While Robin gets the Bomber back on track, I have to get the ‘Con ready to go. In about a month we’ll be tackling the Rubicon in Project ‘Con Artist to prove the point of our build-up – that a moderately built daily driver on 35s can drive to the Rubicon, tackle it over a weekend and head home on freeway We don’t need no stinkin’ trailer and we don’t need no stinkin’ 37s). But first, we have a list of “Honey Do’s to complete.

So our early-build JK has about 16,000-miles on it now and we have compiled a list of things to do before we hit the trail…

We’ve had some issues with the CEL and some cold start idling issues on our Jeep, so we’ll have to return to dealer for some warranty work that will include the “GASCAP” light and an alignment.

New Protection
We’ve added some stout Expedition One bumpers to the JK, which give it a menacing look, better approach angle and an awesome rattle-free rear tire carrier that looks right at home on the Jeep and works even better. I a couple weeks we’ll be heading down to Poly Performance for a new set of high clearance rock sliders.

C2 Axles Gussets
Some Rubicon owners have reported axles bending where the tubes meet the knuckles, so we have Off Road Evolution install a set of their C2 axles gussets to keep things strong.

Air Leak
Since we are using an ARB Air Locker in the rear of Jeep, we tied it in to the Kilby on board air system we already had installed to power the air locker. To make sure the 160psi tank didn’t blow out the seals on the locker, we installed an air regulator, but apparently didn’t tighten things up, so now we have to fix an air leak.

Shackles
Our giant shackle tabs on the new bumper are going to require us to get new shackles, so we’ll have that done to assist in recovery before we hit the trail.

Suspension System Upgrade
We have been extremely happy and impressed with the Rubicon Express Long Arm kit on our JK, but we have several prototype parts on ‘Con Artist, so when we run the Rubicon, we’ll be stopping in to Rubicon Express before then to see the guys and have the most up to date parts put on our JK.

Tuffy Security Console Keys
Say, where did we put those anyway?

Tom Wood’s Custom Driveshafts
We just ordered up a set of Tom Wood’s driveshafts for our JK, 1350 in the rear baby!

Going Topless
Best of all we are going to do the Rubicon all topless, so we have a Bestop Big HOSS top carrier, Rancho rock doors, a stereo upgrade (MyGIG and speakers), hardtop quick release hardware, and a few other odds and ends.

Heck we may even change the oil and aim the lights! Looks like it will be a busy month prepping our Rubicon for the Rubicon.

--Sean P. Holman
Tech Editor – Four Wheeler Magazine