Phoenix
Adventurist
Phoenix 2012 Rubicon Unlimited with just about every option. Phoenix is my second Jeep. Hobbes died loudly and painfully in a garage fire just after midnight on July 12 2013. The cause of the fire was never determined.
Luckily I had a good relationship with the sales person, Craig, at Flemington Jeep. I actually called him from the beach in Cape May. Suggestion to everyone that have a garage fire, as soon as its boarded up, go away. It just so happened we were scheduled to go on vacation the following Saturday. With the help of some knowledgeable friends I decided to replace Hobbes which was a 12 Sahara JKU, with a Rubicon. I gave Craig the specs I wanted and three days later he told me the Phoenix would be ready to be picked up on the 21st.
Topless for TaTas was being held on August 4th and I had intended to go, but changed my mind as I wasn't about to take a stock anything to Rausch. Not that it couldn't handle most of it, just because I wanted to lift and get a little protection on prior to Rausch. This is when things started going incredibly right. A local friend had a RK 2.5 max travel that he didn't want. He was interested in the 3.5. I wanted the 2.5, so we swapped. Still needed Shocks and bump stops. Enter JustJeepGear, mission accomplished. Now to get my lift on, we arrived at the House of Magic (where stock Jeeps go to become betterer) met with the Wizard, the Master Technician, the Mid Night Bomber, and just about anyone else within a 100 miles of South Jersey. On July 28th I rolled out of NJ considerably higher than I had rolled in.
Now that I was lifted, needed some new shoes. DiscountTireDirect.com got me the wheels and tires that fit my specs and delivered to my door by July 29th. My son and I installed the new shoes and put in the rear trackbar brackets. Needed at least a little protection from the rocks, called up Adam from Ace Engineering. He actually gave me his cell number during a previous install. Great guy. He gave me the house discount of 15% on everything I wanted from Ace in return for the rights to the pictures of Hobbes all burnt up, but with the Ace bumpers and rails mainly intact. On Aug 1, my rock rails showed up. Added my oldest daughter to the install crew. Borrowed JDam's grinder, and got those installed hours after they arrived.
I think I was the only Jeep at TaTa's with Temp tags. RK Max Travel - Love it. Substantially better than the Rough Country 2.5 that was on Hobbes. Over time added upper control arms and went to a 3.5" spring. One of the benefits of RK is that you can go from A to B to C over time.
Bilstein 5100 shocks - These are firm. I may go with an adjustable shock next time. Not knocking them, just saying. Over time, I found the firmness to be useful.
sPod - one of the few things I have done without help. I think its a $500 insurance policy on my screwing up lights and Jeep electrical. I know it can be built from scratch for cheaper, but I don't have the time. I maliciously enjoy watching people struggle with installing switches. Does that make me a bad person?
MORE Dead Peddle - If you have an auto, get this. It will make long trips more comfortable. Also gives you a place to put your left foot when off camber.
Spider Web Shade - If you have a soft top and like your skin, get this. It keeps the trail out, reduces UV rays, creates shade on a hot day, all while letting in all the good breezes and just enough sun.
Safari Straps - I have the side straps and the rear straps. These keep my stuff in the rear cargo area while on the road, and keeps jack a$$e$ from taking my stuff while parked. They have very high function and cool factor ratings. They are a bit pricey, but also very functional. I also have a cargo net I use to increase storage area in the back when I have the hard top on. Its great to be able to strap into the net. I also buy their straps as they come in a variety of sizes.
I've added Solid Diff covers ,the Ace front midwidth bumper, Rigid Dullys as Fogs.
Solid Diff Covers and lube lockers - Amazing how quickly all the blood leaves your arm when you are working upside down. A quick word on lub lockers. Get em. Diff Covers are heavy and tough to line up just right while you are laying on your back. Now add trying to get it just right so you don't get RTV all over your gears. Plus, if you wack a diff and the RTV seal breaks, your up a creek with no paddle. In most cases with the same scenario and lube lockers, you can make it back home before you need to do any maintenance. Solid makes a nice product. Substantial upgrade over stock at a good price.
Ace Midwidth - love it, but if you have a Rubicon you should get the sway bar motor relocation bolt from Metal Clock, and make sure to trim your crash bar before you try to install. Also always install the driver side upper right (as you are looking at the Jeep) bolt first. Don't tighten down any bolts until all are in the bumper. A floor or bottle jack can be your friend. If you look at the bumper frame, you will notice that only 1 bolt hole is a circle, all others are oval. Diffused Rigid Dullys with the BDF bracket were added.
The Master Technician said that he liked the RECON 10,500lb winch, and I beat him to the punch. Almost lost it a few times during maintenance day. This thing is beefy and the solenoid is waterproofed, perfect for the stuff I do. I won't lie, drilling the holes for this was the most frustrating thing I have ever done with my Jeep. Good news, the winch plate covers up all my mistakes. Create a good tempate. Make sure you have the right clearance. Check it several times. If you are right handed the hole will move to the left by a 1/4. Which is good as long as you take that into account before you drill. RECON Winch - Comes with syn line, remote, and handheld controllers, and a huge hook.
Rigid SR 10" Hybrid - I installed this along with some brackets from Rigid on the bull bar on the Ace Midwidth. With the brackets I was able to install it above and slightly behind the bull bar to allow the bar to keep any brush away from the light. At 1 O'clock if you are standing at the side of the Jeep. The two LEDs on the right and left side are diffused to shed light on the side of the Jeep, the six in the center are spots are give great light 75 yards in front. I really can't imagine needing more light when moving.
Rigid LEDs - Can't find anything bad to say. Love these lights.
Ace Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier - the Monday after the maintenance party my rear bumper showed up. Installed this with the help of my son and wife. They helped lift everything into place as the bumper is pretty damn heavy. A floor or bottle jack helps getting the bumper into the frame as sometimes you need just a bit more support on one side or the other. Wired up the some Rigid D2s for back up / set up lights. Getting the tire carrier just right takes a bit of trial and error. Ace's hardware has gotten better since I installed these bumpers on Hobbes, most of it is Grade 8 now, which is an improvement over the stainless they used to use. I had to replace all that hardware as it had a tendency to bind.
Ace - I drank their Kool aid. They need someone to write directions. I never worry about damaging my front or rear bumper, I have a can of spray paint.
I decided on Evolution Off Road to protect underneath. Right price and nice heavy steel, and it all comes painted with the exception of anything that needs to be welded in. I choose the front LCA skids, the Rock star rear LCA skids with the track bar and shock relocation mounts, and the Evo Protek skids for the 12 Auto. The Conductor pretty much cut, ground, painted, and installed the Evo Rock Stars with some help from he who owns miniature giraffes. Amazing to see a grown man sit in the wheel well comfortably. Make sure you have good cutoff wheels for this job. I ran out to buy some better ones as the Harbor Freight wheels started to self destruct while cutting. Luckily the Conductor was "suited" up with a welding mask, welding gloves, and a good set of overalls when this occurred. Diablo wheels from Home Depot got the job done. I easily gained an inch of clearance at the rear shock mount, and now everything back there is as protected from sliding off a rock or missing a line as I can manage. The Conductor stated that he likes the Evo's better than his Synergy rear LCA skids, which is some pretty high praise for EVO.
The EVO Protek skids went in over time. It is a 3 part system. The first part is the oil pan. They suggest doing this as you change your oil, and I did so at the service party. This takes as long or longer than the other parts as you have to remove and reinstall 14 screws that hold up the oil pan. The screws on the corners are a particular pain to put back in place. The next section to install is the Auto trans skid. This locks into place using some blots on top of the tranny, as those bolts are on an angle and have plenty of lock tite on them, they are difficult to remove. Then you get to use a floor jack to lift the transfer case just enough to slip the driver side connection over the bolt. This takes a bit of trial and error. One error you do not want to experience is raising the transfer case to high and having the bolts move out from under the rubber bumpers. We managed to avoid that. After this is accomplished, there is the cross member / belly pan to install, but then it is much more of an alignment, and drive the bolts home effort. I have 1 area under the passenger side door that needs to be opened up an 1/8 to get the bolt home. Will do that while things are frozen outside and warmer in the garage.
** The names of many helpful friends and Jeeple have been changed to respect their privacy and online foot print. Vendor names have been left in tact as they actually make a living off this stuff. I have no financial interest in any of the companies that are included in this thread.
Luckily I had a good relationship with the sales person, Craig, at Flemington Jeep. I actually called him from the beach in Cape May. Suggestion to everyone that have a garage fire, as soon as its boarded up, go away. It just so happened we were scheduled to go on vacation the following Saturday. With the help of some knowledgeable friends I decided to replace Hobbes which was a 12 Sahara JKU, with a Rubicon. I gave Craig the specs I wanted and three days later he told me the Phoenix would be ready to be picked up on the 21st.
Topless for TaTas was being held on August 4th and I had intended to go, but changed my mind as I wasn't about to take a stock anything to Rausch. Not that it couldn't handle most of it, just because I wanted to lift and get a little protection on prior to Rausch. This is when things started going incredibly right. A local friend had a RK 2.5 max travel that he didn't want. He was interested in the 3.5. I wanted the 2.5, so we swapped. Still needed Shocks and bump stops. Enter JustJeepGear, mission accomplished. Now to get my lift on, we arrived at the House of Magic (where stock Jeeps go to become betterer) met with the Wizard, the Master Technician, the Mid Night Bomber, and just about anyone else within a 100 miles of South Jersey. On July 28th I rolled out of NJ considerably higher than I had rolled in.
Now that I was lifted, needed some new shoes. DiscountTireDirect.com got me the wheels and tires that fit my specs and delivered to my door by July 29th. My son and I installed the new shoes and put in the rear trackbar brackets. Needed at least a little protection from the rocks, called up Adam from Ace Engineering. He actually gave me his cell number during a previous install. Great guy. He gave me the house discount of 15% on everything I wanted from Ace in return for the rights to the pictures of Hobbes all burnt up, but with the Ace bumpers and rails mainly intact. On Aug 1, my rock rails showed up. Added my oldest daughter to the install crew. Borrowed JDam's grinder, and got those installed hours after they arrived.
I think I was the only Jeep at TaTa's with Temp tags. RK Max Travel - Love it. Substantially better than the Rough Country 2.5 that was on Hobbes. Over time added upper control arms and went to a 3.5" spring. One of the benefits of RK is that you can go from A to B to C over time.
Bilstein 5100 shocks - These are firm. I may go with an adjustable shock next time. Not knocking them, just saying. Over time, I found the firmness to be useful.
sPod - one of the few things I have done without help. I think its a $500 insurance policy on my screwing up lights and Jeep electrical. I know it can be built from scratch for cheaper, but I don't have the time. I maliciously enjoy watching people struggle with installing switches. Does that make me a bad person?
MORE Dead Peddle - If you have an auto, get this. It will make long trips more comfortable. Also gives you a place to put your left foot when off camber.
Spider Web Shade - If you have a soft top and like your skin, get this. It keeps the trail out, reduces UV rays, creates shade on a hot day, all while letting in all the good breezes and just enough sun.
Safari Straps - I have the side straps and the rear straps. These keep my stuff in the rear cargo area while on the road, and keeps jack a$$e$ from taking my stuff while parked. They have very high function and cool factor ratings. They are a bit pricey, but also very functional. I also have a cargo net I use to increase storage area in the back when I have the hard top on. Its great to be able to strap into the net. I also buy their straps as they come in a variety of sizes.
I've added Solid Diff covers ,the Ace front midwidth bumper, Rigid Dullys as Fogs.
Solid Diff Covers and lube lockers - Amazing how quickly all the blood leaves your arm when you are working upside down. A quick word on lub lockers. Get em. Diff Covers are heavy and tough to line up just right while you are laying on your back. Now add trying to get it just right so you don't get RTV all over your gears. Plus, if you wack a diff and the RTV seal breaks, your up a creek with no paddle. In most cases with the same scenario and lube lockers, you can make it back home before you need to do any maintenance. Solid makes a nice product. Substantial upgrade over stock at a good price.
Ace Midwidth - love it, but if you have a Rubicon you should get the sway bar motor relocation bolt from Metal Clock, and make sure to trim your crash bar before you try to install. Also always install the driver side upper right (as you are looking at the Jeep) bolt first. Don't tighten down any bolts until all are in the bumper. A floor or bottle jack can be your friend. If you look at the bumper frame, you will notice that only 1 bolt hole is a circle, all others are oval. Diffused Rigid Dullys with the BDF bracket were added.
The Master Technician said that he liked the RECON 10,500lb winch, and I beat him to the punch. Almost lost it a few times during maintenance day. This thing is beefy and the solenoid is waterproofed, perfect for the stuff I do. I won't lie, drilling the holes for this was the most frustrating thing I have ever done with my Jeep. Good news, the winch plate covers up all my mistakes. Create a good tempate. Make sure you have the right clearance. Check it several times. If you are right handed the hole will move to the left by a 1/4. Which is good as long as you take that into account before you drill. RECON Winch - Comes with syn line, remote, and handheld controllers, and a huge hook.
Rigid SR 10" Hybrid - I installed this along with some brackets from Rigid on the bull bar on the Ace Midwidth. With the brackets I was able to install it above and slightly behind the bull bar to allow the bar to keep any brush away from the light. At 1 O'clock if you are standing at the side of the Jeep. The two LEDs on the right and left side are diffused to shed light on the side of the Jeep, the six in the center are spots are give great light 75 yards in front. I really can't imagine needing more light when moving.
Rigid LEDs - Can't find anything bad to say. Love these lights.
Ace Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier - the Monday after the maintenance party my rear bumper showed up. Installed this with the help of my son and wife. They helped lift everything into place as the bumper is pretty damn heavy. A floor or bottle jack helps getting the bumper into the frame as sometimes you need just a bit more support on one side or the other. Wired up the some Rigid D2s for back up / set up lights. Getting the tire carrier just right takes a bit of trial and error. Ace's hardware has gotten better since I installed these bumpers on Hobbes, most of it is Grade 8 now, which is an improvement over the stainless they used to use. I had to replace all that hardware as it had a tendency to bind.
Ace - I drank their Kool aid. They need someone to write directions. I never worry about damaging my front or rear bumper, I have a can of spray paint.
I decided on Evolution Off Road to protect underneath. Right price and nice heavy steel, and it all comes painted with the exception of anything that needs to be welded in. I choose the front LCA skids, the Rock star rear LCA skids with the track bar and shock relocation mounts, and the Evo Protek skids for the 12 Auto. The Conductor pretty much cut, ground, painted, and installed the Evo Rock Stars with some help from he who owns miniature giraffes. Amazing to see a grown man sit in the wheel well comfortably. Make sure you have good cutoff wheels for this job. I ran out to buy some better ones as the Harbor Freight wheels started to self destruct while cutting. Luckily the Conductor was "suited" up with a welding mask, welding gloves, and a good set of overalls when this occurred. Diablo wheels from Home Depot got the job done. I easily gained an inch of clearance at the rear shock mount, and now everything back there is as protected from sliding off a rock or missing a line as I can manage. The Conductor stated that he likes the Evo's better than his Synergy rear LCA skids, which is some pretty high praise for EVO.
The EVO Protek skids went in over time. It is a 3 part system. The first part is the oil pan. They suggest doing this as you change your oil, and I did so at the service party. This takes as long or longer than the other parts as you have to remove and reinstall 14 screws that hold up the oil pan. The screws on the corners are a particular pain to put back in place. The next section to install is the Auto trans skid. This locks into place using some blots on top of the tranny, as those bolts are on an angle and have plenty of lock tite on them, they are difficult to remove. Then you get to use a floor jack to lift the transfer case just enough to slip the driver side connection over the bolt. This takes a bit of trial and error. One error you do not want to experience is raising the transfer case to high and having the bolts move out from under the rubber bumpers. We managed to avoid that. After this is accomplished, there is the cross member / belly pan to install, but then it is much more of an alignment, and drive the bolts home effort. I have 1 area under the passenger side door that needs to be opened up an 1/8 to get the bolt home. Will do that while things are frozen outside and warmer in the garage.
** The names of many helpful friends and Jeeple have been changed to respect their privacy and online foot print. Vendor names have been left in tact as they actually make a living off this stuff. I have no financial interest in any of the companies that are included in this thread.
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