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2006 Rubicon Unlimited

TerryD

TerryD

Mildly demented...
 Premium
Joined
Jul 27, 2008
Posts
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Location
Covington, Va
This has been one of my unicorns for a long time. It popped up for too good a price (even in kinda rough shape) and the guy held it for me till I could get down there to pick it up.

1000006625.jpg

It's got 174k miles on it, some rust underneath and the engine has been changed. But the frame is REALLY clean, it still has the 4:1 case and both lockers work. It has a Quadratec 2" lift installed with their Hydro shocks.

It has a Rubicon Express track bar in the front with the heim joint. The joint was really bad so I ordered another and I'm going to change the bushing as well. The OE bushings are a little big for the track bar end and will take some effort to get it assembled but I should have it fixed this weekend.

The transmission crossmember is rough but usable. I cleaned it up and treated it with Rustoleum rust converter then doused it in Rustoleum gloss black. I also treated the locker pump bracket and frame rails around where the crossmember attaches.

Tonight I pulled the rusty old rear bumper off and pulled some old wiring out. Using a friend's induction heater I managed to remove the bolts from the weld nuts without damaging them. The front of the frame has one missing weld nut and one with a bolt snapped off in it. I'm hoping to get that fixed and ready to install a new bumper soon.

1000006739.jpg

I've replaced the thermostat and fixed a few vacuum leaks so far. It needs the proper spark plugs installed but FedEx threw them across my porch when they delivered them so I'm hoping they're OK. I've also got the transmission fluid on the way to service it and the t-case and replace the transmission pan.

1000006633.jpg
 
I’m not all in on the whole Jeep thing but I do like a few points here and there about some of them and the ole TJ RUBICON version is one of them.
They’re not what I would call very durable and certainly not heavy duty but for their intended target usage they came up with a very capable ride that sent other manufacturers back to the drawing boards.

I was asked by a buddy at work what was the most capable out of the box modern 4x4 - I clarified “capable” not “durable” and hung my head down low for a moment of silence and humility and quietly uttered the words “A Jeep Rubicon” ….. I had just bought a new Tacoma OFF ROAD 4x4 at the time and had sold my old 94 FZJ80 Land Cruiser - to make things so much worse this guy was my boss!
He printed out a HUGE picture of a Rubicon on our office scanner and hung it up over my desk and told me ( and every single person that came into the office - including our executive plant manager ) that my next evaluation highly depended on me telling all who walked through the door that the Jeep Rubicon was #1….it was a very painful six months!
 
Right now I'm just trying to get it caught up on maintenance and fix some little issues.

The plan is to replace the Xterra with it. A nice mannered DD/Wheeler. As the kids have grown they don't go camping and wheeling with me and we rarely take the X places as a family because of lack of space so it is time I got the vehicle I would have had a long time ago if I didn't have 3 kids.

33-35" tires, what ever lift is needed and kit it out for spontaneous adventures like the Xterra is now. A TJ/LJ on 33s is much more capable than an IFS rig on 33s thanks to the added articulation, never mind the narrower and shorter foot print and higher ground clearance so I don't think it will be a difficult task.

I was looking at a low lift long arm kit but the TJ board kinda boo-hoo'd the usual suspects in favor of a $4k Savvy 3/4 link "mid length arm" kit that I'm exploring a little.

If all goes as planned, this will be the last vehicle (at least VIN#) I buy for my daily driver use so I want to do it right.
 
I thought the unlimited was the 4 door version...?

Ive actually been contemplating a heep for a bit. Solely for the fact that all of the parks that used to allow trucks anywhere near me, are ATV/UTV/jeep only.

Working on this one I'm fixing for my buddy, (basically the sport version of yours lol) has repeaked my interest.

I just don't want to get lumped into that other JEEPER category :doah:lol
 
So this was the first wheelbase stretch, before "Unlimited" meant 4-door? You get 2 D44, coil springs, 4:1 and dual air lockers? Did these have the automatic swaybar disconnect back then? Ever miss having something more like 2.7:1? I do remember some Jeep guys calling them "3/4-ton axles", but I challenged them to name any vehicle ever sold as a 3/4-ton with a D44 or equivalent rear axle.
 
shady said:
I thought the unlimited was the 4 door version...?

Ive actually been contemplating a heep for a bit. Solely for the fact that all of the parks that used to allow trucks anywhere near me, are ATV/UTV/jeep only.

Working on this one I'm fixing for my buddy, (basically the sport version of yours lol) has repeaked my interest.

I just don't want to get lumped into that other JEEPER category :doah:lol
Click to expand...
You know you can’t wait to have a row of rubber ducks on your windshield.
 
shady said:
I thought the unlimited was the 4 door version...?

Ive actually been contemplating a heep for a bit. Solely for the fact that all of the parks that used to allow trucks anywhere near me, are ATV/UTV/jeep only.

Working on this one I'm fixing for my buddy, (basically the sport version of yours lol) has repeaked my interest.

I just don't want to get lumped into that other JEEPER category :doah:lol
Click to expand...

Blue85 said:
So this was the first wheelbase stretch, before "Unlimited" meant 4-door? You get 2 D44, coil springs, 4:1 and dual air lockers? Did these have the automatic swaybar disconnect back then? Ever miss having something more like 2.7:1? I do remember some Jeep guys calling them "3/4-ton axles", but I challenged them to name any vehicle ever sold as a 3/4-ton with a D44 or equivalent rear axle.
Click to expand...

Yes, the TJ Unlimited (LJ) was the first long wheel base Jeep and just a two door. Like 10" of extra wheelbase which improves the rear driveshaft angles and in my mind makes it about the ultimate out of the box wheeler.

It did not have swaybar disconnects but that's not hard to remedy with a set like JKS or a Antirock swaybar setup.

These D44s are sticker stock D44s, not the Super44 in JK, JL, JT, Nissan Frontier/Xterra/Titan but even those I would have trouble calling 3/4t with the increases in HP and weight of modern vehicles.

centexk5 said:
You know you can’t wait to have a row of rubber ducks on your windshield.
Click to expand...

My daughter is making this....

1000006617.jpg

duck-quack-car.gif
 
TerryD said:
Right now I'm just trying to get it caught up on maintenance and fix some little issues.

The plan is to replace the Xterra with it. A nice mannered DD/Wheeler. As the kids have grown they don't go camping and wheeling with me and we rarely take the X places as a family because of lack of space so it is time I got the vehicle I would have had a long time ago if I didn't have 3 kids.

33-35" tires, what ever lift is needed and kit it out for spontaneous adventures like the Xterra is now. A TJ/LJ on 33s is much more capable than an IFS rig on 33s thanks to the added articulation, never mind the narrower and shorter foot print and higher ground clearance so I don't think it will be a difficult task.

I was looking at a low lift long arm kit but the TJ board kinda boo-hoo'd the usual suspects in favor of a $4k Savvy 3/4 link "mid length arm" kit that I'm exploring a little.

If all goes as planned, this will be the last vehicle (at least VIN#) I buy for my daily driver use so I want to do it right.
Click to expand...

1716472214167.png

rusty's offroad long arm with 3" lift. it was a sleeper then. ARBs and 4.56s with a 4:1 case on 33s
 
I apologize for cluttering up your thread so much but here is a pic with flatfenders on it. it is currently in my garage. when I was moving I was in a hurry and it wouldn't start and I dumped gas down the throttle body and splashed it all over the engine. it backfired and got the top of the engine on fire and I put it on a trailer and moved it. one of these days I need to look at it.


Screenshot_20240523-113754_Gallery.jpg
 
I've always wanted to put flat fenders on ours but it's still pretty clean after all these years so I can't bring myself to do it.
 
fourwheelerjeff said:
I apologize for cluttering up your thread so much but here is a pic with flatfenders on it. it is currently in my garage. when I was moving I was in a hurry and it wouldn't start and I dumped gas down the throttle body and splashed it all over the engine. it backfired and got the top of the engine on fire and I put it on a trailer and moved it. one of these days I need to look at it.


View attachment 476138
Click to expand...
I appreciate the input. I like those fenders and bumper who makes them? That's pretty much what I'm going for for 33-35" tires.
 
TerryD said:
Yes, the TJ Unlimited (LJ) was the first long wheel base Jeep and just a two door.
Click to expand...

So I'm wrong about this and I know I'm wrong. The CJ6 was the first long wheelbase Jeep. My "next best" dream Jeep is a CJ6 with Early Bronco D44/9in, D300 and a 4.0L/AW4 swap.

Then came the CJ8 and the TJU.

/pedanticrant
 
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