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Topics - rallykid

#1
The Lounge / Updates on my absence
June 22, 2011, 11:58:56 PM
Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on my disappearance as I haven't been around much.

We found out a couple of weeks ago that dad has cancer so that pretty much brought everything to a screeching halt. The original prognosis was good and with the new treatments he would get 3 treatments in a week and be fine. Now more spots have shown up on a scan and they are not sure what they are. If they prove to be cancer then that will be 8 weeks of radiation therapy and a much worse gig so we are holding out hope for the best.

Last month my cousin Angie had a heart attack and didn't make it through. She was a couple of years older than me so that was a shocker.

2 days ago my cousin had a seizure and died, she was around my age so that came as a surprise as well.

Most of the family is in Alabama right now as my aunt had surgery today and they gave her about a 10% chance of making it through. She survived the surgery and is in ICU at the moment so we are waiting to see what happens there.

Needless to say things have been a bit hectic around here and working 10-15 hour days are not helping things out. Not sure when things are going to go back to what passes for normal around here but just wanted to let everyone know that I hadn't completely fallen off the face of the Earth and I am still around.
#2
Spotted and Sightings / Doug
January 14, 2011, 03:41:39 PM
Spotted Doug at the Sprint store at miller and linden picking up a new phone. Still spotting him since he is about 18 inches away from me.
#3
This was installed the day I bought it which was 12/31/2008 and was removed 11/18/2010 when I sold the Jeep. $225 obo for all.

Sony CDX-GT420IP 52x4 channel detachable face CD deck with Mounting kit for Wrangler and prewired with Wrangler wiring harness. Full iPod control with iPod cable included.

Polk Audio DB521 5 1/2" speakers for the sound bar
Polk Audio DB461 4x6 Speakers for the front with the correct Wrangler mounting plates attached.
#4
I may soon be among you.  :cry:  The Jeep has come to the point that it is no longer finacially viable to keep as a daily driver. I am spending more on gas than I am for my payment and insurance combined. I can't afford to keep it as Janine is going to need a new car as well soon so it may be moving on and I will be getting something more fuel effecient as a daily driver if I can work a decent trade.

HOWEVER, when it goes we will be keeping an eye out for CJ's, YJ's and older TJ's after Janine gets a new car that we can pick up cheap as a 3rd vehicle to wheel so it is not all bad. Besides, if I am not using a Jeep as my DD I am not as concerned about damaging it so I can wheel it harder. So I may be Jeepless for a while in the near future but it is not a permanent situation.  ::woot::
#5
The Lounge / Looking back over the last year
March 30, 2010, 06:38:09 PM
April will mark my 1 year anniversary since I joined our little group here. It seems like it has been a lot longer than that. Looking back over the last year a lot has happened and I have made a lot of friends here. I want to say thanks to everyone for making the new guy feel welcome that first day.

A few things stand out over the last year.

Neil has always been there to help out and continues to be whenever something needs to be cut, welded, torched, built or destroyed.

Mitch has become another family member around our house

Matt is there at the drop of a hat to pitch in whenever he is needed to help lift heavy things.

Cody is always volunteering to help for any project we dream up

Hittie almost always has any part you are looking for and is quick to make it available

If it wasn't for Doug sending me a message on offroad jeepers I wouldn't have known WLB existed.

Ed is always the calm in the storm (generally a storm we have created) and is the one that offsets the chaos of the rest of us.

Prentiss always reminds me that I am on HIS turf when I see him in Lapeer

Chris (Herezja) is always good for a wheeling story

Derrick is always fun and usually has a good stuck story

To those above and all of you I say thank you for the last year and I look forward to many more. We're not so much a club in my eyes as one big Jeep loving dysfuntional family. Is there really a better family to belong to?
#6
Wanted / JK tow hooks
March 26, 2010, 01:26:58 AM
Adam mentioned tonight that he is looking for JK tow hooks for his stock bumper. He is hardly ever on here and hasn't been online much in general so I thought I would throw the word out. If anyone has a pair let me know and I will pass the word along or grab them for him.
#7
Tech Talk / Look what followed me home
March 20, 2010, 12:06:47 AM
Thanks to a heads up from Neil and a road trip with Mitch I scored a new bumper and tire carrier. It is an early Koz Offroad built by Koz when he was still doing all of his own welding. It needs a lot of cleanup and new bearings but for the price it is worth it. Especially since I can get it sand blasted for beer money.  :D  Going to replace the bearings in the spindle and clean up the stuff that I don't need, coat it in bedliner and bolt it up. All of the extra screws, bolts, nuts and associated hardware are accounted for except for the bottom plate for the Jerry can mount and the frame tie-ins.



#8
Jeep Talk / Jeeperz Creeperz
March 08, 2010, 04:20:49 PM
Curious on opinions of these guys. I have had problems getting Unlimited to get back with me in a timely fashion and promised time frame the last couple of times I have contacted them and from talking to a few other people I am apparently not the only one. So I started checking
around for other options. They have what I am looking for in stock but want to make sure they are decent to deal with before I drive all the way down there this week.

I am sure some of you have dealt with them so what are your opinions?
#9
Tech Talk / 98 TJ wiper problem
January 22, 2010, 11:33:09 PM
My friend Lindsay has a 98 TJ with a wiper problem.

She said they stopped working unless she turned them on high and then they suddenly stopped working completely. She is thinking it is the switch but I have never changed one out. How bad are they to do?

I know the switches in the old Dodge van we had was a nightmare as the steering wheel most of the column had to be removed. Any other suggestions of what to check other than the switch? I haven't had a chance to dig into it. Not sure if they have a resistor that burns out like the blower motor.
#10
The Lounge / I WANT IT!!!!!!!!!!
January 17, 2010, 12:44:15 PM
I think I just found my ultimate dream trail rig.  :o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_F7QrR4Ur8
#11
The Lounge / Happy Birthday Motorbreath
November 02, 2009, 09:33:55 PM
Happy Birthday Adam.  ::woot:: I am sure I am not the only one that is surprised we made it this long.
#12
The Lounge / New Jeeper joining the family
October 10, 2009, 01:06:21 AM
We found out we will have a new little Jeeper joining the club and the family sometime around June 18th 2010.  ::woot::  ::woot::  ::woot::  

See what happens when I get a day off work.  :D  I guess that means I need to dust off the back seat and put it back in the LJ at some point.  :lol:
#13
Spotted and Sightings / Topless CJ7
August 06, 2009, 10:25:51 PM
Many sightings today. First the wife at my normal coffee stop, then saw you on Potter when I was pulling out of Lear (needed a hand changing out the steering stabilizer, it wouldn't come off) then again on M15 when we were pulling out of Taco Bell. Never in time to throw you a wave but saw you out and about anyway.  :)
#14
Wanted / TJ/LJ adjustable trackbar
August 05, 2009, 01:07:12 PM
Time to replace my front trackbar again so I thought I would give it a shot here first. Since I seem to find out that someone had what I was looking for 2 days after I buy it, would anyone happen to have an adjustable front trackbar that will fit my '06 LJ with 2.5" lift?
#15
Jeep Talk / What did your JEEP do to YOU today?
June 03, 2009, 04:31:17 PM
We have a what did you do to your Jeep today thread but I am curious, what did your Jeep do to you today? We all have those little annoyances and things that pop up, it comes with owning a Jeep.

As an example, mine decided to irritate me by breaking part of the shaft from the speed sensor off inside the speedometer gear when I pulled it out requiring a new sensor and housing.  :x  How about yours?
#16
The Lounge / Pics from my absence
June 01, 2009, 12:10:08 AM
So as some of you may have noticed we were gone for a while and not cluttering up the board for a couple of weeks. We finally took the vacation that was so sorely needed.

After a trip Friday the 15th to see Dope play at The Machine Shop we packed up and headed to Roscommon to the cabin for the weekend. We propmptly muddied the Jeep and scraped a lot of paint off on some narrow trails all the while having a blast. Janine even got to drive on her first trail run. The bumper got tweaked in a mud pit right after this pic was taken and someone in an F150 got buried in a huge mud hole in the middle of the road which kept us up to 4 AM trying to get him out.







We spent Saturday and Sunday hanging out in the woods and Monday headed off to the Upper Peninsula and on to Mackinac Island for 6 days for some relaxation and biking.

Here is one of the hundred pics that Janine took while we were crossing the bridge



View of the bridge from the island



Random pics, lots of freighters and a tug that was doing some work at the docks.































 

Round Island Lighthouse





Me getting ready for an adrenaline rush and pushing the limits of the law



Arch Rock





Even I was not crazy enough to try this hill..........again



Some of the best views on the Island







Mrs. Rallykid at Devils Kitchen



Beautiful Sunrise





One of our favorite little known trails on the island to bike



Leaving the Island





All in all we had our usual fantastic time on the island, got to catch up with old friends not seen since last year when we were there and can't wait to go back again. Since time off is becoming very scarce at work this may be the last one for a while so we figured we would enjoy it.

On a side note the new KM2's did fantastic in the mud. I went places I never would have attempted on my 31 inch AT's and they performed flawlessly on the ride up to the UP and all the way back. Definitely recommending them to anyone who needs a streetable mud tire.
#17
Jeep Talk / New shoes for the LJ
May 14, 2009, 06:24:08 PM
Finally got my 33's on today and got a nasty surprise of the spare not fitting on the carrier. No time to pick one up or get one made before the weekend so after consulting with our very own master fabricator Neil his "take the bumper off, that will give you plenty of clearance" comment gave me an idea.

Using the spare transfer case lowering kit I had from my lift that I didn't need I used the bolts and spacers to relocate the bumper slightly and everything fits fine. Not an ideal solution but it will definitely work until I can get a new swing out. I can't wait to see how they do on the trail this weekend. They have a bit of a howl which is to be expected but are surprisingly quiet for a mud tire. A 1 1/2 inch spacer in the front and a 1 inch in the rear and I think she will be sitting just about right.







#19
Jeep Talk / Help me pick my new tires
May 09, 2009, 10:13:17 PM
Ok, I am driving myself crazy and this is becoming kind of an obsession for me apparently. I need new tires and I am going in circles trying to figure out what to get.

I know I am going with 33's but I am having trouble deciding which one and what size. 10.5's give me an advantage with a little better gas mileage and a little better snow traction and will also fit on my stock rims.  However 12.5's give me more options but require new rims. They are going on my LJ which is my DD so I am looking for something aggressive enough for weekend wheeling but livable year round as my daily commuter in all conditions.

I have BFG AT's on it now as well as on my last Jeep and they were great but I am thinking something that will clear out a little better in the mud and deep snow. I can get them in 33x10.50 which means I can hold off on rims for now.

I am also looking at the BFG Mud Terrain KM2's as well but I am hesitant as I am not sure how they are in the wet and non deep snow

My third choice is the Goodyear Duratrac which came out a few months back and has been getting really good reviews. It is kind of a hybrid AT/MT and looks really good. However it is only available in 33x12.5 so that means new rims. They are also on a helluva backorder right now so it may take a while to get them.

I know what the AT's are capable of but has anyone had the KM2's? I am wondering how tread life and traction is compared to the AT's. The Good Years are great but require new rims and I am not sure about 12.5's. I love the look of a 12.5 but not sure how the pros and cons weigh out on a wider tire. I know I will lose a little gas mileage, be more prone to hydroplaning and will add slightly more driveline stress but it gives the plusses of a more stable ride, more common size, etc.

I guess what I am looking for is your opinion on which tire would be preferrable and 10.5 vs 12.5. I am really having a hard time making a decision and the Mrs. is starting to get irritated with my frustration and lack of decision so she can get me to shut up and move on to the next thing I want to add.  ::poke::
#20
Spotted and Sightings / Matt on 69
May 04, 2009, 09:13:29 PM
Saw Matt #1 on the way home tonight from work. Nice to see another member on the road, reminds me I am not the only one stuck living in the real world and not just Jeep world. :D

On a side note, did you see the guy on the red and white crotch rocket? He paced me about 70 and then dropped back and blew by me in the left lane about 110 doing a stnadup wheelie for about 1/4 mile.  :shock:  People have to know there are easier ways to commit suicide.  :roll: