The Oversleeper

[86scotty]

This is a thread about a Jeep. I hate these trendy titles but I suppose what I like to do is overland, however I despise what has become of the term 'overlander'. This Jeep is literally a sleeper, driven by the daily need vs. the 'overland' need. I guess I'm not immune to the silly way we name vehicles these days, and I needed a title, so here we have the Oversleeper. I will explain in my typically verbose way. Stay tuned.....

The need: She needed a new vehicle. We were woefully unimpressed with her WK2 Grand Cherokee after just a few years. The dash was wrinkling, the fuel mileage was awful and the thing has less cubbies and creature comforts like cup holders than any vehicle built since 1980. This new vehicle needed to fit in her spot and her spot has a 6" garage door. Very old house with a low basement garage but the lady of the house does not like the idea of giving up a cushy SUV for a big lifted overlandy thing that has to live outdoors. This new vehicle needed to get through a couple more years of mommy duty. That means 4 doors and 4 seats. That means no fiddling with dad's electrical systems, swingout spares, boxes, bags and jacks and gear and buttons and switches. That means get in and go reliably and efficiently. The need was a family car. Hmmm.

The want: I wanted a new Jeep. I've been intrigued by the JL since my buddy bought one. It's not like the older Jeeps. My last JKUR was great but suffered some maladies I couldn't forgive. I've had about every model since the 80's. This is a new vehicle, full of new vehicle tech. This is what I wanted, new car goodies combined with a Jeep. I had the money but the market couldn't produce. I looked for a gently used one. I couldn't find one with nearly all the options I wanted for less than the price of a new one. In fact, in this strange time known as Covid times I would've paid MORE than the price of a new one for a used one. Go figure. We'll all laugh about covid times some day.
So, over time I wanted more. In the end, I decided I wanted a JLU Willys 4 cylinder turbo, 10 speed automatic in Sting-gray (color) with black cloth, cold weather package (heated stuff), convenience package (buttons for garage doors and stuff), towing package (for a receiver hitch, I'll never tow anything with it), Safety group (blind spot alert and stuff) and last but not least the premium audio package (big screen, big sub, big amp, nav and a sound system you won't believe comes stock in a Jeep). Really, go test drive one. It's mind bogglingly good audio for any vehicle and especially for a Jeep.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

All this seems easy to find, right? Just your basic new Jeep. Soon I realized there was a very long wait for these special order Jeeps. Never special ordered a car. Never had a brand new car. Just click and the supply chain will bolt all this together and sell it to you during a pandemic, right? Well, sorry for those who waited on a special ordered Jeep for the last year or two. I put my criteria in to Jeep.com and 3 came right up. I thought wow, this is easy! At that time I had not read any of the threads on Jeep forums about the delays and had no idea they were so hard to get. First call Michigan dealer. "Sorry sir, that's someone's special order, you can't have it. Not sure why it's on Jeep's website." Second call, somewhere in Alabama. "Sorry sir, that's someone's special order". I'm seeing a theme. Third call, Myrtle Beach dealer. "Sorry sir, that's someone's special order.....but wait.....something doesn't look right here. Let me look in to this..." Turns out a day before I happened to call that particular dealer on that particular day the person who ordered a Jeep exactly like I wanted it gave up waiting and bought something off the lot. Their new Jeep was on a railcar enroute to them but they didn't know it. I was told by this dealer that he and every other salesman had been turning people down on new Wranglers every day for months because they couldn't get them. Due to a glitch in the system this one was not released back to inventory and no one knew it was for sale until I called looking for it. The stars aligned. In a week I was headed to get it.

The Recovery Mission: I'm not a fancy guy. I've had lots of vehicles and overland/off road toys but never anything new or expensive. I scored a unique Sportsmobile once but it was going on 20 years old when I found it. Anyway, I never dreamed of a recovery mission by land, air and sea but a friend of mine has a small company and a couple of they founders bought a plane and learned to fly a few years back. Until they took me up I had never been in a small aircraft. This same friend has a JLU and was excited about my find. He couldn't do it himself but asked another friend of mine who works there and flies a lot if he would take an afternoon off and fly me to Myrtle Beach. I paid fuel and expenses and it was about what I would've rented a car for and certainly faster and more fun. The 'sea' part was a bit of a stretch but we did swing out over the Atlantic to line up for landing.

The dealer grabbed me from the airport with an Uber and within a couple hours of eating lunch in Tennessee I was standing on the coast at the dealer salivating over this beauty as clean and new as it will ever be, even had a thick slab of ghetto grease on the tires.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

I drove home in awe of how good it drove on the highway and how amazing all of the tech and stereo were. So, success. Now for some mods. First thing's first. Those mudflaps were removed the next morning.

The compromise: While she got a new daily capable of fitting in our basement garage I got a new off-roader that I can't lift or put a roof rack on. I have about 2 inches, literally, to the lip of the garage door and it would be hella inconvenient to lift the house a few inches. I drive a work truck during the week so it only made financial sense to share this thing but I now needed to set it up to pull weekday duty as family car and weekend/vacation duty for me. This is quite a tall order since I've always had dedicated rigs for pleasure, travel and off roading. My goals were OBA (on board air), fridge/drawer combo, single bunk for comfortable stealth camping, robust power system including solar, shore power, inverter and my first experiment with lithium. Also needed for basic overland trips were well thought out and organized recovery gear with winch, real bumpers and eventually some armor underneath, water storage and basic cooking necessities, essentially a stove and some counter space.

 

[86scotty]

First up, a fridge, but where to put it? We had a huge 80L IndelB chest fridge in our JKUR and loved all the fridge space but it was fixed, as in no slide, and would not work with my single bunk needs anyway. One of my goals here is to stealth camp anywhere in this Jeep on road or trail, or rather trailhead since I hike a lot. I settled on the Morryde Trail Kitchen to mount the fridge:

Trail Kitchen – MORryde

www.morryde.com

this thing is a beast, 95# if I remember right. It actually makes the Jeep sag about an inch in the rear with only the fridge and it in the back. It is well made though and priced accordingly. I mounted it extreme left to maximize bunk space.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

For the fridge I took a chance on an Alpicool (made by them but branded Domende) from Amazon. This thing was a bargain but has great reviews *and cutesy mountain decals! I got the longest extended warranty they would sell me and hoped for the best. So far it has been running 24/7 in the Jeep for the last 6 months. After exhausting research on fridges for my purpose I chose it for size (50L), location of vents, controls and hinge and the bonus of bluetooth control. I thought this was kind of silly but I've come to find it really helpful. I'm sitting upstairs in my office as we speak and the fridge is in the Jeep in the basement. Here's a screenshot from my phone which tells me temp and battery voltage any time I'm in the house, or near the Jeep of course. Of course I can adjust any of the settings remotely as well.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

I needed to build a platform to securely mount the fridge drawer and slide and also serve as a base for my bed platform as well as mounting/housing all of my electronics. I settled on two 40ah lithium batteries that fit the space of my proposed hinged platform box perfectly. I was thinking 80ah was minimal but just had to try it out because I couldn't for the life of me figure out where to mount a 100ah lithium battery with this build. I wired up the new fridge in the basement with both batteries and 4 days later it was still sitting at 37 degrees and well above 12.8v. Of course my basement is about 60 degrees ambient year round but this was enough to let me know that with daily driving, solar and a shore charger this setup would work fine. I really don't need it to run 24/7 but it has for many months now with flying colors. We'll see how it does this summer.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

I took a break from rear cabin layout to install on board air since I like the idea of compressors being in clean and dry places. I have mounted them under vehicles before but I don't prefer it, and I prefer to use a Jeep as a Jeep so this thing will see a fair bit of water fording. Since my batteries weren't going to fit in the 'trunk' and I didn't really want to modify the exhaust just for a bigger trunk as some have done I figured I would put the compressor and whatever else would fit in there. It's tight but it worked. Here you see Noco Genius 10 charger, Zamp pure sine wave inverter and a 2cfm 100% duty cycle compressor. I have done about 5 OBA systems now and none of them ARB. I just don't think it's worth paying for when there are so many other good options out there. This system is a mix of Vixen Air Horns and Viair components and is perfectly sized and has already proven itself in the field. I think I have about $400 in the entire system. There is an under hood/wheel well mount for an ARB single I was going to go with but at the time I couldn't find a mount for the 2.0l Jeep.

IMG_0435 by E A, on Flickr

Look at all of this space! Anyone who can't wait to get a new vehicle on the lift to see what all can be mounted under there has to appreciate the new Jeep. I mean, there is absolutely no space under the hood so it's either in the cabin, underneath or bolted on the exterior. I was pretty happy to find so much space for a tank.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

I was even able to use factory tapped holes and a very simple angle steel rack for this setup. Took only a few hours to build and plumb it all.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Nothing like a wide angle iPhone shot to make my shop look 3 times it's actual size.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

OBA chuck (with a cap on it) and Noco shore power plug, or you could say 'commitment'. It was a bit weird to drill big exterior holes in a vehicle with 3k on it but I have no regrets.

Oversleeper by E A, on Flickr

66164663873__097FE564-AE95-43BD-8CFB-F5402E4C5463 by E A, on Flickr

 

[86scotty]

So, the OBA setup consists of a Vixen Air horns 100% duty cycle compressor, Viair 90111 pressure switch, Viair 2 gallon tank, Viair fitting kit and some locally made hoses/lines for external air chuck. My friend who happens to own the plane also drives a JLU and tows a heavy camper with it. In his frustration of trying to deal with a weight distribution hitch and failed airbag kits he came up with a better solution. It involves some 3d printed parts to make a Firestone inner spring bag work with the travel and abuse a Jeep that gets used as such doles out. He has extensively tested it on cross country trips with his near 4k camper and I was nominated as test mule for more serious off-roading. Not bragging here, I realize I'm in a mostly stock Jeep but I'm not afraid to push it's limits and twist it up now and then. I can hang an axle just fine with this system. Oh, the upfitter/aux switches on new Jeeps are fantastic. They give you two already wired with 40a relays and two 20a if I remember right. Two under the hood, two in the cabin. I used AUX 1 for the air compressor. You can even go in to the dash settings now and set these switches how you like, momentary vs. maintained, name them, etc. Unfortunately there is no good way to label them on the dash that I have found.

Why airbags? I don't intend to tow with this Jeep or upgrade the suspension, at least for now, because of my garage height problem. However, just the goodies I've added make the Jeep sink about 2 inches in the rear. The bags are simply to maintain factory height without that saggy look. About 20 psi in them works great.

Here are some shots of the airbag system install.

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Next up, the rest of the power system. I think I said this above but it consists of an 80ah lithium bank charged by shore via a Noco exterior plug tied to a Noco Genius 10 charger. Batteries are fed via alternator and solar through a Renogy 30a DC to DC and a Cascadia Vehicle Systems 80w hood panel. Cascadia sells a vinyl backer for their panels so the inevitable dust that gets underneath won't kill your paint. They make a very high quality product. I was hesitant to buy a flexible type panel, especially one that mounts on your hood, but it is a solid product and is working well so far.

Oversleeper by E A, on Flickr

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

The idea of my electrical layout and platform box came from the need to keep this thing as simple and bulletproof as her daily driver as I could. With the rear seats in the upright position all electrical and anything non-stock is basically hidden and safe from harm. The raised 'box' accessible from rear is so that bedding, air mattress, etc. can be stuffed in to it and completely out of sight and out of the way when not in use. That kind of stuff just stays there. I do have to open the hatch to the trunk section when using air compressor to let it breathe.

Starting to mock up power system and sleeping platform box:

Oversleeper by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Oversleeper by E A, on Flickr

Oversleeper by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Renogy's app for their DC to DC is pretty hokey but it does give me basic info from the driver's seat or near the Jeep and it does log performance.

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

 

[86scotty]

Lots of carpeting, slow and messy work.

Oversleeper by E A, on Flickr

Here is the completed platform, with surrounds which lock the fridge in to place.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Video of the daily to camper changover:

Jeep JLU sleeping platform

youtube.com

I added XG Cargo Gama bags to the rear, which I had in my JKUR. These things are great! Not cheap but offer lots of storage in a place where nothing else can.

Jeep Wrangler JKU, JLU and 4xe Sportsbar Storage Gama

The Jeep Wrangler JKU, JLU and 4xe Gama rear storage camping bags are the first rear mounting roll bar storage bags for your expeditions. The ultimate Jeep Wrangler mounted storage option to carry tools, tow straps, jump starters or emergency roadside kits.

xgcargo.com

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Kitchen deployed:

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

I added one of those Amazonia rear hatch light bars. No better bang for the buck IMO.

Also added Bulletpoint phone mount, more cup holders in the doors and some other plastic organizer bins from Amazon, not really worth showing.

For an air mattress I went with the phenomenal DeepSleep4Jeeps single. This is a self inflating memory foam mattress. It is really an amazing product. I have used Exped Megamats for a few years and this is a Jeep sized version, perhaps even better made. I like the valves and fit and finish better. I also bought their rear door bug screens and they are excellent but I haven't needed them yet.

deepsleep SOLO Mat™ | deepsleep

For solo overlanders and campers alike... our new, patented, deepsleep SOLO Mat is here! Our design is the first mat of it's kind to be specifically shaped for use in vehicles. It contours around the wheel well and center console, allowing you to sleep in your rig with the best use of space...

www.deepsleep4jeeps.com

Also added two @ 2 gallon Rotopax cans on a Rockslide Engineering EZ mount and for now I have these and my recovery boards strapped on only for trips. This stuff is in the way in daily driver mode and blocks the camera too.

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Next up was a winch but I had to upgrade the plastic factory Willys bumper. Here I made my only regrettable decision so far. I went with an aftermarket Rubicon steel bumper. It looks like and works ok but reviews say it's going to rust and it is just not at all the fit and finish of the Mopar bumper. Time will tell. For a winch I went for a Warn VR8 Evo S (synthetic line).

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

 

[Gear]

Great find! I am personally looking more and more closely at the non Rubicon Wrangler as a replacement for my JKUR. On a side note take a look at Terra Acoustics direct replacement front sound stage speakers. Probably the best sub $300 purchase for my Jeep. They really are that amazing. Looking forward to seeing where you take this perfect Jeep.

 

[86scotty]

Great find! I am personally looking more and more closely at the non Rubicon Wrangler as a replacement for my JKUR. On a side note take a look at Terra Acoustics direct replacement front sound stage speakers. Probably the best sub $300 purchase for my Jeep. They really are that amazing. Looking forward to seeing where you take this perfect Jeep.

Thanks Justin, I went for the Willys over the Rubi because the Rubicon goodies just weren't needed on this build. I can't lift or mod the suspension due to my garage height constraints so as for running gear this one will stay mostly as is. I might add lockers someday. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the Willys has Rubi factory sliders and the same suspension, just no lockers or sway bar disconnect.

I had an Ursa like you on my JKUR and liked it but we learned a couple of things on some long trips with that setup. If we are both going we will take the van (I have one ordered and will be building later this year). If we want to do some wheeling we'll tow the Jeep with the van. We found traveling in the Ursa to be too tight for the two of us for multi week trips. Even with an awning and rear seats removed it was just too tight. The biggest issue is that we live in TN and like to travel out west so comfort getting across the country and back becomes pretty tedious, and you can't really stealth camp in one. This little thing gets amazing fuel mileage and is amazing for a solo traveler. I averaged low 20's on a recent 5k mile trip and drove 78 on the freeway across and back.

 

[pith helmet]

Great build, Eric. A lot of good choices made, including what you chose NOT to put on there. We have the same issue with a daily driver that has to be the RV for two.

 

[86scotty]

Edited above, video and more pics of the final product added.

I forgot, also added an air blower under the front seat. Great for quick cleanups.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Now, speaking of cleaning up, this thing was way too clean. Time for a winter escape to the SW to see how everything works. I started off with 4,000 miles on the Jeep and put about 5k on it this trip. Starting from home in east TN I ran hard across I-40 to Roosevelt Lake, AZ to hang with some friends. First camp on a bluff on the north side of the lake.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

This isn't me but a friend, a fire and a view.

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

My favorite thing about this Jeep so far is that it's so capable yet so efficient. It drives like a sedan at 80 mph on the highway and has plenty of power and speed with the 8 speed and turbo motor. You can easily hit 100 while passing on the interstate before you even know it. This didn't use to happen in Jeeps. With my cruise on 78 I was averaging 20-21 mpg. When I got off the interstate and settled in to days of 2 lanes, gravel and trails it went up, way up! This pic is about halfway through my trip. I have never reset the mpg meter.

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

After a nice 3 days on the lake I was ready to head north and find some trails and scenery. I headed up through Flagstaff and spent about a half a day hiking at the south rim (GC) but it was just too busy. Then headed east and around to check White Pocket off the list of places I've always wanted to go. Lots of soft sand for miles and miles and unbelievable scenery. If you've haven't heard of the place it's a smaller version of the Wave and not far from there. I'll let the pics speak for themselves. Big fun finally getting off the beaten path with the Jeep. Before this day I don't think I had shifted it in to 4 wheel drive.

These White pocket pics are unedited taken on an iPhone. The place really is that amazing.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Spring 2022 trip by E A, on Flickr

Spring 2022 trip by E A, on Flickr

Spring 2022 trip by E A, on Flickr

Spring 2022 trip by E A, on Flickr

I spent one night there and really dug the peace and quiet but it was time to ramble. I headed north, fueled in Big Water and headed up Cottonwood Canyon Rd. Pic from a hike in Cottonwood Canyon.

Spring 2022 trip by E A, on Flickr

Somewhere along Cottonwood Canyon Rd. I couldn't believe the variety of rock here.

IMG_1257 by E A, on Flickr

I ran this road north to Hwy 12 at Cannonville and made my way east to Escalante for supplies. Next stop, Capitol Reef.

 

[billiebob]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the Willys has Rubi factory sliders and the same suspension, just no lockers or sway bar disconnect.

90% correct, the big difference is the 4:1 RockBox in the Rubi but that has more disadvantages than plusses for 90% of us..... hence every other 4x4 out there comes with a 2.72:1 ish transfer case.

I recommend adding lockers. You will love them more than a winch, big tires or a lift. Selectable lockers front and rear are game changers.

You mention "she" but that really looks like a single sleeper...... is "she" like my wife letting me do my primitive camping solo?

 

[86scotty]

90% correct, the big difference is the 4:1 RockBox in the Rubi but that has more disadvantages than plusses for 90% of us..... hence every other 4x4 out there comes with a 2.72:1 ish transfer case.

I recommend adding lockers. You will love them more than a winch, big tires or a lift. Selectable lockers front and rear are game changers.

You mention "she" but that really looks like a single sleeper...... is "she" like my wife letting me do my primitive camping solo?

Thanks, I had lockers in the Rubi and they will eventually get put in this rig. 'She' loves primitive camping but only in the western states in fair weather. We don't favor rain or our eastern humidity. I am about to start another van build which will be much more elaborate and nicer, that's her preference.

 

[pith helmet]

Thanks, I had lockers in the Rubi and they will eventually get put in this rig. 'She' loves primitive camping but only in the western states in fair weather. We don't favor rain or our eastern humidity. I am about to start another van build which will be much more elaborate and nicer, that's her preference.

You just described my 'She', too.

 

[jgaz]

Lots of carpeting, slow and messy work.

Oversleeper by E A, on Flickr

Here is the completed platform, with surrounds which lock the fridge in to place.

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Video of the daily to camper changover:

Jeep JLU sleeping platform

youtube.com

I added XG Cargo Gama bags to the rear, which I had in my JKUR. These things are great! Not cheap but offer lots of storage in a place where nothing else can.

Jeep Wrangler JKU, JLU and 4xe Sportsbar Storage Gama

The Jeep Wrangler JKU, JLU and 4xe Gama rear storage camping bags are the first rear mounting roll bar storage bags for your expeditions. The ultimate Jeep Wrangler mounted storage option to carry tools, tow straps, jump starters or emergency roadside kits.

xgcargo.com

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

Kitchen deployed:

Untitled by E A, on Flickr

I added one of those Amazonia rear hatch light bars. No better bang for the buck IMO.

Also added Bulletpoint phone mount, more cup holders in the doors and some other plastic organizer bins from Amazon, not really worth showing.

For an air mattress I went with the phenomenal DeepSleep4Jeeps single. This is a self inflating memory foam mattress. It is really an amazing product. I have used Exped Megamats for a few years and this is a Jeep sized version, perhaps even better made. I like the valves and fit and finish better. I also bought their rear door bug screens and they are excellent but I haven't needed them yet.

deepsleep SOLO Mat™ | deepsleep

For solo overlanders and campers alike... our new, patented, deepsleep SOLO Mat is here! Our design is the first mat of it's kind to be specifically shaped for use in vehicles. It contours around the wheel well and center console, allowing you to sleep in your rig with the best use of space...

www.deepsleep4jeeps.com

Also added two @ 2 gallon Rotopax cans on a Rockslide Engineering EZ mount and for now I have these and my recovery boards strapped on only for trips. This stuff is in the way in daily driver mode and blocks the camera too.

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Next up was a winch but I had to upgrade the plastic factory Willys bumper. Here I made my only regrettable decision so far. I went with an aftermarket Rubicon steel bumper. It looks like and works ok but reviews say it's going to rust and it is just not at all the fit and finish of the Mopar bumper. Time will tell. For a winch I went for a Warn VR8 Evo S (synthetic line).

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Obersleeper by E A, on Flickr

Very nice build.

 

[AggieOE]

Great looking Jeep! With all the extra weight, I'm curious how much height you've lost/gained to get into the garage.

 

[Dan Grec]

the 4:1 RockBox in the Rubi but that has more disadvantages than plusses for 90% of us.....

I see this mentioned from time to time, and it doesn't jive with my experiences.
I think it makes sense for regular "4x4" guys, but not so much for long term overlanders.

Of all the Rubi features that I find most useful most often, the 4:1 case comes first.

Once my vehicle is "overlanding" heavy, I find being able to go slower is so, so important.

If I ever build an overlanding vehicle that isn't a Rubi, I'd add in the Rubi TCase before anything else.

-Dan

 

[86scotty]

Great looking Jeep! With all the extra weight, I'm curious how much height you've lost/gained to get into the garage.

None, the only reason I added the air springs were to level the load. I have about 1-2 inches below my garage door, same now as when new with nothing in the Jeep. It just sags a bit when loaded if I don't air up the springs.

I am hoping I can get away with one size up A/T's when these M/T Firestones are done. They are already getting louder. I thought they would be awful in general but they are actually pretty good tires all around.