Kiriesh
Adventurer
So after a year of ownership doing some modifications along the way, I'm finally getting around to doing a build thread. I've jumped around a couple different forums but I seem to always make my way back here as I've always been drawn to the idea of overlanding. I've broken my build into stages, and so far have established a good wheeler. This vehicle was my first 4x4 and really my first dive into offroading as a whole. My search originated with looking for a solid LJ to build solely for wheeling, but I quickly saw that I could pick up a used JKU for nearly the same cost of a LJ locally. It just so happens that my compromise resulted in me getting one of the best platforms I could have asked for. I've conquered many of the local trails easy and difficult, and now my thoughts have drifted to exotic new adventures that I could find behind the wheel of my beloved jeep. While I must admit I'm not the usual "overlanding" build, I still plan to make the best of what I have and have no plans on reducing my components to anywhere closer to stock anytime soon. Whether my build suits your idea of "overlanding" or not I'm sure going to enjoy every second I spend on it. Alas, enough of my ranting and rambling, time for the pictures. Sorry if some of the early work was poorly documented with pictures, as I was only starting to get into the vehicle modification spectrum and didn't think to take much pictures. Before I get started I apologize if any formatting seems crude, I'm still getting use to actually formatting my posts on this site. If you have any advice on formatting please let me know.
Here was my "blank slate" after what seemed like the first wash n' wax in the life of the vehicle:
A few quick specs:
I lucked into this vehicle, and almost missed it entirely but luckily got a phone call back from the owner after countless attempts to contact them as I was driving by it on my way back from a recent trip to LA (the jeep was located around 2 hours away from me normally). I'm the third owner, with the jeep originally being bought by a man who lifted it and promptly parked it as it had practically no miles on it for the duration of his ownership. The second owner who I bought it from was a young mother who used it to commute round trip 60 mi a day on the freeway, raking up the miles (and dropping the price!). When I found it, it was in perfect running condition with only a few minor cosmetic issues and absolutely no signs of offroading (the skids had never been scratched). So with the groundwork established, time for the build period.
[SUP][/SUP]
My gameplan:
Stage 1: The Start
I had never truly offroaded before, but having a few friends with TJ's I established a few necessities before I felt comfortable going out on the trails.
I didn't get much pictures of the installs at this point but I made sure to get some of my first offroading experience. I had no idea what I was doing (didn't air down, didn't disconnect my swaybar) and had an absolute blast on the trails. I quickly discovered that my pup was not a jeepin' pup and after stopping to clean the mess she made all over my new floormats (so thankful I got them) we decided it was time to take her home. Here's a few shots of the jeep and what it looked like at that point:
From this point on I was hooked. I spent a few months in this configuration, mostly just making new friends in the local community and learning my vehicle better. It was in these early days of offroading with shorter wheelbase TJs and YJs that I discovered how my long wheelbase was a huge advantage, but also an issue with ground clearance. I put a good amount of scratches on my belly pans as I learned what I could and couldn't clear. From there I transitioned into my jeep's awkward "teenage years" as I discovered what was important for offroading and what wasn't. My choices weren't always the wisest but I'll consider this a stage nonetheless.
Stage 2: The Awkward Months
Brief summary of changes:
The stinger I must admit was a poor choice on my part. It looked bulky and awkward on the front of such a mildly built jeep and really didn't offer any offroading advantage. To counteract the sagging brought on by the extra weight, I had a leveling kit professionally installed (this was at a point where suspension work still scared me). During the fall I played with my setup a bit, adding a few aesthetics as well as a much needed CB radio. At this point I decided to invest in a hardtop as I was hoping to do some winter wheeling in the sierras, but the top ultimately spent a large portion of time taking up my garage space or making me wish I had it taking up my garage space so I recently ended up selling it for a profit. Here's a few pictures of the "awkward months."
My first real "custom" mod, painted my D-Rings, hilift, and some grill mesh I made from hardware store parts. It may not seem like much but it was my first non-"out of the box" modification and it was the first time I really looked in my engine bay. Baby steps... baby steps...
At this point, I decided it was time to get a stinger! I didn't really like the lack of grill protection on my quarter pounder so I thought the best idea was to strap an extra 40lbs onto the front of my vehicle. Wise choice...
This was after a solid 40 minutes of hammering on a torque wrench to get the old bolts off the bumper. The PO had a thing for impact wrenches and that combined with corrosion from being parked by the ocean every day made for an interesting time getting it off. I think we ended up breaking the torque wrench even with it at max settings. I sent this picture to a friend entitled "almost done!" little did I know the simple process of drilling 6 holes would require a massive new drill bit, a borrowed hammer drill, copious amounts of cutting fluid, and plenty of swearing.
To be continued momentarily...
Here was my "blank slate" after what seemed like the first wash n' wax in the life of the vehicle:
A few quick specs:
- a little over 73,000 on the odometer
- Evo Quarter Pounder Front Bumper
- 2.5" Procomp Lift
- 33" Nitto Terra Grapplers on 18" Procomp Alloys
- Bestop Trektop
I lucked into this vehicle, and almost missed it entirely but luckily got a phone call back from the owner after countless attempts to contact them as I was driving by it on my way back from a recent trip to LA (the jeep was located around 2 hours away from me normally). I'm the third owner, with the jeep originally being bought by a man who lifted it and promptly parked it as it had practically no miles on it for the duration of his ownership. The second owner who I bought it from was a young mother who used it to commute round trip 60 mi a day on the freeway, raking up the miles (and dropping the price!). When I found it, it was in perfect running condition with only a few minor cosmetic issues and absolutely no signs of offroading (the skids had never been scratched). So with the groundwork established, time for the build period.
[SUP][/SUP]
My gameplan:
Stage 1: The Start
I had never truly offroaded before, but having a few friends with TJ's I established a few necessities before I felt comfortable going out on the trails.
- Warn VR10000 Winch
- Smittybilt XRC Rock Sliders (terrible decision, more on that later)
- All weather floor mats (turned out to be a very good investment)
- Warrior Products Rear Bumper
- Hilift brand Hilift jack with Rampage hinge mount
- Mirror Relocation Brackets
- Rugged Ridge Seat Covers
- Bestop Mesh Safari Top
I didn't get much pictures of the installs at this point but I made sure to get some of my first offroading experience. I had no idea what I was doing (didn't air down, didn't disconnect my swaybar) and had an absolute blast on the trails. I quickly discovered that my pup was not a jeepin' pup and after stopping to clean the mess she made all over my new floormats (so thankful I got them) we decided it was time to take her home. Here's a few shots of the jeep and what it looked like at that point:
From this point on I was hooked. I spent a few months in this configuration, mostly just making new friends in the local community and learning my vehicle better. It was in these early days of offroading with shorter wheelbase TJs and YJs that I discovered how my long wheelbase was a huge advantage, but also an issue with ground clearance. I put a good amount of scratches on my belly pans as I learned what I could and couldn't clear. From there I transitioned into my jeep's awkward "teenage years" as I discovered what was important for offroading and what wasn't. My choices weren't always the wisest but I'll consider this a stage nonetheless.
Stage 2: The Awkward Months
Brief summary of changes:
- Evo Stinger
- Teraflex Leveling Kit (to fix the sag caused by the stinger)
- Orfab Tire Carrier (after discovering popped welds on the tailgate)
- Cobra 75 WX ST with 4' Firestik
- Tools. So many tools.
- C Gussets for the HP30
- OEM Hardtop
- Recon Tail Lights f
- Laminx tinted turn signals and running lights
The stinger I must admit was a poor choice on my part. It looked bulky and awkward on the front of such a mildly built jeep and really didn't offer any offroading advantage. To counteract the sagging brought on by the extra weight, I had a leveling kit professionally installed (this was at a point where suspension work still scared me). During the fall I played with my setup a bit, adding a few aesthetics as well as a much needed CB radio. At this point I decided to invest in a hardtop as I was hoping to do some winter wheeling in the sierras, but the top ultimately spent a large portion of time taking up my garage space or making me wish I had it taking up my garage space so I recently ended up selling it for a profit. Here's a few pictures of the "awkward months."
My first real "custom" mod, painted my D-Rings, hilift, and some grill mesh I made from hardware store parts. It may not seem like much but it was my first non-"out of the box" modification and it was the first time I really looked in my engine bay. Baby steps... baby steps...
At this point, I decided it was time to get a stinger! I didn't really like the lack of grill protection on my quarter pounder so I thought the best idea was to strap an extra 40lbs onto the front of my vehicle. Wise choice...
This was after a solid 40 minutes of hammering on a torque wrench to get the old bolts off the bumper. The PO had a thing for impact wrenches and that combined with corrosion from being parked by the ocean every day made for an interesting time getting it off. I think we ended up breaking the torque wrench even with it at max settings. I sent this picture to a friend entitled "almost done!" little did I know the simple process of drilling 6 holes would require a massive new drill bit, a borrowed hammer drill, copious amounts of cutting fluid, and plenty of swearing.
To be continued momentarily...
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