and drilling holes in the Jeep even without the help of the forum, but with it, I had the additional dumb mistakes and smart solutions of dozens of people to draw upon. Well, if you subtract all the inane comments from people with no horse in the race, and maybe four people who are still staring with glazed eyes at T-50 and T-55 bits and bolts to this day, you end up with maybe five each of smart people and the dummies that needed their help, but still! As one of the unwashed and clueless masses in that situation I was thankful.
So that's why I'm here now, to add my own smart solutions, dumb mistakes, inane comments, and questions posted without using the 'Search' function first, to the forum's knowledge pool. Alone, a person can throw enough time, money, mistakes, or any combination thereof to solve most problems, but with a forum, you can gain the powers of possibly five smart people, and unhappy experiences of at least as many dumb ones just by reading! You can quote me on that. "Reading JLWranglerForums makes me at least as powerful and useful as five smart and five dumb people, plus some hecklers" The power of additional people, smart or dumb, is oftentimes handy when you are as antisocial and friendless as I am. Wait, I mean, 'I usually work on my Jeep alone'.
Today's contribution/confirmation for the knowledge pool: 5-tire rotations are great. Regular-sized face bricks are not enough to chock even your stock tires. Remember, that handbrake is for rear wheels only. Passenger side of front axle has room for a jack or a jack stand, but not both; stick one on the frame instead. If you're thinking of getting a trolley jack specifically because of the jeep, get one with extensions for less rise before contact, more total height, and to avoid all the bits on the front right axle. I realise the photo is the complete opposite wheel from what I am talking about.
Hope to see you all on the trails. But not in Central New Jersey, because we don't have any. See you at the strip malls there.
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