Traveler III
- 4,007
- First Name
- Lucas
- Last Name
- Antes
- Member #
-
7082
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- KE0ZXA
A couple years ago, I sold my '97 Acura Integra LS. I was fed up with it. I had owned it for 8 years and put tons of miles on it. I got really good at packing it as there was virtually no space in it. The final straw was it getting stolen and then recovered with a few less electronics in it. I spent a year searching for the next DD. I had enough and sold it. I drove a loaner fullsize pickup for 4-5 months and loved it. I was considering that as I could not seem to find a decent Subie within my budget. A friend of mine had let me drive his daily driven ZJ with a 2" lift, M/T's, and a bunch of other cool add-ons. I was hooked on a Jeep, but couldn't decide on which one I liked most. I was serious about a Wrangler-body style and was close to picking up a YJ a few times. I couldn't stand the lack of space after driving that truck all the time. I stumbled upon a used car lot with a TON of WJ's for sale. Most were in OK shape, some better than others. In the back of the lot, hiding, was this sand/gold colored 4.7 V8 powered beauty.
She needed new shoes for sure and brakes were something to consider down the road. I gave her some nice 245/70/16's in a Yokohama Geolander A/TS flavor. I threw on new pads and rotors on all corners. I opted for a heavy duty setup with slotted and drilled rotors as I new I'd need the extra stopping power.
As the stickers started accumulating, I knew I needed to set this apart from the other WJ's rolling around town of the same color. I also knew I needed some recovery points after a recent rescue of a friends trail rig from a mud pit. Fawkes Fab was the only place I could find with an aftermarket option while retaining the stock bumper. I wanted to add on some sort of grill/bumper guard and the bull bar relocation mounts with recovery points from Fawkes Fab seemed like the way to go. Back-ordered for ages, I went ahead and slapped on the Texas Hunter bull bar with the provided brackets.
A friend gave me the little LED pods I had mounted on. While these were OK, they offered no real noticeable light. I opted to upgrade to some brighter, larger flood/spot mix bars.
Quadratec came to the rescue with a nice Bluetooth Sony head unit, mount, and wiring harness so I didn't have to be stuck with just CD's and the radio. This came in handy on some of my longer road trips.
The Fawkes Fab kit installed. Complemented it with some red d-rings. Notice how it pushed the bull bar up to actually cover the grill and doesn't impede on ground clearance or approach angle
I snagged a tow loop from a local farm and ranch store for the hitch receiver for a rear recovery point.
My best friend picked up a Yakima LoadWarrior basket with two bike mounts and cargo bags for me. Such a good find for cheap!
I took off the bike mounts as I have a nice Kuat NV to haul my bikes around on.
I have played around with mounting the spare on the rack, but it's a pain to get up there and back off. I am constantly trying to find ways to optimize the space in the back, but I think the spare will stay in the factory location. I have recently given a lot of thought to making this rig more sleep friendly. I made a slight modification to the rear seat cushion hinges by replacing the pins with removable ones, therefore increasing the space for someone of my height (6'1") to be able to sleep comfortably.
I'll probably fill in the gap with gear, but I can now sleep comfortably.
I'm waiting on a few odds and ends to begin my DIY awning, as well as some cargo area organization. I plan on throwing in a OME 1.5" lift for the drivability and handling improvements, upgrading to a better steering stabilizer, possibly an intake system, CB radio, flash tune, and rock sliders.
Will post updates when I have pictures and such! Hope you all enjoy watching my WJ progress into an adventure rig.
She needed new shoes for sure and brakes were something to consider down the road. I gave her some nice 245/70/16's in a Yokohama Geolander A/TS flavor. I threw on new pads and rotors on all corners. I opted for a heavy duty setup with slotted and drilled rotors as I new I'd need the extra stopping power.
As the stickers started accumulating, I knew I needed to set this apart from the other WJ's rolling around town of the same color. I also knew I needed some recovery points after a recent rescue of a friends trail rig from a mud pit. Fawkes Fab was the only place I could find with an aftermarket option while retaining the stock bumper. I wanted to add on some sort of grill/bumper guard and the bull bar relocation mounts with recovery points from Fawkes Fab seemed like the way to go. Back-ordered for ages, I went ahead and slapped on the Texas Hunter bull bar with the provided brackets.
A friend gave me the little LED pods I had mounted on. While these were OK, they offered no real noticeable light. I opted to upgrade to some brighter, larger flood/spot mix bars.
Quadratec came to the rescue with a nice Bluetooth Sony head unit, mount, and wiring harness so I didn't have to be stuck with just CD's and the radio. This came in handy on some of my longer road trips.
The Fawkes Fab kit installed. Complemented it with some red d-rings. Notice how it pushed the bull bar up to actually cover the grill and doesn't impede on ground clearance or approach angle
I snagged a tow loop from a local farm and ranch store for the hitch receiver for a rear recovery point.
My best friend picked up a Yakima LoadWarrior basket with two bike mounts and cargo bags for me. Such a good find for cheap!
I took off the bike mounts as I have a nice Kuat NV to haul my bikes around on.
I have played around with mounting the spare on the rack, but it's a pain to get up there and back off. I am constantly trying to find ways to optimize the space in the back, but I think the spare will stay in the factory location. I have recently given a lot of thought to making this rig more sleep friendly. I made a slight modification to the rear seat cushion hinges by replacing the pins with removable ones, therefore increasing the space for someone of my height (6'1") to be able to sleep comfortably.
I'll probably fill in the gap with gear, but I can now sleep comfortably.
I'm waiting on a few odds and ends to begin my DIY awning, as well as some cargo area organization. I plan on throwing in a OME 1.5" lift for the drivability and handling improvements, upgrading to a better steering stabilizer, possibly an intake system, CB radio, flash tune, and rock sliders.
Will post updates when I have pictures and such! Hope you all enjoy watching my WJ progress into an adventure rig.
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