ATTENTION, Jeep-freaks! (2 Viewers)

[Hot Nuts]

It's been a perfect weather week here in the Outer Banks. Highs around 80, lows around 70 and no rain. Got our Jeeps naked for the week. Well, tops are on in these pics though.

At Corolla Beach wild horse watching. It was the loosest sand I've ever been on. Jeeps were bouncing up and down. I bottomed out a few times, but the bump stops helped with that. It was my daughter's first time driving on the beach. She did great.

 

[liftapint]

Gonna sell my Jeep.

 

[Sprouty]

We are wrapping up a family vacation in Tahoe. I couldn't help but sneak away and do a day trip on the Rubicon Trail. I found an outfitter that supplied guides and a awesome trail rig. Hopefully one day when Miles is old enough we can do the whole trail together.

 

[Saoliver]

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We are wrapping up a family vacation in Tahoe. I couldn't help but sneak away and do a day trip on the Rubicon Trail. I found an outfitter that supplied guides and an awesome trail rig. Hopefully one day when Miles is old enough we can do the whole trail together.

Why didn’t you post the nude beach photo?

 

[Josh Kifer]

Why didn’t you post the nude beach photo?

Yeah. Post it you white assed hoe.

 

[Sprouty]

Why didn’t you post the nude beach photo?

I mean that should probably go in the vacation thread

 

[tabletalker7]

I mean that should probably go in the vacation thread

Don't listen to them. We don't need to see that

 

[warewulf]

Gonna sell my Jeep.

Post a link if you list it. Yellow is a highly desired color.

 

[Taghkanic]

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We are wrapping up a family vacation in Tahoe. I couldn't help but sneak away and do a day trip on the Rubicon Trail. I found an outfitter that supplied guides and a awesome trail rig. Hopefully one day when Miles is old enough we can do the whole trail together.

What kind of tires are you running? Can’t quite make it out

 

[UniLover]

Picked this up last week. Loving the sky roof!

 

[Darson]

We have a 2016 Wrangler which my son will be taking to college in the fall. So need to add another vehicle to the household. I’m thinking a new Wrangler however I recently ran in a few other vehicles and was stunned by all the tech that they all have (cameras, lane keeping etc) and Jeep is still as basic as f.

So another a wrangler or something else? $40k budget.

 

[UniLover]

We have a 2016 Wrangler which my son will be taking to college in the fall. So need to add another vehicle to the household. I’m thinking a new Wrangler however I recently ran in a few other vehicles and was stunned by all the tech that they all have (cameras, lane keeping etc) and Jeep is still as basic as f.

So another a wrangler or something else? $40k budget.

The new Wranglers have cameras for sure. Mine has the cruise control where it follows but I don't think it stays in a lane though.

Bronco?

 

[ekricket]

We have a 2016 Wrangler which my son will be taking to college in the fall. So need to add another vehicle to the household. I’m thinking a new Wrangler however I recently ran in a few other vehicles and was stunned by all the tech that they all have (cameras, lane keeping etc) and Jeep is still as basic as f.

So another a wrangler or something else? $40k budget.

Ineos can fix you right up

 

[Taghkanic]

I spent much of the spring and summer considering options for replacing my custom Jeep.

For about 8 years I have been using an AEV Brute Double Cab to maintain my property, which has a State forest program on it. About 1,000 Brute pickups were built in the decade before the Gladiator was introduced. Mine is a 2013 Rubicon base, 3.5" lift, 37 tires.

It has a front-mounted winch, custom bumpers, trailer hitch, and other mods for real off-roading. I have used this to navigate steep trails, ford streams, get through muddy swamp edges, crawl rocks, etc., while hauling chainsaws, bucked-up wood and related tools around the property.

Ground clearance is especially key for my terrain, as is having a differential lock and swaybar to go with the standard low gear.

My search considered everything from restored 1970s Defenders to the Rivian. But after really not finding anything new which met all my needs, I concluded that I should keep the Brute, and put some money into it to extend its life and preserve its retail value.

I have so far upgraded to a Stinger head unit, so that I have a full touchscreen and CarPlay. I’ve purchase a number of small and more cosmetic accessories (e.g. better grab handles, door pockets, etc.).

But the real investments are going to be:

(1) A full mechanical work-over by a specialist shop I’ve used, to replace any stuff which is reaching the end of its life, whether it’s the muffler, various hoses, wiring, etc.

(2) Needle-scaling the underside, painting and waxing. This thing gets very muddy, very regularly, and I don't always manage to get it washed after, especially underneath.

(3) Scraping/sandblasting and repainting the bumpers/trim.

(4) Possibly getting it fully repainted a more interesting color than Billet Silver, though this would be pretty costly.

Attaching some photos of the Brute, and also a visualization of a paint color I am considering (Nori Pearl, a Lexus color which I’ve seen and like a lot).

 

[Taghkanic]

... I also just replaced the tires, upgrading from BFG K2s to K3s. These were expensive, but because so much of my mileage is just crawling in the woods, they last me years.

My biggest uncertainty is what to do about my rocksliders, which I purchased from Rock Slide Engineering. These were a custom kit to fit the Brute, one that is no longer made (though interior parts are available). These have been a huge disappointment.

I have had to replace the motors twice. Even when relatively new, they did not reliably descend/retract. They also have almost completely lost their paint coating and have gotten pretty rusty.

They do serve a partial purpose as an exterior "shelf" which provides an intermediate step and a "shelf" to put stuff I am working with when stopped out in the woods. I might give up on the motorized step, and just have it sandblasted and tack welded before painting.

Alternatively, I could remove them and go back to the AEV sliders (much less chunky), which I kept. However, I would then have to repair the bolt holes drilled to install the RSE step sliders.

Because the Brute’s length is different than a regular JKU, there aren't a lot of other step options out there which would not look a little weird on the vehicle. The distance between the wheels is longer on the Brute than on a regular 2013-era Rubicon. So while I could purchase another brand that would work, it would leave an odd gap at the back end.

Anyone have any good experience with step-sliders? These need to be tough enough for true rock-crawling. A lot of third-party options are not strong enough to avoid getting dinged, it seems.

 

[JeepologyOffroad]

I’m sure any motorized step is going to have issues if it’s often getting muddy under there. I’d personally recommend just about any steel fabricated slider from any reputable company. It’s a fairly simple thing to build so it’s hard to mess up.

Love the brute btw. Could also look into vinyl wrap if you want a color change.

 

[dizzyChipper]

I have an ‘18 JLUR eventually lifted and with 35s. I was wheeling since day 1 and ended up with the OEM “performance slider” which has a bit of a step. Annoyingly expensive but early days wasn’t many options and it’s done its job well at protecting door sills and tub from rocks and stump landing on or sliding into laterally. I get it that it won’t fit your jeep but just sharing that even the small step helps some people get in and doesn’t impact ground clearance at all.

A nori non-gladiator jeep pickup would break my brain. From afar Im going to see Nori and question if Toyota made a Lexus 70 series for Middle East market.

But yeah with that extended wheelbase I do think youll want to maintain protection. I’ve seen some sliders with bolt holes that allow you to leave an assist step on and take off when doing serious rock crawling. As you mentioned I’d expect choices for brute limited and gutting RSE motors and welding may be the best option. But a sad one.

 

[UniLover]

I spent much of the spring and summer considering options for replacing my custom Jeep.

For about 8 years I have been using an AEV Brute Double Cab to maintain my property, which has a State forest program on it. About 1,000 Brute pickups were built in the decade before the Gladiator was introduced. Mine is a 2013 Rubicon base, 3.5" lift, 37 tires.

It has a front-mounted winch, custom bumpers, trailer hitch, and other mods for real off-roading. I have used this to navigate steep trails, ford streams, get through muddy swamp edges, crawl rocks, etc., while hauling chainsaws, bucked-up wood and related tools around the property.

Ground clearance is especially key for my terrain, as is having a differential lock and swaybar to go with the standard low gear.

My search considered everything from restored 1970s Defenders to the Rivian. But after really not finding anything new which met all my needs, I concluded that I should keep the Brute, and put some money into it to extend its life and preserve its retail value.

I have so far upgraded to a Stinger head unit, so that I have a full touchscreen and CarPlay. I’ve purchase a number of small and more cosmetic accessories (e.g. better grab handles, door pockets, etc.).

But the real investments are going to be:

(1) A full mechanical work-over by a specialist shop I’ve used, to replace any stuff which is reaching the end of its life, whether it’s the muffler, various hoses, wiring, etc.

(2) Needle-scaling the underside, painting and waxing. This thing gets very muddy, very regularly, and I don't always manage to get it washed after, especially underneath.

(3) Scraping/sandblasting and repainting the bumpers/trim.

(4) Possibly getting it fully repainted a more interesting color than Billet Silver, though this would be pretty costly.

Attaching some photos of the Brute, and also a visualization of a paint color I am considering (Nori Pearl, a Lexus color which I’ve seen and like a lot).View attachment 1575575View attachment 1575576View attachment 1575577View attachment 1575578View attachment 1575579View attachment 1575580View attachment 1575581View attachment 1575583

Love the Brute!

Love the Nori pearl also!

 

[warewulf]

Love the Brute, pretty cool!

I knew a guy that had those RSE motorized steps on his JKUR and he had the same problem with them getting destroyed. They just don't make a good 'real' slider. More of a motorized step that can take some light abuse. Garbage IMO. He ended up throwing them in the trash and buying real sliders.

Since you have custom length, probably best to have a fabricator make you something that won't look wonky.

Contact David at Excessive Industries. I went wheeling with him while back, when he was still in CA near me, and he builds good quality items. I had a few friends that got his Gate Keeper tire carrier. At one point he wanted to trade me one for a winch I was selling lol. He used to drive a JKU, not sure what he has now, I lost touch.

(903) 618-1229

[email protected]

excessiveindustries.com

https://www.facebook.com/excessiveindustries

I currently have two Jeep TJ's (04 and 06). The 06 is my LJ that is fully built on 37's, the 04 is near stock. I have a friend selling her '12 that is fully built and ready for 37's. Was thinking of selling my 04 and buying her '12 for my son and as a spare DD. My wife put her foot down on that one lol.

I recently gave in to laziness with my LJ: Partially motivated by my injured shoulder (torn tendon in left rotator cuff). So haven't been keeping up on maintenance. I took off my Raceline Beadlocks and replaced them with Method Bead Grip 703. Still holding onto the Raceline wheels until I have a good chance to test out the new wheels. Going out on 10/25. If they can last a few trips without losing a bead, I'll sell my Raceline wheels.

Recent impulse buy this week on the Amazon sale: Radioddity DB40-G GMRS (40W). So hoping to get that installed this weekend.