Dmski
Adventurer
Well, I have a problem and can’t leave well enough alone on literally any vehicle I own, including my wife’s Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. Upon asking her if she'd allow me to build it up I got the response of “hell no you can’t make my truck a rock crawler!” Ok, fine. Happy wife happy life so I’m going to have to do this subtly…
When I sold my Nissan Xterra (Titan Swapped and fun offroad) I knew I’d be buying and building another truck for family camping, biking and ski trips. We’ve had the 2012 GC Overland for 4 years and I’ve always held off knowing it’s too nice and not a “wheeling” rig, plus it’s my wife’s daily driver and she doesn't want to look or feel like she's in a military vehicle rolling up to Target. That still holds true, and the aim of this thread isn’t to build a crawler or some insane rig but make this a subtle, practical and functional build for family camping. If I want to go bash through rocks or really explore I’ll do that on my motorcycles or build another capable truck in the future for true ORV wheeling. I miss and love aspects of truly wheeling, but the cruel reality is for most trails this truck and our family will be doing I usually spot a subie or carolla at the end of the trail so I’m not going crazy here. There simply isn't a need... Yet (if my last build is any indication of overdoing it, then here we go).
I’m my experience and research, what I’ve found is these rigs are surprisingly capable but lack aftermarket support or solid forum support. Folks build these because they can out of passion and thus there really aren't a ton of builds when you could just buy a JK or 4Runner and be twice as capable for less money new. The older GCs are coming down in value though, and their size and platform offer a lot of road comfort for crunching miles and give decent offroad performance in a luxury SUV package that still feels small compared with what is being offered today. They are decently reliable but do have electrical gremlins depending on the trim level and a share of regular smaller issues that plague similar models across the Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep product lines. They are also well supported too from a dealer perspective in the US. That said, I’ve spent more time trying to find web information on common knowledge info and end up not finding enough, or conflicting information, so my intention is to document my findings and link here as much as possible to help others.
The base vehicle we started with is the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland WK2. This version was fully loaded, heated/cooled seats, heated wheel, 300w inverter, Weathertech mats, offroad skid plates, HD brakes and tow package accompanied with Quadra lift air suspension, ELSD and the 16 spark plug touting 5.7L Hemi. We purchased it with just shy of 50k miles and it’s served us well. Currently it has 92k miles and counting. The goals for this Jeep are as follows:
• Good base line of 90k mile service including fluids, belt, inspection, driveline and paint issues, etc. (currently complete)
• Skids (came with the truck, yay)
• Fix driveline issues in the form of a shift kit/tune, verifying TSBs, etc.
• 32x18" wheel/tire combo for a bit more sidewall and vehicle height
• Hidden winch bumper (possibly off the table if Mrs. Dmski finds out)
• Aux lighting subtly (more for my eyes than anything on dark backroads, I've always loved a backup light in dark areas so in bumper/underneath likely an option)
• Roof rack upgrade or getting creative with storage of skis, bikes, extra bulky and wet gear
• Suspension refresh or replace (quadralift modified or potentially entirely replaced when bags or compressor give out)
• Potential for rear tire carrier if tire doesn't fit or I opt for storage of gear in existing spare tire space
• Awning (again not subtle but I've actually found these to be extremely helpful in wet or hot climates)
• Chrome delete for my vanity, I'd like to update the front grill to have a little less chrome to make it a bit more up to date looking
• Red arc trailer brake controller for potential trailer purchase
• Basic recovery gear for specifically skiing/winter (i.e. Maxtrax/TREDs, simple gear, shovel, Antigravity Jump Pack and air compressor), winch is a nice to have and more for looks
• CB install/HAM install for bored days on the road
• Interior storage
• Radio, this thing is getting a bit long in the tooth so either I'll limp it along or upgrade to something with Apple Car Play
Currently considered but off the table are the following:
• Likely winch bumper as it's functionally never going to be used and more trouble than it's worth
• Sliders, sadly as much fun as these are this truck just isn't/shouldn't be seeing trails that require this. The hardest trail I'll be attempting will be Gallagher and I think the rig should be fine with tires alone.
• Lots of exterior antennas/lights, this is going to be stealthy so either removable or small antennas and hidden/minimal lighting
• Lockers, no need for the trails we intend to use them on
• Snorkel, love them but not required for dust/water levels we see
• RTT, not off the table, but currently not in the cards
• 33+ tires, it's doable with pinch weld/trimming mods but it's more rolling mass and weight that just kills MPG
• Dual battery setup, if we have a trailer I'll be adding solar and extra capacity there so no need for the rig. Antigravity jumpstart pack is enough in a pinch
Current Build notes:
Exterior:
• Washed n' Waxed
• Roof Rack Crossbars installed
• OEM skid plates
Interior:
• Weather Tech Mats
• RAM mount for GPS/phone
• Midlands CB in center console
• UV-5R HAM
• Base recovery gear: Air Compressor, plug kit, shackles, tow strap, folding shovel, jump pack by Antigravity
Performance:
• Solid baseline
• UPR Oil Catch Can
I'll try to keep this first post up to date with current build notes. Enjoy!
When I sold my Nissan Xterra (Titan Swapped and fun offroad) I knew I’d be buying and building another truck for family camping, biking and ski trips. We’ve had the 2012 GC Overland for 4 years and I’ve always held off knowing it’s too nice and not a “wheeling” rig, plus it’s my wife’s daily driver and she doesn't want to look or feel like she's in a military vehicle rolling up to Target. That still holds true, and the aim of this thread isn’t to build a crawler or some insane rig but make this a subtle, practical and functional build for family camping. If I want to go bash through rocks or really explore I’ll do that on my motorcycles or build another capable truck in the future for true ORV wheeling. I miss and love aspects of truly wheeling, but the cruel reality is for most trails this truck and our family will be doing I usually spot a subie or carolla at the end of the trail so I’m not going crazy here. There simply isn't a need... Yet (if my last build is any indication of overdoing it, then here we go).
I’m my experience and research, what I’ve found is these rigs are surprisingly capable but lack aftermarket support or solid forum support. Folks build these because they can out of passion and thus there really aren't a ton of builds when you could just buy a JK or 4Runner and be twice as capable for less money new. The older GCs are coming down in value though, and their size and platform offer a lot of road comfort for crunching miles and give decent offroad performance in a luxury SUV package that still feels small compared with what is being offered today. They are decently reliable but do have electrical gremlins depending on the trim level and a share of regular smaller issues that plague similar models across the Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep product lines. They are also well supported too from a dealer perspective in the US. That said, I’ve spent more time trying to find web information on common knowledge info and end up not finding enough, or conflicting information, so my intention is to document my findings and link here as much as possible to help others.
The base vehicle we started with is the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland WK2. This version was fully loaded, heated/cooled seats, heated wheel, 300w inverter, Weathertech mats, offroad skid plates, HD brakes and tow package accompanied with Quadra lift air suspension, ELSD and the 16 spark plug touting 5.7L Hemi. We purchased it with just shy of 50k miles and it’s served us well. Currently it has 92k miles and counting. The goals for this Jeep are as follows:
• Good base line of 90k mile service including fluids, belt, inspection, driveline and paint issues, etc. (currently complete)
• Skids (came with the truck, yay)
• Fix driveline issues in the form of a shift kit/tune, verifying TSBs, etc.
• 32x18" wheel/tire combo for a bit more sidewall and vehicle height
• Hidden winch bumper (possibly off the table if Mrs. Dmski finds out)
• Aux lighting subtly (more for my eyes than anything on dark backroads, I've always loved a backup light in dark areas so in bumper/underneath likely an option)
• Roof rack upgrade or getting creative with storage of skis, bikes, extra bulky and wet gear
• Suspension refresh or replace (quadralift modified or potentially entirely replaced when bags or compressor give out)
• Potential for rear tire carrier if tire doesn't fit or I opt for storage of gear in existing spare tire space
• Awning (again not subtle but I've actually found these to be extremely helpful in wet or hot climates)
• Chrome delete for my vanity, I'd like to update the front grill to have a little less chrome to make it a bit more up to date looking
• Red arc trailer brake controller for potential trailer purchase
• Basic recovery gear for specifically skiing/winter (i.e. Maxtrax/TREDs, simple gear, shovel, Antigravity Jump Pack and air compressor), winch is a nice to have and more for looks
• CB install/HAM install for bored days on the road
• Interior storage
• Radio, this thing is getting a bit long in the tooth so either I'll limp it along or upgrade to something with Apple Car Play
Currently considered but off the table are the following:
• Likely winch bumper as it's functionally never going to be used and more trouble than it's worth
• Sliders, sadly as much fun as these are this truck just isn't/shouldn't be seeing trails that require this. The hardest trail I'll be attempting will be Gallagher and I think the rig should be fine with tires alone.
• Lots of exterior antennas/lights, this is going to be stealthy so either removable or small antennas and hidden/minimal lighting
• Lockers, no need for the trails we intend to use them on
• Snorkel, love them but not required for dust/water levels we see
• RTT, not off the table, but currently not in the cards
• 33+ tires, it's doable with pinch weld/trimming mods but it's more rolling mass and weight that just kills MPG
• Dual battery setup, if we have a trailer I'll be adding solar and extra capacity there so no need for the rig. Antigravity jumpstart pack is enough in a pinch
Current Build notes:
Exterior:
• Washed n' Waxed
• Roof Rack Crossbars installed
• OEM skid plates
Interior:
• Weather Tech Mats
• RAM mount for GPS/phone
• Midlands CB in center console
• UV-5R HAM
• Base recovery gear: Air Compressor, plug kit, shackles, tow strap, folding shovel, jump pack by Antigravity
Performance:
• Solid baseline
• UPR Oil Catch Can
I'll try to keep this first post up to date with current build notes. Enjoy!
