Alright, first post, so please be gentle.
After totaling my beloved Mercedes in April, I decided that it was the wrong economy to replace it. I wanted something fun to drive and cheap to work on with a lot of aftermarket support. Since my budget was limited, I narrowed my choices down to muscle cars and Wranglers. I’ve owned three muscle cars in the recent past and enjoyed them immensely. But now I am the single parent of two young daughters, so they also had to be comfortable. My girls can no longer fit in the back seats of Mustangs or Camaros, so the remaining choices were Wranglers and the ’’05-‘06 GTO. The GTO was eliminated because of parts availability (GTO-specific factory parts must come from Australia). My girls fell in love with the bone stock ’06 LJ that we test drove, and after more than a month in it, I don’t regret it. Since this LJ will be my hurricane evacuation vehicle (think of it as a forced expedition), I have started to modify it accordingly.
For evacuation, cargo capacity (not exactly the Wrangler’s strong suit) is quite important, and fuel range (kind of weak in this suit also) is crucial. Fortunately, both areas seem to be extensively addressed by the LJ aftermarket.
Phase 1:
31.0x10.5x15 BF Goodrich All-Terrain TA KO’s – I’ll add a matching spare sometime in the distant future. On the road, these tires are relatively low noise and the hydroplaning resistance is neither exemplary nor horrendous. I simply use more care when driving in heavy rain. I have yet to do any real off-roading in the LJ, but the AT’s seemed to sink more in sand than I was expecting. I plan to give them a bit more of a work-out once my recovery equipment is more complete.
Phase 2:
I’ll need to pick up some 3/8” grade 70 transportation chain soon. The next real modification will likely be HID headlights.
I’d like to pick up a winch and a pull-pal in the future. And may get a 2-3” lift in the distant future. A rear locker would be nice, but the IRS thinks that they are more important than my overlanding needs.
My general goal is to remain close to stock for reliability and ease of repairs
Richard
After totaling my beloved Mercedes in April, I decided that it was the wrong economy to replace it. I wanted something fun to drive and cheap to work on with a lot of aftermarket support. Since my budget was limited, I narrowed my choices down to muscle cars and Wranglers. I’ve owned three muscle cars in the recent past and enjoyed them immensely. But now I am the single parent of two young daughters, so they also had to be comfortable. My girls can no longer fit in the back seats of Mustangs or Camaros, so the remaining choices were Wranglers and the ’’05-‘06 GTO. The GTO was eliminated because of parts availability (GTO-specific factory parts must come from Australia). My girls fell in love with the bone stock ’06 LJ that we test drove, and after more than a month in it, I don’t regret it. Since this LJ will be my hurricane evacuation vehicle (think of it as a forced expedition), I have started to modify it accordingly.
For evacuation, cargo capacity (not exactly the Wrangler’s strong suit) is quite important, and fuel range (kind of weak in this suit also) is crucial. Fortunately, both areas seem to be extensively addressed by the LJ aftermarket.
Phase 1:
31.0x10.5x15 BF Goodrich All-Terrain TA KO’s – I’ll add a matching spare sometime in the distant future. On the road, these tires are relatively low noise and the hydroplaning resistance is neither exemplary nor horrendous. I simply use more care when driving in heavy rain. I have yet to do any real off-roading in the LJ, but the AT’s seemed to sink more in sand than I was expecting. I plan to give them a bit more of a work-out once my recovery equipment is more complete.
Phase 2:
- Tuffy LJ Security Drawer – I picked up a used one on e-bay -- probably for more than the original owner spent, but for significantly under what a new one sells. The only downside is that it is slightly noisy. I can’t imagine someone owning a TJ soft top and being concerned with slight noise. After three weeks of putting anything I wanted to keep with the Jeep in a bag and carrying it with me, this thing is a godsend. I did add some eyebolts to the sides for securing cargo. The only way I can foresee having money better spent, would be to buy a guaranteed jackpot-winning Powerball ticket. I simply cannot live without the Tuffy drawer.
- Bestop High Rock Front Bumper – This was a “scratch & dent“ impulse buy. Had I not purchased this “on the cheap”, I would be infuriated. The holes for the bottom torx bolts are oversize holes, but were too far aft. I had to remove 1/8” of steel from each just to get the bottom bolts installed. For $179 plus shipping it is annoying, but for a bumper that retails for nearly $500.00, it is inexcusable. Now that the bumper is finally mounted, it looks great and seems quite robust. I don’t regret purchasing the bumper, but I will be quite leery of Bestop products in the future.
- Brook’s Custom Concepts Rock Rails – I don’t think these can be beat for the price. Good looks, stout build quality and great service from BCC. In LA (Lower Alabama), we don’t have any boulders, but these should offer substantial protection from the hordes of uninsured motorists with the IQ’s of boulders. An additional benefit is that I can now park anywhere with little worries about door dings. In the coming months, these should have quite a variety of paint smudges that I will display with a pride rivaling that of a fighter pilot ace – think of it as parking lot karma.
- Rugged Ridge LJ Sport Bar Storage Bags – I had seen no reviews on these and expected that I had just wasted $65.00. However these are surprisingly good quality for the price. They have great zippers and are descent quality nylon. Nobody will ever mistake these for Kifaru products, but so far, it seems to be money well-spent. They should easily handle carrying changes of clothes, ponchos, and anything else that is of little value to thieves.
- The Dirtworks Rear Bumper/Can/Tire Swingout – it’s still being fabricated. I plan to modify it with brackets to which I can bolt a rack and possibly more gas cans.
- NATO Gas Cans from Atlantic British Ltd – New, non-CARB cans that are perfect. Two 20 liter and three 10 liter cans from a great vendor.
- 60” HiLift Jack from AcmeJeepParts (Quadratec) – Good customer service
- HiLift Off Road Kit, Off Road Base, Lift Mate, and ARB shackles from 4 Wheel Parts (on order)
- 2” x30’ Rugged Ridge tow strap from CSE Off Road – FAST shipping!
- Radiator Skid – on order. It was a cheap e-bay find.
- Bill Burke’s two DVD set from the group buy (on order) – My off-road experience is limited primarily to getting various taxpayer-purchased vehicles stuck in mud whilst goofing off in an Army uniform. Recovery was quite simple. I only had to get another vehicle to pull it out.
I’ll need to pick up some 3/8” grade 70 transportation chain soon. The next real modification will likely be HID headlights.
I’d like to pick up a winch and a pull-pal in the future. And may get a 2-3” lift in the distant future. A rear locker would be nice, but the IRS thinks that they are more important than my overlanding needs.
My general goal is to remain close to stock for reliability and ease of repairs
Richard
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