BigTuna117

I always like seeing the progress you make with your tablet setup. I too got an upgrade this Christmas, and I get to overhaul my tablet Mount/Charge system to fit a Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1" The only real downside to a larger tablet in my particular setup is buying a new mount for it. My old 1st gen Nexus 7 did well, but it's really starting to show it's age. Hopefully, the Tab Pro packs a good punch for years to come (as does your Z2)!

Well, I took some time out of my day to change out my radiator hoses, thermostat, serpentine belt, and do a coolant flush. Everything went well. No more coolant leak from the thermostat. HOWEVER, it looks almost like someone ran some of that coolant system sealer junk though it at one time or another, so I'm gonna keep watching her like a hawk. The cooling system has been flushed twice in the last 3 years, however (once when the new radiator was installed, and today), so I probably shouldn't worry TOO much about it. After today, the only original cooling component is the water pump, and it seems to be going strong. The old serpentine belt was in surprisingly good condition, so I saved it and threw it in my hide-a-tire hole with the rest of my tools and spare parts. it never hurts to have spares, especially with all the rubbery parts that dry rot out here in the desert.

Thanks! As did yours! That was a pretty funny coincidence. I was sitting there fueling up, and I turned to Jeff and said "Is that the Jeep I think it is?" It was a pleasure to meet ya, and hopefully I'll be seein' ya on the trail pretty soon.

Well, this weekend I had the opportunity to test the new suspension and tires, as I returned to Crown King with NAU 4x4 and WildCat Offroad. Overall, the jeep performed marvelously, even loaded down with 4 people, and extra fluids, gear. The BFG Rugged Terrains gripped the rocks like they were made out of sandpaper, and the IRO springs / Bilstein shocks smoothed out the trail quite nicely. The only major downsides I had were: - Running with no rear trackbar I stuffed the rear tires pretty nicely. Fender trimming will come eventually. - The new fan clutch (I think) really made the v8 gutless (the 99 Wj's had a clutch fan, before the hydraulic fan was implemented). Throttling up on the highway was a long task. That being said, I am also running slightly larger tires than before. This was the first trip out where I had the 30.6" tires. I have also never had this much weight in the rig, although I came close on my last trip up to Flagstaff (I was a volunteer at Overland Expo, we camped out near Mormon Lake to minimise gas consumption). On that trip, I estimate I was around 3/4 the weight of this weekend's trip. I feel like an electric fan mod will probably be somewhere in the future either way, as the fan clutch can be prone to failure, especially in rigs use off road. - Lights. The PIAA off road lights are not very bright at all. A small light bar could have EASILY outshone them, although my high/low beams and fog lights aren't exactly bright either. I'd like to replace the PIAA's with something brighter, and I would also like to add lights to the inner fenders and maybe a few to the roof rack for the rear and sides? It's an idea. Overall, especially with the amount of weight on the rig, I felt like it did pretty well. The BFG Rugged Terrains did exceptional for an All-terrain (especially for how well they handle on road, too), and held their own in a rocky, sandy environment. Of course, there is always room for improvement, though. EDIT 2/2/2015: I was reading through my old posts and realized I never added the videos to this. Well, here they are.

Sometimes, it's the little things... I ordered these from PixelDecals last month and hoped they'd arrive last week in time for the liftin' day I had last Friday. Fortunately, they showed up today, and finally got to put em' on!

Rear is complete now, too. The rear was really stubborn. We had to get creative to droop the axle down far enough to even get the original springs out! After a while of muscling the axle, compressing and decompressing springs, and cursing at the impact wrench, we finally go it together. After taking it for a test run, we encountered a problem, being the bolt on the front left bar pin assembly had somehow ripped itself off somewhere on the road we lost the bolt, and the upper bushing for that shock. fortunately I had spare bushings, so it was just a matter of a trip to Ace to get a new bolt. And here she is, complete for now. I still have IRO's transfer case skid in the garage, but that'll have to wait for another, cooler, day.

Well, The front end is done. The Trackbar, having been gently used by a friend of mine who recently upgraded to a Clayton 6" LA kit, received new bushings before getting moved into place. We'll get the rear taken care of tomorrow morning. We couldn't get it to droop enough tonight, so hopefully we can persuade it to in the morning.

That's IRO's 3" lift. I figured it was perfect for a beginner who was trying to get away from the budget boost.

The 4th was hiding under the shocks, haha

This is gonna be a fun weekend!

Well, today the weather has been in the double digits (only in the 80-90's), so I finally got around to moving the CB over to the passenger side. I finally got tired of bumping the CB unit whenever I got in or out of the Jeep. I tore apart an old cell phone vent mount, and hack sawed all the teeth off of it, and bolted the mic mount to it. This way I have somewhere to put the mic until I can get hold of some metal to fab up something more permanent. Coming soon: IRO 3" lift, or "How I taught the WJ to have better ground clearance."

I received something in the mail! I was going to go premium eventually anyway, so the certificate is a lovely added bonus. So, I wanted to say thanks! It will be put to good use.

Looks like y'all had a great time! Hopefully I can make it up there next year!

I wish I could have made it out there. Next year, hopefully!

Done and done! I am now a Premium member!

Well, I was already interested in going premium, now I'll have to be sure to get it thrown in here sometime this month!

I was going to do a post of my Tablet setup earlier, however my Phone's camera bugged out. Just got around to making a video yesterday, so here it is!

Well, This is really awesome! When I get a chance, I'll have to make use of this!

I would like to go, however It's kind of shaky as to weather I will be able to afford it or not. If I do get the opportunity, I'll be rolling down with NAU 4x4. If not, then I'll do my best to be there next year!

Very cool trip! Someday, when the Jeep is ready, I'd like to do the Rubicon!

The do rub, but just barely. I could probably trim about 2mm off the bumper and it probably wouldn't rub anymore.

Mounting 'em up And here they are! Pretty big difference between day one and now.

It's been a month since the last update, so I thought I'd throw out whats going on with the Jeep. The new fan clutch and Alt are holding nicely, but my tires have started to deteriorate to the point that I don't trust them on long trips. You can feel the bands starting to do their "death roll." New tires are on the way though, and should be an all around improvement from the Big O Big Foot A/Ts that I'm currently running. I'm also bumping up a size, from the stock 29" to a slightly beefier 30.6" BF Goodrich Rugged Terrain T/A. I feel that these tires should be a good transition from the 29" Big Foots, before going to an even larger tire when these ones expire. Since 99% of my time is still spent on road, I feel that these tires should be a good start. The Big Foots don't really do too well on or off road, walking around the road and howling at any speed, and at the point I finally started off-roading and exploring, they didn't really have enough tread left to be super effective. I guess only time will tell how the new tires do. I'll post pics soon! EDIT: Well I was going to go 255/70/R16, but it looks like 265/70/R16s are gonna be way easier to acquire.

I'm still kind of disorganized with trip prep. weeks in advance, I'll start prepping meals (if it is a camping trip). I'll also begin deciding what gear I want to take. Water cans? Gas can? Then, a week before the trip, I buy any foodstuffs and water I need. A few days before I head out, I start accumulating my gear in a single area for quick packing. Then... Comes the day before the trip. The day before the trip usually ends up being a flurry of gear moving between the house and the Jeep. I pack the cooler, Pack the Jeep, take half of the stuff out, and pack it again. Then, when I'm content with the level of organization, I Check my fluid levels, make sure my spare fluids are accessible (just in case, of course), and I lock the jeep up and go back to the house. Check my maps, make sure they are cached, make sure I have my music playlists/albums on Google Play Music cached, and then, about an hour later, I re-synch Bluetooth between my Nexus 7 and my headunit. Then I do a functions check (steering wheel controls, GPS check, lights check). Then, once I'm satisfied that everything is working, I lock up the Jeep for the night, and she's ready to go.

Well, I'll have to take a look there. Thanks for the tip!