Chopper's got 67K miles on the clock now so the dampers are getting a bit tired. My wife didn't want to lift the car any higher so I felt like the least we could do was to put on a set of fresh good shocks and a steering damper upgrade. The combination should help some of the floatiness that it currently has especially on the highways.
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| Chopper on the Quick Jack |
I borrowed the QuickJack SUV and Light Truck adapter from Alex and it did a perfect job of getting it high enough to get the wheels off the ground. I only have about 6 inches left until it hits the garage door opener but it was more than enough space to work with. Best part of working on the Jeep is that you don't even need to remove the wheels to change the shocks. I just had to loosen the fender liner to give myself more space to work with but even with PB Blaster, the top nut was a bitch and half to get off. The threads had rusted to the point where the nut wasn't coming off so I just used good old muscle until it snapped off. I decided to got with Fox 2.0 IFP performance shocks that are good for 0-1" lift. It's supposed to offer a slightly firmer but more controlled ride...plus they look pretty sweet.
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| That's one way to get the top nut off |
Most of the time spent was just in removing the old shocks. The install was otherwise a cakewalk. Front shocks are only held by 2 bolts/nuts and the rear by 3.
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| Front shocks in |
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| Rear shock comparison. The old ones have seen better days. |
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| New rear shocks in. |
I figured I might as well upgrade the steering stabilizer. It's only two bolts. The hardest part was removing one of the bolts closest to the wheels. It hits the tie rod as you back it out but if you get the angle of the wheels and tie rode just right and wiggle it, it eventually works its way out.
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| Factory stabilizer vs Teraflex Steering Stabilizer |
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| Teraflex steering stabilizer installed |
With that out of the way, we did a few more cosmetic mods and functionality mods starting with some Red Rock honeycomb grill inserts. I think it tightens up the look on the front by hiding the radiator. Oh, the wife's super excited that her custom plates arrived. Yea, that's why this Jeep is called Chopper...that's her kinda droid lol.
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| Honeycomb Grille Inserts |
Also added some Rugged Ridge grab handles for the rear to make getting in and out easier.
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| Rugged Ridge grab handles |
Lastly I repurposed the extra roll bar mount I had lying around for the Element fire extinguisher and mounted a fire extinguisher back there just in case. It's secured via long velcro straps rather than the hose clamps the mount comes with and it's not going anywhere.
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| Element fire extinguisher installed |
We still have so many more boxes of stuff to install but for now this'll have to do.
Maintenance Update:
Mileage: 68,187
- 4 new Fox 2.0 IFP performance shocks
- New Teraflex steering stabilizer
