Jeep lessons learned?

    We've all made our mistakes before buying things we shouldn't have and regretting it. With the JK I will not make the same mistakes, mind you I was only 18 fresh out of high school when I bought my brand new TJ. What lessons have you learned in your Jeep experiences??


    Here's mine:


    -Do the lift right the first time - I went from a BB with 32's, to a used 3.5RE with multiple sets of 33's with no SYE, then an SYE, then blew an D35 axle TWICE and ended up driving all the way to Ohio to buy a new D44. Was it fun? Looking back - NO, at the time....still wasn't fun. My theory is, if I want a Clayton premium kit and that's my end goal then just save my money, have some patience and do the end goal.


    -Small accessories like grab handles are to be bought in person, not from a catalog.


    -Don't be like a kid at Christmas and rip open the box as soon as it gets delivered, because then you loose pieces. Open it later and inventory your items.


    -When re-gearing, make sure you open the box of gears and make sure you have the SAME gears. Nothings worse than giving it to someone to re-gear and get a phone call saying they aren't the same.


    -Don't hack it or rig it if you don't have the right tools - do it right the first time.


    -Shop your deals - reach out to other forums and get in touch directly vendors. Nothing was more painful than to see a significantly cheaper price a day after I ordered something.

    Quote from Stafford


    -If an upgrade is supposed to take all day Saturday, call off work on Monday.


    SO true. Had to do this when I lifted the WJ.


    - If you think it's metric, it's standard.
    - If you think it's standard, it's metric.


      [li]If you're planning on regearing and doing lockers within a resonable time frame of each other. Just buy the r&p and wait until you have the money to buy the lockers and install it all at once.[/li]
      [li]Paint the inside of your bare metal skid plates with weldedable paint before installing[/li]
      [li]Don't go with a part or a lift just because it's cheaper[/li]
      [li]Anti-seize and lubelock everything![/li]
      [li]X3 what Stafford said![/li]

    magazines will sell you anything. Especially stuff you don't need.

    Member since 2000

    Jeeps Owned'79 CJ5:

    Specs-

    - 258 I6

    - '93 Cherokee fuel injection and HO head,

    - bored 30 over

    - with 4x4 cam

    T18 tranny with granny low / Dana 18 t-case

    Dana 44 front and back from late '70s Wagoneer, both locked and loaded with 4.88 gears

    SOA on modified YJ springs with shackle reversa

    Fiberglass tub with 6 point cage mounted to the frame


    2015 Grand Cherokee Limited
    Spec-

    Quadratec Floor mats

    I'm still learning :bang: but getting grease on your wife's nice leather interior of her car is very frowned upon.... Especially after she just yells at you for getting on the doorknob.... That she so happened to grab.... Yep been there done that.... X2

    Anytime you take your 20+ year old jeep apart plan on fixing more them you intended.

    Stomper people actually start with a budget? I just wanted new leaf springs.... ended up with 6 inches of lift 35's and soon a dana 44... and I was broke at the lift haha.

    Anytime you take your 20+ year old jeep apart plan on fixing more them you intended.

    despite how fun it is...a case of beer is too much for one person when lifting a jeep (TJ)


    3 lug nuts are not enough to hold a 35 to a jeep (TJ)



    33's are perfect for a TJ

    1. Don't pick a jeep for the color - in my defense I was a 22 year old girl with no idea what the difference between a 4 & 6 cylinder. Now I do. :doh:


    2. Buy a new car instead. Probably would have been cheaper in the long run.


    3. Getting into a lifted jeep is going suck more the older you get. Bigger isn't always better.

    Quote from I_Am_Dan


    If you are even thinking about working on something, better start spraying it with PB Blaster now. :up:


    X2 that.... And lube is a mans best friend.... For the jeep that is.

    Anytime you take your 20+ year old jeep apart plan on fixing more them you intended.

    Your problem will usually have the simplest and cheapest solution. So fuses and grounds before starters and alternators.


    Sent from my Galaxy S3 with Taptalk 2

    Nobody belongs anywhere, nobody exists on purpose, everybody's going to die. Have a beer.


    Jeeps Owned... 89YJ, 81CJ-8, 99XJ, 93XJ, 00WJ, 05LJ, 22Bronco Badlands !

    Mike I know what you mean. I started out to do a 4" lift on my CJ. 6 months later I ended up with a compleate frame off restoration including another frame and a bill just north of 4k. And I still broke it!!

    If the bolts are old and rusty just bank on them snapping off.
    If you have an old CJ and go to the parts store for parts, Plan on a return trip because it could be one of two and you will most defintiely have the wrong one.

    If you think its a good idea to modify your jeep.... plan on getting a part time job, your wife saying you don't spend enough time with her and the kids asking where thier dad is also.

    Anytime you take your 20+ year old jeep apart plan on fixing more them you intended.

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