mods you wouldnt do again ...

[greg mgm]

I bought my 78 GMC Sierra Classic when I was 23 and just HAD to do mods to it. Adding Thorley headers to it caused the engine to have occasional vapor lock which I didn't figure out for a long time. The headers were 1" from the frame where the fuel lines were. Instead of replacing the headers with manifolds, I re routed the fuel lines which solved the problem.
My baja bug is so completely modified, that hardly anything is VW. The difference is the A arm suspension was designed and built by an experienced pro, Rory Chenowth. Never had a problem with his work.
My current truck (Tundra) will definitely not be modified. I like stock on this truck!

 

[alosix]

Cheap shocks.

Goodyear MT/R's.

Pretty much any engine or transmission modification (exceptions for transmission coolers and larger radiators).

x2

Looking back, my worse mod was a set of Rancho RS5000s on the TJ, followed shortly by some DT3000s.

Now it runs 2.0" QA1 rebuildable emulsion shocks.. much better, but also not cheap..

Ant the original MT/Rs.. glad they are gone as well.

Trans.. well I swapped a 'yota (aisin) tranny into the Jeep, couldn't be happier with that.

Jason

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

So are you saying auto lockers are bad or good?

I'm saying that, for me, automatic lockers are bad.

For you, or anyone else, perhaps they're fine; GREAT even....

It just depends on what the driver is willing to put up with.

It's THE 1 mod I wish I would have taken the time to test drive in someone elses vehicle before purchasing. Nearly everything else on my Jeep is custom, so there's no comparison.

In fact, I feel more comfortable driving at highway speeds, with heavy traffic & no front sway bar; than with my auto locker.

 

[Viggen]

Ive never had a problem with an auto locker at all. I just keep in mind that I have to take a nicely arched turn and just think a little more about it.

I will agree about the cheap shocks though. Terrible.

 

[01tundra]

I'd say my top three would be -

K&N drop-in filter - Yeilded false hopes of HP gains, dirty MAF sensor, check engine light

Goodyear MT/R's w/ Kevlar - No comment, don't get me started on these........

Flowmaster 40 series muffler - Huh....what did you say?

 

[x32792]

I'd say my top three would be -

K&N drop-in filter - Yeilded false hopes of HP gains, dirty MAF sensor, check engine light

Flowmaster 40 series muffler - Huh....what did you say?

K&N: More air sucked into the system to burn MORE gasoline.

FlowMaster: More air sucked thru the system to burn MORE gasoline...The increased decibel level is just collateral damage.

 

[FireGuy]

I'd say my top three would be -

K&N drop-in filter - Yeilded false hopes of HP gains, dirty MAF sensor, check engine light

Goodyear MT/R's w/ Kevlar - No comment, don't get me started on these........

Flowmaster 40 series muffler - Huh....what did you say?

Whats the story on the Goodyears? I'm starting to see more and more guys who really wheel hard having issue with them?

 

[01tundra]

Whats the story on the Goodyears? I'm starting to see more and more guys who really wheel hard having issue with them?

My issues weren't as much off-road as they were on....although they did suck off-road for me as well....now that you mention it .

On my rig, they made it pull terribly to the passenger side, they would get extremely hot and smell like burning rubber running down the interstate (and yes my alignment was dead on and when I took them off and put my old KM 2's back on, the pulling magically disappeared....and is still gone once I moved up to 40" KM2's). Anyways, where was I.....oh yeah, and it took a ton of weight to balance them and they still shook like hell (whereas my KM2's had no, as in zero, weight and were smooth, as they were the day I took the MT/R's off, pulled the pounds of weights off, and reinstalled my KM2's). And they got really loud toward the end of their 2,200 mile trip. And I watched as several sidewalls were destroyed, tougher than KM2's sidewalls? - perhaps, but really "tough"? - not so much. And they had crap for side traction in the mud and they loaded up and would not clean out. I can go on, but I won't bore you with all the details.

I hear of some people liking them.....but they will never be on any vehicle I ever own again.

 

[cruiser guy]

I have always regretted every modification I have ever done to a motor, so I only use oem parts and leave it stock now. More power adds more heat, which requires cooling system changes, which leads to fitment issues, more fabrication, different fans, etc.

I've got to disagree with this one. I turbo'd my diesel LandCruiser 7 years ago and it was like getting a new truck. Best mod I ever did!

Swapped a diesel engine, modified with a turbo, into my FJ55. Better fuel mileage, good power, I wouldn't want the stock engine there either.


The mod that I probably would not repeat is the PTO winch. It's not a self recovery device. Anyone want a '60 series PTO winch?

 

[Roktoys84]

I don't know if "Bad" is the right word for them. The work very well offroad, but for me, having to anticipate and correct for, their typical "swaying" in normal street use (especially on the highway) make driving with one a bit of a chore.

I remember having a detroit in my '72 Jimmy with a 14bolt rear. I thought that thing was awesome on road because is never "swayed" like so many folks told me it would, but I later learned that I had installed it wrong and it was never unlocking, so I basically had a spool. :coffeedrink:

When I regear again I'm going to install a spool in my rear axle and move the Detroit to the front.

 

[BriansFJ]

For what it's worth, I'm just about to replace my Goodyear MT/R's after 50k miles and can't complain. The sidewalls are pretty chewed up though. I'm getting BFG MT KM2's simply to try something different, and I got a good deal.

I also run a K&N filter and haven't had any problems.

For what I regret, I should have just spent the money and ordered things OEM on the truck instead of thinking it'd be cheaper/easier to add later. Right now I'm downsizing from 17" to 16" wheels when I could have just paid a little more for 16's to begin with, and adding a hitch is more of a PITA than just having the OEM put on at the factory. My 2 cents.

 

[RU55ELL]

When I regear again I'm going to install a spool in my rear axle and move the Detroit to the front.

Surely you are joking.

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Surely you are joking.

I've heard running a selectable locker up front is common among the rockcrawling type.

I've also heard that some of the drawbacks assocaiated with an auto locker in the rear aren't present when installed in the front.

The spool in the rear will be much more predicable and driveable in dry conditions.

 

[wacker]

• Going to long arms front and rear (it was way more fun to drive nearly stock)
• The three sets of bias super swampers I ran (fun on the rocks but about as street worthy as a tractor tire.....they were cheap for a reason)
• Building a unibody vehicle (its hard to attach anything to tin-foil construction, frames win hands down)
• K&N Filter/ cold air intake (couldn't stand the sucking noise and it let a lot of dust past the filter element, I would NEVER EVER buy a vehicle that ran one!)
• X2 on the roof rack (I put something up there once for about ten minutes)
• Downturn tip after the muffler (on a dusty trail the exhaust hitting the ground would stir up tons of dust)

I kinda got bit by the rock crawling bug.....built it accordingly.....and ended up hating how I built the Jeep later on down the road. It broke down frequently, got bad gas mileage, looked ugly and did I mention it ate parts like CRAZY?

I tottally agree with the above post. 7 years ago when I bought my jeep I was convinced 33's was all I'd ever need. a year or two later, a couple offroad parks, a job at an offroad shop, and WHAMO 36's, Long Armed and Lock-rites.

Had myself convinced the lock rights were temporary til I swapped in some full widths. Yeah, about that? Joined the Coast Guard, got married, (read got poor!) and now I only drive the jeep 3 miles to work and back and take my wife's TJ on 31's and 2" springs every where we go.

I look at all the other inexpensive platforms out there I could sell my current jeep and get in to but I vowed never to sell it the day I drove it off the lot. I've already lowered it once and will continue to build with streetability in mind instead of offroad capability.

Sorry for the Rant, that poster just really hit home with me!

 

[x32792]

roof rack

X2 on the roof rack (I put something up there once for about ten minutes)

ditto.