Janesy's 03' Rubicon Build

Been wanting a Jeep forever and I finally got it, since the Trailblazer that I had was starting to have too many problems. Found a 03' Rubi in nice shape with 100k on it that will only be my DD for a few months and then a weekend and trail toy.

The plan for it is to be a capable trail rig and weekend cruiser. LCG is the long term plan. For now will be 2" suspension lift, 1.25" BL, 1" MML, sitting on 33's. Once those wear out I will plan on flat fenders and 35's. No rush on that as first I want to armor it up and beef up the axles with some RCV's up front...

Here it is the day I picked it up:




Updated: Pretty much how it sits today:




2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

Drivetrain Specs:
o 4.0L I-6 engine
o NV241 Rock-Trac 4:1 transfer case
o Dana 44 front and rear axles w/ Tru-Lok selectable pneumatic lockers
o RCV Performance CV axle shafts
o 4.11 gears
o 42rle Transmission

Suspension/Steering/Brake Modifications:
o BDS 2" suspension lift
o BDS shocks
o JKS Quick disco's
o Zone 1.25" BL
o Zone 1" MML
o Currie HD steering
o Synergy ball joints
o RE 3/4" spacer (front)
o Black Magic brakes
o Currie AntiRock

Exterior Modifications:
o Rough Country Stinger w/ Hooks
o Rampage Frameless Soft Top
o 35x12.5x15 MTR's w/ Kevlar on MB TKO wheels
o Rear bumper plate w/ D-ring
o Half doors for the summer months

Armor
o Rokmen Steering Box Skid
o Smittybilt Crusher Corners w/ 3" flares
o Rokmen hilines w/flare
o A to Z Fab sliders
o Savvy GTS

Engine Modifications:
o AEM Bruteforce CAI

Interior Modifications:
o Jeep Floor Mats
o Rugged Ridge Grab Handles
o Tuffy Security Deck
o Mostalined Tub

Recovery Equipment:
o 12' Wheeler's Tree Strap
o 20' & 30' Wheeler's Straps
o 9k lb Engo winch w/cable
o Smittybilt Snatch Block

Electrical Modifications:
o iSimple
o Uniden Pro 510xl CB
o 3' Firestick Firefly CB Antenna
o Scangauge II
o 4" LED tails

Misc.
o MV50 air compressor
o Oasis Trailhead Tire Deflators

Have- still need to be installed:
o Ballistic Fab diff. covers (front and rear)
o Savvy Under Armor
o Novak shifter
o Metal Cloak Rear Upper Adj. Control Arms
o A to Z front builder bumper

Got the stinger and soft top on. Also picked up some half doors with black uppers for $300. Planning on painting them black and running them for the summer months.

Nice!

With the body lift and MML, any plans for a tummy tuck with the new skid or an SYE?

Yes. Planning on UCF 'original' extra clearance tcase skid along with the engine skid. No need for SYE as its a Rubi, but from what I've been reading, I'll need at minimum adj. rear upper CA's and possibly driveshaft. So we will see when that can happen.

I'd like to go with the ultra high clearance, but being an auto, the LoPro mount wont work with the tranny.

janesy wrote:No need for SYE as its a Rubi, but from what I've been reading, I'll need at minimum adj. rear upper CA's and possibly driveshaft.

Oh right, I forgot they elminated the slip-yoke with the Rubi's. Such an improvement, and nice that you don't have the issue.

Do you have any vibes, or is the CA upgrade just proper preventative action?

From what I've been reading on JF and what people have been telling me, I will most likely need them for the vibes once the skid is installed... I don't have any right now. Just been trying to figure out what I can get by with.

Also think I will do the Novak shifter cable while everything is down as well. I guess it really is Just Empty Every Pocket... My fiance will prob not be too happy, haha.

Where did you get the front bumper?

Scored it off a WM4x4 member that made it himself... Only charged me $50! Pretty simple, lightweight, and gives it a BA look, which is what I wanted. Plan to get a winch mount and a winch on there in the near future.

Very nice doors.... I'm exceptionally jealous.

Nice deal! i really need to get a rear bumper so I can get some recovery points back there.

I hear ya on the rear bumper... Mine didn't come with the stock hook back there, like my buddies Rubi's. So for now, since mine came with a curt tow package, I'm just running a receiver d-ring. Will work for the time being.

I noticed that. Looked like simple solution considering you already had the hitch. I am thinking about getting a shittybuilt classic rear bumper with D-rings and receiver. Its cheap enough that is it gets some rust on it I won't care.

Just found out that the stinger is a Rough Country. Not made anymore, and actually only found out because I was reading thru saxmanclay's build on JF... The guy I bought it from didn't mention and I thought it was made by him, but he just added a couple more hooks to the side of it.

And I got the BL/MML done on Friday after work, by myself, it only took me 4 1/2 hrs or so. Not as bad as I was expecting. After drilling 1/8" holes in the tub to soak the body mount bolts and applying generous amount of PB blaster, they all spun off without much effort! Glad to have that taken care of!

And when I did the 2" BDS, I wasn't able to get the upper rear shock bolts out (what a surprise) because the PO replaced them with a bolt coming from the top, with a nut on the bottom, but all they wanted to do is spin. After the BL I had some room to get a wrench in there, but still only had success with the passenger side. Drivers side still wound budge, so I'll have to resort to cutting off the bolts when I get a chance.

Yeah, sometimes the most useful wrench is just a cutoff wheel.

In the end it's often just not worth the hassle of dealing with the original.

I hear ya, thats the plan, just need to get my hands on one, can't seem to find mine...

And even doing the front shocks when I did the lift were a pain. Couldn't keep the piston from spinning no matter what I tried. In the end I ended up just unbolting the bottom mount, grabbing the shock body and pulled it toward me. The thread on the top of the piston snapped right off. Made the job much easier.