KenW

Hi, My first Jeep was a CJ-5 with the original AMC 360 riding on31's, which I bought as my first vehicle after joining the Navy in 1984. WhileI loved it, I never did anything to it and ultimately got rid of it aftergetting married in 1987 to get a more "sensible" vehicle. I finallybought my second Jeep, an 81 CJ-7 in 1991 and built it for hardcore rockcrawling (while living in San Diego). Spring over lift, 35's, Detroit lockersfront and rear, 305 TPI motor and NV3500 5 speed tranny. It was an awesomehighly capable Jeep with multiple trips to Moab and areas around SoCal and evenMexico. While I only just recently sold it for $2,000 :( it hadn't really beendrivable since moving to Florida in 2005. Which brings us to Blaze. Hopefully,this is the last Jeep I'll ever buy and will own it until I die. Lots ofmods planned, albeit they will be coming slowly, pending money and time.

Baseline: 2017 JK Rubicon - Ordered 1/10/17; Delivered2/17/17; Firecracker Red; Auto; Power Convenience Group; Hard Top Headliner;4.10 Axle Ratio; Deep Tint Sunscreen Windows; Heated Front Seats; Freedom Top®Black 3-Piece Hard Top

KenW

Last weekend, I installed all of the following:

RAFTUDRIVE Black Side Step Nerf Bar Running Boards; Amazon: $184.00
Smittybilt 76858 XRC Gen 2 Rear Bumper; Amazon: $659.00
Teraflex (4838150) Hinged Tire Carrier; Amazon: $664.99
J5th 3rd Brake Light Mod; Rob Tournay Facebook: $69.00
I probably should have done this over two or three weekends,but I was greedy and they were all sitting in my garage waiting to beinstalled!

jonb1032

Great..I just got a 2017 also, So what is your plan for lift and tires. I'm tackling that very question now. Going between Teraflex 2.5 and Rock krawler, and then tire size, that's another tough one. Would love to hear what your ideas are. Keep us informed.

Cajun JK

Nice looking jeep. Keep posted on the quality of those steps

KenW

My plan is 35’s. Since I plan on keeping this Jeep long term, I am probably going to get the Lifetime Mopar warranty so I want to go in and talk with my service manager just to get to know him and see where he stands with modifications and warranty impacts. It’ll cost me more I am sure, but I may consider the Mopar 2” lift. I want rock crawler style flat fenders anyway and those with 2” lift gives plenty of room. But then the Jeep Performance Parts Catalog stresses Jeep Performance Parts Lift Kits are “Off-Road Only” parts so not sure how that factors in. But I’d like to keep as much of the warranty as possible intact. Plus in reality, I see the 35’s as a very big package deal… tires, wheels, suspension and 4.88 gears all at the same time, so I need to save up some cash.

KenW

So far, I do really like the look of the steps and they are very solid. But it turns out, in reality, they are not as functional as I had hoped. While you can easily stand on them, standing on it to then wriggle in or out of the Jeep is challenging. I use the steps on my truck all the time, but the cab opening is way bigger. I’m still struggling with figuring out the best way to use these. Using it to get in is easier then out, but in either case, that is not the fault of the step. But when I raise the Jeep 4 inches, I’m really going to want to use them.

billetsilverjk

I love the red. looks great. what kind of wheels do you plan on going with? I honestly like those but I'm biased because I just bought a set in black.

KenW

Funny I would have opted for black rims, but it wasn't an available option (that I am/was aware of). I haven't started looking at rims yet. I'm afraid to. I have impulse problems. I know I want light weight and probably a gun metal base color.

KenW

I've had the front half of the top off once before, but finally managed to get the doors off today for the first time. I can’t believe it took me 7 months! But we finally got over the daily rainy season. They were surprisingly much heavier than I expected, especially after watching some videos online. But relatively easy; hopefully I won't screw up the hinges putting them back on (I've seen that seems to be a common problem). Now I just need to put together a pulley system to lift/store the rest of the top.

The TeraFlex holders work fine, albeit the instructions are negligent in mentioning the holder for the passenger side Freedom Top should be an inch or two higher; they just say put them both at 22” above the door holder bracket and the driver’s side has plenty of room but the passenger’s side is a tight fit.

The mirrors work well so far but there is a slight whistle which I’ve read about from others as well. Also, they seriously need convex mirrors, but I think those are always needed.

Mods:
TeraFlex 1830702 Freedom Top Full Door Holder; Amazon: $78.99 on March 23, 2017
Rugged Ridge 11025.12 Black Rectangular Quick Release Mirrors – Pair; Amazon: $59.99 on April 14, 2017