Paul R

I started to say "I completed my mods", but then realized that you are never done. I just completed my "1st Round".

My wife was very happy when I got this all installed. Pieces and parts have been sitting around the house for about 2 months as I acquired all of the parts before I installed them. I installed everything myself, and have the cuts and bruises to prove it. The only really difficult part was the rear springs...it is tight getting those installed.

Let me know what you think.

Mods:

Fab Fours front winch bumper
Smittybilt XRC8 winch
RockHard rear tire carrier bumper
RockHard 3rd brake light
OME 2" lift /w HD springs (turned out to be 3 1/8" lift)
Skyjacker rear brake line extension brackets
Procomp 8179 rims 17x9
Toyo Open Country Mud Terrains 35/12.5/17

brian_crystal

I love that FF front bumper...if only it weren't so gosh darn expensive . That is a great looking ride you have. The only thing that looks a little out of place are those stock steps. But the rest of it looks so good.... I like the mix of Rock Hard rear and the FF front. They go together better than I thought they would

LidLess07X

Wow, sweet ride. Pretty close to the same mods I am getting ready to pull the trigger on for my two door X. Would it be too much trouble to ask you for a pic from the side of the spare mount? I am curious as to how far out it puts the spare from the tailgate. Looks like a quality bumper with nice fit and finish. Is it rattle free or close to it? Again, very nice JK !!

Stampsjk

Looks Awesome!

Aggressive, but not too much. Great Job.

How is the visiblity in the rear with the larger spare and tire carrier?

Paul R

Here ya go...



The rear bumper is rattle free unless I hit a very big bump. I am still working on tuning the bumper with the spacer washers to get it just right. That huge tire put up that high in the rear does block my view...I just use my side mirrors or look through the holes in the rim to see immediately behind me.

My kids asked me to retain the stock side steps for them. The Jeep is high enough that they would have real trouble getting in or out without them. I had rock rails on my previous Jeep ('04 Rubicon), but my son asked me to please leave the stock steps...he was always slipping on the rock rails using them as a step. I will leave them until they get ripped off on a rock or something.

Thanks for the compliments.

LidLess07X

Thanks Paul.

Labrador

That looks f-ing great!!! How much?

One more mod idea for you: http://youtube.com/watch?v=eSOSJ68xOBA

TanktheTwat

Hey Paul,

I just received a 4-door Jk Unlimited X for my "16th" birthday, but it's not exactly mine yet. It's much like yours and i was wondering if putting a 3" Full Traction Suspension Lift while sitting on a 35" tire. I was wondering if over the time it took you to decide which tire and wheel combination to have, did you happen to come across any others that caught your eye? Or did you know right off the bat that that was the combination that you wanted? I know for sure that I want a black wheel, but can't decide whether or not putting the ring locks/bolts (i'm not sure the exact name of it) would look that much better.

You can just pm me whenever you find time.

Thanks,
Scott

P.S. - Beautiful job.

Paul R

How much...let me just say... too much! You can look up prices from our friendly sponsoring vendors. At least I saved some money by doing all of the installs myself.

I could have gone with cheaper alternatives on nearly every component, but I learned with my last jeep. It is worth waiting and saving to get quality parts the first time around. Also, get parts that will be a good base for further mods if you decide to go further. Otherwise, you just find yourself replacing them down the road.

And as to that last mod...NO THANKS!

Next mod on my list.. chromoly front axle shafts. I want to strengthen up that Dana 30 in the front to support those 35's. But it will be a while...

------
Paul

Paul R

Scott,

I agonized over every component. At first, I planned on the Full traction ultimate 3". I just couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money knowing my wheelin here in Florida is pretty tame. Then the OME lift came out and I knew which way to go. I am not going any taller than 35's (famous last words...), so the OME fits the bill at a reasonable price.

As to the rims and tires...the rims I knew from the start. I wanted aluminum rather than steel for the weight and strength. Again, Florida wheelin is pretty tame, so I am not worried about cracking them on a rock. 17" is a good compromise for on or offroad performance. I wanted black to match the Jeep. I think beadlocks are too much for my needs, and fake beadlocks look too gaudy for me. i like simple. The 8179's are priced much lower than most, and I liked the look. For the tires, I originally was going to go with the Toyo's because I wanted a MT and had heard great things about noise and tread life on them. I just hated paying that much. I finally decided that they cost too much, and was going to go with Mickey Thompson's. When I went to order them, they said 2 weeks. But the Toyo's were in stock...decision made.