Bart C
Member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2024
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 10
- Location
- Paradise Valley, AZ
- Current Rides
- '22 392 & '13 JK Rubicon 2-Dr
Living in Paradise Valley, AZ. 62 and love to run trails around here and in Colorado. Tow my Jeeps behind a motorhome. Jeeps are for fun and are DD's so not a rock crawler. Started with a totally stock manual trans '74 CJ5 complete with the hot floor boards and a straight six 232 that was perfect for getting a kid into and out of lots of crazy situations. Loved that one. Have had 9 different Jeeps over the years and a couple weeks ago I bought a '22 XR 392 with 9500 mile on it and it's great shape but totally stock. It'll be used for trail running, not rock crawling, and as a DD, and so far it seems like it's going to be a lot of fun but also a good amount of PITA issues like trying too run winch power lines when there is VERY little space in the engine compartment. My mechanic, who is a nice guy with a clean mouth said, "that was a MOTHER F-er" and he didn't have his usual smile on his face. Moving my mods from a '20 JL to the 392 has been the most challenging one yet. The biggest issue was putting my full-size RockHard front bumper and Warn PowerPlant winch (about 235 lbs) on the front end and, even worse, seeing the front end dive 2" in the process. Looks like a big PT Cruiser right now. Embarrassing. Leveling stuff, hopefully just a temporary fix, will go on in a few days and I can't wait. Wanted to put a TeraFlex 2.5" lift on it but realized it's already 2" taller than a regular Rubicon, with a built in lift I can't remove, and adding that lift would be 4.5". Nope, too old to climb that high everyday, my 35's will look stupid and I don't want to go to 37's or more. As I said above, it's a DD and trail wheeler, so I want to stay with 35's. Adding 235 lbs to the front caused a real dip that has me concerned since I'll also be adding full steel MetalClock to the underside and a TeraFlex rear bumper so I may need to beef up the springs to keep some body clearance from the tires. Have added the same stuff to 2 of my previous JK & JL Rubi 4-doors with no issues but had the suspensions to carry it and it appears the factory 2" lift suspension isn't going to cut it. Doing front spacers right now so I can level it so it doesn't look so stupid but want to figure out a better long-term solution. I haven't run trails yet but I'm thinking I won't be happy with the factory lift. Anyone have any suggestions, similar experiences. Also looking for suggestions on exhaust alternatives that will eliminate that "ready to crush on a rock" stock muffler but keep the quiet and performance sound options. Sorry for the long intro but hoping for some suggestions. Have a whole lot to learn with this one. Enjoying the Forum and look forward to getting my new baby ready to go out and play.
Post up some photos when you get a chance!
