To be honest, I don't know? The guy was going to check prices for me, and I haven't heard back from him yet. I'm not going to promise anything to anybody until I talk to him.

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Illegitima Non carborundom!

FWIW, I am definitely going with the Ptrax and the DTT if my buddy can get me free labor. If he can't then I am just doing the Ptrax I think. I am also reconsidering the gears. It'll take a long time to recoup the cost of buying the gears and install kit in gas savings. The only reason I haven't decided completely against the gears is because I know the jeep is working harder than it did stock, now that it has bigger tires and heavier wheels and I'd like to prevent any premature wear on my engine and tranny.

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My Jeep Build ----> Big Black

ya I know what you mean I want to do the gears but its really expensive! I need to sit done and figure up how many miles Ill have top drive it before it pays off



ok if not its no big deal

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1980 Jeep CJ7 Buggy
SOA, D44/ FF14B, SBC 350, SM465, NP205, 108" WB, 37" MTs

http://www.dpgoffroad.com/
http://www.ucora.org/
http://www.christianoffroad.com/
http://jeepinbyal.com/

So I sat down and with my horrible math skills, this is what I came up with:

Every time I fill up I put almost exactly 18 gallons in it, either just over or just under. I would save around $8 each time I filled up. I would have to fill up 62.5 times which equates to 20,250 miles of driving (highway miles). That would take me roughly a year and a half before I started reaping the fuel savings benefit.

Hmmm, it is sounding less and less likely. The only question is, what kind of wear and tear will I be putting on my jeep if I don't? The numbers I figured were just for the costs of parts and not the install as well. I kept the install cost out of it because I may be installing the lockers anyway. I also used highway mileage of 18 mpgs because I am around 16 now so I did a conservative 2 mpg increase after regearing. I don't know if it is worth it to spend the $500 on parts and not see any $$ benefit until about a year and a half later. I'm not starved for power right now, but the KJ does like high rpms going up the steep Sierras which makes my KJ run at almost or just over 3k rpms when going up something nice and steep at a high speed until it gets back to cruising speeds. It isn't long or it doesn't take long before it shifts back up, it just needs to downshift to get back to around 65 or 70 which is what I drive. I wish I had the 6 speed manual.

Feel free to check my math, I hate math and was a terrible math student. I may be way out in left field with my numbers.

I will find out tomorrow night if my buddy can get me the hook up on labor or not. Keeping my fingers crossed.

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My Jeep Build ----> Big Black

okay so I just did some math, now if I did it right or not I dont know, but I estimated that if you would need to drive
17,100 miles if the average goes from 15mpg to 20 mpg

or 20,257 miles if the average goes from 15mpg to 19mpg

or 25,650 miles if the average goes up from 15mpg to 18mpg
to break even

and I based it all on a 15 gallon tank and $3.50 per gallon for gas

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1980 Jeep CJ7 Buggy
SOA, D44/ FF14B, SBC 350, SM465, NP205, 108" WB, 37" MTs

http://www.dpgoffroad.com/
http://www.ucora.org/
http://www.christianoffroad.com/
http://jeepinbyal.com/

I used $4.00/gallon

But yeah, about a year and a half to recoup.

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My Jeep Build ----> Big Black

haha I had the post a reply thing open for like 15min while I was trying to figure up the math and type it, I based mine on $1000 which included the gears and install, it does seem like a long time but I have 70,000 on my KJ now I I hoping to get over 200,000 before I have to buy another vehicle so the saving in gas and wear is more of a long term investment esepcially with gas prices going up

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1980 Jeep CJ7 Buggy
SOA, D44/ FF14B, SBC 350, SM465, NP205, 108" WB, 37" MTs

http://www.dpgoffroad.com/
http://www.ucora.org/
http://www.christianoffroad.com/
http://jeepinbyal.com/

That was the other thing I was considering. How long do I plan on keeping it? I will have it paid off by the time I start seeing the savings in it. Will I want to keep it then? I don't know. I'd like to say yes, but I want one of these pretty bad.

Maybe if I get my Kj built up more I'll be more likely to keep it though.

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My Jeep Build ----> Big Black

ya how long you want to keep it will play a huge part, I like the wranglers and would love to have one but I got my KJ b/c it could tow more but I have mine paid off so I plan on driving it till it dies I dont want to go in debt for a while

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1980 Jeep CJ7 Buggy
SOA, D44/ FF14B, SBC 350, SM465, NP205, 108" WB, 37" MTs

http://www.dpgoffroad.com/
http://www.ucora.org/
http://www.christianoffroad.com/
http://jeepinbyal.com/

Smart man.

I wouldn't do the monthly payment thing for a TJ or LJ. Would find a nice used one and build it up. Which brings me to another point. Do I wanna keep pouring cash into this jeep when I really want another one? Yes and no.

Yes, I wanna keep improving my KJ while I have it because its no fun to stop to be honest. I like building up jeeps, thats why I have had 6 or so of them.

No, I should really start saving towards that jeep of my dreams. It isn't like the mods I am doing to this jeep are making it worth more to potential buyers. People buying KJs now days are not looking to go off roading for the most part. Which means I'll either take a bath private party or really get hosed by a dealer.

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My Jeep Build ----> Big Black

right now Im really not sure I want to do it but dang it, its a lot of money lol and I think Im gonna lose the gears I thought I was gonna get cheap

_________________
1980 Jeep CJ7 Buggy
SOA, D44/ FF14B, SBC 350, SM465, NP205, 108" WB, 37" MTs

http://www.dpgoffroad.com/
http://www.ucora.org/
http://www.christianoffroad.com/
http://jeepinbyal.com/

I don't know what to do either. I know at the rate I am going I will beat the snot out of my rig and it will become a true beater and a half. I am dying to try stuff like this out at our local Moon Rocks



But I am certain to get body damage sooner or later and then more and more until I can't get anything for it and then where am I at?

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My Jeep Build ----> Big Black

ya it all depends on how long you want to keep it still, since Ive already done enough to it that it would be really hard to sell and if I did try to sell it Im not gonna get much for it so Im not too afraid of body damage now, plus the longer you keep it the less and less its gonna be worth

I would say go for it, when mine becomes just a beater toy Im thinking Im gonna chop it like you see on some XJs

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1980 Jeep CJ7 Buggy
SOA, D44/ FF14B, SBC 350, SM465, NP205, 108" WB, 37" MTs

http://www.dpgoffroad.com/
http://www.ucora.org/
http://www.christianoffroad.com/
http://jeepinbyal.com/

I am pretty sure the hood vents, bumper, roof lining, lift, tool mounts, rock rails and what not has taken the value down pretty well so far, so like you say, I might as well go for it. I'll have to trade it in to one of those push pull or drag it in sales at a dealership someday.

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My Jeep Build ----> Big Black

I dont think Im even gonna bother trying to trade it in unless I just really dont have room for it, just keep it chop it and when your kids are old enough to drive let them have it lol all chopped and beat up

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1980 Jeep CJ7 Buggy
SOA, D44/ FF14B, SBC 350, SM465, NP205, 108" WB, 37" MTs

http://www.dpgoffroad.com/
http://www.ucora.org/
http://www.christianoffroad.com/
http://jeepinbyal.com/

Not a bad idea either, but I am sure I will have totaled it by then if I kept it for my girls to drive. I hope that by the time I have it paid off and I get a new jeep I won't have ruined the KJ yet and then I will use it as a DD and go crazy with the new jeep. I doubt that will happen but we'll see. Also, all I really want for my jeep is the lockers, gears, and a rear bumper. That is it. Maybe a winch, but I doubt that too. But you can get an 8000 Superwinch for like $350 with a free mounting plate. So if I did get the gears and lockers then I'd seriously be close to done.

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My Jeep Build ----> Big Black

No "noises" per say, but I can live with the way a locker acts. I can feel it engaging/disengaging whilst parking and such. Just gotta get used to it. Everything I read on lockers was if you are not willing to live with the characteristics of a locker, don't get one. For me it was worth the lessened wear and tear off road. Plus, it's nice to be able to pull out into traffic and not do the "one wheel peel" and just go .

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'74 CJ5
304/T15

Im the same way all I want to do is gears a rear locker and maybe later a winch and I would be done, although I say that but once I got all of that Im sure I would find something new I would like

_________________
1980 Jeep CJ7 Buggy
SOA, D44/ FF14B, SBC 350, SM465, NP205, 108" WB, 37" MTs

http://www.dpgoffroad.com/
http://www.ucora.org/
http://www.christianoffroad.com/
http://jeepinbyal.com/

The more I think about it the less I want gears. Front and rear lockers I still want as bad as ever.

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My Jeep Build ----> Big Black

just wondering??? why not gears why would you not want to do them but do lockers? Like I said just trying to fiqure the reasoning behind this? For me daily driveability with lower gears would be better than say lockers, me I am still getting both but????

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MUDD'S MOTORSPORT'S We do IFS lift installs ,
03 OVERLAND EDITION /Kilby-Skidrow-Mopar-4XGuard skids/ 2.5 inch TOTAL CONTROL JBA coilovers -JBA Arms/MOABS-31 FALKEN WILDPEAK AT3W / 4.10's etc, 04 Kilimanjaro Edition loaded, plus 05 KJ limited