Latest / Jeep Talk Show / I Spent $500 vs $5000 on Jeep Lift Kits: Here's What Happened

Transcript

I Spent $500 vs $5000 on Jeep Lift Kits: Here's What Happened · Jeep Talk Show

0:00
(upbeat music)
0:04
All right, Josh, are you
0:05
driving the XJ right now?
0:06
Cause that would work in really well
0:07
with us talking about lift kits
0:09
and how to put lifts
0:11
on vehicles, on Jeeps.
0:14
Man, I wish I was in the XJ.
0:15
I can't tell you how much
0:16
I miss driving that thing.
0:18
Yeah, unfortunately I'm in the Honda,
0:19
much closer to the ground
0:21
than I wish I was, but--
0:22
Have you considered lifting it though?
0:23
I mean, I'm sure you could
0:24
do a lift kit on a Honda.
0:26
Dude, I've actually seen
0:27
it a couple of times here
0:28
in Oregon, you know, gambler
0:30
500 cars and that sort of thing.
0:31
People putting lift kits
0:32
on all sorts of vehicles
0:34
that probably shouldn't have them.
0:36
Yeah.
0:37
So I want to talk about lift kits.
0:39
There's a lot of people,
0:40
they finally get them a Jeep
0:42
and they go, wow, I finally got a Jeep.
0:44
And then they look at
0:45
it and it doesn't matter
0:45
if it's an XJ, a TJ, a YJ,
0:48
it could be their first Jeep,
0:49
even a CJ and they want to modify it.
0:53
I mean, that's one of
0:53
the things that we love
0:55
so much about the Jeeps, at least I do,
0:58
is the things that you can do to it.
1:00
And it's just so much,
1:00
makes it so much more fun
1:02
to drive and take it off road.
1:04
You don't have to go off road, but
1:05
sometimes the lift kit,
1:07
you like that look, you like that feel
1:09
being above everybody.
1:11
And that's one of the
1:11
big draws to the Jeep world
1:13
as it is, is not just the capability,
1:15
but the ability to
1:18
make the Jeep your own,
1:19
just how much is out there and available
1:22
for you to do things to your Jeep,
1:24
to modify it, to customize
1:26
it, or whatever that end.
1:27
It's a five billion,
1:29
that's billion with an M,
1:31
five billion dollar a year plus industry,
1:34
just modifying the Jeeps.
1:35
So yeah, it's kind of a big deal.
1:39
So I think one of the
1:40
really confusing things
1:43
about the lift is, back in the day,
1:45
we always went to the
1:46
Jeep forums and stuff,
1:47
and then we would look
1:48
there and get information,
1:50
get beat around about the
1:51
head on some of the questions
1:52
you would ask, you'd be told to search,
1:55
Google is your friend
1:56
and that type of thing.
1:57
But I'd only Google that for you.
1:59
Yeah.
2:01
But seriously though,
2:03
people would like to know
2:04
how they go about doing the lift,
2:05
and it's a confusing thing,
2:07
and especially if you don't have
2:09
mechanical abilities.
2:10
So you would go to the
2:11
forum and try to find out
2:13
which is the one, and then when you
2:15
started getting into it,
2:16
oh my God, the prices, the
2:19
prices were like a couple
2:20
hundred bucks up to
2:21
thousands of dollars, not installed.
2:25
Yeah, so that's the
2:26
thing, is a lot of people
2:27
new to the off-roading world in general,
2:29
or jeeping in general,
2:31
as they get into the realm
2:33
of customizing the vehicle,
2:35
upgrading its capabilities,
2:37
that sort of thing, you do
2:39
enter into a bit of a Pandora's
2:41
box as far as the
2:42
aftermarket is concerned.
2:43
Well, like I said just a minute ago,
2:44
it's a five plus billion
2:46
dollar a year industry,
2:47
with that kind of revenue being spent
2:52
on something as
2:53
specific as Jeep modifications.
2:56
Yeah, there's gonna be a
2:57
massive selection out there
2:59
that's gonna make your head spin.
3:00
And if you haven't done a
3:01
little bit of due diligence
3:02
in some research and educating yourself
3:05
in just what a lift kit is, the options
3:08
for that specific vehicle that you have,
3:11
and what it is that
3:11
you're trying to accomplish,
3:13
it could be quite overwhelming.
3:16
You know, and the
3:17
thing, I remember us talking
3:19
about this years ago,
3:20
where we were trying
3:22
to get advertisers
3:23
and stuff for the show,
3:24
and I actually threw out the thing about,
3:26
maybe we should charge for the show.
3:28
If it's free, it doesn't
3:29
have as much value to people.
3:31
But if they have to
3:31
pay for it, it's like,
3:32
oh, that's a big deal.
3:34
And that's kind of what
3:34
I think about lift kits.
3:36
I mean, your lift kits
3:38
are some basic things
3:40
that lift the suspension
3:42
lift that lift the vehicle,
3:44
and is it really worth
3:45
spending two, three, $4,000
3:48
for a lift when you can
3:50
get basically the same thing
3:51
for a thousand or $1,200?
3:54
Well, there is a certain degree
3:56
of you get what you pay for.
3:59
I know you love that.
4:00
I know you love that saying,
4:01
I always argue with you about it.
4:03
Well, because to a
4:05
certain degree, it's true.
4:06
And look, I'm speaking from somebody
4:08
who's done it both
4:09
ways, gone and installed,
4:13
quite extensive lift kits on Jeeps
4:16
that pretty much have
4:17
all the bells and whistles
4:19
and all the accoutrements
4:20
and all that sort of stuff.
4:21
And then I've done it the other way,
4:23
where you do it in phases,
4:24
you kind of nickel and
4:25
diamond along the way,
4:26
you do it in bits and pieces,
4:28
and you kind of
4:29
eventually get to where you thought
4:32
that you would never be to begin with.
4:34
I mean, I remember back with
4:35
the first time I got the XJ,
4:37
and I'm like, well, I'm
4:38
never gonna put anything more
4:39
than 31s on it.
4:40
I'm not gonna go crazy on this thing.
4:42
Fast forward a couple of few years later,
4:44
and I'm
4:45
(beep)
4:46
cutting on it and welding on it.
4:48
And next thing you know,
4:49
it's not a daily driver anymore.
4:52
It's, there's an old saying,
4:54
best laid plans are best laid to rest,
4:57
because I'm sure it's very
5:00
common for a lot of people
5:02
to get what happens, as we call,
5:04
getting bit by the Jeep bug.
5:06
And you get into modifying the Jeep,
5:08
you get out there and start using it,
5:09
and then you realize that
5:11
the plans you had for your Jeep
5:13
are going to change rather quickly.
5:14
And this isn't the, you know,
5:16
It's a learning experience.
5:17
For everybody, but it is,
5:18
and you don't know until you know,
5:21
and you only know the
5:21
things that you know
5:22
until you find out the
5:23
things that you don't know.
5:24
It's so you know.
5:24
Yeah, right.
5:26
And so when you go
5:26
out there, you're like,
5:27
well, I didn't know that I
5:28
need this if I wanna do that,
5:30
and or I need this if I
5:32
want my Jeep to look like that.
5:34
And there's a lot of things
5:35
that go along with lift kits
5:37
as far as the end result.
5:40
And I think that's the
5:41
big key takeaway here
5:43
in the discussion about lift kits
5:46
and modifying your Jeep
5:48
suspension in general,
5:49
is what is the goal?
5:51
What is it that you
5:52
are trying to accomplish?
5:54
And that goal may change over the course
5:57
of the first couple of few
5:58
years of you owning your Jeep.
6:00
In the beginning, it may be just-
6:01
Oh, I think absolutely it does.
6:03
In the beginning, it may
6:04
just be an appearance thing.
6:06
And then as you get into
6:08
off-roading a little bit more
6:09
and you realize
6:11
capabilities can be limited
6:12
by certain factors of your suspension,
6:15
all of a sudden those
6:16
plans can change rather quickly
6:18
and dramatically.
6:19
And that of course
6:20
comes with a price tag.
6:22
Yeah, and I guess it's like most things,
6:24
you can do something
6:25
cheaper and it's perfectly fine
6:28
if you're not using your Jeep for a
6:31
hardcore off-roading.
6:33
So if you just want to lift-
6:35
I'll disagree with that.
6:36
I'll disagree with that because we, look,
6:39
I started building my Jeep from,
6:41
and I've always been a miser.
6:42
I am a cheap son of a bitch, okay?
6:44
So I'm not gonna be the
6:46
guy that's gonna go out there
6:47
and drop $2,500 on a lift kit.
6:49
I'm a nickel and dime that lift kit
6:51
over the course of a year and a half,
6:53
piecing it together with bits and pieces
6:55
that I have found on
6:56
Marketplace or Craigslist.
6:58
Now, my XJ has been built,
7:00
half of that thing has
7:01
been built off of Craigslist
7:03
just because I believe
7:05
in maximizing your dollar
7:08
and being able to, I mean, look,
7:10
jeeping is not a poor man's sport
7:13
by any stretch of the imagination.
7:15
And modifying your Jeep
7:16
can get very expensive,
7:18
very quickly, and can get out of control.
7:20
That's why they say, you know, Jeep,
7:21
it's like it's just empty every pocket.
7:23
That's what Jeep stands for,
7:25
is because of that $5
7:26
billion a year industry
7:28
in modifying Jeeps, it
7:30
can get out of control
7:31
and get expensive very quickly.
7:32
And so coming from a standpoint of,
7:34
well, I wanna get as much
7:35
bang for the buck as I can,
7:37
I'm gonna look for used gear.
7:39
I'm gonna look for that secondhand stuff
7:41
and it may take me a
7:41
little while to get what I want,
7:43
but in the end, I will have pieced
7:45
together everything I need
7:46
to modify the suspension
7:48
in the way that I wanted
7:49
to get the goals that
7:50
I'm trying to reach.
7:51
Yeah, I mean, that's a
7:52
great way to save money
7:54
by piecing it together yourself.
7:56
It can cost you more in the long run,
7:58
depending on how much research you do,
8:00
but I think that's an
8:01
excellent way of doing things
8:03
and keeping the price down.
8:04
Anyway, what I was saying is, I mean,
8:06
you can go like with
8:07
a Rough Country lift,
8:08
you get the height, you get
8:10
the cool of driving around,
8:11
you get the larger tires,
8:13
and now there's other
8:14
things that come along with that,
8:15
as we like to say here, no
8:17
modification goes unpunished,
8:19
but for the most
8:20
part, you can get into it
8:22
and maybe spend 700 bucks,
8:24
not including tires and wheels,
8:25
but you get into it for
8:27
700 bucks and you got a lift
8:28
and now you're cruising along
8:30
and people are looking at you,
8:32
you're turning around
8:33
looking at your Jeep
8:34
as you're walking into the store or work
8:36
because it just looks so good.
8:38
But then if you catch the
8:40
bug like you're talking about,
8:41
where you're gonna
8:41
start taking it off road,
8:43
and then you start finding
8:44
out what the limitations are,
8:46
it's like, well, crap,
8:47
and I was gonna point this out earlier,
8:50
if you get a lift, generally speaking,
8:53
that's not the last one you're getting.
8:56
The danger is always,
8:57
oh, all I need is a two inch lift.
9:00
And then you go, yeah, and then you go,
9:02
oh, I should have got a four inch lift.
9:05
Famous last words, yeah, no doubt.
9:08
Well, it's like the 31
9:09
you just said, you know?
9:10
Well, let's talk
9:12
about some of those stages
9:13
really quick, Tony.
9:14
I mean, because a lot of people aren't
9:16
exactly familiar with,
9:18
well, what do I get with
9:20
X or what do I get with Y?
9:22
And as you enter into the world of
9:25
suspension modification,
9:27
there are definitely good,
9:28
better, and best categories.
9:31
You definitely have
9:32
stages and tiers as it were.
9:34
And some people may,
9:35
as they do the research,
9:37
heard terms like budget
9:38
boost or a long arm kit
9:41
or adjustable control
9:42
arms, things like that.
9:45
As you get into the
9:47
bigger and bigger lift kits,
9:49
it meaning more inches
9:51
above factory height,
9:53
a two inch lift kit,
9:54
you're not gonna have
9:55
a whole lot of pieces.
9:57
There's not gonna be a lot of
9:57
components through that kit.
10:00
And in fact, it may be
10:01
something very, very simple,
10:03
can be done in your
10:04
driveway in an afternoon,
10:06
definitely less than a
10:07
weekend's worth of work
10:08
and typically done with hand tools.
10:10
As you get into more
10:11
and more elaborate kits,
10:13
you get into the long arm kits,
10:15
you get into lift kits that
10:17
have, they come with springs,
10:19
they come with shocks,
10:20
they come with all sorts
10:21
of bracketry and hardware,
10:24
relocation kits that move
10:26
other things like brake lines
10:28
and steering components and
10:30
stuff down into other areas
10:32
to where they're not going to be affected
10:34
by the new changes in the
10:35
geometry of the suspension.
10:37
So there's lots of things that go along
10:40
with these lift kits
10:41
as you get into more
10:43
elaborate or higher lift kits.
10:46
So do you remember when Tammy had her JK
10:49
and she got the lift on it?
10:51
And then shortly after
10:52
that lift within six months,
10:54
I think she had to
10:55
get a new Rezeppa joint,
10:56
a front driveshaft
10:57
because it was chewing up
10:58
the boot on the Rezeppa?
11:02
That's one of those things
11:03
that people don't really understand.
11:04
It's one of those parts
11:05
that comes with the education
11:07
of teaching yourself
11:10
exactly what all happens
11:12
to your vehicle as you
11:14
lift the body above the frame
11:16
or you lift the frame
11:17
above the suspension.
11:19
There's a lot of
11:19
things that start to change,
11:21
not only in the drive
11:22
train, but also in this steering
11:25
and the suspension itself.
11:26
And so as you start
11:27
modifying the Jeep's characteristics,
11:30
that appearance will actually
11:31
change some vital components.
11:34
So you gotta be careful if it
11:35
is, is it just a look thing?
11:37
Are there capabilities
11:38
that you're trying to reach?
11:39
And as you get up in those lift numbers,
11:42
as you get an increase above
11:43
two inches, above four inches,
11:44
above six inches in
11:46
lift over stock height,
11:48
the amount of elaborate,
11:51
how elaborate that kit gets
11:54
is going to increase dramatically.
11:56
The price is going to
11:57
increase dramatically.
11:58
The amount of modifications,
12:00
things that you may have to cut
12:01
may have to drill.
12:02
The level of intensity of installation
12:05
is gonna change, the
12:06
amount of tools required
12:07
is gonna change, the time
12:09
involved is gonna change.
12:10
So as you go up in
12:12
height in that lift kit,
12:14
things across the
12:14
board change dramatically,
12:16
not just in price, but in time and in
12:18
level of modification
12:20
and the amount of tools
12:21
that you're gonna need
12:22
and expertise as well.
12:24
Yeah, the complexity.
12:25
Like for example, what comes
12:26
to mind is the TJ and the XJ,
12:29
when you're lifting it, you have an issue
12:32
with both TJ and XJ having a slip yoke
12:36
for the rear axle, I
12:38
mean the rear driveshaft.
12:40
And that can cause
12:42
vibrations if you're not taking in
12:45
the rear differential angle.
12:48
So there's things called
12:50
shims that you have to use
12:52
or you get a slip yoke eliminator,
12:54
which means taking the transfer case out
12:57
and rebuilding it basically.
12:59
And there's also too the hack and tap,
13:01
which isn't as strong,
13:02
but you don't have to take
13:03
the transfer case out.
13:05
I know we're causing your
13:06
heads to spin out there newbies,
13:08
I know this is kind of the charm.
13:11
Yeah, this is the kind of the charm
13:13
of getting into modifying your Jeep.
13:15
And when you understand it,
13:16
especially when you've
13:17
accomplished it, you go,
13:18
wow, I'm really good at this.
13:21
I'm doing a lot mechanical
13:22
things and it's working for me
13:23
and I understand how things work.
13:26
So it's a double edged sword.
13:30
Absolutely, once you
13:31
start getting into this level
13:33
of Jeep modification,
13:35
you're entering into a level
13:37
of educating yourself in
13:39
terminology and geometry
13:41
and other things that you otherwise
13:43
may not have been exposed to
13:45
or may not understand
13:46
prior to all of that.
13:48
And so it's a bit of a can
13:50
of worms or Pandora's box,
13:52
as I mentioned earlier,
13:53
the deeper you get into this,
13:55
the more involved it becomes and the
13:57
larger of a skill set
13:59
and understanding of
14:00
what's going on with the Jeep
14:02
and its components as a whole,
14:04
the more the deeper you get into this.
14:06
So it's definitely something
14:08
that demands a certain level
14:12
of respect when it comes
14:14
to research and education
14:16
and doing your homework on essentially
14:19
what it's gonna take
14:20
to reach that goal that
14:22
you're trying to achieve
14:23
with the Jeep.
14:23
Is it just an appearance thing?
14:25
I'm just trying to go up one tire size
14:27
and I'll be fine with that?
14:29
Or is it something a lot more serious?
14:31
Hey, I wanna build this
14:32
into a serious rock crawler.
14:34
I wanna get into some serious off-roading
14:36
and I know that I need to educate myself
14:38
on what that's gonna take
14:40
because it's not just
14:41
about suspension at that point.
14:42
If you're really gonna be getting serious
14:44
into some serious rock crawling
14:46
and the next level of off-roading,
14:49
you get in a whole nother world
14:50
as far as traction is concerned,
14:52
you get into armor
14:53
requirements and other things as well.
14:55
And not to mention starting to upgrade
14:57
the steering and stuff as well
14:59
because as you increase the capabilities
15:01
of your suspension and everything else,
15:03
you're gonna start moving
15:04
the weak links in the Jeep
15:06
and suspension and steering around.
15:08
And so suddenly all that stock suspension
15:11
that may have had some
15:11
weak links in it before
15:13
is now quite strong and beefy.
15:15
And so where's the weak link now?
15:18
It might be in your steering.
15:19
It might be something else.
15:20
So it might be in the axles.
15:22
Who knows?
15:23
These are all the types of things
15:24
that will come with not only experience,
15:27
but getting out there and using your Jeep
15:28
and of course doing the research
15:29
and educating yourself as well.
15:32
Yeah, you'll find that the weak link,
15:35
you need to engineer
15:36
for something that's cheap
15:37
and easy to replace.
15:39
Yeah, it's a level of force pod
15:42
that doesn't exactly
15:43
come very quickly or easily.
15:45
No, you think I'm gonna
15:46
fix this thing so it's beefy.
15:47
Nothing's ever gonna break.
15:49
Well, bull
15:49
(beep)
15:50
it will break because of
15:51
you and your skinny pedal
15:52
and the articulation
15:54
or how much you're
15:55
moving the steering wheel.
15:56
So speaking of education,
15:58
let's shelve this
15:59
conversation for a moment
16:01
and talk about you, Josh,
16:02
because to a lot of people
16:05
that are new to the show,
16:06
they don't understand
16:08
where Josh came from.
16:09
All of a sudden Josh just
16:10
popped up and we mentioned it.
16:12
I'm talking all this Jeep stuff.
16:14
I don't know who this guy is.
16:15
I can't.
16:16
(beep)
16:17
Why am I listening to this guy?
16:18
He's not even in a Jeep.
16:19
He's in a Honda.
16:21
Yeah, I know, right?
16:22
So Josh, way back when,
16:25
whenever the podcast first started,
16:27
I'm sure it was in 2010
16:28
or really shortly
16:31
after I started the show,
16:33
I reached out to some people
16:36
and asked a group of people
16:38
if they would be interested in being a
16:40
co-host on the show.
16:41
And there was hundreds of
16:44
people that contacted me.
16:46
Oh, I'm sorry.
16:47
That's like that,
16:49
that got the zeros in the wrong place.
16:51
There was one person
16:52
that reached out and says,
16:53
hey, I'd like to do it.
16:54
And that was Josh.
16:56
And people were really,
16:59
they really enjoyed the show.
17:01
Yeah, I mean, I think it
17:02
was shortly around 2010 or so,
17:04
whenever I reached out,
17:06
Josh joined the show and God,
17:09
Joshua, was it two
17:10
years or three years ago?
17:11
You had to leave the show?
17:13
It was about three years ago.
17:15
Yeah, it was three years ago, May.
17:17
So that would be May of 2023, roughly,
17:21
is when things kind of
17:23
took a turn in my life.
17:26
And I had to step back from the show.
17:28
I had to get a second job.
17:29
And ultimately that was
17:30
the ultimate deciding factor
17:33
in, well, that wasn't deciding.
17:35
It sort of forced me into the situation
17:37
of having to step back from the show.
17:40
And best laid plans and all that,
17:42
I had intended on trying to
17:44
do some segment production
17:45
and stuff like that.
17:46
But my schedule over the last three years
17:49
with my second job,
17:50
and of course other
17:51
responsibilities in Maine life
17:54
had changed several times.
17:57
Not the least of which was last summer,
18:00
my mom getting a
18:01
terminal cancer diagnosis
18:02
and me moving her into my house,
18:04
which of course came with a
18:05
whole host of other things.
18:07
So, and there's been--
18:08
Well, you didn't have enough to do.
18:09
The universe says, Josh,
18:10
it's too much free time.
18:13
(laughing)
18:14
Unreal, yeah.
18:15
It's funny how it works out that way.
18:17
Yeah, but everybody
18:19
really enjoyed the chemistry
18:20
between Josh and I,
18:22
even though I think we're separated
18:23
by probably about 15 years.
18:25
It's like Josh is my
18:27
brother and we fight.
18:28
Oh yeah.
18:29
And we agree, we
18:30
disagree, and it's just fun.
18:32
The audience really enjoys it.
18:33
So really thanks to technology,
18:36
Josh is busy working along,
18:38
but he gets to drive sometimes,
18:40
and now he's on here helping do the
18:43
co-host position again.
18:44
So Josh is gonna be a
18:46
regular until things may change,
18:47
which I don't think so.
18:48
I think we can work this out.
18:50
And hopefully you
18:51
guys are enjoying Josh's,
18:53
his comedy, his information,
18:56
and just his ability to shoot this
18:58
(beep)
18:58
frankly.
19:00
Yeah, that's one thing
19:01
that I noticed early and often
19:03
as we started doing the show
19:05
is a level of chemistry between us.
19:08
It was natural, it was
19:10
organic, it just clicked.
19:12
And I can't attribute it
19:16
to any one thing or another
19:17
outside of just the kind of
19:19
background that we each had
19:20
and similar interests.
19:23
Yeah, it just happens.
19:24
You see it on radio
19:25
personalities, TV personalities,
19:27
and sometimes the chemistry's there,
19:29
sometimes it's not, I
19:30
think quite often it's not.
19:33
Okay, Josh, let's get back,
19:34
let's tie a bow on this lift kit stuff.
19:37
So the premise of the lift kit discussion
19:39
was cheap or expensive.
19:42
I say, my final say on this is cheap
19:46
because you're gonna replace all that
19:47
(beep)
19:48
anyway.
19:49
(laughs)
19:50
And you don't know if
19:52
you're gonna be using it off-road
19:53
or not whenever you put it on there.
19:55
Yeah, the best thing I'd have to say
19:57
is that anybody who's in
19:58
the market for a lift kit
20:00
is start talking to other jeepers
20:03
and really getting an
20:05
understanding of what your goals are
20:08
with the vehicle and what
20:09
it's gonna take to reach that
20:11
because your ultimate
20:12
goals are going to determine
20:15
the path that you take.
20:16
And that path can be
20:19
achieved either the cheap way
20:21
or the expensive way.
20:23
And so it's gonna come
20:24
down to sort of your budget,
20:27
your available income and
20:29
your goals that you wanna reach.
20:31
And of course, a lot of
20:32
that can change along the way
20:34
as we discussed, but
20:35
ultimately to get yourself
20:38
an understanding of where you wanna be,
20:40
it's gonna take
20:41
talking with other jeepers,
20:42
it's gonna take a
20:44
little bit of education,
20:45
a little bit of time,
20:46
and we're all about
20:47
that instant gratification,
20:48
but trust me, it's worth it
20:50
spending a little bit of time
20:52
to figure things out,
20:53
answer a few of those questions
20:55
and get yourself
20:55
pointed in the right direction
20:56
before you start pulling the trigger
20:58
on making those purchases.
20:59
(upbeat music)
21:03
All right, guys, in this round table,
21:05
we're gonna be talking about
21:06
cheap versus expensive lift kits
21:08
on a jeep.
21:09
Is the extra money worth
21:11
it for real off-roading?
21:13
Or are you mostly paying for
21:15
the name and a better warranty?
21:17
What specific differences have you felt
21:19
articulation handling
21:20
noise are breaking parts?
21:22
I mean, stuff like ride quality,
21:23
durability and handling.
21:26
I mean, ride quality, really, in a jeep,
21:28
but I mean, if you
21:28
could have ride quality
21:30
and great off-road
21:30
ability, I'd say that's great,
21:32
you could do it.
21:33
All right, so let's start with Steve O.
21:36
Steve O, tell us about
21:37
your jeep and your lift.
21:40
All right, I got a 2019 JLU Rubicon.
21:44
Back before they had the,
21:45
I think it was the reek,
21:46
the X-Edition.
21:48
I went with the Mopar lift.
21:51
Basically, I was kind of looking around
21:52
and I decided I wanted to go something
21:54
that was engineered for
21:55
the jeep for that one.
21:56
And then I also wanted to
21:58
make sure I maintained ride,
21:59
as at the time it was my daily driver.
22:02
So I didn't want to go too crazy.
22:05
Back in the day, it
22:06
was 2020 when I did it.
22:08
It was 1300.
22:11
Right now they're going for around 1900.
22:13
But again, the most
22:14
expensive part of my whole lift
22:16
was actually the new wheels and tires.
22:19
No point in putting a lift
22:20
on, unless you put bigger tires,
22:21
which the tires were gonna give you
22:23
that ground clearance anyway.
22:25
So the whole point of the
22:26
lift is either the bigger tires
22:27
or the tires would get
22:28
you above the obstacles.
22:30
Right, exactly.
22:32
Did you self-install the lift kit?
22:35
I did.
22:36
Me, Dan, who's on here helped.
22:39
Another buddy who had done
22:40
the Mopar kit on his jeep
22:42
helped us, because he had done it.
22:44
So I figured I'd grab him as a resource,
22:47
because he knew where
22:48
all the little tricks were
22:49
that he had to overcome.
22:50
So made it a lot easier
22:51
and a lot quicker to do.
22:52
So was it a driveway
22:53
or home garage install?
22:57
It was a garage install
22:58
crawling around the floor.
22:59
Yeah.
23:00
For me, I'm like--
23:01
You don't have to spend,
23:02
you don't have to have a shop do it.
23:03
You don't need a lift
23:05
to put the vehicle up on.
23:06
I mean, those things are nice,
23:08
but you were able to do it,
23:09
saved a bunch of money in the process.
23:11
I'd also hope to have an 18 year old son
23:13
who I could throw under
23:13
there and do the hard stuff.
23:17
He did a lot of that,
23:18
because I was like,
23:19
here, get under there.
23:20
So you can get toward a
23:21
lot better than I can.
23:22
Well, that's a good thing
23:23
for him to go through too.
23:25
Gives him the confidence
23:26
and ability to do something
23:28
like that.
23:28
And I don't know, I mean,
23:30
I did some work on my dad's vehicle
23:31
back when I was like 16 years old,
23:33
and it was a confidence builder for me,
23:35
because my dad trusted me
23:36
to work on his daily driver.
23:38
And it really made me
23:39
feel good about it myself.
23:41
Yeah.
23:43
All right.
23:44
Would you change the lift now?
23:46
Would you have gone with a bigger lift
23:47
or maybe a more expensive lift?
23:50
No, I'm very satisfied with it.
23:52
I have this soft top,
23:54
and right now I have
23:55
only an inch of clearance
23:56
because of the bump in the soft top,
23:58
getting into the garage,
23:59
and I do not want to park it outside.
24:01
My whole thing is a Fegel bigger,
24:03
obviously I'd want 37 inch tires,
24:06
which also gets you into regearing.
24:08
Just a lot of other, it's still, again,
24:10
like you say on the show,
24:12
no modification goes upon a shrink.
24:15
I mean, I had the four tons in there.
24:17
They do great.
24:18
I mean, I had her up to, I don't know,
24:21
85, 90 the other day, even
24:22
moving along the highway,
24:24
but going to bigger
24:25
tires out of three gear,
24:26
and that's where it gets to be a really,
24:28
sort of, the horse of money.
24:29
That's something I will not do myself.
24:31
I've never done it.
24:32
It's not something I'm
24:33
gonna YouTube either.
24:34
Yeah.
24:35
Well, it's pretty cool too,
24:36
because the Gladiator 35s, four tens,
24:39
my Gladiator, I remember following Bill
24:42
up to Moab one year,
24:44
and he's got the 392.
24:46
He had passed somebody,
24:47
and I went to pass him,
24:48
and I wanted to get around him,
24:50
and I looked down and I think
24:51
it said 107 on the Gladiator,
24:54
and it was doing just fine
24:55
with that two inch mopar lift,
24:57
and 35s and four tens.
24:59
So I was surprised.
25:01
I was moving that fast, frankly.
25:03
But anyway.
25:04
All right, Dan, let's go over to you.
25:06
Again, make model year and lift.
25:09
All right, I got a 2012 JKU Sahara,
25:13
and it was probably
25:14
about eight years old,
25:16
fresh with COVID money that I put in.
25:19
A Teraflex two and a half inch ST.
25:24
So it's their street trail,
25:26
kind of a dual purpose type of lift.
25:31
I didn't go the cheapest route.
25:32
I didn't go the most expensive route,
25:34
but it was somewhere
25:35
solidly in the middle
25:37
that had enough of the required pieces
25:42
that would keep you out of trouble.
25:44
So it had longer control arms,
25:46
it had the adjustable track bar,
25:49
the rear track bar relocation bracket,
25:51
new sway bar links,
25:53
exhaust spacers to clear the drive shaft,
25:57
which was actually the
25:58
hardest part of the install,
26:00
was to get all of the bolts out
26:05
in places where you can't get drills in
26:07
because everything was-
26:08
Well, especially after eight years
26:09
and in the winter and the salt and stuff,
26:11
I can imagine that was a nightmare.
26:12
And then one rear shock bolt.
26:16
Of course, it's gotta be
26:17
the absolute last bolt.
26:18
And that was Steve, I give that to him.
26:21
So I wonder why, that's
26:23
probably why I took so long.
26:24
Oh, fuck you.
26:26
We put map gas on that thing.
26:28
We put a whole can of-
26:31
Yeah.
26:32
PB Blaster.
26:32
PB Blaster.
26:33
I mean, it got to the
26:34
point where I described
26:35
the mini sludge, I
26:35
said, "You're coming out."
26:37
And I went to town on it.
26:39
But I'll tell you what, I
26:39
couldn't move for two days
26:40
because it was on his
26:41
garage floor, lying on my back.
26:43
Yep.
26:44
And I did a base myself
26:46
that anything that was stuck,
26:48
I was able to get unstuck.
26:50
So it took two days just to
26:53
get the exhaust spacers in.
26:55
But I guess what helped me was the,
26:58
was, oh, ExtremeTerrain, I think,
27:02
had videos, installed
27:03
videos on this exact same lift.
27:05
That probably half a dozen times.
27:08
And of course it goes much
27:09
smoother on a nice clean Jeep
27:10
with no rust and crap on it, but-
27:12
Oh yeah.
27:13
But I mean, it was step by
27:14
step, like hour long video.
27:17
And that helped a lot.
27:19
Well, actually some people may be
27:21
concerned about that.
27:22
Maybe they have an older Jeep,
27:23
they would like to have a lift on it,
27:25
but they live in the salt belt.
27:27
And it can be done.
27:28
It's frustrating as things that are,
27:31
but it's a problem
27:31
and you work through it
27:32
and you get it done.
27:33
So did you do your
27:34
lift before or after Steve
27:36
did his Mopar lift?
27:37
I did mine before.
27:38
Okay.
27:39
So we had some familiarity
27:40
then when we got into Steve's.
27:42
Did you see that you
27:44
would have gone maybe Mopar
27:45
if you had seen the Mopar before,
27:47
or are you happy with
27:48
the lift you went with?
27:49
I was fine with Teraflex.
27:51
I don't know if Mopar
27:53
made it two and a half,
27:53
but I mean, Teraflex is good,
27:56
you know, it's a known brand.
27:58
Good company, yeah.
27:59
I may have taken another
28:00
look at the Metal Cloak.
28:03
I don't know how it would have,
28:04
depending on what the price was,
28:05
if I would have gone the extra,
28:06
but the most
28:07
expensive part was the shocks
28:10
because mine came with Falcon shocks.
28:13
I really thought hard
28:16
about do I skip the shocks
28:19
and go with something a
28:21
little less expensive.
28:22
Right.
28:23
I was thinking a lot
28:23
about the Rancho shocks.
28:25
Yeah.
28:26
And I had Rancho on before on my TJ
28:29
and people were talking
28:31
about the adjustable Rancho
28:32
saying they're the
28:33
absolute best bang for the buck
28:36
on aftermarket shocks.
28:40
They're not the best,
28:41
but they're for the money
28:43
and the performance, you
28:46
know, you can't beat it.
28:47
So I almost got that route,
28:49
but I stuck with the Falcons.
28:51
Yeah, so any plans to change anything,
28:55
maybe lift it up higher using new coils,
28:59
anything that you're planning on doing
29:01
or are you sticking with what you got?
29:03
I'm sticking with what I got.
29:04
If I go up, I've got to go out.
29:06
So this longer control arms again,
29:08
I don't really need again
29:10
from what we do around here
29:12
and what we have.
29:13
And you know, I don't
29:15
need the performance
29:16
to really throw any more money into that.
29:18
So plus it fits in my garage.
29:21
Okay, let's go over to Ralph.
29:25
Ralph is ready to
29:26
unmute and answer a question.
29:28
Ralph, how about you?
29:29
What do you got to make
29:31
model in your Jeep and what lift?
29:34
Well, hey, y'all
29:35
haven't seen y'all in a while.
29:38
So I got a 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave.
29:42
First time getting an
29:44
actual premium Jeep.
29:46
So that was a big change.
29:49
So as of right now, I did
29:51
a 2.5 Teraflex Alpine IR.
29:55
Got full steer smarts in the front.
29:58
I retained the original
29:59
shocks since I had just bought it.
30:03
And I like it a lot.
30:05
It's gotten me through
30:06
a lot that I want to.
30:07
I put a oil pan skid and it's been fun.
30:13
I can get in the garage.
30:14
Yep.
30:16
Have you done any off-roading with it?
30:19
Oh yeah.
30:20
How does it perform for you?
30:22
Are you happy with your selection?
30:24
Yeah, I haven't had too many issues.
30:28
Usually if it's great, this race,
30:31
they say something about the,
30:34
it maxes out the
30:36
shocks if you go too far on,
30:39
but it's been all right.
30:40
Usually I just disconnect the sway bar.
30:44
I would like to get, what's it called?
30:46
The anti-rocks.
30:48
Oh yeah.
30:49
The next, yeah, that's the next thing.
30:51
I've heard the hardened one
30:53
does fine for highway travel
30:55
since I do a lot of highway.
30:57
So we'll see.
30:58
Sorry, just taking the trash.
31:00
No problem, no problem.
31:02
Well, good.
31:02
And come more often, we
31:05
would like to have a new year.
31:06
All right, so let's, I'm sorry?
31:09
Did he say what size
31:10
tires he had or did I miss it?
31:12
Oh, sorry, 37's on...
31:17
Not race line, it's something else.
31:18
It's like one tier down.
31:21
But yeah, they're expensive.
31:24
And they're getting more expensive
31:25
as the time moves forward.
31:28
All right, so Roger, what do you got?
31:31
What make model a year?
31:32
And you've kind of got a,
31:34
I mean, I'm not talking bad about it,
31:35
but you kind of have
31:36
a bastardized JKU now
31:38
that Greg Henderson unofficial use only
31:40
has heavily modified.
31:42
I don't think that
31:43
changes the ability of the rig.
31:46
I think it still would
31:47
still be considered a JKU,
31:49
but what make model a
31:50
year a Jeep do you have?
31:53
2017 Rubicon Recon,
31:58
but it's got a metal cloak,
32:01
three and a half inch game changer on it.
32:04
But then I changed out,
32:05
like all the steering
32:06
components are steer smarts.
32:08
Got the Hutchinson
32:11
V-lock solar on it, 37's.
32:15
Fully skid plated, so.
32:18
I kind of ran out,
32:20
went a little
32:20
overboard with the metal cloak.
32:21
It's got the metal
32:22
cloak fenders on it also.
32:24
Front and rear.
32:26
Have you wheeled it since the
32:28
conversion to a mini pickup?
32:31
Oh, absolutely.
32:32
He wheeled it at EJS.
32:34
And one of the concerns
32:36
it has for on the road
32:37
is that the SN is extremely light now.
32:40
Well, when it comes to off road,
32:42
the SN is extremely light
32:44
and it works really well.
32:46
So we tackled some pretty good obstacles
32:49
with this year at EJS.
32:52
It did everything I threw at it,
32:55
so it did really well.
32:56
Oh, and I don't know
32:58
if there's anything up
32:59
on noneofitsuseonly.com,
33:00
but is this, I know this is something
33:02
that Greg has been working on.
33:04
Is it the TAC system?
33:06
Is that what it's called?
33:07
TAC2 is what he called it,
33:08
but yeah, there's a couple
33:10
of videos and photos of it
33:12
from EJS on there.
33:13
And from back when he was doing stuff
33:15
or doing part of the bill,
33:16
but TAC2 is what he was calling it.
33:20
And if you guys are
33:21
familiar with the BRUIT,
33:22
the AEV BRUIT, I
33:23
would say this is similar,
33:25
but this, and correct me on any of this,
33:28
I haven't talked to Greg in a while,
33:29
but I believe that Greg's goal
33:31
is to make a conversion
33:32
kit for JK and JL, I believe,
33:36
to turn it into a little truck.
33:38
But you can do it all
33:39
from your garage at home
33:42
without any, it's all bolt-on,
33:44
is what he's trying to
33:46
accomplish with that.
33:46
Is that correct, Roger?
33:48
That's kind of his goal, yeah.
33:49
I mean, he's still
33:50
gotta cut the body in half,
33:52
but that's kind of
33:53
what his goal was, yeah.
33:56
We haven't talked about that,
33:58
the whole goal of it in a while,
34:00
but that was the goal
34:01
initially was to make a kit
34:03
that anybody could do themselves.
34:07
Very, very cool.
34:08
So with the lift that you
34:11
purchased and you've been using,
34:13
any changes that you would have made?
34:15
Make it go with a
34:15
different brand, a higher lift,
34:17
anything you would have done differently?
34:19
I don't know, I might have,
34:22
my wife's got on her 21 JL,
34:24
she's got the Teraflex lift,
34:26
and I've thought about trying,
34:28
putting the Teraflex lift on it,
34:30
but she's also got the geometry
34:32
correction brackets,
34:33
which I think are a good idea,
34:34
and like AEV and Teraflex,
34:37
they both offer
34:38
those, maybe others do too,
34:40
but yeah, I've thought
34:43
about going with a Teraflex
34:44
if at any point in time I
34:45
ever decide to change it out,
34:47
but not saying there's anything wrong
34:49
with the metal cloak.
34:50
Yeah.
34:51
I'm really happy with it.
34:52
So I believe Steersmart also have
34:55
the geometry correction brackets now.
34:57
You're right, that's the other one.
34:59
All right, so let's get over to Rick.
35:02
We're keeping Rick from working,
35:04
so we need to find out from Rick
35:06
what make model and
35:07
year Jeep do you have,
35:10
and what lift, and I
35:11
don't know if you wanna start
35:12
with the beginning lift,
35:14
or the lift that you currently are on.
35:16
Maybe it's the same.
35:18
I'll go through the,
35:19
I'll try to make it quick.
35:21
I got a 04 TJ, it's a Sport.
35:25
When I bought it, it had a little two
35:27
inch puck lift on it.
35:29
Oh, wow. I didn't know that.
35:30
Yeah, I didn't know when I got it,
35:32
that that's what it had,
35:33
but it did, it had that on there,
35:35
but it only had 30 inch tires on it,
35:37
so I don't know what the lift was about,
35:38
because it didn't need it.
35:42
But you know, that's how it
35:44
was, it's pretty much stock.
35:46
Matter of fact, that's how I got its name
35:47
was because it was so little,
35:49
and two four doors on 40s
35:52
parked on both sides of me,
35:54
and a lady walked past and said,
35:57
said that's like a little micro Jeep,
35:59
and that's just kind of stuck, and--
36:00
The way God intended Wranglers to be,
36:03
small and nimble.
36:05
(laughs)
36:07
That's how it's got its name.
36:08
But so, as I started wheeling
36:11
and figuring out what was going on,
36:13
I went through several processes.
36:16
I swapped out the Dana 35 and the Dana 30
36:20
for a couple TJ Dana 44s
36:22
out of a root con, did that.
36:25
And that was pretty much a
36:26
straight for straight swap,
36:27
even though the
36:28
control arms were adjustable,
36:31
but it was still all pretty much bolt-on.
36:35
Really wasn't a lot
36:36
of cutting and welding.
36:37
And then there for a little while,
36:38
I tried an experiment,
36:40
thanks to Greg Henderson.
36:43
I actually put gladiator
36:44
control arms on this thing,
36:46
and which required me
36:48
cutting the brackets off,
36:50
and moving them a little bit.
36:52
And when I did that, I
36:53
also did a five inch stretch.
36:55
And that was pretty interesting thing,
36:57
rolled great on the
36:58
highway, wheeled great,
37:00
but it was just kind
37:02
of a cheap experiment.
37:03
I tried, I got the control arms for free.
37:07
I think from Barnes 4x4, I think I spent
37:11
two, $300 on brackets and some hardware
37:14
to match everything.
37:16
But I was really happy with that.
37:18
It was pretty good.
37:19
And at that time I was--
37:20
But not happy enough.
37:22
(laughs)
37:22
Not happy enough.
37:24
Well, I already knew I was
37:26
going to a different place.
37:29
And at that time I had 35 inch tires,
37:33
and drove it all over the country,
37:36
wheeled it all over the country,
37:37
and had a blast with it.
37:43
Headed towards my end goal,
37:44
now I'm on the, as you can see here,
37:47
I'm on 38 inch tires.
37:49
I just installed going from a bolt on kit
37:53
to a fabrication kit,
37:57
or as Tony Pelligrino calls it,
38:00
a system, he calls them
38:04
systems rather than kits.
38:05
But, so it requires,
38:08
you cut everything off,
38:09
and this is all cutting and welding
38:11
and new brackets and everything.
38:13
So, you weld the, I've got the Legend
38:18
double triangulated in the rear,
38:20
and the Legend 3-Link in the front.
38:23
The rear, the double triangulated means
38:26
I don't have a track bar in the rear now.
38:29
There's a cross member you put in there,
38:31
all the geometry's built into that.
38:34
You just figure out how
38:35
long you want your control arms
38:37
and do that part.
38:40
You just gotta make
38:41
sure you got, you know,
38:42
about nine, 10 inches separation.
38:45
Whatever, I think
38:48
it's 25% of whatever tire
38:50
you're gonna have on there.
38:51
So, I think I went 10
38:52
just in case I go 40s later.
38:54
So, anyway, you just,
38:57
you know, like I was,
38:58
you know, I've said before, you know,
39:01
I didn't do very good on
39:02
geometry when I was in school,
39:03
so I'm glad he got that all figured out,
39:05
but I'm still having
39:07
to learn some geometry.
39:09
I've also went, you
39:12
can't see him right now,
39:13
but I've got two and a
39:14
half inch, 14 inch travel,
39:16
Bill Steen pullovers.
39:21
I've got, I've put air bumps on it now.
39:26
I've got a nice little
39:27
shiny thing over here
39:28
we will talk about that I
39:30
don't know if I'm gonna get on
39:31
before a big trip or going on.
39:34
Let me see, I've got, now
39:37
I've got JL Rubicon axles
39:39
under it, which, a wider axles,
39:43
which allowed me to put
39:43
bigger tires on there.
39:46
And I've also got a
39:47
combination of a Genrite
39:52
steer smarts and RPM steering between,
39:55
I got a Genrite drag link
39:58
with the twisted Pitman arm,
40:00
and I've got a Genrite track bar,
40:03
and I've got a, an RPM center with the
40:09
steer smarts tie rod ends for my tie rod.
40:13
I've also got rock jock, I
40:16
got rid of the aluminum knuckles
40:18
and I've got rock jock
40:20
high steer knuckles on there.
40:22
So, yeah, this build here is this,
40:25
this iteration, this 0.3 or 0.4,
40:30
whatever iteration this is,
40:32
is it's been a pretty good jump up.
40:36
Very nice.
40:37
So basically what you're
40:38
saying is when you go to AutoZone
40:40
to buy anything for it, they quit.
40:42
Because it's a 50 minute story.
40:48
I don't even bother telling
40:50
them what I'm putting on it.
40:51
I just, you know, there for a while I had
40:56
one of the major
40:59
upgrades that I did to this
41:00
when I put the TJ Rubicon axles under it
41:06
is I did the WJ knuckle
41:08
swap, WJ is the Grand Cherokee.
41:10
And with that knuckle swap,
41:12
you get away from that Y link,
41:15
that Y steering system.
41:18
And it's an actual
41:20
two rod steering system.
41:22
And that thing, that was amazing.
41:24
It allowed me to get
41:25
bigger brakes, which I needed
41:27
because I had brake fade
41:28
going down a real sharp heel
41:30
and bounced all the way.
41:32
Well now you've got a
41:33
disc front and rear, right?
41:36
Right, yeah, well, I mean,
41:37
I've got JL Rubicon axles
41:38
all the way around.
41:39
That should make a
41:40
huge, did you almost go
41:41
through the windshield
41:42
when you first stopped?
41:45
(laughing)
41:46
When I put that WJ brakes,
41:51
which was disc all the way around
41:53
between all that, yeah,
41:54
it made a huge impact.
41:56
I bet you really did.
41:57
And I think stopping is underrated.
41:58
It's almost as much
41:59
underrated as the headlights on TJs
42:02
because they're dim.
42:03
Right, and this doesn't
42:05
have ABS on it either.
42:08
Very first time I got in a,
42:10
oh, I got a brake situation,
42:13
you know, I had to
42:14
find myself real quick,
42:15
don't lock the brakes up.
42:17
Oh, absolutely.
42:18
So let me ask you this.
42:20
I saw a video the
42:21
other day of these people
42:22
that are driving a 1500 horsepower car
42:26
that was just beautiful
42:28
and they lost the brakes.
42:29
And quite often what
42:31
happens in Jeep builds,
42:35
especially TJ, XJ, YJ
42:37
days, is that you get
42:38
all the thing
42:38
working, it's running great,
42:40
but you don't hook up
42:41
the emergency brake.
42:43
So you don't have a
42:44
mechanical brake back up.
42:45
Is your emergency brake
42:47
currently configured to work?
42:49
Yes, that's one of the main things.
42:52
(laughing)
42:52
It actually has a two
42:56
door JK brake cables
42:59
that goes for the emergency brake.
43:01
That's what fit for this and works.
43:05
Very, very cool.
43:06
Well, you have a hell
43:07
of a build going there.
43:08
We really enjoy watching that.
43:09
And we've got a couple of people here
43:11
that are doing those
43:13
that aren't with us tonight,
43:14
but it's always fun seeing that
43:16
and living vicariously
43:18
through other people.
43:19
So I don't know that I can even say,
43:21
I mean, you had a cheap
43:23
lift, came with the TJ,
43:26
and now you have, I
43:27
don't wanna call it expensive
43:29
because a lot of it you've
43:31
built and pieced together.
43:33
So I would guess that you think expensive
43:37
is more the way to go,
43:39
depending on how
43:40
you're gonna use the Jeep.
43:42
I think what I've learned,
43:44
of course, people are gonna,
43:46
I mean, it's too hard to want to put
43:50
bigger tires on there
43:51
and shortcut.
43:53
But the thing is, is if you shortcut
43:55
and go with the medium or cheap,
43:57
when the whole time you know,
43:59
you're not gonna be happy
43:59
to get to a certain level,
44:02
the best thing to do is be
44:04
patient, save your money.
44:05
You will save a lot of money
44:07
if you just wait and
44:08
get the one you want.
44:09
Now, the Legend kit,
44:14
what these guys paid for the Teraflex
44:16
and for their lifts,
44:20
it's about the same price
44:21
range as what they paid.
44:23
I mean, I'm right in
44:24
there at the same price.
44:25
Now, the control arms,
44:27
I bought all the control arms myself,
44:29
and that didn't include the shocks.
44:31
But as far as all the bracketry
44:34
and all the Johnny joints
44:38
and everything that I
44:40
needed to attach to this,
44:42
it was right at about
44:44
the same price range.
44:46
Yeah, and when you say
44:47
you bought the control arms,
44:48
you bought the tubing
44:49
and you put the Johnny
44:51
joints on it and welded it up.
44:53
So I'm sure that saved you some money.
44:56
So this is, I don't wanna make it
44:58
where you can't sleep at night,
45:00
but everything's tacked in right now
45:02
and you're going back and welding
45:03
everything in all the way.
45:06
Whenever you actually go to leave
45:08
the first time in your Jeep,
45:10
are you gonna be
45:10
worried about what did I miss?
45:13
There's some heavy tacking on there.
45:15
Did I get that one?
45:16
Did I get this one?
45:19
I don't weld, but I still do that
45:21
when I add stuff to the Jeep.
45:22
Did I torque this?
45:24
Did I add this on there right?
45:25
(laughs)
45:27
The way my brain works is
45:30
when I lay under the Jeep
45:31
and I'm looking up at it,
45:32
I've got literally a little
45:34
grid pattern going in my head
45:35
and I go through and
45:37
check every little box,
45:38
what's in this area and I go through
45:40
and I mark all the bolts, make sure
45:44
they're all torqued.
45:46
I'll double, triple check all the welds.
45:47
That's the way to do it, yep.
45:49
And I just go from, I start at the rear
45:52
and I work all the way to the front.
45:54
Every bolt, every place that
45:57
I've touched or missed with,
45:59
I go back and recheck it.
46:01
Okay, so you do not have to be as insane
46:03
as Rick is about his Jeep, but man,
46:06
what, I mean, you gotta be proud
46:08
of what you've accomplished so far
46:10
and getting out there for the first time
46:12
with all these modifications.
46:14
And you're not done with it, are you?
46:16
No, I'm pretty stoked
46:17
with, well, you know,
46:19
like I was saying, I got a
46:20
little shiny over in the corner.
46:22
I've got an Atlas two
46:23
speed that I wish I had time
46:25
to get it in before this trip,
46:27
I just don't think I'm gonna
46:28
be able to get it in, right?
46:30
That's gonna be going in.
46:32
You're gonna love that.
46:34
And then next year, the project is,
46:36
I'm cutting it in half and
46:38
stretching it to an LJ link.
46:41
So that's gonna be next year's projects.
46:44
And so that's coming in the future.
46:47
But unlike, you know, Steve O and Dan
46:51
and I'm not sure if Ralph
46:52
is, if his is a daily driver,
46:54
this is my toy.
46:56
You know, I don't have an RV
46:58
and a boat and four wheelers
47:00
and all jet skis and all that stuff.
47:02
Those
47:02
(beep)
47:03
I wish I did too.
47:05
Yeah, I got this.
47:08
(laughing)
47:09
This is what I got, this is my toy.
47:10
Yeah, good job, Rick.
47:11
We really enjoy seeing you work on it.
47:14
Tony, Tony, I'm glad we
47:15
had a chance to hook up
47:16
because you're not gonna
47:17
believe what I just saw.
47:19
Well, it wasn't just, it wasn't today,
47:21
it was a couple of days ago,
47:22
but I'm glad I was
47:23
able to connect with you
47:24
so I could share this with you.
47:25
This is like the ultimate man cave.
47:28
Now it's not quite as
47:30
cool as Chuck's Jeep
47:32
and laminated floor and
47:33
stuff that he had in his office.
47:35
I mean, that was pretty sweet,
47:36
but this is pretty cool.
47:38
Granted, it's not Jeep related,
47:39
but this guy has the ultimate man cave.
47:42
We're doing this flood
47:43
repair in this three story condo.
47:45
This guy had a hose bib on
47:46
the outside of his house,
47:47
leaked inside the wall,
47:49
completely flooded the whole main floor.
47:51
And so we're in there
47:52
doing a bunch of work.
47:53
And he's like, "Do you
47:54
guys wanna see my man cave?"
47:55
And I'm like, "Well, yeah, of course."
48:00
It takes us upstairs and
48:02
it's up on the top floor,
48:03
he opens the door and it's all painted.
48:05
It's all done up just to the nth degree.
48:08
This guy is a big gamer and
48:10
he's a Star Wars collector.
48:11
And this guy has like
48:13
signed Boba Fett helmets
48:15
and like every helmet
48:16
from like every series
48:17
and every show and every
48:18
episode and stuff like that.
48:19
He's got a full size storm trooper,
48:21
all these display cases
48:22
with all this cool stuff in it.
48:24
And I mean, it is just, it is awesome.
48:27
The walls are all painted.
48:28
I mean, it looks like a set
48:29
out of Star Wars, if anything.
48:30
And I mean, it was just
48:32
one of the coolest man caves
48:33
that I've seen in a long time.
48:34
So I have, this is great,
48:36
but you mentioned the
48:36
Star Wars aspect of it.
48:38
So I figured this guy
48:39
doesn't have a female in his life
48:40
and this Jeep talk
48:42
show million dollar idea
48:43
is perfect for him.
48:45
So I don't think I've ever
48:48
shared this with you before,
48:50
Josh, whenever you go
48:51
to use the bathroom,
48:53
and I think this is what all men do.
48:55
I don't think men,
48:56
unless they're married,
48:57
sit down to pee.
48:59
I think that they go in, lift the toilet.
49:02
Tony, what you do in your bathroom
49:04
is your business, brother.
49:05
Well, that aligns perfectly
49:07
with what I'm gonna tell you.
49:08
So when you go in there, you lean
49:10
and you put your hand on
49:11
the wall, maybe two hands,
49:13
and then you lean over.
49:13
Oh yeah, I know, there's some sports bars
49:15
where they've got like
49:15
a hand print on the wall
49:17
that you're supposed
49:17
to, there's even a couple
49:19
where they have a hand
49:20
actually sticking out
49:22
that you're supposed to like, like.
49:24
I got one better,
49:25
make it a silicone boob.
49:28
So you literally have a boob on the wall,
49:32
which is a natural, this is
49:34
better than the fly on the.
49:36
I was gonna say, I'm
49:37
talking about a fly on the wall.
49:38
I'd take a boob on the
49:39
wall over a fly on the wall.
49:40
No, you know how they put
49:40
the little fly on the urinal
49:42
where they make people aim
49:44
at the toilet, at the urinal.
49:46
But anyway, so you
49:47
put a boob on the wall,
49:48
it's silicone boob.
49:49
Now this is perfect for a man cave,
49:51
follow along with me here.
49:52
So you got a bathroom in the man cave,
49:55
you gotta have a bathroom in the man cave
49:57
because you know, with the beer
49:58
and everything else is going on,
49:59
you need to get right
50:00
there to do your business.
50:01
So unbeknownst to the
50:03
other men in the man cave,
50:05
you have a clock and
50:06
it's a little bit hidden,
50:07
it's off at the time,
50:08
but you have a clock,
50:10
which is a counter, a
50:11
countdown or a count up timer
50:13
above the door.
50:14
When somebody goes in
50:15
there, closes the door,
50:17
the timer starts going.
50:19
So you got three minutes.
50:20
If they're in there longer, perfect.
50:22
If they're in there
50:23
longer than three minutes,
50:24
when they come out, they have all this.
50:26
You were playing with it weren't ya?
50:31
(laughing)
50:31
So, and then the next thing you do,
50:34
the next level to that is,
50:36
is that whenever they say,
50:38
no, hell no, I wasn't doing that.
50:40
You turn on the black
50:41
lights inside the bathroom.
50:43
Oh no, no.
50:44
See, that's when your man cave bathroom
50:47
turns into a Rorschach painting.
50:49
Yeah, a crime scene.
50:50
So maybe he didn't,
50:52
maybe he didn't do anything.
50:53
Okay, so what you do--
50:55
This is why you could only
50:56
have one boob and not two.
50:59
(laughing)
50:59
Yeah, oh yeah.
51:00
So, well, but you know, switch hands.
51:02
So there's a, the other thing,
51:05
the last insult is you put paint
51:10
in drips and splatters and stuff,
51:13
but it's not visible
51:14
except under UV light.
51:16
Oh God, you put a hot glue on the wall,
51:19
I said,
51:20
(beep)
51:20
(laughing)
51:21
I mean, this is all kind of fun.
51:23
And when people stop
51:25
going to your bathroom,
51:26
you know it's worked.
51:28
(laughing) Unfortunately, this segment has cost us
51:31
over 30% of our female
51:33
listener base, but that's okay.
51:35
We don't, females don't listen to us.
51:37
It was safe.
51:39
(laughing)
51:39
I think some females would love that.
51:41
I think they would love to
51:42
find out why their husbands
51:43
are staying in the
51:43
bathroom for 45 minutes.
51:46
It's, if all these
51:46
million dollar ideas, Tony,
51:48
it's any wonder you're not rich.
51:51
(laughing) Maybe it's due to this that I'm not rich.
51:54
Speak it up even rich.
51:55
That's kind of what I was showing.
51:56
Yeah, speak it up being rich.
51:59
You need to regale us with your latest,
52:02
(beep)
52:03
you, you
52:03
(beep)
52:05
What is it today, Josh?
52:06
What are you upset about today?
52:07
(upbeat music)
52:10
Well, this sort of ties in a little bit
52:12
to one of the first ones that I did.
52:14
You guys might
52:14
remember my beef with people
52:17
who can't really
52:18
accelerate onto, you know,
52:19
from an off ramp onto the freeway at a
52:21
decent, decent speed,
52:23
you know, the whole merging and
52:24
everything like that.
52:25
Well, there's one that
52:26
happened recently to me
52:27
that kind of got to me
52:28
and I was like, yeah,
52:29
this will be perfect for a
52:30
(beep)
52:30
because this guy was an absolute
52:34
(beep)
52:34
and not only was he pissing
52:37
off the people behind him,
52:38
but virtually everybody else in the
52:40
intersection as well.
52:41
Now you've probably seen these kinds of
52:43
(beep)
52:43
out in public and around there.
52:45
There are a certain
52:45
specific kind of breed of
52:47
(beep)
52:47
who needs to be shamed
52:48
more than anybody else.
52:50
And it's likely because they just,
52:52
they can't get out of first gear ever.
52:55
And this is the kind of person who,
52:56
when the light turns green,
52:58
they take almost an entire cycle
53:01
to make their way
53:02
through the intersection.
53:03
I saw this guy in this
53:04
Nissan Murano yesterday
53:06
who the light turns green,
53:07
he's making a left turn
53:08
through the intersection.
53:09
There's nobody on coming.
53:11
There's no reason for
53:11
him to take seriously
53:16
(indistinct)
53:18
(indistinct)
53:20
turn coming through the intersection.
53:22
Everybody is honking at him.
53:24
I'm honking at him.
53:25
I've got, I'm not behind him.
53:26
I'm in front of watching
53:27
this whole show unfold.
53:29
And this guy is just,
53:30
he must've been three sheets to the wind.
53:31
I don't
53:31
(beep)
53:32
but this guy took so long
53:33
to make it through the intersection
53:35
and entire cycle had gone through.
53:37
Not a huge long light anyways,
53:38
probably about a 45 second,
53:40
maybe a 60 second cycle at most.
53:43
But this guy took the entire cycle.
53:44
The light was red.
53:45
People were still going
53:47
because he was going
53:48
through that intersection
53:49
at about three
53:49
quarters of a mile per hour.
53:51
(beep)
53:51
You
53:51
(beep)
53:53
get the
53:53
(beep)
53:53
out of the way.
53:54
People have places to go.
53:56
There's a shopping center in there.
53:57
Grandma probably had ice
53:58
cream in the back seat.
53:59
It's probably half melted
54:01
by the time you get through the light.
54:02
For fuck's sake,
54:04
just make your way through things.
54:06
Push the skinny pedal.
54:07
It's not that
54:07
(beep)
54:08
hard.
54:10
I don't know.
54:10
I mean, I'm reliving this.
54:12
I've got PTSD from exactly
54:16
what you're talking about.
54:17
I don't know why.
54:18
And why do people leave such a big gap
54:20
between them and the car in front of them
54:22
when they're making a turn?
54:23
Yeah.
54:24
It's a light.
54:25
Everybody wants to get through a light.
54:27
It's not, I don't think
54:29
anybody wants to set a light.
54:30
So move, put the
54:31
(beep)
54:32
phone down.
54:34
Well, and I don't understand
54:35
why there's so many people.
54:36
This could probably dovetail into another
54:38
(beep)
54:38
you, you
54:38
(beep)
54:39
(laughing)
54:40
It's too far.
54:40
People wait, because
54:42
the light turns green.
54:43
The entire line of traffic,
54:45
traffic should move
54:46
as the light is green.
54:47
Yes, immediately.
54:48
Wait for the
54:49
(beep)
54:49
car in front of you
54:50
to have four car links of space
54:53
before you finally take
54:54
your foot off the brake
54:55
and push the skinny pedal.
54:56
For fuck's sake, nobody
54:58
knows how to drive anymore.
54:59
Nobody has any kind of,
55:00
it doesn't have to be a sense of urgency.
55:02
Well, you're not my baby.
55:03
When you're asking everybody to
55:03
(beep)
55:04
Tokyo dripped around every corner
55:06
and it's 80 miles an
55:07
hour everywhere we go.
55:08
Wouldn't be nice to be fun.
55:10
Yeah. But no,
55:11
but I am expecting a
55:12
little bit of, I don't know,
55:14
courtesy, common sense, a
55:17
little bit of consideration
55:18
for, I don't know, everybody
55:20
else around you on the road.
55:21
It's like these, all
55:22
these people are driving
55:23
completely oblivious to the fact
55:25
that there are other people around them.
55:27
And it just boggles my mind
55:29
how you want to go through your day
55:31
so lackadaisically that you are pissing
55:34
so many people off
55:36
around you by your ineptitude
55:38
and unwillingness to have
55:42
even the slightest degree
55:44
of awareness of what's going around you.
55:46
Situational awareness is
55:47
one of those dying commodities
55:49
that is just absolutely
55:50
evaporating out of society
55:52
faster than things like common sense
55:54
or pride and workmanship.
55:56
The thing you get to me is
55:57
whenever you're going down
55:59
30 mile, 40 mile, hour,
56:00
hour, hour, three lane,
56:01
whatever it is, two
56:02
lane, and you're by all these
56:04
like McDonald's and strip
56:06
centers and stuff like that
56:08
and some
56:08
(beep)
56:09
instead of going out
56:11
where they can get to a light
56:12
and have a protected
56:13
cross go across the street
56:16
or make a turn, they want out.
56:19
They want straight out of
56:20
McDonald's and it's busy.
56:22
It is bumper to bumper.
56:23
And then somebody
56:25
stops to let them through.
56:28
And then you find out they
56:30
want to cross over three lanes
56:33
all going the same way.
56:34
(laughing)
56:36
They want to cross those three lanes
56:38
to either go straight
56:39
across or get into the median
56:40
so that they can go the
56:41
opposite way you're going.
56:43
And this
56:44
(beep)
56:46
lets them in.
56:47
Out of the driveway
56:48
that says no left turn.
56:50
Think of there being a great guy.
56:53
And then, but they're
56:53
making that great guy decision
56:56
for the 15, literally 15 cars just in
57:00
your lane behind them.
57:03
And the car that gets
57:05
in there, they edge out
57:06
and then the center lane finds out
57:08
they're coming across
57:09
and they have to make the
57:10
decision if they're gonna stop
57:11
and they probably don't
57:12
because they have a decency
57:14
about the people behind them.
57:16
So now you're stuck because this one guy
57:19
was being a great guy, but let them in.
57:22
Those people.
57:22
Look, I'm done.
57:23
Don't let them in.
57:26
I am that great guy, unfortunately.
57:28
I've got a bit of a hard year.
57:29
How dare you.
57:30
I'll let you, but, but there's a caveat.
57:33
Let me finish.
57:36
I only will do that if
57:37
it's at an intersection
57:39
in the driveways right there.
57:40
If I'm already stopped at a light,
57:43
I see the lights turning red.
57:45
I haven't completely come to a stop yet.
57:46
Maybe I stop a little short.
57:48
I give a little bit of space.
57:49
I wave you through,
57:51
but I'm not gonna stop
57:52
on a green light in the middle of traffic
57:54
to let somebody out of
57:55
a driveway through an,
57:56
through an interior, on a tour road or
57:59
something like that.
58:01
Now you gotta wait your turn or go
58:03
through the parking lot
58:04
and make your way to the intersection
58:05
and make your way through
58:06
the light like everybody else.
58:08
But yeah, there's time, place and manner.
58:10
Time, place and manner.
58:11
No, I disagree because we're not,
58:15
we're not talking about a wreck
58:17
where the traffic is
58:18
30 minutes behind you.
58:20
It's lights that are on the main thing.
58:23
And all you have to do is go.
58:25
And those people that
58:26
are trying to get out,
58:27
the traffic will open up enough behind us
58:30
that we're on there
58:31
trying to get someplace
58:33
and then they can pull in.
58:34
Hey, you're the one
58:35
that made the decision
58:35
to go to McDonald's.
58:37
You're the one that made the decision
58:38
to come out where you're coming out.
58:40
It's on you to wait your turn,
58:42
not for some kindness of somebody
58:44
that's gonna be
58:45
(beep)
58:45
up everybody else behind you.
58:47
So, I mean, that's my, I mean,
58:49
I'm sure there are situations,
58:51
but generally
58:52
speaking, the best thing to do
58:55
is just keep moving and
58:56
let them have the space
58:58
behind everybody else.
59:02
Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
59:04
No, you could disagree.
59:05
You did disagree.
59:05
You're one of those
59:06
(beep)
59:07
that let people in.
59:08
(laughing)
59:09
I mean, again, time, place and manner.
59:11
If it's not gonna
59:13
(beep)
59:13
up anybody else,
59:14
if I'm not gonna
59:14
(beep)
59:14
off anybody behind me.
59:16
(laughing)
59:17
You think like I do.
59:18
It's fine if I do it.
59:21
(laughing)
59:23
Do as I say, don't do as I do.
59:25
All right, Josh,
59:25
speaking of the people thinking
59:27
it's fine if they do it,
59:29
let's get to the Nicky G.
59:30
Oh, by the way, did you know
59:31
that Nicky G has a Jeep podcast
59:35
called the 10 Minute Off-Road Podcast
59:37
for the listener that doesn't
59:39
have much time on their hands
59:41
or no, has a short attention span.
59:43
Sorry, Nicky G.
59:44
Yeah, that's what, yeah, there it is.
59:46
When the Jeep talk show
59:47
is too much to chew on,
59:48
you got a little Nicky G you can eat.
59:49
Little snack, little nibble.
59:51
Yeah, yeah, so you need to go over there
59:53
and find out the 10 Minute Off-Road
59:55
Podcast with Nicky G.
59:56
All right, take it away, Nicky G.
59:58
From the mind of Nicky G.
1:00:03
Hey, this is Nicky G,
1:00:04
everybody's favorite
1:00:05
Appalachian American.
1:00:06
And they have an old folklore out here
1:00:09
in the Appalachian Mountains.
1:00:10
If you hear a voice, don't answer it.
1:00:12
It's a Cherokee and folklore skinwalkers
1:00:15
that I try to lure you in the forest
1:00:17
so they can eat your skin.
1:00:20
I don't believe in all that,
1:00:21
but that's not why I'm here.
1:00:23
Hey.
1:00:26
I don't believe in all that, but that's
1:00:27
not why I'm calling.
1:00:28
Call and tell you that I-
1:00:29
Hey.
1:00:32
Hey you.
1:00:34
That's not why I'm
1:00:35
calling, I'm calling to you.
1:00:37
Hey.
1:00:37
Hey.
1:00:38
Will you knock it off?
1:00:39
I'm trying to tell a joke.
1:00:44
Trying to tell you that
1:00:44
I once bought a sweater
1:00:46
and it was full of static electricity.
1:00:48
So I returned it to the store.
1:00:49
Yeah, they gave me
1:00:50
another one free of charge.
1:00:52
Boo.
1:00:53
Boo.
1:00:54
And I suppose you could do better.
1:00:57
Two slices of bread got married.
1:01:00
The wedding was amazing
1:01:02
until someone decided to
1:01:04
toast a bride and groom.
1:01:06
That wasn't much better.
1:01:08
Can I eat your skin now?
1:01:11
No, you cannot.
1:01:12
I guarantee you I taste kind of funny.
1:01:15
No, you don't.
1:01:18
All right, boys and
1:01:19
girls, I'll chat to you later
1:01:19
and have a good one, bye.
1:01:21
(upbeat music)
1:01:22
All right, Josh.
1:01:22
Well, that's another great
1:01:24
episode of the Jeep Talk Show.
1:01:25
So good to have you back.
1:01:27
We talked a little bit this episode about
1:01:30
why you were, why
1:01:31
you're gone, why you're back
1:01:33
and why you're recording from a car.
1:01:36
So we certainly appreciate the effort
1:01:38
because you're a busy
1:01:39
man, a lot busier than I am.
1:01:41
And I appreciate you taking the time
1:01:42
and hopefully the viewers appreciate you
1:01:44
taking the time here as well.
1:01:46
And I appreciate Nikki
1:01:47
G being here as well.
1:01:49
Nikki G, every stinking episode
1:01:51
for at least the last 14, 13, 14 years.
1:01:58
All right, so--
1:01:59
Yeah, way cool.
1:02:00
I love me some Nikki G.
1:02:01
Yeah, all right, so stay with us
1:02:04
with next week for our next flagship
1:02:06
episode here with Josh
1:02:08
and give us a little comment.
1:02:10
Go over to
1:02:11
jeeptalkshow.com slash voicemail
1:02:13
and leave a video
1:02:15
comment about Josh coming back.
1:02:17
Josh, any plans this
1:02:19
weekend for 4th of July
1:02:20
or are you trying to
1:02:22
pull in some extra hours,
1:02:23
get some extra pay?
1:02:26
Yeah, it's all about the
1:02:29
work shifts, unfortunately.
1:02:30
So yeah, it's this year,
1:02:32
I'm not gonna be blowing up as much stuff
1:02:34
as I have in years past.
1:02:35
Oh, I forgot about that.
1:02:36
Unfortunately, it's nose to the
1:02:37
grindstone this weekend.
1:02:39
Yeah, well, we
1:02:40
certainly appreciate your--
1:02:40
I will be, I will try and get a chance
1:02:43
to at least drink some adult beverages
1:02:45
and grill some meat though.
1:02:46
So that's gonna happen for sure.
1:02:48
Well, that's gonna
1:02:48
freak them out in Amazon.
1:02:50
You'd have to disable
1:02:51
the smoke detectors.
1:02:52
Yeah.
1:02:55
All right, you guys have a great time.
1:02:56
Thanks for joining us on this week.
1:02:58
Again, go over to
1:02:59
jeeptalkshow.com slash contact
1:03:01
so that you can find out all
1:03:02
the ways to reach out to us.
1:03:03
We'd love to see your voicemails.
1:03:04
So Josh actually did the very first one
1:03:07
and we had it, I think we
1:03:09
put it up on social media.
1:03:11
So, you know, give it a try
1:03:13
and we will see you next week.
1:03:14
Josh, thanks a lot, drive safe.
1:03:18
All right, we'll see
1:03:19
you guys again, take care.
1:03:21
Hey everyone, welcome to
1:03:22
Jeep Talk Show Video Voicemail.
1:03:23
We're out here at our
1:03:24
campsite having a blast.
1:03:26
Send us your video feedback at
1:03:28
jeeptalkshow.com voicemail.
1:03:29
We can't wait to hear from you.
1:03:31
You're my friend, you're my new friend.
1:03:35
Oh, and this is always the case.
1:03:38
I know that you're
1:03:39
doing a lot of juggling.
1:03:40
And if this is too much for
1:03:42
you, you just say the word.
1:03:43
My preference is that we keep doing this.
1:03:45
My preference is not
1:03:48
forgetting my headset in the car
1:03:50
when I'm gonna be in the truck all day.
1:03:53
So there's been opportunities.
1:03:55
It's just, I've been a
1:03:55
(beep)
1:03:56
and can't remember what I need to bring.
1:03:58
Well, I hope I'm not
1:03:58
sending you a message too early
1:04:00
in the morning.
1:04:00
I've been waiting for that.
1:04:01
No, no, you're fine.
1:04:02
My alarm goes off at 5.45 in the morning.
1:04:05
I'm usually out of the house by 6.30.
1:04:08
So it's rare that I'm not at the shop
1:04:12
and out of my car by seven, so.
1:04:14
So a message around eight
1:04:15
wouldn't be a problem for you.
1:04:17
Totally fine.