Ruffnex Offroad and Fabrication

I just want to announce to all of the Ruffnex Offroad followers that I have moved to Venom Motorsports as the Sales Manager. Thank you to all that have followed and supported Ruffnex. Please feel free to contact me at 616-635-2519 for parts and service.

Unit bearings, CV axles on both sides, and a new drive-shaft along with new brakes for this 1999 WJ. Later this summer, it will get a budget-boost from TerraFlex and a custom Ruffnex front steel bumper.

1984 CJ7 is getting attention again, its been a while, but the plan is to have it running and ready for its next improvement by March.

Daydreaming......it sucks having my YJ down....damn you rust!!! "New to me" used frame is just waiting to bring new life to the "Laid-Off" YJ.

New logo for the 2nd Annual Jeep & 4x4 Festival in Hudsonville, MI. Post up if you are planning to attend. Share this with your friends to help give back to our Veterans.
June 24 2017 Hudsonville Fairgrounds.

Post up your rigs and any winter projects going on. Here is my rig waiting for it's frame transplant.

Went wheeling with friends, while riding shotgun, I still had a good time. Thanks Jon for letting me add ballast to the passenger side of the LJ...lol.

1997 TJ without the hardtop wiring and a rotted out, cobbled, fuel tank skid plate. New skid plate, fuel pump, and fuel filter, trailer hitch along with putting in the necessary OEM wiring to operate the rear wiper and defogger. Thanks Matt.

Some need-to-know info about this Event...another reason to attend and participate.

Went wheeling with friends at Bundy Hill. Good times....even if my Jeep was out-of-commision.

I went out with my TwoTracker Four Wheel Drive Clud friends to honor our Vets with our annual Vets Run. Drove the Hot Rod since my Jeep was out with bad ball-joints.

A familiar rig was in the shop with a NEW owner getting some things done.

Modified the driver seat, lowered it and moved it back to accommodate his height, cleaned up the inner fender openings for the extended shock mounts, added child car seat anchors, installed front bumpstops, fabricated new rear bumpstops with urethane bumps, installed a flexible transmission dipstick tube, new kickdown cable, fabricated a new transmission tunnel cover to allow the transfer case to engage low-range, added shift boots from a J10 Jeep Truck and modified a floor mat to cover where the original carpet wouldn't.

Thank you to all who have served, are serving, and intending to serve our country. Because of you, we have this freedom.

Had some issues with my wifes '06 Jeep Commander that had to be taken care of quickly. Ball-joints were bad, and the upper axle bushing was wasted along with the a tire that seemed to have a broken belt inside. New 265/70r17 Hankook Dynapro ATM tires added to the mix. So what better time to install a 2" lift with all the other work needed. It started out being brought it in for warranty work on the transfer case and front driveshaft. Big thanks to Steve at Magnum Auto Repair for lending a helping hand.

John brought his "one-wheel-peal" Mustang GT to get new clutch pack in the 8.8 axle. We ended up upgrading to the Carbon-fiber Clutch Pack from FoMoCo to give it the added grip of a new Mustang Cobra instead of putting the OEM pack in, that probably wouldn't hold up to this beast of a 5.0L.

I had this guy, Cork, come to me for a Bike Rack Hitch for his Audi S4 Convertible. He wanted it to fit his Yakima Bike Carrier so he could drive his convertible to the trails instead of driving his daily driver. Mission Accomplished. Happy Customer, fun build.

I have been seeing posts on Forums and Facebook about people building "Custom" bumpers for vehicles. They are trying to sell them for a good price and getting alot of flack about being able to buy "off-the-shelf" bumpers for cheaper.

My opinion is that there are alot of really nice bumpers out there like the ones JCR Offroad offers. They are designed and built to the highest standards. The time involved in designing and testing is expensive and when they get into production and sell thousands all over the world, the costs have been somewhat recouped and therefore they are able to offer them for affordable prices.

It's when you have a talented fabricator, build a bumper to your wants and needs to fit your vehicle and make it unique to your tastes is where the costs go up. Building one bumper to fit, will have alot of hours in trial and error and material to make it a sturdy and a safe addition to your vehicle. When you want something that is different than what is readily available, it will cost more, plain and simple.

Example:
You decide you want a motorcycle...
So you buy a "metric" bike for around 8000.00. You like it, but you see several others with the exact same bike. So you decide to buy a "Harley" for around 18,000.00. You really like it, but there is that guy you see that also has the same bike you have. Now you say the heck with it, you want a "Custom" bike that fits your personality and style, so you call Jesse James to build you a bike, now you spend 180,000.00. Now you most definitely have a unique hand built bike that is highly unlikely you will see another one like it. It fits you perfectly and it is exactly what you wanted.

Overall, they are all still motorcycles, but the one you had custom built is exactly what you wanted, and you had to pay extra for the labor and expertise to design and build this unique built motorcycle.

Moral of the story is that if you want a bumper look that you just can't find in the aftermarket industry and want something "custom" you will have to take into consideration the time and energy involved in building a custom bumper.

There are alot of talented fabricators out there that can feel cheated selling something cheaper than the labor involved in the building process. Give them the respect and appreciation that they deserve for the talent and dedication to build you a bumper or any other fabrication work.

Respectfully,

Ruffnex Offroad
and Fabrication

Spent the day at the Jeep Creep....over 600+ Jeeps!! I was Presidential representing the TwoTrackers Four Wheel Drive Club. Great event just keeps getting better every year....been going as the Club Representative for the past 5 years. 5 years ago there was just under 300, last year there was over 500. It is growing exponentially.

BDS Long-arm install along with JKS ACOS Bumpstops and JKS Sector Shaft Brace. Bob is now ready for 37's....or 40's....right Bob?? Lol. Great kit made by a Michigan based company in Coldwater.
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Had this 'ol CJ5 in for an Ignition upgrade to HEI, Speedometer cable replacement, switch back to an OEM Style fuel pump, along with a Carburetor rebuild and dipstick tube replacement. Now it runs the way it should. Happy Jeepin Kevin.

Lift kit installed...CHECK!

ARB bumper installed....CHECK!

SMITTYBILT winch w/synthetic rope....CHECK!

BAD ASS TACO....CHECK/CHECK!!

Labor Day Fender install. JCR Hi-line with JCR Inner Fender kit. Had them powdercoated by one of my local vendors.

I really like these Fenders on this rig, had a couple obstacles with all the Evap Canister and OEM washer bottle, and placement of the fuse panel. A couple runs to the hardware store for some bolts and fabbed up some brackets for the washer bottle placement.

I am a JCR Offroad dealer and have always liked their products. High quality welds and manufacturing along with great service that is "2nd to none" in my book.

I led a big group through the trails before heading back to Silver Lake for our Two- Trackers Four Wheel Drive Annual BBQ. Good times with good people, I am very proud to be a part of this club.

If you are looking for a family oriented four wheel drive club, check out the Two Trackers Four Wheel Drive Club (twotrackers.org). I have been with this organization for about 6 years now and have gained alot of friends with the same common interest.

3.07 to 3.73 gear ratio upgrade on this 2004 TJ. Cured the vibration issue by replacing this seized u-joint on the front driveshaft. Also, added a speedometer gear to correct the MPH.

Motor swap finished. Now it needs brakes and new AC lines along with a recharge. Budget 2" lift with 265/70-16 tires are soon.