Do I need the beeb to talk me out of a Jeep Wrangler?

FWIW, it's obvious to me that Canadian Bacon put a lot of thought into what he did. Everything is purposeful and likely to provide unfailing service and exceptional return. Without a serious hold-my-beer moment, he's not breaking down anywhere, ever - engine issues not withstanding. I have doubts about a stock Jeep taking regular abuse that his likely sees with even more frequency, Rubicon included.

 

Mine has stuff it needs for what I wanted to do with it and doesn’t have shit it doesn’t need. I.e I have more and better light bar/ side spot lights on my golf cart than I do my Jeep. I do have quick connects for a larger light bar I have but leaving it on all the time adds a shit load of wind noise and begging for someone to steel it at the boat ramp. Stock fender flares, I buy used take off ones off Craigslist (haven’t bought any for quite a while) and when they get damaged I throw a new one on. Bumpers are stock 95% of the time, only put them on when going on dedicated off road trips. Winch is On quick connect system I built that can go on with stock bumper. I tried to keep it stock looking as possible. Didn’t like the silver wrangler on the side and Jeep on the front to replaced them with oem black ones (Jeep is black). It’s wrapped with 3m clear bra. Very few things make it through. Gets scratched enough throw a new piece on. I put a ton of complicated thought to keep it simple and everything has a purpose. I cannot F ing stand half the shit people put on their Jeep that’s garbage stuff which shouldn’t matter since it will never go off road. My rock sliders are frame mounted proper rock sliders. Had the company make me a set of their production design in chromoly vs steel. Have a mix between 3/8 and 1/4 skid plates I fabbed up, plus skids for my control arm rod ends. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do again with exception of rod ends on control arms, Mine are the older style Teraflex that are a pain in the ass to rebuild (I do that as preventative, have only damaged one believe it or not if you looked at my control arms you’d be shocked.). I did have a work colleague who I actually had move with me to my new company help me with buying the right stuff. He’s got some pretty well built and built with sickening attention to detail jeeps. He has a 12 JKU just build underneath wit the standard good stuff and supercharger. Has, think it’s an 05, (long wheelbase 2 doors) with Dana 60’s, LS built for power where he needs it, etc. That really helped get me the best value stuff for what I planned to do with it. I had it up on Uwharee National forest when it had less than 300 miles on it and it’s about 150 miles there. Was used from day 1 but not abused. I still enjoy driving it even more so now because I put my soft top on about a month ago. I’m a soft top in cooler weather guy, I have no desire to bake in the heat even though the AC is good in it still no need for that shit.
cheap eBay back up cameras (wireless ones) and a couple of the monitors on quick connects are a huge time saver wheeling alone. Use GoPro mounts on all 4 corners. Think I may have $75 into all that but it works. Set a budget and do your must haves first which is drivetrain. Some people it’s like putting a ti pipe on a bike and they have no money left for suspension. It’s comical on the trails at times. People have a top of the line warn winch, poison spider errythamg and a Rough County Lift, stock drag link and wonders why it breaks and handles like dog shit. I came under the $19k I budgeted for building it as control arms were used and I just rebuilt them so they were fresh, used axles I welded the truss’, gussets and sleeved. Had someone else install and set up ring and pinion. I’m only running 4.11’s in it, Eaton E Lockers chromoly axles. The flex is usually when you start hurting stuff especially if you do the old “I should just back up and take a new line”, f it and hammer the gas and once you bounce on a rock with a decent amount of throttle they don’t get happy.
A stock non rubicon with a decent set of tires is shockingly capable. Wouldn’t make it through some of the rocks we go over because of ground clearance and shit would hang up underneath but there are routes around as well. Rubicon with tires even better. Ours that come on it suck, Ridge Grapplers are perfect I stated above. Just start from the bottom and work your way up. I built mine as a toy but armor stuff aside ( I’d still do proper frame mounted rock sliders) I’d build a daily driver the same way with stock axles just sleeved. That will be shockingly reliable off road provided you know what your doing or are forntuate like I was to have some very experienced and well versed people teach me. And they were and still are patient with me.
One final note, for the love of all things holy (and non, I don’t do religion talk do not join an f ing Jeep club. Do however when time allows attend their trail clean up and maintanence days. That’s preserving shit so our kid will be able to use.

 

Can anyone tell I really don’t feel like looking at my laptop and starting about 3 hours of number crunching then trying to summarize it all so non engineering types can understand it? Good thing is head to the office in a few hours, be out of there by 10, on the lake by 11.

 

I'm sorry, TL;DR.

I'm gonna read it later...looks intense. It's bed time, tho'.

 

I’ve had mine since May 2019 and it’s been flawless. Hauls bikes and heavy shit (more than the 1700 payload) without complaining, and a couple times a month I road trip down to Northern Virginia (3-4.5 hours, depending on traffic) and that’s fine as well.

I took off the freedom panels and put a sunshade (I think that’s what it’s called) so I can open and close the top in about two seconds. Other than that, aftermarket bedliner and other standard Jeep farkles.

Only real downside is gas mileage - it’s comically bad.

 

Do a YT search for “Driving Line”. In their playlist, they have several different sections with everything Jeep you can imagine. Ali Mansour does a lot of the Jeep vids and is very knowledgeable. He has/had about everything, including a kickass Gladiator and a new 392 Wrangler.

 

No kidding!

@Gorilla George , you are being challenged in here.

 

You want the BBS to talk you OUT of buying something?!?! Dude, the idiots around here would try and talk you into damn near anything that you ask about. Trying to talk yourself out of buying a M45 quad mount to put on your Tacoma? Come here and you’ll buy one! Trying to talk yourself out of buying an AT-80U because you found one for sale? Come here and you’ll be well on your way to becoming Maverick in a week or two. Found someone selling a Tiger? Come here and try and get talked out of it and you’ll be the F@ckin’ Tiger king of the bbs in no time (until broome figures out you can buy tigers and the bbs Tiger arms race is on).

buy the f@ckin’ Jeep! Shit, buy two so broome can’t have one!

 

Have you ever considered getting Raptors? That suspension is supposed to be pretty amazing. That should keep the rattling down.

 

Lol. I am not sure I could get Corporate to go for that. Not to mention that some of the people up here could break an anvil and would end up in the tundra more than they already do. Raptors would be a bad idea...

 

Damn, I tried

 

Now you've done it. Let the competition begin.

 

Okay, buy the damn Jeep, but only if they'll throw in a three-foot illuminated pink dildo with dragon wings as a hood ornament.
And a horn that plays the Macarena for two minutes when you hit it.
You'll thank me when you're stuck in traffic and the motorists around you feel safer if they knock themselves out to let you get by.

 

Like I thought, nothing that isn't needed and stuff most would never have even considered.
I've yet to finish mine as originally planned. I lost the "mod" sheet when my desktop bricked a couple years ago...specs, manufacturers, etc, all gone. Good thing I'm not in a hurry to throw money at it, bad thing is some of those products may not be available when I get around to it.

 

[/QUOTE]

If it's not a 2dr, it's not a Jeep...it's a minivan with four wheel drive.


- Nothing looks stupider than a topless Jeep with full doors.
[/QUOTE]

Here we were getting ready to do a night time full moon run up and over the 4 peaks wilderness area in our stupid looking minivan.

 

At the end of the day its gonna be personal preference.

Do you want a daily driver with 4 wheel capabilities for an occasional trail ride?

Do you want a Mall Crawler with all the lights, accessories and ugly ass grilles Amazon has available?

Do you want to upgrade it for a purpose such as trail riding, mud riding, creek riding, rock climbing?

Like others have said you have build it for your personal needs/requirements.

You can absolutely build it as a daily driver and a weekend wheeler but you cant expect great gas mileage and you have to expect things breaking. My suggestion is do it right the first time and don't be too cheap otherwise you will be doing over again when the cheaper stuff breaks, it always does..

 

If it's not a 2dr, it's not a Jeep...it's a minivan with four wheel drive.


- Nothing looks stupider than a topless Jeep with full doors.
[/QUOTE]

Here we were getting ready to do a night time full moon run up and over the 4 peaks wilderness area in our stupid looking minivan.[/QUOTE]

Nice looking rig!!

 

I spent a fair bit of time on my plan and it saved me a lot of money, or maybe better put got a lot more value out of my money long term. Ya sure I don’t look like a bad ass off roader and it usually quite funny when other people with mall crawlers ask “must not go off road much without bumpers on that thing. I’ll usually ask them to look underneath then we can see how much “real” off-roading they do. Each to their own, I don’t care what people do with their shit just don’t come up and give me some stupid back handed compliment. If ya do I’ll start calling you out and making fun of you

 

Maybe go rent one to drive for a day or two. My wife was kinda thinking she would like one until we got one for a rental car for a couple days. As a third car/weekend cruiser, it would be ok. Emphasis on ok. As a daily driver, no thanks.

 

Yup, I’m looking into that. Rent one for the weekend and see how we/she likes it.

This would be a third car/weekend toy. She’s got her Honda Odyssey for the daily comfy driver.