A Serious Question - At the beginning of your WAYALIFE...

Lost-jkur12 said:

How to weld...well. I need to learn how to weld correctly and not from watching YouTube, or from the intertron (net). For the money I pay someone else to fab or install, I could buy tools of my own and build at home for the rest of my life.

Welding... Really high on the todo list. Just hard to find night classes in my area.

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check the local community college for classes.

or buy a cheap welder at Habor Frieght and go to town and trial by error until you get it right which is what I am going to do upon returning from deployment.

Man Idk where to begin on this one. So I'll keep it short. Wish I know how much money it would cost to get it looking badass, got a better knowledge about how to fabricate things. But all in all I'm glad my build is going slow. Every time I turn around there is something els coming out that I like. Save my pockets a lil. Loving the World of Jeep

bdmckenna said:

Where I was going with this was I have been asked to put together several 90 minute classed for new Jeep owners. I'm thinking 45 min of class and 45 min in a Jeep. Basics like how everything works, what type of recovery gear should I have and how to use it. Stuff that is second nature to us now that we have been doing this for a while. I appreciate everyone's feedback. Thank you.

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How many wheels are really being powered (a lot of people think 4wd means four wheels have power). That will initiate a section on how the transfer case works and what lockers do.

A section on the different ways we get stuck: high centered, wheels in the air, number of wheels with traction. Get people to "think like your Jeep's suspension" when negotiating tough spots.

What is a sway bar and why should I care?

Recovery, especially what straps do what. Recovery straps vs tow straps, what's in a recovery kit.

How to be a good spotter (maybe this is more advanced)

How to wave!

Lost-jkur12 said:

How to weld...well. I need to learn how to weld correctly and not from watching YouTube, or from the intertron (net). For the money I pay someone else to fab or install, I could buy tools of my own and build at home for the rest of my life.

Welding... Really high on the todo list. Just hard to find night classes in my area.

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Welding is not as difficult as it looks, first and foremost its like shooting a gun relax and don't be scared, second, clean material, Im not a big fan of flux core wire feed, which is what most noobies buy because it is cheapest and they don't know, as an industrial construction guy I still like stick, which can be easily upgraded to TIG.

GCM 2 said:

I can only think of two. And they are a bit advance. However, I really wish I had some formal education in welding and fabrication. I went to a vocational technical school for a while in high school and took a high performance engine building, machining, balancing, blue printing course for a few years. It was really cool, but little did I know the guys that took the welding/fabricating course were getting something much more practical. I know its not dealing with the meat and potatoes of "offroading", but think about how much more you could do to your build process, make it your own, save money, etc. Man I wish I could weld!

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Brother that great advice for kids right now!


Driver driver GAS!
WAYALIFE mobile app

clarsen said:

Brother that great advice for kids right now!

Driver driver GAS!
WAYALIFE mobile app

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I couldnt agree more! A few months back my 16 year old was able to get extra credit for documenting a "home project".
I had been debating over building a set of sliders or buying some. He checked with his teach and she was cool with a Jeep project so it was a no brainer.
He learned how to draw up, layout, figure material, cut, fit, clamp and finally do flat mig welding.
Sure it would have been easier to let someone else build them but it worked out great and he is always there with me when the jeep needs some wrenching.

Sorry to derail there for a minute. I think dchew nailed it above. Learning your rigs limitations will lead into line selection and spotting. Knowing what are the top items (tools/parts) to have with you on the trail and knowing how to repair them.

clarsen said:

Brother that great advice for kids right now!

Driver driver GAS!
WAYALIFE mobile app

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Chris, here is another great bit of advice I wish I knew about when I began offroading/building cars/racing almost 35 years ago.....I have found that a little person that's into goth/death metal, is not always accepted in the world of Motorsports. For me it's been a challenge breaking down the stereotypes, at least for me that glass ceiling is only 1 meter high

Thats just wrong LOL!!

As others have said I wish I would have known how far I was going to go with this sport. I bought my Rubi with the intention of using it as more of an overland project but I caught the rock crawling bug. Wish I would have gotten the dual tops and nav and not payed for the extended lifetime warranty (Ive pretty much voided it thru mods).

Before my Wayalife, I was a proud owner of a 2 wheel drive 2011 Nissan Pathfinder. The Pathfinder was nice, comfortable and smooth driving. I had a lot of good times in that vehicle but it just wasnt cutting it. I needed an SUV that can take me to places without getting stuck. With no 4WD, i was getting frustrated and needed something more rugged for my lifestyle. I watched the 3 part Rubicon Trail series that Eddie and Cindy made on YouTube after researching capable 4WD vehicles. It got me hooked. I started searching for a jku. I found one at a local dealership used with tires and a lift already on it. I passed by this Jk for 2 weeks driving by the dealership drooling. My fiancé told me she wanted to go check it out and see if my payments will be lower on the Jk and if it was, I should get it. It was, and on July 4, 2012, I was a proud owner of a 2011 cosmos blue JKU sport.

Now, I love this rig. It's by far the best vehicle I have ever owned so far and it was my in to the the addictive world of wheeling and modifying. BUT I wish I waited to find a 2012 with the pentastar and I wish I got a rubicon. I wish I had lockers and I wish I had a Dana 44 and I wish I had electronic swaybar disconnects. I can take my rig to most places a rubicon can, but I do wish I had these features. Building this rig will take a while because of wedding, honeymoon and buying a house and the finances and money involved in all that. So, by the time I can start doing more heavy modding, I might just want to get a 2015 Wrangler when they come out and get a Rubicon model in that. But I love my rig and I don't plan on owning anything other than a JK or future wrangler models. That's my story, and now I know what to get thanks to this forum. Thanks to my future wife, Eddie and Cindy and all my new found friends for helping me get addicted. Amen.

Wished I knew more about working on it. Like doing a lift myself and such. Wished I would have bought a four door. Wished I would have only went with a 2.5" lift instead of 3.5".

I am at the beginning of my WAYALIFE. :blush: My biggest concerns are 1) what tools I need to start getting, 2) what mods are most important to get me out on the trail and 3) where the good places to go are.

1) I would have waited a couple three more months and ordered a Rubicon

2) I really, really, really wish I wouldn't have gotten so excited and made sure I had 3.73 gears :icon_crazy: stupid 3.21's

3) I think the first two sum up my experience. My budget build is going exactly the way I want until that diesel Rubicon is out in a few years. I have learned after my first run with some fellow WAYALIFE'ers, no matter how unequipped you are, they will help you along the way and you will quickly learn what you need on the trails with you. All of you guys & gals are awesome, I am glad I found the videos on YouTube that brought me to this forum, I look forward to meeting many more of you!