Nikson's Unlimited Rubicon LJ build

[Nikson]

I had a similar lift set up and tires, plus a 1" body lift for the Nth Degree tummy tuck. Didn't need the replacement driveshaft. The piñon angle on the Ruby accommodated the lift just fine. This is decidedly not the case with TJ's though.

What springs & shocks are you using? I started with Currie 4.5" springs, ended up with AEV progressive rate coils after a number of other experiments. The AEV's worked really well in the rear, I was very happy with them.

Bilstein shocks and Currie springs.

Currie's springs so far have been satisfactory to my need, although I'm thinking that I should have gone with the HEAVY duty ones for the rear, since these feel a bit too soft when I'm loaded up with gear.

 

[Nikson]

Can't wait to see how it turns out! Good luck and have fun!

Always having fun...

I'll be updating as time permits...

 

[Nikson]

Good point here. I've never thought about that way before.

For the most part I've always owned vehicle with salvage title, and never had any issues with them.

I do have to say that I bought and had them fixed per my say, but anyone can take any car to their mechanic or dealer for an inspection before purchase...

Most people just "hang up" the phone, or send you nasty emails about the fact that you are "scamming" them due to the salvage title..., while not realizing that probably half of the cars on the road been in various sorts of accidents.

 

[Nikson]

Seats...

Mechanical repairs are done...

Replaced power steering reservoir which got cracked during the accident,



some tranny cooling lines that got bent & twisted (notice the ear plugs - worked great to stop all the unnecessary leaking)



as well as the dipstick for engine oil... had some fun getting that out...



============================================

Buddy from Russia who runs a shop similar (or I would say better then WestCoastCustoms) offered his "0.02 cents" so to speak.

"How about some nice italian leather seat covers instead of the stock fabric ones, as well as seat heaters for your rear!?"

I couldn't say no to the offer... after all - I just needed to remove the stock seat covers & mail them to Russia...
Only half way around the world... LOL



with the help of couple other buddies, we had seats out and covers removed in a matter of 2 hrs or so... (taking some breaks for some tequila :sombrero: that we brought from Mexico)

and at the end had to finish it up with cognac and Balalayka (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balalaika)

 

[Nikson]

Wheels / Tires

used 4x4groupbuy.com as my source for the wheels/lift and few other accessories... seems like a great bunch of folks to deal with.

Hutchinson Rock Monsters came in about 4 weeks time since I've ordered them... sort of long, but hey, I wasnt in the rush anyway...

Currie lift kit wasn't expected any time sooner then 6 weeks...

AREN'T THEY GORGEOUS???



"I LIKE" (Borat voice) :wings:



went ahead and purchased fenders & grill from a local used JEEP WRANGLER parts guy from Craigslist.
Great guys to deal with, up north from me around Vancouver, WA area.

$400 closed the deal.

At this point I've considered painting everything back to stock Khaki Tan (PJC) color, but decided that I didnt want to fork up another $500 for just paint, and went ahead with a purchase of the bedliner from local AutoZone store (cost $99/gal).

after a little sanding & prepping...



kit had everything you needed to do the job... only keep in mind that this roller is a ONE-TIME-USE type of an item...



mix up the contents of the can & apply a little elbow grease...



I have to say that I've like how it came out...



and everything was dry - it turned out even better... came out more on the flat matte shade which I've always liked...

I've only applied one THICKER coat at this point...

 

[Nikson]

Seat covers...

Mother Russia hard at work...



I guess leather colors were picked right along the perfect match...





Few badge ideas came along for consideration...




with a little work finally came up with this as the final cut for my project



finished product... I have to say that I like it...

 

[Nikson]

Truck-Lite LEDs & Hutchinson Rock Monsters

Truck-Lites came in on the same day I got to mounting tires onto Hutchinson Rock Monsters...

in the time I've used the Truck-lites, I've got to say that I dont care what some might say... I believe they work great, and they get the job done right without asking for much (AMPerage that is...)



went to Sears, got myself a proper tool - needed to put on all of those nuts on them beadlocks



anyone seen these in action?



inside the tire...



P.S. AFTER EXPERIMENTING FOR ABOUT 500 miles, I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I'VE TAKEN THEM OUT, and went along with a regular type wheel balancing that local tire shop did. Others might say otherwise, but in my case these didn't perform as well as expected & I have to say promised. I've literally "vacuumed" these out of my 5 tires.

anyways,

with a little work, got the wheels & tires mounted up...

 

[cobound]

I see you went with another set of Rock Monsters...like the color!

B

 

[Nikson]

I see you went with another set of Rock Monsters...like the color!

B

this is the same set - same rig... just working on writing up the build thread...

Figured it was time to share it all with the world...

 

[Nikson]

Frame work...

Took it over to the local Chrysler dealer, have to admit - they did a great job...



all of the bells & whistles...







OFF TOPIC

This thing has been seating in the shop for past few years. Dealership owner's rebuild...





Results are IN... Not looking too bad I guess...



Shop said it will be just a regular matter of getting things straight, nothing too bad...

 

[Nikson]

Frame work - verdict...

Well, results were in... not too bad after all...

Honestly it had me worried there for a little bit, but actually came out to be pretty reasonable.



So in there future, keep in mind... frame work bills are actually not that expensive, even at your local JEEP dealer.

After all, even the alignment wasn't all that screwed up.



I had them check on it, just to make sure that my axles are straight and not bent, before the lift installation.

 

[Nikson]

Body & Motor Mount lift

While I had the rig in the shop, I've ordered from Currie their MML (motor mount lift) & BL (body lift).

Had to see how it would look before all the work was done...



Battery tray got a bit rusty due to a cracked battery after the accident... Get 'er cleaned up!

Used the truck bedliner paint, stuff is pretty rugged, as well dont really have to prep to much...



Body lift install was pretty simple, just got to run through the whole process before you start to make sure you are ready for it.
Can be done with some basic tools & floor jack in your driveway.



I've found it to be useful to watch some videos on YouTube, before doing this... Just nice to kind of know what exactly to expect labor/timewise...

(fyi - i've got nothing to do with ROKMEN - just sharing the video)

PART 1


PART 2 - just search YouTube

Next on the list was installation of the motor mounts, which was especially easy for me, being that I've had the fenders removed...





Now, we are talking...



even without an actual suspension lift, I was surprised how the 35s fit right under there perfectly.

I hope following picture will answer a question that I could never really find an answer for (on many forums)

How far do the tires stick out pass the stock flares... ?????

TIRE:

35/12.50R15 BFG KM2

WHEEL SPECS:

Hutchinson P/N: WA-0398
Size: 15 x 8.0"
Bolt pattern: 5H - 4.5" BCD
Lug style: 60 degrees conical
Hub bore diameter: 2.895" (73.5 mm)
SAE rated load: 2,300 lbs. - 35 psi
Backspacing: 3.63" (92.2 mm)
Construction: Cast aluminum alloy




and may I highly recommend ... SIPING... which does wonders for tires with larger lugs...

p.s. now, if anyone care to say that its BAD for your tires - doesn't do anything for it - etc... and so on... feel free to comment, but only if you are speaking from your actual personal experience, and not just because someone said so...



and for those who doesn't know how its done... (yes, those were my tires LOL)

 

[Nikson]

clean up...

got it back from the frame work...

sunny weather had me going... - time to clean her up a little...

 

[Nikson]

Hardtop repair

During the delivery, trucking company damaged/scraped the corner of the hardtop, obviously no one would admit to it happening... LOL

Nothing a little epoxy couldn't fix...





this being not a "load" bearing area of the top - fiberglass patch worked just fine...

p.s. keep in mind that hardtop shell is actually SMC type material (Sheet Metal Compound)

 

[CRJeepin]

Nice build! If you haven't already bought the springs, I second the recommendation for AEV...I am running the 3.5" springs with 33's and have plenty of room to run 35's. The springs are also a great match for Bilstein 5100's.

Good luck!