And so it begins...

[Vendetta]

...On another note, OME 913s were ORDERED today..YAY

Excellent choice.

Nitto Trail Grapplers 285/65R18s were ORDERED and paid for today, however the shop is going to wait to bring them into stock until the VX is ready for them! Hopefully that won't be too long

Oooh, twins! If you stare half as much as I do after you get 'em, it's still twice as much as a "normal" person should. But I wish I could be there when you see them for the first time - before they even get mounted. If your reaction is anything like mine was, it's going to be

Next up - order SS brake lines and a whole lot of INSTALL...woot!

Get the brake lines, but also consider upgrading the calipers eventually. These tires are rather heavy.

Great job gettin' it done so fast!
-V

[jeeperkate]

OME 913s in hand! Hopefully I can get those babies in tomorrow :-) Maybe even the rear shocks as well! YA!

On another note, the Jeep is out of storage and is needing work as well. Now comes the fight over which vehicle gets upgraded/repaired first

[Scott Larson]

Dontcha just hate decisions like that...yeah, RIGHT!

[jeeperkate]

THE LIFT IS IN!!

I spent 2.5 hours in the driveway today cranking some torsion bars (8 cranks) and putting in OME 913s! Believe it or not, it took me longer to crank the torsion bars than to put the springs in I am only 5'2" - 120 lbs, so when it comes to strength I am not quite what you would call beefy...sooo the torsion bars were hard for me even with a big pipe for leverage

The process went very well. Thanks to the directions on the site I was well informed going out there and it made things SUPER easy. The only issue I stumbled upon was that my weakling strength couldn't get the bottom shock mount nut off, but a quick slide under the VX and a kick to the wrench and I was ready to keep moving!

Tada:
Before:

After:



Now I need some tires to fill those gaping holes!!

One thing I did notice after taking my wheels off is that I found some cracks and peels in the chrome...looks like new wheels are in order sooner than I had hoped

[VX KAT]

One thing I did notice after taking my wheels off is that I found some cracks and peels in the chrome...looks like new wheels are in order sooner than I had hoped

Have you read where the chrome peeling is a really common issue on the 18" (2000 and 2001)? It's one of those "quirks" we've identified related to the VX. We put it on the questionnaire because it was so common.
They usually peel on the inner side, on the flat part of the rim, but sometimes I've read the peeling does creep out toward the front. Many original owners had theirs replaced under warranty, but some of the new ones did it also. I think only a very few actually had any functional problem with the peeling, think one mentioned they started loosing air when it got to the lip.

[VXorado]

THE LIFT IS IN!!

I spent 2.5 hours in the driveway today cranking some torsion bars (8 cranks) and putting in OME 913s! Believe it or not, it took me longer to crank the torsion bars than to put the springs in I am only 5'2" - 120 lbs, so when it comes to strength I am not quite what you would call beefy...sooo the torsion bars were hard for me even with a big pipe for leverage

The torsion bar crank can be a pain. I've changed the height on my VX several times and decided that I was over crawling under the frame with a big breaker bar. I bought a 27mm socket and now use my impact wrench to crank the torsion bars. It's a piece O' cake, you just need to mark the bolt so you can count rotations.

Your VX looks ready for those Trail Grapplers!

[JoFotoz]

Good on ya girl!!
Another Black Beauty taking shape....



jo

[Ldub]

THE LIFT IS IN!!

After:



Now I need some tires to fill those gaping holes!!

Look forward to seeing the new tires.

As far as peeling chrome goes...meh...

Wire brush it off, clean it up real good, make yourself a cardboard circle the right size to mask the spokes from the back, & shoot the back side in flat black primer and/or bed liner...problem solved, problem staying solved...

It's aluminium under the chrome, it ain't gonna rust or nuthin'.

[Scott Larson]

When you're ready to ditch the old rims, I'm calling dibs! Maybe between your set and mine, I can eek-out one decent set...DIBS!!

[BigSwede]

Lol I looked at the first pic and wondered how the heck you still have snow up there...then I finally noticed it was the "before" pic. Looking good, BTW.

Do you know the Kesslers? Good friends of mine in Duluth.

[jeeperkate]

Lol I looked at the first pic and wondered how the heck you still have snow up there...then I finally noticed it was the "before" pic. Looking good, BTW.

Do you know the Kesslers? Good friends of mine in Duluth.

I know of the Kesslers, but unfortunately have not had the chance to meet any of them!


Progress report!

The TIRES ARE IN! They are big and beefy. I put them next to my Jeep tires and they are the same size - that's just crazy! I can't wait to get them on there



I also ordered some rims today.



I have to tell this story: after I bought tires from Discount Tire I went into the same shop to take a look at rims. The guy was so rude to me that I actually walked out. He chased me into the parking lot apologizing, but I was very upset since, like most people, I don't like being treated like I am stupid. He offered me a free wheel if I came back to him so I took some time to think and research and went back today. He was very apologetic again and said he did some research this time and realized that I knew what I was talking about. Hey, nothing like telling the person that knows the truck and owns the truck that they are dumb. Good times No, really, he redeemed himself today. I was happy to do business with him.


Enough of that story, I was looking for silverish wheels originally since they look nice with the black VX, but I ended up with black matte wheels instead. I just couldn't find any wheels that I really loved, but settled on some that I like. I should have wheels and tires next week and should have them on the VX by the end of next week! SWEET!! Pics to come once complete

[Vendetta]

Told ya! They're monsters. Remember to keep the outer walls consistent.

Glad it's all coming together.

-V

[jeeperkate]

Hey V - did you ever get around to checking your tire pressure? I think the guys at the shop are going to give them to me with 40psi...think that will be too stiff? I guess I can play with it and find out

[Vendetta]

Hey V - did you ever get around to checking your tire pressure? I think the guys at the shop are going to give them to me with 40psi...think that will be too stiff? I guess I can play with it and find out

My tires are filled to 40psi, and the ride is somewhat rough but I don't mind for now. I'm still benchmarking MPG before a few other mods and want to vary only one thing at a time for a few tanks.

Got pics of your wheels?

-V

[Scott Larson]

Curious to see your new rims Kate, remember, if you're lookin' to sell your old rims and a couple are in decent shape, keep me in mind... Nice tires, by the way, can't wait to see the finished product!