This weekend I got to spend some quality time with Ethan working on the Rubi.

• On Friday night I installed a set of the Buchanan Machine Works 1 inch seat risers.  We’re talking nice quality parts here:  solid machined aluminum blocks powder coated black and HD hardware.  The kit makes the seating position much more comfortable and the added visibility is great too.
• On Saturday Ethan and I spent most of the day in the garage cleaning out the last remnants of Montana from the inside of the Jeep.  There was a lot of mud, dust and dirt around the inside and under the carpet.  I even found a few stray coils and a bullet when I pulled the carpet out.  After cleaning her all up, Ethan and I had to take it for a quick spin down one of the rock/dirt county roads nearby.  Can’t have it being too clean after all…
• I also installed a set of the Mastercraft 3 inch Grab Handles to help with entry into the Rubi.  The extra hand hold while driving is nice too.

One other note, we rolled 35k miles while Ethan and I were driving around.

Yesterday, Ethan and I spent the day giving the Rubi some much needed TLC:

• Oil Change – Royal Purple full synthetic 10W30 & Royal Purple Filter
• Spark Plug Change – Champion 7034 Double Platinum plugs
• Installed Armadillo Industries Billet Mechanical Door Straps

• Removed Kilby Enterprises Inside Rack
• Reinstalled rear seat belts
• Cleaned Edge Trail Jammer CAI filter

While we had fun monkeying around in the garage, I’m really happy to know these items have been completed.  The oil change was due after my drive home from CO.  The old spark plugs were all pretty worn and each had a gap between .50 and .65.   The factory spec gap is .35.  I think the Jeep was running a little smoother with the new plugs and synthetic oil…although it could simply be wishful thinking.

The BEST part of the day was when I got to take Ethan for his first ride in the Rubi.  He was really excited and loved it.  I had told him about the ooga horn before we went for a ride and he was scared to hear it, thinking it would be really loud.  During our drive I convinced him that it wasn’t too loud and hit the button.  He immediately started laughing a huge belly laugh and wanted to hear it over and over.   Later, as we were once again working in the garage, he was pretending to work on his Dale Jr. Powerwheels racecar and I overheard him “installing” an ooga horn of his own.