2001 WJ

[t4rFL]

mounted on my WJ...still needs a few things...should be done tomorrow...i'll be painting it myself for now and then later on i might get it powdercoated.

may not be the best looking, but the more i look at it the more i like it and that's all that matters, plus it's very strong.

 

[t4rFL]

this is how it looks w/ the winch...still needs some plating across the top tube to under the headlight...in the middle of painting it...not going to powdercoat, was quoted $200+ which i do not want to spend, so i will be bedlining it black. also in the future i will add some fog lights in between the 2 tubes

bought some gear from Blue Ridge Overland...map pouch and a recovery bag which i will use for my winch gear and tow strap.

 

[t4rFL]

finally a hi-lift!

painting bumper, should have it completed by tomorrow and i'll get some pics up.

 

[WKexpedition]

Coming along nicely. I really like that front bumper. Great work!!

 

[t4rFL]

Coming along nicely. I really like that front bumper. Great work!!

even though i'm not the fabricator i really appreciate that cause elsewhere i got mostly negative feedback on it. finally completed it today and looks much better...if you notice i also painted the grille black.

 

[DetroitDiesel]

I like the build. I am thinking about a WJ myself. Nohing as extreme as yours. However the bumper looks good for what its designed to do. Ive seen those color matching winch bumpers and they look silly imo. I think this looks ready for battle not wax. Have you winched off it yet. Hows it holding up? Can you feel it up on the front end?

 

[t4rFL]

thanks....haven't used the winch yet, waiting to fix my 4wd then i'll go test it out. i didn't lose any lift, w/ the winch but when driving i do feel the extra weight up front.

 

[DetroitDiesel]

Having never truly off roaded or having the knowledge of recovery why do people choose the permanent winch bumper? I was thinking about doing just the receiver type that I can store in the back till needed. Im not planning on trying to get stuck like you do more so in case of need. Do you think you will need the winch enough to justify needing the custom bumper and the permanent winch? Is that because you are usually in a group and wan to speed up the process? Is it worth that to have the extra weight on there when not in use?

I see you did the vari lok swap so how do you like that setup? Have you been in or seen a ARB type locked selec trac? Do they have a noticeable advantage. My build is going to be simple. Either a V8 Laredo with selec trac then a ARB rear or an Overland and do the 242hd swap. That will give me a 1" lift, factory sliders and armor, 4.7 ho, and vari loo. Add tires and a receiver type winch and I think that would be a potent combo. You have real world experience is the vari lok good or good enough? I know price is a factor in all this. But in the dirt is it worth the savings and give you plenty? Thank you

 

[t4rFL]

Having never truly off roaded or having the knowledge of recovery why do people choose the permanent winch bumper? I was thinking about doing just the receiver type that I can store in the back till needed. Im not planning on trying to get stuck like you do more so in case of need. Do you think you will need the winch enough to justify needing the custom bumper and the permanent winch? Is that because you are usually in a group and wan to speed up the process? Is it worth that to have the extra weight on there when not in use?

I see you did the vari lok swap so how do you like that setup? Have you been in or seen a ARB type locked selec trac? Do they have a noticeable advantage. My build is going to be simple. Either a V8 Laredo with selec trac then a ARB rear or an Overland and do the 242hd swap. That will give me a 1" lift, factory sliders and armor, 4.7 ho, and vari loo. Add tires and a receiver type winch and I think that would be a potent combo. You have real world experience is the vari lok good or good enough? I know price is a factor in all this. But in the dirt is it worth the savings and give you plenty? Thank you

one good reason i see with a permanent bumper is front end protection whether it be off-road or on-road. if you just have the hitch mounted winch the winch will be the first thing a rock or something will come in contact with. others just prefer the cleaner look. i would have really wanted a full steel bumper but weight and price were my top 2 deciding factors to have a tube bumper built instead. for me it's kind of both....plus i do a lot of mudding and would not like to have to go in the back and carry the winch and mount it when i'm stuck in the mud/water. for light/occasional wheeling the receiver type is fine....many people do it that way...personal preference. the main reason for getting a winch is actually the opposite....i tend to go alone a lot and in the past have gotten stuck which ending having to call in some favors. a winch for me was a mod i should have done long ago. i do go in groups too, but someone always has a winch, or you just gut snatched out. if i never wheeled alone i probably wouldn't have bought a winch.

don't personally know anyone with an ARB... i plan on locking the front soon though. the vari-lock was well worth it. i can think of a bunch of times where the LSD kicked in and saved my ***. if yours is a daily driver, then i would get the vari-lock at least in the rear w/ the 242 tcase.

hope this helps.

 

[DetroitDiesel]

That definitely helps. I see what you mean about being in the mud or water and putting the winch on having to dig it out and hook it up while standing in who knows what. I also dont live in the south with snakes. I can see how having the bumper provides extra protection that is above and beyond just holding the winch. This has me thinking maybe something similar to yours but with a receiver built in and some lights. I was thinking that if you were in a group they would be like hurry up and get out the way. My thought is if alone and needing a winch Ill take my sweet ol time. One downside as you mentioned is having to stand in whatever I am stuck in who knows what weather. Its some good insight.

If I went with a quadrdrive model they have the vari lok stock front and rear. I would just put the 242hd case to have 4 high. On the other hand Ive found some v8s with the 242hd and no varilok and I was thinking about just grabbing that and using an arb locker and getting an air pump too. Im going to be using this as my seldom driven woods truck so it will be purpose built and an ARB is a grand but add a pump and its like 1400. Well I can spend 1400 more on a quadradrive jeep and get a lot more than lsd. Thanks for info. Ill be watching you for ideas and motivation.

 

[t4rFL]

this past weekend i upgraded my lift. i've been saving parts for almost a year now for it.

4.5" Clayton springs (new)
Pro Comp es9000 shocks (new)
Iron Rock Offroad Critical Path (front long arms....bought new, but open box for a lot less $$)
IRO rear lower adjustable arms (used)
Rough Country upper Y-link (new)

old spring vs new

Front complete

this is it all done
DSC_5723 by M.Akins, on Flickr

DSC_5741 by M.Akins, on Flickr

my old 4" RC-X lift went to the guy who built my bumper, so i will be needing front disco's, right now sways a lot on the highway.

 

[t4rFL]

since i last updated, i swapped in a working transfer case, put the Tom Woods driveshaft in

i damaged one of the mounting points for my bumper....just needs to be reinforced

bought a new radio

went on a ride with some JK's and Frontiers
DSC_5849 by M.Akins, on Flickr
DSC_5899 by M.Akins, on Flickr
DSC_5885 by M.Akins, on Flickr
DSC_5893 by M.Akins, on Flickr
DSC_5872 by M.Akins, on Flickr
DSC_5932 by M.Akins, on Flickr

checked out some caves, too
DSC_5905 by M.Akins, on Flickr
DSC_5907 by M.Akins, on Flickr
DSC_5918 by M.Akins, on Flickr

and damaged my fender a little bit

also bought a VIAIR compressor

 

[Ranger Steve]

Nice build

 

[t4rFL]

thank you. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[t4rFL]

that compressor i bought a while back, i hadn't tested it when i first bought it, instead threw it in the jeep and tried to use it the next time i needed it off-road. well, not the best idea...i had aired down, then at the end of the day i tried to air up with my new compressor and i couldn't get the hose onto the compressor...finally gave in and luckily i had only aired down a little bit, so it was still road friendly. once i got home i tried getting it to work again, had 2 other people look at it to see if i was doing something wrong, but they couldn't put the hose on either.....well anyways after calling VIAR and then Amazon, they shipped another one to me, turns out the nipple on the compressor is too far in (compare pictures) that is why the hose could not attach. so finally i can use it now.