MaineJeeper
Jeep Lover
Hey Friends!
I Purchased my first Jeep in May of 2015, A tired 1999 Wrangler Sport that had spent its life in Maine.
It introduced me to the off-road world and the Jeep lifestyle.
A few years later it looks a little different
I work in the Collision Industry, more specifically I'm a Painter. However, I wear many hats just like most people.
Jeeps have become my passion. If I'm not working on a Jeep, I'm learning about something Jeep or Off-road industry related.
Fast forward to October 2018
We decided to add a 4 door Jeep to our life.
My wife, our Golden Retriever Sampson (Sammy) and I had been doing a lot with our TJ.
Rausch Creek September 2018
Somewhere on the Golden Road in Northern Maine
We were beginning to lack the room in the Jeep that we would like to have.
We set the criteria for we wanted.
- 4 Door Wrangler
- 3.6 Pentastar
- Rubicon
- 4.10 Gears (So we don't have to re-gear first thing)
- Automatic
We picked this up the first week of October.
2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon MW3 Editon.
65k Miles and very clean for a 2012 in Maine.
Mostly stock except for tires and the accessories that came with the special edition.
I honestly wasn't into the MW3 but it fit the criteria we wanted. I had already removed the emblems.
The parts I didn't like were going to be replaced anyways.
Recalibration
Our goal is to have versatile daily driven Jeep that fits our lifestyle.
Some of the top things we do are:
- Long highway trips
- Winding mountain roads
- Rock crawling
- Camping
- Shopping Mall
Some of the things we would love to do are:
- Visit Tennessee (Smokey Mountains, Windrock, Nashville)
- Modern Jeeper Adventures - Rausch Creek, PA
Short term Goals:
Metalcloak Evap Canister Relocation
Motobilt D44 Front Differential Cover
Metalcloak Full Skid Integrated Armor System
Artec Inner C Gussets
Artec Front LCA Skids
Front Driveshaft
Long term Goals:
Big Brake Kit Front
Big brake Kit Rear
Regear
37" Tires
Portable Fridge
Beadlock Rims
Parts will be moved to the completed list after being installed.
Completed Modifications:
Spidertrax 1.5" Wheel Spacers
Motobilt Hatchet Front Bumper W/Fogs
Motobilt Stubby Rear Bumper
Teraflex HD Tire Carrier W/ORO LightPlate
Left Cylinder Head Replaced - Warranty 2/15/19
Metalcloak 2.5" Gamechanger Rocksport Edtition
Metalcloak HD Steering
Falcon 2.1 Steering Stabilizer
Metalcloak Overland front fenders
Metalcloak Overline corner armor w/flares
Milestar Patagonia 315/70/17
Metalcloak D44 rear DSP
JScan IPhone App for Calibration
Artec front Inner fenders
Trimmed Mopar rock rails
Warn Vr8s (for now)
Check out our build progress below
First things first a full detail was in order. Clay bar to remove contaminates, multi-step paint correction, paint sealant, and black out the frame were a few highlights from that process.
Rugged Ridge Hood Latches installed. We had awful hood shutter coming home from buying the Jeep when going 70mph and these did the trick.
Installed the Spidertrax 1.5" Wheel spacers to prepare for the 315/70/17 Tires.
Install was very straight forward Spidertrax supplied a nice set of directions along with all necessary hardware and Red Loctite.
I have checked them twice so far with the torque wrench and report no loose lugs in 4k miles.
Front and Rear Motobilt Bumpers Installed
The Rear Stubby bumper was fairly straight forward unbolt the old one and install the new one. I did have a problem sliding the new Motobilt Rear bumper on. The drivers side frame bracket seemed to be welded in at a very slight angle and was only able to slide the bumper on about an inch until it started to bind. My friend and I were able to persuade the bumper all the way on with a BFH and once it was in place we were good to go.
The Motobilt Hatchet Front bumper required a few more hours to install than the rear, but SO worth it! It is a frame chop from bumper so the crossmember and frame ends had to go. While I was in there I rotated the Rubicon sway bar E-Disconnect up 90 degrees and out of the way. The vacuum pump relocation was on the list to do that day as well.
I think we can all agree it looks a little empty without a winch
Lifestyle and Adventure
First ride with the new Jeep! Kancamagus Highway, Lincoln, New Hampshire. Fall 2018
White Mountain Jeeps Annual New Years Ride. January 2019
If you made it this far, Thank you for Viewing!
All Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated
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