The best parts where being with friends. I was able to attend both Ouray and TITD (Thanksgiving in the Desert) which are two of my favorite events of any year. I managed to get a separate run in with fellow FSJ enthusiast Kevin and Derek rode along with me a couple of times as well. I got the Jeep out on the trail 28 times, 27 if you don't count TITD. That's not bad considering half the year isn't friendly to wheeling.
But it wasn't without some carnage and two calls to AAA to get towed. The first was in January when I could NOT get the transfer case to go back into high. That turned out to be a interference issue with the shifter. The second is when the Ujoint let go on the drive shaft. I was off the trail by then so rather than fix it on the side of the road, another call to AAA. I also had a battery die on the trail but a jump got me going and I kept it on until I got home. My planetary gear doesn't want to stay engaged in 'low', I haven't fixed it yet but it's on the list. The front spring is still bent but will be replaced soon. A little bit of body damage and a lot more 'Arizona Pin striping' but overall not too bad.
Biggest improvement this year was Evil Twin's addition to the roll cage. It now goes up the A pillars, back to the B pillars and across on both sides including a brace just above the dash. I also swapped in some new seats and spent a bunch of time making sure everything in the back is secured. A lot of other little things like wiring and such. I enjoy tinkering as much as wheeling.
It passed emissions first try and since the 'kid' doing the inspection did a driving test, instead of an idle only, it is good for 2 years instead of just one. 2019 will be 'emissions' stress free!
So how was your 2018? Did you get to use the Jeep for your intended purpose? Did you make progress on your build? Any big plans for 2019?
I still need to get the oil leaks fixed, the problem is that will disable the Jeep for a bit and I won't be able to take it out on the trail. When it's nice enough to work on the jeep, it's nice enough to go wheeling. I have the bent spring to contend with along with the transfer case issue. I have a set of used Bilstien shocks I need to put on too. I don't have any real 'big' plans for the Jeep for 2019. Hopefully I can keep it running and go wheeling!