Planning for the long haul

[Jo6pak]

No, I'm not getting married.

After a few months of "secretly" considering trading the KJ for an LJ, I have thrown that idea out and decided that I'll be driving the Libby as long as possible and adding some fun bits.. Looking at possibly doing an LSD (Eaton or Detroit) But that's another thread...

Anyway, what I am wondering is. What parts, pieces should a guy have on hand for keeping the KJ going down the road for the forseeable future.
Basically what parts would be good to stash away for the proverbial "rainy day?"
Are there parts that are getting hard to come by?
Are there things that may start to give me issues, as I rise above 130k miles?

I don't have a lot of room for storing complete engines or trannys, but having some smaller bits on hand would give me piece of mind for the long haul.

What can I get used (salvage) and what would be better advised to get new?

 

[tommudd]

Intermediate shaft
Front driveshaft rebuild kit
u-joints
to start
what ever else comes to mind that you think may not be available some day.
I have a new set of front 4.10 gears-bearings etc , new set of cylinder heads, lifters, brake pads and discs, u-joints , tensioner, plugs, intermediate shaft, (2) rebuild kits for the front driveshaft, water pump, rear axles-seals-bearing, tail lights, fog lights, parking lights, inner and outer tie rods, spare front diff, lower ball joints, two extra sets of CVs, and .......well lets just say I got a lot stored away.

Some of the things may get hard to come by some day, ( like maybe the intermediate shaft ) others I bought for a good price or on sale so don't have much in them and I'll have them someday.

 

[Porkchop]

Tom can't believe you didn't say a tri link but I'd bet you have one tucked away as well.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

It's probably under the stash of parts...haha.

I'd get some fun stuff...rails, the traction stuff, etc. Stocking parts is cool but I'd rather get fun stuff and get the maintenance stuff as needed.

 

[Jo6pak]

Going to try to do a little of both, HJ.:icon_smile:

But I'd like to have some "insurance" before dropping a bunch of money into the KJ just to have something simple happen and have parts unavailable.

Thanks for the list, Tom.

 

[tommudd]

Tom can't believe you didn't say a tri link but I'd bet you have one tucked away as well.

only two extra oh plus extra rear lowers and seats front and rear

I'd look at front diff/ gears if you have 4.10s and Intermediate shaft first
Since the front diff is only in the KJs some day they may all go away except for well worn junk yard specials

But then I like to have parts so if something goes out, I only have to go 10 foot for a replacement
Fun stuff you can buy anytime:grd: and someday I'll really start building mine

 

[profdlp]

I would weigh how much of a premium you would pay to locate and buy a hard-to-find part should you need it against how much you might end up paying for parts you may never need. To put it another way, if you have $500 tied up in stuff for a rainy day which ends up only saving you the $100 extra you might pay for the one thing you actually need at some point, it's not worth it.

Essentially, I would be picky about discerning between what I knew I would need and what I thought I might need. At the same time, if stuff does get scarce and you end up not needing something, chances are that someone else will and will be willing to buy it from you. From a financial planning point of view, the best thing would be to stash away money on a regular basis and have a nice emergency fund to tap into when that part goes and you have to pay a little more for it because it's hard to find.

My personal philosophy is to go ahead and get the cool stuff you want and have fun now. When you get old you won't mind the stuff you did which you shouldn't have as much as you'll regret the things you didn't do and wished you had. (Note that this philosophy does not apply to a every area in life. Paying your rent on time is better than blowing it at the casino on the day before it's due, even though the latter might be more fun to do at the time. Sooner or later you'll roll snake eyes...)

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

I'm a bit torn on what I'd suggest to you - my plan is to keep my KJ for a LONG time and therefore I know that there will be components that won't be available or hard to find in the future. On the other hand I really like having the fun stuff on the KJ :icon_biggrin:

Look at the KJ-specific pieces first to figure out what to stock up on. IMO the front diff and intermediate shaft are not likely to show up in parts books in a few years so head to the local salvage yard and find a low-mileage diff - even if it has 3.73's in it. Find an intermediate shaft online (I see them on Amazon frequently) to have an extra around. Then buy a set of 4.10's for the front and have them on the shelf. Gears for the 8.25 are easy to find...

The engines and trannys are a dime a dozen and can be easily replaced or rebuilt - Chrysler has millions of them on the road so I wouldn't worry about those.

Like HJ said, think about armor and the fun stuff that makes your KJ unique and put those on now (I'm assuming a full spring lift is in your future if you haven't done it already...) and go out and have fun in your Jeep. When it's time to upgrade/replace things like the front diff you'll have the stuff in storage that's tough to find and can get the KJ operating without too much delay.

FWIW, I've had the front diff with 4.10's and a new intermediate shaft under the bench in my garage for almost a year-and-a-half knowing that one day I'd be regearing (that day is tomorrow, BTW!) but I've already lifted, put on armor, got the Moabs, blah blah blah. I'm happy with the order in which I've modded the Libby :waytogo:

P.S. There's always Mudd's Garage & Parts Store if you get in a bind! :icon_wink:

Bob

 

[Jo6pak]

Thanks Bob. Things like the diff and intermediate shaft are exactly what I had in mind when asking.

Since I now walk to work, I am not putting many miles on the KJ, as such I have the idea that I will be driving it for a long time... which is absolutely no problem since I like it.
I am still working on the fun stuff, but wanted a little piece of mind stored in the garage.

Once I get some insurance parts, I will be finishing up the armor and repainting the wheels. Then I will need to decide whether to do an Ironman lift or LSD in the rear.:icon_cool: