Any Jeepers in here?

[craigkim]

Yesterday my JL Wrangler took the full onslaught of the storm that moved through the East side of Indy for about 40 mins... with no top and tube doors. The forecast didnt show rain when I left for work. It was a torrential downpour. The cup holders were filled to the brim and the floor had standing water that was spilling out the doors as I took turns. I was really worried about the leather and all of the electronics. After the storm passed I took out the floor mats, stripped the carpet, and pulled all of the drain plugs. I hung the carpets to dry and parked it in the sun. After an hour, I could barely tell it had gotten wet and it was perfectly fine. I am going to leave the carpets and the drain plugs out the rest of the Summer, possibly indefinitely, as I am not sure why I would want carpets anyway. The rubber mopar mats cover most of the floor. The one other thing I had that helped was a rugged ridge cargo area mat, which has a nice lip around it. It caught most of the water and kept my rear stow hatch area dry. I just tipped it and let the water pour out the back. That mat has now kept out rain and dog vomit.

 

[eldirector]

I'm in the Indy Jeep Junkies Facebook group and am looking at a trip to the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway at the end of July. It runs around the Red River Gorge area. I wonder if it overlaps, crosses, or runs along any part of the KAT? Anyway, the group does some great montly trips. I've been on a couple, including to an off-road park in Kentucky that was just a great trip. They are doing Turkey Bay at Land Between the Lakes this weekend. They do some big trips occasionally, too. They were planning Moab at one point until Covid bent the plans. Anyway, they are a good bunch and if you ever think about joining, I'll be your reference. I think we have a couple Gladiators in the group now, too.

Heard of them, but never joined. There are SO MANY social groups now, it is hard to keep track. I've been with JPFROG for years. Probably belong to a dozen Facebook groups, too, but not the Jeep Junkies.

Anywho... I'll look them up. Sounds like some decent trips in the works, and its always best to run with a group.

Edit: I swear I know someone from that group from a few years ago... Hmmm... Off to social media...

 

[eldirector]

Yesterday my JL Wrangler took the full onslaught of the storm that moved through the East side of Indy for about 40 mins... with no top and tube doors. The forecast didnt show rain when I left for work. It was a torrential downpour. The cup holders were filled to the brim and the floor had standing water that was spilling out the doors as I took turns. I was really worried about the leather and all of the electronics. After the storm passed I took out the floor mats, stripped the carpet, and pulled all of the drain plugs. I hung the carpets to dry and parked it in the sun. After an hour, I could barely tell it had gotten wet and it was perfectly fine. I am going to leave the carpets and the drain plugs out the rest of the Summer, possibly indefinitely, as I am not sure why I would want carpets anyway. The rubber mopar mats cover most of the floor. The one other thing I had that helped was a rugged ridge cargo area mat, which has a nice lip around it. It caught most of the water and kept my rear stow hatch area dry. I just tipped it and let the water pour out the back. That mat has now kept out rain and dog vomit.

Been wondering how well the newer Jeeps handle that. Good to hear yours did fine. I've had my old CJ and TJ drenched, and they survived. That was really the only way the CJ got clean!

 

[Principal Skinr]

Yesterday my JL Wrangler took the full onslaught of the storm that moved through the East side of Indy for about 40 mins... with no top and tube doors. The forecast didnt show rain when I left for work. It was a torrential downpour. The cup holders were filled to the brim and the floor had standing water that was spilling out the doors as I took turns. I was really worried about the leather and all of the electronics. After the storm passed I took out the floor mats, stripped the carpet, and pulled all of the drain plugs. I hung the carpets to dry and parked it in the sun. After an hour, I could barely tell it had gotten wet and it was perfectly fine. I am going to leave the carpets and the drain plugs out the rest of the Summer, possibly indefinitely, as I am not sure why I would want carpets anyway. The rubber mopar mats cover most of the floor. The one other thing I had that helped was a rugged ridge cargo area mat, which has a nice lip around it. It caught most of the water and kept my rear stow hatch area dry. I just tipped it and let the water pour out the back. That mat has now kept out rain and dog vomit.

Lol, I got drenched in April when I just had to try out the new Warn tube doors. The rain came earlier than expected and soaked everything in the Jeep except the back, thanks to the hard top still being in place.

No worse for the wear! That's kindof like a Jeep's version of losing its virginity.

 

[dave29]

Guess I should post a picture of the new bumper:

Rugged Ridge stubby. USA made, kept the factory LED fogs, and low-mount winch location. PAIN THE IN ASS to install. Seriously. Thought working on a non-rusty Jeep would be be nice. Still took 10+ hours total. Ended up needing to notch the matching skid (the only made in China part, figures) to clear the rear of the fogs.

Still, looks pretty decent, and was one of 2 bumpers I could find that met all my criteria without looking like it belonged on the Batmobile.

edit: well, that's a terrible picture. I'll snap another in the sun tomorrow.

Same bumper I am looking at. Do you mind sharing a picture of your new skid plate and where you got it? Thanks!

 

[craigkim]

Same bumper I am looking at. Do you mind sharing a picture of your new skid plate and where you got it? Thanks!

I would like to see that too. I don’t really like the way my front frame horns stick out below my fab fours bumper. The common thing to do is cut them off, but I thought I could barely put a skid plate up under the bumper. I think I was looking at a rugged ridge one, which I thought was made in the US. Not sure.

 

[eldirector]

Same bumper I am looking at. Do you mind sharing a picture of your new skid plate and where you got it? Thanks!

I'll grab a picture from below later today. It is from Rugged Ridge, the same as the bumper.

I will say it was the absolute hardest part of the entire install. I would have kept the factory Rubicon skid if it would have lined up well enough. The mounting brackets needed notched to clear the Rubicon in-frame nutserts for the factory skid. Even notched, it was a terrible fit onto the frame. The skid plate itself needed notched to clear the factory LED fog lamps. It is a TIGHT fit behind/below the bumper. The skid has notches specific to clear the bumper itself. It also does not offer the same coverage as the factory skid. While the Rubicon's electric swaybar disconnect is technically covered, it isn't by much. The factory skid extended back several more inches.

BTW: the skid plate box was clearly labeled as Made in China. The bumper itself is US made.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

My long running CJ7 frame off build got some color on the front axle housing today...
It should be going back together soon...

 

[dave29]

I'll grab a picture from below later today. It is from Rugged Ridge, the same as the bumper.

I will say it was the absolute hardest part of the entire install. I would have kept the factory Rubicon skid if it would have lined up well enough. The mounting brackets needed notched to clear the Rubicon in-frame nutserts for the factory skid. Even notched, it was a terrible fit onto the frame. The skid plate itself needed notched to clear the factory LED fog lamps. It is a TIGHT fit behind/below the bumper. The skid has notches specific to clear the bumper itself. It also does not offer the same coverage as the factory skid. While the Rubicon's electric swaybar disconnect is technically covered, it isn't by much. The factory skid extended back several more inches.

BTW: the skid plate box was clearly labeled as Made in China. The bumper itself is US made.

Sheesh! Sounds like I should look for another brand.

 

[eldirector]

Sheesh! Sounds like I should look for another brand.

Here is the skid:

Like I said. The bumper is pretty decent for the cost. The skid IMHO was not. But, with that bumper, not too many other skids would have worked.

 

[Principal Skinr]

Has anyone ever done the Bearwallow trail in the Hatfield/McCoy trail system in West Virginia? I've done ATV's on some of the system, but not Bearwallow. Bearwallow is open for Jeeps and it was just added to the Jeep Badge of Honor trail program. I'm thinking of loading up the Jeep and taking my boys out there for a few days of exploring and running this trail.

 

[Principal Skinr]

Well, the rules for Bearwallow trail suck. You have to buy a $50 annual permit for each person in your vehicle, including kids (no discount for kids). On top of that, each person in the vehicle must wear a helmet. Nope. Not doing it.

So instead, we're off to do Marblehead Loop at Drummond Island! I've wanted to go up there for a long time, so the JL is packed up and ready to depart in the morning! I'll get some pics and post them up upon my return.

 

[dave29]

Thanks for the picture. Good looking skid, too bad it was a serious pain to install it.

Here is the skid:

Like I said. The bumper is pretty decent for the cost. The skid IMHO was not. But, with that bumper, not too many other skids would have worked.

 

[sugarcreekbrass]

I replaced the gas tank skid plate/tub on my wife's 99 TJ. The old one was bad and the guy we bought the Jeep from already had bought it but never got around to fixing it. I did most of it myself today to surprise my wife while she was out of town. I had my stepson help getting the tank/tub back up. I'm glad I ordered new tank straps ahead of time as they twisted when using the impact to get the nuts off. Overall I thought it went pretty well!

 

[eldirector]

No picture. Was kinda busy.

Hit just a LITTLE of the KAT yesterday. One creek crossing and a little rock trail. Until the mud started. Kentucky has gotten, and continues to get, a TON of rain. My factory all-terrains were not up to the task. Once we started sliding sideways down the creek bank, it was time for the winch. Back on higher ground, we turned around. Will give the trail a day to drain, and try it again on Tuesday. Today is Cumberland Falls and a LITTLE exploring. Know of a couple of "off the beaten path" access points to the Cumberland River. Might break out the fly rod while my wife reads and the kiddo hunts for critters and fossils.

 

[craigkim]

Here is the skid:

Like I said. The bumper is pretty decent for the cost. The skid IMHO was not. But, with that bumper, not too many other skids would have worked.

I like it.

 

[craigkim]

Do any of you have a rack or bars installed on your Jeeps? Any recommendations? I bought two Wilderness systems Tarpon 120 kayaks this month and I am having a heck of a time figuring out the best way to put them on my Jeep. I purchased a Yakima system that I will be returning, because I thought it was a rain gutter install and it turned out to be a kit that required "professional installation" with drilling into the hard top... and if I am going to do that I would rather go with the Rhino mount that supports itself under the top on the roll bar. I ordered an Exposed Racks system that does seem to be a rain gutter type installation, but it is out of stock for a few more weeks. I sortof hate being pigeon holed into top on or off using these systems too, but my hoist makes it relatively quick, and I happened to think that kayaks are going to be dumping water on you if you put them over your head without the hard top on. Too many decisions and its hard to find much in stock due to COVID.

With all of the hassle, plus the need to put my hard top back on to use them, I am contemplating just getting a trailer.

 

[eldirector]

Tried to talk my wife into a roof rack for her JK, for the canoe. It was a hard "no". She hates the look, is all. I had done the research anyway (just in case). I'd have to look up the brand again, but it used plates inside the hardtop that transferred the weight from the rack down to the body tub. Yes, you had to drill the top. On the plus side, it was a 500+ lb rack, IIRC. Good for a roof top tent and two normal adults.

 

[craigkim]

Tried to talk my wife into a roof rack for her JK, for the canoe. It was a hard "no". She hates the look, is all. I had done the research anyway (just in case). I'd have to look up the brand again, but it used plates inside the hardtop that transferred the weight from the rack down to the body tub. Yes, you had to drill the top. On the plus side, it was a 500+ lb rack, IIRC. Good for a roof top tent and two normal adults.

I frequently see a red wrangler around here that has a rack which is supported from the cowls and maybe extends back and attaches to the bumper on each side. It looks like a small roll bar suspended up over the top of the jeep. I am sure it is very useful and strong, but it looks super ugly. I want something I can remove readily when I don't need it and both of my kayaks combined will top out at 130 lbs, so I don't feel like I need a ton of steel up there to carry them. I ordered an "Exposed Racks" setup from Quadratec, but it is backordered, likely for a few more weeks. It is a rain gutter clamp attachment style. I wouldn't want to put too much weight like that over the hard top, but again, I think it will be fine for 2 kayaks.

 

[Nathanaf8388]

Maybe a hitch rack of some sorts is what you need?


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