My Jeep story and lessons learned...

[chain]

My wife and I ordered a new Rubicon 2dr and expect we should have it around the end of this month. I have been thinking about my other Jeep I had and loved (2008 JK Rubicon) for so long and realized I learned some things along the way that might help others in their Jeep journey. Also going back through pictures I realized this will actually be my 4th Jeep, not my second. Kind of forget about the other two as they were both short lived. Anyways below I'll post a little bit about each of the first three and thoughts moving on to the fourth. Happy Jeepin!

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[robaw]

Welcome to the JL club

Always nice to have more insight and experience in here (I'm a Jeep noob, just 3 1/2 month in) so insights like I'm sure you have are much appreciated

PS - pretty sure the JL will blow your mind and make you almost forget about the other ones you had

 

[chain]

Jeep #1

So what got me into Jeep's and off roading in the first place? I worked with a buddy that had a 4 cylinder YJ/TJ? I don't remember. All I know is we went off road near his house and it was fun. I wanted something to drive off road too! I found an 83? Wagoneer with 34" Super Swampers on Craigslist. I got it for $1200. Looked like crap, had leaves painted on top, and a plywood rear window replacement. It was so much fun! Since it was cheap I squeezed between trees and had a total disregard for anything happening to it. That freedom is what made my short time with this wagon so much fun. The second day I took it out I decided to try to make it through a hole full of water and mud. My buddy of course didn't tell me at that point that he'd never seen anyone make it through. I went for it. (Lesson - If you don't know what you're getting in to, let someone else go first!) As soon as I got into the muck I knew I had made the wrong choice. By the time I stopped trying to get out of this predicament the front drivers side tire had disappeared into the mud and the back tire on that side was just about gone as well. I got out and my foot almost got stuck in the suction created by that sloppy mess. I could only imagine how much suction had those tires sucked in. We tried and tried and it wasn't budging. We finally got it out the next day with a couple come-a-longs and a tow strap hooked up to my buddy's truck. Even then we had to shovel around the tires to break the suction before she'd finally move. We did it and towed it back to my buddy's house up the road as she didn't want to start. Screwed with a few things and finally got her running again the following week. I made it about a half mile down the road before blowing oil everywhere and losing all power to the wheels. We never got it running after that and I sold it for $900. Lost a few hundred on the deal but to this day I still think it was well worth it for those couple days of fun and the experience of it all!

 

[chain]

Jeep #2

After the short time with the Wagoneer, I had to have another Jeep. Didn't take long and I had ordered a 2008 Rubicon to my specs. First time I had it stuck it still had temp tags on it. That's also the night my wife got two black eyes. I had 3 other people in my Jeep and she was sitting in the back with a friend. I nailed a hole pretty good and she wasn't wearing her seat belt, nailed her face right into the sound bar. (Lesson, make sure you all have your seat belts on!) First mods were to cut down the stock bumper and add skid plates. I figure most people go suspension first. If you actually beat on your Jeep I think that's the wrong way to go. I figure you can go bigger but there will always be a bigger rock. Fact is I should never have to buy an oil pan. I told myself if I wanted to beat on it that the first order of business was to protect everything that made it go. I learned over time that I was always able to follow people with bigger builds than where my Jeep was at. I could follow them because I knew I wasn't going to hurt it. I have spun my Jeep in a 360 when I was high centered on a rock, didn't hurt a thing. I went with it like that for a while and had lots of fun.

Eventually it was about time for new tires so I knew I wanted to go bigger. I did a 2 inch budget boost, pucks and spacers, and went with 34" Goodyear Duratracs. (Great tires!) I added adjustable track bars to keep the axles centered and also added adjustable lower control arms up front to fix the now darty steering. Once I corrected the caster it drove great again. Now when I went off road I was following the guys on 37's while the guys with 33's and most of the guys with 35's just watched us do our thing on the bigger obstacles. Again, knowing I wasn't going to hurt anything underneath is what made this possible and my adventures more fun. As I went off road more and more, I ended up with another vehicle and the Jeep was no longer my daily driver. It was time to go bigger!

I put the Rubi up on jack stands and removed the axles. Welded truss kits on them and took them to a driveline shop to get regeared with 5.13's. Replaced the ball joints with heavy duty ones, extended stainless brake lines, Rock Krawler springs, Bilstein shocks, Metal Cloak control arms, etc. Found a deal on 37" Toyo MT's and threw them on. (Not so good tires) Looked bad ass! It was a total beast and more capable than ever off road. The flip side is she was no longer as enjoyable on road. Did I go to big? For me the answer was yes. I came to find that I wouldn't drive her quite as much because while I liked the thumbs up going down the road and knowing what I could make it through, I really missed having the good road manners on the 34's. I decided if I wasn't going to enjoy it on the road maybe it's time to say screw the road and get something I need to trailer anyways. I sold my beloved Rubicon and for half of what I got for it, I bought a car trailer and a tube buggy. It's time to get serious!

 

[chain]

Jeep #3

I bought my car trailer and headed to NC to pick up my new toy. A 99 TJ with a tube frame built off of the tub. Dana 60 and a 14 bolt, race seats with harnesses, fuel cell, removable steering wheel, and a few other things riding on 42's. This thing is bad ass! Took it to a couple off road parks and could go over things I couldn't believe. I remember my buddy telling me to try going over a rock that had to be 5 foot high and I thought he was crazy. I goosed it and made it look easy. It was nuts. Had a bit of fun but again found I didn't take it out all that much. Getting this thing out meant some preparation. Do I have everything I need for my trip? Am I strapped down good? Where are we all meeting? The truck stop has room for all of us right? Now I have to worry about my truck, the trailer, and my rig. That's a lot of tires to wonder when the next flat comes along! Get home....I need to clean up, unload the trailer, check my joints on the suspension, grease things up, put the beast in the barn, get my trailer cleaned off and put up, etc. It was fun but again, I realized I had the most fun with my mild built Rubicon.

I am also a car guy and figured out I could be on a race track for the cost of off roading. Looks like it's time to sell again!

 

[chain]

Jeep #4

My wife wants to trade in her Rav4 so we went to the international auto show here in Pittsburgh. Go sit in a few things and see what she wants next. Of course I get to the Jeep section and have to check out the new JL Rubicon. We leave and I go back to it again. My wife notices that the window sticker says it gets 24 MPG. That can't be right! can it? Now she gets to thinking and says something crazy. "What if I got a Rubicon?"

I tell her I would love it of course but knowing what she's used to driving, it's a whole different world. She says it has everything she wants. Android auto, heated seats and steering wheel, remote start, and decent gas mileage. She tells me she's tired of driving the boring car while I have all the fun stuff. She really thinks she wants to do this! I tell her she's losing some stuff too. Things like comfort and a smooth ride, easy steering, quiet, etc. I'd love for her to get a Rubicon but I just want her to know what she's getting into. I told her that if she really wanted to go with a Jeep, I'd help with the down payment as long as it was a 2dr Rubicon. Also told her that if she gets one, she's not trading it in. If she gets tired of it I will take over the payments and have my Jeep again. Just told her she has to drive it for at least 2 years before I would do that. The fact that I'll put money down on it for her gets her more excited and she wants to test drive. After driving a couple she still wants it. She wants the cold weather package and 8.4" audio group, I want steel bumpers and the LED lighting. We found a dealer that would make a deal and got it on order. Our Mojito Jeep is in paint today and we're both excited to have a Jeep back in the family again. I can take it off road while it's hers but of course nothing crazy. Once it's mine all bets are off. That said I learned from all of the above. I'll do a mild build, run 35" tires, and enjoy it. Both on road and off. =)

 

[chain]

Forgot to add, the main thing I wanted to bring out from my experience is bigger isn't always better. I think lots of people get into the mode of trying to go as big as they can. I wanted to as you can see. In the end I was never happier with my Jeep than when it was a mild build. I found that it was more enjoyable when I could comfortably drive it to and from the trail. Also I'd say most off roaders have mild builds so you have more people to ride with as well which I think makes it more fun.

The Jeep has made me more friends than anything else I've ever done. Generally people that hit the trail are good people and willing to help each other out. Not everyone, but most for sure.

Lastly I'll say my wife thought I was writing a novel and told me no one was going to read all that lol.

 

[GreyFox]

Welcome to the JL family. Your wife is a keeper!

 

[chain]

My wife is definitely a keeper. She's pretty awesome.

Of course she'll be even more awesome driving a Rubicon than her Rav 4!

 

[blnewt]

Great shots throughout your "history" looks like you went all-in on most of your rides. Those shots of your first rubicon looks like you were really pushing it to the limits, nice to see!

 

[chain]

Great shots throughout your "history" looks like you went all-in on most of your rides. Those shots of your first rubicon looks like you were really pushing it to the limits, nice to see!

Yeah I generally don't baby my vehicles lol. I much prefer to enjoy them. I take the Mustang drag racing, auto cross, and track days. If I'm not hard on something when I drive it, that's because it's "just a car". =)

 

[cjaama]

sticker says it gets 24 MPG. That can't be right! can it?

I hope I'm not bursting your bubble, but no, it can't be right.
That buggy was awesome! I think you and your wife have the right game plan for this one.

 

[ozzysjeep]

Enjoyed your history. Mine is somewhat similar but never went buggy. I'm on #5. Looking forward to pics of your new Rubi.

 

[chain]

Jeep is already in shipping status! I'm ready! I mean it's her Jeep lol.

 

[@OUTDOORTREE]

Forgot to add, the main thing I wanted to bring out from my experience is bigger isn't always better. I think lots of people get into the mode of trying to go as big as they can. I wanted to as you can see. In the end I was never happier with my Jeep than when it was a mild build. I found that it was more enjoyable when I could comfortably drive it to and from the trail. Also I'd say most off roaders have mild builds so you have more people to ride with as well which I think makes it more fun.

The Jeep has made me more friends than anything else I've ever done. Generally people that hit the trail are good people and willing to help each other out. Not everyone, but most for sure.

Lastly I'll say my wife thought I was writing a novel and told me no one was going to read all that lol.

I read it all. Good advice. I love my mild build.

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