If I may...just a small piece of advice.
Take a piece of paper and write down all the “honest” future trips you have planned. Then take and write down the average amount of trips you take in a year. Also, write down your honest opinion of how much you will actually use the vehicle for outdoor travel and also add in the terrain you will most frequently find yourself in.
I say this for one reason….every day I pass a heavily modified off-road rig in my journeys to and from work. I see a lot of Jeeps built to the hilt…and then those that are only slightly modified. Most of the Jeeps that I see that are maxed out with every high dollar piece of equipment don't even have a nick on them or a trace of dirt or mud. I notice more that the less modified minor budget Jeeps have signs of abuse…signs that they get out and do the do.
Furthermore, when I got my first TJ I spent countless hours drooling over pics, drooling over possibilities, etc. Then when it came time to purchase I called a buddy of mine who has been on the Ultimate Adventure trips twice, crawls professionally, has sponsors, etc. He laughed at me on the phone and said bring the Jeep by and lets talk. My trip out to see him was the best thing I could have done. He has a stock-ish TJ on 33's with a small lift, a little protection, etc….I was shown videos and photos of where he had driven and wheeled this Jeep. He showed me every high dollar part he had laying on the shelf and compared them with the match of every mid dollar part he had also on the shelf. I got a real lesson in what was out there on the market. One of the big lessons I got was tire selection. Tires where at the top of his list…then lift options…then protection….then the bedazzle crap that could be added.
I ended up calling him on every item I was about to purchase. I am glad I did, because in the end I did not waste a fortune. So as a little advice…spend wisely and check out my thoughts below.
AEV – they are a great company but expensive. If I was gonna take a real “expedition” (a word that gets thrown around on this site like crazy)…I would purchase their stuff. I would trust that with their research they have designed good stuff.
Rough Country – great products, great customer service, great all around. (I purchased a 3in lift from them and I have beat the crap out it. I stand by their products…wouldn't use there stuff to Antarctica and back, but for the planned trips into the back of the unknown…they work perfect an perform just like the other companies).
BFG – Tires, Tires Tires….everyone who owns a Jeep has the dream of rolling tall and getting noticed. People will say, “no I'm not into the big tire thing”…that is BS. Lets face it …big is sweet looking. But big tires brings on big changes to ensure the rig can handle them. Your choice of 33's is spot on…but as another guy said, you're going to have some rub without a wheel spacer or new set of rims. With that said…AEV rims are pretty darn expensive. They look cool….so that is completely up to the owner. When you think tire selection…I was once told, “if you like overlanding, camping, travel, etc…buy a good tire that you can run into town and purchase if you are on a trip and end up needing a replacement”. BFG's have lasted the test of time in the off-road community because of their durability and accessibility. AT or KM2 can be found at dozens of places throughout the US.
Bumpers, rock gaurds, etc – buy what you like. I like the midrange or custom built stuff. One thing that speaks to me is …”if I break it…will I pay the money to buy it again.” If the answer is no to that question, I usually buy something a little less expensive because I know its more of a “I want to show off that I have this brand”.
Final thoughts – Anybody who has been around Jeeps and beat them up will tell you one thing. “People who say their Jeep drives like a dream are either liars or they have not used their rig for what they built it for”. Jeeps are a square on wheels. When they are lifted they ride a little harder from time to time. When they are beat on…new noises and such come and go. But that's Jeeps…the looks might change…but the base is still a Jeep.
Don't be the guy I see at Sears all the time….He has a 4dr JK with every AEV add-on, every upgrade, and the poor Jeep has never seen anything but the highway on the weekend and a KOA campsite. He could have spent half the money and used the other half to fund a cruise to Alaska and backpacked in Denali…later posting photo's of how “expedition minded he is”. He is also the guy that once told me, “why do you have a tow rope and recovery gear strapped to your hood? Don't you know you're gonna ruin the hood?” Of course I know its f-ing up the paint…but it gets used…all the time and I don't have to dig for it and by Jeep was built for my lifestyle.
Build the Jeep for what you are going to use it for. Any money you can save can be thrown into a nice trip. As you get more comfortable and more daring in your travels…upgrade parts and sell the old on CL or here on the forum. Dream big.........but dream less on how cool your gonna look pulling up to the local REI and people think you're a real outdoorsman.
Last but not least please don't take my words and confuse them with me being a D bag Jeep know it all. I just want to see fellow outdoorsman get out and about and not be persuaded by the “my rig looks so cool” bug. Don't buy into all the hype. But…and I say BUT….if you got the coin to do the do and live the dream…by all means build it, post it, let us drool.
Good luck….I see your in PA, hope to maybe see you around the mountains some day!
