Hi! I have a 2006 lifted Ford Ranger that I use as a DD / adventure rover (because I need a truck for work) and I have grown quite fond of it. However, it needs some TLC so I put it up on jack stands and decided I needed to get something to drive around in. You know, until I get the Ranger done.

I got a Wrangler because I wanted something I could drive off the lot and not have to do any work on... I have too many projects, and I really want to do some cool mods to my Ranger. And with the Wrangler I could drive the kids around. All kidding aside, I've wanted a JK for 15 years.

When I bought it I didn't know much about lift kits or suspension for Jeeps and the previous owner had put a " Fabtech 3 inch sport lift " (super basic) on it along with some 35's. Since then I have been educating myself as much as possible about lifted JK's because this one drives like crap when over 50 mph. The front drive shaft is toast, the caster feels off, and the shocks are gone. The tie rod ball joints are on their way out, the rear track arm relocation bracket was poorly installed... along with a bunch of stuff but you get the picture.

So I did the logical thing and bought a bunch of after-market suspension parts! Turns out I bought myself another project. I think this is a disease. lol Anyhow, I know there are about as many opinions and thoughts about suspension components as there are JK's, along with solid suspension science, I have read hours and hours of info on this forum (and others). And I am excited to build this JK over the next few years and I am going to have a lot of questions... so I thought it would be fun to join you all in talk'n Jk and document my Jeep project here.

Anyhow, thanks for reading my short JK story, I hope to have some fun and educational conversations here, I already have a list of questions!

FYI my intended use for this JK is similar to my Ranger, use it as a DD and take it off road on some adventures into the mountains on the weekends. I am not too interested in big rock crawling, however there are some rocky terrain in some places I want to go. So my intention is to build something in phases as I can afford it that could accommodate some adaptability in the future.

Cheers!

 

Welcome, and thanks for taking the time to say hi! As you have seen firsthand, most people that mod these things don't do a great job of it. Sounds like you'll have a fun re-build ahead of you. The JK platform and the 3.6L engine are pretty easy patients to work on though.

 

Welcome to JKF. Good you got it at last; and as you posted someone modded before you. IMO address the over 50 mph .. check the caster ..get up to at least +4.5 degrees - Here is a good video its old but shows good inspections on front suspension and wobbles: