My '08 Red Rock 2 Dr. X build
12-18-2011, 07:38 AM
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JK Super Freak
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My '08 Red Rock 2 Dr. X build
Ok, so I'm finally going to start my own build thread. I have been reading and learning from this forum for the last 6 months and I'd like to think I have gained a relatively good understanding of the mechanics involved in lift/mod process.
I am not a mechanic by any stretch and know that I am still light years away from where some of you are.
I will be posting up my current progress, my ideas, my questions, and my curiosities here as a way to chronicle my progress.
I will say this may be a long process as my budget requires me to save and do things slowly. I feel these lulls in between mods are the perfect opportunity to learn, question, and decide on my next steps.
So here we go.............
The day I purchased my first Wrangler.
'08 Wrangler X. Bone stock.
6 sp.
Power windows/locks
Non infinity/sirius radio
Hard top only
Tow package
30k miles.
On the second day, my first mod was a K&N drop in air filter.
My next purchase was a set of rubi take off Bfg's. Only 50 miles on 4. Spare never touched.
This was a regrettable purchase (should have just waited to get 35's. I was new to it and anxious to make it "mine".
Next I ordered my 2.5" Teraflex coil lift w/ shock extensions and Spidertrax spacers from Dave at Northridge.
While I waited on this I found a soft top on CL for $400. It was like new, however when I started to install it I realized it was missing the roll bar brackets.
Luckily my friend (stone mill, check out his build! It's going to be bad a$$!!) wasnt using his and hooked me up.
My wife ordered a set of stickers for me as a gift
Soon after my lift arrived. Stone Mill and I did the install................. 6 hrs later
I had a minor mishap after the install. We were pushing the clock towards the end as I had to go to work and I missed the washer over the top bushing on the front passenger side shock............ A shot gun blast was heard! Otherwise smooth install.
This was my last mechanical mod. However I am constantly reading and have a lot more planned $$$$$$$$$ J. E. E. P. lol! I'll go more into this later as that's where you my fellow Jeepers can chime in with ideas, opinions, and much needed wisdom.
I did add a little bit of sound and interior lighting mods as a way to keep personalizing on the cheap.
Got a great deal on a sub/amp combo from the same guy that sold me my top.
Sounds fantastic!
I also added some Led mood lighting
I also added the slush mats, my anniversary gift from the Mrs. and Mopar
"oh shit" handles.
Oh I forgot to mention I also added a Teraflex HD Steering stabilizer that I got a good deal on from another forum member I met on my first wheeling trip to Rausch Creek. Lots of pics posted on the "black Friday Rausch Creek Run" thread.
I also night shaded the front turn signals and side markers
I intend on getting 35's at tax return time. I am leaning heavily towards Nitto Trail Grapplers, but am also looking at GoodYear Duratracs as they are a bit less expensive.
I am hoping to add shocks at this time as well as my ride on the stock shocks pretty much sucks........ Can you say milkshake? Lol! I'm thinking Bilstein 5100's maybe Fox shocks, but they are a bit more pricey. are they worth the extra $?
I have a laundry list of $100 dollar range type stuff I'd like to do, as I'm sure most of us do! yup!
As for my lift, I really believe I rushed in half cocked at the beginning because I'm already finding (especially after my first wheeling trip) that I should've gone a little bigger and heavier duty to start.
I am wondering will I be better off in the long run building on my current lift by.........
Adding adj. control arms and track bars all around, beefing up my current set up before going to 3.5-4" springs? Or should I just save up for a bigger more complete kit?
Which leads me to my next question, long arms or short? I like doing my mods myself for both personal satisfaction and the obvious savings. Most long arm kits require some welding. I'm no welder. Are the long arm bolt on kits going to fare as well as the weld on kits? Is a long arm kit going overboard for a guy who may wheel half a dozen times a year?
I plan on eventually adding Poison Spyder's Brawler light w/ bar up front and their Brawler series rear bumper w/ tire carrier. I really like their stuff. Love the crusher flares as well, but I may go with Bushwacker flats as a cheaper alternative. I think these look great as well. Thoughts?......
Ok enough for now......... Hopefully Santa will give me cause for an update real soon! Jeep wave!
I am not a mechanic by any stretch and know that I am still light years away from where some of you are.
I will be posting up my current progress, my ideas, my questions, and my curiosities here as a way to chronicle my progress.
I will say this may be a long process as my budget requires me to save and do things slowly. I feel these lulls in between mods are the perfect opportunity to learn, question, and decide on my next steps.
So here we go.............
The day I purchased my first Wrangler.
'08 Wrangler X. Bone stock.
6 sp.
Power windows/locks
Non infinity/sirius radio
Hard top only
Tow package
30k miles.
On the second day, my first mod was a K&N drop in air filter.
My next purchase was a set of rubi take off Bfg's. Only 50 miles on 4. Spare never touched.
This was a regrettable purchase (should have just waited to get 35's. I was new to it and anxious to make it "mine".
Next I ordered my 2.5" Teraflex coil lift w/ shock extensions and Spidertrax spacers from Dave at Northridge.
While I waited on this I found a soft top on CL for $400. It was like new, however when I started to install it I realized it was missing the roll bar brackets.
Luckily my friend (stone mill, check out his build! It's going to be bad a$$!!) wasnt using his and hooked me up.
My wife ordered a set of stickers for me as a gift
Soon after my lift arrived. Stone Mill and I did the install................. 6 hrs later
I had a minor mishap after the install. We were pushing the clock towards the end as I had to go to work and I missed the washer over the top bushing on the front passenger side shock............ A shot gun blast was heard! Otherwise smooth install.
This was my last mechanical mod. However I am constantly reading and have a lot more planned $$$$$$$$$ J. E. E. P. lol! I'll go more into this later as that's where you my fellow Jeepers can chime in with ideas, opinions, and much needed wisdom.
I did add a little bit of sound and interior lighting mods as a way to keep personalizing on the cheap.
Got a great deal on a sub/amp combo from the same guy that sold me my top.
Sounds fantastic!
I also added some Led mood lighting
I also added the slush mats, my anniversary gift from the Mrs. and Mopar
"oh shit" handles.
Oh I forgot to mention I also added a Teraflex HD Steering stabilizer that I got a good deal on from another forum member I met on my first wheeling trip to Rausch Creek. Lots of pics posted on the "black Friday Rausch Creek Run" thread.
I also night shaded the front turn signals and side markers
I intend on getting 35's at tax return time. I am leaning heavily towards Nitto Trail Grapplers, but am also looking at GoodYear Duratracs as they are a bit less expensive.
I am hoping to add shocks at this time as well as my ride on the stock shocks pretty much sucks........ Can you say milkshake? Lol! I'm thinking Bilstein 5100's maybe Fox shocks, but they are a bit more pricey. are they worth the extra $?
I have a laundry list of $100 dollar range type stuff I'd like to do, as I'm sure most of us do! yup!
As for my lift, I really believe I rushed in half cocked at the beginning because I'm already finding (especially after my first wheeling trip) that I should've gone a little bigger and heavier duty to start.
I am wondering will I be better off in the long run building on my current lift by.........
Adding adj. control arms and track bars all around, beefing up my current set up before going to 3.5-4" springs? Or should I just save up for a bigger more complete kit?
Which leads me to my next question, long arms or short? I like doing my mods myself for both personal satisfaction and the obvious savings. Most long arm kits require some welding. I'm no welder. Are the long arm bolt on kits going to fare as well as the weld on kits? Is a long arm kit going overboard for a guy who may wheel half a dozen times a year?
I plan on eventually adding Poison Spyder's Brawler light w/ bar up front and their Brawler series rear bumper w/ tire carrier. I really like their stuff. Love the crusher flares as well, but I may go with Bushwacker flats as a cheaper alternative. I think these look great as well. Thoughts?......
Ok enough for now......... Hopefully Santa will give me cause for an update real soon! Jeep wave!
Last edited by Xman4602; 03-19-2012 at 03:18 AM.
12-18-2011, 01:53 PM
#5
JK Enthusiast
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Me too man. . I have the same Jeep color model and year. . I got mine with a soft top with half doors and since changed a lot. The newest addition (installing Tuesday) is the 2.5 Teraflex coil lift w / shocks.
12-18-2011, 02:59 PM
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JK Super Freak
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I'd love to have half doors for the summer but winters are far to cold here to have them year round. I'm thinking some warrior tube doors for summer but probably not this year got to big of a wish list already. ; )
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12-19-2011, 03:45 AM
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The Nitto Trail Grapplers are great tires. While I get what you mean about the Duratracs being cheaper, I don't think you really would compare the two tires. The Duratracs are not a M/T tire like the Nittos. Also, I've heard everywhere that the Duratracs are actually fairly small when you measure them out. I think you'll be very happy with the Nittos. I've had mine for a few months and can't wait for the snow to start coming so I can test them out even more.
I also went with the Teraflex 2.5 kit on my 2-door. I went with the 4-door kit however to get a little more out of it, and to help with the future bumpers I plan on doing. I yielded just over 3" and was pretty happy with it. I got a kit that came with Bilsten 5100's and am happy with them. They seem to be very well liked here and a solid product. I'd definitely suggest them and save a few $$ over the Fox's.
Good luck and I look forward to hearing more about your progress. I'll have to sit down and make my own build thread too when I have some time, maybe after the new year
I'm hoping to add the same bumper that you are thinking about for the front, the Brawler Lite, sometime in the next month. I already took off my stock front bumper and cut it down. Man that thing was ugly (the stock one). Also, I'm tire of how hard the plastic is to clean all the time. The sooner I can get rid of that black plastic trim the better!
I'm also hoping to get up to Rausch creek sometime soon for the first time. My buddy and I on here are both talking about going up. It's about a 2-2.5 hour ride for us so it will take some planning. Maybe I'll see you there sometime!
I also went with the Teraflex 2.5 kit on my 2-door. I went with the 4-door kit however to get a little more out of it, and to help with the future bumpers I plan on doing. I yielded just over 3" and was pretty happy with it. I got a kit that came with Bilsten 5100's and am happy with them. They seem to be very well liked here and a solid product. I'd definitely suggest them and save a few $$ over the Fox's.
Good luck and I look forward to hearing more about your progress. I'll have to sit down and make my own build thread too when I have some time, maybe after the new year
I'm hoping to add the same bumper that you are thinking about for the front, the Brawler Lite, sometime in the next month. I already took off my stock front bumper and cut it down. Man that thing was ugly (the stock one). Also, I'm tire of how hard the plastic is to clean all the time. The sooner I can get rid of that black plastic trim the better!
I'm also hoping to get up to Rausch creek sometime soon for the first time. My buddy and I on here are both talking about going up. It's about a 2-2.5 hour ride for us so it will take some planning. Maybe I'll see you there sometime!
12-19-2011, 07:13 AM
#9
JK Super Freak
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Originally Posted by rubi3
The Nitto Trail Grapplers are great tires. While I get what you mean about the Duratracs being cheaper, I don't think you really would compare the two tires. The Duratracs are not a M/T tire like the Nittos. Also, I've heard everywhere that the Duratracs are actually fairly small when you measure them out. I think you'll be very happy with the Nittos. I've had mine for a few months and can't wait for the snow to start coming so I can test them out even more.
I'm pretty sure that's the route I'll take. I want to have a good tire offroad as well as on. Plus they just look sweet!
I also went with the Teraflex 2.5 kit on my 2-door. I went with the 4-door kit however to get a little more out of it, and to help with the future bumpers I plan on doing. I yielded just over 3" and was pretty happy with it. I got a kit that came with Bilsten 5100's and am happy with them. They seem to be very well liked here and a solid product. I'd definitely suggest them and save a few $$ over the Fox's.
Are you happy with the ride quality? Better than stock? I know with stock X shocks and extensions is not a great ride.
Good luck and I look forward to hearing more about your progress. I'll have to sit down and make my own build thread too when I have some time, maybe after the new year
I'm hoping to add the same bumper that you are thinking about for the front, the Brawler Lite, sometime in the next month. I already took off my stock front bumper and cut it down. Man that thing was ugly (the stock one). Also, I'm tire of how hard the plastic is to clean all the time. The sooner I can get rid of that black plastic trim the better!
I hear ya'!! I'm REALLY hoping to find this under the tree Sunday morning........... My wife is usually pretty good to me at Xmas time! ; )
I'm also hoping to get up to Rausch creek sometime soon for the first time. My buddy and I on here are both talking about going up. It's about a 2-2.5 hour ride for us so it will take some planning. Maybe I'll see you there sometime!
I'm pretty sure that's the route I'll take. I want to have a good tire offroad as well as on. Plus they just look sweet!
I also went with the Teraflex 2.5 kit on my 2-door. I went with the 4-door kit however to get a little more out of it, and to help with the future bumpers I plan on doing. I yielded just over 3" and was pretty happy with it. I got a kit that came with Bilsten 5100's and am happy with them. They seem to be very well liked here and a solid product. I'd definitely suggest them and save a few $$ over the Fox's.
Are you happy with the ride quality? Better than stock? I know with stock X shocks and extensions is not a great ride.
Good luck and I look forward to hearing more about your progress. I'll have to sit down and make my own build thread too when I have some time, maybe after the new year
I'm hoping to add the same bumper that you are thinking about for the front, the Brawler Lite, sometime in the next month. I already took off my stock front bumper and cut it down. Man that thing was ugly (the stock one). Also, I'm tire of how hard the plastic is to clean all the time. The sooner I can get rid of that black plastic trim the better!
I hear ya'!! I'm REALLY hoping to find this under the tree Sunday morning........... My wife is usually pretty good to me at Xmas time! ; )
I'm also hoping to get up to Rausch creek sometime soon for the first time. My buddy and I on here are both talking about going up. It's about a 2-2.5 hour ride for us so it will take some planning. Maybe I'll see you there sometime!
12-21-2011, 04:28 PM
#10
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Everything went smoothly install took about 2.5 hours. I just really need tires and wheel now. The pic with the mango tango is a 2011 with a 2.5 teraflex BB with adapters on 33's nitto mud grapplers (with 1.5 spacers)
I am just a little higher than his. .
I am just a little higher than his. .