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a story of Redemption

22K views 147 replies 22 participants last post by  Madanio24 
#1 ·
A story of Redemption.
Hi all , I am new to the board and want to write a little story on why I named the new WK Redemption. see we used to be Wrangler people. We have owed YJ's and Lj 's and have enjoyed both greatly. We have been a offroading family . Wheeling over the summer and repairing over the winter. Our last est project was purchased in 2008 it was a stock 2006 Lj .



we stared imedetly with the necessary alterations to make it a wheeler capable of a black trail, springs ,shocks, heavy duty bumpers 1/4 plates the bottom,etc.




in 2009 is when all things changed. There was a accident at work, where I was exposed to some chemicals that had a permanent effect. On my nervous system. I no longer could be exposed to any chemical, esp . Those that we used everyday while wrenching . Simple things such as fire smoke ,exhauhst,Windex,cleaners would cause extreme pain,swelling and discoloration of my face and a lack of tolerance to cold.
Luckily , I have some really good friends that have stepped up and finished my project and created one hell of a wheeling machine. It was exactly what I intend it to become.
The only problem was my system (nervous) was no longer able to take the stresses of the off road/rock crawling environment. not to mention. I am a firm believer in not taking out a vehicle and placing it in danger when I can not repair it , It would be unfair to my friends and myself not to even bring up the part costs.

so , where did that leave me ? With a jeep that would make most wheelers excited and a body that can not use it. Seems like a waste ,doesn't it?
Not to mention the fact that we have a 10 year old who is getting a little big to be jumping in and out of the backseat.
This is all leading up to one decision , The Lj had to go!
This desicion was not a light one but needed to be made, for both my sons sake(lol),and for mine. It seemed to be a constant reminder of the things I could no longer do. I felt this was mentally ,emotionally holding me back from my new normal.
This is where the WK comes in. This will allow me to still. Enjoy a jeep (a extremely comfortable one,lol) and still have something. That mods can be done.

So let's start with what we have at the beginning (by far the nicest jeep I have ever owned)
2006 WK Limited. - black with tan leather interior
5.7 hemI
Quadrant drive ll
Class iv hitch
Tow package
Moon roof
Power, heated seats
17" wheels and tires




Mods soon to be done
Eibach wk springs
Wk Blistein HD shocks
Front srt8 sway bar
Rear srt8 sway bar
Cold air kit
Magnaflow exhaust
Gator back serpentine belt
LED lighting all the way around
Rep.SRT8 wheels 20 x9
275/55/r20
Husky heavy duty floor liners
Front windows tinted to match the back
Remote start
Drilled and slotted rotors and brakes

Hmm, maybe I should call it "a new hope" ...... don't know but either way , I feel its a step(small as it maybe :) ) in the right direction .

I have driven over things , now its time to be faster then them ,lol

More to come!
 
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#59 ·
He he ..... Had this made ...

 
#60 ·
Just a update ....

I installed new rear brake lenses ( Will post pictures shortly) , also Have been working with FlyinRyan ( Truely the BEST!!!) on getting everything tuned .

The next thing on the list is Cooler plugs ( as suggested ) NGK V power , and a new ( to me ) throttle body . I have also been collecting LED bulbs to replace the Incandescent Factory lamps .

I have been thinking of adding Aux. Led Reverse lights, Have a Idea but not sure if it will work.




Will let ya know .
 
#61 ·
I just received in the mail a ported throttle body and figured I would dress it up a bit

Before



After
 
#63 ·
I was worried about that but hey ... Its worth a shot and I had the vinyl here ,lol
 
#64 ·
So in between bouts of being in bad and a terrible soccer weekend ( my so played quite possibly the worst game in his Goalkeeping life....)

I managed to get some interior led lighting installed ( i probably should have just gone to bed but .... I am stubborn that way . I am sure i will pay for this tomorrow)

here are the pics


Back seat

sorry about the crappy cell pics . My nerves have about had it and need to steam and rest

 
#66 ·
will do ... knocking my self out now,lol.

Thanks!
 
#67 · (Edited)
A week or so ago I installed new tail lights and LED 's along with a set of small LED's I had for rock lights for my LJ. This is the first time I had the chance to take a picture of them at night .

Here is what they look like during the day


Here are the little rock lights I was talking about


Here is the night view .




the rock lights
 
#69 ·
Kinda hard to tell due to the constant changes. We have been making but what i can say is we put about 250 miles ( give or take) before we had to fill up. ( i am guessing at the milage) pgh to clev. And running between fields and other places.
I should get a better idea this weekend when we head to our next soccer tournament.
The speedo is about 10 mph off. And we traveled most of the way going about 80 mph.( corrected speed- gps recorded).


I will fill you in monday on what we find out.

Since the last update. We have installed, ported throttlebody, NGK cooler plugs, 180° thermostat. And a new tune, all new antifreeze, oil change.

More to come!
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
 
#72 · (Edited)
just like with a CAI , the cooler you can get the engine the more dense the fuel/air mixture the more HP/torque you can make . Yes , i do think its worth the swap. Heat is bad for a engine and the cooler you can keep it the better ( to a certain degree) .
I did it under recommendation of FlyinRyan he is doing my tuning . We did it as well with the Wranglers.
 
#73 ·
UPDATE : Throttle body is installed , cooler plugs , 180 degree thermostat all installed. trying to get some miles on her before i send Ryan a new log. ( that should be next week some time) . I also got a code but it was due to the change in throttle body. Ryan said he may be able to take care of that

Getting ready to switch back to the winter tires. I plan on running our extra set of commander wheels and tires (17") this year .

Probably any mods I do now will be small ,due to the colder weather and my nerves .


will keep you informed ....Thanks
 
#74 ·
Today is pretty warm out so I was able to get the front turn signal LED's in and the resistors .

I also moved some stuff around the garage and backed her in . she fit nicely .

The other day We( using this term loosly) removed the 20" tire and reinstalled the 17" for winter, Not to mention the flat I had due to the Antler ( Yes .... I said antler...)

I was able to get that patched and look at some winter shoes ,lol

does anyone have the Toyo Ice tires? Do you like them ?


He is a pic of the antler ,lol
 
#75 ·
Dude, I just saw you refer someone else to this thread so I came here to read up...you're inspiring brother...don't know how else to put it. Jeep looks great by the way! The thicker profile tires on the reps looks good!
 
#76 · (Edited)
Thank you! I am stunned, never thought about it like that. Just trying to make it through.lol.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2
 
#77 ·
Since I am on thought I would do a update.
Been sick past few weeks first with a exposure from a bridge repainting down the road from us, then had a nice trip back to the ER, this time due to strep ( my son had it the week before...thanks Gabe) and a bit of pneumonia. This is why I haven't been on much as of late :(
I am still in the process of recouping so not much is getting done. But I did order a different style of front led. The first ones I bought don't seem bright enough for my liking

Also pick up a set of stillen covers for the front.

I found some pretty good cleaning products by eco touch. They are made in the USA and I can even be around the quick wax and widow cleaner. So if interested please check them out
Thanks

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2
 
#78 ·
So, Just a update ...

Had the wife paint the new " Modified " Stillen Covers and Installed them . also Installed a REF radio , This way We have a AUX port for the MP3 player .

We will get pics up as soon as I can get some .

In the mean time , The tires and rims ( factory ) that we installed for winter seem to Dislike air pressure ,so every two days or so I have to put air in them . I have plans on replacing them with the Tires and rims from our commander ( for now) then sometime in the future,buying a new set of snow and Ice tires.
 
#79 ·
I was hoping to get through this winter before buying winter tires. We left this morning early , To get to a soccer tournament at the indoor fields , and glad we did , the snow started coming down and We started sliding , just when stopping , the antilock kicked in and there was only a 1" or so on the ground. ( Glad I know how to use the auto -stick on hills ,lol)

This just wasnt going to work ,Esp. since we were going to get 5 or so more inches today . So, as soon as we got to the soccer place , I started making phone calls and here is what we came home with


I have to say , I am impressed so far . we came home (in freezing rain) on completely covered roads, never slipped once and never had the ABS kick on.
Winter Slalom KSI | BFGoodrich Tires

and
 

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#80 ·
That's some SERIOUS siping!
 
#81 ·
They don't even hum on the highway. Lol. Very pleased so far.

They are soft , so I will have to make sure I get them off fairly quickly in spring.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2
 
#82 ·
i did the ref radio too. so much better than a 6 disc radio imo
 
#83 ·
I agree Akimball , the only thing I dont like is how the cords are all over the place . I havnt come up with a solution for that yet .
I was considering running My phone charger through the dash and to the small compartment to the left of the steering wheel. This is where I keep my phone anyway .

Then I am not sure about the Ipod cord ??
 
#84 ·
i hear you... but it does not really bother me. there has to be a way to wire it through the back somehow and have a long cord go through the center console to where the arm rest is.
 
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