Reskar's best bang for buck build.

[reskar]

So I've been a lurker for a while but I figured I'd finally register as I stepped out of my liberty and into a JKU thank I'm looking to build as an over lander. First for less than a week trips but if it the Misses likes it we can plan for longer. The main focus of this build is to get the best bang for my dollar. I tend to be an over researcher so no decision was made lightly. Whenever I've read a build thread I always want to know why decisions where made not just the end result. I've tried to walk through that here in the hopes it may be helpful for others (or at least an interesting read).

I guess I should start with the stock vehicle as it was factory ordered and every decision was rationalized.

Sport (not sport - S) was chosen because of the modifications planned. Most of the upgrades from the higher trims would be removed. At the end of the day I would be paying 3k for electric windows, locks, and a leather wrapped steering wheel.
JKU over JK was chosen for more cargo space, easier access to rear, and AC included in base model.
3.73 gears were chosen to compliment 33" tires as they are much cheaper to have included from factory.
LSD was added as it is MUCH MUCH cheaper to have it included from factory and added traction assistance is obviously desired.
Tow package was added in case trailer is needed and for hitch mounted bike rack.
Hard top was added to support roof rack for kayak, and for comfort in winter. I though it could support a RTT but I'm not willing to risk it having seen the top in person. This is the one addon that I'm not sure is necessary but i'm glad I have it and would buy it again from a comfort perspective.

That's it, that's all I ordered. Deleted Bluetooth for stereo etc etc. I then took it out to wheel it and see what was needed.



It solidified a few things I thought and upgrades soon followed. I'll get picks of those and post soon but this is where we start!:smiley_drive:

 

[Comanche Scott]

Nice! :beer:

If you decide to keep the stock rear bumper, I have *read* (no personal experience) that it makes a great water tank for non-potable water. That would be a good "bang for the buck" mod.

 

[AngryRedBird]

Definitely a good clean slate to work with..

 

[BADDANDY]

You planned it out like I did, base Sport. Now I have a Rubi clone (axles, gears, lockers, dual tops, lift, tires, wheels, bumper, winch, leather, heated seats, yada yada yada) without the Xfer case but all the mods for less than what a stock Rubi would cost. Of course, I would have bought a Rubi to begin with if I had the extra $9,000 laying around. Forums and Craigs list buys have been very good to me.

 

[reskar]

Thank you all for the kinds words and encouragement. That water in bumper idea is great! I'll definitely have to check it out, thanks!

So the first upgrade was tires. I REALLY wanted 35s but when I looked at why I wanted them it was mostly for looks. I went with 33s 5 main reasons. 1) I've been out with some very capable rigs on 33s so I know i'm not missing out on anything. 2) 33s will not stress the stock axles. I consider this critical as i would be stranded with a broken axle. 3) 33's will require no modifications to the tire carrier and I'll save a fair amount of money in that regard. 4) I can use the 3.73 gearing the jeep came with as it's a good match for this tire size. 5) The size difference from stock is not large enough that it warrants brake upgrades.

Having decided on 33s I had three things I wanted to accomplish: good performance on and off road, minimal gas mileage hit, use stock 16" wheels. Finding the 255/85/16 size was a homerun! (255/80/17 for 17" wheels) It's a stock width so you don't have to worry about rubbing or fitment on stock wheels. It's narrower that a standard 33" which means increased gas mileage and better mechanical keying off road for increased traction. I actually was happy I got the 16" wheels at it gives me more sidewall than the 17" does.

Once I had decided on a stock size I needed to pick an actual tire. I went with cooper discoverer st maxx as it's gotten fantastic reviews for both on and off road handling. I'm happy with my choice though I do need to run 29 psi to get a decent chalk test. It's an E rated tire which I'm not super thrilled about but no choice is perfect.

Pictures! (first 2 spare was still on back order.) It's starting to look like a real jeep!



Next up I'm tackling rocker protection. (Comming soon!)

 

[Comanche Scott]

Nice!

Those 33"s look really good on the stock rims. To be honest, I think they look a lot better than most of the aftermarket rims. Had I not seen your Jeep, I would not have thought that.
So will you do a bit of a lift? or pickup a used set of 19/60 springs, and Rubi shocks? Looking at your Jeep, it doesn't appear you'd need much lift at all.

Since you live in snow and ice country, I'm interested in your opinion on how the tires work for you on the road. They get great reviews everywhere else, but I haven't read anything good or bad about snow & ice road conditions. That's about 10% of what I do, but that 10% of slipping around beside a big rig, is about 80% of the pucker factor of anything I'd do... lol

 

[reskar]

Thanks Scott! I actually have done a small lift (not in those pics). It's a lesson learned from high centering way too often on my liberty and I'm worried about lack of articulation with the larger tire. I'll get to it soon.

As far as the tires go I'm pleased with how the wheels look with them too. I wasn't expecting it to look so good. Snow and ice have been surprisingly good with these tires. They have gotten me from long island new york to hartford CT at night on unplowed freeway in the major storms we have been having with no sweat. Performed flawlessly. Also the sublot I park at at work isn't plowed it's just uneven ice and frozen snow. You would think you are driving on a dirt road, no skidding or sliding, I don't even need 4wd. I honestly have been very surprised and have had no complaints. They are significantly better than the stock tires that came with the truck and better than my ATs I ran last year. There is enough sipping on the lugs to grip.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Good news, thanks for the input on the icy snow. Really like the aggressive tread, and the true-er to size, sizing.
Oh man, you are so right on the high center issue. My stock height Rubicon measures under the gas tank at 10.5" ground clearance. Went to play at a little off road park area, and spent the day gritting my teeth as it scraped it's belly over about anything higher than a sidewalk... lol
Was still a lot of fun, but a lift & tuck would do wonders.
Will look forward to see what you do next. :beer:

 

[reskar]

Next up were Rock sliders, these were definatly a lesson learned from my liberty. The long wheelbase really makes them a good investment. In addition it's a nice place to be able to use the high lift. Rock sliders were really about finding an item that checks all the boxes I was looking for.

• No welding (sorry not a welder)
• Good reputation for durability.
• able to use as a high lift jack point.
• able to be used as a step.
• have some spaceing between body and slider so that if it does bend on impact it won't damage the body.

The item that I found that best matches all the requirements and wasn't crazy expensive was ace bolt on rock sliders.
Pics!


Next up lift! (comming soon)

 

[reskar]

Good news, thanks for the input on the icy snow. Really like the aggressive tread, and the true-er to size, sizing.
Oh man, you are so right on the high center issue. My stock height Rubicon measures under the gas tank at 10.5" ground clearance. Went to play at a little off road park area, and spent the day gritting my teeth as it scraped it's belly over about anything higher than a sidewalk... lol
Was still a lot of fun, but a lift & tuck would do wonders.
Will look forward to see what you do next. :beer:

Mine measure 32" with the weight of the truck on them. just over 33" off the truck.

 

[reskar]

So Lessons learned made me realize that long wheelbase and low belly is bad. I decided I needed a lift and began what was by FAR the most difficult part of this decision. I wanted something small. Something that would get the jeep a little higher but wouldn't compromise the handling on road. Ride quality was also a big concern. I wanted to make sure it worked as good on road as it did off road. I also knew that this jeep was staying pretty stock so I didn't want ultra stiff HD coils that were meant for metal bumpers, winches at the lot. That being said when I go road tripping I load up the jeep so it has to handle weight well. Also with 33s I didn't want a huge lift because it would look silly. As this is suspension it's not something I wanted to cheap out on so I was willing to spend a little bit here because I didn't want to have to do it more than once.

I ruled out the budget boost right away, I wanted it to ride as good or better than stock not worse. I looked at OME but their lift seemed incomplete with little to no geometry correction. I also looked at Terraflex which had more as was a serious contender. Metal cloak seemed like a good fit and was also a contender but may of the options seemed pretty pricey.

At the end of the day I ended up picking AEV's 2.5 lift with geometry correction brackets. I liked that it was a suspension purpose built for over landing. I liked that it had variable weight coils that would handle well both empty and loaded and I really liked that it was all designed together to work in concert. Having installed it I can tell you that it rides much better than stock. It has taken out the harshness of the ride that the ST/MAXX added. I'm very happy with the lift and I'm still waiting for it to settle a bit (it's at about 3 inches now). I'm also pleased that it's made in the USA as I've made an effort to buy all USA products for this truck (and in general when I can)



Note, above pic is on uneven ground, the jeep sits level.


Also a preview of what's coming next!

 

[Comanche Scott]

The lift fits the tires really well. Perfect "Jeep" stance.
That door skin looks like stainless...
In total agreement with you on American made products. :beer:
If you haven't already thought about it, I added the Mopar front mudflaps to keep as much road spray off the doors and rear fenders as possible.
Pretty happy with how that is working out.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005XXWAIE/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687742&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0013CD8TE&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0K1DZZC4GEJTSPR8VS90

Pretty sure, I'll end up with rear mudflaps as well, to help keep from throwing rocks through other peoples windshields with the M/T tires.

 

[reskar]

I like the front mudflaps idea. I'll have to check that out next winter.

My next upgrade was half doors. I always keep my rear seats down and I wanted the option to take the doors off. Taking the rear doors off with the seats down means things will fall out the sides which would be um.... bad. Also I can't keep the rear doors on with the front doors off because it looks ridiculous. With half doors painted the same color as the jeep gives it kinda a pickup vibe which is a nice change.

This got me shopping for half doors, with the factory doors being a grand that's not happening and I started looking for replacements. I wanted them to be paint-able so they needed to be metal and I didn't want them to cost a fortune. The point of them really was to fill the hole on the side of the jeep not to be a functional door so I was definitely going for a minimal approach.

After ALOT of searching I settled on Under Cover Fab's Rear half doors. http://www.undercoverfab.com/trail-doors/510-ucf-jeep-tj-aluminum-trail-doors.html
They aren't expensive, are aluminum and fit the bill.

I did a test fit this weekend and I think they look great! Still need to paint them but they definitely do what I want. They rattle a bit but it's not enough to bother me. Ask me after a multi hour trip and I might have a different opinion. I also may add some weather stripping to both seal it and put some pressure on the latch to stop the rattle.
So pic!


Also bonus pic I was able to get a shot next to a stock sport. It really has come a fair way along, though I wish the tail end didn't stick up so much.


Up next is a CB install that I need for an upcoming adventure!

 

[HAFICON]

As mentioned those stock wheels look great with some meat.. I have the AEV 2.5 lift as well IMO it is the best all around option. Just a suggestion for "Best Bang for the Buck" swing down to your local parts store and replace the OEM dome lights with some LEDs. Cheap and very much worth it.

 

[JKU87]

This looks great so far.