After three and a half decades of happy marriage, I suddenly felt adrift after my wife lost her battle against pancreatic cancer. I was depressed and in a downward spiral. I googled my symptoms – turns out I just need nights around a campfire with friends, whos in? And so the where2visitnext story begins…..
Within the first few days, I had completed a full mechanical inspection, repaired and or replaced a few defective components, completed a full fluid change of engine coolant, brake fluids, engine oil, front and rear differential oil, and transfer case oil.
I researched various suspension lifts and chose the Old Man Emu 2.5 inch kit. I wanted to keep the lift under 3 inches to avoid drive train and handling issues.
It was time to take her out and check how she performed. The weather turned nasty, we experienced a bad storm with freezing rain, and ice coated everything. Trees were down everywhere. It was time to take her out and check the BF Goodrich KO2 traction and suspension handling in ice and snow.
I was happy with the snow and ice traction, the highway handling and potholed side road handling. I can expect bush pin stripes in the paint work, but I don’t want to replace broken windshields and spotlights, so I installed a set of Smittybilt limb risers. The installation was simple.
I started to research various roof racks, and realized I would need a set of Smittybilt Atlas Door Steps to make loading easier, and to facilitate the opening of an occasional beer when in camp. While I was browsing online, it was easy to place an order.
Little did I know just how enticing the aftermarket parts catalogues would be, and how many hours I would spend online researching reviews and installations. I didn’t mind because it was the dead of winter. Despite cold winter driving conditions, as soon as I had a sunny day, I would get out and play.