OUR MO

Lunentucker

Active Member
The title reflects the current, but soon to be changed license plate.
OUR MO was my retirement gift to myself, but also our first chapter of being retired together and doing new and fun things.
For the past ten years we've been pouring money into our home and property. About a quarter million, getting it the way we ant it, and as importantly, getting it to be more maintenance free. Steel roof, paved driveway, new windows, geothermal systems, water treatment, flooring upgrades, and much more.

But enough about the house.

Meet "Mo"

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We met Mo at a car lot. He was sitting beside the Gladiator we'd actually gone to see, but when we saw this one, and all of the extras already installed by the previous owner, he stole the show.

1650 miles - A used 21 model in Feb 22. It was built in October of 21.
Dealer claimed that the previous owner had installed several thousand in upgrades before deciding he wanted a 392 Wrangle instead, so he got hosed on the trade in with the upgrades.

AEV 2 inch lift
N-Fab Steps
Revolver Bed Cover
Line-X
Sunrider

So we bought the JT for sticker and got the upgrades for free.

Things didn't go well at first.
The dealership was closing as we drove off, and I got a CEL blocks away.
It was windy and rainy, and when we got on the Interstate, the truck was all over the place.
Being my first Jeep, I didn't knw what to think.
I'd had a SAV before, but that old 76 Chevy drove better than this thing, and it was lifted 4 inches and had 36 inch tires.

Nonetheless, we got it home and I decided to give it another more objective assessment in the light of day.
It was better with less wind, but still very very hard to keep pointed straight and just enjoy.

So I took to the Internet and found numerous posts and videos, including many by our gracious host here.

Over the course of the next few months I learned way more about Jeeps than I'd ever expected to, but I've always been a sponge for information on something that interests me.

The first thing I did was order a SteerSmarts brace.
I also ordered a Falcon Nexus adjustable stabilizer.
The brace was a complete failure. It's at the bottom of my pond, after a whole day of trying to get it installed. Probably my fault, but I couldn't get it to line up. I even traced a template on paper and I swear the thing wasn't drilled right. At any rate, it turned out OK, because I went deeper down the rabbit hole and learned more and more.

I took about two clock positions worth of free play out of the gearbox, and that helped a LOT, along with the stabilizer. But it was still unstable in crosswinds.

The more I learned the deeper I went into caster, toe, ball joints, and more.
I learned to do my own alignments, and I invented something better than the bolt on brackets and tape measures, using a digital laser measure instead.

I soon learned that my truck had been lifted, but nothing was done to correct the suspension and caster geometries.
So I researched and found the video by Dr. Death Wobble, explaining the correction brackets and how they work.
I installed the Rancho brackets, and the results were stunning!
I FINALLY had a Jeep that I could enjoy driving!

The only thing I've done since then is to add the Metalcloak sector shaft brace and rear geometry brackets, which have made the back end feel much more planted and less "hoppy".

The CEL turned out to be poorly seated coil pack and or spark plug. We're 13,000 miles past that now and no issues.

So, in all, it took me about a year to get this thing where I truly want it. I do think the Mojave is caster handicapped from the factory, as the steering issues seem to be prevalent in this trim. My current caster is about +6.5 now, well beyond Jeep's specs, but it drives great and 30 mph crosswinds have little effect. The same for deep puddles on the highway.

The new plates will be arriving soon. This will still be "OUR MO" for as long as we have it, but the new plates will make a new statement, and have a little bit of fun doing it.

I've spent most of my time on "the other forums".
I've recently found them to be increasingly humorless pricks, so I'll be moving some things over here in the coming weeks.

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Lunentucker

Active Member
Thanks all. I signed some time ago and posted the Gladiator torque specs, but the more I see here the more I like.
 
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