theksmith 2,805 Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) Brady doesn't get his license for a couple more months, but he already has a Jeep! we looked seemingly FOREVER to find an affordable older JK without too many miles and in decent shape - apparently they're made from solid unobtanium! anything that was a good deal was gone the same day it was posted, otherwise we'd find ones that had clearly been in major wrecks or customized really poorly with tons of junk that was falling apart. we finally found this "Jeep Green Metallic" 2009 Wrangler X with only 41k miles! we were the first ones to go see it the same day it was listed, and were ready to make a deal. B has named her Fiona, from the movie Shrek! i don't think it's been cleaned inside since 2009, and needs a fair amount of TLC - but all small projects we can work on together. she drives really nice (once i took the tires down from the 47 psi they were at!) and seems to be in good mechanical condition overall. there's a Teraflex 2.5" coil spacer lift installed, along with their 9550 shocks. the lift clears the oversize tires fine for street use. she also has front disconnects, but the tires are a bit too big for the lift and would probably rip off the fenders if you did disconnect. the 35" A/T's from Hercules (a discount brand made by Cooper) have nearly full tread and perfectly even wear so far. they're on 15" steel simulated beadlock rims which just barely clear the front calipers. the long term plan is to either go down a tire size, or install a bit more lift. she came with a bikini top only, and most of the straps were broken off. however, we were very fortunate to find a full OEM soft top on Craigslist yesterday! the purchased top includes all the hardware, which is awesome because we aren't sure which brackets and such Fiona even still has. Gadget is not impressed with having to sit outside a couple days until we get the top installed! more updates soon as we dig in to all the little projects and maintenance together! Edited December 29, 2021 by theksmith 5 1 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 1,938 Posted March 30, 2021 Wow! This is super exciting. Can't wait to see Brady join in on some trail fun! It's awesome that you guys share the Jeep passion and can work on this type of project together! I'm hoping one day one of my girls will be interested in "continuing the Jeep line". 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trail Toy 1,044 Posted March 30, 2021 Nice score with such low mileage! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stacey and Scott 873 Posted March 30, 2021 The Jeep runs deep in this one.. congrats! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dzJeepChic 1,782 Posted March 31, 2021 Wow! That's an awesome Jeep! Love the color and the name! Congratulations B!!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shellback91 1,197 Posted March 31, 2021 That's awesome! Congrats B! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 2,805 Posted April 1, 2021 (edited) thanks everyone - Brady is super excited and loves driving Fiona already! day one project... i took all the extremely dirty and faded roll-bar fabric off - we decided to try and clean it up instead of just ditching it or paying for a replacement set. B laid out all the pieces in our driveway and washed them down with the garden hose and a little carpet stain remover. after they dried thoroughly, i bought 2 cans of flat black Dupli-Color Vinyl & Fabric spray paint from Autozone for $17. it's more of a dye than paint, but the spray can makes it easy to apply. Aimee showed him how to spray evenly and he did a great job bringing all the pieces back to life. the dye/paint makes the fabric a little stiff and rough feeling, but we were very pleased with our budget fix. she also gave the sound-bar a good scrubbing for him while we had that out. Edited April 1, 2021 by theksmith 6 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dzJeepChic 1,782 Posted April 1, 2021 Good job you guys! That dye spray you used on the roll bar padding kit came out great! I never knew about that product. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mynr1 153 Posted April 2, 2021 Nice find guys! Love the green & the dye spray I will have to look into. 41K, wow! Al 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 2,805 Posted April 2, 2021 (edited) we managed to figure out how to install the soft top i do have a question though... the top of the tailgate just barely covers any of the rubber seal at the bottom of the rear window. i know we have that window's bottom rail clipped into place correctly - so is this just normal? i would have expected the tailgate to nearly completely cover this seal (i.e. the window bar seems like it should sit lower)? Edited April 2, 2021 by theksmith 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
