The building of knuckles

MTG said:
But alas, money is an object. :sigh:

Anyway, maybe that is TMI, but maybe it will help somebody decide what they should do.

Regardless, its just my :twocents: take if for what it is. :thumb:
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That's not TMI it's good to hear. I'm in the same boat and money is always an object. I want to make sure I get what I want/need but don't spend $$ on what I don't.:rock::icon_crazy:
 
Doknocker said:
I have been pricing out the Enforcer lift and it has always been my understanding that you should change your rear drive shaft after a lift. I have a JKUR Rubi Manual 12.

I know he is running 37s and didn't do much other mods other than the gussets on the Cs. I have been waffling over 35s or 37s and I think I'm just going 37s cause I know I will still want them if I only go to 35s.

Looking at the driveshafts I saw the 1350 said it was better for running larger tires up to 37s so that is why I asked about the 1350. :blush:

I'll be sitting at about $5400 with the lift w/2.5 kings and 5 37"x12.5 r17 Nitto Trail grapplers. The JE-reel drive-shafts were $799 :eek: just trying to nail down my costs :yup:
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JE Reel 1350 driveshafts are $650.
 
Doknocker said:
That's not TMI it's good to hear. I'm in the same boat and money is always an object. I want to make sure I get what I want/need but don't spend $$ on what I don't.:rock::icon_crazy:
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I agree. On that note, anyone have an opinion on a rear diff cover? I have the black ARB on the front that I got for a screaming deal (thanks Dave!) but I'd like one for the rear since the badlands has a rep for peeling off diff covers... I love the black ARB with the dipstick, but is it worth $180 as opposed to say the PSC one that is like $100?
 
Prime8 said:
I agree. On that note, anyone have an opinion on a rear diff cover? I have the black ARB on the front that I got for a screaming deal (thanks Dave!) but I'd like one for the rear since the badlands has a rep for peeling off diff covers... I love the black ARB with the dipstick, but is it worth $180 as opposed to say the PSC one that is like $100?
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i would go with another black ARB! but i have a touch of the OCD (thank you marine corps...) and i would need them to match. if that doesnt bother you, just go with the PSC as it is a nice product as well.

andrew -
 
Prime8 said:
I agree. On that note, anyone have an opinion on a rear diff cover? I have the black ARB on the front that I got for a screaming deal (thanks Dave!) but I'd like one for the rear since the badlands has a rep for peeling off diff covers... I love the black ARB with the dipstick, but is it worth $180 as opposed to say the PSC one that is like $100?
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When I had my rear 44, I bent the OEM cover on the lip itself from catching a rock... I went with one of these after bending and fixing my OEM cover. http://www.rocky-road.com/grandrockguard.html $79 I banged it and dragged it a ton. Never had any issues. It's not as flashy/Blingy as the JK specific applications, but it's stout.
 
paychex.308 said:
Sharkey are you holding out for the diesel?

andrew -
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No, I was waiting to see billet in person (I really wanted a darker gray like Nukizer); now it looks like I may be waiting for the 2014's but, to tell you the truth, I'm not really interested in the current JK diesel motor. If they came out with something a bit bigger I might think about it. Again though, with diesel prices as they are, I'm not sure it would be worth the extra cost to me.

bdmckenna said:
Sounds like the "lawyering business" might be a little slow.:yawn37:
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:cheesy::cheesy: Well, contrary to what most people think, not all lawyers are scum-sucking bottom feeders with an endless supply of money. :bleh:

Actually, shortly after EJS last year I had to have emergency surgery. The bills were significant enough that it made sense to cash out the equity from my Jeep to pay everything off rather than rack up the credit cards. It's a decision part of me regrets, but it was the right decision for my family. Besides, the "wayalife" is something that's in you...it doesn't leave during those short periods of time when you may not have a Jeep. I'll be back in a Jeep as soon as I can. Hell, I don't think I even really have a choice in the matter. Exploring the outdoors is part of who I am.
 
Sharkey said:
No, I was waiting to see billet in person (I really wanted a darker gray like Nukizer); now it looks like I may be waiting for the 2014's but, to tell you the truth, I'm not really interested in the current JK diesel motor. If they came out with something a bit bigger I might think about it. Again though, with diesel prices as they are, I'm not sure it would be worth the extra cost to me.



:cheesy::cheesy: Well, contrary to what most people think, not all lawyers are scum-sucking bottom feeders with an endless supply of money. :bleh:

Actually, shortly after EJS last year I had to have emergency surgery. The bills were significant enough that it made sense to cash out the equity from my Jeep to pay everything off rather than rack up the credit cards. It's a decision part of me regrets, but it was the right decision for my family. Besides, the "wayalife" is something that's in you...it doesn't leave during those short periods of time when you may not have a Jeep. I'll be back in a Jeep as soon as I can. Hell, I don't think I even really have a choice in the matter. Exploring the outdoors is part of who I am.
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Well I hope everything is back "up to code" now! I had to have back surgery (DOUBLE FUSION) December of 2011 and that sh*t is expensive so I know what you are going through. Health is always first - but Jeepin is a close second and then I think we mix in our loved ones somewhere between the two.

But just think, now that you have Mike all schooled up, your build, when it does happen, should be easy!
 
paychex.308 said:
Well I hope everything is back "up to code" now! I had to have back surgery (DOUBLE FUSION) December of 2011 and that sh*t is expensive so I know what you are going through. Health is always first - but Jeepin is a close second and then I think we mix in our loved ones somewhere between the two.

But just think, now that you have Mike all schooled up, your build, when it does happen, should be easy!
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Yep, I'm back up to code. I unexpectedly had to do the "gallbladder delete" mod. :cheesy: Double fusion back surgery is rough. I wasn't out of action nearly as long as I'm sure you were.

I, like Mike, was originally going to go with 33's or 35's (TF 2.5" springs). I could just never quite make up my mind though, so I ended up doing other mods first. I take some credit for getting Mike to buy the Enforcer. There weren't that many people running it at the time and it was a relatively new system. Mike was kind of going through the same process deciding what to do lift-wise, but I think I had a little more Jeep knowledge than him at the time. He listened, caught the bug, and the rest is history.

In the process though, I really was able to see first hand that a lift is not something you want to just dive into solely for the purpose of getting bigger tires. I've driven several JK's and JKU's with several different kinds of kits. Believe me, you can tell the difference between a truly well designed suspension system and a garden variety lift kit. For me, the suspension is just not an area where I'm willing to spend $1,000 just to run bigger tires.

By helping Mike with a lot of his build, I have certainly gained additional knowledge of what works, what doesn't, and where I will spend my money when the time comes. Four years ago I created an excel spreadsheet of my intended build specs, categorized by phase, and started working through phase 1 (protection). Phase 3, the last phase, was where I intended to pull the trigger on a lift. Some people do the lift first...I wanted to do it once and do it right which required me to gain a lot more knowledge before I spent my money. I am now in the process of re-doing that spreadsheet. It really is interesting to see how my tastes, and my knowledge, have changed so much over time.
 
Sharkey said:
Yep, I'm back up to code. I unexpectedly had to do the "gallbladder delete" mod. :cheesy: Double fusion back surgery is rough. I wasn't out of action nearly as long as I'm sure you were.

I, like Mike, was originally going to go with 33's or 35's (TF 2.5" springs). I could just never quite make up my mind though, so I ended up doing other mods first. I take some credit for getting Mike to buy the Enforcer. There weren't that many people running it at the time and it was a relatively new system. Mike was kind of going through the same process deciding what to do lift-wise, but I think I had a little more Jeep knowledge than him at the time. He listened, caught the bug, and the rest is history.

In the process though, I really was able to see first hand that a lift is not something you want to just dive into solely for the purpose of getting bigger tires. I've driven several JK's and JKU's with several different kinds of kits. Believe me, you can tell the difference between a truly well designed suspension system and a garden variety lift kit. For me, the suspension is just not an area where I'm willing to spend $1,000 just to run bigger tires.

By helping Mike with a lot of his build, I have certainly gained additional knowledge of what works, what doesn't, and where I will spend my money when the time comes. Four years ago I created an excel spreadsheet of my intended build specs, categorized by phase, and started working through phase 1 (protection). Phase 3, the last phase, was where I intended to pull the trigger on a lift. Some people do the lift first...I wanted to do it once and do it right which required me to gain a lot more knowledge before I spent my money. I am now in the process of re-doing that spreadsheet. It really is interesting to see how my tastes, and my knowledge, have changed so much over time.
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ANY emergency delete mod is scary, glad you are good! I had back pain for over 8 years before I finally found a doctor who agreed with me that there WAS something wrong with me. Funny thing is that if the first doctor would have addressed it, I probably could have fixed it through therapy and not surgery, but I am fixed now. Was actually only out of work for 2 weeks and then I was back to "better than normal" in about six months and feel better than I have in 15 years now, even lost 40 pounds!

I love my Enforcer, except for the fact that I have the "non-bolt on" version (3 years old) and I am in the process of upgrading some of the brackets and such, but the idea of the lift is the same and it is almost perfect. I was lucky and bought my jeep after the original owner had the lift put on and I got a one year old 2010 that was what I though at the time, done. I have since put money into protection and such since he did what most do in lift then protect (except he didnt protect). But good for me in that I got a beautiful rig that I just had to put finishing touches on. I have in fact caught the virus, so finishing touches do not ever seems to be "finished"!!!

Good luck with your new build my friend and I look forward to getting up your way and wheeling and/or drinking with you and Mike! :beer::beer::beer:
 
Sharkey said:
I, like Mike, was originally going to go with 33's or 35's (TF 2.5" springs). I could just never quite make up my mind though, so I ended up doing other mods first. I take some credit for getting Mike to buy the Enforcer. There weren't that many people running it at the time and it was a relatively new system. Mike was kind of going through the same process deciding what to do lift-wise, but I think I had a little more Jeep knowledge than him at the time. He listened, caught the bug, and the rest is history.

In the process though, I really was able to see first hand that a lift is not something you want to just dive into solely for the purpose of getting bigger tires. I've driven several JK's and JKU's with several different kinds of kits. Believe me, you can tell the difference between a truly well designed suspension system and a garden variety lift kit. For me, the suspension is just not an area where I'm willing to spend $1,000 just to run bigger tires.
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It's funny to hear you say that because that was where I was headed too. 35s with a 2.5" TF lift. After reading everything here and really learning about lifts, tires, etc. I was glad that I waited on a lift.

After I bought my Jeep the first thing I did was armor up. I knew that without a lift I needed recovery equipment and armor at a minimum. Although in hind sight I didn't realize the difference at the time between smitty vs other nicer armor.

I'm glad I got educated and waited on the lift!

Glad to hear everything went ok with your gallbladder mod and hope you can get back in a Jeep soon! :beer::beer:
 
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paychex.308 said:
front 1350 (07-11 and 12+) is on JE Reels website for $665 .

andrew -
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Right, sorry, $665. Got mine from Epic Addictions. They didn't have it listed so I called Jeremy (the owner) and he placed the order with JE Reel that morning before I even paid because I told him it was urgent. He added it to the Epic website that night and I paid online for it. $665 with free shipping.
 
Sharkey said:
:cheesy::cheesy: Well, contrary to what most people think, not all lawyers are scum-sucking bottom feeders with an endless supply of money. :bleh:
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"Glen Lerner is the way to go, dial something, something, something, something, something oh oh"
 
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