NJ B.S. Thread

For some reason I'm thinking of project basket-case here....

 

Hi all- I live in Morris County. Long story short, my brother - who lives down near Philly- finally got his jeep and, since we have been talking forever about starting to make some regular trips out to Rausch Creek to do some off-roading together, I am finally going to pull the trigger on the build for my 2014 DCLB sport. I know the work I want done- which is a lot. And let me be very clear in saying I was not blessed with the mechanical skill-sets it seems most of you on here have. I know a lot of you do your own work and have build sessions but in the interest of time, work, and family obligations I am getting the build done at a shop. Having searched this particular thread and others, I found OK4WD near Philipsburg and The 4x4Place in Hopatcong. My question to you guys is are there any other "reliable" shops local to north or central jersey that I am missing and would be worth contacting for a quote? Appreciate it.

 

You can start by telling us what exactly you're looking to get done to the truck.
I'd be willing to bet there are a bunch of us that would be willing to help.
Half the fun is learning how to wrench on these things yourself.

 

And Joe beat me to it.

 

Welcome to the forum. @diabetik81 might chime in on this, but I believe the shop in edison where we met up the other day does work on jeeps and tacos. Not sure of his name, but seems like a legit place.

 

I don't know from first hand experience, but I haven't heard good things about the place in Hopatcong.

 

Ok4wd did the 6inch lift on my dads brand new f150 fall of last year and I would recommend them... but... I also would recommend saving the extra money on installation and just set up some work time with the guys here... a lift takes about 4-6 hours pending no hiccups...

 

Thanks guys. All right, here's the build. I didn't list it originally half because I was being lazy watching Lethal Weapon 4 for the hundredth time right now and half because I'm a little concerned you "experts" are going to tell me all the things I should be doing differently! Lol.
1. ICON Stage 4 probably at 2.5" and 1.5"
2. Fuel "Ripper" wheels
3. 285/70/17 K02s
4. I have all of the following from the recent RCI group buy which need to be installed: rock sliders, skids: front, transfer, rear diff, transmission, A-arms (all steel) and fuel (aluminum).
5. Rear ARB locker and compressor (ARB currently running a deal where you get the compressor free with the purchase of a locker)
6. slimline hybrid bumper from Southern off-road
7. Looking at this winch but haven't decided for sure yet on it:
http://www.comeupwinch.com/pro/detail.php?pid=298&cid=112&f=102
8. Re-gear

 

Thanks. I have done a lot of research to try to make sure I get it right performance-wise (personal preferences for style aside). I guess the one thing that has been hard to figure out from threads has been labor costs at shops. I should know soon enough as the OK4WD people said they'd be getting back to me tomorrow. I am not sold on the 4x4 Place though. They have had my info for two weeks already and not so much as a phone call or email back saying they were working on it. Finally reached Andrew Jr. today and he said they have been.busy and would get back to me in the next day or two. If 04Yota or anybody else knows the name of the shop in Edison, I'd at least reach out to them. Thanks again and I can let you know how I make out if y'all are interested.

 

Oh, and once I get this done, I don't mind having you over for pizza and beer anyway. My two weaknesses after women.

 

I was hoping he'd come out for break so we could do just that. He's got something like a 3 inch Rough Country lift, I believe. Less than a year old. I'd love to see me outflex him with my stock 1st gen.

That's the dude I think I mentioned who wheels Rausch and recently bought a YJ. Looking to whee with him at some point.

 

There's TNT4x4 in Edison. Owner is a member here although I can't vouch for his work since I've never dealt with him. OK4wd is the only place I would trust with the locker install on my truck right now. There's also in gear transmission in manasquan. But I am friends with the owner of OK and can 100% says you are getting quality work done there.

 

@TacoJeep92 can def help you out at his shop TNT4X4 in Edison. I was there to buy tires and got a behind the scene tour, they are legit. I have been to both TNT4X4 and OK4WD, but not to get work done. In my opinion you'll get a more personal experience with TNT4X4. Just going into OK4WD to shop seemed like nobody was even interested I was there. Not to say OK4WD won't do a good job. Just that I feel like a dollar in there and TNT4X4 treated me like a buddy after meeting once. Just my two cents. The choice is yours.

 

Mainline overland in West Chester, pa installed my rear ARB locker and compressor and they were the cheapest option I found after calling places in nj and pa.

 

Thanks for the additional info on TNT and Mainline Overland. My parents live in Valley Forge PA so getting work done down by West Chester could be a possibility.

Well, I woke up to the quote from OK4WD. For the ICON Stage 4 lift/suspension alone they want
$1325 labor for the kit
$540 labor for the leaf pack
Additional charges:
$25 each tire for mount and balance
$100 MISC shop supplies
$119 LT thrust angle alignment
I know my reaction but going to keep quiet until I hear from you guys. Thoughts?

 

They don't list an hourly rate or anticipated job time. Just total labor charges.

 

Seems a tad high.

 

lol Ill put in a leaf pack for 540 if you want. Ill even buy you a six pack.

 

Seems high to me. I helped my buddy install shocks and a new leaf pack and that took maybe 4-5 hours. Including shooting the shit, drinking beers, and eating lunch

 

Mind you though there is always a price to pay to just drop something off and pick it up...

it just hurts swallowing the price tag when you see plenty of forum members getting together and doing install meets and everyone saving on labor.


but again, arguably either option can go wrong and then double down on labor again