Lift finally complete

Before the lift was installed
After the lift was installed

Shout out

Jeff Daniel’s Jeeps did a beautiful job on the lift installation. So glad this time I asked them to choose the kit. That was the key decision, this bad boy has some serious articulation. Stay tuned for some offroad pics.

Rock Sliders

It took me a while to pick out a set of rock sliders. The whole idea behind rock sliders is to protect your side body panels from wrinkling and deforming if or when you hit a rock on the bottom edge of the side of the Jeep. They’re attached to the Jeep’s frame for strength, and most function as side steps.

I found one style to be more aesthetic than protective. The type that sit flush on the body edge, with no gap, so if you hit a rock hard enough, there’s no “crumple zone” to absorb the impact. Also this type doesn’t provide side steps. This doesn’t seem like a lot of protection for the investment. I’ll pass.

4 Wheel parts offers the Smittybilt Apollo Rock Sliders with Steps (part 76733). It provides the protection that I want. It sticks out farther and lower, provides a gap between it and the edge of the body, and provides a side step. You lose a bit of clearance, but my Jeep is lifted a couple inches higher than planned, so no big loss.

I won’t have to worry about parking lot dings (the other car will!), and runaway shopping carts will bounce off. I’m happy to have the extra protection, and they look great.

Rock slider closeup

Front bumper and winch

The last items on my mods list are front bumper and winch. I need to do some research on both. Will ask Jeff Daniel’s Jeeps for their suggestion, since this is their wheelhouse.

The front bumper will be steel, but I don’t want one of those stubby ones that offer no front wheel protection, since this is my daily driver. I found a couple that protect the front wheels, but still offer enough clearance for Blue level trails.

The winch will definitely be water proof. I need to figure out if I want the cable to be steel or synthetic, and not sure yet about capacity. I’m not going cheap on the winch, since it’ll need to work if there’s an emergency.

The winch market is mind boggling. Since they’re used by all types of vehicles, there are tons and tons of offerings. So finding a waterproof winch with the capacity I need and the type of cable I need should be fun.