Posts by Mudflaps

  • Jeep for a New Driver?

    OK... going to throw this out there for opinions.


    My son is turning 15 next month, and we've been discussing "first car" options for a year already. His first choice was a Wrangler... to which I said no. My theory: short wheelbase + high center of gravity + soft/no top = trouble.


    When I told him that, he said, "I guess I'll drive whatever you are driving when I get my license." So I went out and bought Mudflaps. His response: "I see what you did there." :8)


    Since then, he's been focused on something like a Mustang or other "sports" car, which in my opinion would be just as bad as a first car for a new driver. But seriously, what are the potential issues for/against a Wrangler as a first car? Now that I've had mine for six months, I am reconsidering.


    Now I'm thinking that a YJ (pre-1994 for insurance issues... can you insure a new driver on an antique car policy?) with a 4-cylinder automatic and stock tires/wheels with no lift can't be much worse than a basic mini-SUV (other than the soft/no top issue)... worst case I could put my unused hard top on his.


    That would still give him the fun of having a Jeep without many of my initial concerns. But I'm curious to what others may say...

  • Skiing and Riding

    Didn't mean to harsh your buzz, dude...


    I used to be a sponsored snowboarder and would often spend 50-75 days a season riding in the Poconos (plus trips to Vermont for competitions), so I'm pretty familiar with the crowd patterns at the various resorts. President's weekend is usually a horrible one. And as I mentioned, it's also the most expensive weekend of the year...

  • Skiing and Riding

    My older son is heading up to Stowe tomorrow morning for the weekend with a school trip. I had the opportunity to go as a chaperone, but I had already made Valentine's plans with the wife to go on a wine tour of Lancaster County on Saturday. Now that it looks like that's going to be snowed out, I am SO jealous... especially when I found out that they have an all-you-can-eat Ben and Jerry's buffet on Saturday night.


    I'd join you at Blue Mountain, but with it being a holiday weekend, the place will be packed, the lift lines will be huge, the newbs will be scattered all over the hill, and the lift tickets will be the most expensive of any weekend this year. That's recipe for a bad day on the mountain in my book...

  • Alternator Choices

    OK... in doing some searching I found this thread, which seems to answer my questions about replacing the alternator with a higher output version (post #14, complete with pictures).


    http://www.jeepforum.com/forum…lternator-squeel-1460052/


    Just want to have someone more with more knowledge confirm this is indeed what I'm looking to do (and that if I go into AutoZone and ask for a 136a alternator from a 97 or 98 Grand Cherokee (OEM p/n 56027913) I'll get what I need)?


    Here's another post with pics: http://www.quadratecforum.com/showpost.php?p=871966, which mentions different part numbers and replacement models, as an FYI.

  • What have you done to your Jeep today?

    I replaced my rear view mirror and the little piston that operates the dome light on the driver's side door. :8)


    I also got a chance to finally use the spare-tire-bracket-mounted ski/snowboard rack this weekend. This is a Barrecrafter ski rack that I modified to use for snowboards as well. I loaded up one board on Friday when I went up to the WXTU Ski Day at Jack Frost... stopped along the way to readjust how I had it set up and added some additional padding (foam pipe insulation) since I could see where the "rub spots" were. Saturday, I had two boards and two sets of skis on there (took my son and two of his friends to Blue Mountain), and everything went just fine. Completely loaded, it's kind of heavy... I'm not going to open the rear door with all that weight torqueing down on the hinges!


  • Alternator Choices

    Quote from shadyluke


    The "little" work to install the larger Grand Cherokee is almost nothing. I have one in my YJ. There is a sleeve that locates the alt that needs to be slide over some. Simple. The YJ belt remains the same, I don't recall it having a 7 groove pulley. I will see if I can get the part number off of mine when I get home. If I was replacing the alt I would def opt for the larger one.


    That info would be awesome... would definitely like the larger alternator if it's a fairly straightforward swap!

  • Alternator Choices

    Sounds like it's going to be time to replace the alternator in Mudflaps very soon... I'm getting some intermittent belt squeal (which I thought was being caused by the failing water pump, but I guess I was wrong). When the belt is howling, my voltage meter drops... when its quiet, it returns to the normal position in the middle of the range.


    Looking at the Quadratec offerings, I'm seeing a "generic" 90amp model for $149 (one year warranty), an 80amp Powermaster model for $152, and a Omix-ADA 90amp for $164 (five year warranty) after $10 cash back rebate. Obviously these prices are before the club discount. I'm leaning toward the latter unless someone has a better thought?


    What's the amp output of the stock OEM alternator?

  • New Jersey surf tag???

    Quote from Keith_C


    Farm jacks, (A.K.A. Hi-Lifts) can be useful in certain situations. They can also be dangerous or even fatal if used improperly.


    In all honesty, the factory jack would be more useful than either a Hi-Lift or a hydraulic jack on the beach.
    Small enough to get under an axle, and a good bit of rise. And the factory jack will serve the requirement for equipment on DE beaches.


    Thanks for the thoughts... I will still probably buy one of the two (leaning toward the hi-lift jack, if that would be the choice for other off-road applications) and will try and also get the factory jack working with some WD-40 and application of a BFH if necessary.