I finally got a little work done on the Jeep over Christmas break.
I ordered the Evo Protek Skid Plate system through NorthRidge4x4's Black Friday sale. It bolted up very easily and covers all the key vulnerable areas. It's amazing how much I've already scraped the bottom of the Jeep. The gas tank has several scratches and dents, and the transmission crash bar was severely gouged from high centering on a few ledges in Death Valley over Thanksgiving. Hopefully the Evo system will strengthen that Transfer case cross member.
I removed my hi-lift, shovel and ax mount from the interior dominion off road mount. Those 3 items weigh a ton and were probably partially responsible for my rear end sag. My action packer of recovery gear and fluids weighs a lot too. I'll have to lighten those up some.
Also, Omar discovered that our Front Runner Racks are installed with the wrong hardware. They're supposed to include button head screws on the bottom that won't rip your bags. Hopefully they'll send me the correct hardware.
I traded my 20" light bar for my friends nicer 30" one. I need to wire that up as well as some aux reverse lights.
I'm looking at the
Rugged Ridge Hi-lift mount as a temporary solution until I get larger tires and the AEV tire carrier. The design seems sturdy. My understanding is that the tub and hinges are fairly strong. The sheet metal on the tailgate is the weak link. Does anyone know if
Dominion's Hi-lift Accessory bars will work with this mount without smashing the tail light?
There's a decently sized space against the ceiling of the hard top. I'd like to repurpose the Dominion Off road mount to create a net attic where I can store sleeping bags, pads and lighter items.
I'm also in the process of downsizing and upgrading our camping gear to more high-tech, more compressible, backpacking gear. Partially to save space and weight, but also to open up hiking and fishing possibilities.
I sent
the gun rack back. The design seemed half baked and allowed the guns to move too much. The idea worked well. Hopefully I can find something better or rig up my own version.
(Sorry for the terrible picture).