Since we're talking 1:1...

[Abarth Mike]

Anyone got an old GMC Syclone?

[dreinecke]

I almost purchased one new...dangit. Buddy had one. Wickedly fast truck.

[dreinecke]

Lift kit parts are HERE! I start putting it on tonight after work.

[HomeRacingWorld]

You are going to be busy :)

[dreinecke]

Nah...do it in my sleep.

[ListerStormGT]

What is this stuff "sleep" you speak of?

[dreinecke]

Lee - it is magical, I assure you!

Rear end is done! 3 hours from the moment I started gathering tools and laying out parts to the moment I had it on the ground and tightened the last bolt. I just took my time since I was working alone and haven't done a JK before (I did do my XJ and learned that I HATE leaf springs). Overall, the job was pretty simple, and I took some pics and measurements. I gained 3" in the rear on stock tires for the moment. It'll settle with some weight from the new bumpers when they show up.

I'll start the front first thing in the morning and hope to get to Discount Tire to get the GY's mounted up.

Wish me luck!

[moparmike]

Yes, the new Jeeps are gorgeous, but I think I will stick with my ancient Ramcharger. It does everything I require here in Southern Missouri and is Paid For!. As for the "insane" m/t tires, I run m/t's but in the more sane 31x10.50-15 size. No lift kit required and the truck will out pull my John Deere tractor.

Mike

[Vintage 1/24]

Another kind of truck...

My High school Hot Rod 'Barn find' 1953 Ford F100 as it sits today –


It was setup for the 1/8 mile - 455 Olds, 4.88 gears, Fiberglass tilt nose, Sun Super Tach on the dash, and an Islip Speedway Drag Winner Sticker in the back window! I wrecked the ‘53 Ford F100 two days before leaving for Upstate New York to attend College - I sold it to an older guy who wanted to fix it up. He pulled the motor and fitted a SBC, fixed the accident damage, and it sat unfinished in his garage for decades.

Now, over 25 years go by - he is older, wants to retire and leave Long Island for good, and I find out about it. He lets me know I can have the truck back - after all *I was the last person to drive it* and he has had it in dry storage for over a quarter century now, my old registration and inspection stickers still on the windshield... Time Warp - Barn Find - Call it what you will... It has not seen the road since the 1970s - But I have it back.

[MoparGreg]

Nice David. Its great hearing you getting to work on the Jeep. We need pics or it didnt happen :) Its great you got 3" in the rear so far, the more the better!

So when do your bumpers arrive?

[dreinecke]

I started at 7:30 and finished at 1:30. Not too bad doing it all by myself. I will say having air tools is an absolute must on this type of project. My recently repaired shoulder is VERY happy about that!

The install was easy, surprisingly enough.

I gained exactly 4" in the front and 3" in the rear with the stock wheels/tires. I am running very light at the moment without the new bumpers so I'm sure that will settle a little. With the tires it is almost 5" overall gained. Yes Rob, I can actually climb into this thing ;) :lol: Lee might have issues though :lol:

I got the 285-70r-17 Goodyear Duratracs put on this afternoon and they look and drive fantastic.

More driving tomorrow, but seat of the pants tells me this thing handles very nice!

Sorry for the lousy pictures, I didn't have the real camera outside at the time.

[dreinecke]

Mike, I've run an XJ at 6" of lift before...never again. I personally like the 2.5, which after weight is added should hit close to that. I keep seeing guys using JK's as daily drivers on the highway with 4-6 of lift and 37" tires. 11MPG is my guess, but the cool thing with Jeeps like slot cars is that there are a million ways to get where you want to go.

The AEV Procal let me set the tire size, etc. so it doesn't mess with the T/C and ABS. Really, really slick. My steering wheel was also perfectly centered but I messed with the Procal to see how it sets it up. Amazing the stuff you can do to cars these days.

Regarding the Squeelers decal...that's my wife...notice the Broncos one on the other side...we are a house divided...but I won on the color of the Jeep ;)

As for the gent with the Ramcharger - I LOVE those things. Almost got one in the late 1990's, but the dork I was buying it from totaled it the night before I was to pick it up...

The best part of this build? Jeep is paid off and all parts are from the proceeds of selling my XJ. Love it!

[MoparGreg]

Man that looks tough now. Totally transformed it. I agree a 2 or 2.5" lift & a good set of tires is all you need really. It will get you in & out of most places & if you cant you probably dont want to take your new jeep down there anyway. Also it keeps the geometry of the steering & suspension in basically the same realm without having to change to much.

The thing I found the strangest while working on my truck was it felt bizarre modifying a brand new 4x4. Ill get some photos up of my 4x4. I think only David has seen it.

[dreinecke]

Greg, wait till the bumpers are on! The more I drive this, the more I like it. Totally awesome! Especially in the snow today.

Greg does need to post his rig...it is seriously wicked!

[dreinecke]

I have now spent 1400 miles behind the wheel of my JKU with the AEV 2.5" lift and no Geometry brackets. I actually had a shop tell me I would not need them. While the Jeep has felt pretty good to me on all roads (coming from my XJ - anything feels better LOL), I decided to put them on this weekend. They were simple to install and it took me only about an hour to do.

Well, glad I did NOT listen to that shop's advice. All I can say is that this has been the biggest upgrade to any vehicle I've owned. My JKU drives completely different now! It handles fantastic, the brake dive is almost gone completely, and the bumps are now totally soaked up. I did some trail riding with it today and it handled washboards so well I was simply amazed. The confidence it now drives with is worlds above what even I'd hoped for.

I've got new bumpers (Bestop High Access) front and rear that just showed up, so with a little weight, I'm sure it will be even more impressive.

Wow!