And with the pull of a switch, I saw for the very first time in the over 6 years of owning my TJ… the light and all that which was hidden from me by the night. Yes, I just got done installing a pair of IPF H4 Headlight Conversion Lenses with X51 Fatboy Super Low Beam XX Bulbs and let me just say, the difference over stock is HUGE!!

Unlike the anemic, yellowish and narrowly focused beams of light that the factory Jeep bulbs put out, the IPF H4 headlight lenses with X51 Fatboy Bulbs produce a very white, wide and bright beam of light that is more than twice the power over stock. In fact, to help other drivers from being blinded by the intense glare of these lights, the IPF H4 lenses have been intentionally designed with a flat beam cut-off. Another great feature I love about these headlights is the innovative 15° rise on the passenger side which provides much greater visibility of the roadside, sidewalk and signs.

For the low price of $139 for the whole upgrade kit and the super ease of installation, I honestly don’t know why I didn’t do this upgrade sooner.

To see my complete write-up, click on the link below:
>> IPF H4 Headlight Conversion Lenses w/ X51 Fatboy Bulbs

Maybe it’s just me, but I swear there really are very few things that’ll work on the state of my mental health more then hearing a “clunk” under my Jeep while driving it. Of course, this is especially true if it occurs more than once, if I can determine that it’s the same clunk and if I can’t easily duplicate it standing outside of my Jeep.

Need I say, after I got back home from my trip to Moab, I started to hear an odd clunk coming from the front end of my Jeep. And, as luck would have it, it didn’t happen all the time and it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to locate. What I did know for sure was that it typically happend when making a turn or maybe sometimes even when I hit a small bump in the road… but as I said before, not all the time.

Well, in the hunt for this stupid cluck, I decided that it would only make sense to go through and tighten every bolt and nut I could think of and grease every joint too. And, that’s when I noticed my Off Road Only U-Turn Steering System’s drag link seemed to move around a bit more than I had rememberd. So, just to make sure this was the culprit, I had my wife hop in the Jeep, turn the steering wheel back and forth and that’s when everything started to make sense. You see, as the wheel was moving, so were the tie rod end ball joints at both the pitman arm and steering knuckle… that is, move up and down and all around - YIKES!!

In all honesty, I have no idea as to why the tie rod ends on my drag link would be toast already as my U-Turn Steering System is still pretty new (well, at least to me anyway) but at least it’s a pretty easy fix and one that won’t cost me too much. The most important thing for me is that I was able to kick the clunk and regain my sanity

Guess I’ve gotta make a trip to the parts store today.

After spending the better part of the week digging out from all the work I neglected while I was in Moab, I finally got around to washing my Jeep yesterday and gave it a thorough once over. With all the tight rocky ravines I had to negotiate through, tall steps I had to climb and steep ledges I had to drop off of, you can bet that I put all of my armor and bumpers thorough some serious bone jarring hardships. More than any thing, I’d have to say that my front RockCrusher differential cover, Kilby gas tank skid plate and LoD Xpedition Bumper Tire Carrier took the brunt of the beatings and with the exception of a few scratches to the paint here and there, they all performed exactly as they should - perfectly. Not even a dent to any of them and certianly no body damage what so ever to the Jeep itself

>>Click Here to See a Few Battle Scar Pics

Well, after 7 days of working on and off, cutting, grinding, drilling, wrenching and a touch of welding, my Jeep is finally sitting on top of its brand new Full Traction Suspension 6″ Long Arm Kit. And, with me needing to head up to Moab for the 40th Annual Easter Jeep Safari tomorrow, I’d have to say that I just finished in the nick of time too.

Hands down, this was by far the most difficult and labor intensive suspension lift I have installed to date but after taking it for a spin, I’d have to say it was worth every penny, blood, sweat and tear. In fact, I don’t know how I tolerated riding on a short arm kit for as long as I did. No joke, beyond the great looks this lift will provide, the Full Traction Long Arm Kit with M4 Shocks will provide your Jeep TJ with a ride that is way superior to stock in comfort and in handling.

Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to go through and work out any bugs there might be before my trip but I will be sure to bring my tools and make any necessary adjustments along the way. I’m sure that after 1,700 miles and a week of hard wheeling, I should be able to report to you in detail how this lift really performs. Of course, I will also be sure to get working on a complete installation write-up as soon as I get back

Until then,
Eddie

>> Click Here to See More Pics

Last Saturday, my wife and I drove for over an hour and a half making our way through ridiculous L.A. traffic. We then climbed up and over the Grape Vine through a veil of thick fog and wicked rain. Four hours later, we finally made it to the town of Bakersfield, our destination for the day and with only minutes to spare. So, what was the point of making this epic journey in the first place and why the time crunch? Well, because I needed to pick up a few boxes… a few boxes from a certian Full-Traction Suspension that is and they were making an exception for me to come by on a weekend.

Yup, what you’re seeing in the pic to the right is my project for the week ahead, an awesome Full-Traction Suspension 6″ Long Arm Kit just waiting to be installed. I will be starting the install on Wednesday and will try to keep all of you up to date as to how everything is going.

Now, I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything new here but believe me, it’s not because I haven’t had anything to say. In fact, with all the recent changes I’ve just made and will be making on my Jeep, I really have too much to say and really wished I had more time to tell all of you about it and in greater detail! However, what I can tell you is that you should be seeing a write-up in the near future regarding Alloy USA front and rear axles, Alloy USA 4.88 gears, front and rear ARB Air Lockers, Tech-1 Rock Crawler Black Series 97 Steel Wheels and 35×12.50 TrXus M/T’s. Yup, you heard right. Thanks to David over at Northridge4×4 for hooking me up with such a great deal, Ron over at Alloy USA for helping me get everything installed and Tod over at the Laguna Hills, CA - 4 Wheel Parts shop for the use of his facilities, my lil TJ is now locked, loaded and ready for action like its never been before!

As I said before, I am working on a write-up on these recent mods but just so you know, I may not be able to get them up online until after Spring Break. Why you might be asking? Well, because between now and then, I will be spending any and all of my free time installing a brand new Full Traction Suspension 6″ Long Arm Kit. If all goes according to plan, I should have everything done and ready for everyone to see the 2006 Moab Easter Jeep Safari.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for is finally here… the LoD Xpedition Series Bumper Tire Carrier with Trail Rack and two Jerry Can Mounts is finally available for sale!! To see my complete installation write-up, simply click on the image to the left. If you would like to buy one for yourself, please click on the link below:

BUY NOW - LoD Xpedition Series Bumper Tire Carrier

Loaded up with 2 full Jerry cans, Hi-Lift Jack and a large cooler filled up with ice, food and drinks for the whole family, I took my Jeep TJ out to the Mojave Desert over the holiday weekend to put the all new LoD Xpedition Series Bumper Tire Carrier to the test. I can tell you now that the amount of extra weight I added to the bumper was significant enough that without the assistance of my Air Lift Suspension air bags, my rear end would have been sagging big time for sure. But, in a wierd way that I wasn’t expecting, this added weight in the rear did wonders to smooth out my ride to the point where it felt like I was drivng a Caddy.

Anyway, so how did it perform right? Okay, on the trail and going over large obsticals, the rack didn’t budged at all. Even with the all the jerking around, the rack sat tightly enough that it simply was effect by it, or at least not enough to make me notice. Racing across washboarded and rutted powerline roads, I did notice the rack jiggling a bit but nothing enough to cause knocking or rattling. Where I did see noticable movement in the trail rack is when I had my Jerry cans empty and I was driving at about 70 MPH on an older stretch of a concrete L.A. freeway. I don’t know how far apart each concrete segment is from one to the next but the rythmic “thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump” seemed to get amplified in the then lighter trail rack to the point where it started to knock on my tailgate. Slow down and it would go away. Speed up and it would go away too. However, after a quick stop to make a simple adjustment to the nifty LoD Xpedition A-Frame rubber isolator, all was good again

Aside from any bias I might have towards LoD, I can honestly tell you that their new Xpedition Series Rear Bumper Tire Carrier is every bit as tough as their competion, easier to use than some and allows you to use your hard top glass unlike others. In my opinion, the absolute best part of this new bumper tire carrier is the fact that at $899, the complete set up costs about about the same price as some of their competitors bumpers do alone.

I should have a complete installation write-up of the Xpedition Series Bumper this week on 4×4xplor.com and I will be sure to let you know when they are available for sale. Please let me know if you have any questions.

After seeing so many of my Jeep buddies go through windshields like they were going out of style, I have always considered myself to be lucky that I still had my original glass as long as I did. Sure I had my share of chips and mini glass spiders here and there just like just like the next guy but none of them ever grew beyond that. I guess I always knew my luck wouldn’t hold out forever and after six years, a relatively new chip I picked up on the freeway decided it wanted to grow some legs.

So, about a week ago, I kicked down the $180 to have my windshield replaced with a brand spanking new crystal clear piece of glass. And, much to my surprise, I had no idea how beautiful and new your Jeep can look when you no longer have a fog of pits and chips misting your view. No joke, driving around with a new windshield was almost like driving without anything in front of you at all. I loved it!! Yes, I say “loved” (past tense) as only five days later, driving home at night from the desert on the 57 freeway, a motor home next to me picked up a nickel size rock and flung it right into new windshield - SMACK!! At first, I thought maybe I got lucky as I didn’t see any sign of a chip or a crack anywhere. However, once I got home and took a closer look, I noticed that the rock had hit the base of the windshield in the black acrylic stripe, just about a 1/4″ above the rubber seal. And, it had already started a crack about an inch long. By morning, the crack had extended itself about an inch more up the windshield and then made a turn towards the passenger side of my Jeep. Shit - a total loss!! Man, if the stupid rock had struck just a tiny bit lower, most likely nothing would have happened at all but as it would seem, my luck had clearly run out and fate was coming to reassert itself in spades.

Maybe it’s just Murphy’s Law that I be required to catch up to my buddies on the windshield count but does it really have to happen so close together? *SIGH*

In an effort to satisfy the demand of Jeepers who need more out of a rear bumper tire carrier but lack the small fortune required to get one, LoD has just finished developing their all new Xpedition Series Rear Bumper Tire Carrier. Just like the Xtreme Duty version LoD currently manufactures, the new Xpedition Series will be made out of 3/16″ thick steel tube, come with 2 D-Ring mounts, a Hi-Lift Jack mount, greasable hinge, tappered ends, and an integrated hitch. However, unlike the LoD Xtreme Duty or original Heavy Duty Rear Bumper Tire Carrier, the Xpedition Series will feature a 58″ long bumper (as opposed to 54″), a huge 1-1/2″ hinge pin, 10 bolt points, an adjustable latch, adjustable tailgate isolator, frame rail tie-in brackets, 2 Jerry Can mounts and a trail rack! And, unlike some of their more expensive competitors, the LoD Xpedition Series Bumper Tire Carrier has even been designed to work with a Jeep hard top allowing the rear glass to open all the way.

So, when can you get your hands on one of these bad boys and how much will it cost? Well, all I can say is that they should be available for sale sometime this month and that the price for everything will most likely be in the $800-$900 range. I currently have the first production model installed on my Jeep TJ and have been putting it to the test. So far, I can tell you that on pavement, the Xpedition Series bumper is as rock solid as they come and I’m very pleased with it. After showing it around, I’ve had a few of my buddies suggest frame rail tie-in brackets be added for added strength and I’m happy to report that LoD has already produced a set, shipped them out to me and I now have them installed on my Jeep as well. I was planning to load up the rack to capacity and test it out in the desert today but decided to postpone the trip a day due to all the icy rain and snow they’re expecting out there. Anyway, I’ll be sure to keep you posted on how it performs on the trail and when they become available for sale

To see more photos of the LoD Xpedition Series Bumper Tire Carrier, click on this link: LoD Xpedition Series Bumper Tire Carrier Photos