What Next?

[JeepJunkie]

ok so i have my rockrails and my BB is coming. Other than skid plates and a bigger lif and tires. What do you reccemend next? Lights? CB? hi lift? untill i get my lift its gonna have to be fairly light offroading. So what are some basics you suggest?

[rick]

CB and hi lift are pretty essential...

[JeepJunkie]

on quadratec they have a CB kit that has a Uniden PRO 510XL 40, antenna, antenna bracket and wiring for $157. Does that sound good to you people in puter land??

[jmbrowning]

tow points and a tow strap and wheeling buddies to yank you

[JeepJunkie]

Originally posted by jmbrowning
tow points and a tow strap and wheeling buddies to yank you

as soon as chris has time hes supposed to make me a bumper, and as soon as i can get to 4 wheel parts. ill be gettin a hi lift and some recovery stuffs.

[JeepJunkie]

ok, i ordered my hi lift. My bday is coming up, seems like a good time to ask for jeep stuffs. So im thinking recovery strap, lights of some sort. and thats about all i can think of. I think ill buy a CB myself, maybe not. I need some more ideas to give my parents on what to get. Trying to keep it at around 200 bucks. Any ideas besides hi lift, recovery strap, lights, and CB?

[sarah]

you'll also need a cb antenna and bracket for the antenna.

happy birthday

[JeepJunkie]

As i said earlier quadratec has all the stuf needed for a CB in akit for 157.

not quite my bday yet(july 26) but thanks anyway!

[jmbrowning]

BD wish list

From the ground up:

1) Quick Deflate attachments ($15)feeling cheaper? just get a valve core removal tool and yank the cores, just make sure you have spare cores in case they go flying

2) air pressure gauge ($5)

3) tire inflator TruckAir 300 $40, be prepared to wait 15-20 mins, the Famous Jerry Bransford speaks pretty highly of it other than the wait time. If you get the TruckAir, I recommend snipping off the powerpoint plug and crimping on a pair of battery clamps as they will smoke the 10 amp fuses very quickly. Put an inline fuse holder from RatShack if you are particularly avoidant of the compressor catching on fire or something.

I personally like fast fill-ups as I have 4 33's and another 4 for the Missus so I have a homebrew CO2 system. When the Missus totes it in her XJ, she ratchet straps it to where the spare tire mount tabs are, so you might be able to not spend for the bracket. airing up is an essential consideration. I will probably be going York and giving the Missus the CO2 setup.

4) Maps and guidebooks of the places you want to wheel $10-20

5) Quality hydraulic bottle jack (get at least 4 tons)~$20 when on sale. Longer ram travel is better, but this can be overcome with a screw extension and a jack stand (see below). You will find a hydraulic jack much more useful for changing spares and getting you off of high centers than a HiLift once you start getting a really flexy suspension as you can jack up the axle rather than lift the body/frame until max droop is achieved and then jack it up more.

6) HiLift makes a nice plastic jack stand that prevents the HiLift from sinking itself into soft ground. If your bottle jack fits, you can also add a few inches of available ram travel. If you are on a budget, just fab one with 1" plywood in a 12x12" square with a 6" length of 4x4" nailed to it.

7) shovel ~$10-20 used. I think you can find full length shovels at army-navy stores for a decent price just make sure the handle isn't cracked. If space is tight, get a quality e-tool (genuine USGI, Glock, or Gerber/NATO, not import knockoff) Thank Jesus, I haven't had to use mine yet, but I haven't wheeled in muddy conditions yet either.

8) ratchet straps ~$20 get lots of them and use them. all that crap in the back will become lethal missiles in an accident. Also ask Chris or Tammy here about the Raingler net systems. Pretty slick but a little more coin.

9) Factory service manual ~$100, probably an essential item. Pricey, but they will tell you how to dissemble your Jeep and reassemble it with the right torque specs! Used to be able to download them from http://www.darksiderz.uk.co but they got shut down. I am sure you could rustle up a PDF copy by asking around on the various boards, but not much use on the trail unless you tote around a laptop while wheeling, which I do, but still carry the paper copy in the boonie box. Don't settle for the Haynes/AutoZone crap manuals, get the real thing.

10) Fire extinguisher ($20) and first aid kit ($20). Bring two fire extinguishers if your carburetor is on the fritz. Cheap insurance and it makes the 'rents feel better about you wheeling.

11) Work gloves $5 don't burn or cut yourself on the trail as it really sucks

12) tools $10 for a couple of import crescent wrenches to thousands of bucks for every Snap-On tool you can think of. be careful as this can become a bottomless pit. Some suggest putting together a toolkit as you wrench on your Jeep. If you use it more than three times and it isn't in the toolkit, throw the tool in your boonie box (assuming it was yours to begin with).

Hope that gives you a start on what to get. As you can see, you don't need to spend a lot of coin to have fun, but might as well ask the 'rents for the high dollar items.

PS. Other than a cheap tractor light for back-up lighting duty, I wouldn't spend too much money for lights. Again, this is colored by the fact that I don't wheel too much at night.

[JeepJunkie]

Awesome! That helps alot. Thanks