It was fun while it lasted

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TomO

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My wife mentioned that she is wanting to start using Nancy as her everyday car. This was actually the second time she brought that up. She usually gets her way with that sort of thing.

I guess that means I need to re-think my plans for upgrades and mods. Why would I need the off-road suspension and all the other bits I've been planning for a car that will spend the bulk of its time on the road?

Maybe I'll get another toy for myself out of deal ???
 

yellocoyote

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The 'off-road suspension' is a vast improvement on the OEM ride... for that alone, it's worth it.
 

TomO

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Point taken.

But surely there a big differences between fixing up an old KJ for daily road use and weekend off-road excursion use. My wife adds about 100 miles per day to her everyday car and doesn't really need to drag a bunch of recovery equipment, survival gear, off-road tires, etc. along for daily runs into town.

So what other upgrades and mods make the KJ a better commuting car?
 

diyman

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Point taken.

But surely there a big differences between fixing up an old KJ for daily road use and weekend off-road excursion use. My wife adds about 100 miles per day to her everyday car and doesn't really need to drag a bunch of recovery equipment, survival gear, off-road tires, etc. along for daily runs into town.

So what other upgrades and mods make the KJ a better commuting car?

Old KJ ?! (damn..)
OLD KJ ??!! (double damn..)
OLD KJJJJ???!!! (triple damn..)

Sounds even worse than calling Your Jeep a 'car' :happy175: ... We all shall pretend we didn't notice..

It's OK, forgiven..., just kidding :badger_1:

PS : Sooo You've come to the point You're afraid of losing her ( the KJ...), well well ... :D
 

tommudd

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Don't see why you need to change your plans
Mines been lifted for over 135,000 miles, hauls all of my tools, recovery gear etc all of the time. Nothing ever comes out, I'm ready.
Like YC stated ride and handling will be way better lifted than it ever was on the soft stock suspension
PLUS no matter where you go someone wants to ask about it or talk about it.
 

Ry' N Jen

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Ya, what Jayme and Tom said.

I don't get why so many men say "My wife always/usually
gets her way"...

I'm glad Jen is not like that!

My first wife was like that!
She said "Either your Mini goes or I go!"

I still have my Mini!
 
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TomO

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Betsy really is not 'that way'. I usually do try and get her what she wants because she always does the same for me.

It's more that I started developing a plan which did not necessarily include so much commuting / highway time on Nancy, at least not what I imagined.

I'm one of those kinds of guys who has way too many toys laying around and Betsy sweetly accepts that and even encourages and participates in playing with many of them.

And yeah, I'll admit it, Nancy is starting to grow on me. I bought her on a whim mainly because my primary weekend trip vehicle, an '87 Isuzu Trooper (Eric the Red), toasted yet another head gasket and I don't feel much like fixing him up again. There is the endless teasing from my buddies about my trying to get a 'chick car' up to some of our favorite out-of-the-way places to play, but that's all good natured. A week ago, I was handed a virtual award for getting the vehicle with the lowest ground clearance up the trail to Williams Peak in Colorado. I'm proud of that one, but my bash plates will never be the same.

I guess the question still remains. Do I build Nancy for off-road use anyway even though Betsy wants to drive her 90% of the time on paved roads, or do I put that effort into another 4x4 of some sort?
 

badkittystt

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I saw keep going as planned. From your previous posts I wouldn't be surprised if your wife started off-roading with it.
 

long_tall_texan

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I would recommend as the others have stated. I assume your hesitation to your planned suspension upgrades is because you typically don't think of a lifted Jeep as a highway vehicle. Here would be my suggestion. Replace all 4 shocks with some new quality shocks. Also, replace the springs with OME 927/948 combo. Leave out the top spacer plate, clevis, extra isos, etc for now. Replacing the springs and shocks will make for a much better ride all around - On or Off road. Yes, you will be sitting a little higher, but not so high that Betsy will have to get a running start to jump up into the driver's seat. Then upgrade to some mild all-terrain tires like Firestone Destination AT, or Cooper Discoverer ATR. You should still be able to run 245/75-16 with that setup.

Mild Lift, slightly larger tires, Huge ride & handling improvement, and be a little more capable off-road too.
 

TomO

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That sounds like reasonable advice. As to Betsy taking it off-road on her own, I think that's very likely. She has been known to wander off with I-wonder-whats-over-the-next-hill syndrome fairly often. She is the owner of a wholesale rare plant nursery and much of her/our off-road trips are in search of unusual trees and shrubs for her to clone to sell to gardening snobs.

I couple of weeks ago I was replacing struts on her BMW 740i. I think it took longer to scrape through the 1/2 inch of dried mud to find the bolts than it did to actually replace the struts.

But she already has a 4Runner. I hope that doesn't have to become my play car.
 

sota

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sorry to hijack but, question... why so much hate for the stock springs/shocks? i'm not really interested in going offroading as a passion but wouldn't mind the ability to go off the beaten path a bit more confidently. I'm in somewhat the same boat as TomO in that mine's more used for mall crawling and towing than for climbing/crawling/mudding.
 

long_tall_texan

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Not really hate. Just disappointment that they sag so soon. Brand spankin' new, KJ height measures right at 19" from center of wheel hub to the bottom outer edge of the fender flare. Mine was sagged almost an inch after only 20k miles. We don't expect high performance suspension from the factory, but would sure like it to last longer than that.

If the springs have started to sag, that means that they have actually broken down. They are not as stiff as they were designed to be. A softer spring will actually give you a rougher ride, because they are already partially compressed due to the sagging.

We all recommend the OME springs because they are a stiffer than stock spring. They are a nice upgrade to the suspension. Not to stiff. Just right in my opinion.
 

sota

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guess I should break out the tape measure tomorrow and see where I'm at. Jeep has 31k on it right now.
 

badkittystt

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I love the "what's over the next hill" syndrome. It's a little harder on an island but as soon as I get my new tires on I plan on doing a lot more of that. Of course what's over the next hill is usually a loop back to the hill you just came from... But every once in a while, it's a cliff or a beach or ruins from the sugar plantation days..... I just started gardening too so maybe I can take her lead and find a way to get clippings from plants, I've heard that can be done...
 

first&lastKJ

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My wife loves her jeep even more after I put the lift on it. She can see better and she feels safer sitting up higher. She loves parking next to other libertys and seeing how cool her jeep looks. I always drove anytime we went somewhere, now she wants to drive and we always take her jeep. We dont go offroading so its her daily driver. I say go for the lift.
 

rockymountain

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sorry to hijack but, question... why so much hate for the stock springs/shocks? i'm not really interested in going offroading as a passion but wouldn't mind the ability to go off the beaten path a bit more confidently. I'm in somewhat the same boat as TomO in that mine's more used for mall crawling and towing than for climbing/crawling/mudding.

you're one of those that think your stock suspension "isn't all that bad". NOBODY and I mean NOBODY ever thinks their stock suspension was good after they put OME springs on. Mine handles WAY better and I removed the rear sway bar. Even still I can take corners like no tomorrow. (probably the 100th time I've said that here). Its a dream on the highway too, in fact that's where it shines the most. The key word for a lifted KJ is versatility.

TomO, if you do lift it I warn you, you'll like it WAY too much.
 

sparkman70

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I have the ome lift kit in my kj and love it.It drives 100 times better then stock and the feel of it on and off road is so much better then it was new.Just go for it you will be happy with it.
 

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