2005 Rubicon; A Rubi Brother

I pulled the trigger on the tires a couple days ago, and I go in next week to get them installed. This weekend I'm going to lift the rear to 3" and dial in the pinion in preparation for the 33s. The front is already at 3" and I decided it's just better to leave the factory rake. I'm also going to tweak the front best I can because part of the tire promo is they do the alignment when it's all said and done. I'd rather not have to adjust arms and alignment twice.
 
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Oh snap :cool: I’m thrilled with how the tires and wheels turned out. Trying to replace the OPDA so I can use them!
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It's crazy how much the look changes with wheels and tires.

Its the colors too. I ran 33's with those same wheels...I think the lighter colors highlight them more.
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Not that @Jamison C's jeep looks bad or anything, its just interesting to see how colors change perception.

My brother said it almost looked like an off road package you could purchase from the factory. The wheels are more unique but still fit in in a “stock” manner, but the yellow center caps pop and make them look a little more prominent. I’m extremely pleased with how they turned out.
 
Doubly post but it’s worth it.

Ok guys, I too have been WranglerFixed. 4.0, 42rle, 33s, 5.13 gears. My initial thought is my Jeep feels "lighter," and it's easier to drive and maneuver.

As mentioned, the shift points are prolonged, especially 3rd gear. To the point where I occasionally have to check to make sure nothing is wrong and I'm not "stuck" in third. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm just not used to it yet. 4th is still 4th, but it has a little more oomph behind it and I can accelerate if I need to. The transmission also jumps into 3rd much easier if I need a little extra throttle, and stays there till I let off.

The throttle response is definitely improved. It's very easy to speed now because you just want to keep giving it more, because it can. There's a lot more power through turns and it just makes the Jeep feel more nimble in every aspect both on and off road. It feels like a new machine, but also the same. It's no V8, but this tune is definitely noticeable and an improvement.

So thanks @Wranglerfix ! I notice the improvement and now I don't feel like I need to gear deeper to 5.38.
 
So guys I kind of did a spontaneous thing and built a hardtop dolly. I’m probably out $60-70 on this, and this sucker feels unbelievably sturdy. When the top hooked into place and was resting on the cross brace, there was no indication it would tip over or shift. It is extremely well balanced.
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Here’s some photos of the build. Nothing crazy. The top is 59” wide so I used 2qty. 2x6 at 60” to brace the two furniture dollies together. Total dimensions of the dolly is 60” x 30”. I used a level and speed squares to make sure the dollys were relatively even and square with each other.
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I picked a side for my front and attached a couple of garage hangers to the underside so I could utilized the dolly padding for the top to rest on while it rests against the hooks. Outside hook to outside hook is 54”.
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Then I moved to the rear and put a couple of 2x4 blocks on the top side for the cross brace mounts. I attached those from the bottom of the dollies.
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To figure out the angle of the rear of the top, I used a straight edge and held it against the body of the jeep, then measured from the top rear of the top (right above the glass hinges) to the straight edge. I would call it at about 5-6” further in on the top than the bottom.

For the cross brace that rests against the top portion, I used 1/2” galvanized steel gas line as it is more than sturdy enough to support the weight. A couple of 90° elbows, 2” length threaded inserts, and a 48” bar, all wrapped in a pool noodle got the job done. My measurement from bottom of rear to right above the hinges was 27”, so I set my bar back that far from the edge of the front hooks.
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When it was all said and done, my cross bar with the pool noodle sits right at 5.5” higher than the padding where the front hooks are, and the top sits almost damn near level. As a bonus, at 60” x 30”, and 78” high with the top, the assembly fits through my 3/0 x 6/8 entry door and rear door. So I didn’t have to take it out and around to get it in my storage room.
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